NBA: Warrior godfather.

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The next day.

At 7 p.m., the Thunder arrived at Oracle Arena to warm up before the game and prepare for the night's matchup.

Westbrook looked across the court at the Warriors, who were also warming up, his eyes fixed on Curry.

Durant was practicing a mid-range jump shot after a move, his killer move. He noticed Westbrook standing still beyond the three-point line.

He walked over to Westbrook, followed his gaze, and immediately saw Curry near the baseline, using the basketball like a bowling ball, having a good time with the coach.

"Haha, this Curry has a baby face and acts like a kid," Durant smiled, with a mocking grin on his face.

This season, the Thunder had faced the Warriors twice and won both times. Durant didn't expect Curry to still be having so much fun. Didn't he know his team was about to suffer another defeat?

Westbrook looked back, slammed the basketball down, and shot a three-pointer.

Boom!

The ball hit the rim. Westbrook recovered it, raced toward the paint, dunked, dribbled toward Durant, and said, relieved:

"Kevin, we have to win this game!"

He would always remember the game where UCLA lost to Butler University. He would never forget how Curry won the championship by stepping on his head. If it weren't for Curry, UCLA would've never had a chance at the championship.

Originally, after being selected by the Thunder with the third overall pick, he immediately committed to playing in the NBA. He took that failure very seriously. His goal was to become an All-Star, or even a superstar.

Curry? He was just a college player who could only cause a stir in the NCAA. If he had the ability, why not try playing in the NBA?

As a result, Curry entered the NBA as the second overall pick that year and delivered a performance that shocked the league, securing a firm spot as the top rookie, even briefly entering the MVP discussion early in the season. Playing against the Lakers, after an impactful battle, they became famous across the United States. Many people thought that he and Rose were the best point guards of the new generation.

This made Westbrook revisit those bad memories. He started seeing Curry as his rival, feeling even more resentful. "You stepped on me to win the championship. You dominated me. Isn't that too intimidating?"

When they played against the Warriors for the first time this season, he worked hard, taking 17 shots. Though his efficiency wasn't high, hitting only 7 of them, the Thunder won the game.

In the second game, the Warriors once again played without their starting center. This time, Westbrook was even happier. He did his best to attack the interior and threw down several dunks. The Thunder ultimately defeated their opponent, which left him feeling relieved.

In this third battle with the Warriors, Westbrook not only wanted to win—he wanted to win happily!

"I'm a vengeful person. I'm not kidding about my real temper. Do you think changing me to starting center will help? Watch, young master, I'll break your restricted area!"

Westbrook rolled his eyes and looked coldly at Liam on the sideline. He remembered the defensive strategy that Liam had set up for him. He had let him shoot directly and had allowed Butler and Curry to use trash talk to try to get him to take more three-pointers. He had been too young, falling right into the trap. He couldn't make that crucial shot...

Tonight, he had to show Liam what the impact of that game truly was!

As both teams warmed up, fans began to trickle in, filling the Oracle Arena. They gathered on the Warriors' side, watching Curry's unusual warm-up routine, laughing and cheering at times.

When Curry made a long three-pointer from the tunnel, loud cheers and applause erupted from the stands, attracting the attention of everyone on the Thunder team.

Westbrook stared at Curry coldly, muttering under his breath with disdain:

"Hmph! What's so special about him? Just wait. If you're so skilled, come and guard me!"

With the eager anticipation of the fans and Westbrook. The Oracle Arena was as packed as always. Players from both teams took the court, and the game was about to begin.

The Warriors' starting lineup consisted of Curry, Butler, Azubuike, Varejao, and Chandler. After playing as the starting center for three games, Big Z no longer had to battle with his aging legs.

The Thunder's starting lineup was Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, Krstic, and Sefolosha, which had been the stable starting lineup for the entire season.

The showdown between Curry and the four young players from the Thunder, plus the debut of Tyson Chandler, was a highly anticipated game, set to be broadcast live across the United States. ESPN sent a commentary team of Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy.

