warrior godfather

Chapter 609 Accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger

The result of the first game of the Western Conference Finals was unexpected. People thought that the Clippers would lose, but they didn't expect the Clippers to lose so badly.

The Warriors settled the battle in only three quarters. If Zhang Yu hadn't been cautious, the main force would not even have to play in the fourth quarter.

Curry 24 points, Leonard 21 points, Clay 20 points, Antetokounmpo 15 points, Green 14 points, the scoring is very average.

The defense of the Clippers' five small lineups is so poor that Curry doesn't even have to exert himself. He shoots a few three-pointers, attracts the defense, passes the ball to his teammates, and the Warriors win.

In contrast to the Clippers, Griffin scored 23 points in 21 shots, Paul had 15 points, Iguodala had 10 points, and none of the others scored in double figures.

After Rivers replaced Jordan, the frame protection finally improved, but the perimeter defense had problems again, and the offense became more constipated. Not only did he fail to recover the point difference, the game also went straight into garbage time.

In the post-match interview, a reporter asked Rivers why the Clippers lost. Rivers said:

"We just won a fierce tiebreaker two days ago, and we haven't recovered from the exhaustion, which seriously affected our performance. The Warriors rested for a week, and we were able to take the lead in the first half. , it's hard to come by..."

He attributed all the reasons to the physical consumption of the Clippers players, without mentioning the shortcomings of the Clippers lineup at all.

In the second half, Rivers was still not in the fifth grade. Curry trained Jordan and scored 17 points in the third quarter, widening the point difference to 24 points.

"The offense is good, but the interior defense is relatively weak. We have strengthened the attack on the penalty area and achieved results. If the Clippers go to the fifth team again, I will not be polite."

Of course Rivers knew why the Clippers lost, but he couldn't bluntly say that the Warriors' lineup was too good and the Clippers' lineup was too bad, which would seriously damage the team's morale.

The Clippers fans vented their emotions in the live broadcast room, but it did not affect Rivers' formation. The Clippers have always been five players, but they replaced Matt Barnes with Ke Lawford, stepped up the offense.

In this high-intensity confrontation, the Bulls relied on tough defense and gradually gained the advantage.

Under such a huge pressure of public opinion, Rivers couldn't bear it anymore. He was a dead horse as a living horse doctor, and finally made adjustments. G3 abandoned the fifth player and reused Jordan.

Owen has top-notch movement and control skills, top-level shooting, and is good at singles. However, as a point guard, he lacks field control and organizational skills.

The crowd responded with high fighting spirit, but they disagreed on who the opponent was.

On the other hand, the Clippers are still a duo between Paul and Griffin. Paul scored 19 points on 23 shots and Griffin scored 24 points on 25 shots. No one scored in double figures.

In the end, the Warriors beat the Clippers 124:97, leading 3:0 and getting the match point.

"Why didn't you play Jordan, the inside line was smashed by the Warriors, do you understand Wu Xiao?"

Many people went to the official account of the Clippers, and left messages under Rivers’ social media account, questioning why he was obsessed with the fifth minor. Jordan frame guard.

After 5 minutes in the first quarter, the Warriors led by 8 points. Jordan couldn't defend the frame, and the offensive end was emptied, which completely became a burden.

Neither the Cavaliers nor the Bulls are short of stars. It depends on whose star is in better condition and whose tactics are more subtle.

After the first half, the Warriors led by 15 points. Under the Warriors' strict defense, Griffin only scored 9 points, and Paul only scored 9 points.

On May 5, the Cavaliers and the Bulls started their sixth game.

Rose scored 32 points and Butler scored 24 points, overshadowing Irving and James who scored 23 and 26 points respectively.

The Cavaliers finally got the open space they dreamed of from outside. Love, Smith, and Shumpert shot when they caught the ball, but they repeatedly hit the iron.

This time, the Cavaliers fans finally stopped spraying him, and Love finally got back his name as the Big Three, although he doesn't know how long he can keep this time.

