warrior godfather

615 Omnipotent
When the Warriors and Bulls players returned to the court, there were 6 minutes and 07 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the game was about to enter the critical moment of the last 5 minutes. Every round had a crucial impact on the outcome.

At this time, 6 points is already a big advantage. The Bulls need at least 2 rounds to smooth it out, and it is still when they make three-pointers and can prevent the Warriors from attacking.

Therefore, Stevens will never allow Curry to make another three-pointer, which will greatly increase the difficulty of the Bulls chasing points.

In the first round after the timeout, Rose and Gasol played a pick-and-roll. After breaking through the screen to attract the help defense, the ball was given to Gasol who followed up. The latter escaped the help defense and made a layup, 99:95.

Looking back, Curry dribbled the ball halfway, and Rose was half sideways against Curry to defend, covering Curry's shooting space.

But this also gave Curry a chance to break through. He accelerated, broke through on the other side, and directly threw off Rose by half, and entered the three-point line.

This is the adjustment Stevens made. He would rather put Curry in than let him shoot ultra-long three-pointers.

At least the Bulls still have Noah and Gasol on the inside who can protect the frame and interfere with Curry's shots, but if Curry is allowed to shoot ultra-long three-pointers, it depends entirely on his own feel.

Compared to betting on Curry's own inaccuracy, Stevens is more willing to take his fate into his own hands. Even letting Curry enter the inside line is a very risky thing.

Curry entered the three-point line, Noah stood in the assist defense position ahead of time, and the Bulls' overall defensive formation also showed a shrinking trend, making preparations to encircle Curry.

Antetokounmpo is the same as Asik, there is no offensive threat when he goes out of the three-second zone. As long as Noah does not defend, he will not suffer from his footsteps. Ri pursued behind him and put pressure on him.

Curry entered the bull's net, but he was not flustered at all.

The Bulls' defense is not tight enough to be impeccable. At most, Noah only dares to let Antetokounmpo take a step, and dare not force him directly, otherwise Antetokounmpo can directly attack the frame, and Noah has no time to return to the defense.

Rose was also stuck in Curry's position and couldn't accelerate. From the three-point line to the free throw line, Curry received limited interference.

It's a short distance, and the gaps are fleeting, but for Curry, it's enough.

He slowed down after entering the three-point line, stuck Rose, and then suddenly accelerated, two steps to the free throw line, throwing away Rose, and outside Noah's coverage, he stopped and shot a jumper.

brush!
Both Rose and Noah's interference was a step slower, and the basketball was hollowed into the net, 101:95.

Curry glanced at Stevens on the sidelines, smiled, pointed to the sky with one hand, and ran back to the backcourt amidst the cheers of the fans.

If he is not allowed to shoot three-pointers, then he will shoot mid-range. Unless the Bulls flank him, he will be able to catch as long as there is an open space.

At the transition of the round, Rose used his speed to force Clay, attracted Leonard to help defend, and distributed it to Butler. The latter received the ball and launched an assault again, causing Green to foul and made two free throws, 101:97.

The Warriors attacked, and as soon as Curry crossed the center line, Rose stuck up, posing as a gesture of inviting the king into the urn.

Curry pulled the ball to the left, started it directly, stuck Rose's position, and entered the three-point line.

Antetokounmpo stayed under the basket, pinning Noah, Curry leaned on Rose, and made a left-handed throw from the free throw line. Rose tried his best to interfere and hit Curry's left wrist. Curry missed the throw, and the referee whistled for Rose's thug foul.

Curry stepped to the free throw line and made two free throws, 103:97.

On the sidelines, Stevens looked stern. His adjustments had no effect. Curry's offense had no dead ends, and his scoring methods were too rich. It was impossible for the Bulls to guard against him with conventional defensive methods.

In the next round, Gasol made a low-post attack, Green came over to attack, Gasol passed the ball inside to Noah, Noah was interfered by the shrinking Leonard, and missed a layup.

The Warriors attacked, Stevens made a gesture on the sidelines, and the Bulls players, who were always paying attention to his movements, immediately changed their defense.

Rose continued to press forward and put Curry into the three-point line, but at the same time, Butler recovered and swiped his card to help defend, Noah stepped up, and the Bulls' defensive formation became tighter, forming a three-sided encirclement around Curry.

Stevens rarely lost his mind. He didn't care about defending the rest of the Warriors, and he was determined to lock Curry.

He has been scared by Curry, as long as he can guard Curry, he can do whatever it takes.

