NBA: Warrior godfather.

Chapter 164: Not Only Must We Win the Game, But Curry Must Also Die



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The next day, Curry undoubtedly made the front pages of all sports media in the United States. The scene where he hit the buzzer-beater spread all over the country and the Pacific overnight.

The game between the Warriors and the Lakers was on Saturday. On this day, the Cavaliers played against the Mavericks, with Monta Ellis scoring 59 points to defeat King Noah, who had over 30 points. In the paint, the deer dominated the game, with a super double-double of 25 points, 21 rebounds, and 6 blocks, but all eyes were still focused on Curry.

57 points + 13 triples + buzzer-beater, which allowed Curry to showcase the brilliance of a superstar and become the most dazzling existence:

"ESPN":

"The defending champion didn't lose to Curry, they lost to God!"

"USA Today":

"In only his 15th game of his career, Curry has broken many records and is destined to be the Rookie of the Year!"

"Fox Sports":

"One of the fastest rookies in NBA history to hit a buzzer-beater, a genius arrives in Golden State!"

Not only did major media outlets praise Curry to the heavens, but many celebrities and players also shared their opinions about this game.

When Pacers player Granger was asked about it in a pre-game interview, he smiled bitterly and said:

"What can I say? I hope Curry's touch isn't as good, otherwise, we'll have a hard time escaping the Oracle Center. His performance is really insane!"

Warriors legend and "God's Left Hand," Chris Mullin, said:

"If I have a left hand given by God, then Curry has a right hand given by God! His shots will subvert this league!"

Journalists also asked Celtics player Ray Allen about his opinion on Curry breaking the NBA single-game three-point record. Ray Allen said:

"I saw Curry's highlights and his shooting is definitely at the highest level in the league. No one shoots threes like him, and I'm looking forward to facing him next."

On TNT's Sunday night show, Kenny Smith joked with Barkley:

"Charles, you should know what today's theme is, right? What do you think about Curry's performance against the Lakers?"

Barkley proudly replied:

"He played a perfect game! To be honest, his shot surprised me, especially his performance in the second half of the fourth quarter… I never thought he could really score in the second half of the last quarter... He scored so many points despite Kobe's tight defense!"

Reggie Miller laughed:

"Charles, you made a bet with Coach Liam saying Curry couldn't win Rookie of the Year and that the Warriors wouldn't make the playoffs. Looking at it now, as long as nothing happens, Curry will definitely win Rookie of the Year. Are you ready? Do you have the jersey there, or are you really waiting for Coach Liam to send it to you?"

Barkley rubbed his bald head with frustration and said sternly:

"We've only played 15 games and there are more than 60 left. I still don't believe the Warriors can make the playoffs, and Curry winning Rookie of the Year isn't a sure thing either!"

After finishing his speech, Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith burst out laughing. Barkley turned red, veins bulging from his forehead as he argued: "King Evans also performed really well... In the end, he's part of the best rookies!" There were incomprehensible words like "Griffin could come back" and "Curry can't always be accurate, he will definitely get better," which made the two laugh even harder. The TNT studio was filled with a happy atmosphere.

On the internet, many fans posted comments on Barkley's Twitter, mocking him for looking the other way. Many fans posted pictures of Curry's jersey, and the number of likes skyrocketed to the top.

At the same time, across the Pacific in china(1), fans went wild over Curry's performance, and many new fans flocked to the Warriors' forum.

The highlights of Curry's game against the Lakers were widely spread across major basketball forums. Everyone knew that this baby-faced player scored 57 points and hit 13 three-pointers in the game against the Lakers, including a buzzer-beater.

After this battle, Curry's popularity, which had been steadily growing, soared in a short period of time, even reaching a level comparable to Kobe and LeBron James.

However, Curry's divine performance had also successfully entered the sights of coaches across the league. No one would consider a player who scored more than 50 points in a single game and defeated the defending champion as just a rookie, and he was sure to become a superstar on the defensive side.

