warrior godfather

Chapter 296 You Are True Warriors (6000)

On the second day after the lottery ceremony, G3 between the Warriors and the Mavericks started at the Oracle Center. The Warriors did not disappoint Rose. They finally won a victory in G3.

Everyone in the Warriors team knows that they will fall behind 0:3, which is no different from being eliminated. Zhang Yu said bluntly before the game:
"If we lose this game, then we can announce the end of this year's playoffs in advance, and we must win this one!"

After the game started, Zhang Yu conveyed to the players his attitude of striving for victory with practical actions.

After the defeats of G1 and G2, Zhang Yu is very clear that the Mavericks' offense is balanced inside and outside, with both many and accurate shooters, there are unsolvable super scorers attacking the city, and there are veteran top point guards who control the rhythm. The Warriors are impossible. To defend the Mavericks, if you want to win the Mavericks, you must fight against the Mavericks, targeting the Mavericks' weaknesses of aging lineup and poor mobility.

For this reason, Zhang Yu set up a starting lineup of Curry, Clay, Danny Green, Butler and Chandler, put all the four outside shooters of the Warriors on the field, and pushed Butler to the power forward position, a showdown with the Mavericks.

On the basis of the eight-man rotation, he further extended the playing time of the starters to the limit. Even Danny Green played 36 minutes, and Curry almost played the whole game, except for the rest in the second quarter. 3 minutes and no rest for the rest of the time.

But it turns out that Butler can't limit Nowitzki's scoring at all. Nowitzki is no longer the "soft guy" who was blacked out in 2007. He has perfected his post-up skills and shot mid-range shots. His accomplishments are comparable to Jordan's, and he can ask for anything on Butler's head.

But everything has two sides. Butler can't guard Nowitzki, and Nowitzki can't guard Butler.

In this game, Zhang Yu did not allow Curry and Chandler to play a pick-and-roll, but asked Butler to cover Curry two steps outside the three-point line. The Mavericks double-teamed Curry, and Butler caught Curry and scored. , Break through and score by yourself, or feed Chandler after attracting the Mavericks' supplementary defense.

In the past two days, the Warriors have repeatedly practiced this tactic. Butler's slow but continuous improvement in movement control and passing ability in the past two years has come in handy.

The position of the Warriors to play the pick-and-roll is too high. The Mavericks mobilized the two on the line to contain Curry. Taking into account one defense and two defenses.

Carlisle made adjustments in the second half after being hit by Curry Butler's pick-and-roll, and the Mavs switched to a pick-and-roll defense.

Carlisle would rather let Curry get a chance to play Dirk Nowitzki in a misplaced single, and he doesn't want to see the Mavericks' basket being pierced by the Warriors.

Seeing Nowitzki being replaced in front of Curry, Zhang Yu's calm expression gradually relaxed, and it was the first time since the start of the game that he smiled.

He pushed Butler to the position of power forward and took the initiative to expose the misalignment in front of the Mavericks, just to give Curry a chance to dislocate Nowitzki.

Now, his purpose has finally been achieved.

After seeing the Mavericks switching defenses, others consciously spread out to create space for Curry to single-play Nowitzki.

The second layer of Zhang Yu's role as a four-shooter was reflected. The rest of the Mavericks could only watch Curry press Nowitzki's defense to within the three-point line step by step, and did not dare to attack.

In the first half, they tried to flank Curry before he hit the pick-and-roll, which was the same choice as Curry singled Terry in the first two games, but Zhang Yu placed three shooters around Curry, and they all used three shooters after they got open opportunities. Responded at [-] minutes. After the Mavericks briefly executed the pincer attack, the effect was very poor, and they quickly gave up this approach.

In this way, Curry finally got a chance to play small and big. He used the speed and rhythm changes to easily break through Nowitzki's defense, rush into the inside, and made a small fold in the air to avoid Bogut's assist defense block. Successful layup.

Afterwards, the Warriors and Mavericks began to fight each other, taking turns to target each other's dislocations. As the core of the team, Curry and Nowitzki, as the core of the team, did their part to carry the banner of offense and began to confront Biao on the court.

But in the process of the two scoring points, the score did not increase evenly, and the point difference was gradually widened. The Warriors had the advantage in this offensive battle.

As an outside player, Curry has a lower upfront cost of developing offense than Nowitzki, shoots more three-pointers, and scores more efficiently.

Moreover, the Warriors are at home and have home court advantage. While Curry was attacking, Zhang Yu asked Butler to attack Nowitzki, which achieved remarkable results. Before the end of the third quarter, he let Nowitzki back 4 fouls.

