The opening possession sawDavisexplode to the Jazz’s restricted area, using a screen fromZackto blow pastPaul, and finishing with a one-handed power dunk overOkur.

Two months of rest certainly helpedDavisget his body back into peak condition. But the main reason this "King of Bragging" went into beast mode was the adjustment to the Warriors’ starting lineup made byMike Maloneafter the All-Star break, andDavisfinally understanding Malone’s tactical philosophy.

Unlike last season, where the Warriors neededDavisto control his shot attempts and diligently supportZack, collaborating with him to launch attacks on the court, under Malone’s system, the Warriors actually neededDavisto increase his offensive aggressiveness. Especially afterZackofficially ascended to the role of primary ball-handler, bothArtestandDavisfound themselves with plenty of "easy bucket" opportunities on the court.

Why didArtest, who initially thought Malone was going to strip him of his isolation privileges at the start of the regular season, stop complaining as the season progressed? Because reducing inefficient isolation plays never meant eliminating them entirely. On the court, onceZackswitched to his "commander" mode, how could he not need teammates to charge into the fray for him?

Before his injury,Davishad boasted to his teammates and coaches that he’d grasp Malone’s tactical essence in just a week. It wasn’t until his recovery period that he truly understoodMike Malone’stactical logic. Simply put, ifDaviscontinued to play with last season’s mindset, with his inefficient isolation plays significantly cut down, he wouldn’t just be relegated to the perimeter, relying on his inconsistent career three-point shot to support his teammates. Moreover, since Malone’s tactics often originated from big men initiating from the high post or wing players initiating through screens on the sides, you could easily say thatDavis, before his injury, had become a spectator in many of the Warriors’ offensive possessions.

Actually, as early as last December,Davishad already adjusted his game. Otherwise, even withZackas his teammate, he would have struggled to compete so fiercely withNashin the All-Star voting. However, it wasn’t until this injury thatDavistruly grasped what role Malone wanted him to play.

And after the All-Star break,Mike MalonemovedTroy Murphyinto the starting lineup, decisively ending the debate about whetherBrownorBiedrinsshould be the starting center. Malone’s bold move providedDaviswith unprecedented space to operate.

In early February,Murphy, who had just returned from injury and was seamlessly coordinating withZackon the court, immediately sparked a daring idea in Malone’s mind. This idea kept tempting Malone, leading him to put it into action after the All-Star break.Murphy’sdefensive weaknesses were undeniable. But for the Warriors, who often used zone defenses and hadZackresponsible for sweeping up, as long asMurphycould commit fouls in necessary possessions to disrupt the opponent’s offensive rhythm, why would the Warriors be so afraid of other teams attackingMurphy’sdefensive soft spot?

On the court, during the Jazz’s offensive possession,Murphyperfectly played the role of a blue-collar role player, first houndingOkurin the high post, then retreating to the paint to box out forZackand help him grab the defensive rebound. On the sidelines,BrownandBiedrins’sfeelings could only be described as incredibly complex, watchingMurphybenefit from their "dispute" like a fisherman.

Back on offense, it was the Warriors’ turn.Murphy, who could receive the ball in the high post and help the team transition, successfully freed upZack. After moving up to the right 45-degree angle to receive the ball and passing it toDavisvia a hand-off,Zackfollowed through the middle, receivedDavis’sdrive-and-kick pass, and finished with a soaring layup.

The Warriors’ first two possessions tonight already made veteran coachSloanfrown. Compared to their matchup in early February,Sloanfound that a fully healthy Warriors team had clearly elevated their offensive firepower to another level.Davis’shot form.Murphy’sinclusion in the starting lineup freeing upZack.Zack’sability to create "easy bucket" opportunities for his teammates due to his own gravity.Mike Malonehad, subtly, through a series of experiments and adjustments, molded this Warriors team into one of the most offensively potent teams in the current era.

