warrior godfather

Chapter 253 Goals (6000 words)
When the Warriors coaching staff determined the next direction of the team, in faraway Dallas, there were still a few people watching the game between the Warriors and the Bucks.

At the Mavericks general manager Nelson's home, Nelson Jr. watched the highlights of the game on the TV screen in front of him, rubbed his chin with his right hand, and nodded slowly.

Carlisle sat beside him, watching TV as well. On the table in front of them was a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses, next to it was a stack of A4 papers, and a few pens. The wine in the bottle had bottomed out.

Carlisle's face was reddish, and he said in a deep voice:
"What do you think of Bogut?"

Nelson thought for a while, and said slowly:

"Looks good. He is the best replacement for Chandler. The offense is stronger than Chandler, but he can only protect the frame and defend the low post. Without Chandler's mobility and help defense ability, to be honest , I doubt whether he and Dirk are suitable, both of them are a bit slow, and our inside defense may be full of holes."

He picked up the A4 paper in front of him and flipped through it a few times. It was Bogut's scouting information, and there was also the scouting department's assessment of Bogut's future development.

Carlisle shook his head and said:

"I don't think it's a problem, don't forget, we also have Sean, he's going to be a key part of the team's defense, he can make up for the lack of mobility of Bogut and Dirk, and there are only a few balls in the league. The team has enough shooters, our defense can completely focus on shrinking the inside, and with Bogut, we really have the backbone of the inside defense, Dirk is in excellent form this season, it's time to stud."

Little Nelson nodded slowly, lost in thought, watching Bogut block Green on the TV screen, but his eyes were not focused.

After a while, he picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank slowly:
"Okay! I'm in contact with the Bucks and I'm keeping an eye on Bogut, but it's not the time to start a deal. I need to look at the team's situation again, but within a month, I will definitely give you an answer. "

Carlisle frowned, apparently dissatisfied with the answer, but he also knew what a deal of this level meant to the Mavericks. Although Bogut's statistics were not impressive, in today's league where there is a shortage of high-quality centers, his The transaction value is very high, and the Bucks will not ask for a low price. Nelson Jr. must consider carefully before making a decision.

He can only urge one sentence:
"Try to be as fast as possible. After the transaction, you need to run in."

Little Nelson nodded calmly, unable to see his thoughts at all:
"I see, Rick, you also go back and think about who is not in your future plans. I need to make an offer to the Bucks."

Carlisle nodded, got up and left.

Little Nelson sent him out the door, watched him drive away, stood at the door, feeling a little hot in his body, he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, looked up at the dark night sky, and murmured thoughtfully road:
"Do we really have a chance to win the championship..."

In the sky, the Milky Way traverses and the stars shine.

……

At the same time, in Miami in the southeastern United States, the fans in the American Airlines Center had just dispersed, and the staff were doing tedious cleaning work.

In the locker room of the home team, the Heat players also packed up their things one after another, preparing to go home and rest.

Today they went through a tough battle and narrowly beat the Raptors 109:107. The game was very anxious. In the end, the Heat relied on Wade to make 19 of 11 shots, 14 of 9 free throws, and scored 31 points and 8 rebounds. Precious victory.

The Raptors can make it so difficult for the Heat to win, thanks to Lowry's outstanding performance. Facing the Heat's weak inside, Lowry fully demonstrated his strong impact, and his improved shooting is also planned by the Heat. In addition, after the whole game, Lowry scored 26 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, scoring a new season personal high.

Fortunately, the Heat had Wade to turn the tide and hit a key quasi-lore in the last 5.6 seconds. Otherwise, the Raptors are likely to win a victory from the Big Three and let Bosh lose face in the first game against his old club.

Wade, who performed so brilliantly, was naturally in a good mood. He hummed rap music, put on his clothes, and with a relaxed smile on his face, he stood up from his seat and patted James sitting beside him:

"LeBron, I'm leaving first."

James was looking down at the data sheet in his hand. Hearing this, he raised his head and squeezed out a smile:
"Okay, Dwyane, be careful on the road."

"You should go home early, don't forget to come to my house for a party tomorrow." Wade laughed, turned and left.

After he left the locker room, the smile on James' face gradually disappeared, and he continued to look down at the data sheet in his hand.

Below Wade is James' data. In his eyes, this line of numbers is so dazzling-23 points, 11 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. It seems very gorgeous, but the shooting is indeed very inefficient. 21 of 8, less than 7% of his shots, if he didn't get [-] points from free throws, his statistics would be even uglier.

