warrior godfather

The Clippers achieved a record of 6 wins and 2 losses in the preseason, but before the start of the season, they were not favored by the outside world.

This summer, the Clippers still did not clear out the guards in the team. Instead, they renewed Billups, signed Crawford, and traded Willie Green. The team's guard line became more and more bloated. The striker, who urgently needs to be reinforced, did not do much, but signed the Lakers' substitute Matt Barnes.

The media and commentators have extremely low evaluation of the Clippers' offseason trade, and fans are not very optimistic about the team's prospects for the new season.

However, Crawford only used 5 games to prove that he is worthy of the Clippers' 4-year 2170 million contract, and even worth the money.

In these 5 games, Crawford played as the sixth man, averaging 22.3 points, 3.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game, helping the team achieve a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, ranking second in the Western Conference.

With his butterfly-like gorgeous dribbling and comprehensive and efficient scoring methods, he provided strong firepower support for the Clippers' bench lineup and quickly conquered the Clippers fans.

The Clippers have the best sixth-man Crawford on the bench, and Paul controls the overall situation in the starting lineup.

Paul didn't score much in these 5 games, averaging only 16.7 points per game, but he sent 12.4 assists, driving the team's overall offense.

He, Griffin, and Jordan's pick-and-roll are extremely powerful. In the game, there will often be scenes where Jordan immediately rolls down the screen, Paul throws it casually, and Jordan smashes the ball into the basket heavily.

However, Jordan can only eat cakes on the offensive end. In addition to the pick-and-roll with Paul, Griffin also has efficient inside singles.

Griffin was a popular power forward with more fame than strength last season. After an offseason of hard training, he has made great progress. He has mastered all traditional inside skills such as support, footwork, rebounds, and screens. The explosive power, overwhelming inside, and the efficiency of low-post singles have improved a lot.

It is precisely because of the outstanding performance of the three cores that the Clippers can win consecutive battles at the beginning of the season. Coincidentally, their schedule overlaps with the Warriors. The opponents in the first 5 games are the Grizzlies, Lakers, Cavaliers, Spurs, Trail Blazers.

Like the Warriors, the Clippers beat the Grizzlies, Lakers and Cavaliers among them.

The difficulty of the schedule of the two teams is similar, and the record is almost the same. This face-to-face direct contest has also attracted the attention of the outside world.

People want to see what kind of performance the suddenly emerging Clippers can play in front of the defending champion, and whether they can maintain the strength of the previous games, which is related to the future pattern of the Western Conference.

……

11 month 9 day.

Although there is no Lakers game today, the Staples Center is still full of spectators.

The Clippers had no sense of existence before, and their biggest role was to contribute jokes for the entertainment of fans all over the league. There are not many Clippers fans in Los Angeles.

But after the Clippers selected Griffin and traded for Paul, everything changed.

The Clippers have a balloon star, their record has improved rapidly, they made it to the playoffs, and fought seven games with the Lakers in the same city, only to lose and exit.

This has greatly increased the attention of the Clippers and quickly accumulated a group of fans.

Los Angeles people suddenly discovered that the current Zijin Army is not much better than Lob City, and Griffin's violent aesthetics are many times better than the Lakers' slow-moving positional warfare.

Originally, the Lakers introduced Nash and Howard during the offseason, and the limelight once again overshadowed the Clippers.

But after the start of the season, the Clippers had 4 wins and 1 loss, while the Lakers had 1 win and 4 losses. In comparison, the Clippers, who are stronger and have a gorgeous style of play, quickly became the darling of Los Angeles.

Fans will still support Kobe, but they will not miss every game of Paul and Griffin.

And there are a lot of things to watch in the game between the Warriors and the Clippers, such as the point guard battle between Curry and Paul, whether the lob city can break through the steel defense of the defending champion, whether Crawford can continue his magical performance...

All these attract fans into the Staples Center, including many Lakers fans. The Lakers' games are too eye-catching, and they need to watch the Clippers' games in turn to soothe their injured hearts a little.

At 08:30, players from both sides came to the field. The Warriors still started with Curry, Clay, Butler, Green and Chandler. The Clippers started with Paul, Willie Green, Caron Butler, Griffin and Jordan Jr.

Willie Green's appearance as the starting second position is due to his defensive ability.

The other guards of the Clippers are too short. Crawford's defense is too poor and he is only suitable for playing as a sixth man. Willie Green can not only defend, but also has a fairly accurate three-pointer without occupying the ball. Quan, very suitable for playing with Paul in the backcourt.

He was teammates with Paul when he was in the Hornets before, and the Clippers signed him during the offseason, and Paul also played a big role in promoting it.

"Di-"

The referee Scott threw the ball into the sky, and the game officially started!
Relying on the advantage of his bouncing speed, the young Jordan gave the ball to Paul first, Chandler took off a step slower, and the Clippers took possession of the first wave of the ball.

