NBA: Rising Superstar!

Curry was a little frustrated for not stopping this ball.

Zeng Xingyang flew too high, now his physical talent surpasses Curry's.

Barkley laughed, "Now Zeng just seizes every opportunity to go against Stephen, and it's very hard for Stephen to restrict him, he can't even delay him."

Smith said, "Zeng has a physical advantage, although they are both point guards, this is a mismatch."

Steve Kerr is also aware of the huge difficulties Curry faces in defending Zeng Xingyang, so he has always avoided letting Curry match up against Zeng Xingyang.

After Zeng Xingyang completed the layup, he also fell, and Harris and Pope quickly came to pull him up.

The momentum of the on-site fans has completely died down.

The spectators at Oracle Arena saw the close-up of Zeng Xingyang and felt his toughness.

"Awesome, love seeing this kind of offense."

"When facing Curry, just go solo, haha, it reminds me of the regular season."

"This was played very hard, keep overpowering him."

"Love watching Zeng Xingyang go up against Curry."

"Curry's expression has changed, every time he faces Zeng Xingyang, he bears an unbearable weight."

The fans on the internet were having heated discussions.

On the court.

The Warriors' offense.

Curry dribbled to the frontcourt and still passed to Green.

Green held the basketball with one hand to organize.

The Nuggets' defense wasn't bad either, they didn't give Barnes a chance for an inner cut.

Thompson kept positioning himself, and Zeng Xingyang followed him, Thompson got close to Green for a hand-off.

Green wanted to set a screen for Thompson, but Zeng Xingyang anticipated it and slipped through.

Thompson took a dribble to the free throw line, stopped abruptly, and was about to shoot.

Thompson thought Zeng Xingyang had been blocked, so he wasn't much on guard.

Just.

"Snap!"

Zeng Xingyang rushed in from the side and delivered a powerful block on Thompson.

The rebound was controlled by Jokic.

The Nuggets' fast break was swift, Harris swiftly moved down the other side.

Jokic made a long pass to Harris, who rushed to the basket and stopped abruptly.

"Bang!"

Harris made contact with Curry, then made a layup.

"Beep beep!!"

This was a three-point play.

Harris shouted out, and Zeng Xingyang rushed over to bump chests and celebrate.

"Damn, this Nuggets' play was so dominant, Zeng Xingyang's block, Jokic's long pass, Harris's and-one."

"Harris deliberately waited for Curry to come and draw the foul."

"Curry's defensive weak point is exposed quite clearly."

"Why is it every time against the Nuggets, Curry looks like an ATM machine?"

The fans kept discussing.

The outside world didn't know the Nuggets' research on Curry was very detailed.

On defense, the Nuggets focused on Curry's technical characteristics, carefully studying and upgrading their defensive strategies.

They adopted multi-person tight rotations and preemptive screenings on his positioning lanes, making it harder for Curry to get open to receive the ball, affecting his offensive efficiency and rendering him less effective on defense.

Because Curry needed to switch quickly between offense and defense, their tight defense caused him to exhaust a lot of energy on offense, making it hard to maintain his best form on defense.

Moreover, Curry's defensive awareness and predictive skills are not as good as some players who are focused solely on defense.

Most importantly, Curry's physical attributes also limit his defensive capability; his relatively short height puts him at a disadvantage against some taller opponents.

Of course, Curry's defense is not always bad, in some games and periods, he shows excellent defensive ability and attitude.

This depends on his physical condition, the strength of the opponents, and the team's tactical arrangements.

The most important thing is to wear out Curry; otherwise, his offense is extremely dangerous.

On the court, Thompson looked somewhat dazed at Zeng Xingyang.

This was a rare block he encountered right at the beginning of the game.

This guy's growth is so fast; he's become formidable on both offense and defense.

Harris calmly scored the free throw.

8 to 2.

Barkley said, "The Nuggets' fast break speed is not slower than the Warriors, mainly because almost every player has the ability to dribble and counterattack."

Smith said, "When the Warriors make mistakes, that's when the scary part of the Nuggets' offense appears."

Defense relies on the whole team, positional offense rests on Jokic and Zeng Xingyang, these are the Nuggets' confidence on the offensive end.

No matter what kind of opponent, they have suitable tactics.

If you want to play fast, they'll play fast with you; if you want to play positional, they'll accompany you in that, too.

The Nuggets players on the sidelines kept cheering.

They were able to dominate the game from the start on the road, and this feeling was exciting.

The Warriors' offense.

