NBA: Warrior godfather.

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Since the start of the game against the Pacers, the opponent's defensive focus had been entirely on Curry.

Granger, having learned from Kobe, personally guarded Curry. Whenever Curry called for a screen, he was either double-teamed or delayed, never given an easy opportunity to shoot a three-pointer.

Fortunately, Butler continued his outstanding performance against the Lakers, scoring 23 points in a single game with powerful drives to the basket and three-pointers, including 8 out of 9 free throws, helping the Warriors narrowly defeat the Pacers 94-89.

Although his static talent wasn't exceptional, his confrontation ability was strong. If defenders wanted to guard him, they often had no choice but to foul. Additionally, he was very good at creating physical matchups and could deceive defenders, drawing many whistles.

However, scoring more than 20 points in two consecutive games had brought Butler some attention from other teams, after the Pacers focused on defending his attack and his three-pointers.

At this point, Butler only had mediocre ball-handling skills. He could rely on his explosiveness and confrontation ability to attack the basket, and also hit three-pointers from deep, but aside from that, his offensive game with the ball was ineffective.

His pull-up jumper was awkward, his confrontation shooting percentage was extremely low, and his court vision was very narrow. Although he had excellent team awareness, he still couldn't lead his teammates when attacking with the ball. He could only stop and look for teammates when he had time.

These deficiencies made it easier for Butler to limit opponents, and his scoring average quickly dropped to 14.2 points per game, which also included many three-pointers after receiving passes from teammates.

Although this made Butler the third-leading scorer for the Warriors, only behind Azubuike's 16.3 points per game, his contribution to the team remained limited.

Apart from the three-pointers, Butler was still far from his peak period. He wasn't qualified to play as the second ball-handler for the Warriors and needed further improvement.

This left Curry, who was being heavily defended by his opponents, without enough help and isolated in a tight siege. Coincidentally, his condition had worsened, his three-point shooting was slow, and the Warriors' offensive firepower plummeted, suffering a four-game losing streak.

Fortunately, the Nets provided some warmth and allowed the Warriors to avoid a five-game losing streak.

In this game, Curry was still in a slow state, hitting only 2 of 10 three-pointers, but the Warriors as a team performed much better, with 7 players scoring double figures, defeating the weak defense of the Nets and temporarily ending the losing streak.

What made Liam happy was that Yi Jianlian had a strong performance in this game. Against Varejao's weak defense, he hit 3 three-pointers, attacked the rim effectively, and nearly posted a double-double with 17 points and 9 rebounds.

After the game, Liam spoke with Yi Jianlian and learned that he had been training hard based on Liam's advice. Although the results weren't obvious yet due to the short time, he felt that this style of play suited him very well. He felt at home during the game and thanked Liam profusely.

This was also because the Nets had always been a team in "tank mode." They weren't trying to win this season, and their goal was to perform poorly. The head coach didn't care how the players played as long as they lost, and this allowed Yi Jianlian to play freely.

If he had been on a normal team and changed his playing style without permission but still didn't perform well, he would definitely have been benched without any playing time.

After playing against the Nets, the Warriors arrived in Chicago and would challenge the Bulls the following night.

The Bulls were very strong this year. Rose averaged 22.4 points and 6 assists per game, showing amazing athleticism and impact, and currently had the Bulls in 7th place in the Eastern Conference.

This wasn't just Rose's doing. He was surrounded by several strong players like Luol Deng, John Sammons, and Taj Gibson. Under Rose's leadership, the team had performed well and gave Bulls fans hope for a revival.

Their offense was simple but lethal, relying on grit and determination on the defensive end, and the team had become a tough opponent.

The Bulls, who had been close to making the Eastern Conference Finals, now had the makeup of a defensive team. Their ability to become the best defensive team in the league wasn't solely because of Thibodeau.

Liam was now worried about how to break through this tough defense.

Curry's condition remained slow, and it was uncertain whether he would recover the next game or after ten games; no one knew if he was temporarily in bad form or if he had hit the rookie wall.

