Chapter 73 Chase Me, Clay!
After finishing the game with the Rockets, the Spurs boarded a plane to Oakland early the next morning.

They would face the Warriors there in a back-to-back game.

The Warriors had improved rapidly this season, with a very impressive record of 8 wins and 4 losses so far.

With Andrew Bogut's return from injury, Mark Jackson's defensive system was finally complete.

In addition, Stephen Curry and David Lee were both completely healthy, Klay Thompson was improving rapidly, and rookie Harrison Barnes was performing consistently. They had a great chance of making the playoffs this season.

Before the game, Klay Thompson greeted Tang Tian as usual.

"Tang, this time I can finally stand in the same position as you and defeat you!"

Thompson was full of confidence from the start.

Obviously, the Warriors' current record and roster had given him a lot of confidence.

"Klay, don't be too confident before the game. I still remember you only scored 6 points last season."

Tang Tian also looked like he wouldn't back down from a war of words.

"Just watch! This time is different from before!"

Thompson also gave him a look that said he wasn't afraid.

After the pre-game warm-up, the starting lineups of both sides took the court one after another.

For the Warriors, it was Curry and Thompson on the outside, Barnes and David Lee on the front line, and Bogut at center.

For the Spurs, Tang Tian returned to the starting lineup in this game, with Parker and Tang Tian on the outside, Leonard and Duncan on the front line, and Splitter at center.

The Warriors were doing well, and the Oracle Arena had a very high attendance rate, exceeding 80%.

The atmosphere was intense after the opening ceremony, several levels higher than the Toyota Center.

Tang Tian suddenly felt that playing in such an arena was a very good experience.

Speaking of which, Ajali Ranadive had recruited him to the Warriors before.

"Tang, you guard Stephen Curry."

Popovich's words brought him back to his senses.

Tang Tian nodded after listening.

It seemed that after performing well on the defensive end in the last game, Popovich had forgotten that he had scored 20+ points in ten consecutive games.

But that was fine. He hadn't fully adapted to the no-fly zone (Dikembe Mutombo) ability yet, and he needed games to practice.

The game began, and Bogut won the first attack opportunity for the Warriors.

Curry dribbled the ball to the front court and passed it to David Lee at the free throw line.

Lee turned around and attacked Duncan, scoring with a bank shot after a beautiful foot movement.

Duncan was at a disadvantage against this type of technical big man after getting older.

The Spurs attacked the front court with the hammer play, Thompson stayed close to Tang Tian, and Parker's breakthrough was directly blocked by Bogut.

The Warriors launched a fast break at the first time, Curry passed the ball to Barnes, who scored with a fast break layup.

The Warriors looked different from last season. Mark Jackson was starting to instill more of a defensive counterattack concept into this team.

In the first year, he instilled the concept of defense first, and in the second year, he added defensive counterattacks.

Mark Jackson's coaching started from the big picture, and his coaching ability was underestimated by many.

"I won't give you a chance!"

Thompson clung to Tang Tian on the defensive end.

Tang Tian now understood what Thompson meant by "different."

With Barnes and Curry, Thompson didn't have to desperately look for offensive opportunities. If he went all out on defense, he was also one of the best in the league.

Leonard's layup from Parker's pass was blocked by Bogut.

The Warriors launched another defensive counterattack, Thompson shook off Parker and went to the front court, catching Curry's pass and shooting a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

After practicing hard with Tang Tian during the offseason, his three-pointer was not as good as Tang Tian's, but it was becoming more and more stable.

Whistles sounded from the sidelines, and the Warriors started with a 7-0 run!

They were really different from before.

"Tony, they are very familiar with the hammer play."

Tang Tian shouted to Parker as he advanced.

Mark Jackson was a defensive-minded coach. The Spurs had played the hammer play for a season, and the Warriors must have prepared for it.

Parker nodded, and signaled to play a pick-and-roll when he reached the front court.

The hammer play was the Spurs' new signature move, but they didn't just know that one tactic!

Duncan and Splitter's double pick-and-roll at the high post.

Leonard spaced the floor at the baseline, and Tang Tian cut from the three-point line to the basket and then cut out again as Parker broke through.

This was one of the most common tactics in the NBA.

"I won't lose you!"

Thompson only cared about Tang Tian, completely ignoring everyone else.

Tang Tian received the ball, and Thompson quickly pounced on him.

But Tang Tian didn't really shoot. After receiving the ball, he directly flicked his hand to pass to the right low post.

Parker's breakthrough and Tang Tian's running drew almost all of the Warriors' defensive attention. No one noticed that Leonard, who was originally spacing the floor, had already cut to the basket!

