Volume 5: Unrivaled

Deng Goes North for Free Throws. But this season's Warriors no longer possessed that kind of dominance. To remain locked in a stalemate with the Rockets for more than half the game despite the referees' biased calls was already no easy feat. The Warriors and Rockets moved to Chase Center for what might be the final decisive battle. The Rockets could only work on defending Antetokounmpo. Although they lost G4, Capela and Tucker had defended Antetokounmpo fiercely, with nearly every defensive possession pushing the edge of a foul. Antetokounmpo had been knocked to the floor several times in those physical battles, looking rather battered. However, after G4, it was the Warriors fans' turn. This time, Rockets fans could only sigh. They did not believe Curry could be left open just because his shot was off. They believed it was precisely the harsh defense that had thrown off Curry's three-point shooting; if they relaxed even slightly, Curry could knock down threes in succession and instantly reverse the situation with his explosive scoring. Perhaps after the Rockets won G3, Silver felt that was enough. In G4, he no longer had the referees protect the Rockets so blatantly, merely giving them normal home-court treatment. Thus, Rockets fans reached the conclusion they least wanted to reach—the Rockets had lost to the Warriors because they simply were not good enough. When Harden came to the Rockets and gradually became a superstar, then Paul joined him to form the Lightbulb Duo and make them championship contenders, those once rather quiet fans became active again, taking the fight everywhere. Now, no team dared to leave Curry open from three. Even if Curry went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc, the next time he took a three, he would still receive the highest degree of respect from his opponents,