NBA: Warrior godfather.

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After the start of the second quarter, both teams sent in their substitutes.

Phil Jackson, following, brought Gasol back onto the court to lead the bench lineup alongside Odom.

Gasol regained all the ball control he had relinquished in the first quarter, causing a huge impact in the paint. His size and height were imposing, and although his mobility was somewhat limited, he was still able to dominate players like Bynum and Odom, who struggled to keep up with him.

Seeing this, Liam immediately called a timeout and pulled Ronny Turiaf out of the game. Although Turiaf was a solid defensive center, his agility wasn't enough to compete with Gasol. However, the Warriors had never been a team that relied on defense to win, and even though they were conceding points defensively, they were still a threat on the offensive end.

Anthony Tolliver's three-point shooting also became a key factor. Even though the Warriors' interior defense was weak, Tolliver's shooting stretched the floor. Gasol had to follow him, which created space for guards like Lowry and Watson to attack the Lakers' interior. Despite their best efforts, though, they struggled to finish at the rim and were often fouled, putting them in a timid position.

Kevin Harlan commented:

"The Warriors have relied on their inside attack to stay in the game. Tolliver has played a miraculous role. His three-point shooting has created space for Lowry and Watson to penetrate. Otherwise, they'd be facing the Lakers' twin towers, and it would be hard to get anything inside."

Mike Breen, clearly frustrated with Tolliver's performance, said with disdain:

"All he's doing is making up for the points they lost on the other side. He can't do anything besides shooting threes. If it weren't for him, the Warriors' interior defense would be much worse. He's too weak as a power forward."

Upon hearing this, the fans in the live broadcast chat quickly reacted:

"Mike Breen, just stop! You keep talking like that, and you'll never live it down. What's up with all this talk about a guy with a basic salary, anyway?"

"Haha, this guy's calling out a player who's been in the NBA, but hey, maybe if Mike Breen had been there, he would've just knocked Gasol to tears!"

The live chat flooded with comments from fans, many of whom were annoyed by Mike Breen overly condescending tone.

The two teams continued battling for another six minutes. Taking advantage of a dead-ball situation, Liam called for Curry to return to the court.

As soon as Curry entered, he used a pick-and-roll with Ronny Turiaf to get matched up against Gasol. He then stepped back and nailed a difficult three-pointer.

As the ball swished through the net, the scoreboard read 54-57, with the Warriors just three points behind. The fans at Staples Center fell silent.

"Great shot! Curry continues to stay hot from beyond the arc. Before halftime, he's already hit nine threes. He's getting close to the NBA record of 12 threes in a single game. What's he going to do next?" shouted Kevin Harlan in disbelief.

The live chat exploded in response:

"Wow, from now on, I'm calling him Kulikuritian!"

"That shot was like he was just playing around. How are you supposed to guard that?"

"Maybe we should just call him Kuhao!"

Chris Webber added, "Kevin, this guy Curry is on fire. He's got the Lakers on their heels tonight. No one expected this from him."

Ke Fan was unaware that his casual remark had started the spread of Curry's new nickname, "Ku Ritian." The fans, stunned by his seemingly effortless shooting, felt that "Ritian" wasn't nearly enough to describe him.

Bip--

As soon as the ball went through the net and hit the floor, the referee's whistle blew, and the Lakers called a timeout.

No matter how much Phil Jackson tried to hold it together, he couldn't ignore the nine three-pointers Curry had already made.

At first, he thought it was just another regular-season game. Even if Curry made some three-pointers, it wouldn't match the offensive firepower of the Lakers, so he hadn't set up any special defense against him. But now, it looked like Curry was about to make a name for himself at Staples Center, and Jackson knew he had to stop it.