And compared to last season,Zack, who was always unsatisfied with just being a stat-padder, also used his obsession with defense to makeSloankeenly feel the progress he had made defensively. In the first quarter,Zack, guardingBoozer, didn’t apply intense pressure on every defensive possession. Retreating while fighting wasBoozer’strademark. But actually, using pick-and-rolls to get into the low post, and then relying on solid fundamental skills to put the ball in the basket, wasBoozer’smain scoring method. Throughout his career,Boozer’sfinishes at the rim accounted for about 40% of his shot attempts. This season, that percentage was close to 50%.

Therefore, whenBoozerfrequently moved up to the high post,Zackoften focused on disruption. Even ifBoozercould punish this defensive strategy with his signature shoulder-bump shot,Zackremained unfazed. Only whenBoozertried to get deep into the low post to initiate offense wouldZackimmediately apply full pressure, using his athleticism to suppressBoozer’sattack.

This was a defensive trickZacklearned fromMarion. That is, the main goal isn’t to completely shut down the opponent, but to disrupt the opponent’s overall offensive rhythm by limiting their comfortable scoring opportunities on the court.

On the court,BoozerfacedZackin the low post four times, earning two free throws, getting two of his shots blocked byZack, and missing one shot under strong interference fromZack. UnderZack’sdefense,Boozernot only had a very uncomfortable first quarter, but after his most effective offensive methods were repeatedly thwarted byZack,Boozer’ssubsequent shoulder-bump shots from the high post were also inevitably affected.

In basketball, every player has their most effective scoring methods. Throughout his career,Boozer’slong two-point shooting percentage was around 41%. Given the volume ofBoozer’slong two-pointers, if he couldn’t get consistent scoring from his more effective and primary scoring methods, he couldn’t beat these Warriors with just long two-pointers.

Of course,Zackcould devote so much energy to defense tonight also becauseDavishad essentially batteredPaulto death. In the game,Paul’ssubtle movements, learned fromStockton, were not entirely ineffective againstDavis’spowerful drives, but they were certainly overwhelmed.Davis, with his sheer force overcoming skill, would crush all ofPaul’stricks in an instant, as long as he found driving space usingZack’sscreen. It’s like in a wuxia novel, no matter how many moves "Eastern Heretic"Huang Yaoshihas, he still needs to channel his internal energy to clash palms with "Northern Beggar"Hong Qigongand his Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms. As long asPauldidn’t have that "internal energy," he was bound to be crushed byDavis.

Furthermore, it must be stated forPaul’ssake that historically, even in that series where the Jazz eliminated the "Golden State Bandits" 4-1,Deron Williamswas utterly pounded byDavis, that "violent motorcycle." FacingDavis, who was averaging 25 points for the Warriors with nearly 50% shooting,Deron, with an overall field goal percentage of only 38.7%, barely scraped by by "hugging his brothers’ thighs." IfZackremembered correctly, the reason the Warriors lost that run-and-gun battle to the Jazz was mainly due toStephen Jackson’soverall field goal percentage being under 30%.

Due to the Jazz’s overly transparent presence and his own low-key nature,Andrei Kirilenko, who only made the All-Defensive Team three times in his entire career, was the true game-changer in that series for the Jazz. In that series,Kirilenko, who averaged 3.2 blocks per game, not only turned the famous "Martial Saint" into useless trash that anyone would want to kick, but he even had enough energy to helpBoozerandOkurwith their less-skilled sweeping duties.

However, compared to that "waste"Stephen Jackson,Zack’spresence meantKirilenkocouldn’t help his teammates with his usual help defense. Therefore,Chris Paultonight... how can one describe his suffering?

At the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read24 to 32.Paulhad 2 points, 3 assists on 1-for-4 shooting. His counterpart,Davis, had 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists.

It’s well-known in the NBA that even if players share the same position on the court, they don’t necessarily guard each other throughout the game. Many teams will use switching to ensure their core players avoid the opponent’s offensive primary. But most of the time, some matchups are simply unavoidable through switching.

