warrior godfather

The rhetoric released by Thomas Jr. aroused praise from the Warriors fans. After Jeremy Lin was injured, they were worried about the offense of the team's rotation, but after Thomas Jr. scored 21+6, this worry disappeared.

Last season, Thomas Jr. served as the Warriors' backup point guard when Curry was injured.

But he was only a first-year rookie at the time, averaging only 8.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game, unable to support the offense of the team's rotation.

After a summer of hard training, Thomas Jr.'s strength has been greatly improved. In the first game to replace Jeremy Lin, he played such an outstanding performance that all doubts in the hearts of Warriors fans.

And Thomas Jr. did not stop his progress.

On December 12, the Warriors came to Charlotte to challenge the Bobcats away.

The Bobcats have not made the playoffs in the past two seasons, and last season they ranked first in the Eastern Conference with a shocking record of 7 wins and 59 losses. But what is even more tragic is that they did not get the No. Failed.

However, the performance of the Bobcats this season is stronger than before. Before that, their record was 7 wins and 12 losses. Although they are still in the lottery area, they can be ranked No. The eighth Bucks in the Eastern Conference are only 11 games behind, so it's not that they have no hope of making the playoffs.

However, they are only one game away from the Pistons, Raptors, and Cavaliers behind them. If they are not careful, their rankings will drop sharply.

Unfortunately, the Bobcats met the Warriors at this time. Facing the huge gap in strength, they had little resistance and lost the game without any suspense.

小托马斯作为替补控卫出战23分钟，13投6中，三分7中3，罚球3中3，砍下18分4助攻1篮板3抢断，表现非常出色。

However, Thomas is not the most dazzling performance in the Warriors. Curry, who returned to his hometown, showed a very strong desire to attack. He played 31 minutes, made 23 of 15 shots, 13 of 10 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and slashed. With 42 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, he clocked in three quarters and led the Warriors to a 123:97 victory over the Bobcats, their second ten-game winning streak!
The victory of this game also made the Warriors the first team in the league to win 20 games. With a record of 20 wins and 1 loss, they ranked No. 1 in the league.

Behind the Warriors is the Heat, which ranks second in the league with 18 wins and 3 losses, and they will also be the Warriors' opponents in the next game.

……

In the early morning of December 12th, Miami, American Airlines Center.

In a slightly dimly lit office with the curtains drawn, Spoelstra focused on watching the video of the Warriors game being played on the laptop screen in front of him.

pat.

Suddenly, he presses the space bar, the replay pauses, and it freezes at the scene where Curry uses Chandler to cover, circles to the top of the arc, cooperates hand-in-hand with Green, and receives Green's pass.

Spoelstra stared intently at the screen while moving the mouse, moving the arrow twice between Curry, Chandler, and Green, and the positions of Clay and Butler, who put their weak sides to each other as screens After I marked it, I nodded thoughtfully, picked up a ballpoint pen, and started to record in my notebook, muttering to myself:
"Dynamic offense under the blessing of space, running without the ball under a lot of cover, focusing on the combination of inside and outside..."

He recorded the Warriors' offensive characteristics he had summed up, then dragged the video, and continued to study the Warriors' game video.

This time, Spoelstra put his attention on Thomas Jr., who has a very strong interest in the Warriors' new backup point guard who is only 1 meters tall.

In his view, if the Heat want to defeat the Warriors, it falls on Thomas Jr.

As the video progressed a little bit, Spoelstra's expression became more and more relieved. He picked up a ballpoint pen and wrote in his notebook:
"Strong explosive power, excellent core strength, strong body, very flexible, good at seeking physical confrontation... But the height is too short, the wingspan is average, the vision is narrow, and he can target on the defensive end..."

After finishing writing, Spoelstra put down the pen, shook his neck, and moved his stiff cervical spine. Looking at the characteristics of little Thomas in the notebook, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

Thomas Jr.'s scoring ability is indeed very good, especially when the height of 1 meters is used as the standard.

However, basketball is a sport for long men after all, and Thomas Jr. is too short and his weaknesses are too obvious. He has found a way to deal with Thomas Jr., and he is a little more sure of winning the Warriors.

Feeling his numb body due to sitting for a long time, Spoelstra told himself that he must pay attention to the time next time, then raised his left wrist, looked at his watch, and found that he had watched the video for three hours.

"02:30, it's already so late, Nicky must have fallen asleep, after the Warriors, I have to relax..." Spoelstra turned off the computer, sighed softly, and muttered a few words.

Thinking of the cheerleading girlfriend with a hot body, he couldn't help feeling a burst of heat in his heart.

