The Killer Roy

Guys there is already content on patreon, if anyone wants to become a chunin or jonnin.

patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)

—————————————————————————————————————————————

The 5 minutes of garbage time passed quickly, and the game finally ended. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 104-90, securing this crucial victory. Their record improved to 49 wins and 31 losses, while the Thunder's record dropped to 47 wins and 33 losses, widening the gap with the Warriors to 2 games.

With only two games remaining, the Warriors were now in an invincible position. Even if the Thunder won both of their remaining games and the Warriors lost both of theirs, the Warriors could still rely on their winning percentage to stay ahead of the Thunder. In other words, the Warriors had officially entered the playoffs!

When the red light flashed, the Oracle Center erupted in cheers. Over 19,000 fans stood up, chanting "Warriors!" throughout the arena. Some even cried tears of joy. After three years, the Warriors had finally made it to the playoffs! If the Black Eight Miracle was a surprise given by God to Warriors fans, then making it to the playoffs this year gave them hope.

From Liam and Curry, the fans saw the potential for the Warriors to emerge as a strong team, rather than just relying on luck to make it to the playoffs once and then sinking back into obscurity.

While the Warriors players celebrated, the Thunder players returned to the bench, dejected. This defeat severely impacted their playoff chances. Although they still held the eighth spot in the Western Conference, they were only ahead of the Trail Blazers by a narrow margin.

When they returned to the locker room, the assistant coach delivered the bad news: the Trail Blazers had defeated the Lakers 91-88 in an away game, bringing their record to 47-33, tying the Thunder.

The Thunder had played the Trail Blazers twice before, splitting the series with one win and one loss, and there was no advantage in terms of head-to-head record.

As a result, the consecutive matchup between the two teams tomorrow night became crucial. Whoever won would take the lead in the battle for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Brooks rubbed his chin, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice:

"Kids, unfortunately, we lost this game today, but God gave us a second chance. If we beat the Trail Blazers tomorrow, we can still make the playoffs!"

Everyone in the Thunder gradually recovered from the frustration of the loss, but Brooks no longer had the composure to lift their spirits. He looked at Durant, who was slumped in his chair, his eyes full of concern.

Could Durant's physical strength really hold up for a back-to-back game?

…

In the Warriors' locker room, everyone was in a state of celebration. After this win, they had an advantage over the Trail Blazers and the Thunder and were already assured of making it to the playoffs.

Even though the Spurs had defeated the Nuggets before the Warriors' game ended and the Warriors didn't move up to sixth place in the Western Conference, the players didn't consider it a big regret. Their only thought was: the playoffs. Here we come!

In the midst of the excitement, Silas laughed and said to Liam:

"Liam, there are still two games left, we can still compete for sixth place in the Western Conference!"

Liam remained calm, narrowed his eyes, and asked:

"Where are the Mavericks now?"

"Huh?" Silas was stunned. What does this have to do with the Mavericks?

But under Liam's gaze, he took out his phone, checked it for a moment, and then looked up and said:

"The Mavericks are now second in the Western Conference, one game ahead of the Suns."

"Who are the Mavericks' and Suns' next opponents?"

"Hold on a second, let me check… The Mavericks will play the Clippers and Spurs, and the Suns will face the Nuggets and Jazz."

Liam rubbed his chin thoughtfully, paused for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said:

"We'll swap positions in the next two games!"

"Why? There's only half a game between us and the Spurs. They have to play against the Timberwolves and Mavericks. It's likely to be a win and a loss. If we beat the Jazz and Trail Blazers, we could rise to sixth place in the Western Conference!" Silas said, confused.

Liam firmly shook his head and said:

"No, being seventh in the Western Conference is more suitable for us. We want to be seventh in the Western Conference!"

…

The next day, the game between the Warriors and the Thunder received extensive coverage, not only because of the importance of the game for the Western Conference playoffs but also because of the rivalry between Curry and Durant.

"USA Today": "In the Warriors' victory over the Thunder yesterday, Stephen Curry made 13 of 20 shots, 10 of 14 from three-point range, and 4 of 5 free throws. He scored 40 points, had 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was the main contributor to the Warriors' victory. Although Durant scored 43 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, he scored 39 points in the final quarter but only made 2 of 8 shots, 4 points, which didn't help the Thunder win this game..."