After Paul received the ball, the Clippers immediately flocked to the Warriors' half. Jordan and Griffin took the lead and went straight into the Warriors' penalty area.

Since Paul joined the Clippers, fast breaks have been the Clippers' forte, but the Warriors retreated very quickly and the defensive formation was tight. They kept Griffin and Jordan out of the penalty area and did not give Paul a direct long pass. Chance.

After the fast break failed, Paul stabilized his rhythm and fell into a positional battle.

Caron Butler and Willie Green opened the corners on both sides, Jordan sank to the bottom, and Paul and Griffin played a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc.

The Warriors switched defenses directly, Green came in front of Paul, Clay followed Griffin closely, trying to delay his roll, but Griffin immediately rolled down after finishing the screen, pressing Clay by half .

Paul took a step inside the three-point line and lobbed the ball to Griffin. After receiving the ball, Griffin took a big step, and directly threw away Klay who was following him, and started to attack the frame. Chandler let go of Jordan. Come over to defend and successfully interfere with Griffin's layup.

But the unattended Jordan successfully grabbed an offensive rebound and made a dunk, 2:0.

After seeing this scene on the sidelines, Zhang Yu stood up and shouted:
"Pay attention to protecting the rebound!"

Butler in the bottom corner raised his hand, indicating that it was his problem.

Before the game, Zhang Yu emphasized that the Clippers have an inside advantage. When Green and Chandler are defending the pick-and-roll, others should pay attention to shrinking and protecting the penalty area. Butler just stayed in the bottom corner. Jordan, just dropped the rebound.

In fact, the biggest responsibility for this ball lies with Clay. After he switched defenses, he did not create any obstacles for Griffin and let him go down to the penalty area. Chandler had to make up in advance to give Jordan the second time. opportunity to attack.

But this can't be blamed on Clay. He is not a player known for his explosive power, and what he has to face is Griffin, who is in peak physical condition.

The current Griffin has not yet reached his peak technically, but he has learned to use strength and speed to occupy a favorable position before receiving the ball. He can attack the frame immediately after receiving the pass, and complete the finish with terrifying explosive power.

As long as he wants to roll, no one can stop him, unless the opponent completely squats inside and cannot go out, but it is Paul who plays the pick-and-roll with Griffin, and no one dares to do this.

Back then Nash and Stoudemire's pick-and-roll coordination was able to cross the entire league, and today's Paul-Griffin combination is no different.

Griffin's static talent is not as good as Stoudemire's, but his dynamic talent is much better. To limit his pick-and-roll cooperation with Paul, the center must help defend, which requires others to shrink and protect rebounds.

Looking back, the Warriors attacked, Curry dribbled the ball through half court, gave the ball to Green who asked for the ball in the low post, and then ran to the weak side. Cover, Clay, who is on the weak side at 45 degrees, uses Butler's cover to go to the bottom corner to attract the attention of the Clippers' weak-side players.

This is the opening move of the three players on the strong side of the Warriors, and it is also one of the tactics they like to use very much at the beginning.

Curry moved a few steps to the weak side, then immediately ran back to the strong side, and Chandler had already settled on the three-point line.

But Paul saw through the Warriors' tactical purpose, took a few steps forward, blocked Curry and Green, cut off the passing route of the two, and also delayed Curry's running position, successfully destroying the Warriors' first pass. A wave of tactics.

The Warriors' second play ensued, with Curry taking Paul to the sideline, Green passing the ball to Chandler, running to the top of the key, Chandler passing back to Green, and immediately sinking.

Green sideways protected the ball with both hands and waved to Curry. Curry immediately moved in Green's direction as if to cooperate with him. Griffin immediately took two steps to block Curry's position in advance.

But at this moment, Green suddenly turned around, completely shook off Griffin, and strode into the interior. The Clippers players all focused on Curry. Green dunked successfully without defense, 2: 2.

When Green landed, he flexed his arms triumphantly, showing off his muscular muscles to the fans on the baseline, who were booed.

Griffin shook his head in exasperation. Green's fake pass to Curry completely fooled him.

Paul ran over, patted Griffin, and comforted:

"It's okay, Blake, just be more careful next time, he can't steal the chicken every time."

Griffin nodded, feeling relieved of the depression in his heart.

The Clippers attacked, Paul and Jordan picked and rolled, the Warriors continued to switch defenses, Paul singled out Chandler, missed a mid-range jumper, the rebound was grabbed by Green, and the Warriors immediately pushed to counterattack.

But the Clippers retreated very quickly. The moment Paul shot, Caron Butler and Willie Green retreated to the backcourt. After the Warriors grabbed the rebound, they had already stopped Curry In front of Butler, the Warriors can only fight on the ground.

