After the trade, the Thunder's chemistry was unexpectedly strong. The team's overall offensive efficiency had improved slightly, while its defensive efficiency had improved significantly. They had Butler to thank for that. With JB's excellent help defense anchoring the second line, he joined Chen Xi and Westbrook in shoring up the team's perimeter defense. Roberson had also been moved to the bench, which upgraded the reserves' defensive lineup as well.
After a brief adjustment period, the team quickly got on track. The Bulls, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Kings, and Clippers all fell to them.
It was worth mentioning that after the game against the Bulls, their schedules hadn't allowed Chen Xi to talk much with Odie. All he knew was that Odie had apparently been confirmed as the team's new Core of the team, which was good news. There were no more games in Chicago this season, so Chen Xi planned to invite Odie to train together again during the Off-season. They'd be training buddies once more!
On a seven-game winning streak, the Thunder rode their incredible momentum back to third place in the Western Conference. Only the Spurs and Warriors were ahead of them!
On January 18, the Thunder faced the Golden State Warriors on the road once again.
"The highly anticipated game is about to begin. I can't wait." Kenny Smith was ready as he started work.
"It's time to see if your recent prediction holds up, Charles."
The Thunder's winning streak had made people feel that Barkley's comments had been a bit exaggerated. Most people figured that even if the Thunder weren't as good as the Warriors, they should at least be in the same tier.
"Time will prove how wise I am!" Barkley naturally wasn't about to back down now. Besides, he'd already prepared a whole list of excuses in case they lost.
A mature person learned to prepare for both outcomes. That was a lesson Sir Charles had learned the hard way when he was younger.
"The Golden State Warriors are the best team in the League!"
Of course, he wasn't going to admit defeat—not one bit. Besides, he believed the Warriors were highly unlikely to lose.
The referee blew the whistle, and the showdown between two Western Conference powerhouses officially began.
Adams tipped the ball, and Westbrook dribbled to the Top of the Key. He looked at Klay Thompson in front of him, hesitated, then passed the ball to Chen Xi.
Donovan's pregame instructions had been simple: whoever was matched up against Curry should take him on with the ball. Even if the efficiency wasn't great, they had to do it. The goal was to wear him down. As the Warriors' core, Curry wasn't a bad defender, but he certainly wasn't a great one. Wearing him down on both ends of the floor would affect the Warriors' entire system.
Chen Xi faced Curry with the ball. He didn't bother testing him and went straight into motion, pounding the ball to his right and taking a quick first step.
Curry immediately followed and made Physical Confrontation.
The moment they made contact, Chen Xi pulled the ball back between his legs and discreetly shoved Curry with his off hand, creating space. He faked as if he were about to shoot.
Curry immediately twisted back around, trying to get in front of him and contest the shot. But Chen Xi didn't shoot. He pulled off a Bait Buddha, then charged hard to the right again.
Curry couldn't recover this time. He could only watch as Chen Xi got past him, but Green immediately came over to help.
Chen Xi had no interest in challenging the big, burly DPOY. He quickly passed to Little Sabonis, who'd been left open. Sabonis caught the ball and made a short floater.
It was the Warriors' turn to attack. After nearly half a season of playing together, Durant and the rest of the Warriors had developed great chemistry.
Green handled the ball while Curry and Klay ran across each other's paths. KD came up to receive the pass, drew Butler's defense, then whipped the ball left. Klay was already waiting in the corner.
With Zaza screening Chen Xi out of the play, Klay had an easy Three-Point Shot.
2–3
Chen Xi glared at Pachulia, annoyed.
Damn! That dirty bastard had nearly knocked him flying with his ass just now.
But now wasn't the time to get into it. Chen Xi hurried back up the court, took Westbrook's pass, and faced Curry again.
Seeing how much more alert Curry was, Chen Xi used a hesitation step, then pulled up for a straight jumper.
His bronze Volume Shooter badge flashed, and the ball swished through the net.
5–3
The Warriors attacked again. Durant took the ball on the wing and went one-on-one. Facing Butler, who was much shorter than him, he went straight into a pull-up jumper. But Butler was experienced and jumped early. Though he couldn't reach the ball, he still got a hand up to contest it. KD hadn't expected that and had to adjust his shot's arc. The ball bounced twice on the rim, then fell out.
Adams boxed Zaza out, and Westbrook leaped high to grab the rebound before pushing the ball upcourt on a fast break.
Before the defense could get set, it was four-on-four in the frontcourt. Westbrook saw Curry, who'd retreated quickly and been forced to pick him up. Without hesitation, he floored it and drove to the basket. After making contact, he switched hands for a layup and scored.
7–3
"Wow! The Thunder came out blazing!"
Kenny Smith laughed loudly, making sure Barkley beside him could hear.
"It's just the beginning, Kenny. You're getting too excited!"
"The Thunder have clearly come in with a game plan. You can see they're targeting Steve Curry. Whoever gets matched up with him goes after him. Chen went at Stephen twice in a row right off the bat. Excellent play."
"Right. Donovan clearly drew something up before the game. We'll see whether the Warriors make any adjustments and change their Defensive strategy."
The game continued. The Warriors clearly weren't bothered by a brief setback. Their great ability gave them plenty of confidence, and they passed the ball to KD again. This time, Durant drove with the ball. Thanks to his huge stride, he got half a step on Butler right away. He pulled up for a Mid-range jumper and sank it cleanly.
Chen Xi inbounded the ball, and Westbrook slowly brought it upcourt. Seeing that the Warriors were already set on defense, he passed it to Chen Xi again.
The moment Chen Xi caught the ball, Curry moved up and stuck close to him. Behind them, Green quietly shifted a few steps to get into a better position to help.
Without any signal from the coach, the Warriors had adjusted on their own. With Dream on the team, they could afford to let Chen Xi drive while denying his shot, limiting his offense that way.
But Chen Xi didn't care. If they stopped him, so be it. The strategic goal was to wear Curry down first. If they wanted Curry to stick to him, that suited him just fine.
He kept attacking with the ball. His improved ability to drive, combined with Curry deliberately giving him room to drive, let Chen Xi get past him again. Green came over to help faster than the last time, reaching Chen Xi almost as soon as he got by Curry.
With no time to pass the ball, Chen Xi could only grit his teeth and keep driving. After the first bit of contact, he used the momentum to step back.
Green reacted quickly, leaving him little room to step back. But they were already close to the Baseline. Without hesitation, Chen Xi jumped and shot.
At the request of our readers, we're now offering a VIP member ad-free function.
Click to view
Before you continue