warrior godfather

Chapter 171 Isn't it Christmas, Lord!

Under the contemptuous gaze of Jeff Ball, the Warriors delivered the ball and the game began.

Lowry took the serve, dribbled steadily through halftime, and called Anthony Toliver to come up to cover.

The latter immediately ran over from the inside. Okafor was afraid of his long-range shooting ability, hesitated for a while, and finally followed.

In Jeff Ball's rotation, Okafor usually goes down to rest for a few minutes in the first quarter and brings a substitute in the second quarter.

This interim head coach is not purely a mascot, he still has something, and wants to let Okafor bring a substitute lineup to defend against the big Z, but Zhang Yu is not in the big Z.

But Anthony Toliver doesn't even have the height of a big Z, and his defense is even worse. Jeff Ball has already envisioned the scene where Okafor ravages the Warriors' basket later in his mind.

But now, the Hornets have to defend the ball first.

Anthony Tolliver's slightly thin body made his screen quality very average, and the Hornets defender was only slightly blocked by him.

But Lowry, relying on his strong explosive power and the momentary gap, suddenly accelerated and rushed past Okafor, half a body ahead of the latter, and Okafor quickly followed.

Lowry buried his head and rushed inside the free throw line, but instead of going mindlessly as usual, he turned around and threw the ball to Anthony Tolliver outside the three-point line.

Defending him was Hornets backup guard Bobby Brown, who was only 1 meters tall. Anthony Toliver ignored him after receiving the ball, raised his hand and threw a three-pointer.

Bobby Brown tried his best to reach out to block the shot, but the difference in height between the two was too great. He couldn't interfere with Anthony Toliver's shot at all. He could only watch the basketball pass over his head and then enter the net hollowly.

26: 29.

Looking back, Okafor singled Anthony Tolliver in the low post, and the Warriors went straight up and flanked three people to shrink to the inside to double-team Okafor. He had to split the ball, and Devin Brown caught the ball and made a three-pointer.

26: 32.

The Warriors had the ball. This time, Watson and Anthony Tolliver played the pick-and-roll. After he broke through, he passed the ball back to Anthony Tolliver. This time he didn't directly shoot a three-pointer, but rolled his back. Devin Brown went inside and made an easy layup.

28: 32.

Jeff Ball saw Anthony Tolliver score 5 points in a row, his complexion changed slightly, he got up and shouted:
"Don't switch defenses, don't give No. 43 a chance to be misplaced!"

Zhang Yu applauded with a relaxed expression. Anthony Toliver's standing is basically a three-pointer, and he rarely does anything other than three-pointers, but this does not mean that he does not know the skills of other inside players. A defender of 1 meters is still very easy.

Back on the defensive end, the Warriors still resolutely pinched Okafor and let the Hornets shoot from the outside. Fast break opportunities.

Lowry was not in a hurry, he came to the frontcourt steadily, and continued to play pick-and-rolls with Anthony Tolliver. This time Okafor stayed inside, and Bobby Brown also chose to circle the defense to give Lowry room to shoot.

And Lowry really didn't shoot. His three-pointers are too strong. Zhang Yu forbids him to shoot three-pointers in the game, unless it is necessary to shoot when there is a 24-second violation.

He glanced at Zhang Yu, Zhang Yu made a gesture to push the door out with both hands, Lowry waved his hand, other Warriors players began to run, Anthony Tolliver slowly came to the bottom corner, Okafor followed closely, Jeff Bow Hall told him not to give Anthony Tolliver space to shoot three-pointers.

After the others settled down, Reggie Williams came out from the inside, received Lowry's hand-to-hand pass, kept walking, and launched an attack on the inside!

At this time, Okafor was defending Anthony Tolliver on the bottom line, and the Hornets were unguarded at the basket. After throwing off his opponent with explosive power, he strode to the penalty area and dunked successfully.

30: 32.

Jeff Bauer gave Okafor a dissatisfied look, and Okafor could only helplessly spread his hands. You told me to guard against Anthony Toliver...

Zhang Yu looked at the field with a smile on his face, and nodded in satisfaction.

All of this was within his expectations. Anthony Tolliver's three-point shooting percentage is actually not too high, only 38.7%, but he shot very resolutely, averaging 1.8 three-pointers per game, which is a huge achievement. space threat.

