warrior godfather

Chapter 283 I'm Already Thinking About My Next Opponent
On April 4th, at 25 pm, Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Arena, Warriors and Thunder's G9 is underway.

The victory of G3 gave the Oklahomans the hope of tying the score and even winning the series. The 18203 seats in the arena were all filled, and most of the spectators were wearing the blue cheering T-shirts issued by the team. Gathering into a blue ocean, the voices of the fans were like a tsunami rising from the sky, sweeping all directions.

But in this blue ocean, there are still variegated colors dotted in it.

There were four or five spectators wearing Curry jerseys on the sidelines. They were surrounded by a group of Thunder fans. They applauded and cheered when the Warriors entered the field, especially after seeing Curry, they laughed again and again.

These people are none other than the Dale family and Ayesha.

When the Warriors and the Thunder played G1, they watched the game from the sidelines, and they have never lost a game since then.

But the Oracle Center is full of Warriors fans, and their family is not very conspicuous in it. On the contrary, after they came to Oklahoma, their position was on the sidelines, and the jerseys on their bodies clearly showed their position, so they became very attractive. Attention, live broadcast cameras frequently aimed at them.

It's not that the broadcaster favors Curry and wants to show Dell and others more shots. They did this entirely because of Curry's explosive performance on the court.

After tonight's game started, Curry changed the trend of the last game and turned on the offensive mode.

Can't help him not attacking, Zhang Yu changed the lineup, replacing Clay with Tony Allen, which allowed the Warriors to have four defensive champions in the starting lineup, but it also required Curry to take on heavier offensive tasks.

But there is good news for the Warriors, that is, Brooks did not double-team Curry. It may be that the last victory allowed him to regain his confidence in the defense of the Thunder's inside players. Flosha squeezes the screen to prevent the pick-and-roll method.

And this is exactly what the Warriors wanted. The misfire in the last game completely inspired Curry's fighting spirit. He fired with full firepower from the beginning of the game. The enthusiastic Chesapeake Energy Arena became silent.

Brooks quickly changed back to the defensive style of the previous game. Curry and Chandler picked and rolled, and Perkins forced a delay and then retreated; Curry and Green picked and rolled, and Ibaka decisively switched defenses.

So Curry began to tear Ibaka with his hands. After the first quarter, he scored 14 points, accounting for more than half of the Warriors' first quarter points, and he completely recovered his touch.

Moreover, under the defense of the Warriors' four giants, the Thunder's offense was cut to pieces. Their offense, which was mostly singles, completely moved closer to singles.

Westbrook and Durant found that they had no one to pass the ball to. Zhang Yu resorted to unlimited switching defenses. Except for Curry who did not switch, everyone else switched defenses every screen, and did not give the Thunder any open opportunities to test the hard solution of the Thunder. ability.

Durant ran for a long time without the ball, and found that he would always be closely followed by a Warriors player, and he could not get a single gap. Westbrook felt the Warriors' strong malice. He and Perkins, Iba After the card pick-and-roll, Chandler or Green was replaced in front of him, and he couldn't break through the defense of the two at all.

Both Green and Chandler let Westbrook take two steps, let him shoot casually, and strictly guarded against his breakthrough. In this case, Westbrook couldn't break through the defense line built by the two long arms at all, and could only respond with shots.

But after the three games against the Warriors, Westbrook's three-point shooting percentage was 29.5%, the mid-range shooting percentage was 41.2%, and the open shots were not accurate, which could not change the Warriors' defense at all.

Instead, Westbrook wanted to feed the inside line, letting Ibaka and Perkins rely on their size to play Tony Allen, who switched defenses.

But he forgot that his backcourt partner was Sefolosha, a shooting guard with a lower three-point shooting percentage than him. Curry directly emptied Sefolosha, actively contracted the defense, and stayed at the basket, another Warrior The inside line also filled in time, blocking the Warriors' restricted area so tightly that the Thunder couldn't rush in.

As a result, the Warriors' half court became Durant's personal stage to show off his singles ability.

For a while, the game became a turn-based game. As soon as Curry finished Ibaka's military training, Durant turned around and pulled Butler. In the next round, Curry tore Ibaka with his hands... and so on. During the period, there were sporadic scores from other players, but it was generally a contest between two people.

Durant also tried to find other people in the pick-and-roll, but he found that compared to Chandler, Tony Allen and Green, who all have long wingspans, Butler, who has a shorter wingspan, is easier to play.

Zhang Yu also asked Curry to find Durant in a pick-and-roll, but Brooks can tolerate Curry playing Ibaka alone, but he will not sit back and watch Durant being exhausted on the defensive end. After two tries, Zhang Yu gave up the idea of ​​letting Curry defend against Durant.

