warrior godfather

Chapter 565 Playoff Situation

"The situation is not good..." Schwartz said in a low voice, "Stephen suffered a second-degree strain of the medial collateral ligament of his left knee and will be absent for at least six weeks. He will not be able to return to the game until June. ... Ronan? Are you listening, Ronan?"

Zhang Yu listened to Schwartz's call, but did not respond.

After a long silence, he said with difficulty:
"Fake!"

……

On the same day, the news of Curry’s second-degree strain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee spread like wildfire. Woshen was the first to expose the news. No one knew where he got the news, but he always Can rush in front of everyone, insight into the secrets of each team.

When people learned that Curry will be absent for at least six weeks, they all made the same judgment-the Warriors are over.

Warriors fans are in mourning. Six weeks later, it will be June. If the Warriors have not been eliminated by then, they must already be playing in the finals. But the key is, without Curry, can the Warriors still reach the finals all the way?

When they saw the rankings in the West, they fell silent just like Zhang Yu.

The Warriors' opponent in the first round is the Mavericks (note), needless to say, this must be a tough battle.

Nowitzki is getting old, and his performance in the regular season will have ups and downs, but he only played one round of the series, and he is still the superstar who has no solution for shooting.

After Curry was injured, the Warriors had no stars who could match Nowitzki. In the playoffs, where stars are king, they suffered too much.

What these Warriors fans don't know is that in Zhang Yu's previous life, this Mavericks team was the only team that reached the tiebreaker with the final champion Spurs, and the final score difference in many games was within 5 points. If the Mavericks are lucky, the Spurs are likely to be eliminated by the Black Eight.

The first round was also the biggest challenge for the Spurs. After that, the three opponents did not force the Spurs to the tiebreaker. In the finals, the Spurs even won the easiest round of the series.

However, Warriors fans have not yet realized how severe challenges the Warriors will experience in the first round. Their attention is more on the top teams in the Western Conference.

The Clippers are ranked third in the Western Conference. Their opponent in the first round will be the Grizzlies, which is ranked sixth in the Western Conference. If there is no accident, it will not be a problem to advance to the second round. If the Warriors can eliminate the Mavericks, there is a high probability that they will meet the Clippers .

In the eyes of Warriors fans, this is the biggest difficulty for the Warriors.

In the regular season, the Warriors can win no matter how they play against the Clippers. That is because the Warriors have Curry. He is the Clippers' nemesis. Why is one of the hottest title contenders.

The Clippers' starting five scored more than 11 points, and Jordan, who had the lowest output, was the most efficient and had almost no weaknesses on the offensive end.

Paul averaged 18+10 per game and controlled the field very stably. Griffin averaged 52.1 points, 24.1 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 3.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game with a 0.6% shooting rate, 6 points more than last season , as if sitting on the position of the first power forward.

In the absence of Curry, the Warriors can only use Clay and Leonard to match the Clippers' internal and external dual-core, which is more than inferior.

But if the Warriors are really united and perform at a super level, or the Clippers themselves have problems, the Warriors really pass the Clippers, and the Thunder, which has a high probability of reaching the Western Conference Finals, will also be the biggest obstacle for the Warriors to enter the finals. It is no longer within the consideration of Warriors fans.

Commentators have also looked down on the Warriors' playoff prospects. Almost no one thinks that the Warriors can wait until Curry returns. Even O'Neal, who firmly supports the Warriors, expressed regret:

"The Warriors can't reach the Finals without Curry. The Mavericks will definitely want to avenge their being hacked. The Clippers and Thunder are both strong teams at the championship level... Maybe we can only look forward to it, Z Can the coach bring us some surprises, maybe he will arrange some wonderful tactics to let the Warriors go as far as possible..."

Although Stevens is the head coach of the Eastern Conference team, his relationship with Zhang Yu and Curry is well known. The reporter also asked him his opinion on Curry's injury in the interview. Stevens replied:

"I have already called Steph, this is an accident that no one wants to see, especially when the playoffs are about to start, Steph's injury is the loss of the entire NBA, I hope he can recover soon and return to the On the field... But based on my understanding of Ronan, he will never let Stephen come back in a hurry. He always puts the health of the players first. Stephen's return will be a very cautious process. Maybe we It's going to be a long wait to see him back on the field..."