But Stevens resolutely did not change his strategy, preferring to let Irving and James score instead of giving the Cavaliers an open three-pointer from the outside.

After a 1:1 tie, the battlefield shifted to Cleveland, where the Cavaliers sat at home and went down first, and then the Bulls evened the score and regained their home court advantage.

The Clippers just couldn't beat the Warriors. They replaced Rivers with famous coaches like Phil Jackson and Popovich, and the result was the same.

……

The Bulls continue the tactical system of the regular season. Rose and Butler are responsible for attacking the Cavaliers inside and organizing the offense. Gasol plays the role of support and singles.

This is another team victory, with Curry 23 points, Clay 17 points, Leonard 18 points, Antetokounmpo 16 points, Green 16 points, Middleton 13 points, and the Warriors scored six points. pair.

The roles of the two point guards and strikers are interchanged, and they both fit each other's technical characteristics very well, which can be said to be a perfect match.

"The Warriors' small lineup worked wonders in the third quarter, why didn't yours work in the first half?"

But as the game gradually deepened, the physical consumption of both sides intensified, and the Bulls, who had better individual defensive quality and stronger defensive discipline, gradually gained the upper hand.

After falling behind by a big score of 0:3, the Clippers general was mentally prepared for being out. After being eliminated, he didn't have much emotion.

Zhang Yu smiled and said:

The Cavaliers had three points of space on the outside, and the Bulls did not dare to shrink. Noah received three fouls in the first half, and his actions became much more cautious. The Cavaliers scored more and more easily at the basket.

After seeing Zhang Yu's interview, the Warriors fans suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Zhang Yu didn't adjust in the first half. It turned out that they wanted to observe the Clippers' five small lineups first.

Rivers also saw Zhang Yu's answer, but after thinking about it, he couldn't think of any other way, so he could only use Wu Xiao.

Zhang Yu first warned the players not to underestimate the enemy through the media, and returned to the locker room to emphasize it again:
"Winning the championship is our only goal. Records in the regular season and playoffs are just additional rewards for the championship. If there is no such thing as winning the championship, the zero behind it is meaningless. We must maintain a hungry mentality and show the strongest strength , Take back our champion!"

In the fourth quarter, Curry made 2 three-pointers on the court. The number of three-pointers in the game came to 10, and the point difference also reached 28 points before being replaced by Zhang Yu. The game lost suspense and entered the garbage time.

库里狂砍41分5助攻3篮板2抢断，命中10记三分球，其中有5记是军训小乔丹投进的。G3结束后，快船球迷全都沉默了。

The Clippers fans rejoiced at first, but as the game progressed, they slowly stopped laughing.

After the game, the anger of the Clippers fans reached its peak. Their anger had nowhere to vent, and they could only pour it all on Rivers.

"Kill the bull!"

This is another team victory. Seven Warriors scored in double figures, Curry 24 points, Clay 18 points, Leonard 17 points, Green 12 points, Antetokounmpo 10 points, Middleton 12 points, Dinwiddie had 11 points.

But they also have difficulties. They didn’t touch the ball in the first three quarters, but they had no touch and no rhythm when they received the ball in the fourth quarter. They still had to make three-pointers. up.

Stevens stepped up his defense against Love. Gasol didn't participate in the defense, so he followed Love and prevented him from shooting three-pointers. The Bulls' interior defense was all handed over to Noah.

Paul said that Curry is No. 1 in the league, and the Warriors are a team comparable to the 96 Bulls. No matter who the Cavaliers or the Bulls advance to the finals, they are not the Warriors' opponents.

Two days later, when the Warriors and Clippers played G2, Zhang Yu still let Olynik start, just to target Jordan's defense.

Zhang Yu knows better than anyone else Iguodala's style of play and role in the five small lineups, and his defense is very strict. Leonard rarely helps defend, and has always followed Iguodala. Chances of grooming the ball.