In the end, after the first quarter, the Warriors led the Thunder by 22 points at 19:3.

Neither side scored high. The Warriors scored low because they had fewer offensive points, while the Thunder scored low because the Warriors' defense was too strong, making them as few offensive points as the Warriors.

This is Zhang Yu's purpose, to dismember the Thunder's offense with unlimited defenses, lock Westbrook, and then let Curry and Durant fight for offense, and as long as Brooks does not change the way of defending Curry, Durant's scoring efficiency is impossible higher than Curry.

Entering the second quarter, the two sides changed into a rotation lineup. Zhang Yu sent Jeremy Lin, Clay, Big Z, Yi Jianlian and Kirilenko. This is a very offensive lineup; Harden led the way, coupled with shooters such as Eric Maynor and Dai Quinn Cook, they also focused on offense.

Thus, the second section, which was completely different from the first section, began.

The two teams played against each other, chasing after each other's defensive weaknesses, the rhythm was extremely fast, and the score also rose rapidly.

Compared with the Thunder, the current lineup of the Warriors is stronger inside. Yi Jianlian and Kirilenko provided the impact and took advantage of the inside scoring. By the time the first 6 minutes of the second quarter came back on the field, the score became 38. :33, the Warriors lead by 5 points.

After the main players of both sides entered the field, the game returned to the mode of defensive battle + turn-based singles, which was mixed until the end of the first half.

After halftime, the score was 53:47, the Warriors led by 6 points, and the point difference was not widened too much.

After a short intermission, the third quarter started. Zhang Yu and Brooks did not adjust their play style. They both trust their top star very much. They believe that Curry/Durant can overwhelm each other in scoring. Others just need to do well. If you defend, you will win.

But it turns out that a three-pointer is one point more than a two-pointer. Even though Durant had no solution in the third quarter, he made 14 crazy shots in a single quarter, hit 8 mid-range shots, and scored 16 points. But Curry scored 10 points in the third quarter. He only took 5 shots, made 15 three-pointers, and scored [-] points. The output is not comparable to that of Durant, but the efficiency is higher.

And it is this advantage in efficiency that allows Zhang Yu to give the shot to others. He arranged for Butler to reverse the pick-and-roll tactic of calling Harden, which scored a precious 5 points for the Warriors.

At the end of the third quarter, the Warriors led the Thunder by 78 points 70:8, widening the gap again.

This is not over yet. After the start of the fourth quarter, Zhang Yu left Butler on the court, and formed the ultimate offensive lineup with Jeremy Lin, Clay, Yi Jianlian, and Big Z, and launched a counterattack against the Thunder. In just 3 minutes, Lili extended the lead to 12 points, which is also the first time a double-digit score gap has appeared in this game.

Brooks realized that something was wrong, and quickly switched back to the main force to chase points. Zhang Yu also started the game, and the game returned to the familiar style of the first three quarters.

And he also made adjustments. He asked Ibaka to stick to Curry, and the follow-up strikers were ready to help defend at any time, and he did not give Curry a chance to shoot a three-pointer.

But Brooks seems to have forgotten that Curry is the new scoring leader, and he is not a shooter who can only shoot three-pointers.

Curry did not make a strong three-point shot against Ibaka's long arm, but used his speed and rhythm to easily break through Ibaka's first-line defense, enter the three-point line, and then make an emergency stop before other players in the Thunder could help defend in place. Take a jumper, or drop a shot one step inside the free throw line to complete the offense from the mid-range.

The efficiency of this style of play is not high, but Curry's mid-range shots also have a hit rate of more than [-]%, and his scoring efficiency can fully match Durant in the fourth quarter, a Durant whose physical fitness has declined after three fierce battles.

Between the two back and forth scoring and hitting the iron, the Warriors couldn't open the score, but the Thunder couldn't recover the point difference, and the game time passed quietly.

In the end, at the end of the fourth quarter, the Warriors defeated the Thunder 112:103 and won G4.

After the whole game, all people's eyes were on Curry and Durant. They didn't face each other head-on, but they fought each other for the whole game, attracting all the attention.

库里投篮29中14，三分球20中10，罚球4中3，狂砍41分3助攻3篮板，再次单场投中10个三分球，追平了自己前不久在G2创造的纪录。

Durant made 33 of 17 shots, 6 of 2 three-pointers, 7 of 5 free throws, 39 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Is not to fall behind.

However, the Warriors beat the Thunder by 13 points in the transition period, which is the most important reason why the Warriors can win.

