Chapter 390: Final Showdown Between Protégé and Mentor (4)
With the series at 2–0, both teams headed to San Antonio.
“Fellas, let’s keep the momentum going and finish this,” Malone said with a smile in the visitors’ locker room.
“Wrap this up and we can get some rest. The real battles come next.”
The Kings burst out laughing at his words.
“Even if it looks like there’s a big gap between us and the Spurs right now, we can’t underestimate them,” someone cautioned. “A veteran powerhouse has a frightening amount of depth.”
“I know,” Durant said, scratching his head.
“How about Jimmy and I just steamroll them this round?”
Since it was still the first round, Malone was careful with how he used his two franchise stars. Unlike Thibodeau, who leaned heavily on his starters, Malone had always been cautious to a fault. That was why, over the past two years, the Kings had consistently entered the playoffs with a healthy roster.
“It’s not your time to put on a show yet,” Malone said, glancing at Durant.
“Tonight we’re still running the Jokić–Booker two-man game. Kevin and Jimmy, you cover the wings and keep things steady. Everyone else, just do your jobs.”
After a full season of chemistry-building, Jokić and Booker were working together more smoothly than ever. A big reason the Kings could now let them fully unleash their offensive talent was the surprising growth of Dejounte Murray.
After two and a half years of waiting, Murray finally got the playing time he had been longing for this season. Richardson’s departure also freed up a lot of minutes on the perimeter. So after Rose briefly served as the starting point guard early in the season as a stopgap, he handed the starting role over to his protégé.
Once he finally got the starting spot he’d dreamed of, Dejounte Murray didn’t rush to stake his claim within the team. Instead, he immediately turned into the veterans’ biggest supporter. On road trips he was always running errands, and in postgame interviews—or even on his own social media—he never held back, showering the team’s veterans with praise.
That, in truth, was a common trait among kids who grew up on the streets: reading the room, trying to earn opportunities by pleasing their seniors. And it turned out that this straightforward approach worked.
Now Murray poured all of his energy into defense. With his solid natural tools and the careful guidance of the team’s veterans, his defensive level took a huge leap. It was fair to say he had perfectly filled the perimeter defensive hole left by Richardson’s departure, almost single-handedly holding up the Kings’ outside defense. He had even begun forming a defensive duo with Butler as the team’s core perimeter stoppers.
“Here he comes!”
Standing at the top of the arc, Murray locked his eyes on CJ as he dribbled the ball across half court. As the Kings’ first true perimeter ball-handler, CJ was often brought up in discussions comparing him to those who came after. Online, many fans believed that among all the ball-handlers the Kings had tried, CJ was still the best.
Hearing that only made Murray grit his teeth harder. He was itching to prove himself against this veteran.
“Smack!”
CJ dribbled to the top of the key and saw that his teammates couldn’t shake free. He decided to break the defense himself. But just as he changed direction, a figure appeared out of nowhere in his path.
“You?”
When CJ saw who it was, he froze. Blocking him was none other than the young Dejounte Murray. Murray spread his arms wide like a spider, cutting off every inch of space and giving CJ nowhere to go.
“Full of energy, kid,” CJ laughed, seeing Murray’s fierce look.
The next moment, his competitive fire flared. He suddenly accelerated, trying to force his way through. Murray slid back a step, staying neither too close nor too far, glued tightly to him.
With no opening in sight, CJ started to feel anxious. He was Murray’s senior, and the kid had basically called him out one-on-one. If he got locked down here, it would be humiliating.
Just then, CJ looked up and met Butler’s eyes—there was a playful, knowing grin on his face.
So you want to see me embarrassed?
A surge of anger rose in CJ’s chest. He had no intention of becoming someone else’s stepping stone. Dropping his center of gravity, he leaned in and used his shoulder’s momentum to bump Murray back slightly. Then he gathered the ball and went straight into his shooting motion.
But the instant he released it, a large hand appeared right in the ball’s path.
CJ stared in disbelief at Murray, who had somehow recovered in time to contest the shot. He could still get a hand up?
There was no time to think. With Murray’s hand closing in, CJ could only force the ball higher to avoid the block.
“Clang!”
The ball traced a high arc through the air, then clanged off the rim.
“Great defense!” Durant shouted as he burst through the crowd, leaped up, and secured the rebound.
“So good?” CJ muttered as he ran back on defense, casting a stunned look at Murray. His junior’s rate of improvement had gone well beyond what he’d expected.
“Nothing left to play for,” Popovich said, stretching lazily as he sank back into his chair.
“If even their young guys can explode with this kind of energy, we’d just be asking for trouble.”
The two games in San Antonio ended without much suspense. The Kings swept the Spurs 4–0 with ease.
...
“San Antonio is out.”
In a conference room in Oakland, Curry’s expression was grim. He and the Rockets were still locked in a fierce battle, yet the Kings—the team they had deliberately targeted—were already the first to advance to the second round.
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Kerr said after a brief pause.
“Deal with Houston first. Don’t lose focus.”
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