warrior godfather

Chapter 170 The famous coach Z seems to have a false name!

December 12, New Orleans, Louisiana.

This city, which was just hit by Hurricane Katrina four years ago, has gradually recovered from that disaster. Although the devastation at that time has disappeared, the painful memory has always remained in people's hearts.

At this time, sports events have become an important way for New Orleans citizens to express their emotions and get out of the haze.

Tonight, more than [-] spectators gathered at the Smoothie King Center, almost filling the entire stadium, cheering for the Hornets. They will sit at home and face the Warriors from afar.

This season, the Hornets basically retained the lineup of last season, but shortly after the start of the game, the management quickly fired head coach Byron Scott after the team suffered a bad record of 2 wins and 7 losses, and assistant coach Jeff Bauer took over. , as the interim head coach.

After he took office, he did not make any major changes, and fully delegated power to Paul. When Byron Scott was in office, his tactics were basically the same, but he was very good at getting along with players and handled the relationship in the locker room very well. He won the trust of the players, which is completely different from Byron Scott, who was close to breaking up with the players.

The Hornets regained the feeling of winning in a relatively united atmosphere. Under the leadership of Paul, although they only ranked ninth in the West, they maintained a thriving momentum and are currently in a wave of six consecutive victories. The small ones may break into the top half of the playoffs.

Paul gradually reached his peak, firmly controlling the direction of the team, the whole team played very well, "Seventeen-foot Assassin" David West's mid-range shot was simple but steady, Peja was young and accurate with three-pointers , is Paul's powerful helper, and other role players also perform their duties, contributing their strength to the team under Paul's scheduling.

After the Hornets only ranked seventh in the Western Conference last season, the outside world has more praise for Paul. They all think that he will be the league's number one point guard after Nash, and will start his era in the next decade.

But only Zhang Yu knows that the second place in the MVP after Kobe is already the pinnacle of Paul's life. It will take a very long time before he touches the floor of the Western Conference Finals that he has always dreamed of. The long years that can't be reached...

At 10:[-], only [-] minutes before the start of the game, the shouts in the center of the Smoothie Kingdom gradually became louder, welcoming their queen bee Paul, mixed with a lot of boos, for the Warriors who came from afar.

The game was broadcast live across the United States, and TNT sent an ace combination of Barkley, Reggie Miller and Kenny Smith to explain the last game between the Warriors and Hornets before Christmas.

It is said that David Stern once lost his temper because the league did not arrange a Christmas game for the Warriors.

After entering the league, Curry's popularity has been rising all the way, and he has reached a peak state after the lore of the Lakers. The Warriors have also entered the public eye with their gorgeous offense and impressive record, which has attracted many people across the United States. focus on.

If it had known that the Warriors were so popular this season, the league office would definitely arrange a Christmas game for the Warriors, so that fans could see Curry's performance on Christmas Eve.

It's a pity that it's too late now, and the Warriors escaped unharmed and can go home for Christmas-of course, the premise is that they win the Hornets tonight.

Kenny Smith, as always, acts as the questioner:

"Charles, Reggie, tell me what you think of this game, who will win this duel?"

Barkley said without hesitation:
"Without a doubt, the Hornets, of course. They're in the midst of a six-game winning streak. They're at their peak. Who can resist taking a big win and going home for Christmas?"

Reggie Miller naturally sang against him:
"I think the Warriors are going to win."

"Why? They just lost to teams outside the playoffs like the Wizards and Grizzlies, and the state is very bad." Kenny Smith asked.

"Because the Warriors have played so badly in the past two games, and even sent 26 turnovers in the game against the Grizzlies, they can't be worse. Although they won six consecutive victories, they only narrowly beat the Pistons in the last game. Their good form is over, so the Warriors will win." Reggie Miller talked eloquently.

Barkley sneered:

"Reggie, you can't think that the Hornets will lose the game because they played well. This is ridiculous. According to you, the defending champion should be at the bottom of the league next year."

"Would you like to take a gamble, Charles?" Reggie Miller did not refute, but said with a smile.