Curry dribbled to the frontcourt, passed to Green again.

Grant came up to defend, knowing that defending Green meant limiting his passing.

Thompson kept trying to position himself, even crossing paths with Curry.

But Harris's and Zeng Xingyang's defense was like sticky glue; no matter how they ran, the two followed closely all the time.

Zhang Weiping said, "Harris's defense is above average in the NBA, making it so the Nuggets' perimeter has no obvious loopholes."

Yu Jia said, "Yes, the Nuggets are one of the best defensive teams in the league, especially their perimeter; smaller players often face trouble when matched against them, it's difficult to break through comfortably."

Green had no choice but to pass the ball to Barnes, who was pressing low post.

Pope's defense was equally pressuring.

Barnes took a couple of dribbles, then passed the ball to Green on the perimeter.

Green decided to take a catch-and-shoot three-pointer.

With no opportunities for his teammates, Green's shot was very decisive.

Grant was a little too far from the ball and couldn't keep up in time.

"Swish!"

Bullseye!!

8 to 5.

Before the Splash Brothers could make a three-pointer, Green took the lead.

The fans at Oracle Arena started to cheer out loud.

Green arrogantly shouted at Grant, "Don't give me a chance, I'll take you down."

Grant simply ignored Green and didn't engage in any trash talk with him.

The Nuggets were on offense.

Zeng Xingyang dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and passed it to Jokic.

Jokic instructed Harris to go over and set a screen for Zeng Xingyang.

Harris went over to block Thompson, and Curry quickly switched to defend Zeng Xingyang.

At that moment, Jokic passed the ball.

Zeng Xingyang pinned Curry behind him on the right side of the free-throw line.

He started a back-to-the-basket move, pushing in.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Curry struggled, retreating slowly.

Green hurried over from the left side to double-team, and Zeng Xingyang quickly spun right past Curry.

When Zeng Xingyang spun, he gathered the ball, and Curry thought he was going for a fadeaway.

But Zeng Xingyang didn't shoot; instead, he made a fake move.

"Bang!"

Zeng Xingyang bumped into Curry while holding the ball.

This caused Curry's second foul of the night.

The free throws weren't the main point; the goal was to take Curry out of the game.

Curry spat out his mouthguard, very frustrated, as he hadn't even exerted himself in this game before being benched.

Cole resignedly made a substitution, bringing in Livingston to replace Curry.

The Warriors are strong not only because of their starters but also because their bench players are impressively strong.

Bringing Livingston in also has an advantage—he can enhance the Warriors' defense.

Livingston possesses excellent physical attributes, making his defensive fundamentals solid. His height and wingspan allow him to switch and defend multiple positions.

During the regular season, Livingston often performed impressive blocks on opponents.

Unlike typical bench players, when he and Iguodala come on, the Warriors' strength doesn't drop significantly.

Apart from defense, he is also very sharp in certain offensive areas.

Zeng Xingyang stepped up to the free-throw line, calmly making both shots.

10 to 5.

Even at Oracle Arena, the away game for the Nuggets, they still displayed remarkably high-scoring efficiency.

The Warriors' fans also sensed that their opponents were not afraid of them.

It wouldn't be easy for them to get past the Nuggets.

The Warriors were on offense.

After Livingston dribbled to the frontcourt, he passed to Green, then went to the low post himself.

Green adjusted the ball to Livingston in the low post.

Livingston posted up Harris, playing back-to-the-basket.

Harris was somewhat passive on defense, as Livingston's post-up move was solid.

After a series of bumping, Livingston turned around and made a jump shot.

Harris tried hard to contest, but it seemed to no avail.

"Swish!"

Precise hit.

10 to 7.

Unlike Curry, a fellow guard, Livingston seemed to lean towards the opposite extreme.

Good at defense, rarely takes three-pointers, solid post-up skills.

Nuggets on offense.

Livingston came to defend Zeng Xingyang.

Zeng Xingyang and Jokic's pick-and-roll.

Jokic blocked Livingston, and Zeng Xingyang dribbled laterally.

Jokic rolled to the basket as Zeng Xingyang passed the ball to him.

Jokic held the ball high, drawing Green and Livingston into a double-team.

Jokic nimbly sent the ball to Grant, who was cutting along the baseline.

Grant caught the ball and immediately slammed it in.

"Bang!!"

12 to 7.

The Nuggets, the away team, took control of the situation, quieting the crowd once again.

This Nuggets team was tough to deal with.

This is a common belief.