"Brad, under your coaching, the Bulls won the No. [-] record in the Eastern Conference, and this is only your first time coaching an NBA team. What is the reason for your success?" The reporter turned to ask about the Bulls.

Stevens said:

"It has to be attributed to our players. Derek is a superstar who can dominate the game. He is our brain. Jimmy injects us with tough defense and impact. Jokin is the strongest barrier inside us. Others I have also contributed a lot to the team in many ways, and I am lucky to be able to coach them..."

"Can you tell me about your goals for the playoffs?"

"We have only one goal, and that is the championship!" Stevens said categorically, "This is also the reason why I came to Chicago. If it is not for the championship, I will not leave Indiana. This is also the common goal of our team. And I believe that we will succeed!"

This season, the Bulls have a record of 63 wins and 19 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference and second in the league, leading the Pacers, who are second in the Eastern Conference, by 5 wins, showing full dominance.

Although Stevens humbly gave credit to his players, his coaching ability was the reason for the Bulls' qualitative change.

Although Stevens hadn't adapted to the NBA at the beginning of the season, he once called a short timeout at the last moment of the match, but hesitated for 20 seconds and didn't draw a tactic. All the Bulls players stared at him, and the scene was once very embarrassing .

But fortunately, under Thibodeau's coaching, Rose has long been used to deciding the offense by himself. After the timeout ended, he took the ball and called a pick-and-roll. , Folded twice in the air, dodged the defense of the opponent's center, lightly picked, wiped the board and hit a layup, winning the game.

After the game, Stevens blamed himself very much in an interview, saying that he made a very low-level mistake in the end, and it was Rose's "heroic" performance that saved the team.

But Rose expressed his firm support for Stevens. Butler, who was interviewed, also said with a smile that Stevens thought of many tactics, but he just didn't know which one to use.

It was also after that game that Stevens gradually adapted to the fast pace of the NBA and became unhurried. In the game, he showed profound tactical literacy and flexible on-the-spot adaptability. Always works.

Moreover, he is very good at handling the relationship with players. The core star of the Bulls is Rose, who does not cause trouble. Vince quickly established his prestige in the Bulls locker room and took control of the team.

Under the coaching of Stevens, the Bulls changed Thibodeau's top defense and second-rate offense when he was in office, and both offense and defense reached the top level.

Rose no longer needs to get the ball in every round and rush in, get into the crowd and then operate. Stevens deliberately adjusted the lineup, trying to arrange shooters around Rose, opening up space for him, allowing him to break through. Can be more relaxed.

Moreover, he also arranged a lot of off-ball tactics for Rose, giving full play to Rose's advantages in speed and impact, allowing him to score through air cuts, which can not only attract opponents to shrink the defensive formation, create opportunities for the Bulls' perimeter, but also Reduce the consumption of Ross holding the ball.

At the same time, Stevens copied Zhang Yu's use of Butler, and strengthened the development of Butler's organizational ability, allowing him to share Rose's pressure.

Even Noah was developed by Stevens in advance to cope with the ability. After he got the ball at the free throw line, others started running around him, which became a tactic often used by the Bulls.

Under Stevens' transformation, the Bulls' offense has become more three-dimensional, Rose's consumption has been greatly reduced, and his efficiency has also improved a lot, and others have a stronger sense of offensive participation, which in turn is more active on the defensive end. In the case of using more offensive players, the defense still maintains the top three levels in the league.

The Bulls dominate the Eastern Conference, but the Pacers should not be underestimated either. Paul George averaged 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game this season. His offense and defense are integrated, but his efficiency is not high, and his shooting percentage is only 42.6%. The performance has increased a lot, averaging 5.8 free throws per game, which is enough to support the Pacers' offense.

Under the leadership of Paul George, the Pacers ranked second in the East and fifth in the league with a record of 58 wins and 24 losses, ranking among the top two in the East for the first time.

Although the Pacers still lack a real superstar on the offensive end, their defense ranks first in the league, a tough bone that no one wants to encounter in the playoffs.

With the Pacers, the record of the Eastern Conference team appeared again. The Raptors ranked third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 51 wins and 31 losses. The Heat ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 50 wins and 32 points.