Although his role as a center will make the Warriors' inside defense softer, he can transfer the Hornets' center from the inside and give the Warriors' impactful forwards and guards a wide breakthrough space.

As for the defense... From the moment Zhang Yu put on this lineup, he was ready to be penetrated by the defense!

Unlike Jeff Ball, Charles Barkley and other old-fashioned people, Zhang Yu dared to give up defense as long as the benefits were large enough. He did not believe that the Hornets' backup outsiders could kill the Warriors. Body, three points one hundred and one hundred hits, then he will admit it.

In the commentary seat, Reggie Miller said with a smile:
"Charles, the Warriors are about to tie, do you have anything to say?"

Buck looked at the Hornets players with his eyes of hating iron and steel, and said angrily:

"Warrior's contraction is so deep, I believe the Hornets will punish their defense with open shots..."

If Bobby Brown knew what Barkley said, they would definitely want to cry without tears. They don’t know whether they are in a bad state or Barkley’s poisonous milk is showing off. In the next few minutes, these substitute three-pointers Very low and didn't pay enough for the Warriors' shrinking interior.

If you let Zhang Yu say it, it must be that the Warriors players returned to their positions actively and rotated quickly, successfully interfering with the Hornets' outside shots.

Jeff Ball also made no adjustments. When the two sides returned to the field as starters, Zhang Yu's small lineup successfully overtook the score. The Warriors led the Hornets by 41 points 38:3.

After the Warriors stopped playing small lineups, they resumed regular play on both ends of the offense and defense, focusing on running and bombing. The Hornets also continued to target Varejao, and the two sides returned to the situation of confrontation.

The Warriors gradually became hotter, no longer as strong as in the first quarter, no longer at a disadvantage in scoring, and the two sides played inextricably.

brush!
Paul found Varejao again through the pick-and-roll, and after military training, he made a steady hit in the mid-range shot.

On the sidelines, Silas wondered:
"Ronan, anyway, Anderson can't defend against Paul, why not line up with Varejao and add a space point?"

He didn't mention double-teaming. Paul's ability to play the ball is too strong. Zhang Yu will not take the initiative to expose open positions in front of him, and always adhere to the strategy of unlimited defense changes.

Of course, this is also because of Paul's limited attacking ability. He can't beat the Warriors alone by scoring. Zhang Yu can accept his military training on the Warriors inside.

"It's different to be able to defend a little bit and not be able to defend at all," Zhang Yu said.

The defense of Anthony Tolliver and Varejao is the difference between air and paper. It is impossible for Zhang Yu to let Paul face Anthony Toliver's air-like defense, which is equivalent to sending him two points.

Zhang Yu sighed lightly:

"We are at the power forward position, so short of people..."

This summer, he reserved a lot of guards and strikers for the Warriors, and Biedrins also supported him inside. Only the mediocre Varejao and Anthony Toliver, who has obvious advantages and disadvantages, are barely used as power forwards.

He can put satisfactory candidates in other positions, and Azubuike is not too slow, but the power forward is destined to be the biggest weakness of the Warriors.

This season, the problem of power forwards is destined to be unsolvable and can only be left for the future.

The first half ended in a staggered rise in scores. The Warriors trailed the Hornets by 54 points 56:2 and entered the intermission.

In the locker room of the home team, Jeff Ball poured chicken soup on the players:

"Everyone did a good job, we suppressed the opponent, Chris, you have unlimited firepower in the second half, you can choose the way you think is most suitable to play, let the young Warriors see what is called the first control in the league David! Get your spirits up guys, give it your all and go home for Christmas with a seven-game winning streak!"

Jeff Ball's words are actually nothing new, but his eloquent speech is very contagious and successfully inspired the fighting spirit of the Hornets players.

In the locker room of the visiting team, Zhang Yu just calmly pointed out some small mistakes made by the team in the first half, and everyone promised that they would not make them again in the second half.

After he finished speaking, he looked at the slightly nervous expressions of the crowd, and chuckled lightly:
"What, are you nervous? Afraid you won't win against the Hornets, and you won't be able to go home for Christmas?"