Illinois Week, Chicago

Less than two blocks away from the United Center, Jonathan stepped out of a hotel. As soon as he opened the door, he was hit by the approaching wind. He took a small step back, quickly zipped up his jacket, and began walking down the hotel steps.

He looked at his watch. It was 8:27, and the sun had fully risen, casting a golden ray of sunlight.

In December, the Windy City was sunny, but the cold and biting wind blowing from Lake Michigan ruined the illusion of warmth. Pedestrians had to bundle up in thick cotton coats, pull down their hats, and protect their ears and cheeks, braving the strong wind.

Jonathan looked around and saw a kiosk on the corner, so he quickly made his way over.

He had just passed two rounds of interviews a week ago and had successfully joined the Warriors as an assistant to Liam.

During this process, he also had an interview with Liam. Jonathan still remembered his nervousness at that time, but the famous Coach Liam had only asked simple questions like "Can you accept overtime?" and "How long have you been watching NBA games?" This very simple question earned him the position.

This made Jonathan incredibly happy, and he immediately decided to do a great job and never let Coach Liam down.

This job was not only generous in salary for Jonathan, who had just graduated from university, but more importantly, it was a chance to work as an assistant for Coach Liam!

Jonathan was a fan. He grew up watching Kobe and Iverson games and dreamed of being able to step onto the court and dominate it like them.

But unfortunately, he was a white guy with a very slim build, only 5'9" tall. His physical talent was very average. Getting into the high school team was his limit. No college would offer him a scholarship.

He had no choice but to give up his dream of becoming a basketball player. But just when he was in college, Liam emerged out of nowhere and led the Bulldogs to win two consecutive NCAA championships. He became famous and attracted the attention of fans all over the United States.

Naturally, Jonathan was one of them. After learning about Liam's story, it reignited hope in his heart.

Even if he couldn't play basketball, he could still become a coach!

Liam became the head coach of the NCAA team at the age of 23. Although he wasn't as good as him, it was always possible to coach a high school team in his thirties, right?

Jonathan immediately took action. He enrolled in a coaching training class, studied basketball tactics books, and eagerly absorbed relevant knowledge. He joined the school team as a volunteer basketball coach and closely observed how the head coach trained the team.

After graduating from college, Jonathan naturally stayed on the school team and worked as a video editor, highly valued by the head coach.

At this point, thanks to his hard self-study, he had built a solid foundation. He had also watched many games from the sidelines and had his own understanding of basketball. With a few more years of experience, he would definitely be able to become an assistant coach for the school team.

But half a month ago, Jonathan saw that the Warriors posted an official announcement on their website looking for an assistant coach. He immediately changed his mind, quit his job with the school team, and sent his resume to the Warriors to compete for the position.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get close to Coach Liam and learn from the youngest head coach in the league!

After his hard work paid off, Jonathan stood out among hundreds of applicants and got the job.

After joining the team, he immediately got to work. This time, he followed the team on an away game against the Bulls.

And he left early in the morning to buy the newspaper of the day as instructed by Liam.

Jonathan had learned from Assistant Coach Silas that it was Liam's habit to read the newspaper every day. He was already prepared to go out into the cold wind every morning.

After braving the cold wind and buying a stack of newspapers at the kiosk, Jonathan returned to the hotel, entered the conference room, and handed the newspapers to the head coach, who was discussing tactics with the coaching staff.

Liam took the newspaper and nodded to him. Jonathan consciously sat in the corner.

As Liam's assistant, he needed to record the coaching meetings, but he wasn't qualified to interrupt.

Liam paused his conversation with Silas and picked up the newspaper to read.

The first one was USA Today. After browsing the sports section, he moved to the second page. The headline read:

"The Warriors' Poor Record, Their Ranking Drops, but Curry Is Rising Like a Comet!"

