NBA: Warrior godfather.

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Durant was behind Curry, watching him make a layup and pumping his fist in frustration. He became even more annoyed when he saw Curry waving at the audience, making the noise in the Oracle Center louder and louder.

I should be the protagonist, why are all the eyes on you?

He even forgot that this is an away game, the Oracle Center, not the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma.

Durant was a little distracted by the shouts of "warrior" from all over the stadium. He reached for the ball just after half court, wanting to return the ball and quiet down the stadium, but the Warriors immediately double-teamed him. Azubuk didn't even look at Westbrook, and rushed towards Durant who was one step outside the three-point line without hesitation.

Durant just took the ball and looked at the enthusiastic Butler and Azubuike, so he could only pass the ball back to Westbrook.

Fake, you won't even let me shoot a long three-pointer?

After he gave the ball out, he was ready to run without the ball, but Westbrook obviously had other ideas. There was no one within three meters around him, which made Westbrook feel insulted.

After he got the ball, he glanced at the basket, hesitated for a moment, did not take a three-pointer, slammed the ball hard, and rushed into the paint!

When Westbrook came near the free throw line, he found Chandler waiting with his hands outstretched at the edge of the penalty area. His heart trembled, and the scene of being dominated by Chandler in the first quarter came to his mind. This is a real ruthless guy!

Instead of rushing forward, he slowed down and took a zombie jump shot from the free throw line.

The Warriors' defense on Westbrook was too lax. Except for Chandler waiting for him under the basket, no one was in charge of the mid-range position, giving him plenty of time to adjust.

Swish!

There was a crisp sound of the ball hitting the net, but it didn't go in. The basketball brushed the bottom edge of the net and landed outside the baseline. Westbrook missed the shot!

There was a burst of laughter from the sidelines, and Mike Breen also chuckled:

"Oh, this is a somewhat awkward shot. Westbrook almost missed the shot without any defense. His touch didn't look very good."

Jeff Van Gundy added:

"I have to talk about a set of data - Westbrook's close-range two-pointer, mid-range two-pointer, and long-range two-pointer hit rates were 35.9%, 34%, and 38.8% respectively, and many of them were taken like today, without encountering oppressive defense. Not only that, his hit rate at the basket was only a pitiful 53.3%. Every point Westbrook got was very, very inefficient, and he still needs more time to grow."

Jeff Van Gundy's words were sharp, which made many Thunder fans who were watching the broadcast feel very dissatisfied, but they were helpless because he was right.

The Thunder had several games that they should have won this season, but they were ruined by Westbrook.

Everyone knows that Durant should have ended the Thunder's scoring in the final moments. Westbrook also knew this, and Brooks arranged it this way. In most games, Westbrook would obediently give the ball to Durant, but when he got excited, he would not care about so much, and would just take the ball and do it himself, and ended up with turnovers or missed shots, causing the Thunder to lose the game.

Although he made several key shots, they were obviously far less than the victories he ruined.

It was only the end of the second quarter and not the last minute of the game, but Westbrook's two misses also made Brooks very angry. He raised his hand helplessly, and then put it down helplessly. Westbrook was a rising star that the Thunder was working hard to cultivate, and there was nothing he could do except complain.

Westbrook is the future of the Thunder and the future superstar that Presti has his eyes on. The Thunder will have to rely on the combination of him and Durant to hit the championship. This is the price he must pay on his road to growth. Brooks not only has to endure Westbrook's brainless operations, but also has to encourage him.

But what they don't know is that some people remain young until they die. Westbrook's greatest characteristic is that he never forgets his original intention. Presti's wish is destined to fail.

After Westbrook's shot went out of bounds, the Warriors had the ball. There were still 20 seconds left in the first half. Curry dribbled across half court slowly. Liam made the same gesture to him. Curry again set a pick-and-roll with Butler and moved Durant in front of him.

He controlled the ball steadily, watching the time on the timer pass by minute by minute, while Durant in front of him was already ready.

With 5 seconds left, Curry started. He took small steps, changed direction in front of his body, and shook his shoulders. It was very confusing, as if he was going to break through in the next second, forcing Durant to take a small step back to leave room for reaction.

But just as he stepped back, Curry suddenly shot a three-pointer right in Durant's face!

Durant never expected Curry to choose to shoot, so he quickly reached out to try to block the shot. Because the distance was very close, his hand immediately covered Curry, but Curry's shooting speed was too fast and the basketball flew past his fingertips.

