Chapter 23: I Came, I Saw, I Conquered! - The Warrior Godfather

Volume 1: I Came, I Saw, I Conquered! Chapter 23: Tactical Adjustment

Indiana's possession. Moore brought the ball up court. Facing the Bulldogs' zone defense, he feigned a drive just like before the timeout, drawing help defense from Mike Green. Suddenly, he bounced the ball and passed it to Tonell, who had moved up to the free-throw line. Tonell caught the ball, turned, and shot a mid-range jumper.

Curry chewed on his mouthpiece, casually walking to the free-throw line. He dribbled twice and sank the first free throw.

The paint immediately became chaotic. After a scramble for the rebound, Campbell scooped up the loose ball. He swung his elbows left and right, clearing space. Without looking, he passed the ball directly to Curry.

Swish!

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. The second half began, and both teams returned to the court.

Possession changed. The Bulldogs were on offense. Curry waved for Drew to come set a screen, but Moore was playing tight, denying Curry any chance to use a screen.

On the scoreboard screen suspended mid-air, a replay of the play was shown. The fans laughed heartily as they saw Moore get faked out by Curry, and cheers erupted.

Because the Bulldogs were playing a 2-3 zone, they couldn't cover the free-throw line area. Tonell was unimpeded and the ball went through the net cleanly.

Indiana's players, amidst the deafening roar of the Butler fans, barely heard their head coach's instructions. He dared to have his team play a 3-2 zone because Cole's NCAA career three-point percentage was only 38.6%, and his volume wasn't high. Furthermore, he had Curry closely guard Cole, disrupting his rhythm and shooting touch, and wasn't worried about him shooting the Bulldogs out of the game. The facts proved Cole's shooting couldn't kill them, but Curry's off-game under Moore's oppressive defense was something he hadn't anticipated.

Tonell, having secured position, grabbed the rebound. Curry shook his head, blaming himself, and quickly retreated on defense.

Curry battled Moore with all his might, stumbling forward. He was losing his rhythm and was about to be stripped by Moore.

26:37. The score difference reached double digits for the first time.

26:32. Indiana closed the gap by 2 points.

The players all nodded. Zhang Yu glanced at Curry and continued to lay out the strategy:

26:34.

26:32. Indiana closed the gap by 2 points.

Curry was bumped twice by Moore's subtle, hidden moves. Annoyed, he waved his teammates away, deciding to take Moore on one-on-one.

Swish!

"Understood!" The Indiana players, full of high spirits, replied loudly.

Zhang Yu stroked his chin with his right hand, showing no reaction.

Curry bounced the ball forward and accelerated towards the frontcourt. But Moore was faster, cutting to his side, constantly reaching out, trying to steal the ball.

McKenna glanced nervously at Zhang Yu. He didn't know what Zhang Yu's Plan B was, but he knew it wouldn't be good for Indiana.

Possession changed. The Bulldogs were on offense. Curry waved for Drew to come set a screen, but Moore was playing tight, denying Curry any chance to use a screen.

"Plan B!"

Swish!

26:32. Indiana closed the gap by 2 points.

Curry was bumped twice by Moore's subtle, hidden moves. Annoyed, he waved his teammates away, deciding to take Moore on one-on-one.

In the visitors' locker room, McKenna was quite pleased with his adjustments and encouraged his disciples. However, the Bulldogs stubbornly maintained their 3-2 zone defense, completely unfazed. Cole quickly found an opening. Moore had been watching his position and immediately passed him the ball.

He changed direction repeatedly, trying to shake Moore. But Moore lowered his center of gravity, unaffected by the fakes. He moved nimbly back and forth, always blocking Curry's path. When Curry tried to force his way past Moore, Moore skillfully grabbed Curry's jersey, preventing him from accelerating.

Cole no longer just stood outside the three-point line to create space. Instead, like an eel, he began to move flexibly, with Tonell and Woz actively setting screens for him.

In the end, Curry could only launch a hurried three-pointer before the shot clock expired. But under Moore's interference, it missed wildly.

"We played well in the first half, and we're still leading. But a six-point lead isn't safe. I need you to keep attacking in the second half and extend the lead to over fifteen points to completely crush them! I don't want to drag this to the final seconds. Indiana is a very resilient team; who knows what might happen if we drag it out."

Back in the locker room, Zhang Yu waited for the players to rehydrate and wipe off their sweat before speaking:

If this kid played under him, he'd correct all of it.

By the end of the first half, Indiana trailed the Bulldogs 36:42, with the deficit narrowed to six points.

Tonell, having secured position, grabbed the rebound. Curry shook his head, blaming himself, and quickly retreated on defense.