He stared at his data for a long time without saying a word, then moved his eyes up to Wade's data, his face was like a frozen sculpture, without any expression, no one knew what he was thinking in his heart.

Since the start of the game, the situation of the Heat has been very bad. They have only achieved a record of 6 wins and 4 losses, which is seriously inconsistent with the configuration of the team's Big Three. Besides, there is no net victory in any game except for the 23-point victory over the Magic. With more than 12 points, two of the lost games were lost to the Celtics, the biggest imaginary enemy in the playoffs.

For a moment, the Big Three, who had been ridiculed by the crowd, stood on the cusp of the storm. The whole world seemed to be waiting for them to lose, and then cast the most violent attacks and sharpest irony on them.

Among them, James has undoubtedly absorbed the most firepower. He is a two-time MVP. In people's perception, James' strength naturally ranks among Wade and Bosh. He will be the core player of the Heat and should play best performance.

But first of all, whether to play NBA2K, although James is the MVP and the core of the ball, Wade is the contribution of the Heat. He brought the Heat the third championship in team history and fought for this team for 7 years. He is recognized as the boss of the team. James has just arrived and cannot challenge his status at all.

On the court, Wade is the first choice on the offensive end, and he has no intention of giving up the ball to James, and he and James both play with the ball as the main breakthrough. Naturally, there will be less power, and there will be room for Wadela, and the data and efficiency will be greatly affected. This is one of the reasons why the Heat's record is stumbling.

But James couldn't ask Wade for the ball. He was the one who came to warm up. The Heat belonged to Wade's team, not James's. The coaching staff and players also favored Wade. He couldn't let Wade Sacrifice for him.

After all, from the team's internal point of view, the current unsatisfactory situation is only because the running-in has not been in place, and the lack of chemical reaction between the players. After playing for a while, the team's record will naturally improve.

In James' mind, the best tactic is to hand the ball to him. He will use breakthroughs to attract flanking attacks and drive the team's overall offense. Play hard with Bosh, which can maximize his overall view and organizational ability, and it is also his most handy style of play.

When he was in the Cavaliers last season, Monta Ellis took on such a role, and he did a good job during the regular season. The Cavaliers' record is also advancing all the way, which makes James deeply favor this style of play.

So this summer, the teams James most wants to go to are the Heat and the Bulls. What these two teams have in common is that they both have a breakthrough guard with a strong ability to solve hard problems. At that time, he used his super personal offense to create a world.

James believes that if the Heat play according to his ideas, it will be easy to rush out of the East, and the championship will also be in the Heat's pocket.

Unfortunately, apart from James, no one on the Heat has this idea, including Pat Riley who has made various promises to him. Basically, it is slightly inclined to Wade, continuing the Heat's previous style of play with Wade as the core, which is also the most familiar tactic for the Heat's coaching staff.

James sat on the chair and looked at the data sheet for a long time. During this time, his teammates left the locker room one after another until the room was empty. James picked up a bottle of Gatorade and drank it down.

He let out a long breath, stood up, squeezed his right hand slightly, squeezed the Gatorade bottle flat, picked up his bag, and walked out of the dressing room.

He took out his mobile phone and called his agent and close friend Rich Paul:

"Hey, Rich, one thing, you have a private conversation with Pat Riley and tell him, I don't like the way the team is playing!"

……

The joys and sorrows between teams are not connected, but each team has its own problems and goals.

While the Mavericks and the Heat are working hard for the championship, the Warriors' current goal is to let Curry win the scoring champion.

Before the entire league realized this, Curry quietly started his performance.

After returning to Oakland from Milwaukee, the Warriors rested for a day and faced the Pistons on November 11th.

This is the second time the two teams have played against each other within a week, and it is also the only two chances to play against each other in a season.

As in the last match, the Warriors defeated the Pistons 115:103. Curry played well, making 10 of 6 three-pointers, scoring 31 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, scoring 30+ for the second consecutive game.

But this game is not all good news for the Warriors. Facing the targeted defense of the Pistons, Clay misfired, shooting 13 of 3 shots, 7 of 1 three-pointers, and only scored 8 points. The Pistons overtook the score at the end of the second quarter. With Curry's explosion in the third quarter, the Warriors stabilized the situation.

However, after this game, the Warriors got a full 3 days of rest. Zhang Yu gave the team a day off to let the players have a good rest, and used two days to carefully rehearse the tactics prepared for Curry. He paved the way for the scoring title.

On November 11th, the Oracle Center welcomed the Knicks. Facing the only team that defeated them in the Eastern Conference road trip, the Warriors players were very motivated and in full condition. They beat their opponents 19:8 at the beginning. The game set the tone for revenge.