Curry deliberately adjusted his shot, and the basketball slid in the air through an arc that was much higher than usual and took a longer time. After the red light came on, it fell straight into the net!

53:65, the Warriors extended their lead to 12 points!

After watching the shot go in, Durant walked towards the locker room without looking back, his face gloomy, and he ignored the fans who wanted to high-five him near the player tunnel.

Curry celebrated wildly with his teammates, showing a happy smile, and his braces were almost thrown off.

"Curry's buzzer-beating three-pointer was a very bold shot. Durant's defense was very good, but he couldn't do anything to Curry. This shot will definitely be selected as one of the top ten shots of the day!" Mike Breen said loudly.

In ESPN's live broadcast room, messages flooded the screen like a waterfall:

"Wow, Durant got screwed by Curry, this shot is too amazing!"

"Haha, this is just a guess. Durant blocked his face. He will definitely miss the shot next time!"

"It's 12 points now. Are the Warriors going to win? Hahahahaha..."

"You're dreaming. The Thunder beat the Warriors twice. They want to win with Chandler? I think Durant will be awesome in the second half, scoring 40+ points and leading the team to victory!"

"What about Durant? He's almost being double-teamed by the Warriors. I don't think he'll get 10 points in the second half!"

Amid the controversy, the audience quickly shifted their focus from discussing the ball to predicting the outcome of the game. Few people mentioned that Curry scored 5 points in a row against Durant's defense, and the few discussions that existed were drowned out by the comments in the live broadcast room.

Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy also focused on Chandler's improvement on the Warriors' defense, without even mentioning the two matchups between Curry and Durant.

After Brooks returned to the locker room, he comforted Durant:

"Kevin, Curry is just good at dribbling and scored two goals. Don't take it seriously. We still need your points in the second half..."

Except for Liam who showed an understanding smile after seeing Curry succeed twice, no one paid attention to Curry's "lucky shots".

After the next shift, Curry did not look for Durant to play against him again, and no one paid attention to the two rounds before the end of the first half. Those were the only two times that Curry and Durant faced off in this game.

…

The game situation in the second half was the same as in the second quarter. With Durant being double-teamed by the Warriors, no one else on the Thunder could stand up. Only Jeff Green helped the team score points through cuts, mid-range shots, and three-pointers.

But he is not an all-around warrior. He can do everything but excel in nothing. He can add icing on the cake but cannot provide timely assistance and cannot solve the Thunder's offensive problems.

Westbrook, as the second-leading scorer of the Thunder, was completely left open by the Warriors. It was difficult for him to break through the Warriors' restricted area guarded by Chandler. He could only save face by relying on zombie jump shots with a low hit rate, but it could not change the situation of being suppressed by the Warriors.

The Warriors fully utilized the advantage of having many secondary attackers. Azubuike, Butler, and Lowry were all able to attack with the ball, and even Reggie Williams frequently attacked the basket and scored from multiple points.

This is exactly the same as the previous two times the Warriors played against the Thunder, but the difference is that the Warriors had Chandler defending the basket tonight, but not before.

Chandler's presence broke the balance of power between the two teams. He was too strong to restrain Westbrook, a guard who could only attack the basket with his body. In terms of body, who was Chandler afraid of? Moreover, he had rich experience and top defensive IQ.

He sat under the basket like a pillar, making forwards and guards like Westbrook, Jeff Green, and Harden fail repeatedly and guarding the Warriors' restricted area like a rock.

Moreover, the tactics arranged by Liam were also simple. Apart from Durant and Harden, the Thunder had no other reliable shooter. Chandler did not need to defend at all and could just stay in the restricted area. This fully covered up the defects of Chandler's poor running-in with the team in the early stage of the season.

And the Warriors' defensive layout was very reasonable: Curry was the point guard, Butler and Azubuike acted as wing defenders, Lowry helped the center defend on the inside, and Chandler was the only tower standing under the basket.

The second half unfolded at a calm pace. The Warriors dominated the game from start to finish, and the point differential never dipped below double digits. In the end, the final score stood at 107-92, with the Warriors defeating the Thunder by 15 points. This victory ended the Warriors' two-game losing streak against the Thunder this season.

