Warriors had possession. As they crossed half-court, the Rockets sagged off Draymond Green again, daring him to shoot. This time, Green's three-point attempt clanged off the rim.
The Rockets quickly transitioned. Chris Paul, ever the maestro, threaded a perfect pass to Rivers, who had slid into the corner. With the ball in his hands, Rivers shot in one smooth, fluid motion.
Swish!
Another three-pointer. Rivers was now 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in under three minutes, racking up 12 points. His efficiency was frightening, and Klay Thompson, who was guarding him, looked visibly shaken. On the next possession, Thompson tried to answer with a three of his own but missed, giving the Rockets another fast-break opportunity, which they converted for an easy two points.
Three minutes into the game, the Warriors were down 5-14.
The nearly 20,000 fans at Oracle Arena were stunned. They knew the Warriors' offense would suffer without Kevin Durant, but no one had expected them to be dominated like this. It was like watching the team unravel before their eyes.
The Warriors regained possession. Draymond Green brought the ball up, and Tang Lei positioned himself near the logo, signaling for the ball. He hadn't touched the ball much so far, not because his teammates didn't want to pass to him, but because the Rockets' defense, led by their top defender P.J. Tucker, had been locking him down.
Tucker was a defensive specialist, known for guarding the league's biggest stars—LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Luka Dončić, to name a few. Clearly, the Rockets had done their homework on Tang Lei and were throwing everything at him to slow him down.
Green passed the ball to Tang Lei as soon as he could. Curry and Thompson had both missed threes, so it was time to give Tang Lei a shot.
But to everyone's surprise, Tang Lei took one glance at the basket from the logo and immediately pulled up for a deep three.
"Ohhhhh!" The crowd gasped in unison.
Even Tucker hesitated for a split second. He had been standing well beyond the three-point line, but now Tang Lei was launching from near half-court? It seemed almost reckless.
The ball soared high in the air, tracing a perfect arc over Oracle Arena, and then, swish!—it dropped cleanly through the net.
8-14. The Warriors clawed back three points, and the crowd erupted.
"Wow, Tang! I didn't expect to get an assist for that," Green said incredulously as he slapped hands with Tang Lei in celebration.
"You can always trust me," Tang Lei replied with a grin. With his three-point attribute maxed out, he felt an unwavering confidence. Every time he released the ball, it felt like a sure thing.
Green nodded as they jogged back on defense. On the next possession, James Harden missed a tough shot, and Tang Lei grabbed the rebound, quickly pushing the ball up the floor. Tucker, ever the shadow, was already waiting for him at the three-point line, arms outstretched.
Tang Lei stopped just past the half-court logo. Tucker didn't move an inch. His message was clear: "Go ahead, shoot another one from out there. I dare you."
It was a psychological tactic. Tucker knew that letting an opponent shoot uncontested threes could mess with their confidence, leading to more misses as they overthink their shot.
But Tang Lei wasn't just any shooter. With his three-point ability maxed, his confidence was unshakable. He didn't hesitate. Leaning slightly forward, he fired another long-range three, pushing the ball with enough force to cover the distance.
"Oh my god, another logo three?" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
"He's more Curry than Curry!"
The crowd's attention shifted skyward as they followed the ball's flight. And once again—swish!—the ball dropped perfectly through the net.
11-14.
"Nice shot, Tang! That reminds me of something I'd do!" Curry exclaimed, playfully smacking Tang Lei on the backside in encouragement.
The Rockets were bewildered. One logo three could be a fluke, but two? This was something else entirely. Tucker shot a confused glance at Coach D'Antoni, silently asking if he should extend his defense even further out, but D'Antoni simply shook his head.
On the next possession, the Rockets missed again, rattled by Tang Lei's audacious shooting. With the Oracle Arena crowd now in full voice, the Warriors fed off the energy and locked down defensively.
The ball found its way back to Tang Lei, who once again stood near the half-court logo. The home crowd began chanting, "Shoot it! Shoot it! Shoot it!"
Tang Lei smiled. Why not? He raised the ball and released another deep three, confident before the ball even left his fingertips.
As the ball soared through the air, Tang Lei turned around before it even went through the hoop, raising his arms triumphantly.
Swish!
Three consecutive logo threes. A feat unheard of.
The arena exploded.
...