Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 352 That Man (Part 1)

The Warriors' 2018-19 season was poignantly dubbed "The Last Dance" from the very beginning of the regular season.

With Durant's departure seemingly inevitable, coupled with Green's controversial remarks midway through the season, everyone on the Warriors team knew that this was the most precious season of their careers.

So Durant is very serious, Curry is very serious, and Green is too.

Everyone is quietly preparing to bring the story to a close without regrets.

Under the gaze of millions, amidst the global media frenzy, and through the lens of countless cameras, the Western Conference Finals slowly commenced within the Staples Center, a sea of ​​white.

Compared to the Clippers' overall spirit, the Warriors were silent, with everyone solemn.

Both teams' starting lineups positioned themselves around the center circle, awaiting the moment when the referee would throw the ball.

There was no greeting between them. Once they got to the court, it was war, and there was no other thought.

The Clippers fielded their strongest five players: point guard Chen Fang, shooting guard Jrue Holiday, small forward Dillon, power forward Jaren Jr., and center Zubac.

This lineup isn't the best counter to the Warriors, but it's the Clippers' starting strategy. As the game progresses, Rivers will bring in more forwards depending on the situation to deal with the Warriors' hot perimeter game.

The Warriors were determined to suppress the Clippers from the start; otherwise, given Chen Wang's abilities, the psychological pressure on the Warriors would increase as the game progressed, and those unpleasant memories would return.

Therefore, the Warriors made adjustments to their lineup today.

Point guard Curry, shooting guard Klay Thompson, small forward Iguodala, power forward Durant, and center Green.

A pure five-outside lineup, highly flexible, balancing offense and defense.

Kerr clearly stated: suppressing Chen Wang's performance means suppressing the Clippers' offense. No matter how the others play, if Chen Wang can't perform, we can win.

All five players in the starting lineup must resolutely choose a strategy of attacking Chen Wang from both sides.

The ball was tossed into the air, and Durant couldn't beat Zubac. The ball landed in the Clippers' backcourt, and the entire arena erupted in their first unison cheer of the game.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the first game of the 2018-19 NBA Western Conference Finals has begun."

"Chen Wang controlled the ball and dribbled it across half-court. Iguodala came over to defend from half-court, and Chen Wang protected the ball and moved to the wing."

"Clay came over to double-team, Chen Wang passed the ball, Holiday received the ball at the top of the arc and passed it to Dillon on the right."

"Dillon breaks through, short floater."

"The ball is in!"

"The Clippers scored first, the Warriors double-teamed Chen Wang, leaving Dillon unguarded on the weak side, and Holiday's pass was timely."

Ke Fan provided live commentary, while Duan Ran would interject with tactical analysis between his remarks.

They are very nervous, but when they are focused on their work, they easily forget the pressure, just like players on the field. No matter how much pressure they are under off the field, once they get on the field, they only remember their task.

Dillon was guarding Durant, and he kept touching Durant's body to prevent him from generating continuous power, while also trash-talking him.

"You can't get past me, and even if you do, I'll foul you."

This kind of trash talk gives the offensive player a strong psychological suggestion, but Durant ignored it at all. He passed the ball to Green at the top of the arc, then pretended to walk towards the free throw line, suddenly stepped out, briefly got rid of Dillon, and quickly ran to the wing.

As soon as he got into position, Green's pass came.

The moment he caught the ball, Dillon reappeared in front of him.

The large triple-threat jab step is a shoulder fake. Durant puts the ball down and makes a strong drive to the left, moves Dillon to slide his defense, pulls back in front of his body, and drags his body laterally in the direction the ball bounces, creating a shooting distance of one body length.

Combine the ball, jump, and raise the ball high above your head.

No one can interfere with or stop Durant's shooting.

He shoots, flicks the ball, lands, and watches as the basketball shoots through the net.

"Let Chen Wang do it, you're really not up to the task." Durant said with a cold, mocking expression, and backed away.

Jaren was running towards the frontcourt. As he crossed the center circle, he slowed down and turned to look for his teammates. He saw Holiday dribbling on his right wing, while Chen was being closely guarded by Iguodala.

So he spread his arms and quietly took two steps to the side.

King Chen came over and passed by his chest, while Iguodala bumped into his broad chest.

Jaren wasn't shaken; he had already tensed his body to receive the impact.