Curry continued to perform brilliantly against the Thunder's lackluster defense. He made 4 of 8 three-pointers, scoring 26 points along with 5 assists and 3 steals. Durant, on the other hand, took only 15 shots and made 7 of them. However, he had an impressive 7 of 9 from the free-throw line, finishing with 22 points and 5 rebounds. A closer look revealed that 14 of Durant's 22 points came before the Warriors began doubling him, meaning he only scored 8 points while facing their double-team.

Yet, neither Durant nor Curry was the protagonist of the night. This night truly belonged to Chandler. In his debut game for the Warriors, Chandler posted a remarkable stat line of 13 points, 17 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 2 steals, including 6 offensive rebounds. He completely controlled the paint on both ends of the floor. Notably, 4 of his 6 blocks came at the expense of Westbrook.

Jeff Green, after analyzing Chandler's performance, sighed:

"Chandler dominated the game. He made Jeff Green, Westbrook, and Harden experience nightmares in the restricted area. With Durant being double-teamed, the Thunder couldn't do anything about Chandler. I think that's why Coach Liam traded for him. From now on, the Warriors have elite interior defense."

ESPN's live broadcast was flooded with Warriors fans' comments:

"666, a boxing champion is a boxing champion! The young Thunder are still a little green, let them practice for a few more years!"

"Are you guys criticizing Coach Liam? Come out now, are you still going to criticize or not? Do you know more about basketball than Coach Liam?"

"Chandler is so awesome. I haven't watched the Bobcats game before. Why was he a substitute there?"

"Need I say that? Look at who the head coach of the Bobcats is, Larry Brown, the number one professional at ruining players. If it weren't for Coach Liam, Chandler would probably have stayed a benchwarmer forever!"

Meanwhile, the big screen in Oracle Center showcased Chandler's highlights, and he celebrated by high-fiving his teammates. Finally, he approached Liam Gonzalez:

"Coach, thank you. This was the most enjoyable game I've had in over a year!"

Liam smiled and replied,

"We won this game thanks to your performance. I think Rod Hawkins and Larry Brown must be regretting it right about now."

"Haha, to hell with those two guys, especially that old bastard Larry Brown. Compared to you, coach, he doesn't understand basketball at all!" Chandler laughed heartily, relieved to finally express his frustration.

…

As Chandler predicted, in faraway Charlotte, Larry Brown and Rod Hawkins were watching the game, analyzing their team's performance. Biedrins, who had played two games for the Bobcats, had posted solid numbers—11 points and 8 rebounds in one game, 13 points and 10 rebounds in another—but his shooting efficiency was subpar.

Their concerns grew when Biedrins faced Dwight Howard in a recent matchup. The Bobcats had arranged for Biedrins to defend Howard alone, but his inability to contain Howard led to a lopsided defeat. Howard dominated the game with a double-double of 21 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Despite Biedrins' struggles, the Bobcats' management remained hopeful, believing that he just needed more time to fit in and adapt to the team's style.

However, as they watched Chandler shine for the Warriors, their mood shifted. Chandler was everywhere—defending the paint and executing successful pick-and-rolls with Curry. His performance was commanding, and it was hard to believe this was his debut game for the Warriors.

Rod Hawkins turned to Larry Brown, skeptical of Chandler's resurgence:

"Larry, are you sure Chandler couldn't recover? He looked phenomenal tonight."

Larry Brown, attempting to downplay Chandler's performance, chuckled nervously:

"Maybe he just got lucky... Yeah, that's it. The Thunder's interior defense was just too weak. Chandler couldn't have performed this well otherwise."

Rod Hawkins raised an eyebrow, but Larry Brown's confident tone seemed to convince him:

"I hope you're right. But what about Biedrins? He's been very average. Did we make a mistake with this trade? He's not showing much potential."

Larry Brown remained confident:

"It's temporary. Biedrins is too thin, but he's already shown glimpses of what he can do—he got a double-double against Howard! Once he bulks up, he'll become a star. We just need to focus on his development. Trust me, Biedrins will be a great player in the future."

Rod Hawkins was unsure but nodded along. With Larry Brown being a well-respected coach, Hawkins could only hope that Biedrins would develop as predicted, though doubts lingered in his mind.

…

After the game, Liam joined Curry and Chandler for an interview, while the Thunder team was also present for theirs.

A reporter from TNT turned to Westbrook, asking:

"You scored 18 points, but missed 13 shots, resulting in a 35% shooting percentage. Why were you off tonight?"