Still pass and cut, Green dealt the card at the top of the arc, Curry ran without the ball on the strong side, which involved the Clippers' defense, Clay cut to the basket from the weak side, received Green's pass for a layup, and missed under Jordan's interference .

Looking back, Caron Butler singled Butler, missed a mid-range shot, and the rebound bounced into Curry's hands.

The Warriors attack, Curry and Chandler play a pick-and-roll, Jordan doesn't come out, Paul is firmly blocked by Chandler, Curry uses the screen to make a three-pointer, the strength is a little lighter, and the basketball hits the front of the basket , bounced out and was captured by Griffin under the basket.

Round transition, Paul and Griffin pick-and-roll, Griffin dismantles the false screen ahead of time, catches Paul's pass and makes an alley-oop dunk, which catches the Warriors by surprise, 4:2.

The Warriors attacked, Curry handed the ball to Green at 45 degrees, ran an elevator door tactic, got an open opportunity at the top of the arc, made a three-pointer, and hit the net hollow, 5:4.

Looking back, Griffin wanted to play another false screen and dismantle it early, but Green had already taken precautions and stuck close to him, giving him no chance to pass.

Paul singled Clay, broke through to the three-point line, Curry swiped his card to help defend, Paul passed the ball out to Willie Green, who caught the ball and shot, but unfortunately missed a little, and hit the iron with a three-pointer.

The long rebound bounced into Butler's hands, and the Warriors pushed to counterattack. Clay hit a 45-degree three-pointer from the left, 8:4.

"Good job, Clay!" Zhang Yu applauded vigorously from the sidelines.

Clay's current three-point shots are much more resolute than in the past. Just now, Willie Green followed Clay's side for the shot, but he directly ignored Willie Green's interference, relying on the advantage of height and wingspan , catch the ball while running, without making any adjustments, make a three-pointer against the defense, and shoot with confidence.

Afterwards, the Warriors continued to focus on passing and cutting offense. The Splash Brothers tore through the Clippers' defense by running positions, looking for offensive opportunities while also creating opportunities for teammates.

But at this moment, Paul began to play.

Through the pick-and-roll with Jordan, he called Chandler out, hit the three-point line and the mid-range, and succeeded in a row, quickly smoothing the point difference.

Under the pursuit of Paul and Willie Green, it is difficult for Curry and Clay to get easy open opportunities. The Clippers have Jordan guarding the interior, and the success rate of air cuts is not high. The Warriors' offense gradually stagnates. .

With 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the Clippers took a 7-point lead after Paul swayed away from Green and made a long two-pointer. The cheers at the Staples Center became louder:

"Chris, kill them!"

"Just play like this, what defending champion, this is Los Angeles, it's our territory!"

Zhang Yu listened to the cheers of the fans, and spread his hands to Cole beside him:
"You can see, Steve, Chuanqie can't open the situation, and adjustments must be made."

Cole shook his head and said very sincerely:

"Wait a little longer. Stephen ran out of chance several times, but Clay, Jimmy and the others passed the ball a little slower, which shows that they have this awareness, but their execution is not in place. It just happened to be with the help of the Clippers. It’s really not enough to adjust the tactics, and in the second half, let Stephen hold the ball to attack, and there is still time.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly:

"Well, our opponents can't always give Stephen such a good ball-holding environment. Off-the-ball offense will be an important means for him to ensure his scoring output, and this requires other people to pass the ball to him in time. Lay, Jimmy's ability to handle the ball, when the playoffs, Stephen's offensive environment will become better..."

Afterwards, Zhang Yu stood still, and the Warriors continued to pass and cut. Everyone kept running on the field, continued to pass the ball, and patiently looked for the best scoring opportunities.

Under the Clippers' focused defense, the efficiency of passing and cutting is not high, and passing errors often occur.

But in the process, the Warriors players have a deeper understanding of passing and cutting, and everyone's awareness of sharing the ball and ability to handle the ball are gradually improving. Even Chandler, who has always been accustomed to the blue-collar style of play, has begun to pay attention to finding open space. teammate.

After the first quarter, the Clippers led the Warriors by 32 points at 24:8, establishing a considerable lead.

Zhang Yu greeted the players leaving the field and shook his head helplessly. He didn't expect that he would also play pass and cut for the sake of playing pass and cut one day.

But he doesn't regret it. He is different from Cole. Cole regards Chuanqie as a goal, while he uses Chuanqie as a means.

Passing and cutting can cultivate players' tactical awareness and ability to handle the ball. After the Warriors' passing and cutting system is proficient, all five players on the Warriors field can shoot, handle the ball, and have a selfless sense of sharing the ball. will become extremely scary.

But if you want to get such a team, you must pay a price, and the tempering of the game is an indispensable part.