Iguodala muttered something angrily. He put his arm around Jaren and tried to back off to chase after Chen Wang, but Jaren's raised arm, like a vine, had already silently wrapped around him.

With a delay of less than two seconds, Iguodala completely lost track of King Chen.

From Jaren's perspective, Chen Wang moved close to the top of the key behind Holiday, so Holiday turned his back to Curry and handed the ball to Chen Wang hand-off.

He received the ball, changed direction, and Klay, who was coming to help defend, was closing in.

But Chen Wang used a smooth step to penetrate the restricted area even faster, jumped up, and pulled up in mid-air to dodge Green's quick movement to protect the rim, and then tipped the ball into the basket.

"A brilliant offensive and defensive play; Chen and Wang have brought the score back."

"In the first two minutes, both sides executed a highly efficient offensive combination."

"The score is now 8-8."

Chen Fang ran out of the restricted area, and when Xiao Jialun saw him give him a thumbs up, he raised his hand in return.

Curry pointed to Durant at the second receiving point, then turned and walked away, with Holiday in hot pursuit.

As Curry crossed the center line, he saw Green waiting for him, while he heard Holiday yelling from behind, "Switch!"

A search was immediately launched, and sure enough, Little Jaren had already sunk.

Green blocked Holiday's path, while Durant, dribbling across half-court, shot like an arrow, plunging deep into the wing along the sideline.

The Clippers' defense hesitated briefly, and Jaren began to move to the wing, while Zubac remained in the paint, cautiously observing.

As Chen Wang chased after Durant, Dillon quickly moved laterally to block Durant's attempt to penetrate the paint.

Everything was moving as planned. Curry slowly moved to the other side, and everyone's attention was on Durant. No one noticed that Curry had moved to the weak side.

Durant was surrounded by multiple forces, so he chose to slip along the baseline, a dead end with Zubac guarding the paint. Just as the Clippers were about to close in, they saw a golden figure appear in the distance.

It's the 30nd!
It was too late. Durant passed the ball to Curry, who took it as a practice shot.

"Curry hit his first three-pointer of the day. Durant drew all the defense, Curry made a ghost-like run and took a wide-open shot!"

The Clippers regained their composure and began their own offensive offensive runs.

Chen Fang continued to move forward without the ball, and despite Iguodala's entanglement, he adapted well to this level of intensity.

After crossing the halfway line, the damping intensity began to increase, and Iguodala started to intentionally push him towards the sideline to receive the ball and cut inside.

Chen Fang first pushed and shoved him, then retreated. Iguodala quickly closed in, but found that Chen Fang began to move sideways, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a white figure approaching.

It's Dillon!
"You're mine!" Dillon's triumphant voice rang out, and Iguodala began calling for a switch.

Clay was nearby and on his way. Just as he successfully covered for Chen Fang, Chen Fang received the ball.

Dillon started to cut to the basket, and as the Clippers' second-leading scorer, Iguodala didn't dare leave him open and followed up.

In the area from the top of the arc to the right wing, there was a brief one-on-one situation between Chen Fang and Clay.

Chen Fang started dribbling. As he dribbled, he took a step forward and to the left with his left foot. The ball bounced up and he caught it with his left hand the moment he landed.

This was clearly the prelude to a breakthrough; Klay began to lower his center of gravity and bend down.

While controlling the ball, Chen Fang took a step forward with his right foot, landing precisely on the middle of Clay's parallel defensive position.

This was a thrusting step; Chen Fang shifted his weight on both feet, creating a forward-leaning stance that forced Clay to retreat and prevent a breakthrough.

Just as Chen Fang's right foot landed firmly, he suddenly slammed the ball into the air with his left hand while simultaneously sinking his hips.

This was a very obvious pull-up jumper, and Klay reacted quickly, reaching out to lunge forward.

However, because Chen Fang used a T-shaped step, he forced Klay to retreat to a space of almost one body length. At this moment, Chen Fang's right leg was also blocking Klay's center. If Klay wanted to block or interfere, he either had to lean forward and jump, or he had to go around and make a side block.

Either option is unlikely to be effective or produce a positive response.

After catching the ball, Chen Fang stepped back with his right foot, executing a perfect backstep technique.

Even Durant couldn't help it; Klay watched helplessly as Chen Fang jumped up and launched a three-pointer.

"Wow! Chen Wang responded, and just as Curry hit his first three-pointer, Chen Wang also hit his first three-pointer."

