warrior godfather

Chapter 749
The Warriors' loss to the Pelicans was held on December 12. After the game, the Warriors had a record of 4 wins and 18 losses, falling to second in the West.

Because of the weak inside, the Warriors suffered a lot when they played against strong inside teams. The losses to the Nuggets and Pelicans were unexpected.

Relying on Harden's outstanding performance and Paul's recovery, the Rockets have won consecutive battles and are currently ranked first in the Western Conference with a record of 20 wins and 5 losses.

It has been three years since the last time a team ranked higher than the Warriors in the league. In the past three seasons, the Warriors have led from the beginning of the season to the end of the season, firmly occupying the first place in the Western Conference and the first in the league.

As a result, Harden also won the Best of the Month award in the Western Conference in November, surpassing Curry in the recent MVP rankings and ranking first.

The Celtics in the East are also top-notch, but Leonard, Durant, and Irving performed in a balanced manner, not outstanding, but no one entered the top three in the MVP rankings.

The lagging behind in the rankings is regarded by the outside world as a sign of the Warriors' decline. The Warriors even lost their dominance in the regular season, so what else can they compete for?
The loss to the Pelicans once again brought the Warriors to the forefront, but even under such circumstances, Zhang Yu was still reiterating his confidence in the Warriors inside, and had no intention of changing the status quo at all.

However, no one believes Zhang Yu's words anymore. The Warriors' internal problems are like elephants in the room, and everyone can see them.

At this point, all Warriors fans gave up.

The Warriors lost so many games due to inside problems, but Zhang Yu still said so. It seems that he really does not intend to strengthen the inside, and insists on playing with the current lineup.

Their complaints are much less, and they only hope that Zhang Yu can create a miracle again and win the championship with the current lineup of the Warriors.

No one blamed Looney and Zhou Qi. They were originally blue-collar insiders, not high in the draft, and received a basic salary. No matter how bad their performance was, they should not be scolded, and their performance even exceeded outside expectations.

Looney's rebounds, screens and mid-range shots left a deep impression on people. He was diligent and hardworking. People saw him being topped by Cousins, teased by Jokic, and dunked by thick eyebrows. pity.

Zhou Qi, on the other hand, has become a lot stronger. He won’t suffer a disadvantage against the rotation center on the opposite side. Bringing surprises, the data of 5.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game is also very eye-catching for a backup center who plays less than 20 minutes.

As a sophomore second-round pick, Zhou Qi's performance is enough to make people feel satisfied.

In the past year, the Huaxia men's basketball team had no international competitions, and Zhou Qi devoted all his energy to training.

This summer, he just returned to China for a week, reunited with his family, and then flew back to the United States to continue training until the training camp opened.

Last season, Zhou Qi was often sent to the Santa Cruz Warriors to play. The fringe players in the Development League and Summer League who worked hard for contracts left a deep impression on Zhou Qi.

Ding Yanyuhang, who has won the CBA regular season mvp twice, also came to the United States this year to participate in the summer league and wants to enter the NBA.

In July, Ding Yanyuhang signed a training camp contract with the Mavericks, but he did not show enough strength to impress the Mavericks. He was cut in October and his NBA dream was shattered.

Zhou Qi clearly realized how difficult it is for him to be a substitute in the NBA.

If he hadn't been selected by the Warriors last year and would have played in the summer league, no team would have taken a fancy to him, so he could only return to the CBA in despair.

Wang Zhelin, who was selected by the Rockets at the same time as him, has never entered the rotation and can only play for the Vipers.

Zhang Yu gave him a precious opportunity, and he must seize it.

The belief in staying in the NBA has inspired Zhou Qi's full potential. With his incredible perseverance, he persisted in the devil-intensive training.

This season, he has also become the new darling of Chinese fans in the Bay Area. Every game, Chinese and foreign students come to the Chase Center to watch his games.

When the Warriors play away games, Chinese and foreign students from all over the United States will also come to the scene to see Zhou Qi's demeanor.

In addition to Yi Jianlian, Zhou Qi became another name card of Huaxia in the NBA. Although he was only a substitute, the popularity of the Warriors was far greater than that of the Nets, which also brought him a lot of attention.

However, Zhou Qi's efforts can win him applause and applause, but they cannot fill the weakness of the Warriors inside.

Like Rooney, he is a functional center with strong limitations, and his limitations are particularly strong, his functionality is not outstanding, he can play against weak teams, but it is useless against strong teams, and he can only rely on Adetto Kumbaugh shrinks to help defend.

If they can practice for another two years, they will definitely help the Warriors after they have made considerable progress, but now is not the time.

After the Warriors lost to the Pelicans, they encountered several teams. After winning consecutive victories against the Mavericks, Hornets, and Pistons, they encountered the Nuggets again, and won the victory after a hard fight.

Although Jokic is young, he is one of the most skilled centers in the league, and he just hit the Warriors' weakness.

If it weren't for Curry's super double-double scoring 43 points and 12 assists, and making key shots repeatedly in the fourth quarter, the Warriors would have to swallow the bitter fruit of failure again.