In NBA history, there have been many cases where players performed well when they first entered the league but then hit the rookie wall and took a long time to get past it.

Of course, Liam had full confidence in Curry. He had never encountered the rookie wall in his past life, not to mention that now he was stronger, which compensated for many of the deficiencies that existed in his previous life. He had reached the level of a star, and the rookie wall was no simple challenge.

But the problem of the Warriors lacking a second ball-handler was clearly exposed. Until this issue was resolved, it would be difficult for the Warriors' offense to return to its previous level, unless other teams reduced their defensive intensity against Curry, which was impossible…

Silas thought for a moment and said:

"Liam, I think we need to rethink the structure of our offensive system. Passing and cutting is fine, and the idea of passing the ball one more time is great, but it's too complicated and not suitable for this team."

Liam frowned slightly and said quietly:

"You mean… go back to the old ways?"

Silas nodded:

"Yeah, to be honest, in our current lineup, except for Stephen, no one else is really suited for passing and cutting. Jimmy and Anderson are unselfish players, but their ball-handling still needs improvement. Kelana and Andris are better suited as finishers… not to mention the bench, do you expect Kyle to stand at the top of the arc and distribute passes while the opponent defends five on four?"

Liam touched his chin, a little embarrassed. He had indeed considered this when recalling the "successful" case of an old-school point guard in his previous life…

Silas didn't know what Liam was thinking, so he continued:

"If there's only one true finisher in the lineup, it won't affect the passing and cutting. The other four can ensure the smooth movement of the ball. When two players are bad at handling the ball, the turnover rate skyrockets. Not to mention, we only have Stephen. He's the only player with real ball-handling skills, so passing and cutting is impossible!"

After Silas finished this long explanation, he felt a bit thirsty, so he took a sip of coffee from the table.

After hearing this, Liam couldn't help but nod slightly:

"What you're saying makes sense. Passing and cutting isn't that easy. We need to change the way we attack."

The Warriors had always adhered to passing and cutting tactics in their positional battles, sticking to the concept of "pass the ball one more time" and trying their best to find easy offensive opportunities.

In the past, when Curry faced little defensive pressure, he was responsible for organizing the offense. Although the team chemistry was average, Curry could easily find his teammates' openings with his wide court vision and excellent passing ability.

But after the opponent focused on defending Curry, the poor ball-handling skills of the other Warriors were exposed. When they received the ball from Curry, they tried to "pass the ball one more time," but due to poor awareness, it was hard to find good opportunities, wasting precious offensive time, and ultimately ending up with rushed shots.

Silas was right: forcing players who couldn't handle the ball to pass and cut would definitely not lead to good results.

Liam suddenly shook his head and smiled. He remembered how he had called Cole "old-fashioned" and "inflexible" in his previous life… and unexpectedly, those words also became true for him.

Fortunately, he had the reminder from Silas and had learned lessons from Cole's mistakes, waking up just in time.

Liam suddenly stood up, turned around, and left the conference room, saying as he walked:

"Let's go, tomorrow's the game, today's all tactical training. We need to adapt to the new tactics… No, it's the same old routine!"

The Next Day, 8 PM, United Center.

In the late 1990s, the Bulls had fallen into a very dark period due to the retirement of the "Basketball God."

How bright they were in the beginning, but how miserably they fell afterward.

Jordan had once led the Bulls to defeat every opponent in the league and dominated the NBA. When he was there, no one dared challenge the great god, but after he left, other teams beat the Bulls every time they saw them, taking out all their frustrations.

During those years, the Bulls consistently finished last, their roster was weak, and they lost almost every game by a large margin. Even though it was the regular season, other teams played against them as if they were in the playoffs. They were merciless. The players were miserable.

Fortunately, the Bulls drafted several high-ranking rookies through a bad season and gradually recovered, making their way back to the Eastern Conference playoffs. In 2008, they selected the first pick, Rose.

The Windy City Rose was already very popular in Chicago. The outside world generally believed this was a perfect combination.