Liam took a brief pause and continued reading the newspaper:

"... After the Golden State Warriors narrowly defeated the Lakers, their record over the next six games was 2 wins and 4 losses. They won against the Pacers but then suffered consecutive defeats to the Nuggets, Rockets, Magic, and Thunder, going on a 4-game losing streak. Their last win came in a narrow 4-point victory over the Nets, who were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They barely maintained their 6th-place standing in the Western Conference, only half a game ahead, and could easily be overtaken at any moment."

"The reason the Warriors are struggling is because their star player, Curry, is facing difficulties. After Curry hit 13 three-pointers and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers with a buzzer-beater, he drew the attention of every team… Under the sudden increase in defensive pressure, although Curry still managed to average 22.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.6 rebounds over the past 6 games, his efficiency has dropped significantly, and his three-point shooting percentage has fallen to 37.6%, unable to help the team win games..."

"Warriors player Butler scored 20 points in the game against the Lakers and averaged 14.2 points in the next 6 games. In fact, he became the Warriors' secondary ball handler, but his help to the team has been limited. The future of the Warriors now depends on whether Coach Liam can come up with countermeasures to break the restrictions placed on Curry by other teams, or whether Curry himself can bounce back... This is a tough task, but if the Warriors truly want to make a push for the playoffs, they have to do it."

Liam read the full report, put USA Today aside with a blank expression, grabbed another newspaper, and kept reading.

But it wasn't just USA Today—other newspapers had also dedicated space to discussing the Warriors' recent struggles. Many columnists expressed concerns about the Warriors' prospects.

In fact, when you thought about it, you'd realize that USA Today, which had always been favorable towards Liam, was not optimistic about the Warriors, and even less so about the outlook from other media.

After quickly flipping through all the newspapers, Liam took the coffee in front of him and drank it in one go.

With a soft "bang," he placed the coffee cup back on the table, looked around, and spoke in a slightly lower voice:

"Tell us what you think and discuss what needs to change..."

There were only two assistant coaches in the conference room, Ron Adams and Silas. Of course, they were not the only two on the Warriors' coaching staff, but the others were player development coaches, responsible for training the players, not participating in tactical discussions.

The two looked at each other, and Silas was the first to speak:

"The defense of the team isn't the main problem, but we still need to improve the offensive side, or return to the previous state…"

Liam sighed softly:

"Of course I know that the offense needs improvement, but the real question is how to improve it."

The USA Today report was more objective, but it didn't go into detail about the "sudden increase in defensive pressure" Curry had faced. It wasn't just an increase in defensive intensity, but rather a concerted effort from opposing head coaches. They were determined not to let Curry take three-point shots!

The facts had shown that 57 points and 13 three-pointers in a single game shocked the league in ways beyond Liam's expectations.

He thought it would be good if other teams just sent their best defenders to guard Curry, but he didn't expect them to do it in the way Popovich and Phil Jackson did—surrounding Curry when he called for screens and giving him no space to operate.

In these six games, the defensive focus of the opponents was completely on Curry. He could only take three-pointers against defenders in the toughest situations. It was reasonable that his efficiency and production had significantly declined.

At first, Liam was puzzled. In his previous life, Curry hadn't been double-teamed by other teams for the past few years. Why was he being so heavily targeted after a high-scoring game?

It wasn't until he saw repeated discussions about that game online that he gradually understood.

Back in 2009, basketball was still in the glory days of traditional play. The small-ball era hadn't yet arrived, and the league hadn't yet adopted the offensive strategy that would define the next decade. Star players' statistics weren't as inflated as they would be in the future.

At that time, a player scoring over 30 points might make headlines, more than 40 points were breaking news, over 50 points was a shock to the league, and over 60 points might even go down in history.

Curry's 57 points + 13 three-pointers + buzzer-beater were even more shocking than 60+, greatly elevating his status in the minds of other coaches in the league.

In Liam's view, there was nothing that could stop Curry from breaking another record in the future. But not only must he win the game, Curry also must prove he can survive!

End of this chapter

(1) Curry is loved is China because the reason I don't have, therefore these parts I will not change.

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