Facing the bull's pincer attack, Curry took it easy and hit the ground straight to Antetokounmpo under the basket. Noah couldn't recover it in time. Antetokounmpo pulled the onion on the dry land and dunked with both hands, 105:97.

"Curry sent a wonderful assist in the three-man, he passed the ball out of the gap, what a wonderful pass!" Dan Shulman exclaimed.

The shot also ignited the atmosphere at Oracle Center, with fans cheering for Antetokounmpo's dunk and Curry's pass.

After Curry played in the fourth quarter, he shot from inside and outside, made a wonderful pass to his teammates, scored 4 points in a row and sent 10 assist in 1 minutes, completely dominating the game.

At this time, with 4 minutes and 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors hold an 8-point lead, and the situation is very good.

Of course, the Bulls would not give up the victory just because of this, and set off a Jedi counterattack. Rose and Butler took turns attacking the Warriors' restricted area, using their best methods to lead the team to chase points.

Green and Antetokounmpo fought hand-to-hand with the Bulls' twin towers for a whole game, exhausting a lot of energy.

Especially Green, he is less than two meters tall, and it is extremely difficult to fight against Noah, and he is almost unable to jump.

The Warriors' frame protection effect has dropped a lot, and the Bulls have succeeded in the Warriors' inside line consecutively, narrowing the point difference to 4 points.

But Curry immediately attracted a flank attack, assisted Clay to make a three-pointer, and the point difference was pulled to 7 points.

"Di-"

Stevens called a timeout. At this time, there were 3 minutes and 02 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and he still had 3 timeouts in his hand. If he didn't call, it would be a waste.

But this gave Zhang Yu a chance to make substitutions. He replaced Asik, replaced Antetokounmpo, returned to the regular lineup, strengthened the frame protection, and allowed Green to return to the familiar fourth position to reduce his consumption. .

After the timeout, the two sides returned to the court. The Bulls continued to attack the Warriors inside, but Asik, who had rested for a long time, was full of energy and defended the frame toughly, while Rose and Butler attacked the entire game, exhausting their physical energy. The interference was successful, and Rose was even caught.

However, Asik playing is not conducive to the Warriors' offense.

Curry attracts pincers to pass the ball to him. He can't finish like Antetokounmpo, nor can he transfer the ball in time like Green, let alone open up space.

But the 7-point advantage allows the Warriors not to score. As long as the Bulls don't score, the Warriors can win.

In the last 3 minutes, Curry was heavily locked by the Bulls. Only Leonard singled out Butler and scored a long two-pointer, but the Bulls were only defended and scored 3 points.

In the end, the Warriors defeated the Bulls 110:104, leading 2:0.

全场比赛下来，库里出战39分钟，26投14中，三分16中9，罚球6中6，狂砍47分8助攻6篮板1抢断，仅有2个失误。

From the data point of view, he only scored 5 points in the last 2 minutes of the fourth quarter, but he attracted the Bulls' attack, sent 3 assists to his teammates, and participated in 18 of the last 16 points of the Warriors.

In the post-match interview, Zhang Yu praised Curry's performance:
"Stephen is omnipotent, he can do anything he wants to do, he destroyed the Bulls defense, he is the modern Jordan, he deserves any praise, he plays with a sense of belief, he wants to get back what he lost last season, You've all seen it, and no one can stop him!"

Curry himself was more modest:
"I just play well. This victory is inseparable from the hard work of the whole team. My performance is not important. The important thing is that we won..."

As a loser, Stevens admitted his mistakes in the post-match interview:
"Stephen penetrated our defense. We shouldn't have given him so many shots. This is a super huge mistake. I must be responsible for it..."

Rose scored a super double-double of 32 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal today. His performance is not bad, but it still pales in comparison to Curry's 47 points.

He praised his friend in front of reporters, but he didn't lose his fighting spirit because of Curry's performance:
"Steph is a natural shooter, I wouldn't be surprised how many threes he makes, he can drive, he can pass, he's the hardest type of player to defend. But if we want to win, we have to find the defense The way he does it, we'll do it, we won't be upset when we lose on the road, when we get back home, the series is just getting started..."

……

At the same time, the news that Curry scored 47 points quickly rushed to Twitter and the top three Weibo hot searches after the game.

The Internet is full of praise for Curry, and Warriors fans fell into a carnival:
"Curry, you are my god!"

"The number one point guard in history, I said it!"