It's just that both James and Irving need to have the ball in their hands to play the most effective role. The Cavaliers can only sacrifice Love's possession of the ball.

Love hadn't had a good few days before he started to be sprayed again. He made 3 of 1 three-pointers in the fourth quarter. When James and Irving were pinched, he didn't seize the opportunity. In the eyes of the fans, the Cavaliers lost. the culprit.

The other is like Zhang Yu, who knows how to deal with it, but he considers the problem from the level of the series, instead of rushing, he will try it out first, then make adjustments, and win the game in one fell swoop.

When Zhang Yu was interviewed, the reporter relayed what Rivers said, and he laughed:
"I remember that Coach Rivers said before the game that the tiebreaker with the Rockets inspired the Clippers' state. Maybe this state only lasted for one half, and then disappeared in the second half. Only fatigue is left. I hope the next game They can recover..."

On May 5, the tiebreaker started.

"How do you evaluate the Clippers' five small lineups?"

He scored 18 points in the first half and hit 4 three-pointers, 2 of which were on Jordan's head.

……

Since you can't win the Warriors, let's let it go. The stronger the Warriors are, the more normal the Clippers' loss will be, and the less responsible Rivers will be.

Blatter immediately reacted, James and Irving broke through with the ball, constantly attacking Noah's defense, as long as he was beaten down, the Bulls' defense collapsed in half.

Curry hadn't made a shot in the first two games, and the Clippers fell. Today, he finally showed his unanimous mvp strength.

Griffin was very frank and praised Antetokounmpo's defense. He and Antetokounmpo had the longest matchup time and were very uncomfortable to be defended.

On May 5, the Warriors and the Clippers started their fourth contest.

Rivers proved that the Clippers' loss was not his fault. He made many stupid mistakes and was almost reversed by the Rockets in the last round, but this time, the Clippers fans really blamed him.

In the end, the Warriors defeated the Clippers 123:109, swept the Clippers 4:0, and advanced to the finals.

In the face of the bloody reality, they had to admit that the Clippers' loss to the Warriors was not a problem with the fifth team, but that the Clippers' strength was crushed by the Warriors. , Going to Jordan was a complete fiasco.

Rivers kept using five smalls in the third quarter, but the Warriors opened the point difference to 18 points before he played Jordan, and was slammed by Clippers fans.

"No problem, boss, neither bulls nor knights are our opponents!"

Rivers has been pressing Jordan on the bench, in exchange for fans scolding:

"This is a series. The first half is more of a test, and the second half is the decisive moment. I plan to take a look at the strength of the Clippers' five small lineups. Later, I found that the regular lineup cannot establish a big enough lead. Just made adjustments."

The Clippers made team history, and Paul touched the floor of the Western Conference Finals. No matter how badly they lost in the Western Conference Finals, they lost to the best team in regular season history. This season has been very successful.

"No, kill the knight!"

In the second half, the physical fitness of the Clippers players was much better than that of G1, but the disadvantage of the five small lineups was too great to narrow the point difference.

This is a very intense series. Both the Cavaliers and the Bulls have a Big Three structure, and the configuration is exactly the same. They are point guards, small forwards, and power forwards.

Many people think that if he replaced Jordan earlier, the Clippers' penalty area would not be smashed, and they could still chase points, but he replaced too late, and the Clippers players were too physically exhausted and lost their fighting spirit. Jordan It's useless to play.

Stevens made the right bet. The Cavaliers' shooter didn't touch the ball in three quarters, his hands felt cold, and he couldn't make a shot even if he had a chance.

The Clippers players also know this well, and both Paul and Griffin praised the Warriors.

In the post-match interview, Rivers was asked why the Clippers lost and said helplessly:
"We tried everything, but we still couldn't get a victory. It has nothing to do with tactics. The Warriors are a great team with 74 wins. They have the best lineup and the best stars in the league. They can be included in the discussion of President Hill. They have Thompson, Leonard, Green, Antetokounmpo... I have never seen a team with so many outstanding players at the same time. The Warriors are the most outstanding players in the championship. Contenders, they deserve this win."