But even if Curry played so well, the Warriors only narrowly beat the Nuggets 118:113. Jokic scored a triple-double with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists.

The insider problem that the Warriors often talk about was once again brought in front of the fans, but no one wanted to complain anymore.

Anyway, Zhang Yu won't change it, and it's useless to say it. Only the media is still talking about it over and over again. Warriors fans can only lament and worship Curry.

Before this game, Curry's state fluctuated a little, which is also the practice every season. Curry started the game extremely hot, but every December, there will be a decline.

Of course, the decline is only compared with Curry himself, which is equivalent to falling from a superstar to a superstar level. It feels a little worse, scores a little less, and is a little less efficient.

In the past, Curry's decline would last for a month, but now, after only half a month, Curry has regained his heyday.

When Zhang Yu most needed to win to break the doubt, Curry stood up.

After defeating the Nuggets, the Warriors beat the Lakers in two consecutive games, beating the Lakers by 27 points and 36 points.

Zhang Yu frantically targeted Lopez in the game. Curry, Jaylen Brown, Bogdan, and Brogdon all frantically found Lopez for pick-and-rolls, and even Wiggins misplaced Lopez.

Lopez is miserable. He is a traditional center with heavy weight and slow feet. He can't defend, so he can only defend and retreat to the frame.

The ability and attitude of the Lakers to squeeze screens from the outside is extremely poor. The Warriors have a chance at a screen, which will drive Lopez crazy.

When the Warriors returned to the defensive end, all members shrank the frame, no matter how many open three-pointers made by Tatum, Ingram, Pope, and Kuzma from the outside, they would not waver.

The Lakers' three-pointers had no continuity, and they followed the Warriors for two quarters. They couldn't make a wide open shot, and the score was opened in one wave.

However, the Lakers don't care about winning or losing. It's better to lose two more games. They just compete for the No. [-] pick. The Warriors are also willing to paddle and save effort.

Lopez was strictly guarded on the offensive end and military training on the defensive end. He was exhausted, but he couldn't score a few points or grab a few rebounds.

Fortunately, the Lakers are a bad team, and no one complained about Lopez's poor performance.

He is just a passer-by in Los Angeles. After this season, his two major missions will be completed-filling the ghost line, clearing the space, and will not have anything to do with this place.

After the bloody Lakers, Zhang Yu also emphasized his views on the inside in the post-match interview:
"As you can see, the Lakers have one of the best traditional centers in the league, but they don't have an advantage in the paint. The NBA has entered a new era where the importance of centers is declining and three-pointers are everything. , As long as you control the three-point line, you can control the victory."

"Many people say that the Warriors have flaws inside, but this is not a problem at all. It will not affect our winning one after another, nor will it hinder our successful defense of the title. Our small lineup will sweep everything!"

Zhang Yu's wild words made many people feel uncomfortable, but before the Warriors fell, they were still the rulers of this alliance, and no one dared to question the Warriors' death five.

Curry's runaway made up the best footnote for Zhang Yu's rhetoric.

12月22日，库里20投12中，三分12中6，罚球5中4，狂砍34分7助攻6篮板3抢断1封盖，勇士114:103力克灰熊。

12月23日，库里19投12中，三分7中4，罚球7中7，狂砍35分8助攻3篮板1抢断，勇士以118:102力克开拓者。

This is the second time that Green has faced his old club, and the Warriors have won all the games.

But this game was Green's first return to the Chase Center since leaving the Warriors.

He received his own championship ring, and the Warriors also prepared a tribute video for him, which was played on the big screen.

The fans in the Bay Area gave Green a warm applause. He is one of the absolute feats of the Warriors' five-time crown dynasty. He made outstanding contributions to the team. He also broke up with the Warriors peacefully and won the respect of the fans.

Green's performance also made the Warriors fans very satisfied. In his speech, he thanked the Warriors for training him, talked about the past when Zhang Yu went to Michigan to recruit him to Butler University, and talked about his relationship with Curry, Clay and Leonard. The brotherhood of brotherhood, those who heard it sighed, and those who listened sighed.

But when the game started, Antetokounmpo completely outperformed Green's performance, which made Bay Area fans' nostalgia for the team's feats less and less.

He is still the same Green who is inaccurate in three-pointers and has a bad offense, and he has not been in place with the Blazers. Lillard and McCollum have not yet gotten used to Green's joining, and they played very awkwardly. The Warriors won easily without any effort.

This victory also allowed the Warriors to finally tie the Rockets' victory, but the Rockets played one less game and had an advantage in winning percentage. They still beat the Warriors and ranked first in the Western Conference.

But then, the Rockets lost to the Thunder in the Christmas game. Westbrook, George, and Anthony scored 81 points, overwhelming the Rockets' dual-core, which only scored 54 points.

With the same winning percentage, the Warriors successfully overtook the Rockets and climbed to No. [-] in the Western Conference by virtue of the advantage of the relationship between victory and defeat.

In the second Christmas game that will start later, the Warriors will face the Cavaliers. The outcome of this game will be related to whether the Warriors can secure the No. [-] position in the Western Conference.

(End of this chapter)