Zhang Yu asked Curry and Butler to support the lower limit of the starting lineup's offense, then relied on tight defense to maintain the balance, and then deployed a highly offensive rotation lineup. Later, he even quietly switched Butler and Kirilenko. Further increasing the offensiveness of the connecting lineup, the Thunder lost in the confrontation and naturally lost the game in the end.

Half of Butler's 18 points were scored in transition. Clay even scored 18 points in 16 minutes, including 7 of 4 three-pointers and 4 of 2 two-pointers. , Made an important contribution to the team's win. If Clay is still the starter like before, he will definitely not be able to perform so efficiently.

Not only these two, the Warriors' substitutes followed Zhang Yu's pre-match arrangement, speeding up the pace and focusing on offense. Jeremy Lin scored 11 points and 5 assists, Yi Jianlian had 10 points and 5 rebounds, and the big Z was talking about being a teenager. , scored 10 points, and 4 people on the bench scored in double figures.

They are far less dazzling than Curry, but they are the last stone to overwhelm the Thunder.

After defeating the Thunder, the Warriors took a 3:1 lead in the series and almost entered the next round with half a foot. This was something no one expected before the game. Although people were optimistic about the Warriors before the game, But it is generally believed that the Warriors will win with a score of 4:2, and may even be dragged into the tiebreaker by the Thunder.

But according to the current situation, Curry exploded in three of the four games, averaging a crazy 35.5 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game, and the Warriors will return to the home court in the next game. Now, no one doubts that Curry will score high points at home and the Warriors will win.

Barkley, who explained the game, said bluntly:
"Everyone, this will be the last game of the season at the Chesapeake Energy Arena. The owner of this dress on me will send the Thunder home at home. Thunder fans who are watching the game, you can go to Buy your tickets for the next game at the Oracle Center and go to accompany your home team for the last leg, but don't lose heart, your players are still young, and although they failed this year, they have a bright future."

Kenny Smith reminds:

"Charles, the Warriors are younger than the Thunder."

Barkley laughed:
"So the Warriors have a brighter future!"

……

After the game, the Warriors returned to the locker room laughing all the way. Curry also received the baptism of ice water cooling for the third time after the start of the playoffs, and then went to the interview with Zhang Yu.

All the reporters found him immediately. After four playoff games, Curry's performance overshadowed the brilliance of all stars. His explosive scoring ability made him the darling of the media, and he gained a large number of new players all over the world. fan.

After Curry, the star with the second highest scoring average in the playoffs is Durant, but the Thunder is the loser. He gets more sympathy, and his score is slightly lower than Curry's 33.5 points. It is consistent with the ranking of the two in the scoring list in the regular season, which seems to prove the rationality of Curry as the scoring leader from the side.

After the Thunder lost to the Warriors, some Durant fans lamented on the Internet:
"Since Du, He Shengku, I originally thought that Adu would dominate the scoring list in the future. Who knew that Curry would pop up. This year, he took away Adu's second scoring title. He averaged 33.5 points per game in the playoffs. , Only won one game, and I don’t know how many scoring champions Adu will be taken away by Curry in the future. Adu is too difficult... It would be great if Adu was coached by Coach Z. So generally, he can play so well now, if Adu had met Coach Z earlier, he would definitely not have made it to the playoffs in the third year!"

The first question the reporter asked Curry was also about Durant. They asked:
"Stephen, congratulations on winning tonight's game. The scoring matchup between you and Kevin Durant was shocking. What do you think of Durant's performance? Who has the better scoring ability between you and him?"

Curry glanced at the note written to him by the team PR on the table calmly, and then said:
"You know, Durant was the scoring champion last season. He is a top scorer... As for the scoring ability between us, I only pay attention to the team's victory. I didn't think about it. I think we are very Young people still need to improve."

Another reporter asked:
"Stephen, you averaged 28.4 points per game in the regular season and became the scoring leader. In the more intense playoffs, you scored 35.5 points per game, which is a big improvement compared to the regular season. Can you tell me you How did you do it?"

Curry blinked his eyes and glanced at the small note on the table, but found that the PR hadn't prepared for this question. He spread his hands and said mischievously:
"I just did what my boss asked. In fact, the playoffs are no different from the regular season. The atmosphere in March Madness is much more intense than the playoffs. I'm used to this intensity."

The reporter asked:

"You mean, the playoffs are not difficult for you, for the Warriors?"

Curry shook his head and smiled:
"Of course not. Everyone knows how hard it is to win in the playoffs, but it's not that hard. Other teams can win, so can we."

"Can you comment on Ibaka's defense?"