Take this game, for instance. Even withoutZack, the Jazz would still have to usePaulto guardDavis. BecauseAndrei Kirilenko, the Jazz’s strongest defensive player, is 206 cm tall with shoes on. No matter how strong his one-on-one defense is, it’s only against wing players at his position, not point guards likeDaviswho just drive straight to the rim without much fuss. In the Jazz’s usual games, besides running into a few "demons,"Paulwas already the Jazz’s most reliable perimeter defender. SoPaulsimply couldn’t escape this confrontation withDavis.

Originally,Paul, being single-handedly dominated byDavis, could have still found a way to get back into the game by orchestrating the offense, just likeDeron, by "hugging his brothers’ thighs." But alas, withDaviscapable of shouldering the Warriors’ offense,Zackhad already tormentedKirilenkoandBoozerto no end on both ends of the court tonight.

Historically, whenDeronstruggled, the Jazz surprisingly beat the Warriors 4-1, relying onKirilenko’slimitation ofJacksonand the excellent play ofBoozerandOkur. However, in the later Western Conference Finals where they were miserably defeated 1-4 by the Spurs,Deron, who was averaging 25.8 points and 7.8 assists for the Jazz, could only accept the fate of defeat with his team. Why? Because the Spurs’ interior, led byDuncan, had already revealed the Jazz’s weakness through every offensive and defensive possession: they were a team lacking "hard solution" ability. In the game, as long asBoozerfaced a power forward who could reduce his efficiency, the Jazz would expose their weakness of lacking "hard solution" ability in crucial possessions.

If it were a normal night,Paulcould use his rhythm pull-ups to provide that "hard solution" ability for the Jazz in some possessions. But unfortunately, tonight both he andBoozermet their respective nemeses.

In the second quarter, the Warriors simultaneously putBrownandBiedrinson the court. These two interior players, who lacked self-creation ability, gaveMike Dunleavya taste ofStephen Curry’sfuture treatment a decade and a half early. On the court, looking at the Jazz players who always abandoned guardingBrownandBiedrinsto double-team him,Dunleavywondered what sins he had committed to be on the court at the same time as these two "sleeping dragons and crouching phoenixes." And the most ridiculous thing was that after he hit a difficult catch-and-shoot jumper for the Warriors, these two brothers were busy taking credit. Didn’t they know that it was precisely because they always brought double-teams to him that he was forced to shoot over a defender?

In the first half of the second quarter, a physically and mentally exhaustedDunleavyhad never longed forMurphyso much. And on the Warriors’ bench, Malone was already planning to retool the Warriors’ roster after this season. In Malone’s view, besides needing to add an interior player with playmaking ability to rotate withMurphy, the Warriors were definitely going to choose to keep only one betweenBiedrinsandBrown. However, due toBrownandBiedrins’spersonal friendship withZack, Malone had never explicitly stated this. Malone knew very well that for a franchise player ofZack’sstature, no matter his reasons for wanting to adjust the roster, he had to communicate with him beforehand. Otherwise, there was a high probability he would find himself looking for a new job the next day.

In the latter half of the second quarter,ZackandDavisreturned to the court. It’s worth noting thatPaul’sindividual collapse did not lead to a team-wide breakdown for the Jazz. The disciplinedJerry Sloanvery rationally chose to avoid a head-on collision with the Warriors in the rest of the game. By actively slowing down the game, organizing offenses more patiently, and constantly increasing their defensive intensity, the Jazz still had a chance to win the game until the fourth quarter.

Having successfully won the championship last year, this Warriors team not only transformed in their demeanor but also developed some "bad habits" characteristic of strong teams in their playing style. The NBA has 82 regular-season games in a year; no team can treat every instruction and every game as seriously as a military unit. Therefore,Mike Malonecould only tacitly allow the Warriors’ players to "not feel right unless they’re playing recklessly" on the court.