Domestic media in Colombia, including ESPN, also organized a live stream before the game began, attracting a large number of fans from both the Thunder and Warriors.

Before the game, many questioned the Warriors' decision to trade away Biedrins just to acquire Chandler, especially considering Biedrins' strong performance in the last month, which had earned them many wins in Colombia. After paying attention, he was traded away the day after breaking his career scoring record, which left many Warriors fans perplexed.

Someone in the live broadcast chat asked:

"Can someone explain why Coach Liam traded for Tyson Chandler? He didn't even play well with the Bobcats!"

"Let me first say that I've always supported Coach Liam, but this time, I really don't get it. Didn't Biedrins play well? He's younger than Chandler and has potential, so why trade him? Is it because Chandler is older and fragile?"

"Haha, you all are complaining already? The boxing champion hasn't even fought a match yet! Can't you be a little patient?"

"As for the boxing champion, the Hornets no longer want him. If he can fight well, I'll eat my computer!"

"Are you trying to trick me into eating and drinking again? I don't think you dare to eat it!"

"The one who dares is my grandson…"

On the other hand, Thunder fans sat back and enjoyed the internal bickering among the Warriors fans. In their opinion, the Thunder had already defeated the Warriors twice, and now, with the Warriors replacing Biedrins with Chandler, there was no real threat. Of the four young players from the Thunder, their strength still wasn't fully realized, so they weren't at all worried about the outcome of the game.

Would the Thunder defeat the Warriors? Without even looking, I'd wake up to another big victory.

In this noisy atmosphere, Chandler defeated Krstic and successfully jumped for the tip-off. The game had officially begun!

When the Warriors had the ball, Curry typically wanted to push for a fast break, but Brooks had obviously emphasized before the game that the Thunder would quickly retreat and not give the Warriors the opportunity to play fast.

Curry slowed the pace and moved to the top of the key, with Westbrook guarding him.

Westbrook looked at Curry with a provocative stare, his hands raised in a defensive stance.

He had high hopes that Curry would challenge him one-on-one, giving him a chance to reclaim the lost ground from their previous encounters.

But Curry had no intention of playing solo and signaled Chandler to come up for a pick-and-roll.

Westbrook fought to get around the screen, but was surprised to discover that the strategy that had worked in the first two games was ineffective this time. Chandler's imposing frame blocked him from getting past.

Liam, standing off to the side, smiled faintly as he watched Krstic get screened off by Chandler in front of Curry.

Chandler's impact was evident in the first two games against the Thunder. Curry had been covered by Biedrins and Big Z—one was too thin, the other too slow, and the quality of the defense was poor.

But Chandler, with his excellent size, speed, and experience, firmly blocked Westbrook on the first move, then quietly took two steps forward, slowing Westbrook again and making it impossible for him to catch up with Curry. Westbrook couldn't switch defenses with him and didn't have a chance to close out on Curry's open shots.

Curry didn't blindly shoot a three-pointer; instead, he used Chandler's screen to speed up, passing Krstic as he cut to the basket.

Westbrook was blocked by Chandler. When he saw Curry using his speed to slip by Krstic, he ran to catch up with Curry from behind.

Curry took a step inside the free-throw line, not attempting a deeper shot, but launching the ball into the air. Westbrook quickly turned around, but Chandler had already rushed into the paint, ignoring his defense, jumping high to catch Curry's pass and slam the ball into the basket over Westbrook.

0:2.

After landing, Chandler roared to the crowd, his muscles tensed, veins bulging, which elicited a huge ovation.

The fans were always the most emotional and cruel. They could give Biedrins a standing ovation for more than 30 points and cheer Chandler's alley-oop dunks.

Even though it was just one play, they were already infected by Chandler's passionate style of play.

After the dunk, Chandler vented most of his frustrations from his time with the Bobcats, feeling greatly relieved.

