Chapter 40: Bulldog's Tactics

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After scoring this basket, Curry completely relaxed. When the camera focused on him, he chewed his mouthguard and shook his head proudly, which looked quite amusing.

In the next few minutes, Curry broke his usual pattern and took on too much responsibility, finishing almost every offensive play himself.

Meanwhile, Florida continued to execute their team offense methodically. Each player did their part, like a well-oiled machine running according to a precise plan—efficient, accurate, and lethal.

Bang!

Curry's mid-range shot missed the basket due to Noah's interference. Off the court, Liam Gonzales secretly clenched his right fist.

Before this game, the tactics Liam had arranged were simple yet challenging.

He handed all ball possession to Curry, granting him unlimited shooting rights.

Liam knew very well that the talent of the "Florida Big Four" was, if not vastly superior to the Bulldogs' players, at least considerably better.

Compared to the University of Florida, the Bulldogs had no chance of gaining the upper hand through team offense. Their only hope of winning lay in Curry's performance.

If Curry could provide a formidable offensive output, the Bulldogs still had a glimmer of hope.

Liam clearly remembered that in this year's NCAA finals, even though Oden outplayed Horford and Noah, the University of Florida still relied on teamwork and tactics to defeat Ohio State University and win the championship again.

The strength of Florida's team offense was comparable to the Michigan Fab Five led by Chris Webber in the 1990s.

But there is only one basketball on the court, and only one player can score on any given offensive possession.

Oden was an inside player, and his scoring efficiency was naturally lower than that of perimeter players. Just because he couldn't do it didn't mean Curry couldn't.

"Just do your best, Stephen..." Liam murmured as he watched Curry's nimble figure.

Swish!On the court, Curry shook off Taurean Green and hit another difficult three-pointer, which felt like a cold splash of water on the cheering Florida fans. The excitement in the arena suddenly quieted down.

Curry retreated on defense, feeling a burning sensation throughout his body.

In a trance, he seemed to have returned to the day of his tryout at Butler.

In his eyes, the basket looked as wide as the sea, and Taurean Green's movements seemed to be in slow motion, easy to read.

He felt unstoppable!

Curry slowly retreated to the top of his arc. Taurean Green dribbled the ball across half court. Frustrated, he opted out of running a pick-and-roll, signaling for his teammates to clear out so he could go one-on-one against Curry.

Fifteen minutes into the first half, he'd been outplayed by Curry multiple times. He couldn't stand it anymore; he needed to get even.

But just as Taurean Green began dribbling, Curry quickly lunged forward and stole the ball!

Taurean Green staggered and turned to chase him, but he saw that Curry was already far ahead, making an easy layup, leaving him no choice but to stop.

Coach Donovan couldn't bear to watch any longer. He looked up at the big screen and saw that the score was 27:23. The Bulldogs were actually leading the University of Florida!

Of those 27 points, Curry had scored 18 by himself!

He called a timeout and, with some frustration, said to his players:

"Strengthen the defense on Curry. Don't let him get easy shots again! Taurean, stay on him closely. If he drives, Corey should help. If he penetrates, Al and Joakim must rotate quickly. Give some space to others, but make sure Curry is covered! Understood? I don't want to see Curry scoring easily again!"

He slammed the marker down on the tactical board, his tone stern.

The Florida players looked at each other, surprised. They had never seen their usually calm coach lose his temper like this.

Everyone quickly nodded in understanding, and Taurean Green nearly vowed an oath.

Donovan emphasized their offensive tactics again before the timeout ended, his expression calming down.

He watched his players return to the court and took a deep breath.

Donovan didn't want to tell his team that he felt a nagging worry whenever he saw Curry score.

He had a feeling that Curry could keep playing like this for the entire game.

After making his adjustments, he felt more at ease.

After the timeout, the Bulldogs had possession. Curry advanced the ball to the frontcourt, and Taurean Green came up to guard him.

With a quick change of pace, Curry easily broke through Taurean Green. Brewer, remembering the coach's instructions, immediately left Mike Green open to help defend.

Curry took a step forward, and as Brewer closed in on him, he passed the ball to Mike Green. Without hesitation, Mike Green took the shot, but Brewer didn't have enough time to recover on defense.

Bang!

Mike Green hadn't taken many shots before and seemed a bit cold. The ball bounced off the rim, and Noah secured the rebound over Drew.

Donovan nodded. This was exactly the scenario he wanted.

On the return, Brewer faced off against Mike Green, drove past him, and scored a layup, closing the gap to just 2 points with a solid combination of offense and defense.

Curry took the inbound pass from AJ Graves, dribbled slowly to the frontcourt, and stopped at a 45-degree angle on the left, two meters away from the three-point line. At the same time, Mike Green moved to the weak-side corner.

Brewer hesitated for a moment but still followed Mike Green.

Mike Green has a 38.6% three-point shooting percentage this season and isn't afraid to shoot, so Brewer couldn't afford to leave him open.

Curry glanced at Brewer moving away and prepared to isolate against Taurean Green again.

Taurean Green waited, expecting Brewer to help, but Brewer didn't. He looked back to see Brewer helplessly spreading his hands in the corner.

"You're just hanging out with Mike Green!"

He cursed silently and prepared to defend Curry on his own.

Curry looked calm, fully locked in, unlike the tense Taurean Green.

He assumed a triple-threat position, holding the ball to his side, extending his left foot forward to shift Taurean Green's balance. Suddenly, he lifted the ball as if to shoot.

Taurean Green instinctively wanted to jump to block, but he fought the urge.

However, his balance was already compromised. Curry took advantage, driving to his right and gaining half a step.

Taurean Green stayed close, but after Curry took a big step, he stopped and switched the ball to his left hand behind his back. Taurean Green, trying to adjust, was thrown off balance and nearly stumbled.

Curry took a leisurely look at the hoop before confidently shooting a three-pointer.

Swish!

The shot, at this level of difficulty, was no problem, and it went straight through the net.

30:25.

Curry shook his shoulders proudly as he retreated to his own half.

Taurean Green stood up awkwardly, and Horford came over to comfort him as he struggled to regain his composure.

Over the past two years, the University of Florida had been dominant in the NCAA, and he had almost forgotten the last time he was outplayed like this.

In the next possession, the University of Florida patiently executed their play. Taurean Green obediently passed the ball to Horford, followed the tactical movement, cut into the paint with Noah's screen, received a pass from Horford, and finished with a layup, avoiding Drew's help defense.

End of this chapter

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