However, in the fourth quarter, the Warriors ultimately secured the victory at home, "slow-cooking" the game before "reducing the sauce" with the final 17 points scored byZackandDaviscombined. The final score was101 to 114.

Davishad his best game of the season, scoring a total of35 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 stealsfor the Warriors.Zackeasily notched a 30+ triple-double, finishing with31 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal.

As forZack’sgood buddy,Chris Paul? After the game, as players from both teams shook hands and hugged,Zackwent around asking everyone, "Have you seen my good buddy,Chris Paul?"Paul, who mysteriously disappeared during the game, finished with a total of8 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. ForZack’sugly post-game demeanor, exasperation was undoubtedlyPaul’smost accurate post-game description that night.

ButPauldoesn’t need to be too sad, because in the Warriors’ March journey,Baron Davis, who "slicedKidd, slewNash, punchedDeron, and stompedParker," pretty much trounced every notable point guard in the current era.

For this,Anthony Lester, a reporter forThe San Francisco Chronicle, describedDavis’sperformance since his return: "Baronhas shown the world just how furious he was about missing the All-Star break due to injury."

Throughout March,Davisaveraged27.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assistsfor the Warriors (these stats only include March). The excellent play of the original "Mr. Beard" allowed the Warriors to successfully overtake the Suns and claim the top spot in the Western Conference by the end of March. Moreover, this suddenly surging superstar guard threw a century-old problem at the Warriors’ upcoming opponents. If oneZackwas already a massive headache, then adding a red-hotDavis... how could anyone beat them, facing the Warriors’ relentless, tsunami-like waves of offense?

In April, with the world’s questions in tow, the Cleveland Cavaliers, dominant in the East, arrived in Oakland led byLeBron James. As the top team in the East, they would face the newly crowned top team in the West, the Warriors, at Oracle Arena for their second, and final, regular-season matchup.

AlthoughJamesand the Cavaliers suffered a complete defeat in their previous encounter last year, the resilient Clevelanders eventually recovered from that devastating matchup. Before the game,The Cleveland Plain Dealerhyped up this upcoming East-West showdown, stating: "Last year’s matchup holds no bearing. It proved thatLeBronsimply needed more time to gel with his new teammates."

Before this game, the Cavaliers had already secured 53 wins, just 4 less than the Western Conference-leading Warriors. Although the difficulty of the East and West schedules this season couldn’t be compared, asJamesled the Cavaliers to win streak after win streak in the East after the All-Star break, as another major contender for this year’s regular season MVP againstZack, people had every reason to believe that after several months of growth, "YoungLeBron" and his increasingly harmonious "King’s Guard" were ready to defeat the defending champions.

This is precisely the most interesting aspect of competitive sports. Beautiful success always makes people forget painful pasts in an instant.

Moreover, asJamesled the Cavaliers to grow stronger and stronger in the regular season’s closing stretch, after the twists and turns, those influential figures who had previously intended to build the rivalry betweenZackandJamesinto the "Great Competition" of the 21st century realized thatJames, who always bounced back after every defeat, had objectively ignited the "Great Competition" they had been yearning for. After all, no matter the difference in schedule difficulty between the East and West, at least the Cavaliers were currently first in the East, and the Warriors they were about to challenge were first in the West. If a showdown between the first in the East and the first in the West couldn’t be called a "Great Competition," then what kind of matchup could?

The Cavaliers arrived in Oakland on April Fool’s Day to be in optimal condition for the East-West showdown on the evening of April 2nd. On the same day, Warriors head coachMike Malone, after reviewing the Cavaliers’ recent games, changed the "go all out" tag he originally assigned to this game to "just have fun."

This was by no means an April Fool’s joke. InMike Malone’sview, the upcoming Western Conference playoffs were the true "three rounds of Finals." As for after emerging from the West after three rounds of Finals?

"I don’t want to say that if we make it out of the West this year, it’s equivalent to defending our title... but I think it’s the truth," Malone stated during the Warriors’ final practice session before their game against the Cavaliers.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com