When he was with the Bobcats, when had Larry Brown ever prepared a pick-and-roll strategy for him? And among the Bobcats' chaotic guards, who could throw such a precise alley-oop pass at just the right moment like Curry?

During a timeout, he high-fived Curry and smiled broadly:

"Stephen, great pass! Pass with confidence, and I'll dunk every one of your assists!"

Curry also smiled and nodded. He really appreciated Chandler's screen. Let's be honest, Biedrins' screens couldn't compare to Chandler's. Curry was beginning to understand why Liam had made the trade.

"Yes! The beautiful alley-oop cooperation between Curry and Chandler, the Thunder defense is having issues, they should not give Chandler that much space!" said Mike Breen with his iconic magnetic voice.

As the lead commentator for ESPN, Mike Breen was highly popular in the United States and one of the top NBA commentators. He had commentated on many important games, and ESPN asked him to call this one, fully showcasing his understanding of the game.

Westbrook grabbed the dropped ball, hit it a couple of times in frustration, then passed it and looked at Durant.

Just now, he was trying to help with the defense. According to Brooks' instructions, Durant should have been in the strong side to help protect the rim, but he stayed in the corner and didn't approach, leading to Chandler being unguarded.

But who made Durant the elder brother of the team? Westbrook didn't dare to say anything and could only bury this resentment in his heart.

On the sidelines, Liam nodded slightly, clapped, and smiled.

This moment vividly reflected the defensive shortcomings of Westbrook and Durant.

Westbrook's tendency to get distracted off the ball was already showing. His attention followed the ball throughout the play. If it hadn't been for Curry's pass, he might not have even noticed Chandler slipping behind him.

Before he could stop focusing on the ball, and even after the pick-and-roll, he thought his defensive task was done. He stood still, still actively chasing Curry.

Of course, this could also be because he was obsessed with Curry. In a few years, he would become the Thunder's biggest defensive sieve.

And Durant was far from the level of defense he showed at the end of Yuan Yu's era. He seemed to pay no attention to defense at all. He had been hanging out in the corner with Butler, watching Chandler dunk. It was hard to say he was even trying to help on defense. His effort was poor. Not comparable, I can only say, not at all.

Looking back, the Thunder attacked, and Westbrook controlled the ball. Durant first moved to the corner, then used Krstic for a screen, and Butler briefly blocked him before chasing him down. Durant found space in the open and received a pass from Westbrook, facing Butler's defense and shooting, completely ignoring Butler's interference.

Swish!

Durant's movements were incredibly smooth, and the ball floated in a gentle arc, obediently dropping into the basket.

2:2.

After scoring, Durant walked back with an indifferent expression, as if he had just had a glass of water, rather than hitting a difficult jumper.

However, with his 2.11-meter height, that jumper was more difficult for others. For him, it was as easy as eating and drinking.

Liam seemed a bit cold. The Warriors' offense in the first two games hadn't been a big problem, but the Thunder's offense was stronger. The Warriors couldn't beat the Thunder and lost the game.

If he remembered correctly, this season was the first time Durant had won the scoring title. After two years of experience, he had learned to use his abnormal talents to develop his best skills for both shooting and moving without the ball, becoming a terrifying scoring machine.

Up until now, Durant was averaging 29.7 points per game, with a shooting percentage of 47.6% and a 36.8% three-point shooting rate. He had reached an elite level in this era, with high production and efficiency, ranking among the top scorers in the league.

In the first two games against the Warriors, Durant scored 35 points and 33 points respectively, playing steadily and efficiently. Although Curry also scored 27 and 29 points respectively, matching Durant's output, it was still difficult to defeat him with both

punches. The Warriors had still lost the game.

Judging by the current situation, the Warriors still couldn't contain Durant's performance tonight. If they wanted to win, they needed to worry about other aspects.

Liam stood up, stepped aside, and shouted:

"Stephen!"