They firmly believe that the tactics arranged before the game are the most suitable tactics and the tactics that can best utilize the strength of the team.

The Cavaliers' tactics are much simpler. James and Irving take turns holding the ball, two shooters on the outside open up space, and an end point inside is on standby at any time.

Iguodala shined in the last tie-breaker and was the key to the Clippers' victory over the Rockets, but he fell silent in the Western Conference Finals.

On May 5th, the battle between the Cavaliers and the Bulls at Tianwangshan started. Love broke out suddenly, scored 26 three-pointers, scored 6 points and 24 rebounds, and helped the Cavaliers narrowly beat the Bulls by 11:105. The big score is 99: 3 leads.

James focuses on pick-and-rolls, breaks through and divides the ball, and drives his teammates first. Irving plays singles without distinction, and is more inclined to complete the finish by himself.

"The Warriors swept their opponents in three consecutive rounds and achieved 12 consecutive victories, breaking the record of the Lakers' 2002 consecutive playoff victories in 11 and making history. Do you have anything to say about this?"

In many cases, the flaws in the lineup cannot be made up for by on-the-spot adjustments, which is why some head coaches don't like to adjust tactics.

Conversely, the Cavaliers couldn't defend against the Bulls' offense. Rose and Butler kept naming Love and attacking the Cavaliers inside. Mozgov's defense was much worse than Noah's, and he got 4 fouls early. Blatt Tristan Thompson, who can only come back in G5, has a frame guard.

In the fourth quarter, Stevens made a very bold adjustment, shrinking the defense, flanking Irving and James, forcing them to play.

The Clippers are not the opponents of the Warriors, and they have not been able to recover the point difference. In the end, the Warriors defeated the Clippers 121:106, leading by 2:0.

In the end, the Bulls defeated the Cavaliers 108:95, tied the big score at 3:3, and dragged the series into the tiebreaker.

After the game, some reporters also asked this question. Rivers said that the Clippers needed five small offenses, but this answer was not satisfactory. More and more people began to question Rivers, and many media and commentators followed suit. Taking the heat, analyzing the shortcomings of the Clippers' five minors from various angles, blaming Rivers' rigid lineup and tactics for the Clippers' loss.

In many cases, NBA head coaches have more complicated considerations than fans, and they also need to be more patient. They can’t change players in the next round if they have a problem in the previous round, and they can’t call a timeout adjustment immediately after the opponent chases a few points.

The Cavaliers fans gave Love all the things they said about Bosh, such as not being able to catch and shoot, CBA level, only being able to catch and shoot, weak team data showing their true colors, etc.

When it was Zhang Yu's turn to be interviewed, the reporter asked him to comment on Curry's performance in this round of the series. Zhang Yu replied:
"His scoring depends entirely on the Clippers' defense. If the Clippers use five players, Stephen doesn't need to play much, and we can win. If the Clippers don't use five players, Stephen needs to stand up."

That is to say, Love's ability to grab rebounds is too strong. When helping James get stuck, he can also grab a few rebounds. The statistics can still be seen, so he didn't get sprayed with "Le Fu".

That's right, the NBA head coach can't see what fans like them can see?What's more, he is still a champion coach like Zhang Yu, a legendary coach.

Although the game is not a simple superposition of stars, in the playoffs, stars and matchups are the most important. Whichever team has more stars and has more advantages in matchups, the chance of winning is greater.

The two teams started very cautiously. This is a real battle of life and death. The players are under tremendous pressure. They dare not pass the ball they usually dare to pass, and dare not shoot the ball they usually dare to shoot. They give the ball to the team every round. The stars deal with it, and strive to be safe.

Both sides are strong offensively and weak defensively. The difference is that the Cavaliers have two defensive weak links, Love and Irving.

The referee's whistle is also very cautious, and the scale is relatively loose, allowing the players to decide the game.

