Chapter 20: Tribute to Agent 0, Trapped by Full-court Press

Tencent live chat:

"Oh my God, another logo three! 666!"

"Is that God playing in a No. 77 jersey today?"

"Thunder King is insane! Thunder King is eternal! This is wild, absolutely wild!"

"That turn-around and arm-raise celebration was a clear tribute to Arenas. So cool!"

"Love it, I love it! Tang Lei, I want to have your babies!"

With Tang Lei sinking yet another logo three, the live chat erupted with excitement. Earlier, many fans were worried about Tang Lei's performance. After all, he had been tightly guarded by Tucker for several possessions, barely getting a touch on the ball. But no one expected Tang Lei to turn things around and deliver such a jaw-dropping surprise—three consecutive logo threes, all nothing but net.

This was unprecedented—a historic moment!

Everyone knew they had just witnessed history in the making.

Beep beep!

Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni quickly called a timeout. The score had just been tied at 14, and with the Warriors gaining momentum, it was only a matter of time before the gap widened. They needed to regroup.

Tang Lei walked to the bench, receiving congratulations and high-fives from his teammates and coaches. Three consecutive logo threes—it was a moment for the record books!

"Stick to him! Press him the second he gets the ball, no room to breathe!" D'Antoni shouted at P.J. Tucker.

Those three shots had been deadly as if they were laser-guided. Everyone hit their mark.

Tucker nodded resolutely.

After the timeout, both teams stuck with their starting lineups. This game was too important to lose, and neither side could afford to let up.

The Rockets were here to avenge last season's Game 7 loss in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors, on the other hand, needed to prove that even without Kevin Durant, they were still the reigning champions, and not to be disrespected by anyone.

Rockets' ball.

Chris Paul, cool and composed, hit a mid-range jumper over Curry, steadying the ship for Houston.

The Warriors took the ball out from the baseline, but what happened next shocked the entire stadium. As Tang Lei moved to receive the ball near the free-throw line, Tucker rushed up, initiating a full-court press on him—just the first quarter into the game!

The crowd gasped in surprise.

Iguodala, at a loss, passed the ball to Draymond Green instead. Draymond pushed the ball up the court, scanning the floor.

Meanwhile, Tang Lei was stuck near half-court, heavily guarded by Tucker. But with Tucker out of position, there was more space on the floor. Curry used a screen to create a window of opportunity, and though Paul tried his best to contest, he was a step too late.

Swish!

Three points for Curry! 17-16. The Warriors took the lead again.

Back on defense, Austin Rivers, who had started hot, missed his next shot. His shooting magic had cooled off.

From here, both teams settled into a hard-fought battle. With Tucker sticking to Tang Lei like glue, it was hard for him to even get a touch, let alone a shot. As for driving to the basket? Forget it.

Although Tang Lei had improved his driving skills, increasing his attribute to 86, it still wasn't enough. In the NBA, where 100 marks the pinnacle of ankle-breaking talents, 86 was merely average. Against a defensive specialist like Tucker, trying to drive past him was wishful thinking.

But even though Tang Lei couldn't get the looks he wanted, he found other ways to contribute, orchestrating the offense. He used himself as a decoy, facilitating passes to Curry and Klay for open shots. He even lobbed one to Kevon Looney, who threw down a thunderous dunk.

Of course, Houston had their own firepower. Harden, Paul, and Eric Gordon kept the scoreboard ticking, with both sides trading baskets. By halftime, neither team had managed to pull away.

Score: 51-50. The Warriors led by just one point.

In the locker room at halftime, Tang Lei sought out Iguodala for advice on how to shake free from such tight defense. Like Tucker, Iguodala was a renowned defender. He was best known for his 2014-15 NBA Finals performance, where he clamped down on LeBron James and shockingly snatched the Finals MVP award from Curry's grasp.

"The key to breaking free from tight defense is to mess up your defender's rhythm," Iguodala explained. "Make them shift their weight, catch them off-balance, then take advantage of the mismatch."

Iguodala continued, "And don't forget—you've got a solid fadeaway jumper. With your height, as long as you get the arc right, even if Tucker stays with you, he won't always be able to contest it."

"Got it. Rhythm change...fadeaway," Tang Lei nodded, absorbing the advice.

It clicked—he had almost forgotten about the smooth fadeaway shot he'd picked up from the veteran.