Curry looked at him, opened his mouth, then closed it, pausing before saying:

"Don't worry, just follow the established tactics!"

He didn't want to hold his last move back for the regular season, so he might as well observe it first.

The Warriors attacked again, and after Curry and Chandler ran another pick-and-roll, Chandler once again dunked.

Krstic was too slow, Westbrook too small. They focused entirely on Curry, and Chandler slipped smoothly.

After three consecutive pick-and-rolls from Curry and Chandler, Brooks couldn't stay still and had Krstic come back after a significant delay without switching defenses. The others also shrank inside, preventing Chandler from easily entering the paint.

His tactic worked. Chandler had only participated in one training session with the Warriors. The rolling move after the screen was something he was familiar with from the Hornets, so he seemed to have a tacit understanding with Curry, but it was only superficial.

There was still much time needed for him to fully adapt to the team and master many of the tactics. Liam wouldn't be able to adjust their strategy in the pick-and-roll cooperation between the two.

As there was no other way to fight in a positional battle, Liam waved his hand, forcing the Warriors to accelerate.

Curry began to act with the help of Chandler's screen, stepped outside the three-point line, and shot. But his touch wasn't great. He missed four consecutive triples, making only one. All the other shots missed the basket.

After Curry missed a long three, all the long rebounds were collected by the Thunder, and Westbrook immediately launched a fast break, with Jeff Green attacking the basket one after the other.

But the Warriors had achieved their goal. The Thunder started to play faster with them. The Thunder simply accelerated without thinking, while the Warriors ran and shot in an organized manner. Curry advanced with the ball, with Azubuike and Butler flying down the wings, and Chandler trailing behind. Combined with Varejao's bottom-line movement and coverage, it was dazzling but methodical.

The Thunder initially excelled with their aggressive style, but soon began to fall into chaos. Everyone started trying to handle the ball by themselves, regardless of whether the opportunity was good or not. Westbrook was like an American muscle car speeding to the limit, roaring toward the Warriors inside, running forward, forgetting his role as a point guard, hoping every play would end in a dunk.

But he forgot that the Warriors' current starting center wasn't Biedrins, it was Chandler!

Biedrins' defense in the center position could only stay in the middle of the pack. It was more than enough to defend against regular players, but he still couldn't handle the young Westbrook, blocking shots easily. Position defense lost.

Chandler had elite-level defense at the center position. He was highly mobile, experienced, precise in positioning, and had very smart timing in blocking shots.

After being bullied by Westbrook twice, Chandler quickly figured out Westbrook's routine, protected the Warriors' basket, repeatedly thwarted Westbrook's silly attacks, and did an excellent job on the defensive boards.

Once the defense was completed, the Warriors seized the opportunity for a counter-attack, running and shooting energetically, and the score rapidly climbed. Curry's shooting touch also gradually recovered, hitting a fast-break three-pointer, but he still did more for his teammates. The ball pushed his teammates to score.

The first quarter was fast-paced. Neither team committed many fouls, and they didn't even enter into a positional battle. On average, each offensive possession took less than 10 seconds. The scene was very lively and gave the fans a lot of enjoyment.

But the fast pace certainly led to many mistakes. The Warriors committed five turnovers in the first quarter, while the Thunder went even further, committing nine turnovers!

This was largely because of Westbrook, who made four turnovers, three of which were unforced errors.

One of his pass errors hit Jeff Green squarely in the head, making the local fans laugh. He could be called a "basketball comedian."

This is Westbrook. Ten years later, fans would be surprised to find that he's still the same guy, with no real change. His playing style hardly evolved, and the word "maturity" has nothing to do with him.

Westbrook's playing style is, at best, passionate, and at worst, reckless. He is developing a game habit that makes people both love and hate him.

Relying on counter-attacks, Chandler's defense, and Westbrook's help, at the end of the first quarter, the Warriors led the Thunder by 8 points, 35:27. This was also the largest lead the Warriors had held over the Thunder that season.

End of this chapter

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