But they didn't think about it. With Jordan on the court, the Clippers have an extra non-space point, and the frame protection will be better, but the offense will not work. They can only repeat the mistakes of the second round against the Rockets.

However, role players have no human rights. The Cavaliers' style of play determines that they must work hard to defend, open up space, and make three-pointers when they receive the ball, regardless of whether they have touched the ball before.

"This is an amazing achievement. We broke the record of the Bulls and the record of the Lakers. It is not easy to be tied with these two great teams. But we can't be proud, and the most important thing is We have to play a series and win four more games, it’s time to celebrate, otherwise, no matter how many records we break, this will be a failed season.”

The success rate of Butler's screen squeeze increased, Noah interfered with James' layup many times, Rose intercepted Irving's pass, and the Bulls continued to play defensive counterattacks in the second half of the third quarter, playing a wave of 15:5 offense The climax opened the point difference to 8 points.

Rivers took advantage of the official timeout to replace Jordan Jr. with Matt Barnes. Zhang Yu predicted his operation and replaced him with the dead five.

Matt Barnes has improved the Clippers' defense, but his offense is not as good as Crawford's. The three-point shooting percentage in the playoffs is only 26.7%. Without the ball, the Warriors can put more defensive energy on Paul and Gregory. Riffen.

In turn, the Bulls relied on Rose and Butler's resolute breakthrough to hit the Cavaliers inside and score, stabilizing their lead.

James has a wide vision and is good at passing the ball, but his small skills are average, and he relies heavily on pick-and-rolls to create breakthrough space. When the opponent shrinks to the basket, he can only distribute the ball, or he is not good at mid-to-long distance shooting, and lacks critical moments. ability.

In the first half, the two teams fought 56:59, the Cavaliers led by 3 points, and the two teams were evenly matched.

JR-Smith and Shumpert made 4 of 1 three-pointers in total, received the same treatment as Love, and joined the ranks of CBA teammates.

The Clippers' offense was dismantled into a large number of singles, Paul 24 points, Griffin 27 points, Crawford 17 points, and no one scored in double figures.

The Big Three have become dual-core, Love is becoming more and more blue-collar, and there are fewer and fewer low-post singles. He is responsible for standing on the three-point line to open up space, protecting rebounds on the defensive end, his data has shrunk sharply, and his reputation is getting worse. .

Rivers reactivated the five minors and fought against the Warriors. The Clippers players who didn't want to be swept tried their best to resist, but it didn't help.

"Three defenders every day, is it worth it!"

They won neatly, but the Eastern Conference finals are not over yet. The Cavaliers and Bulls just finished Game 4 yesterday, and the big score was a 2:2 draw.

"Is Rivers Barnes' biological father? Is he useful?"

The Clippers' frame protection has indeed improved, but Jordan was targeted by Olynik, Curry, and Clay. He was exhausted on the court. The Clippers fell behind by 17 points in the first half.

Love was sprayed by the Cavaliers fans, especially when the Cavaliers lost, but he was conscientious on the court, averaging only 10 shots per game, scoring 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds, and his three-point shooting rate was as high as 42.9%. He averaged 2.3 three-pointers and is the most accurate shooter in the Cavaliers.

Rose is stronger than Irving, Butler is inferior to James, the old Gasol and the degraded Love are evenly matched, and the Bulls have Noah on the inside, and the overall lineup is slightly better.

"One more sweep!"

Companion to the emperor is like companion to the tiger. This is the fate of playing by the emperor's side.

The Bulls lost to the Cavaliers' three-pointers in G2 and G5. Stevens didn't dare to bet anymore. In contrast, he trusted Noah's frame protection more.

After the first half, the Bulls led the Cavaliers by 58 points 51:7.

After the start of the third quarter, the Bulls took advantage of the victory to pursue and opened the point difference to 10 points. Seeing that the Cavaliers were about to collapse.

"Di-"

Just then, Blatter called a timeout.

(End of this chapter)