San Francisco Chronicle: "The exquisite tactical arrangements by Coach Liam were key to the Warriors' victory. He chased and intercepted Durant on the defensive side, and allowed Curry to target Durant through pick-and-rolls on the offensive side, exhausting much of Durant's energy. Durant's fall in the final quarter had a lot to do with his physical exhaustion... On the other hand, Curry continued his excellent form from his 7-game win streak, defeating the defense of the scoring champion and delivering firepower that matched the scoring champion. After leading Butler University to create miracles, the master-disciple pair may be creating another miracle by leading the Warriors to the playoffs!"

But this game was not the only headline. The game between the Trail Blazers and the Thunder that night would have a decisive impact on the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, which was the only playoff spot in the league that had not yet been determined, sparking overwhelming reports about the matchup between the two teams.

Even when journalists interviewed Liam the night before, they asked him about his thoughts on the Thunder vs. Trail Blazers game. Liam said: "The Trail Blazers will win. Roy is a player born for big moments. It'll be a classic battle."

"But the Thunder has this season's scoring leader, Kevin Durant. Do you think his performance will fall short of Roy's?" asked the journalist.

Although there were still two games left, Durant's scoring title was already firmly secured.

Liam smiled slightly:

"I don't think Durant will perform well in the second game of back-to-backs. The Blazers should thank me."

Just kidding, I wore Durant out today. Can he recover his glory tomorrow night?

Many people didn't believe Liam's opinion. Although Durant shot 2 of 8 in the last quarter, his scoring performance this season was truly remarkable. Many fans and experts believed Durant could outperform Roy in the game against the Trail Blazers.

Additionally, the Thunder had younger players. Westbrook and Jeff Green were limited in the game against the Warriors, but they didn't expend too much energy. This was an advantage for the Thunder in back-to-back games.

Everyone had shifted their attention from Oakland to Portland. Tonight, the Trail Blazers would face the Thunder at home.

The Warriors quietly separated from the media whirlwind. They would face the Jazz at home on the night of April 13th, but this game hadn't attracted much attention except from local Warriors fans.

…

At eight in the evening, Liam's mansion was filled with laughter and chatter.

Curry and Butler sat on the sofas on either side, holding fried chicken and burgers in their hands, chewing away. NBA players are very particular about their diets, but that's not always the case. Today, Liam had given the Warriors a day off, and they found an opportunity to indulge in a feast.

The two had gone to San Francisco to play together during the day. After returning to Oakland at night, they ran into each other and went straight to Liam's house for dinner and to watch this highly anticipated game.

When they arrived at Liam's house, they saw the living room table filled with takeout from McDonald's. It turned out that Liam was so happy that he also gave Tina the day off, but he didn't want to cook, so he just ordered takeout.

He saw Curry and Butler arrive at the door, knock, and order a bunch of takeout. When the food arrived, the game was about to begin, and the three of them ate while watching.

Curry took a big bite of a burger and said vaguely: "Boss, um… who do you think will win?"

Before Liam could answer, Butler popped some fries into his mouth and rolled his eyes at Curry:

"Didn't you read the report? The boss said yesterday that the Trail Blazers will win."

"Oh, I don't have that habit. Well… Boss, why? Are the Blazers that strong?"

Liam smiled and said:

"Of course, otherwise, how could they have beaten the Lakers? Roy is a player with a big heart. The more critical the games and moments, the better he performs. And the Blazers are strong on one side, and we wore them down, giving the Trail Blazers an advantage."

"But last night, the Thunder pulled their starters before halfway through the last quarter, but the Trail Blazers and the Lakers fought fiercely until the last minute. Shouldn't the Trail Blazers have been more fatigued?" Butler asked skeptically.

Liam chuckled and said:

"The overall fatigue of the Blazers is indeed greater, but Durant worked hard yesterday. He is the Thunder's biggest offensive reliance. From this perspective, the Thunder's fatigue is more serious."

