Chapter 1 The Western Conference Finals Open

The Pelicans arrived in Oakland on the second day, and the Western Conference Finals between the Pelicans and Warriors officially kicked off at the Oracle Arena.

The arena, which could accommodate 20,000 people, was packed to the rafters, with endless frenzy on the faces of the fans.

Oracle Arena was renovated from the old Oakland Arena over a period of 15 months, but after the renovation, this was the first time such a grand occasion had occurred.

From this, one could see the Warriors' current popularity in the Bay Area, which was truly at its historical peak.

Before the game, Thompson came over and greeted Tang Tian.

Although they were opponents, they were brothers in hard training in private, and separated on and off the court.

"You have to get the MVP so that our training camp will be complete."

Thompson continued to show his plastic friendship with Curry.

But there was nothing wrong with what he said. The Hard Training Brothers Training Camp was now very famous and did need an MVP to expand its influence.

Just then, Tang Tian saw Curry shooting three-pointers in the player tunnel.

The ball went in directly after it was released.

Since the Warriors' rise this season, the number of Curry's super-long three-pointers has also been increasing.

He even made a lot of super-long logo three-pointers in the game.

This pre-game player tunnel three-pointer was a warm-up, and also represented his current exaggerated three-point ability.

Thompson was stronger than in history, Curry had also improved greatly, and with Kerr's small-ball trump card, the Warriors were really strong.

The arena quickly entered the opening ceremony, and the starting lineups of both sides were released one after another.

Both sides had regular lineups.

The Pelicans' backcourt was Holiday and Tang Tian, the frontcourt was Ariza and Davis, and Jokic started as the center.

The Warriors' backcourt was Curry and Thompson's Splash Brothers, the frontcourt was Barnes and Green, and the center was Bogut.

Davis outjumped Bogut, officially kicking off the Western Conference Finals.

Kerr developed the small-ball lineup after the All-Star Game this season, but he hadn't used it much since entering the playoffs.

The main reason was that it was his trump card, and the regular lineup was enough for ordinary games.

Bogut held the ball high in the frontcourt to coordinate, Curry and Thompson ran back and forth in a cross pattern, and Green and Barnes continuously made off-ball screens.

After completing the screen, they moved to the arc and the baseline one after another.

This was the biggest tactic Kerr brought to the team after arriving at the Warriors, endless cutting.

The characteristic of endless cutting was a bit like Princeton, with multiple offensive opportunities appearing at the same time.

Although Bogut's one-on-one ability was average, his coordination ability was very strong, and he was like a fish in water in this system.

Curry ran out of the three-point line for the second time, and Jokic's help defense speed couldn't keep up.

Bogut's first-time pass, Curry shot a three-pointer directly.

His three-pointer adopted a push-style shot, which was the fastest in the league.

"Swish!"

With a crisp sound, Curry's three-pointer went straight into the net.

He scored on his first shot, and his feel was as hot as his performance throughout the season.

Cheers rang out in the arena, as they had witnessed Curry's three-point performance countless times at home this season.

But the cheers didn't last long, because Tang Tian immediately broke through the double-team and made a layup to return Curry's answerball.

The Pelicans were by no means pushovers to be able to reach the Western Conference Finals.

The Warriors continued to play endless cutting in the frontcourt. This time Curry cut into the basket, and Bogut passed the ball in.

The Pelicans' defense contracted, and Curry immediately flicked the ball to Thompson, who came out of the outside line with Green's screen.

"Swish!"

Thompson's three-pointer didn't show any mercy either, going straight into the net.

The Splash Brothers each hit a three-pointer at the start!

Tang Tian and Jokic played a pick-and-roll in the frontcourt. The ball was passed to Jokic, and Jokic took a step and saw Bogut's help defense coming up, and directly stuffed the ball to Davis.

Davis caught the ball at the baseline, took a step, and scored with a one-handed dunk.

Jokic only became the starter in the fifth game against the Spurs, but he was really talented, and he already had this kind of tacit cooperation with his teammates in just a few games.

4 to 6!

The Pelicans also scored on their first two possessions!

Barnes' cutting layup was blocked by Davis, and Holiday's fast break layup was also interfered with by Green.

The Warriors countered the Pelicans' fast break, Curry broke into the inside and flicked the ball to Green at the top of the arc, whose three-pointer hit the rim, bounced, and still crawled in!

9 to 4!

The Warriors made 3 of 4 three-pointers at the start!

This was also a microcosm of the Warriors' first half.

They made 11 of 22 three-pointers in the entire first half, bombarding the Pelicans' basket with a burst of fire.

This also helped them lead the Pelicans by 12 points, 64 to 52, at halftime.

52 points in the half was a normal performance for the Pelicans, and Tang Tian also scored 18 points, but the Warriors really built a lead with their offense.

But the Pelicans weren't the first team to enjoy this kind of treatment.

The Warriors basically relied on three-pointers to kill their opponents in the first round against the Lakers and the second round against the Rockets.

The Hawks relied on team basketball to win 60 games in the regular season, and Budenholzer also won the best coach, but their style of play was greatly restricted in the playoffs, and they were finally defeated by the defense-minded Bulls.

Theoretically, the Warriors' three-point style of play was greatly affected by their feel, and their performance would decline in the playoffs, where the defensive intensity was higher.

But in fact, only those who have actually played against them in the playoffs know that the Warriors are not just relying on three-pointers.

Their endless cutting was also a big killer, and the combination of inside and outside play allowed them to maintain their firepower even in the playoffs.

"They can't maintain this kind of feel for the whole game."

During the halftime break, Williams used these words to encourage the players.

But his language didn't come true.

In the second half, Curry seemed to have just finished warming up.

He was two steps away from the three-point line in the third quarter, and shot strongly against Holiday, scoring 5 three-pointers in a single quarter!

Under his leadership, the Warriors scored a crazy 40 points in the third quarter, winning 15 points in a single quarter, directly blowing up the game.

In this flood-like offensive frenzy, Tang Tian was also a little powerless to turn the tide, really feeling like an old master being beaten to death by random punches.

In the end, the Warriors relied on the signature wave in the third quarter to defeat the Pelicans 118 to 103 and win the first game of the Western Conference Finals.

Tang Tian scored 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Splash Brothers on the Warriors side had an explosive feel, and the two combined to hit 14 three-pointers and scored 60 points.

Among them, Curry hit 9 three-pointers alone, scoring 35 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Pelicans completed an epic reversal in the series against the Spurs, and their state in this game was also very good, but they were still defeated in the end.

For them, the road to the championship had just arrived at a place full of thorns.