Back in the locker room, Zhang Yu waited for the players to rehydrate and wipe off their sweat before speaking:

"Keep playing like this in the second half! Cole, increase your off-ball movement. If those Butler guys play zone again, shoot them to death! Moore, you give number 30 a good lesson... It seems that Chinese guy only learned zone defense from Leekrit and doesn't know how to adjust. We need to help Butler find a reliable new coach. We must win this game!"

Tonell, having secured position, grabbed the rebound. Curry shook his head, blaming himself, and quickly retreated on defense.

Having grown up in a predominantly Black neighborhood, Moore was intimately familiar with streetball tricks and used them with ease, leaving Curry, who had never encountered such tactics, completely unable to cope.

For the next few minutes, Curry was flustered under Moore's constant physical contact, committing several turnovers. Indiana, relying on Cole's off-ball movement, got a few opportunities, but his shooting accuracy wasn't high. Several open shots clanked off the rim, failing to exploit the Bulldogs' 3-2 zone defense significantly.

Zhang Yu crossed his arms and merely glanced at McKenna, showing no reaction.

Tonell, having secured position, grabbed the rebound. Curry shook his head, blaming himself, and quickly retreated on defense.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. The second half began, and both teams returned to the court.

Upon landing, Moore did a "Overlord Stride," drawing boos from the entire arena.

As Moore dribbled to the frontcourt, Zhang Yu suddenly stood up and shouted: "Keep playing like this in the second half! Cole, increase your off-ball movement. If those Butler guys play zone again, shoot them to death! Moore, you give number 30 a good lesson... It seems that Chinese guy only learned zone defense from Leekrit and doesn't know how to adjust. We need to help Butler find a reliable new coach. We must win this game!"

Moore angrily waved his hand but dared not do too much. The referee was watching him intently. This was the Bulldogs' home court, and if Moore became too vocal or made excessive gestures, the referee wouldn't hesitate to give him a technical foul, letting him know what home-court advantage meant.

Moore arrived at the top of the arc and drove past Graves again. Graves tried his best to keep up, but the talent gap left him helpless. Mike Green had to step up to help defend, just as before.

As Moore dribbled to the frontcourt, Zhang Yu suddenly stood up and shouted:

Curry chewed on his mouthpiece, casually walking to the free-throw line. He dribbled twice and sank the first free throw.

Swish!

"Plan B!"

Bulldogs' possession. Curry had the ball. Moore immediately started applying pressure from the backcourt, constantly reaching for the steal.

The players all nodded. Zhang Yu glanced at Curry and continued to lay out the strategy:

McKenna saw it clearly from the sidelines this time. Although the Bulldogs were still playing zone, they had switched from a 2-3 to a 3-2, bringing three players up. Curry was no longer sticking to Cole; they had significantly increased their defensive intensity on the perimeter, locking down the previously open free-throw line area.

It seemed that even for superstars, experience was indispensable.

As the Bulldogs players looked at him, he raised his left hand, showing two fingers.

26:37. The score difference reached double digits for the first time.

But the ball didn't reach his hands. Curry appeared in front of Tonell and intercepted the pass!

McKenna glanced nervously at Zhang Yu. He didn't know what Zhang Yu's Plan B was, but he knew it wouldn't be good for Indiana.

Curry bounced the ball forward and accelerated towards the frontcourt. But Moore was faster, cutting to his side, constantly reaching out, trying to steal the ball.

Back in the locker room, Zhang Yu waited for the players to rehydrate and wipe off their sweat before speaking:

McKenna glanced nervously at Zhang Yu. He didn't know what Zhang Yu's Plan B was, but he knew it wouldn't be good for Indiana.

"Beep!"

38:42. The score difference was narrowed to 4 points.

But the ball didn't reach his hands. Curry appeared in front of Tonell and intercepted the pass!

He vaguely remembered seeing in his past life that Curry's first college game seemed to have been a poor performance as well.

By the end of the first half, Indiana trailed the Bulldogs 36:42, with the deficit narrowed to six points.

After speaking, he glanced triumphantly at Zhang Yu.

Moore arrived at the top of the arc and drove past Graves again. Graves tried his best to keep up, but the talent gap left him helpless. Mike Green had to step up to help defend, just as before.

"Ben, you're up. Replace AJ!"

Moore reflexively lobbed the ball towards the free-throw line. Tonell was standing there, hand extended, waiting for the ball.

As the Bulldogs players looked at him, he raised his left hand, showing two fingers.

Curry was bumped twice by Moore's subtle, hidden moves. Annoyed, he waved his teammates away, deciding to take Moore on one-on-one.

But the Bulldogs stubbornly maintained their 3-2 zone defense, completely unfazed. Cole quickly found an opening. Moore had been watching his position and immediately passed him the ball.