Curry and Butler suddenly realized that they had played against the Thunder four times and knew them very well. Aside from Durant, everyone else on the Thunder was barely involved. The biggest issue was the inconsistency of their play, and they couldn't score steadily. Therefore, the Thunder's stability depended solely on Durant. That's why the Thunder was still fighting for a playoff spot, despite having a scoring leader averaging over 30 points per game.

As the three of them chatted, the game began.

In the first quarter, the Thunder and Trail Blazers fought evenly, with the battle tied at 23-23. Durant showcased his skills as the scoring leader, scoring 10 points in just one quarter, while Roy spent more time connecting with his teammates. He only scored 4 points but had 2 assists and made several exquisite passes, creating easy scoring opportunities for his teammates, though these weren't reflected in the statistics.

This quarter also set the tone for the defensive battle in this game. Both teams fought fiercely, and the intensity of the confrontation was high. They battled for every ball, determined to win from the start.

In the second quarter, Durant continued to work hard. His mid-range jump shot was unstoppable. The Trail Blazers attacked him, but Durant just used one move: he took a screen from the corner to get open for a mid-range shot, breaking through the Blazers' double-team defense.

There was no way around it; the Blazers couldn't be crazy enough to double-team a player without the ball, but Durant didn't stop after receiving the ball and went straight to it. Many times, he managed to shake off his defender, and his shooting touch was so high that others couldn't block him.

At the end of the first half, Durant had already scored 24 points, and the Thunder led the Trail Blazers 47-42. The reason the lead wasn't larger was due to Aldridge's excellent shooting, which helped keep the Blazers in the game, but Roy still focused on facilitating for the team and was relatively quiet on the court. He only scored 3 points in the second quarter and 7 points in the first half.

During halftime, Curry asked Liam curiously: "Boss, Durant doesn't seem affected at all by back-to-backs? And why is Roy so quiet? If he keeps playing like this, could the Blazers be in danger?"

Butler also looked at Liam, but Liam just smiled:

"Don't worry, the game is only half over; the second half is the focus. Roy will step up when he needs to, and Durant scored a lot in the first half. The more he scores, the more dangerous the Thunder will be in the second half."

The two suppressed their doubts and continued watching the game. Soon, they discovered that in the second half, the situation changed dramatically, just as Liam had said!

At the beginning of the third quarter, Roy showed a different energy compared to the first half. He held the ball for several consecutive plays, either forcing his way to the basket, making a layup, or shooting a cold arrow from outside the three-point line. In just 5 minutes, he scored 8 points and had 3 assists, helping the Trail Blazers take the lead.

Luckily, Durant stood up again. He helped stabilize the situation with unguardable mid-range pull-ups. By the end of the third quarter, the Thunder led 64-66 over the Trail Blazers, with a 7-point advantage in the quarter.

Durant scored another 13 points in the third quarter, but he took more shots, and his efficiency dropped significantly compared to the first two quarters. The balance of victory had silently shifted.

In the final quarter of the game, both teams deviated from their usual rotations. They replaced all of their main players in just two or three minutes. It was at the point where the red bayonet was in sight.

For them, this game wasn't the playoffs, but it was better than the playoffs. It was a time to fight hard.

Unfortunately, Durant was once again armor-plated.

His many unreasonable shots in the first three quarters turned into bricks. It took three or four attempts to score a point.

Westbrook and Jeff Green wanted to step up, but they had no stable scoring methods other than attacking the rim. How could the referee casually blow the whistle in this kind of do-or-die battle in the playoffs?

This was the era of David Stern, where players decide the game, not the referees.

This was the time for heroes to step forward, and Roy did just that! His drive wasn't magnificent, but it was sharp enough, and his shooting wasn't elegant, but it was deadly accurate.

Roy completely took over the Blazers' offense in the final quarter. He was omnipresent on the court, combining shots and passes perfectly. He was like a cold-blooded assassin, shooting every time and drawing swords again and again. Deep wounds were left in his body.

In the end, the Trail Blazers relied on Roy's standout performance of 34 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds to defeat the Thunder 95-86, taking the initiative in the playoffs!

End of this chapter

Note: Hi if you really like NBA novels, you can support me either in this pg with stones, reviews etc, or in patreon since the niche of sports and specially NBA is very small is Webnovel since people prefer to read Naruto, Pokemon, comics etc.