Volume 4: Golden State Prosperity

Over the past two days, Coach Lu had barely slept as he studied the G1 footage. In the end, he decided to replicate the Warriors' G1 defensive strategy—trap ball handlers on drives, cut off passing lanes, and test the Warriors players' ability to handle the ball. How could that possibly work? In Zhang Yu's previous life, James had always put up gaudy numbers against the Warriors. On one hand, it was because the Warriors' tactics allowed him to play one-on-one; on the other, the Death Lineup's rim protection was weak, giving James chances to drive to the basket. The chemistry the Death Lineup had built over several years had never faded, and they could always execute smooth passing-and-cutting sequences. The Warriors immediately turned defense into offense. Green pushed the ball up the middle, Antetokounmpo and Leonard sprinted ahead, while the Splash Brothers flew down both wings. On the other end, the Cavaliers spread the floor as James and Love ran a pick-and-roll, and the Warriors switched. "Yeah!!" With 6:15 left in the first quarter, James drove into the paint, drew Olynyk's second foul, and completed the and-one. The Cavaliers led 15–11 by four—also their biggest lead of the two games. But Irving alone could not hold up the sky. By the end of the first quarter, the Warriors had built a 44–28, 16-point lead through sharp fast breaks and efficient passing and cutting, nearly blowing the game open in a single quarter. Coach Lu had never expected the Warriors, with four superstars, to also run passing-and-cutting sets. He had no contingency plan, and the Cavaliers players had no idea how to defend them. Irving, the better shooter, was instead unafraid of the Warriors' hulking wing defenders. Like a fish in water, he weaved through the Warriors' defensive formation, twisting and