Chapter Fifty-Six: An Unstoppable Assault

Lin Fei’s successful shot ignited Lowry’s fighting spirit. Lowry took possession of the ball and, facing Lin Fei’s defense, orchestrated the play at midcourt, signaling for Hayes to come up high. After a pick-and-roll, Lowry breezed past Lin Fei. But this time, Cairns stepped up, blocking Lowry’s path. Quick as a flash, Lowry released a floater, the ball clanging off the rim. Yet among all the players, Lowry judged the trajectory best—using his stocky frame, he boxed out Cairns and snatched the offensive rebound. The nickname "Little Tank" truly suited him. He immediately dished the ball from the baseline to Budinger, who was lurking there. Budinger caught it and sank a three-pointer.

It was as if Lin Fei had been slapped in the face—one pick-and-roll and he was beaten, then another easy offensive rebound. Lin Fei’s defense was utterly porous.

Now it was Lin Fei’s turn to attack. Frustrated, he dribbled rapidly up the court, crossed half-court, leaped, and shot. But he had lost his earlier rhythm; the ball hit the center of the rim and bounced high. Scola and Hayes seized the moment, working together to secure the rebound. By then, Lowry was already sprinting up the court. Hayes, reading the play, quickly passed him the ball. Lowry charged forward, with Lin Fei trailing just a step behind. Although Lin Fei was faster, Lowry, undeterred by the pressure, steadily dribbled to the basket. There, it was a one-on-one showdown. Lowry switched hands and finished with a layup—Lin Fei couldn’t even get a touch. Another humiliating moment!

Coach Nelson grew restless. Against other teams, the Warriors always controlled the tempo, dictating the pace. But today, the Rockets’ small-ball lineup was able to command the rhythm, forcing the Warriors to react. Nelson knew this was not sustainable.

What to do? Bench Lin Fei? Nelson hesitated. Tonight, Lin Fei was a glaring weakness—Lowry was scoring, assisting, and rebounding at his expense. Lin Fei’s offense was lackluster, and his presence on the floor seemed to stifle his teammates.

Gritting his teeth, Nelson called a timeout and replaced Lin Fei with Curry. Perhaps this was just a stopgap measure.

With Curry on the court, the Warriors’ offense regained its fluidity. Curry assisted Jobs and Crowders for baskets in quick succession. The Rockets’ small-ball unit, however, continued to play with energy, keeping the score within reach.

Seated on the bench, Lin Fei was disheartened. His greatest struggle was against physically dominant point guards. He could cope with technically skilled opponents—but if they relied on strength, he was at a loss. Even against the likes of Rondo, Nash, or Paul—elite technicians—Lin Fei could at least break even if not outplay them. But against Deron Williams, Davis, or, as tonight, Lowry, he was utterly outmatched.

Nelson watched the game intently. The Warriors’ lead remained in the double digits, but clawing back would be no easy feat. Unlike the Spurs, the Warriors couldn’t simply ramp up their defense to shut down the opposition. Their usual strategy relied on relentless offensive pressure to suppress the opponent. But now, their offense was merely matching the Rockets’—how could they suppress anything? Lin Fei might have been the answer, but tonight, he was clearly off his game—even his speed was lacking. Besides, Lin Fei’s presence would only further weaken the team’s already flimsy defense. By every calculation, playing him now seemed more detrimental than beneficial.

Nelson hesitated, the double-digit deficit lingering until halftime. He was deeply troubled. During the break, Nelson suddenly turned to Lin Fei and asked, “Have you read The Art of War?”

“Yes, I have. Why do you ask?” Lin Fei looked at his coach, puzzled.

“You know the story about the horse race? The one where the general races the emperor, using his worst horse against the emperor’s best?” Nelson’s fascination with Chinese culture resurfaced.

“That’s the story of Tian Ji’s horse race. Every Chinese schoolchild knows it!”

“Good. We’re going to change up our defensive approach in the second half.”

Everyone was curious. It was well known that teams usually had assistant coaches focused solely on defense, whereas Nelson rarely emphasized it in practice. Yet today, he brought it up himself.

“Lin Fei, you’ll guard Martin. Cairns, you’ll take Lowry.”

Lin Fei’s eyes widened. He was to defend Martin? Martin was nearly twenty centimeters taller, and his ability to draw fouls was unmatched in the league. Was he really suited for this?

