warrior godfather

Chapter 268 Tough
On February 2, Oracle Center, the home team locker room.

It has been a week since the last time the Warriors played at home. Today is the Warriors' first game after the All-Star Weekend.

All the players were sitting in their seats, making preparations before the game in an orderly manner. Zhang Yu stood in front of the crowd, making the final arrangements:

"...Although three months have passed, I still remember the disappointed expressions of the fans after the last disastrous defeat to the Heat. That is my shame and the shame of all of you! Today, it is time for us to take revenge. I There is only one request for you, to win this game with all your strength, even if you lose, you must stand up and lose, and don't let the fans who support us down, can you do it?"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone roared in unison, full of momentum.

Kirilenko also yelled, and looked at Zhang Yu curiously.

Sloan does not have this habit of inspiring people before games. The old coach regards the team as an army, and believes that all players are soldiers, and they play with a sense of responsibility and mission. Iron and blood defense wins, not kids who need to be motivated.

After hearing everyone's answers, Zhang Yu nodded in satisfaction and put on a smiling face:
"Don't put too much pressure, anyway, the responsibility for losing is mine, and the credit for winning is yours-this is the same as our opponent tonight"

"Hahaha……"

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd. Spoelstra was the worst head coach in the first half of the season. When the Heat lost, they were blamed by the fans, and when the Heat won, they were forgotten.

Kirilenko also smiled, but his smile was a bit bitter. In the Jazz, it is usually not Sloan's fault to lose, but the player's fault. Although some fans think that Sloan is too old-fashioned and stubborn, he is not suitable for continuing to coach the Jazz. But most people don't think so. They firmly support this old-school coach.

After the laughter stopped, Zhang Yu said slowly:
"Play well, don't think too much, and don't be under pressure. It's still the same sentence. Losing to the Big Three is not shameful. The pressure is all on their side. The Heat deserve to win. Losing is embarrassing. The most important thing is to play. Our own style."

"No problem, boss!" Curry echoed loudly.

Green also said seriously in his rough and thick voice:

"Coach, give Bosh to me, I will definitely guard him!"

"I have long been displeased with the Heat..."

Kirilenko looked at his teammates who were chatting and laughing, and his eyes became more and more surprised. After he saw Zhang Yu's speech, everyone went from high fighting spirit to relaxed mood, and the nervousness disappeared without a trace. trace.

As someone who aspires to make a difference in the Russian basketball world, Kirilenko is not just a player. He is also the leader of the national team's locker room when he is playing for the country, and he will also boost the morale of his teammates before each game. But the effect is far from being so good.

"I won't go into details about the tactics, how to attack and how to defend, I have practiced several times in the past two days, the main thing is to play our own things..."

Looking at the eloquent Zhang Yu, Kirilenko really realized that he came to a team that was completely different from the Jazz, and had a head coach who was completely different from Sloan in all aspects except that he also paid attention to defense. .

After Zhang Yu finished setting up his tactics, it was time to enter the field. The players filed out. Kirilenko, who was not very familiar with the home team's locker room at the Oracle Center, took a long time to prepare before the game, so he stayed at the end. In front of him is Butler.

Kirilenko saw Zhang Yu walking to Butler, and the two started talking in a low voice. The room was very quiet, and their voices reached his ears clearly:

"Jimmy, is there any pressure? You are going to face James again."

"Boss, I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Last season, I lost badly against him. This time I want to win back!"

"Very well, let go and do it, it's time to let people see your true strength..."

Listening to the conversation between the two, Kirilenko couldn't help but see the scene of participating in training in the past two days in his mind.

Because he just joined the Warriors, the training content is mainly to be familiar with the team's tactics, and he also knows that his contract has only half a year left, and he is a veteran. Starting, Larry Riley also notified his management team of this matter, and he also accepted the arrangement of the substitute.

But Kirilenko originally thought that with his own strength, even if he served as a substitute, he would be better than Butler, so he looked down on him in his heart.

But during these two days of training, Kirilenko happened to be facing Butler. After personally feeling Butler's strength, he completely changed his mind.

The two faced each other directly last season, but Butler was still immature and lacking in strength at that time. Butler lost his starting position this season, and the two did not face each other directly, so his impression of Butler is still young rookie.

But now he finds that although Butler is not sophisticated enough in defense, he definitely has a defensive level, and Butler is much more comprehensive in offense than him. has surpassed him.

Facing some "cruel" facts, Kirilenko's only resentment dissipated. He gave up the idea of ​​fishing in water, trained hard, and wanted to fight one last time for the next contract.

"Andre, these two days I have been busy preparing tactics against the Heat, so I haven't had time to chat with you... How is life in Oakland? Are you still used to it?" Zhang Yu's slightly apologetic voice echoed in Kirilenker's ear. edge rings.

When Kirilenko came back to his senses, he realized that Butler in front of him had gone far away. Zhang Yu came to his side and looked up at him.

Kirilenko slowed down, bowed his head and smiled:
"It's okay, coach, I like Oakland very much, the fans here are very enthusiastic."