The rise of the Raptors is very sudden. They only ranked tenth in the Eastern Conference last season and did not make the playoffs. This season, they soared to the third in the Eastern Conference, even surpassing last season's runner-up Heat. They are the most surprising team. .

The outbreak of Lowry and DeRozan is the fundamental reason for the rise of the Raptors. The two have a clear division of labor. Lowry is responsible for connecting the teams, and DeRozan is responsible for scoring and attacking tough points. They have become a backcourt combination that cannot be ignored in the league.

And the Heat is even worse. Three consecutive Finals defeats have seriously hurt the Heat. The whole season is lifeless. The data of Wade and Bosh have dropped sharply. James' data has not changed, but his defense has disappeared. The Heat's record has also dropped sharply, and there is no longer the dominance of the Big Three.

However, even if the Heat performed so poorly in the regular season, many fans still believe that the Heat can at least reach the finals.

They stubbornly believe that the Big Three will show their strength far beyond the regular season in the playoffs. The Heat's downturn in the regular season is just like the Celtics in the previous two years. force.

But most people still maintain their rationality and don't believe that the Heat can make a difference, especially those commentators and celebrities. They know best how much the locker room atmosphere will be hit after a team repeatedly fails to win the championship. Especially this kind of star team.

The team after the Heat is obviously weak in strength, and there is basically no possibility of defeating the next.

The situation in the East is very clear. If there is no accident, the Bulls and Pacers will compete for the place to enter the finals. It is extremely difficult for the Heat to overtake the Bulls and the Raptors to overtake the Pacers.

Compared with the west and the east, the situation is a bit chaotic.

Curry's injury has made the Warriors' prospects for the playoffs dim. They may be blacked out by the Mavericks, but it is not impossible to wait for Curry to return. After all, no one dares to underestimate Zhang Yu. No one knows that he will win. What tactics.

But because of this, no one knows how far the Warriors can go. The Thunder, Clippers and Rockets are the most watched teams in the West.

The Thunder ranked first in the league, Durant won the scoring title, and he almost won the MVP. With the help of Westbrook, he is one of the favorites to win the championship.

Although the Clippers ranked third in the Western Conference, their record against the Warriors in the regular season was only 1 win and 3 losses, and they were defeated by Curry, but Curry's accidental injury gave them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As long as they can cross the Warriors, no matter whether they face the Thunder or the Rockets in the Western Conference Finals, the Clippers are worthy.

The Clippers have the most balanced main lineup. Although they suffer a little bit at the star level, the Rockets are strong offensively and weak defensively, and the Thunder are congested. Under Paul's helm, the Clippers have the power to fight.

The Rockets are the least optimistic team. As the season progresses, the conflicts among Harden, Howard, and Jeremy Lin over possession of the ball become more and more obvious, and the Rockets' record is also affected by this.

The Clippers rank third in the West with a record of 60 wins and 22 losses. The Rockets' record is only 56 wins and 28 losses, which is 4 games behind the Clippers, forming a significant gap.

Therefore, the outside world generally believes that the Clippers and Thunder will get two places in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors are a variable, and the Rockets have difficulty even beating the Blazers, and it is almost impossible to enter the Western Conference Finals.

The Blazers have achieved a record of 54 wins and 28 losses, only 2 wins behind the Rockets. Their lineup is also very balanced, somewhat similar to the Clippers. Lillard and Aldridge form a dual-core inside and outside, Batum, Matthews It is Lillard's two major guards, Robin Lopez, as the defensive pillar, propped up the Blazers' inside defense.

However, Rockets fans are still very confident that the Rockets will pass the Trail Blazers.

The Rockets have two superstars, Harden and Howard, and Harden has the strength comparable to a superstar in the hearts of fans. Isn't it easy to handle a small trailblazer?
They have already discussed how to play the Thunder in the semifinals in their own forums, and automatically ignore the young people in the Blazers.

As for the teams behind the Trail Blazers, they pose little threat to the top teams in the Western Conference. Only this round of the series between the Mavericks and the Warriors has attracted the most attention.

Everyone wants to know what kind of performance the Warriors without Curry can perform in the playoffs.

They even want to know whether the strength of the Warriors stems from Curry or Zhang Yu.

　Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

　　Note: There was a typo in the previous chapter. The Mavericks ranked seventh in the West, which has been corrected.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)