Tactical Adjustment
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Indiana State has possession of the ball. Moore dribbles up to the frontcourt, facing the Bulldogs' double-team defense. He feints a drive similar to his previous attempts before the timeout, drawing Mike Green's help defense. But instead of continuing, he suddenly slams the ball to the ground, passing it to Townell at the free-throw line. Townell pivots and takes a mid-range shot.
Swish!
Because the Bulldogs are defending with a 2-3 zone, they don't have time to contest the free-throw line. Townell has a wide-open look, and the ball goes straight through the net.
26:32. Indiana State recovers 2 points.
Liam Gonzalez strokes his chin with his right hand but does not react.
The possession switches, and the Bulldogs go on the attack. Curry signals for Drew to set a pick-and-roll, but Moore sticks to him closely, not giving Curry the chance to use the screen.
Curry, hit twice by Moore's sneaky moves, starts to feel frustrated. He waves his hand, motioning for his teammates to clear out, opting for a one-on-one against Moore.
He keeps switching directions, trying to shake Moore off, but Moore lowers his center of gravity and is unfazed. He moves back and forth swiftly, staying in front of Curry. When Curry tries to force his way past, Moore slyly tugs on Curry's jersey, preventing him from accelerating.
With the shot clock winding down, Curry is forced to take a rushed three-pointer, but it misses due to Moore's tight defense.
Townell, who has boxed out well, grabs the rebound. Curry shakes his head in frustration and quickly gets back on defense.
As Moore brings the ball back up, Liam suddenly stands up and shouts:
"Plan B!"
The Bulldogs players look toward him as he raises his left hand and holds up two fingers.
McKenna watches nervously from the sidelines. He doesn't know what Liam's Plan B is, but it certainly can't be good for Indiana State.
Moore reaches the top of the arc and drives past Graves again. Although Graves tries his best to stay with him, the difference in their skill level shows. Mike Green steps up to help, as before.
Moore reflexively lobs the ball toward Townell at the free-throw line, but Curry reads the play perfectly. He jumps in front of Townell and intercepts the pass!
He pushes the ball forward quickly, initiating a fast break. Graves, left behind by Moore, sprints ahead, receives Curry's pass, and easily lays it in.
26:34.
This time, McKenna sees it clearly. The Bulldogs have adjusted their defense from a 2-3 zone to a 3-2 zone, with three players up high. Curry no longer guards Kerr closely, increasing pressure on the perimeter and shutting down the space around the free-throw line.
However, this change leaves only Drew and Campbell to cover the baseline, making the corners more exposed.
McKenna stands up and shouts:
"Set more screens for Cole! The corners are their weak spots! Moore, keep an eye on Cole and pass him the ball more!"
He glances at Liam with a hint of pride.
McKenna isn't worried about Liam overhearing his instructions. If Liam wants to counter, he'd have to change his defensive setup, which would play right into McKenna's hands. If Liam doesn't adjust, even better—McKenna believes he can exploit the Bulldogs' 3-2 zone.
Liam crosses his arms and looks at McKenna impassively.
The Indiana players struggle to hear their coach's instructions over the roar of the Bulldogs' fans.
Kerr stops standing on the perimeter and starts moving more fluidly. Both Townell and Wozniacki work to set screens for him.
However, the Bulldogs stay committed to their 3-2 zone. Cole finds an opening, and Moore, aware of his position, quickly dishes him the ball.
Kerr catches it and fires a three-pointer. Unfortunately, likely due to the tight defense, he misses, and the ball clanks off the back rim.
A scramble ensues for the rebound. Campbell comes up with it, clears some space with his elbows, and quickly passes to Curry without looking.
Curry drives forward, accelerating toward the frontcourt, but Moore is faster, blocking his path and constantly reaching out, trying to swipe the ball away.
Moore's aggressive defense disrupts Curry's rhythm, and he almost loses the ball.
Suddenly, Curry fakes a shot. Moore, caught off guard, jumps to block it, but Curry pulls the ball back down, draws contact from Moore, and throws the ball up.
"Beep!"
The referee blows the whistle. Moore has committed a three-point shooting foul, and Curry heads to the free-throw line.
A replay of the shot plays on the big screen in the center of the arena, showing Moore getting faked out. The crowd laughs and cheers.