Rose had lived up to the expectations. He had an outstanding rookie season with 16+6, was named Rookie of the Year, and improved even further to 22+6, leading the Bulls back to the playoffs.

Although the season wasn't over yet, people believed it was likely the Bulls would make the playoffs. Rose also had the hopes of Chicago's fans, who wished he could lead the Bulls back to the ranks of the great teams.

So, the United Center was packed today. This legendary arena had regained some of its original charm as the home of "The Madhouse." Even before the game started, Windy City fans began cheering for their team, warming up for the battle ahead.

The fans didn't have to wait too long. Players from both teams quickly entered the court, and the game was about to begin.

Liam stepped onto the technical stage and greeted Bulls head coach Fred before the game.

Fred said with a playful smile:

"Kid, your team's in trouble. I'll take this victory."

Liam raised an eyebrow and chuckled:

"That was just a temporary setback. We've overcome it. You'd better not be careless, or you'll regret it."

Fred didn't take Liam's words seriously. He thought he was bluffing and replied disdainfully:

"Haha, really? We'll see."

After a small spark from the exchange, both returned to their respective benches, and the game was about to begin.

Both teams stuck with their usual starting lineups. The Warriors had Curry, Azubuike, Butler, Varejao, and Biedrins, while the Bulls sent out Rose, John Sammons, Luol Deng, Brad Miller, and Noah.

Noah and Biedrins went to midcourt to prepare for the jump. Rose stood in his backcourt, watching Curry on the other side. His face changed from his usual deadpan expression to a fierce look with a deadly glare.

He would never forget that he had been just one win away from the NCAA championship, but lost to the baby-faced player in front of him, shattering his championship dream.

Oh, and then there was the young colombiano coach. If it weren't for the tactics he organized, the Bruins would've definitely won the championship.

The resentment had been building in Rose's heart for a year. Now, he finally had the chance for revenge, and he wouldn't let it slip away!

Bip—

The referee blew the whistle, and the game began!

Biedrins beat Noah to win the jumper, passed the ball to Curry and the Warriors got the first possession of the ball.

The Bulls players retreated to zone defense like a tidal wave, not giving the opponent a chance to launch a counterattack.

But Curry forced his speed and pushed Rose forward quickly. When he got to the top of the key, he kept walking, went through the interior and tangled with Rose.

When Curry got to the free throw line, he couldn't move. He turned around and gave the ball back to Azubuike outside the three-point line.

The latter took the ball and launched another feed without stopping. John Sammons followed in his footsteps, but Azubuike used his body to push John Sammons and made an emergency mid-range jump shot.

2:0.

Looking back, Rose held the ball and pointed to Curry. With a drastic change of direction, he left Curry behind. He made his way inside, kicked, jumped and bent in the air to avoid Biedlin's block. The layup hit the backboard.

2:2.

On the turnover, Curry tried to call for a screen. Noah stepped forward to attack, but still didn't give Curry room to shoot a three-pointer.

Curry didn't force the shot, but passed it to Butler, who caught the ball and faked, made a fake, got to the inside with Luol Deng and distributed the ball to the outside.

Azubuike broke out again, John Sammons made a good shot this time Azubuike didn't get a good shot off and gave it back to Curry.

Curry still opted to break through after getting the ball. The three consecutive attacks finally disrupted the Bulls' defensive formation. Varejao got a little space and Curry didn't hesitate to catch the ball.

Strawberry!

The basketball went hollow into the net, 4:2.

Fred, from the sidelines, looked at the court with some confusion. Why did the Warriors offense look different? And...this style of play looks a little familiar, doesn't it?

After the first quarter, Fred verified his idea. The Warriors' offensive tactics had indeed changed and they had reverted to the chaotic style of last season.

Warriors players no longer adhere to the "pass the ball one more time" concept. Liam gives the outside players a lot of autonomy, allowing them to take full advantage of their half-hearted ability to hold the ball and attack on their own.

In short, it's a wireless forward similar to DDM tactics, but combined with lots of strong threes to take full advantage of the long-range shooting abilities of shooters like the Warriors.

End of this chapter

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