Re-fighting Golden State

After the trade, the Thunder's chemistry was surprisingly excellent. While the team's overall offensive efficiency saw a slight increase, their defensive efficiency surged, thanks to the arrival of Butler. With JB, who possessed outstanding help defense, anchoring the second line of defense, he and Chen Xi, along with Westbrook, formed the entire team's perimeter defensive system. Coupled with Roberson being moved to the bench, even the defensive configuration of the reserves received an upgrade.

After a brief period of adjustment, the team quickly got on track, defeating the Bulls, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Kings, and Clippers.

It's worth mentioning that after the game against the Bulls, due to scheduling, Chen Xi couldn't communicate much with Odie. He only knew that Odie had now been confirmed as the team's new core for building the future, which was cause for celebration. Since there were no more games in Chicago this season, Chen Xi planned to ask Odie to join him in training during the offseason to continue their brotherhood of hard work!

With a 7-game winning streak, the Thunder, with their incredible momentum, returned to third place in the Western Conference, trailing only the Spurs and Warriors.

On January 18th, the Thunder were once again on the road to face the Golden State Warriors.

"The highly anticipated game is about to begin, it's truly exciting," said Kenny Smith, ready to start his work.

"It's time to test your recent statements, Charles."

The Thunder's recent winning streak had made people feel that Barkley's words were somewhat exaggerated. The general public believed that even if they weren't as good as the Warriors, they should be in a similar tier.

"Time will prove to you how wise I am!" Barkley naturally wouldn't back down at a time like this. After all, he had already prepared his arguments for how he would defend himself even if they lost.

A mature person should always be prepared for both outcomes; this was a lesson Charles Barkley had learned after suffering a setback early in his career.

"The Golden State Warriors are the strongest team in the league right now!"

Of course, he wouldn't concede an inch verbally. Moreover, he believed the probability of the Warriors losing was extremely low.

With the referee's whistle, this matchup between Western Conference powerhouses officially began.

After Adams won the tip-off, Westbrook brought the ball to the top of the arc. Seeing Klay Thompson in front of him, he hesitated for a moment before passing the ball to Chen Xi.

Donovan's pre-game instructions were that whoever was matched up against Curry should take the ball and attack, even if the efficiency wasn't high. The goal was to wear down his stamina. As the Warriors' core player, Curry's defense, while not terrible, certainly wasn't great. Wearing him down on both ends of the court would impact the Warriors' entire system.

Chen Xi received the ball and faced Curry. Without any probing, he immediately initiated his move, faking the ball to the right and taking a quick first step.

Curry immediately closed in, applying physical contact.

As soon as the two made contact, Chen Xi immediately pulled the ball back between his legs, simultaneously using his auxiliary hand to subtly push Curry, successfully creating space, and feigning a shot.

Curry immediately twisted back, attempting to recover and contest, but Chen Xi didn't shoot. Instead, he executed a hesitation dribble and then charged to the right again.

This time, Curry couldn't recover and could only watch as Chen Xi created separation. Fortunately, Green immediately came over to help.

Chen Xi had no desire to challenge the tough, dark-skinned DPOY. He immediately passed the ball to the now-open Little Sabonis, who received it and made a short-range floater.

It was the Warriors' turn to attack. After half a season of adjustments, Durant and the Warriors had developed excellent chemistry.

Green had the ball, Curry and Klay ran a screen, KD stepped up to receive the pass, drawing Butler's attention, and then whipped the ball to the left. Klay was already in position in the corner.

Seeing Chen Xi thoroughly screened by Zaza, Klay easily took a three-pointer.

2-3

Chen Xi shot an annoyed glance at Pachulia.

Damn it! This dirty player almost knocked him over with his butt just now.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Chen Xi quickly ran back to the frontcourt, received a pass from Westbrook, and once again faced Curry.

Seeing Curry's noticeably heightened vigilance, Chen Xi opted for a pull-up jumper after a hesitation step.

The bronze Volume Shooter badge flashed, and the basketball swished through the net.

5-3

The Warriors attacked again. Durant, with the ball on the wing, faced Butler, who was shorter than him, and also went for a pull-up jumper. However, Butler, with his experience, jumped early. Although he couldn't touch the ball, he provided a contest, which surprised KD. He had to adjust the arc, and the ball bounced twice on the rim before failing to go in.

Adams boxed out Zaza's feet, and Westbrook leaped high to grab the rebound, then quickly pushed for a fast break.

Without waiting for the defense to set up, it was a 4-on-4 in the frontcourt. Westbrook saw Curry, who was forced to come up to meet him, and without hesitation, he floored it towards the basket. After contact, he switched hands for a layup and scored.

7-3

"Wow!! The Thunder's opening offensive surge is incredibly fierce!"

Kenny Smith exclaimed loudly, as if afraid Barkley beside him couldn't hear.

"It's just the beginning, Kenny, you're too excited!"

"The Thunder's start is very targeted. We can see they're targeting Stephen Curry. Whoever is matched up against him is attacking. Chen has already attacked Curry twice in a row, an excellent performance."

"Yes, it's clear Donovan made adjustments before the game. We'll see if the Warriors make any changes and adjust their defensive strategy."

The game continued. The Warriors clearly weren't bothered by a temporary setback; their immense strength gave them ample confidence. They once again gave the ball to KD. This time, Durant chose to drive, using his long strides to gain half a step on Butler right from the start. He pulled up for a mid-range shot from the free-throw line area and calmly made it.

Chen Xi inbounded the ball, and Westbrook slowly advanced to the frontcourt. Seeing the Warriors' formation already set, he passed the ball back to Chen Xi.

The moment Chen Xi caught the ball, Curry immediately stepped up to stick to him. Meanwhile, Green, behind him, subtly shifted his position, allowing him to better execute a help defense.

Without explicit coaching instructions, the Warriors made an adjustment on their own. With Draymond, the Warriors could afford to let opponents drive while preventing them from shooting, thereby limiting Chen Xi's offense.

But Chen Xi didn't care. "If you can guard me, then guard me. The strategic goal is to wear down Curry first. You letting him stick to me is exactly what I want."

Continuing his isolation play, relying on his enhanced driving ability, and with Curry deliberately giving him space to drive, Chen Xi once again got past Curry. Green's help defense was even faster this time. Almost as soon as Chen Xi got past Curry, Green was in front of him.

With no time to pass the ball, Chen Xi had no choice but to push forward. After the initial body contact, he smoothly executed a step-back.

Green followed closely, and the space created by the step-back wasn't wide. However, since he was already near the baseline, he didn't hesitate and jumped to shoot.