"Being behind at halftime? It doesn't matter, I will make a shot!"

"Today God played in the No. 30 jersey!"

Warriors star Rick Barry, who scored 52 points in the Finals, tweeted:
"You inherit the glory of the Warriors and win another championship! @Stephen-Curry"

O'Neal said:
"I wouldn't say Curry was the closest thing to Jordan, but it's true."

Barkley, who predicted that the Warriors would lose the finals, let go of his prejudice against Curry:

"Unbelievable scoring performance. He dismembered the Bulls' defense. He deserves the honor of unanimous MVP. No one in the league is stronger than him. This Warriors has no weaknesses. If the Bulls want to win, they can only pray for a miracle."

Smith said:
"The discussion about who is the number one point guard between Curry and Rose can end. It turns out that as long as Curry is healthy, he is the best player in the league. There is no one. Rose is great, but Curry is unique. We have to make one thing clear, this is the era of Curry, he is about to win the third championship, in the sixth year of his career, he is on the way to chase Jordan, other people are destined to be his stepping stones... ..."

In addition, many commentators and celebrities praised Curry's god-like performance, and active players tweeted to express their excitement.

Everyone focused on Curry, not only in the American basketball circle, but also in China, but while they were talking about Curry, they also repeatedly mentioned Zhang Yu.

Yang Yi posted a long Weibo:

"The Warriors won beautifully. Curry's 47-point performance was too shocking. I am very honored to be able to explain this game. This is a real young hero. He is high-spirited and invincible all over the world. He is No. 1 in the league and deserves his name!"

"But Curry was able to score 47 points, not just because of him alone. The Bulls' defense gave Curry opportunities, including pick-and-rolls to give Curry a step, put him inside, and give him mid-range until the last few minutes. Steven Stein couldn't take it anymore, so he started pinching Curry." "It's thanks to the teammates around Curry. Clay and Green were both selected to the best team. Leonard is the best first defense, efficient offensively, and is also a top striker. , Antetokounmpo will attack the frame with one move, but with Curry, his move is really impossible for others to guard against."

"Stevens didn't dare to flank Curry because he was afraid that others would score. In the end, he found out that Curry could kill the Bulls by himself, so he flanked Curry, but others stood up. I have to say, Zhang Yu's vision is really good. Curry is of course very strong in picking so many useful players, but thanks to the Warriors' lineup and Zhang Yu's tactics, otherwise Curry alone would not be able to score 47 points."

On the surface, he brags about Curry, but in fact he still wants to brag about Zhang Yu. He is well versed in the psychology of Huaxia fans. The comments below are also full of patriotic enthusiasm, and they all think that Zhang Yu is the pride of Huaxia basketball.

But he was right. If it weren't for the offensive threats of Clay, Leonard, and Antetokounmpo, Stevens would not have allowed Curry to shoot three-pointers, and he would have already attacked.

Zhang Yu built this lineup with Curry as the core, which maximized Curry's three-point accuracy and breakthrough agility.

Clay provides the off-ball threat, Antetokounmpo provides the impact, Leonard provides the post-up singles that Curry is not good at, Green supports the screen, and the four are all defensive champions, protecting Curry on both ends of the offense and defense. Escorting, he doesn't have to work hard to defend, and he doesn't have to face the Bulls' heavy siege, so he can focus on scoring.

Stevens knew the strength of the Warriors' overall lineup, so he didn't dare to pinch Curry.

But Curry's scoring was too explosive, and the game was too shocking. Stevens couldn't hold on in the end. Curry passed the ball to his teammates, and the Warriors blossomed more. The Bulls still failed to win the game .

This is the most troublesome part for Stevens. Curry's personal offense has no dead ends. After halftime, he is a threat. The efficiency of the mid-range and the basket is top-notch. The lineup is good, and Curry's pass can score, but no matter how he defends, he can't.

At the beginning, Stevens personally instructed Curry how to break the double-team, and now it is his turn to consider how to defend Curry.

But as Rose said, the series is not over yet, and the Bulls still have a chance.

That night, Stevens returned to the hotel and began to study the Warriors game video, looking for ways to defend Curry from it, until boarding the plane back to Chicago the next day, there was still no interruption.

He didn't know if it would help, but it was the only thing he could do.

If the Bulls want to win the championship, he must find a way to break the situation from a situation that is almost certain to lose.

……

While Stevens was studying Warriors game video at a height of [-] meters, Zhang Yu gave the team a day off and went to a box at a high-end Chinese restaurant with Mark Baum.