Moore angrily waves his hands but doesn't dare argue too much. The referee is watching closely, and any excessive complaining could result in a technical foul. This is the Bulldogs' home court, after all.
Curry, chewing on his mouthguard, walks casually to the free-throw line. He dribbles twice and makes the first free throw.
McKenna frowns. He doesn't like Curry's laid-back demeanor. In his opinion, basketball should be a battle of intense physicality. Just look at this baby-faced kid, shooting from deep and shaking his head like that—it's just not right.
If Curry played for him, he would correct all of that behavior.
Still, the kid's shot is deadly accurate...
McKenna casts a jealous glance at Liam. The young coach may not have many other skills, but he sure got lucky. He landed a talented player but doesn't know how to develop him properly. What a waste.
Oblivious to McKenna's thoughts, Curry calmly sinks his remaining two free throws.
26:37. The lead is in double digits for the first time.
Indiana State returns to offense. Facing the Bulldogs' 3-2 zone, Cole finds an open look in the left corner, the weak spot in the defense. Moore passes the ball to him, and Cole takes the shot without hesitation.
Swish!
The ball goes in cleanly, and Indiana State narrows the gap to 29:37.
In the next few minutes, Curry struggles against Moore's relentless pressure, committing several turnovers. Meanwhile, Indiana State relies on Cole's off-ball movement to create opportunities, but his shooting percentage isn't high. Several open shots miss, not capitalizing on the Bulldogs' 3-2 zone weakness.
At halftime, the score stands at 36:42, with Indiana State trailing by 6 points.
Liam frowns slightly. The lead doesn't meet his expectations. He believes the team should be up by at least 10 points.
He dared to switch to a 3-2 zone because Kerr's college career three-point shooting percentage is only 38.6%, with moderate output. Also, by having Curry guard Cole initially, he disrupted Cole's rhythm. Facts have shown Cole's shooting isn't lethal, but he didn't expect Curry to struggle this much under Moore's tough defense.
He vaguely recalls that Curry performed poorly in his first college game in his previous life.
It seems that even superstars need experience.
Back in the locker room, Liam waits for the players to rehydrate and cool off before speaking:
"You played well in the first half. We're still ahead, but a 6-point lead isn't safe. I need you to keep attacking in the second half and stretch the lead to at least 15 points to put them away! I don't want this game decided in the last few seconds. Indiana State is a resilient team, and if we let it drag on too long, anything could happen."
The players nod in agreement. Liam glances at Curry and continues with the second-half strategy:
"We'll play it like this…"
In the visitors' locker room, McKenna is proud of his adjustments and motivates his players:
"Keep doing what you're doing in the second half! Cole, keep running off screens. If Butler keeps that zone defense, we'll shoot them to death! Moore, keep working over No. 30—teach him a lesson. It looks like the Chinese guy only learned zone defense from Lickliter and can't adjust. We have to help Butler find a better coach. We must win this game!"
"Understood!" The Indiana players respond energetically.
The second half starts quickly, and both teams return to the court.
The Bulldogs have the ball. Curry brings it up, but Moore starts pressuring him from the backcourt, repeatedly reaching in for steals.
Curry's current strength isn't enough to withstand it, and he can only barely maintain control of the ball.
He gets to the frontcourt and wants Drew to set a screen, but Moore's defense is relentless. He's a veteran, and though his defense appears clean, he uses plenty of tricks—jersey tugs, hits to the side, trips…
Growing up in a tough neighborhood, Moore is well-versed in streetball tactics and uses them effortlessly against Curry, who's never faced such a style.
Snap!
Moore seizes the moment, slapping Curry's hand from an angle hidden from the referee. The ball slips out of Curry's control. Moore rushes forward, "accidentally" bumping Curry away with his shoulder, charges downcourt, leaps, and dunks the ball with both hands.
Curry chases after him, pulling at his jersey in frustration, but can't stop him. Instead, he gives Moore a chance for an extra free throw.
After landing, Moore takes an exaggerated step
He triumphantly walked to the free throw line, but missed.
38:42, the score difference was narrowed to 4 points.
Curry angrily went to the referee to argue, but the referee said it was a clean steal.
Liam shook his head. Could it be that Curry has lost his spherical body since college?
He waved to the bench:
"Ben, you go in and replace AJ!"
End of this chapter
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