After the whole game, the Warriors kept suppressing the Knicks. Curry trained the Knicks' weak guard line. He made 14 of 8 three-pointers and scored 37 points, 2 assists and 3 rebounds. He didn't look like a point guard at all. The Warriors succeeded in revenge with 125:110, scoring 3+ for the third consecutive game.

In addition to Curry's outstanding performance, Matthews also has a good touch. The Knicks' poor defensive discipline allowed him to get a lot of open opportunities. Cut to the basket for a layup, scored 5 points, 24 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals, breaking the career scoring record.

Clay also reversed his slump against the Pistons, shooting 7 of 5 shots and 5 of 3 three-pointers. He scored 13 points efficiently and regained his touch.

On November 11, the Warriors left Oakland and came to Los Angeles to challenge the Lakers away.

At this time, the Lakers played more than 10 games and regained the feeling of the game. Although Bynum still did not come back, the Lakers showed a completely different style from the previous game, and the Warriors fell into a hard fight.

Moreover, Zen master carefully studied the Warriors' game video and made targeted arrangements. The focus was on the offense against Clay. Kobe shot 10 of 7 in the first quarter and scored 16 points, so Zhang Yu had to hurry up. Tony Allen came on and asked him to mark Kobe, and the Warriors stabilized the situation.

Then the game fell into the same plot as the last time against the Lakers. Curry and Kobe started a confrontation, but the Lakers relied on the advantage of more offensive points and led the Warriors by 9 points at the end of the half. This was still the first half of the second quarter. The Duan Warriors' bench lineup played well and recovered a lot of points.

Faced with this unfavorable situation, Zhang Yu not only did not feel irritable or angry, but was relieved in his heart.

He said to Silas quite emotionally:

"Looks like a little reputation has its benefits. Look at the lineup I put on the court - Tyson, Drummond and Tony are on the court at the same time, the space is so poor, the Lakers didn't double-team Stephen, and Coach Jackson left us. There is a way out."

After the start of the third quarter, the Lakers faced the No. [-] Warriors in the league. Except for not giving Curry a superstar-level defensive treatment, they did not despise Curry at all. Give Kobe Bryant and Gasol such strong points to launch an offense.

As for the Warriors, in addition to Curry's absolute strength in offense, Zhang Yu also took Butler as an offensive point with the ball. Le Qiang played a few times, although he scored a few goals, but the efficiency was very poor, so he could only hand the ball to Curry to handle.

Throughout the third quarter, Zhang Yu watched from the sidelines with a gloomy expression on his face. He didn't say a word, but just watched quietly.

In fact, there is no need for him to say anything. The strategies of the Warriors and the Lakers have not changed much. The Lakers naturally use a triangle offense. Kobe and Gasol take turns to play singles. Hit a few pick and rolls.

In the Warriors, Curry held the ball to launch pick-and-rolls and Green's low-post cards, but Green's passing skills are still very immature, and the Lakers' defensive discipline is very strong. The Warriors practiced running without the ball for more than two months. After Green made a few mistakes, Zhang Yu stopped letting him deal cards. The Warriors' offense was completely handed over to Curry, and Butler could play two balls from time to time at most.

Facing the Lakers' untargeted defense, Curry still maintained high efficiency, but two fists were no match for four hands. Among the Warriors' five players on the field, three had no ability to attack independently, so Curry could only swing by himself. , The offense was not systematic at all. After the third quarter, the Lakers' lead expanded to 5 points, and the Warriors were in jeopardy.

Fortunately, as soon as the fourth quarter came up, the Warriors' substitute stepped up again. Jeremy Lin became more and more accustomed to the intensity of the NBA. Although he didn't score many points on the court, he handled the ball very steadily and controlled the rhythm of the game well. The Warriors' The pick-and-roll was playing well, and the suffocated Clay and Matthews scored consecutively, recovering the point difference to 6 points.

But Zen Master then sent the starting lineup and took the initiative of the game back again. Zhang Yu had no choice but to give it a go. He sent Clay and replaced Tony Allen to strengthen the team's offense and let Butler To defend Kobe.

But Butler at this time is far from the defensive level at his peak. Even if he had it, he couldn't guard Kobe.

In the rest of the fourth quarter, Kobe taught Butler a good lesson. With his superb skills, he dominated the mid-range. Under Kobe's eighteen offensive skills such as fadeaway jumpers, emergency stop jumpers, and turnaround jumpers, he repeatedly ravaged him. The shadow of CIC was deeply cast in Butler's heart.