"The score remains tied. Both sides are on the offensive for the first five minutes of today's first quarter!"

The commentators roared and cheered along with the 20,000 Clippers fans in the arena.

The Clippers began making substitutions, taking out Zubac and Jaren.

Given that the Warriors were attacking from the perimeter, Rivers substituted Richon and Beverley.

Chen Fang moved to small forward, Dillon mentioned power forward, and Beverley took over to defend Curry.

Holiday switched to guard Klay Thompson, and Chen Fang took over Durant's duties.

The adaptation period ended there, and both sides began their respective offensive and defensive tactics.

Chen Fang was double-teamed by the Warriors all the time, but he can now break through with passing. Dillon, Beverley, and Jrue Holiday can all convert passes into points.

Defensively, Curry and Durant are both difficult to contain, and both Beverley and Dillon are repeatedly outmaneuvered by them.

The first quarter ended with both sides exchanging blows, and no matter how many substitutions were made, the situation remained unchanged.

Chen Fang scored 7 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds in the first quarter.

On the other hand, for the Warriors, Curry scored 14 points, Durant 12 points, and Klay Thompson 9 points, with all three of their best scorers having excellent performances.

They also accounted for all of the Warriors' points in the first quarter. But the score speaks for itself.

34: 35.

The Clippers are still leading by one point.

Dillon scored 8 points, Jrue Holiday 6 points, Zubac 4 points, Jaren Jr. 5 points, Beverley 3 points, and Richon 2 points.

All Clippers players scored, and the scoring was average.

This is also the drawback of the Warriors double-teaming Chen Wang, as it gives other Clippers players more easy passes.

Cole rejected his assistant's suggestion.

“Continue with this strategy,” he said firmly.

Instead, the Clippers made adjustments, with Mazura suggesting bringing in more scorers to force the Warriors to switch to a half-court man-to-man zone defense.

"We need to be aware of one possibility."

"If the game stays close until the final quarter and the Warriors stop double-teaming, how will Chen Wang maintain his shooting touch throughout the game?"

Rivers took the advice; they had to win the first game.

Brunson, DiVincenzo, Jullardy, Chen Wang, Dillon.

This is the Clippers' secret lineup, specifically designed to counter the Warriors.

Brunson and DiVincenzo can both handle the ball and play one-on-one, Jrue Holiday and Dillon can both provide support and defense, and Chen Fang is the last option to make a tough save.

If the Warriors continue to double-team, they will face a dilemma of 4 against 3, where either player can create scoring opportunities.

When this lineup was unveiled, Kerr was shocked.

"Doug really did hide something!"

On the court, Brunson and Dillon exchanged a handoff, leaving Klay unsure who to guard and forced to retreat with Brunson, who had the ball. Meanwhile, Dillon received Brunson's pass at the top of the arc and launched a three-pointer.

Although the shot didn't go in, the Warriors were already sweating bullets.

The Warriors attempted a fast break, but the Clippers' lineup was too quick. Their five forwards and guards not only turned the Warriors' defense into a half-court game, but also allowed DiVincenzo to steal the ball and launch a fast break.

With three lines of defense attacking simultaneously, Green gave up just past half-court.

Looking at the five Clippers players, they look just like the Warriors from 15.

Kerr persisted, but in the next possession, Brunson passed the ball to DiVincenzo, who was unguarded in the corner, and DiVincenzo took a three-pointer.

The ball pierced the rim, breaking through Kerr's mental defenses.

He slammed his tactical board down in frustration and called a timeout.

At the same time, Rooney and Bale were brought on, while Iguodala and Clay were replaced.

This brought the Warriors back to their usual playing style: Curry at point guard, Klay at shooting guard, Durant at small forward, Bell at power forward, and Looney at center.

The Clippers responded to the situation, and Rivers made a substitution a minute later.

Jaren Bryant replaced Donte DiVincenzo, Derrick Rose replaced Patrick Beverley, and Michael Bridges replaced Jrue Holiday.

This would give the Clippers an even faster roster than the Warriors.

Both sides deployed their troops and continuously attacked the weak points of the opponent's formation.

Chen Fang could finally relax, with KD now guarding him one-on-one, instead of being the one guarded.

This reflects the Warriors' desire for a back-and-forth offensive strategy, so Chen Fang intends to grant Kerr's wish.

After a high screen, Chen Fang stepped back to receive the ball. Durant closely contested the shot, but Chen Fang still managed to get possession.