Then Curry also began to specifically find Nowitzki's physical confrontation, trying to beat him down, making Nowitzki less and less afraid to make moves on the defensive end, and Curry scored more easily.

Carlisle could only call a timeout and make adjustments again.

He can't just watch Nowitzki getting deeper and deeper in foul trouble. Nowitzki is the backbone of the Mavericks' offensive end and must not fall, and defending Curry increases his physical consumption, which is not good for offense. .

After the timeout, the Mavericks continued to double-team Curry, and the others shrank their defense to protect the penalty area.

Carlisle gave the Warriors a problem. He didn't give the Warriors a chance to score inside, and he didn't want to see Curry score again. If the Warriors want to beat the Mavericks, then make an open three-pointer.

So, the Warriors player made an open three-pointer as he wished.

Tonight's Warriors seem to have really been blessed at home. Danny Green, Clay and Butler's three-pointers are all very good.

Especially Klay, since he played against the Grizzlies, his touch has been very sluggish, his presence on the court is very low, and his playing time has also been declining all the way. However, his shooting in this game is like a miracle, and all 12 shots are three. Divided the ball, hit 7 goals, scored 21 points efficiently, and severely punished the Mavericks for letting him go.

Danny Green was ordered in the face of danger and performed very well. He made 6 of 4 three-pointers and scored 12 points.

Butler not only made 3 three-pointers, but also caused Dirk Nowitzki 2 fouls, passed Chandler several times, and scored 25 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. Almighty data, played the best playoff performance of his career.

The excellent performance of the three sent the Mavericks on the edge of the cliff completely into the abyss. After the Warriors rained three-pointers, the score was quickly pulled to 20 points. The big score was tied at 96:115.

After winning, Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

His ultimate offensive lineup was right, the Warriors got out of the desperate situation of 0:3 behind, and he saw the dawn of the series, although this hope is so slim.

On the sidelines, Carlisle looked up at the score, shook his head dissatisfied, but didn't say much.

The Mavericks played without any problems. The players were serious and went all out, and the tactics were executed well. However, the Warriors' role players broke out collectively, grasping almost every open three-pointer, and even made several blocked shots. The prickly pear on the face.

Curry also played his due level under tremendous pressure. He seized the hard-won singles opportunity and made 19 of 11 shots, 10 of 5 three-pointers, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 31 points. The luxury data of assists, 8 rebounds and 4 turnovers, the success rate of misplaced small hits is extremely high, and the points after being double-teamed are also very accurate, and the performance is perfect.

Chandler also played very well. He scored 14 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks, including 6 offensive rebounds. He scored 6 points through the second attack. He blocked the Warriors' restricted area with his own power, sent out the big hats many times, and completely crushed Bogut on both offense and defense.

With all the Warriors exploding, Nowitzki was powerless even if he scored 36 points efficiently.

However, the mentality of the Mavericks players is very stable. Even if they lose, their expressions are very calm, even with a smile.

This group of veterans has won many times and lost too many times. Losing to a team that has performed exceptionally will not affect their mentality at all. They have never expected to sweep their opponents 4:0 in every round.

Carlisle didn't mean to blame or comfort the team members, he went straight to Zhang Yu who was oncoming.

The two shook hands, and Carlisle said:

"Congratulations, Ronan, your luck is very good."

Zhang Yu shook his head:

"Really? I don't think so. Luck can't beat the Mavericks by 19 points. You have to be careful. I found a way to deal with you. You'd better continue to double-team Curry."

Carlisle smiled and nodded:

"as you wish."

Zhang Yu's eyes were fixed, and then his eyelids drooped slightly to cover up the strange look in his eyes, and he said with a light smile:
"I hope you do what you say."

After speaking, the two nodded to each other, let go and turned to leave.

As soon as Zhang Yu turned around, his expression became uncertain. When he walked to the bench, Danny Green came to him, with an excited smile on his face, and said gratefully:
"Coach, thank you for giving me this opportunity, thank you!"

He played 36 minutes in this game, which was the longest game he played since entering the league, and he was still in the Western Conference Finals. Most importantly, he lived up to expectations and scored 12 points, which was an outstanding performance.

This made Danny Green feel like falling into a dream, and tonight was so beautiful to him that it was unreal.

Zhang Yu forced a smile and patted Danny Green on the back:

"This is the reward for your hard training, Danny, I see everything you do, keep working hard, the team needs your contribution, and you will have plenty of opportunities to play in the future!"

"No problem, coach!" Danny Green nodded heavily, as if a flame was burning in his eyes.