Butler secretly vowed that he must develop a superb mid-range shooting technique. He no longer wants to feel that his opponent is showing off his power on his head, but he is powerless to fight back, even if the opponent is Kobe.

Blessings come, and misfortunes never come singly. Not only did Kobe start the unparalleled mode, but Zhang Yu’s idea of ​​replacing Clay to improve his offense was also shattered. Facing the Lakers’ quick replacement, Clay, whose shooting ability was far from reaching the peak level, was wrong.

He missed 2 three-pointers in a row, and the Lakers managed to score in turn. The balance of victory gradually tilted towards the Lakers.

Three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Warriors were already 3 points behind the Lakers. Zhang Yu knew that the situation was over, so he simply conceded and replaced the starting lineup. Zen Master also called in gold and sent the third team.

However, in the garbage time, the Warriors showed the second shining point of the game besides Curry. Danny Green performed very well in the limited time, making 4 of 3 three-pointers and scoring 9 points and 2 points. With 2 rebounds and blocked shots, he showed a strong sense of presence on both ends of the offense and defense.

Zhang Yu sat in his seat, watched Danny Green on the field, and nodded thoughtfully.

In the end, at the end of the game, the Lakers defeated the Warriors 106:97. Thanks to Danny Green's brave performance, the Warriors recovered a lot of points in garbage time, making this defeat not look so miserable, but the Warriors Except for the transition period when the substitute came on the field, he was suppressed by the Lakers throughout the whole process. The difference in hard power between the two teams is very obvious.

And losing this game also brought the Warriors' record to 11 wins and 3 losses. Although they still rank first in the Western Conference, the gap with the Lakers has narrowed to 2 games. The top spot in the list is already in jeopardy.

After the whole game, Curry continued his excellent form. He played against Kobe Bryant for the whole game and became a rebounding idiot. He rarely scored a double-double of 34 points, 5 assists and 10 rebounds, and scored 4+ for the fourth consecutive game.

But Kobe was even better. He was in excellent form in this game, scoring 43 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. He combined offense and defense and dominated the game. The Warriors were not wronged.

Except for Curry, the Warriors are the best in Butler. He made 12 of 5 shots, 5 of 2 three-pointers, 4 of 3 free throws, 15 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Two points.

But the others were lackluster. Clay missed again. He made 7 of 2 three-pointers and only scored 8 points, 1 assist and 2 rebounds.

Such a poor performance made Clay, who has always been tough, couldn't help feeling frustrated. After the game, he returned to the locker room without saying a word, covered his head with a towel, lay on his back on the chair, and remained motionless.

However, his actions revitalized the somewhat dull atmosphere in the locker room. His teammates gathered around Clay to comfort him. You explained to him the reason for the team's loss, but it made everyone feel uncomfortable. I first accepted the fact that I lost the game, and did not feel frustrated because of this loss.

Clay also recovered under the relief of his teammates. He took the towel off his head, straightened up, and his expression was finally no longer depressed.

Zhang Yu has been watching the crowd comforting Clay, and smiled when he saw this:
"This is not the first time you have been beaten by Kobe, why are you so depressed this time?"

Clay looked straight at Zhang Yu:
"Coach, the feeling of losing is too uncomfortable, especially losing the game like this... I will definitely not let Kobe score easily on my head in the future!"

"Really? We have to play against the Lakers twice this season. Are you sure you can defend against Kobe?" Zhang Yu's voice came into Clay's ears lightly.

Clay heard the words, his complexion changed, and he lay down on his back again, covered his head with a towel, and said in a muffled voice:
"I take back what I just said... I will continue to practice defense hard when I go back. Next season, um, next season, I will definitely be able to defend against Kobe!"

"Hahaha……"

Clay spoke very seriously, causing everyone to burst into laughter. The shadow of defeat was completely swept away, and the joyful atmosphere in the locker room returned to the past.

Zhang Yu looked at the crowd with a smile, and said in a low voice:

"Did you forget that we just lost a game?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone immediately fell silent. Clay immediately took the towel off his head and sat upright. All the players looked at Zhang Yu and put on serious expressions.

Zhang Yu glanced slowly around, and said slowly:

"Originally, we had to practice more when we lost, but tomorrow we will play back-to-back Nuggets, so I will write it down first this time. If I can win the Nuggets, I will naturally avoid extra practice. If I lose... you know .”

Everyone was overjoyed when they heard the words, and Curry immediately said:
"Boss, don't worry, we will definitely win the Nuggets!"

(End of this chapter)