Barkley's complexion changed slightly, and he laughed twice:

"Hehe, forget it, let's concentrate on watching the game..."

After the Warriors regained their form and stabilized their ranking in the playoffs, he was very sensitive to the word "bet" and resolutely refused to bet against others.

When Barkley changed the subject, players from both sides came to the court, and the atmosphere in the arena became lively. Zhang Yu also came to the technical stage to shake hands with Jeff Ball, and the game began immediately.

The Warriors still send regular starters-Curry, Azubuike, Butler, Varejao and Biedrins, and the Hornets also have a consistent starting five-Paul, Devin Brown, Peja, Big West and Okafor.

"Di-"

The referee threw the ball into the air, and Biedrins flicked the ball toward Curry first, winning the jump ball and giving the Warriors the first possession.

Zhang Yu on the sidelines stood up, swung his right hand forward, and the Warriors players rushed to the frontcourt like a tide. Curry looked up, took two steps, and threw the ball hard to the frontcourt.

Azubuike received the ball, and the Hornets hadn't retreated in a hurry. He easily rushed inside and dunked!

2: 0.

The Warriors scored in less than 5 seconds and caught the Hornets by surprise.

Jeff Bauer didn't take the ball to heart, and he didn't blame the players. He sat on his seat as firmly as Mount Tai, looked at the field with a smile, as if everything was under control.

When he was an assistant coach, he knew how to be the head coach of the Hornets, and he was even more comfortable after taking office-that is, handing the ball to Paul, which is what Byron Scott has been doing.

Jeff Ball has been on Byron Scott's coaching staff since he was the head coach of the Nets. After nearly ten years of being the head coach of the Nets, he feels that he has finally learned the essence of Byron Scott's coaching, that is, the team There must be a super point guard in the middle, and then give the ball to the point guard to handle.

From the Nets to the Hornets, Byron Scott can only achieve good results when there is a super point guard in the team. Once he conflicts with the super point guard under his command, the team's record will immediately drop sharply. Then he left sadly.

Jeff Bauer saw it, I can do this job too!
He consciously found a bright way to become a famous coach. When Byron Scott was dismissed by the Hornets, he did not choose to go with him. Instead, he accepted the temporary head coach position given by the team. He was full of ambition and wanted to do something big. .

Sure enough, after Jeff Bauer established a good relationship with the players, the team's record has improved all the way as he expected, and recently it is in a wave of six consecutive victories.

Jeff Ball recalled that when Byron Scott led the Nets to the finals for two consecutive years, his eyes on Paul became more and more fiery, and he felt that he was not far from being the best coach in the league.

What are warriors? With Paul in hand, I have the world!
Jeff Ball has been with Paul for several years, and he knows Paul's high quotient. His judgment of the situation and choice of tactics, in Jeff Ball's opinion, even surpassed Kidd. He would like to call him a "point guard." God"!
With Paul here, Jeff Ball arranges tactics before each game, and the task is completed, and it is enough for Paul to handle the on-the-spot response.

The same is true of this game. After the Warriors got off to a good start with a fast break, Jeff Ball didn't give any instructions and let Paul handle it.

Paul steadily controlled the ball to the frontcourt, played a pick-and-roll with David West, and the Warriors switched defenses. Paul slowly came to the mid-range position and glanced at David West, who was dismantled to the free throw line.

Varejao thought he was going to pass the ball, and subconsciously stretched out a hand, but Paul suddenly joined the ball and shot a fadeaway jumper. Varejao missed the block, and the basketball bounced into the basket.

2: 2.

"Beautiful feint! Paul shook his opponent away with a look, which is incredible!" Kenny Smith praised.

Barkley smiled:
"Reggie, seeing Paul like this, do you still think the Warriors will win?"

Reggie Miller smiled and said:
"The game has just begun, let's wait and see."

On the field, Biedrins sent the baseline ball, Curry quickly advanced forward after receiving the ball, and others also ran wildly, but this time the Hornets were prepared and retreated in time.

Curry dribbled the ball halfway, and Paul stopped in front of him. He looked up to observe his teammates' running positions, but failed to find a good opportunity.

