Volume 5: Peerless

In the season opener, the Rockets had voluntarily pulled Capela to eliminate their mismatch weakness. Their interior was too poor, which was why they failed to break through the Warriors' defense. Later, when the Warriors faced several teams with strong interior players, their true colors were exposed. Although the two players' stats differed greatly, 16 of The Brow's rebounds were defensive boards, and he scored mainly through mid-range shots, making it difficult for him to attack the Warriors' basket. On October 21, the Warriors faced the Grizzlies on the second night of a back-to-back and suffered their first loss of the season. In the previous game against the Pelicans, if Antetokounmpo had not shadowed The Brow all game, the Warriors' paint would have fallen as well. Their 8-1 record smoothly lifted the Warriors to first place in the West and the entire league. Curry earned his first Western Conference Player of the Week award of the season and ranked first in the initial MVP rankings, edging out Harden, who had led the Rockets to a 7-2 record. Zhang Yu discovered that Little Gasol was unstoppable in the post, so he began sending double teams at him. Little Gasol then kicked the ball out to open teammates, and Conley, James Ennis, Chalmers, and Tyreke Evans all knocked down threes. Zhang Yu made a rare misjudgment, entering the regular season with a lineup that possessed a glaring flaw. But immediately afterward, the Warriors ran into trouble. After the game, the media sharply pointed out the Warriors' interior problems, and Warriors fans were deeply worried about an interior anchored by Looney and Zhou Qi. Little Gasol used his dominance to create opportunities everywhere, and the Grizzlies blossomed on multiple fronts. Although Curry remained unstoppable, going 9-for-17 from the field, 6-for-11 from three, and