“Lin, your only task is to prevent his drives. His first step is explosive—never give it up. Force him to shoot; even if he’s hot, let him shoot. He rarely passes, so your job will actually be a bit easier.” Despite the double-digit deficit, Nelson spoke with remarkable ease. Lin Fei, wide-eyed, wanted to protest that it was easy for Nelson to talk from the sidelines, but he kept quiet.

The second half began. The backcourt duo was now Lin Fei and Cairns, with Curry resting. The Rockets attacked, Lowry at the helm, and now Cairns was on him. Though Lowry was strong, he was still a point guard, and having the bigger, more versatile Cairns guard him was a significant challenge. Lowry tried to break through but got nowhere, so he passed to Martin. Martin held the ball outside, Lin Fei shadowing him closely. Martin feinted; Lin Fei stayed with him in a flash. Martin switched direction, but Lin Fei matched him step for step. He was smaller than Martin, but far more agile—no problem there. Martin tried again as the shot clock ticked down. Lin Fei maintained enough distance to avoid contact, giving Martin only half a step’s space. Martin had an awkward shooting motion, so if he pulled up, Lin Fei was ready to contest. Time running out, Martin shot in desperation—and scored. Lin Fei was crestfallen.

“Good job! That’s it, Lin! Just like that!” Even though the shot went in, Nelson praised him. Wasn’t this giving the game plan away?

The Warriors attacked. Lin Fei sprinted to midcourt, briefly pausing—just enough of a decoy for three teammates to cut straight to the basket: Crowders, Jobs, and Ax. Lin Fei, quick-eyed, bounced the ball to Ax, who swung it to Jobs for a dunk—all in just eight seconds. Nelson’s encouragement had clearly worked.

The Rockets had the ball again. This time, the play was the same—Lowry passed to Martin, who tried to go one-on-one. This time, Martin missed, the Warriors grabbed the rebound, and launched a three-lane fast break. Because they’d secured the rebound, they were even quicker—just six seconds, with Cairns hitting a three from the outside. The Warriors were on fire, shooting lights out.

Momentum shifted, and the Warriors were reinvigorated.

The Rockets hurriedly called a timeout, preparing to send in their strongest lineup. Yao Ming was sure to enter, but with the Warriors surging, could even Yao quell their momentum?

Yao checked in, and the Rockets immediately shifted their focus to the paint. Yao posted up, backing down Jobs, who was no match for Yao’s footwork or strength. With a spin and a hook shot, Yao scored again. Incredible—after his injury, Yao could still play at such a high level.

With Yao on the floor, the Rockets’ pace slowed dramatically, their defense less agile. After Yao scored, the Warriors responded with a quick push, but Lin Fei, in his haste, missed a layup. The Rockets rebounded and tried to run themselves—Lowry pushed the ball, with Yao barely crossing half court but reaching the paint simultaneously. Lowry fired a behind-the-back pass to Yao, who gathered and went up for a dunk. Crowders, racing back, swatted at the ball, but Yao was already slamming it home—Crowders’ foul was a wasted effort, and Yao was all smiles. He might have wanted to tell Crowders, “Hey, buddy, if you want to give me points, just say so—no need to bruise my arm.” Yao hit the free throw.

What a treasure Yao was—coming in and scoring so quickly!

Nelson called timeout—this couldn’t continue. He instructed Crowders to front Yao in the post, exploiting a well-known league weakness of Yao’s. He also substituted Curry for Cairns, deploying his fastest double point guard lineup, clearly intending to max out his team’s speed and go head-to-head with the Rockets.

Crowders’ fronting defense worked wonders—Yao couldn’t get the ball at all. But this opened up the Rockets’ perimeter, and Martin and Lowry each hit threes. The Warriors’ defense was simply too porous. Yet their offense reached breakneck speed—Lin Fei and Curry alternated bringing the ball up, slicing through defenders with ease. The Rockets’ defense was just as flimsy, and the Warriors responded with two consecutive baskets.

“Keep running! Run, run, run!” Nelson shouted from the sidelines.

In this tug-of-war, if the Rockets relaxed for even a moment, the Warriors would catch up. If the Warriors let up, they’d be trounced. Especially for a run-and-gun team like the Warriors, a ten-point deficit was nothing—they could erase it in a flash.

Nelson knew Yao couldn’t stay on the court for long—his health simply wouldn’t allow it. By pushing his players to run, Nelson aimed to sap Yao’s energy as quickly as possible.

Sure enough, after half a quarter, Yao grew visibly tired, while the Warriors’ pace barely flagged. In just six minutes, the Warriors erased the deficit!