Chapter 2 Davis Returns

Davis continued to post up low on the second unit return.

However, the Warriors didn't use Green on defense, but Pachulia instead.

Davis backed down with the ball, turning repeatedly to shake off Pachulia's defense and shoot.

His movements were smooth, but he couldn't help but glance down as he released the ball.

That one glance caused the ball to slip off the rim.

Green grabbed the defensive rebound.

The Warriors seized the opportunity for a fast break, with Livingston receiving the ball in the frontcourt and driving to the basket, drawing a defensive foul on Stephenson after a physical collision.

Livingston made both free throws despite the pressure.

The Warriors once again narrowed the point difference to 8 points.

Back on the other end, Brogdon orchestrated the offense, calling for a pick-and-roll with Davis, then passing the ball to Davis's hands.

Davis caught the ball and cut to the basket for a dunk, but Pachulia left West and came over to help defend.

And at that moment, Davis glanced down again!

That hesitation allowed Pachulia to get into position and block Davis's would-be dunk!

He even managed to steal the ball from Davis, and Green recovered it.

The Warriors capitalized with a fast break, McCaw receiving a pass from Green and hitting a three-pointer in transition.

The difference was narrowed to 5 points again!

Having missed two great opportunities, Davis's performance in the second quarter was noticeably different from the first.

Stevens saw this and turned to call Jokic up.

During a dead ball, Jokic replaced Davis, who went to the bench to rest.

"Nice job, get some rest."

Seeing Davis's somewhat frustrated expression, Stevens patted him on the arm and offered encouragement.

Davis hadn't left the court since the start of the game.

Under intense pressure, Jokic found it more difficult to score, although he was more involved in organizing the offense, but the Warriors were also playing well.

The score remained stagnant during this stretch.

After four minutes of the quarter, both teams began to bring their starters back.

At this moment, the Warriors changed their tactics.

Curry stopped running off-ball to find open shots, and instead started to attack more with the ball, running pick-and-rolls with Pachulia to exploit the mismatch with Jokic.

This approach gave him opportunities, and he scored with consecutive three-pointers and floaters.

Returning from the small-ball era to early 2000s basketball, many players struggled to adapt quickly, and some were even directly eliminated.

But Curry proved his superstar quality. Before Durant arrived, the Warriors were his team, and he ushered in the league's small-ball era.

The two teams were evenly matched in this quarter, and at the half, the Pelicans led the Warriors 56-51.

The 5-point lead was negligible. Although there were ups and downs, the score indicated that the two teams were evenly matched.

The second half was similar to the first.

Thanks to Tang Tian's steady output, the Pelicans re-established a double-digit lead by the end of the third quarter.

However, during the bench rotation, Pachulia continued to defend Davis, and Davis's performance was somewhat off, just like at the start of the second quarter.

Led by Green and Thompson, the Warriors seized the opportunity to close the gap.

It was at this point that Stevens remembered something.

Last season, Ariza had his foot undercut by Pachulia, causing him to miss three months.

As a teammate, Davis surely had vivid memories of that, especially since he himself had previously suffered a knee injury from an undercut that sidelined him for a long time.

Players who haven't been injured play fearlessly, but those who have been injured have a shadow in their minds, subconsciously trying to avoid getting hurt again.

This was why Davis kept glancing down whenever he saw Pachulia defending him.

A small, instinctive reaction significantly affected his finishing rate.

Kerr must have noticed this in the first quarter, and that's why he had Pachulia guard Davis for the rest of the game.

The humiliation of being swept after a 73-win season put immense mental pressure on everyone on the Warriors, including Kerr.

This season, he was willing to use any means to win.

And it worked. With five minutes left in the game, the two teams were tied at 90.

After playing for 43 minutes, the two teams were back at the starting line.

Curry's signature logo three-pointer off a screen bounced off the rim, and Jokic's beautiful spin move got him past Green, but he fumbled the ball on his shot.

Thompson's alley-oop layup was blocked by the rim under defensive pressure, and Holiday's sure three-pointer clanked off the front of the rim.

At this point in the game, it was clear that both teams' shooting percentages were plummeting due to fatigue.

This was normal, as high-intensity competition is extremely draining.

Not to mention others, Tang Tian, Curry, and Durant were all noticeably panting as they ran up and down the court.

This wasn't the fast-paced running of the small-ball era, but the hard-fought, physical basketball of the early 2000s, where every possession was a battle.

Scoring efficiency was low for both teams during these few minutes, with only 4 points scored in total over three minutes.

But like a long-distance race, the ones who can sprint at the end are the true contenders.

Basketball is the same. At this point, the ones who can still put the ball in the basket are the true superstars.

Both teams had such players, Durant and Curry on one side, and Tang Tian on the other.

With one minute left in the game, Durant hit a mid-range shot over Davis's outstretched arm, giving the Warriors a crucial two-point lead!

He didn't have the energy for fancy fakes, and Davis's long arms were imposing, but he still managed to get the ball in!

With 45 seconds left, Tang Tian faked a pass, fooled Thompson, drove to the basket, and scored over Green, tying the game for the Pelicans!

Completely exhausted, he was playing purely on instinct, but he still managed to put the ball in the basket!

With 30 seconds left, Durant's outside three-pointer missed the rim.

With 10 seconds left, Tang Tian hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper over double coverage, seemingly sealing the win for the Warriors!

The Warriors called a timeout, and after the timeout, they had the final possession of the game.

The Pelicans' defense was impenetrable, but before the final buzzer, Durant, while contested in the air by Ariza, managed to flick the ball into the basket with one hand, tying the game for the Warriors!

Regulation time ended with the two teams tied at 96, sending the game into overtime!

The fans in the arena were ecstatic.

They hadn't won, but they were more excited than if they had!

Not because they got to watch a free overtime period, but because of the beauty of basketball!

The clutch ability of Tang Tian and Durant in the final moments was like a battle of gods, thrilling the fans.

Watching a game like this was better than watching games from the past few seasons!

This was real basketball!