NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 314 Double Team Attack on Curry

The Warriors' starting lineup for the away game is as follows: Center - Bogut, Power Forward - Draymond Green, Small Forward - Harrison Barnes, Shooting Guard - Klay Thompson, Point Guard - Stephen Curry.

The Warriors' starting lineup has been very consistent throughout the regular season, possessing height, shooting ability, athleticism, and speed. Bogut excels in defense and screens, Green in switching, help defense, and playmaking, Barnes in driving and athleticism, Klay Thompson in defense and three-point shooting, and Curry in three-point shooting and playmaking.

Although Bogut lacks long-range shooting ability, Green's jump shot is also quite average, and Barnes is not a perfect 3-and-D player, the presence of the Splash Brothers effectively masked the spacing issues of this starting lineup.

With Barnes starting and Iguodala coming off the bench, the Warriors have two engines in transition: Iguodala and Livingston, perfectly solving their offensive organization issues during those transition periods. Iguodala can also play alongside Barnes, increasing wing defense and switching flexibility, making this a key lineup for the Warriors' fast break offense this season.

Jia Fei has a lot of respect for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, even though this roster wasn't actually brought up by him, but by former head coach Mark Jackson.

But Kerr's strength lies in his ability to reduce the role of star power forward David Lee, allowing second-round pick Draymond Green to start, and persuading Curry to give up some ball possession and play off-ball.

As it turns out, Green's performance in the regular season proved how accurate Kerr's judgment was, and he played an indispensable role in the Warriors' rise this season.

Green plays a crucial role on the court. On offense, he's the pivot of the team's pick-and-roll; on defense, he's a versatile player, capable of guarding positions one through five. Beyond both ends of the court, he's also the provider of the team's passion, the one who does the dirty work, and the man who trades blows with opposing stars.

The starting lineups of both teams take to the field, exchange brief greetings, and the match is about to begin.

Bogut and Horford jump the ball near the center circle.

The jump ball began, and Bogut won the jump ball against Horford, giving the Warriors possession of the ball on the first offensive possession.

Curry dribbles the ball across half-court.

Curry has excellent ball control, but his dribbling style is somewhat different from Irving's. Irving prefers crossovers, while Curry prefers behind-the-backs, both of which are very fluid and effective at getting past defenders.

The difference lies in the fact that, as point guards, Curry's passing ability and basketball IQ are a level above Irving's. Irving is more like an assassin, and he is more formidable than Curry in creating one-on-one situations and scoring.

But a commander-in-chief and a general are never on the same level.

If you think Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry are on the same level, then you definitely don't understand basketball. Basketball is never a one-on-one game. If it were a one-on-one match, I'd bet on Irving. If it were a three-on-three game, maybe they'd each have a chance, but in a five-on-five game, they're not in the same league.

One is the core of the team's offensive tactics, while the other is just the spearhead of the attack. It's like the Running Man and Carmelo Anthony. You don't really think these two are the same level of star, do you?

The Hawks' defense was entirely positional: Teague guarded Curry, Jafi guarded Klay, Carroll matched up against Barnes, Mills guarded Green, and Horford guarded Bogut.

The Warriors started with a Curry pick-and-roll, and the Hawks immediately double-teamed Curry.

Curry passed the ball quickly, Green cut to the basket, and it immediately became a 4-on-3 situation.

The Hawks' rotation speed is very fast. Horford's help defense rotation is very effective. Green can't find a good opportunity, and the defense is immediately in place.

But the Warriors' strength lies in their deep roster; they have many players who can handle the ball, and their playing style isn't simply brute force. Green immediately passed the ball to Curry to organize the offense. The rest of the team used screens and picks, off-ball movement, and combined these with off-ball screens to constantly set screens for their teammates.

Everyone on the team is involved in the offense; you don't necessarily have to touch the ball, assist, or take a shot.

Compared to the Cavaliers, the Warriors' offense is more cohesive.

The Cavaliers play like one person on the court, with four others watching. At most, there's one pick-and-roll. The shooter creates space to receive the ball and shoot, while the center rolls down the court after a pick-and-roll to grab the rebound.

Therefore, when defending the Warriors, you need to concentrate more, otherwise it's easy for the opponent to sneak up on your backdoor or shoot an open shot.

The Hawks' rotation is very effective. They don't have tall interior players. Their starting five have an average height of 200.2cm. Except for Teague, they are all 2-2.1m tall and have a versatile build, making them very suitable for switching on defense and difficult for opponents to exploit mismatches.

Barnes missed his jump shot, Horford secured the rebound, and Teague dribbled over.

Barnes, not Klay, was guarding Jia Fei.

Jia Fei understood Kerr's intentions. Klay was the Warriors' number two, and having the number two guard him meant expending a lot of energy and risking foul trouble. Barnes was the most easily replaceable starter, and the bench still had former Philadelphia star Andre Iguodala!

Barnes, nicknamed "The Black Hawk of North Carolina," possesses explosive athleticism, well-rounded skills, and solid fundamentals. Players from North Carolina generally have excellent fundamentals, and as a lottery pick, he was highly anticipated by the Warriors.

Jia Fei did not control a lot of ball possession at the beginning. He was used as bait, just like Curry. At the beginning, he played off-ball, and the team's offense was still mainly based on overall offense, playing tactics and system.

Hawks' Carroll had an opportunity, but missed a three-pointer!

Bogut grabbed the rebound, and Curry pushed the ball up the court.

Both teams started cautiously, probing each other and employing their familiar tactics. However, perhaps due to excessive caution and immense pressure, their offensive efficiency remained low.

The Warriors were on offense when Curry was double-teamed and passed the ball to Klay Thompson.

Clay was facing Jaf's relentless defense. His feints failed, and he tried to break through, but he couldn't shake him off. The ball was passed to Bogut in the penalty area.

Bogut used his height to score with a hook shot.

The score was 3-2, and the first goal from open play came more than three minutes into the game.

Teague dribbled over, executed a pick-and-roll, and then passed to Jia Fei on the right wing!

Jia Fei made a three-threat move and broke through, then passed to Carroll in the corner.

Carroll's three-point attempt missed!

Horford punched the ball away.

Teague gets the ball and passes it to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei gestured for them not to rush and passed the ball to Mi Shen in the low post.

Miguel tried to post up Green, using his footwork, but struggled to hold him off and couldn't get a turnaround jump shot!

Bogut closed the gap again.

The Hawks started the game with a cold shooting touch from beyond the arc and struggled to penetrate one-on-one inside, making their offense somewhat sluggish.

The Warriors' offense lacked consistency. Curry was helped on defense and passed to Klay Thompson, who drove hard to the basket but his layup was blocked out of bounds by the latter...

Applause immediately erupted at the Philips Arena, proving that Jia Fei never falters on the defensive end.