"Well..." Curry hesitated, as if he didn't know how to answer this question, he organized his words for a while, and said, "He is a very hard-working defender, but you know, sometimes the game can be difficult. Tough ... hopefully he can continue with that defensive attitude."

The reporter let out a burst of low laughter. Everyone knew Ibaka's tragic situation against Curry in these few scenes. Seeing the instigator excuse Ibaka, there was an inexplicable sense of joy.

Afterwards, Curry answered a few more questions, and Zhang Yu was replaced by Zhang Yu for an interview. The reporter asked:
"Ronan, congratulations on your victory tonight. The Warriors are now leading the Thunder 3:1. What do you think of the next game back at home? Will you end the series in Game [-]?"

Zhang Yu smiled slightly and said:

"I'm already thinking about my next opponent."

He paused, watched the reporters' eyes widen in excitement, and then said:
"I'm joking, to be honest, of course I want to solve the fight in the next game, but the Thunder is a team with great potential, they have Kevin Durant, they have Westbrook, especially Westbrook, he He has infinite potential, no one knows what kind of performance he will play in the next game, we can only make perfect preparations, do our best in every game, and limit Westbrook's performance."

Zhang Yu's answer seemed very official, but it made the Thunder's team reporters very dissatisfied. He asked:

"What about Kevin Durant? He is the top scorer of the Thunder. Are you going to let him score?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and said:
"Of course not, we can't guard Durant, I think you know his talent better than me, but we don't have to guard him, as I said earlier, I would rather see him score 30 or even 40 points, I don't want to see Westbrook score in the paint for the Warriors, you see, he scores a lot of points, but we win."

"Do you mean Westbrook is stronger than Durant?" The reporter asked.

Zhang Yu smiled:
"I'm just saying that if the Thunder want to win, they need Westbrook to play. As for who is stronger, I don't comment."

After speaking, Zhang Yu ignored the reporters who raised their hands, got up and left the interview booth.

When he returned to the locker room, the Warriors players had already showered, some were packing up, some were talking and laughing with each other, and several were being interviewed by other reporters.

In addition to conducting concentrated interviews with coaches and outstanding players after the NBA game, reporters are also allowed to enter the locker room to interview other players.

Seeing Zhang Yu's return, the players all speeded up packing their things, and the reporters also speeded up the progress of asking questions.

Ten minutes later, the Warriors left the Chesapeake Energy Arena laughing and talking all the way, boarded a minibus, and headed to the airport.

They will not stay in Oklahoma for a long time, and will fly back to Oakland overnight. After a day of rest, they will start a G4 contest with the Thunder on April 25.

On the CMB, Zhang Yu and Silas sat together. Silas learned Zhang Yu's answer during the interview from the reporter, and asked doubtfully:
"Ronan, with Tony and Tyson, we can completely lock Westbrook's offense. Why did you exaggerate his importance to the Thunder so much when you faced the reporters?"

Zhang Yu leaned back in the chair, smiled lightly and said:
"It's a little bit easier. If Brooks believes what I said and let Westbrook hold the ball more, then I don't have to worry about it. It's always good to save a little effort."

"You... okay." Silas shook his head and laughed.

Zhang Yu restrained his smile and said solemnly:

"Actually, I'm telling the truth. The Thunder will never win against us relying on Durant alone. I actually pointed out a clear way for Brooks. If they want to win, Westbrook must perform well."

Silas nodded in agreement, then said with a little worry:

"You're right, Westbrook's current strength is not enough, but when he develops his shooting, the Thunder with him and Durant will be our great enemy."

Zhang Yu shook his head and said:
"No, you are wrong, the Thunder will not be our opponent, not now, nor in the future."

"Oh? Are you so sure?" Silas raised his eyebrows.

Zhang Yu didn't explain too much, just smiled and said:
"You'll find out later."

Silas didn't know, but he knew that Westbrook would indeed become a star, even a superstar, but his shortcomings would not change, or even worsen.

Zhang Yu doesn't think that his own existence will affect Westbrook's "skills plus points". This kind of playing habit has been deeply ingrained in him. .

If because of his words, Brooks really tilted the ball to Westbrook, and the Thunder entered the structure of the "king bomb combination" early, it would definitely be a good thing for the Warriors.

The Warriors' powerful inside and striker configuration is the most restrained playing style of Westbrook, and with Zhang Yu, the Warriors will only become stronger and faster. Even if the combination of Wang Zhan reached its peak, Zhang Yu is not afraid at all.

He told Silas:

"Don't think about the Thunder anymore, pay more attention to the game between the Spurs and the Grizzlies, it's time to think about the next round of the series."

(End of this chapter)