The two stood facing each other, about two meters outside the arc.

Chen Fang caught the ball with one hand, stood sideways, and while waiting for his teammates to make their runs, slowly straightened his body.

Durant's hand was waving in front of his chest. Chen Fang swept it away with his right hand, but KD clung to him. So Chen Fang immediately turned his back and stuck out his buttocks to protect the ball.

Chen Fang turned halfway to the side again, thrusting his right foot forward. With half a body length of space, he straightened his body again and this time thrust his right foot forward with his left foot, forcing Durant to turn sideways and retreat.

Just as he was adjusting his footwork, Chen Fang placed the ball down and began to bend over, which was the preparatory stance for a breakthrough.

Durant read the situation, took a step back, and made a preventative defensive move.

But the next second, he saw Chen Fang suddenly jump up and lift the ball in mid-air.

"I was faked out!"

The thought flashed through his mind, and he reached out to interfere, but Chen Fang had already made his move and started to fall.

This time, he took the initiative and flicked the ball quickly. As soon as Chen Fang landed, the ball hit the back edge of the rim and bounced in.

Three point hit!

"A clash between the league's top teams!"

"Just like KD's Grim Reaper's Scythe, Chen Wang's pull-up jumper is equally unstoppable."

Durant showed no emotional change, constantly turning his head to check his teammates' positions as he ran up the court.

Chen Fang left a body length behind him, preferring KD to shoot rather than let him drive to the basket.

But he made a mistake. Through a lateral movement, Durant and Bell set a screen, Curry drove past Rose and passed the ball to him.

KD catches the ball and shoots, the ball flying like an arrow, hitting the basket precisely.

Without saying a word, Durant glanced at Chen Fang, then turned and retreated to defend.

"Durant responded. Today's game was amazing. It was a clash of titans, with the two of the league's best forwards going head-to-head."

The commentators were excited, the fans were cheering—this was what everyone wanted to see, but it wasn't what the coach hoped for.

"We need to suppress the other side."

This almost simultaneously became the opposing coach's plan.

Rose was quickly substituted, and Beverley returned to the court. He was Rivers's hoped-for surprise weapon, and he needed Beverley's bulldog spirit to wear down Curry.

Meanwhile, Cole brought on Iguodala again, replacing Bale.

Similarly, Iguodala is currently the Warriors' best defensive leader, and he carries the responsibility of containing Chen Wang.

However, the course of the match disappointed both sides.

Curry is still scoring without the ball.

Chen Wang scored two points by attacking Iguodala twice, and then went to the free-throw line to shoot two free throws.

The score remained close throughout.

The first half ended with a score of 65-68.

The Clippers, playing at home, are only leading by three points.

In the locker room, everyone's expressions were serious. They all knew the Warriors were a tough opponent, but the situation still put a lot of pressure on them.

Mazura was setting up tactics for the second half, and everyone's thoughts were instinctively focused on one person.

Prince Chen!

"Chen Wang was double-teamed a lot in the first half, and he didn't get a chance to play one-on-one until the second half of the second quarter."

"Currently at 15 points, far below the usual performance."

"Although my teammates got a lot of opportunities, the score difference wasn't widened, which could become a hidden danger."

In the studio behind, several commentators and hosts were discussing the matter, with Yang Yi first trying to exonerate Chen Wang.

"On the Warriors' side, Curry and Durant both played at their normal level. Due to limited playing time, the role players didn't get many opportunities."

"The current scoring is mainly coming from four players: Green has 6 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds."

"Curry had 19 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds."

"Durant has 21 points, and Klay has 14 points."

"In the first half, the Warriors relied on their four superstars to keep the score close."

Su Qun pushed up his glasses: "As for the Clippers, their scoring is very even, with eight players currently scoring, which is the main reason they are leading the Warriors."

"The question now is how to ensure that we can keep the scoring going in the second half."

"Whoever launches a wave of attacks has a great chance of winning."

The conversation between the group consisted mainly of platitudes, which was a helpless move. In the end, the tactical system still had to be executed by people.

However, everyone sensed something was amiss; the Warriors' third quarter was notoriously terrifying.

How can we feel at ease relying on the rest of the Clippers to continue scoring?

Everything depends on that man!

Prince Chen!

Seemingly sensing this pressure, Chen Fang stood up.

"They can't take it away. In the third section, I'll perform the ritual to help them pass on!"

(End of this chapter)