He glanced at the basket, slowed down, adjusted his rhythm, and raised his hand to score a three-pointer!
When Curry shot, he had just passed the Hornets logo. Paul didn't expect him to shoot at this position, and he didn't even raise his hand to interfere. He watched the basketball draw a long arc and hit the net hollowly.

5: 2.

Reggie Miller looked at Barkley:
"Charles, that's why I think the Warriors are going to win."

Barkley didn't speak for the first time. He looked at Curry on the field with a stunned look. After a while, he muttered:
"Let's wait and see, this ball is definitely fooled..."

If Zhang Yu heard Barkley's words, he would only feel more at ease about this game. No one knew better than him how strong Barkley's tainted milk skills are.

After David West missed the mid-range shot, the Warriors pushed back again. This was a strategy Zhang Yu had arranged before the game, and was firmly implemented by the Warriors players.

The Hornets have one starter and none of them are mobile. The inside Okafor and David West are both slow to move. Pejalian is quite old. Paul has never been a speed guard. Another guard Devin Brown was born as an undrafted pick, with poor talent and slow defense speed.

Zhang Yu took advantage of the flaws in the Hornets' lineup and insisted on pushing for a fast break. Although the Hornets used their defensive discipline to make a few mistakes, the flaws were not hidden, and the offensive efficiency was much higher than that of positional warfare.

The Hornets, on the other hand, relied on Paul's control of the field, played very steadily in positional battles, and constantly made a fuss about Varejao. He also made handoffs around David West and scored a catch three-pointer.

Zhang Yu saw all this in his eyes, but he had no choice but to ask Currido, who was defending Devon Brown, to help Varejao in defense.

The Warriors really have no one available at the power forward position. Zhang Yu can't replace Anthony Tolliver on the field. His defense is not as good as Varejao's.

In this way, the two sides finished the first quarter in a rhythm close to confrontation, and the Warriors trailed the Hornets by 23 points at 29:6.

Not long after the start of the game, the Warriors players hadn't been fed out yet. They only made 10 of 3 three-pointers, of which Curry made 2 of them by himself, and only relied on the impact of the fast break to maintain the score.

The Hornets' scoring method is obviously more stable. Varejao and Anthony Tolliver, who came off the bench for 3 minutes in the first quarter, have been targeted by the opponent.

Barkley proudly said:

"Reggie, did you see that the Warriors will only play fast and have no rules at all, while the Hornets play very clearly and frequently target the Warriors' defensive weaknesses. The Hornets will definitely win this game."

Reggie Miller nodded unexpectedly:
"I agree with what you said. The Hornets' tactics are very clear. They take turns to defend against the Warriors inside. But the Warriors are not fighting randomly. The problem of the Hornets players' retreat is obvious. They just don't feel good. You should be able to see the fast break after a while. Look at the smile on Coach Z's face, I'm sure he expected this."

Reggie Miller's voice fell, and the camera pointed at Zhang Yu at the right time. I saw that he was not in a hurry at all, but greeted the players who came off the field with a smile on his face.

As Reggie Miller said, Zhang Yu is very aware of the difference in the rhythm of the game between the Warriors and the Hornets, and he has long been prepared for the situation before him, and he does not panic at all.

He didn't even make any adjustments during the intermission, but once again emphasized the importance of pushing counterattacks and fast breaks, allowing the players to continue to speed up the pace.

After the start of the second quarter, the Warriors came off the bench. Zhang Yu did not use Big Z, but placed Anthony Toliver as the center, Lowry and Watson as the backcourt, Matthews and Reggie Williams A small lineup with Adams partnering up front.

Kenny Smith couldn't help exclaiming after seeing it:

"Is Coach Z crazy? He actually put a player who can only shoot three-pointers as the center, two guards under 1 meters in the backcourt, and two swingmen on the front line!"

Barkley laughed, and said with some gloating:

"Wow, let's see what effect this combination can play. I hope Okafor won't become O'Neal!"

Jeff Ball was even more happy when he saw this lineup.

Does this lineup have defense?The famous Coach Z seems to have a false name!

(End of this chapter)