But for work, in order to win the Warriors, he had to stay up all night watching videos, and the in-depth communication with his girlfriend could only be put after the game.

Spoelstra hastily packed his things, walked out of the office, and when he passed Pat Riley's office, he recalled the conversation with Pat Riley yesterday, and the thoughts in his heart slowly disappeared.

Yesterday, the Heat defeated the Eagles 101:92 at home, achieving two consecutive victories and consolidating the No. [-] ranking in the Eastern Conference. Just when Spoelstra was happy, Pat Riley came to his office and said said:
"Eric, the game the day after tomorrow is the top priority. This is the first time we have played against the Warriors since we lost the Finals. Although we are now No. [-] in the Eastern Conference, the team is working very well. Trades and signings are worth the money, but if you lose to the Warriors, the confidence that is not easy to build inside the team will disappear in an instant, and the fans will not be satisfied. I hope the team can win this game."

The smile on Spoelstra's face also slowly disappeared:

"Pat, the Warriors are in very good shape now, I can only do my best..."

He really wanted to say that we will definitely win, but he has been following the Warriors' games since the start of the season, knowing the strength of the Warriors, and dared not make such a promise.

Pat Riley heard the words, but he didn't feel dissatisfied at all, but nodded:
"Very well, do your best. Both Dwayne and Chris are back to their best condition. I believe that you will not let me down."

Spoelstra hesitated, then said:

"But in the playoffs, Dwayne's state..."

Pat Riley interrupted him:

"We'll talk about this matter at a later time. The most important thing now is to win the Warriors. I have already communicated with LeBron. You can use him casually in the next game. It doesn't matter if you play all the time. You have to prepare with the attitude of preparing for the finals." Game plan, understand?"

Spoelstra was a little confused:

"But this is just a regular season, there is no need to take it so seriously. I understand LeBron's desire for revenge, but I think our purpose should be to test the Warriors' tactics and prepare for the finals-if we and If the Warriors meet in the Finals."

Pat Riley pondered for a moment, lowering his voice slightly:
"I understand what you mean. This matter has something to do with Nike. Stephen Curry is too strong now. In a few months, Under Armor will release his signature shoes. Nike is taking every opportunity to suppress him. ..."

Spoelstra suddenly realized:

"I know, since LeBron is fine, I'll let him play more."

"Winning is of course the best, but the focus is still on testing our own tactics and testing the strength of the Warriors. After signing Ray Allen, we have no opponents in the East, and with the current posture of the Warriors Look, they are very likely to rush out of the West again, and the Finals is when we really compete with the Warriors, and now it’s just a preparation for the future.”

"I get it, I will put the interests of the team first."

Pat Riley smiled with satisfaction:

"Very good, in short, try to do it, but don't really be desperate for winning. Chris and Dwayne's playing time still needs to be controlled. Let LeBron play. He also needs to prove his strength. It's been two years, and this year the team's lineup has reached a limit, and I have to pay more than 3000 million in luxury taxes, and my patience is about to run out..."

Spoelstra was shocked when he saw Pat Laili's gradually turning cold.

In 2005, Pat Riley was traded to O'Neal. Stan Van Gundy suddenly announced that he had resigned as the head coach of the Heat due to "personal reasons". won the championship.

Spoelstra was an assistant coach with the Heat at the time, and he saw that look on Pat Riley's face before Stan Van Gundy resigned.

……

On the second night, in a hotel not far from the American Airlines Center.

Zhang Yu lay comfortably on the sofa, and on the coffee table in front of him was a mobile phone with hands-free.

This morning, the Warriors flew from Charlotte to Miami and had two hours of light training in the afternoon, mainly to maintain their state.

In the evening, Zhang Yu finally had some free time. After dinner, he called Larry Riley.

"Doo-doo-Ronan, do you have anything to do with me?"

After a while, the phone was connected, Zhang Yu sat up a little bit, and raised his voice slightly:
"Larry, there is something you need to do. After Jeremy was injured, Isaiah took his place. We lack a third point guard. See if there is a suitable free agent."

"Okay, what do you want?"

"There must be basic field control ability, and the offensive end cannot be without threat. I'm not looking for someone who just looks at the water cooler. Isaiah's scoring ability is very strong, but he also has his own shortcomings. Our third point guard will not Lack of opportunities to play."

"Then it's a bit difficult to handle. It's already December, but all players with some ability have been signed. Those who haven't signed the contract are either undrafted by no one's interest, or they are cut off. It's hard to find a player who meets your requirements." Larry Riley sounded very embarrassed.