After the Pacers were eliminated, Mark Baum automatically became a Warriors fan and came to watch several Warriors playoff games. Yesterday, he also came to the Oracle Center to watch the game, and he was not alone.

"Ronan, this is Joseph, you can call him Jo, he is the executive vice chairman of the board of directors of Alibaba Group, and a veteran basketball fan, this is Joe's wife, Clara... "

Mark Baum introduced his two friends to Zhang Yu, and then said to his friend:

"Ronan doesn't need me to introduce him? The only and best owner and head coach in the NBA, he is also a financial genius. My best friend, to be honest, I always feel that he is a waste of talent coaching the Warriors. If he can Focusing on the financial market will surely become the second Buffett."

"Haha, Mark, you think highly of me..." Zhang Yu said modestly, but stared at Mark Baum's two friends, looking up and down.

It was a Chinese couple with typical Chinese looks. The man stretched out his hand to Zhang Yu and said in standard Mandarin:

"I have long admired you, Mr. Zhang. I am Cai Chongxin, and this is my wife Wu Minghua. We are compatriots, so we don't need to use English names...Mark has praised your investment vision more than once. You led the Warriors to two championships. At the same time, it can turn upside down in the financial market, which is really admirable!"

Zhang Yu also stretched out his hand, held Cai Chongxin's hand, and said with a smile:

"I have also admired Mr. Cai for a long time. You gave up your annual salary of 70 U.S. dollars to join the start-up Alibaba. You are really courageous!"

Cai Chongxin was quite surprised when he heard Zhang Yu's words:

"I didn't expect Mr. Zhang to know about my past. Did Mark mention me to you?"

"Hehe, that's not true, but Mr. Cai's deeds are widely circulated. I have heard about it before, but I didn't expect Mr. Cai to come to the Oracle Center to watch the game. Sorry for my poor hospitality..."

If Zhang Yu is not a time traveler, he certainly does not know who Cai Chongxin is, but every Chinese NBA fan in the future will know Cai Chongxin's name, especially after Durant, Irving, and Harden gathered in the Nets.

"Hey, Ronan, Joe, can you speak English? I can't understand what you're saying..."

When Zhang Yu and Cai Chongxin exchanged pleasantries, Mark Baum complained, and the two ended their unique Chinese greetings and switched to English.

After Zhang Yu and Wu Minghua shook hands, they sat down separately, and Cai Chongxin said:

"Mr. Zhang, yesterday's game was absolutely wonderful. Stephen deserves to be the unanimous MVP. His scoring ability is too terrifying. I watched the 90s Bulls game, and Jordan was no different. This year's championship must belong to the Warriors."

Zhang Yu was also not modest, nodded and said:

"The Bulls are indeed not our opponents. Our lineup is stronger. If there is no accident, we should be able to win the championship."

"You can just call me Joe, that's what my friends usually call me." Cai Chongxin said
"Then let's not be too estranged. You can call me Ronan. Anyway, I speak English, so don't switch back and forth." Zhang Yu said bluntly.

"Haha, okay, Ronan, I brought you a gift——" Cai Chongxin immediately changed his words, took out a high-end gift box, and handed it to Zhang Yu, "Mark said you like red wine, the first time we met, I didn't know you I prepared two bottles of Romanée-Conti in 1993..."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu glared at Mark Baum. Mark Baum gave a smirk, and then said solemnly:

"Ronan, this was carefully prepared by Joe, why don't you thank Joe?"

Cai Chongxin waved his hands again and again:
"Where is it, a small gift is not a respect..."

Zhang Yu reluctantly took the gift box, thanked Cai Chongxin against his will, and glared at Mark Baum again.

Afterwards, the dishes were gradually served, and the four moved their chopsticks.

Mark Baum often goes to China and Japan, and he is very proficient in using chopsticks, especially the other three.

Several people chatted for a while about the performance of the Warriors, and Cai Chongxin said seriously:

"Ronan, in six years, you have transformed the Warriors from a small belly to a championship team. It is very possible to build a dynasty. It is really amazing. To be honest, I see the success of the Warriors and I want to run it. A team specially introduced Tomac to me, I wonder if you can mention something and give me some advice?"

Zhang Yu put down his chopsticks, feeling slightly stunned.

In his previous life, Cai Chongxin acquired 2018% of the shares of the Nets in 49, and then acquired the entire Nets in 2019. Unexpectedly, the success of the Warriors gave Cai Chongxin the idea of ​​​​acquiring an NBA team in advance.