Westbrook's expression hardened, and he responded stiffly:

"I was a little lost tonight, but I was just doing my job. I've played like this before, and I'll keep playing the same way. Next question."

"Can you talk about your 9 turnovers? Four of them were unforced errors."

Westbrook's face darkened further:

"I just play basketball, and tonight wasn't my night. I'll watch the game tape and figure out how to improve."

"Tonight was Tyson Chandler's first game for the Warriors. He had 6 blocks, 4 of them against you. Why do you think that happened?"

Westbrook's expression soured completely. He suppressed his anger, saying:

"You should ask Chandler that. I just attacked the basket like I always do. I play with intensity. If I got blocked, that's on me. I take full responsibility."

Westbrook then stood up and left the interview.

Next, the Warriors team participated in their interview, with reporters keen to ask Chandler about his outstanding performance:

"Tyson, this was your first game for the Warriors. Can you tell us how you played so well?"

Chandler smiled and said:

"I have to thank my coach for letting me feel the joy of basketball again. I just play according to his game plan. I dare say he's the best coach in the NBA!"

"So, you didn't enjoy playing basketball in Charlotte?" the reporter asked.

Chandler's expression darkened, and he almost let out a curse, but remembered Liam's instructions. He simply sniffed and said:

"I don't want to talk about that team anymore. It's all in the past."

Chandler's expression darkened, and he almost cursed, but he remembered Liam Gonzalez's instructions and just snorted coldly:

"I don't want to mention that team anymore, it's all in the past, but I still can't understand why Larry Brown let me play as a substitute!"

The reporters' eyes lit up. They smelled big news and continued to ask:

"Do you think Larry Brown is deliberately trying to put you down?"

"No, he is simply brainless. Apart from shouting a few slogans and asking the players to defend well, he has no idea how to arrange tactics! His iron-blooded defense is outdated. He is not qualified to be the head coach of an NBA team!" Chandler said hatefully.

After he finished speaking, the reporters were in an uproar. Larry Brown is a legendary coach, but Chandler had the nerve to bomb him like that!

Chandler also realized his words were inappropriate and looked at Liam Gonzalez, wanting to explain, but Liam Gonzalez shook his head softly and indicated with his eyes that he didn't need to say more.

As soon as he finished speaking, the reporters were in an uproar. Larry Brown is a legendary coach, and Chandler actually dared to criticize him like that!

Chandler also realized that his words were inappropriate. He looked at Liam Gonzalez and wanted to explain, but Liam Gonzalez shook his head gently and signaled with his eyes that he didn't need to say more.

After the interview, Chandler apologized:

"I'm sorry, coach. I didn't control myself... But Larry Brown is so hateful. I once begged him to give me a chance to perform, but he didn't believe in me at all and didn't even give me any tactics. If he didn't want to trade me, I might not even have a chance to play."

He looked a little nervous. Although he had only been with the Warriors for a short time, Chandler knew that he finally had a place in the team. After tonight's game, he also liked the feeling of playing under Liam Gonzalez. He did not want his future in the Warriors to be affected by his rude remarks this time.

Liam Gonzalez chuckled and said,

"Tyson, I can understand your feelings, and I agree with what you said. Larry Brown is no longer suitable for this era."

He paused, then continued,

"But I hope that what I said can be implemented to the letter. I will not pursue you this time, but next time, I hope you can answer questions according to the prepared speech by the team's press officer. You need to set an example for other teammates, understand?"

Chandler nodded quickly:

"No problem, I know what to do. This is just the first time, there won't be a next time!"

Before NBA players are interviewed, a press officer will preset some questions based on the day's game and prepare some answers for the players. Chandler is of course no exception. However, today he did not answer according to the script prepared for him by the press officer and directly criticized Larry Brown, which is bound to have considerable aftermath.

But Liam Gonzalez can also understand that Chandler had a very frustrating time with the Bobcats. No one can understand why Larry Brown would rather let Nazr Mohammed be the starting center and put Chandler on the bench.

Liam Gonzalez smiled and said:

"The past is the past. Today's game is just the beginning. Our goal is the playoffs, but not only the playoffs. Come on, as long as you maintain your current level, I will give you a big contract!"

Chandler nodded heavily:

"Coach, I promise you will not regret making this deal!"

End of this chapter

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