He was ordered in danger and returned victoriously. Although he only played a minor supporting role, it was enough for Danny Green to gain sufficient confidence.

He turned around and was about to leave when he suddenly turned around and asked:

"Coach, we're going to keep winning, right?"

Looking at Danny Green's expectant eyes, Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said:
"Of course, play well and we'll keep winning."

"No problem, coach!" Danny Green yelled again and left with a smile.

Zhang Yu followed his gaze, looked at the team members gathered together to celebrate, and sighed imperceptibly.

Almost every player on the court broke out today in order to beat the Mavericks, but can the team break out every game?
Of course Zhang Yu hoped that his players could do it, but reason told him that they couldn't.

……

A day later, when the Warriors and Mavericks played Game 4, Zhang Yu stood on the sidelines with complicated emotions, watching the game on the court.

His hanging heart finally fell to the ground, but in a free fall.

As he expected, the state of the Warriors players was very different from the previous game.

Zhang Yu once again set up a big and four small lineup to fight against the Mavericks. Carlisle really did what he said. After the opening, he resolutely pinched Curry and shrank the basket.

The smoke bomb released by Zhang Yu was useless, and Carlisle was determined and was not affected in the slightest.

Under the strict defense of the Mavericks, Curry could only choose to pass the ball to his teammates. Clay was still very stable. He scored two three-pointers in the first quarter, but Carlisle quickly sent someone to mark him all the way. Clay didn't have enough. The ability to get rid of means and force shots, the sense of existence has dropped sharply, and it can only play the role of opening up space.

Butler and Danny Green also lost the explosive touch of the previous game. They can still maintain nearly [-]% of their three-pointers, but that's all. The Mavericks can fully afford this price.

Carlisle's psychological bottom line is a 50% three-point shooting rate. If the Warriors can make two open three-pointers and make one, then he will immediately stop double-teaming Curry.

But the Warriors averaged three shots before scoring one, and not every offensive round could be passed to an open shooter, which instead made Carlisle increase the intensity of double-teaming Curry.

The Warriors' offensive lineup has no offense, let alone defense. The first half fell into a disadvantage. After halftime, they fell behind the Mavericks by 17 points.

During the intermission, the atmosphere in the locker room at Oracle Center was very solemn. Zhang Yu didn't talk much about tactics, and he didn't have any new tactics to talk about. He spent a full 10 minutes pouring chicken soup on the players to relieve their psychological pressure.

This did play a role. The players' mentality was relieved, but the mental encouragement did not allow them to make three-pointers.

After the start of the third quarter, the Warriors' offense never improved, and their defense was unable to defend, and the point difference was rapidly widened.

But Zhang Yu can only continue to persevere. This is the only way for the Warriors to win. He can only watch the point difference widen step by step. their fighting spirit.

Zhang Yu knew very well that as long as he showed a little frustration, the Warriors would immediately collapse.

However, no matter how calm and calm he behaved, he couldn't affect the situation on the court.

Zhang Yu even used a dead horse as a living horse doctor, and replaced Anthony Toliver, but it was still useless.

Anthony Toliver's state is good, but he can't adapt to the intensity of the playoffs. He didn't even have a chance to make a phone call after playing. The defensive end is as fragile as paper. After playing for 3 minutes, he was replaced by Zhang Yu. .

He can only continue to watch the point difference being widened step by step from the sidelines, but there is nothing he can do.

In the end, the Mavericks beat the Warriors by 115 points 90:25, leading 3:1 and winning the match point in one fell swoop!
Nowitzki scored 37 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in this campaign, continuing his shocking performance, while Curry, under the double-team of the Mavericks, only scored 21 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds, and his efficiency was also very low.

The performance of the role players of the two teams was just the opposite of what they played on the court. The veterans of the Mavericks contributed steadily to help the Mavericks suppress their opponents.

But the young warriors are full of enthusiasm, but they have nowhere to show it. Butler scored 18 points, Clay scored 15 points, and Danny Green scored 12 points. After catching the ball, they still shoot resolutely, but their upper limit of ability is there. Ten points is already the limit of their normal state, and this is not considering efficiency.

As long as Curry's scoring gap cannot be filled, the Warriors are doomed to fail to win.

In the subsequent G5, the same situation was staged again.

The Mavericks returned to the home court with great momentum. The Warriors players were under great pressure when they fell behind 1:3, and their state was inevitably greatly affected.

Curry is still in the tight double-teaming of the Mavericks, Carlisle has tasted the sweetness, and will never allow Curry to score high.