He's not lying. After Kirilenko came to Oakland, the Warriors fans he met on the street were very enthusiastic about him, even though he hadn't played a game for the Warriors.

"That's good, believe me, the fans in Oakland are by no means worse than those in Salt Lake City." Zhang Yu smiled, and then said seriously, "Unfortunately, Andre, I can't give you the starting position, but I know your Ability, you are the first substitute in the striker position, the team needs your help."

Kirilenko also solemnly replied:
"Coach, you can trust my professionalism, and I like the team's tactics and atmosphere, as long as I play, I will play well."

After two days of joint training, Kirilenko was surprised to find that the Warriors' tactics seemed to be tailor-made for him, and he was a duck to water in the team's tactical system.

Zhang Yu smiled slightly. Since he traded for Kirilenko, of course he took into account his tactical characteristics.

In his previous life, Kirilenko was considered one of the most untimely stars. His technical characteristics are very suitable for the small ball era. Many people feel sorry for him, thinking that if he was born ten years later, his achievements would not be as good Will be weaker than Green, a perfect defender in the small ball era.

Moreover, Zhang Yu took into account Kirilenko's weakness of not being able to shoot, and specially designed an air-cut tactic for him. In this case, of course, he integrated into the team quickly. The reason for him to play.

Afterwards, the two walked and chatted, walked through the long player tunnel, and entered the stadium.

At this time, the entrance ceremony had already begun. The headlights on the dome of the Oracle Center were turned off, and the light spots cast by the flashlights wandered around. Together with the explosive music and the enthusiastic cheers of the fans, a passionate atmosphere was created.

Infected by this environment, Kirilenko felt that his heartbeat seemed to speed up, and his whole body was slightly hot.

He rekindled his passion for the game.

……

"Dear viewers and friends, welcome to watch the NBA regular season broadcast for you by CCTV5. I am Yang Jian, and sitting next to me is Zhang Weiping and Zhang Weiping. Today we will bring you the game between the Warriors and the Heat. Strong duel, the Heat are currently ranked second in the East, and the Warriors are ranked fourth in the West. They are both teams in the top half of the playoffs. The Warriors have won five consecutive victories before the All-Star Weekend, sweeping away the decline..." Yang Jian faced the camera and talked eloquently, introducing the recent situation of the Warriors and the Heat.

The game between the Warriors and the Heat was broadcast live across the United States, and naturally it was broadcast on CCTV. American fans wanted to watch Curry fight the Big Three, while domestic fans wanted to watch the Warriors slaughter the Big Three and take revenge.

Fans all over the world have the same pursuit of individual heroism. After all, there are more opponents than supporters of the Heat's Big Three.

After a lengthy analysis, the domestic fans got a little impatient, and the screen finally cut to the Oracle Center. Players from both sides stood on the field, and the game began immediately.

Yang Jian looked at the players on the field and said:

"The Heat are still in the regular starting lineup, James, Wade, Bosh are all there, plus Dampier and Chalmers, after Spoelstra started this starting lineup, the Heat's record soared all the way to the Eastern Conference. Second. The Warriors' starters are Curry, Clay, Butler, Green and Chandler. Butler has returned to the starting position after an absence of more than half a season. I hope he can play an excellent performance..."

On the sidelines, Spoelstra also set his sights on Butler.

Before the game, he considered the possibility of Zhang Yu directly starting Kirilenko, and prepared a plan for this. However, since Butler started, the game would be much easier. Butler's defense is not the same as that of Kirilenko. At the same level, even though Kirilenko is plagued by injuries now, his historic assist defense and frame protection capabilities are still deeply feared by Spoelstra.

After all, none of the Big Three of the Heat are good shooters. If Zhang Yu puts on the ultimate frame protection lineup of Chandler + Green + Kirilenko, it will be much more difficult for the Heat to develop offense.

And Butler seemed mediocre in all aspects... Spoelstra frowned slightly, and his thoughts turned. Ronan let him start, is it to train young people?Could it be that he didn't even care about the outcome of the game in order to train Butler?

I don’t know why, looking at Butler’s resolute face, Spoelstra always feels that this young man is not that simple, but Butler didn’t play much this season, and he didn’t show anything special except for being more efficient. , He suppressed the inexplicable throbbing in his heart, and turned his gaze to Curry.

This baby face is the most dangerous player of the Warriors, and he has prepared the highest standard of "courtesy" for Curry.

"Di-"

At this time, the referee blew his whistle, threw the basketball into the sky, and the game officially started!
Chandler overwhelmed Dampier and passed the ball to Curry, and the Warriors got the ball for the first offense.

Curry dribbled the ball across half court and handed the ball to Green in the low post. Chandler immediately stepped up to cover him. The three played an off-ball tactic on the strong side. Ding ran to a 45-degree angle, received a pass from Green and quickly shot a three-pointer.

brush!
Dampier was slow to follow, and Curry's shot was not disturbed by any interference, and it went into the net hollowly.

3: 0.

Zhang Yu on the sidelines clapped his hands and nodded slightly. If the Heat dare to go to the big center, he will keep targeting until death.