Zhang Yu said helplessly:
"Then you try to find it. It's really not good. As long as you have basic ball control, Jeremy's injury disrupted the rotation plan I arranged for Stephen. I need a third point guard to reduce Stephen's regular season. Consume..."

"If you just need a guard who can hold the ball across the court, then I really have a candidate." Larry Riley said suddenly.

"Who?"

"Sean Livingston, you should know him, right? He was just waived by the Wizards two days ago and has not yet signed a contract with other teams. If you agree, we can sign him. Although his strength has declined Great, but as the third point guard, there should be no problem..."

"Okay! You can contact him immediately and sign him for three years... No, first sign a one-year minimum salary, hurry up, I hope he can join the team within two days, in time for our back-to-back second game against the Hawks. Before Larry Riley finished speaking, Zhang Yu immediately accepted his proposal.

"Uh...Okay, I'll contact Sean Livingston's agent right away, but don't have too much hope for him, he has suffered serious injuries, and has been wandering in the league for the past few years, and his performance is getting worse and worse. It's getting worse and worse, I haven't been able to gain a foothold in a team, and my strength is very limited..."

"It doesn't matter. I know his characteristics very well. You hurry up and sign him. I need him to join the team as soon as possible. He will be very useful."

"...Okay, I'll do it right away."

After hanging up the phone, Larry Riley stared at Zhang Yu's name on the phone screen for a while, then shook his head.

He didn't understand why Zhang Yu suddenly became so interested in Sean Livingston. He was a former genius who fell due to a serious injury. What contribution does the team make?
Larry Riley couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it, and immediately followed Zhang Yu's instructions to contact Livingston's agent.

An hour later, he called Zhang Yu back:

"Ronan, I have already negotiated with Livingston's agent. Livingston will come to Oakland tomorrow."

"So fast?" Zhang Yu asked in surprise.

"It's still slow. It took me half an hour to get the contact information of Livingston's agent, otherwise it could be faster. Don't forget, he is a player who was cut and desperate to play. As long as a team offers him an olive branch, he will take it, not to mention we offer him a fully guaranteed contract."

Zhang Yu beamed with joy:

"Very well, you sign him as soon as possible, then conduct a medical examination, and send him directly to Atlanta, and the team will join him at that time."

"No problem." Larry Riley agreed, "But it will take time. Jeremy's injury exception has to be applied to the league. Livingston's signing will take two days to complete. He may not have time to talk to other people. If you train together, you have to go to the field..."

"It doesn't matter, as long as you can catch up with the game, you can do it."

Zhang Yu put down his phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

His luck was really good. It just happened that Livingston was cut by the Wizards and hadn't found a vacancy for his next home.

Zhang Yu has always been very fond of this warrior, one of the "Second Elders of Xuanming", and knows his career quite well.

If he remembers correctly, Livingston re-proved himself in the Cavaliers, and then signed a one-year minimum salary with the Nets. Three championships are the pinnacle of the Warriors' bench.

His turning straight arm jumper is a unique skill, with a picturesque posture and a high success rate. It is one of the very important scoring methods for the Warriors in the transition period, and it can often come in handy in the playoffs.

It is impossible for Iguodala to come to the Warriors. His salary is too high. Zhang Yu has better forward candidates. Zhang Yu will never let go of his chance.

……

December 12, 12:[-] p.m.

In 15 minutes, the game between the Warriors and the Heat is about to start.

The auditorium at the American Airlines Center was packed. Even the Miami fans who always like to be late came to the scene early today, wanting to witness the Heat's revenge.

They couldn't figure out why the Heat clearly formed the Big Three at their peak, but why they couldn't win the championship. Two years later, they couldn't even win a championship, not even the Celtics' old version of the Big Three.

However, the Heat this season finally gave fans hope.

In the first two seasons, the Heat were always under the pressure of the Bulls in the regular season. Although they reached the Finals in the end, they fell behind the Bulls by 2:3 consecutively in the Eastern Conference Finals, and each time they reached the tiebreaker It was a thrilling comeback, which made the Heat fans in fear.

And since the start of this season, the Heat have ascended to the top of the Eastern Conference with an extremely strong posture, firmly pressing the Bulls under them, and in the regular season, they have shown a mentality that is determined to win the Eastern Conference. In two seasons, the attitude of not caring much about the regular season.

However, what makes Heat fans dissatisfied is that the Heat are only number one in the Eastern Conference, but not the number one in the league.

Since the start of the season, the Warriors have taken the No. [-] position in the league with an unstoppable attitude.

As the season progressed, the gap between the Heat and the Warriors not only did not narrow, but gradually widened.

The Warriors' terrifying record of 20 wins and 1 loss, like a heavy mountain, has been pressing on the hearts of Heat fans.