With a well-timed pass, Leonard caught the ball and had a wide open look, accelerating directly to the basket for a layup.

The Spurs broke the scoring drought!

Thompson turned his head and his expression froze.

"Klay, the offseason hasn't been that long, you wouldn't have forgotten so quickly, right? I'm different too."

Tang Tian reminded him.

They played training games during the offseason, and he and Thompson had been matching up. Thompson knew that his passing had become stronger.

"Yes, I remember."

Thompson turned around, his eyes filled with even more fighting spirit.

The Warriors' offense, Thompson and Barnes spread out on the wings.

Curry chose to call for Bogut's pick-and-roll.

Bogut's pick-and-roll was of high quality, much higher than Asik's.

But it still didn't stop Tang Tian.

Tang Tian was like a slippery loach.

Curry was almost stolen.

He chose to break through to the basket.

The current Curry still played as a combination of breakthrough and scoring point guard.

But unlike the previous seasons, he had changed his way of exerting force, which allowed him to go all out when breaking through.

The speed was very fast!

The timing of the breakthrough was perfect!

His 23.5 points per game this season was a career high!

He was becoming the new core of the Warriors!

"Pa!"

A crisp sound.

Tang Tian's steal!

He was too familiar with Curry's breakthrough.

After Walker was injured at UConn, Tang Tian taught him how to use his hips and thighs to generate force.

The same way of exerting force, the same rhythm.

Even Walker's first step was faster than Curry's.

Having gotten used to Walker, Tang Tian had completely seen through Curry's breakthrough.

Curry's hand had no fulcrum to exert force, and his whole body lost its center of gravity, making it impossible to fight back.

Tang Tian directly dribbled the ball for a fast break, and after seeing Thompson coming over, he flicked his hand and passed the ball to Parker.

Parker dribbled all the way to the front court and scored with a layup.

The Warriors had a 7-0 run to start the game, and the Spurs immediately responded with a 4-0 run!

Curry attacked again in the front court. This time, he used the gap created by Bogut's pick-and-roll to shoot quickly.

The fastest shot was 0.4 seconds!

Shooting fast was his characteristic!

"Bang!"

But he underestimated the speed at which Tang Tian went around the pick-and-roll.

And Tang Tian knew very well the difference between Curry and Harden. He didn't have to worry about Curry deliberately drawing fouls at all.

After going around the pick-and-roll, Tang Tian pounced out with all his might.

"Bang!"

A head-on block!

The audience was in an uproar.

First a steal, then a block!

Tang Tian completely suppressed Curry!

Just like suppressing Harden in the last game!

If they only had a slight feeling in the last game, now they really realized that Tang Tian's defense had become stronger!

When a defensive second-team player becomes stronger, he will really become terrifying on the defensive end!

The Warriors' sideline ball.

Curry received the ball, but he didn't attack Tang Tian again.

He was different from Harden. He had no grudges with Tang Tian, and he was very smart when playing.

The ball was given to David Lee.

Lee continued to turn around and attack Duncan, attracting Splitter's double-team in the paint before passing the ball to Bogut.

Bogut scored a bank shot in the paint.

Lee's assists per game this season were a career high, and his points and rebounds also exceeded his career average.

He was regaining his peak after returning from injury.

9-4.

The Warriors still maintained a lead on the court.

Duncan's bank shot was interfered with by Bogut and missed, and Lee grabbed the rebound.

With Bogut, the Warriors' defense in the restricted area was no weaker than the Spurs'.

"Go Warriors!"

The home fans took the initiative to cheer, and the Warriors were about to gain momentum.

Lee continued to hold the ball at the high post, and Leonard came over to help defend.

Lee directly passed the ball to Barnes.

Barnes caught the ball and flew up for a layup.

"Bang!"

But at the moment Barnes shot, a figure flew over and directly delivered a nail board block!

Tang Tian!

Barnes was stunned. He never expected Tang Tian, who was defending Curry on the outside, to rush into the inside to help defend!

Didn't he know that Curry's open three-pointer was very stable?

Of course, Tang Tian knew!

But he also knew that this Warriors team was not the Warriors team of endless passing and cutting in later generations. Curry might have a chance, but Barnes' passing probability was very small!

The tactics of this Warriors team on the offensive end were very monotonous, and there was very little mutual response during the offense!

This was also why Mark Jackson was eventually fired even though he did so well in his previous life.

He couldn't fully unleash the offensive talent of this team!

After Tang Tian got the rebound, he passed it to Parker at the first time, and the Spurs launched a defensive counterattack.

He also followed up quickly this time. In the four-on-three situation in the frontcourt, he caught Parker's pass and shot a three-pointer.