Round transition, Heat attack, Chalmers dribble half court, and then handed over to James, running expertly to the corner.

The MOP who made a lore shot in the NCAA, the responsibility for the Heat is to dribble across the half court. James is the real point guard, and he is just a shooter on the offensive end.

After receiving the ball, James looked up and lobbed it to Bosh, who wanted the ball inside. This was Spoelstra's arrangement. Bosh played Green in the last game, and Spoelstra naturally had to make good use of it. This group has the upper hand.

"It can be seen that after the opening, both sides started to attack step by step according to the requirements of the head coach. This is the routine used by the two teams at the beginning of the game." Yang Jian said.

After Bosh received the ball, the rest of the Heat pulled away. He turned his back to Green in the low post, keeping an eye on the movements of the other Warriors from the corner of his eye, and was ready to split the ball when he encountered a pincer attack.

But no one from the Warriors came forward to attack. Bosh felt relieved and began to sit on his back, trying to take advantage of his strength to take Green alone, but to his surprise, Green withstood his impact!

Behind him, Green crossed his arms and struggled to withstand Bosh's back attack. After losing to the Heat, he trained very hard in the past three months and made rapid progress. Bosh can't easily score on him again!
Bosh leaned on a few more times, and Green did a good job, but stepped back a little, and kept his right hand high, not giving Bosh any space to shoot.

In the end, Bosh, unable to advance to the basket, turned around and shot, but was successfully interfered by Green, and the basketball bounced out of the basket and was protected by Chandler.

"Counterattack!"

After the successful defense, Green was extremely excited. With a roar, he took the pass from Chandler and rushed to the frontcourt. Curry and Clay flew on both wings, and the Warriors rushed to the frontcourt like a tide.

Since the beginning of the game, the Heat players were very concentrated and retreated quickly, especially James and Wade, who were staring at the fast-moving Curry and Klay respectively, and did not give them an open three-pointer.

Seeing this, Green was not in a hurry, and rushed straight to the penalty area. Butler followed him beside him. James had to shrink to the penalty area to help defend.

At this moment, Green flicked the ball hard and passed it to Curry on the right at 45 degrees. Due to James' contraction, Curry was surrounded by no one to defend. He pulled up and shot, and the three-pointer bounced into the frame.

6: 0.

"Great shot! Curry's two three-point shots are great. They are both good opportunities for open shots. The Warriors' tactics are all played out. This shot is reasonable!" Zhang Weiping praised.

Yang Jian added:
"Green's defense against Bosh cannot be ignored. He was blown up by Bosh in the last game, but just now he blocked Bosh's back attack, which directly contributed to the Warriors' counterattack."

Zhang Weiping agreed:

"Yes, but we have to continue to look down. If Green can defend so well throughout the game, the Warriors will be much easier to play."

On the field, the Heat were beaten 6:0, but the players didn't care. The last big victory gave them a huge psychological advantage when facing the Warriors, and they didn't take the slight lag in the start at all.

It was still Chalmers who dribbled the ball across the half, then passed it to James, and ran to the bottom corner to open up space.

James held the ball at the top of the arc, and Butler was defending him. This is not the first time the two have faced each other. James still remembers the scene where he swallowed Butler alive last season.

In fact, the Heat played against the Warriors in the last game. The two also faced each other in the third quarter, but James entered the "the zone" state in that game. Although Butler tried his best to defend, it did not play the slightest role.

Facing Butler's defense again tonight, James didn't pay any attention to it. He casually made a three-threat move. With one step of his right foot, he wanted to use his best tank to break through and press Butler to pass him.

But when Butler was swinging the ball, his left hand hit everything heavily, slammed on the basketball, knocked the basketball out of James' hands, then bent down to pick it up, and ran towards the frontcourt!

James didn't expect to be intercepted by Butler at all, but he reacted quickly, just paused, and immediately chased Butler.

Yang Jian also said loudly:
"Butler steals James! Butler, get off, James chases after him, is he going to put on a good chasing cap—"

James is very fast, and the distance between the two is getting closer, but Butler doesn't seem to notice James who is following him, and still rushes into the penalty area according to his own rhythm.

But just as James stared at Butler's movement, raised his big hand, and was about to give Butler a big cap, Butler suddenly slowed down, leaned back, raised his hands high, and made a layup. action.

His move completely disrupted James' plan. James, who was too late, bumped into Butler, the referee whistled, and at the same time as the collision, Butler also threw the ball towards the basket.

James' strength is very strong, Butler staggered a few steps towards the basket, but he didn't consider whether he would fall, but turned his head and stared at the basket, just in time to see the basketball bounced several times on the basket Down, it just fell into the net nest!
Only then did he stabilize his center of gravity, punched heavily, and with a ferocious face, he yelled towards the auditorium behind the basket, which aroused enthusiastic responses from the fans.

"Jimmy! You are the best!"

"Ooh~~ Tough guy, you are a real tough guy!"

Yang Jian also exclaimed:
"Butler caused James' foul and got a 2+1 chance!"

8: 0.

"Di-"

Just as the Warriors fans were cheering, Spoelstra called a timeout.

(End of this chapter)