What makes them even more dissatisfied is that some people are now discussing whether the Warriors can surpass the Bulls' record of 72 wins and 10 losses.

Watching those commentators, commentators, and celebrities discussing how likely the Warriors are to break the Bulls' record on the Internet, Heat fans have the urge to punch them in the nose.

Only a quarter of the season has passed, and the Warriors have only won 20 games. You start to brag about the Warriors like this without any professionalism!

To their relief, there are only a few who are optimistic about the Warriors. More celebrities and commentators do not think that the Warriors can break the Bulls' record. Pippen said bluntly:
"People now may have forgotten the dominance of the Bulls. We only lost ten games in one season and dominated the league in one season. The Warriors are still far behind. I have to remind them that this season just started!"

Barkley also stated:

"I really appreciate the strength of the Warriors, but I really don't like the fans in the Bay Area. Their remarks are very uncomfortable. The Warriors are one of the strongest teams in NBA history. Coach Z is comparable to Phil Jackson... Please, The Warriors have only played well for two or three years. They couldn’t even make the playoffs three years ago! You should keep a low profile and avoid recruiting the Warriors. They are indeed a strong team and the defending champions, but they are as great as they are , is not even close to being the strongest in history!"

Their remarks immediately caused a counterattack from Warriors fans. Many people went to Barkley and Pippen's social media to leave messages:

"Scott, shut your mouth, I thought you led the Bulls to dominate the 90s, without Michael Jordan, you are nothing!"

"Chuck, you have the ability to come to the streets of Oakland alone. Oaklanders have always been very hospitable, and we will treat you well!"

"My God, why are these famous people always favoring the past and the present? I have seen the game videos of the 90s. They don't run tactics at all, they just huddle together under the basket. If Stephen goes back to the past, he can play every game. Cut 50 points!"

"Man, I totally agree with you. These old bastards don't understand the importance of space. They only think about the basket, the basket and the basket! Only Shaquille O'Neal and Isiah Thomas appreciate the greatness of Curry !"

But before the game against the Heat, this antagonism gradually disappeared, because people began to discuss whether Curry is now No. 1 in the league. Agreement was reached.

If single-season MVP+FMVP+scoring champion+one team is not No.1 in the league, then who else is eligible to be called No.1 in the league?
Although Curry's rookie contract is not over yet, although his career is only three years, and although his style of play is unconventional, those celebrities, coaches, and commentators who uphold old-school concepts have to admit that Curry is now the leader of the league. No. 1!
Even Popovich, who has always sneered at three-pointers, said in an interview:

"Yeah, I would never take the [-]-pointer, I insist that the [-]-pointer taints basketball, it's just a sideshow ... but when I see Curry play, I see Jordan, and that's what I feel about it. His evaluation... What? You ask me why the Spurs shoot so many three-pointers? Because shooting three-pointers can win, it's that simple..."

Barkley also reluctantly said:
"Curry is indeed No.1 in the league now. I can't ignore his achievements last season, but this is only limited to the regular season. If he fails to defend the MVP or the championship, we need to re-evaluate his strength. ..."

But even though there are so many celebrities and coaches who recognize Curry as No. 1 in the league, some Heat fans have different opinions on this:

"Curry was lucky to win a championship. If Bosh was not injured and kept in shape, and Wade was not overdrawn, could Curry win the championship? Let's talk about it after he proves that he can beat the healthy Big Three!"

"That's right, Curry has only been playing for a few years? An MVP can also get it, and the defense is a colander, and he is also No. 1 in the league? Now he doesn't even dare to take the ball. He ran to play without the ball. Hand, I have it in the world, it is really domineering!!"

These people immediately attracted rebuttals from Warriors fans:

"What champion is James?"

"Yes, Curry must be recognized by you, otherwise he is not worthy of playing in the NBA. You know the ball best!"

"James is really domineering when he is running, he is also very domineering when he releases the ball with eight points, and he is the most domineering when he is hanged in the finals!"

Under the screenshots of live broadcast decisions, eight points in a single game, and James' finals record, Zhan Mi was speechless and could only avoid the truth:
"Anyway, it is disgraceful for Curry to win, if he has the ability, he will win again!"

"Aren't you all unhappy in life? Black James is interesting? You can't see how self-disciplined and hard-working he is? Do you have any heart!?"

These weak remarks caused a burst of ridicule again, making them afraid to face each other again, they could only suppress their anger, and hoped that the Heat would win the game.

Now is the round that belongs to the Warriors fans. Only when the Heat win the game can it be the Heat fans' turn to gain the upper hand. At that time, they must get this account back!