Everyone hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

"You played well in the first half, keep it up, you can't lose... How about this, let me relax the conditions a bit, if you play according to the tactics in the second half, there are no major mistakes, even if you lose, it will not affect your vacation. "

Everyone looked happy, and Biedrins grinned:
"Coach, we will definitely try our best to win this game!"

Of all the people here, Biedrins is the happiest one.

His parents and family are all in Latvia, and they don’t see each other several times a year. Every year, only at Christmas time, the family has time to come and spend the holiday with him. Christmas holiday is the time that Biedrins looks forward to the most.

After the start of the second half of the game, the audience was surprised to find that the two teams had burst out with a lot of energy in the game, the intensity of the confrontation increased, the rhythm of offense and defense accelerated, and the two sides must compete for every ball, making the scene even more anxious.

boom!
On this side, David West singled Varejao with his back, his turnaround jump shot was interfered with all his strength, and the basketball went out of the frame.

Bang!

Looking back, Butler held the ball and went to the basket to kill, but he slammed an iron under Okafor's blocking block.

The confrontation scene in the first half disappeared. The Hornets wanted to win seven consecutive victories. Paul was inspired by Jeff Ball's words to win the MVP idea. Varejao was more comfortable in the military training.

The entire Warriors team wants to go home for the Christmas holiday. Although Zhang Yu promised that even if they lose, as long as the scene is not ugly, they will not deprive them of their vacation, but of course everyone still wants to have a happy Christmas after winning.

The third quarter was spent in this fierce confrontation. The success rate of the Warriors' running and bombing plummeted. The Hornets fouled early and did not give them an easy chance to score. Only when the number of fouls was full later did they pay more attention.

But they are merciless as long as they foul, and would rather send their opponents to the free throw line than let the Warriors rush.

There were many scenes of people turning their backs on their backs on the court, the smell of gunpowder between the two sides gradually became stronger, and the Warriors players also started to attack harder. Varejao was trained by the military for most of the game, and he was already angry. He defended Paul twice in a row. Heavy cuts on his arms.

Paul is not a fuel-efficient lamp. He keeps making small moves on the defensive end, pulling his jersey, stumbling, slamming his waist, making dark elbows... He uses all kinds of methods in the corners that the referee sees.

With a height of 1 meters, Paul was selected to the best defensive team for two consecutive years. He was selected to the best defensive team last year.

Under such circumstances, the rate of increase in the scores of the two teams naturally slowed down a lot. After the third quarter, the two sides tied at 73:73. The Warriors tied with the Hornets by virtue of the advantage of more free throws.

After the start of the fourth quarter, both Zhang Yu and Jeff Bauer were put on the bench, and the starters stayed off the court to accumulate strength for the final decisive battle, which changed the style of the game on the court again.

Anthony Toliver's lineup as a center is destined to have nothing to do with confrontation. The Warriors shrunk wildly to keep the inside without losing, but they inevitably missed outside vacancies.

Although the Hornets do not have two substitute shooters on the bench, it is still possible to let them shoot open three-pointers under training intensity.

The two teams fought against each other again, and the score rose rapidly. When the starter returned to the court, the Warriors led the Hornets by 88 points with 85:3.

When changing, Zhang Yu sighed softly:
"Pure offense is not enough after all. We have penetrated the inside of the Hornets, but we still can't open the score. When we score, the opponent is also scoring, so we can't win the ball."

Ron Adams beside him raised his eyes and nodded in agreement:
"Yes, the team's defense needs to be further improved...but we need more defensive players, especially inside. If I can give me a good inside defender, most of the team's defensive problems can be solved. "

This mild-mannered old man is the creator of the Warriors' aggressive defensive strategy.

Ron Adams is very good at creating a defensive system suitable for players based on the existing lineup. The Warriors lack height, so he makes up for it with speed and strength. Hit the ball to the basket.

It was with his help that the Warriors achieved No.11 defensive efficiency in the league, ranking in the middle and upper reaches of the league. Very commendable.

Zhang Yu looked at the topic and came back, knowing that the team's internal problems must be solved, which is related to whether the Warriors can go further.

He watched the game on the field, but his thoughts flew to the far north, and he made a decision in his heart.

Isn't it just Christmas, sir!

(End of this chapter)