This time it is not allowed to become Butler. In this round of the series, he has always been the one who has carried the most main offensive tasks under the double-teaming of Curry, and the defense he faces is also the tightest. , Marion watched him closely the whole time.

In G5, Butler was completely inaccurate, and failed to seize several precious open three-point opportunities. The Warriors' already inefficient offense was even worse.

But while he was in a bad state, Klay and Green stood up.

Clay regained his style in G3 and made 4 three-pointers in the first half. Green responded to the Mavericks' empty three-pointers with three consecutive open three-pointers when he played in the transitional period. The two worked together. Helped the Warriors stabilize the situation in the first half. After halftime, the Mavericks only led the Warriors by 56 points 51:5.

The instability of young players is reflected in them. Even Zhang Yu doesn't know which of these rookies in the Warriors will suddenly explode in the next moment, and who will slump and misfire in the next moment.

This was clearly reflected in the second half. Clay and Green, who made Warriors fans hopeful, were both invisible. Clay’s invisibility was because Carlisle transferred the defensive resources against Butler to him, and Green’s invisibility was purely because He was wrong.

He can score a few three-pointers in a short period of time, but he can't keep scoring three-pointers for a whole game. This is another characteristic of young players. The ups and downs are very large, and there will be great fluctuations within a game.

As a result, the Warriors' offense was completely hopeless, and the score was quickly stretched to more than 15 points in the third quarter.

In the end, all the Mavericks fans stood up, whistles, applause, and shouts echoed in the American Airlines Center. Every goal of the Mavericks and every strike of the Warriors can cause huge waves of sound.

At 2 minutes and 24 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Warriors have trailed the Mavericks by 20 points and there is no hope.

On the sidelines, Zhang Yu sighed and called a long timeout.

The Warriors returned to the bench in despair, Curry's blue eyes were full of disappointment, Butler looked at his hands suspiciously, shook his head and said to himself:

"It shouldn't be like this, I should have invested in it, I have practiced tens of thousands of times, tens of thousands of times..."

Clay seemed to have a normal face, but his violent chest heaving and the movement of biting his lower lip revealed his restless heart.

Green sat on the seat without saying a word, his face full of unwillingness, and he muttered angrily, he would never admit defeat.

Zhang Yu looked around, did not pick up the tactical board that Silas handed over, but gathered everyone together, and said in a deep voice:
"I know, you are all very sad, I am as sad as you, it is a pity that we have given everything, but we still reached the end, but we still have a long way to go, and you must not let your head down because of temporary failure. Keep your head up, train and play hard as always, train hard this summer and get stronger, that's what we should be working on."

He paused, and suddenly raised his voice:

"Remember, we have to stay together, we have to fight for each other on the court, we have to support each other like brothers, every journey has an end, we have done our best, no one thought we would make it to the Western Conference Finals , but we did it, everyone did a great job, everyone gave their best, no one is responsible for the loss tonight, you are true warriors."

Zhang Yu looked at each player:
"Stephen, you are the scoring leader. You were selected for a team. I am proud of you. You can also score crazy in the playoffs. Your strong offensive ability forced a finals-level team to double-team you all the way. Congratulations , you are already a real superstar!"

Curry nodded slightly, his expression finally stretched a bit.

"Jimmy, you are the hardest player I have ever seen. You don't need to blame yourself. I will always trust you, and your teammates will always trust you. All you need to do is keep working hard."

The self-blame on Butler's face faded. He clenched his fists tightly and his eyes were fierce. Everyone could see his determination to become stronger.

"Drummond, I saw your toughness on the defensive end. You are a real tough guy. Mary will always be proud of you. I hope you can accept failure calmly, then improve yourself and win respect with your own hands!"

Green took a deep breath, raised his hand and wiped his head heavily, wiped off the sweat, and said loudly:

"Coach, I will definitely practice three-pointers in the summer, I swear to God!"

"Clay, I am most assured of you. You are a natural killer, but your blood is cold enough, but the knife is not fast enough. I only ask you for one thing-shoot that damn three-pointer and practice well. That damn defense, OK?"

Clay nodded slowly:

"No problem, coach, but these are two requirements... but I will definitely do it."

Zhang Yu looked back and said:
"Listen to the loud cheers, and remember, losers never enjoy moments like this. One last thing, I ask you to congratulate your opponents after the game, step up, and Shake their hands and thank each and every one of them, they won fair and square, it hurts but they did win fair and kudos to them, and then walk off the field, next season, we'll be back and we'll go even further Far!"

(End of this chapter)