The Warriors in Zhang Yu's previous life also fell in the playoffs for two consecutive years before finally rising. Curry, Clay and Green learned a lot of failure experience and lessons in the process, gradually grew up, and established the Warriors Dynasty.

Now, the Warriors are the defending champions, but that is more due to Curry's dimensionality reduction blow beyond the times. Although the growth of Clay, Green, Butler and others is much faster than that of the same period, they are still far from their peak period. There is still a long way to go, and there is much room for improvement.

Zhang Yu is happy to use the regular season to train them. Curry can support them now. When the playoffs come, they will repay Curry's sacrifice even more.

……

After the start of the second quarter, the two sides sent out a rotation lineup. The Clippers were led by Crawford, and the Warriors were led by Jeremy Lin and Leonard.

After playing the Kings game, Zhang Yu gave Leonard the right to play mid-range singles. Now he is not just a 3D player, he can attack with the ball if he has the opportunity, but Jeremy Lin still controls the ball in the transition period of the Warriors. hands.

After Curry was injured last season, Jeremy Lin temporarily replaced the Warriors as the starting point guard. The voices of the six were loud.

But Crawford turned out to be the best sixth man in the Clippers. It is generally believed that as long as his performance can continue, even if he declines a little, he is definitely the best sixth man.

After all, Jeremy Lin's status in the Warriors is not as important as Crawford's status in the Clippers. He is only responsible for supporting the scene with a substitute when Curry is off the court, and the Clippers rely heavily on Crawford's scoring in the transition period.

The confrontation between the two candidates for the best sixth man is also a highlight of this game, but Zhang Yu has swept away the interest of the fans. He sent Tony Allen to defend Crawford closely. There is also a Leonard watching, completely strangling Crawford's scoring.

Crawford's scoring methods are indeed rich, and his movement and control skills are also superb, but under the care of two of the best perimeter defenders in the league, he is still completely misfired.

However, no one in the Clippers can limit Jeremy Lin's performance. Jeremy Lin, who has not suffered any injuries, has maintained an excellent state, with extremely fast speed, sharp breakthroughs, and continuous impact on Jordan and Griffin. After leaving the field, the Clippers became empty inside. , Successfully made consecutive kills, and the point difference quickly narrowed.

Leonard also took advantage of his strength and took Matt Barnes with his back. His fadeaway jumper was still very stiff, but his wide frame, thick body, and excellent wingspan made it easy for Leonard He can create space for his hands, and then use his big hands to gently move the basketball and send it into the basket.

第二节打到7分钟时，勇士已经完全追回了分差，以39:37领先快船2分，短短时间内打了快船一个15:5的进攻高潮。

De Nagro couldn't sit still anymore. He took advantage of a dead ball opportunity to switch back to the main force, but left Crawford on the field and replaced Willie Green. This is what he can put on The strongest lineup.

After the Clippers started playing, the effect was immediate, and they quickly overtook the Warriors by 2 points. Zhang Yu didn't wait for the chance of a dead ball, so he called a timeout and changed back to the main force.

In the last 6 minutes of the second quarter, the Warriors still focused on passing and cutting, and continued to adapt their tactics to exercise the players' awareness of sharing the ball and their ability to handle the ball.

The Clippers did not hold back at all. Paul frequently launched pick-and-rolls with Griffin and Jordan Jr. Crawford singled Curry and Griffin singles. The lead was established before the end of the first half.

After playing all the cards, De Nagro got his wish. At the end of the second quarter, the Clippers led the Warriors by 63 points at 56:7.

In the face of the Clippers' highly disciplined defense, the Warriors made too many offensive mistakes in passing and cutting, and were often counterattacked by the Clippers.

In the previous three seasons, the Warriors also played pass-and-cut tactics, but not much. That is, when they played against fish belly in the regular season, they played a lot of pass-and-cut tactics to give full play to their advantage of being invincible. But as long as the opponent is a little stronger, Zhang Yu The ball will be handed over to Curry, let him attack with the ball, and the others are mainly responsible for opening up the space.

This is actually a ball-holding big core style of play. Curry also used the league's only three-pointer production and efficiency to support the Warriors' offense.

But this also means that the Warriors play too few passes and cuts, and have not experienced the test of high-level defense. It is more like a variant of Curry's breakthrough and scoring. The players' cooperation is not tacit enough, and the awareness of sharing the ball is relatively weak. It takes time temper.

During the halftime break, the atmosphere in the Warriors locker room was a bit gloomy. In the first half, the Clippers frequently countered and overwhelmed their opponents in their best way, which made the Warriors players a little frustrated.

Zhang Yu did not comfort them, and directly arranged the tactics for the second half:
"Stephen, you will hold the ball later, play more pick-and-rolls with Tyson, the others will open up the space, stay focused on the defensive end, try to make mistakes and counterattack. At the end of the third quarter, I don't want to see the Clippers lead again. !"