"Swish!"

A clean shot.

7-9!

The Spurs had narrowed the point difference to 2 points!

The Warriors' offense, Lee was successfully defended by Diaw. As technical big men, Diaw was obviously more suitable to defend.

Duncan protected the defensive rebound.

The Spurs advanced to the frontcourt. Tang Tian's running three-pointer attracted the defense, and he directly found Diaw in the open space at the arc.

Diaw's old-man-style bank three-pointer.

"Bang!"

The basketball bounced into the net.

10-9!

The Spurs scored two consecutive three-pointers and directly overtook the score!

Thompson's reverse run to the basket, Curry's pinpoint pass.

Thompson flew up for a layup, but at the moment he shot, he smelled a very familiar scent in the air.

"Bang!"

Tang Tian's help defense block directly knocked the ball out of bounds!

The Oracle Arena was silent. This was Tang Tian's third block in this quarter!

Damn, this was a guard!

Was he even more capable than Wade?

Thompson's expression was somewhat wooden after being blocked.

He originally thought that after his teammates became stronger, he would finally be able to play with ease and finally have a chance to defeat Tang Tian.

But after these few rounds, he realized that he was wrong!

Completely wrong!

Tang Tian's presence on both the offensive and defensive ends was too strong!

Even just talking about this segment of play, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Tang Tian was leading the Spurs!

So Tang Tian had been holding back during the offseason training games.

Yes, Tang Tian had just returned from the Olympics, how could he go all out in training games.

He also needed to rest!

The more Thompson thought about it, the more powerless he felt, and the more desperate he became!

Tang Tian's continuous steals and blocks drove the team's defense, and Popovich also replaced Splitter with Diaw at the right time, and the Spurs' defensive intensity obviously increased.

Lee was repeatedly frustrated in the paint, and Curry was also strangled to death by Tang Tian. The Warriors' offense couldn't open up, and it was difficult to hold on with the Spurs by relying on defense alone.

93-79.

The Spurs eventually defeated the Warriors on the road in a back-to-back game, extending their winning streak to 12 games.

The 12-0 start also set a new best start to the season for the Spurs!

Tang Tian played 30 minutes in this game, making 5 of 10 shots and getting 15 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 6 blocks!

He had achieved a mini five-by-five for the second game in a row!

These two games were different from the previous ten games. He helped the team win the game with his strongest defensive posture!

After the game, Tang Tian found that Thompson's expression was obviously different from what he had seen before.

Obviously, the strength of this game had a great impact on Thompson's heart.

Thompson made 3 of 10 three-pointers, and his performance of 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists was obviously not his normal level this season.

No matter how tenacious and active a person was, in the face of constant failure, he would obviously begin to doubt himself.

Tang Tian saw this and held him back after the handshake.

"Klay, do you know who the most miserable woman in China is?"

Thompson was depressed, and he had no interest when he heard Tang Tian ask this.

"Ma Po."

"Who is that?"

"Who she is doesn't matter, what matters is that we have a dish in China called Mapo Tofu, and Ma Po is touched by people every day."

"......"

Thompson shivered.

Obviously, this joke was a bit cold, and he didn't know what Mapo Tofu was.

"I can take you to try it next time."

Tang Tian smiled and hammered Thompson's chest, as if Thompson was really Ma Po, and he was touching tofu.

"Catch up with me! Klay!"

After Tang Tian finished hammering, his expression suddenly became serious.

"If the current me makes you feel the gap, then catch up with me!"

"I am your goal, your challenge object, treat me as a boss in the game, and catch up with me, challenge me!"

Tang Tian's words were like continuous shells, bombarding Thompson.

Thompson looked at Tang Tian, and he could see that Tang Tian was very serious.

Yes, he used to be an indomitable Xiaoqiang (cockroach), thinking that he would finally defeat Tang Tian one day.

It wasn't until tonight that he realized that the gap between the two had become so big that he began to doubt himself.

But Tang Tian was right, he realized the gap, and then what?

Self-doubt? Abandon yourself?

No, he was going to catch up with Tang Tian!

He used to be determined to win over Tang Tian, but now he had Tang Tian as a goal, and he would work hard to catch up!

That was him, Klay Thompson!

"Yes, you wait, I will catch up with you! Surpass you!"

After Thompson finished speaking, he also punched Tang Tian's chest.

Perhaps it was because he was a little excited, this punch was quite strong.

Tang Tian coughed for a while after being punched.

Damn! Public revenge!

I told you to catch up with me, but I didn't tell you to hit me!

But after recovering, he smiled again.

This kind of Thompson deserved to continue to be his opponent.