He pondered for a moment and said:

"The impact of the financial crisis in 08 is slowly fading, and the development of the league will be faster and faster. I estimate that the market value of the team will increase significantly in the near future. If you want to buy a team, these two years are the best opportunities. If it is later, the price may rise a lot.”

Cai Chongxin looked thoughtful, nodded slowly, and then asked:
"Is there a team that is easy to get into? I don't have any acquaintances in the league. I really don't know the inside story."

Zhang Yu frowned and thought for a while before saying:

"Sorry, I usually only care about the Warriors' training and games, and I really don't know who is going to sell the team."

Cai Chongxin was slightly disappointed, but immediately smiled:

"It's okay, I was the one who was abrupt, I'll ask other friends..."

Seeing his distressed face, Zhang Yu knew that he had no connections, so he changed his mind and said
"It doesn't have to be like this, let's do this. After the finals are over, I will introduce a person to you. He is the president of operations of the Warriors. His name is Rick Wertz. He used to be the vice president of the league. Might know something about it."

Cai Chongxin was overjoyed:
"Then trouble you, Ronan, I owe you a favor. If you need help in the future, just ask me. As long as I can help, I will never refuse!"

Afterwards, several people talked and laughed happily, and the host and guest had a good time.

Cai Chongxin also initially negotiated an investment project with Mark Baum, and Venus Capital, co-founded by Zhang Yu and Mark Baum, will participate in the investment.

According to Cai Chongxin, this is a project that Alibaba values ​​very much and has great development prospects. It can be regarded as his return to Zhang Yu.

After the meal, Zhang Yu and Cai Chongxin exchanged contact information. Cai Chongxin and his wife left, and Zhang Yu sat in Mark Baum's Bentley before he had time to ask:
"How did you meet Joe?"

Mark Baum explained:
"I also met him through a friend's introduction. He happened to be a fan and knew that I was a shareholder of the Warriors. He invited me to a few dinner parties and gradually became familiar with him. Later, he asked me to get to know you, so I said I introduced him to you. As you know, Alibaba is a giant in China. Our domestic investment is mainly in Internet companies, and Alibaba cannot be bypassed. And Joe is a giant of Alibaba. Is it okay to make friends with him? bad thing."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly:

"Yes, Joe is not bad, you can make more friends with him."

"It's just a meal together, and that's how you know him?" Mark Baum raised his eyebrows.

"I've heard people talk about him before, and he's very reliable."

"Wow~ You are busy watching videos every day, and you still have time to develop contacts?" Mark Baum opened his mouth exaggeratedly.

"Hehe, put this topic aside for now. I haven't settled with you yet. You told Joe that I like red wine, right?" Zhang Yu sneered.

"Uh, I was joking with him, who knew he really believed it, haha..."

"I will believe your nonsense? You take these two bottles of red wine, and then pay me a gift ten times the value, or I will never end with you!"

"Uh, well, actually this red wine is really good, you can try it..."

"Keep it for yourself, remember, it's a gift of ten times the value!"

"Okay, okay, really, my hard work is in vain, why don't you like drinking..."

Bentley walked away, but Zhang Yu never answered Mark Baum's question.

Of course the friend he spoke of was fabricated, but he was quite confident in Cai Chongxin's character.

Based on the way Cai Chongxin treats Irving, Durant, and Harden, he is definitely not a cruel person. After all, not every boss can tolerate Ou Shenxian.

Owen left without warning, to celebrate his sister’s birthday; he didn’t eat during Ramadan, but he didn’t believe in the green religion. If he acted like a monster in the Warriors, Zhang Yu would rather not have a bargaining chip and trade him to the bottom team , punish him well.

But Cai Chongxin tolerated everything for the sake of the Nets. Zhang Yu admired his patience and personality, but he did not agree with his approach.

Owen has always gone his own way, never considering other people, everything is self-centered, and has a perverse personality. He is an untimely bomb, or a bomb that detonates repeatedly.

Before Zhang Yu crossed, Irving was injured in the game against the Bucks, which aroused a lot of sympathy. His performance in the playoffs was also very good, giving Nets fans hope.

But Zhang Yu dared to be sure that the Nets could not succeed, Irving would never play steadily, and Cai Chongxin's connivance would only make him more and more unscrupulous.

By then, it would be too late for Cai Chongxin to regret.

(End of this chapter)