With a calm yet serious demeanor, the Zen Master called the players over and said:

"After the timeout, we need to give the ball to Paul. He needs to score. And I don't want to see number 30 shoot another three-pointer! Kobe, you're going back in. You're going to guard Curry hard. Don't let him get any space to shoot. If he runs the pick-and-roll, double-team him. If he goes out to the mid-range, follow him and form a double-team. The rest of you can rotate after that. I'm not letting Curry break the record at Staples tonight!"

The Lakers players, aware of how serious Jackson was, nodded and returned to the court with determination.

Kevin Harlan observed:

"Zen Master has brought back the Lakers' starting lineup. The only change for the Warriors is that Turiaf has been replaced by Varejao, but both teams are fielding mostly their starting five. Let's see how this first offensive play after the timeout works out for the Lakers."

As the Lakers came out of the timeout, Fisher followed Jackson's orders and passed the ball to Gasol in the low post.

Gasol initiated a move, but the Warriors switched their defense, opting for a more aggressive approach by doubling Gasol and leaving Fisher and Artest open for the shot.

Despite the pressure, Gasol remained calm. He looked around, found his teammates, and quickly passed the ball out to Fisher for an open three.

Fisher, with great confidence, took the shot.

Swish!

However, the ball hit the rim and bounced out.

It was Fisher's first shot of the game, and given his cold start, it wasn't surprising that he missed.

The long rebound landed in Azubuike's hands, who quickly pushed the ball down the court and scored a layup.

With the score now 56-57, the Warriors were only one point behind!

But looking back, Gasol continued to dominate in the low post. He attracted another double team, but this time passed the ball to Bynum, who easily slammed it home.

56-58.

When the Warriors came down the court, Curry looked for a pick-and-roll with Biedrins to challenge Bynum.

But this time, Bynum was on his game, sticking close to Curry and not giving him any space to operate.

Kobe, switching on the pick, immediately followed Curry, ignoring Biedrins, and formed a double-team with Bynum. Curry was caught off-guard, took a step back, and nearly lost the ball to Kobe's outstretched arm.

He managed to regain control, passing the ball to Biedrins.

Biedrins attempted to attack the rim, but Gasol had already cut him off. He tried to pass to Turiaf, who was open, but Gasol's defense pressured him into throwing the ball out of bounds.

"The Lakers are doing a great job double-teaming Curry," Chris Webber remarked with some regret. "Though Curry made the right pass, Biedrins' handling of the ball afterward was poor. If Biedrins had been more patient, Turiaf could have finished the play."

As the game progressed, the intensity of the defense on Curry only increased. Kobe took the lead in guarding him, and each time Curry attempted a move, he was met with double teams. The Lakers' defense forced him to start pick-and-rolls from higher up the court, with Biedrins setting screens further out, trying to shake off the defense.

At first, Bynum was slow to react, staying too close to the three-point line. He figured if he stayed that far out, Curry wouldn't be a threat, but Curry proved him wrong with a deep three-pointer, further stretching the defense.

Phil Jackson, rarely showing frustration, leapt up and shouted, "Andrew, protect the paint! No matter how far out they go on the pick-and-roll, you need to stay with him! Got it?"

Bynum quickly raised his hands, signaling that it was his mistake, and Jackson sat back

down with a slight smile on his face.

In the next possession, Bynum stayed tight on Curry, following him even past the three-point line. Biedrins set another screen, but Curry couldn't find any space to get off another shot.

Instead, Curry passed to Butler on the other side, who quickly drained a three-pointer over Fisher.

59-58.

But even as the Warriors scored, Phil Jackson smiled. This was the kind of defense he wanted from his team.

As the second quarter wound down, Curry found himself almost completely shut down by the Lakers' defense, as the Warriors couldn't generate much offense outside of his ball-handling.

Luckily for the Warriors, their strategy to shrink the paint had worked. While Curry kept the ball in play, both teams struggled to find rhythm on the outside.

With Gasol drawing a double team and Fisher and Artest missing wide-open shots, the Warriors began to chip away at the lead.

At the end of the first half, the scoreboard read 65-69.

End of this chapter

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