warrior godfather

Chapter 778 The Peak Showdown
When the Warriors and Rockets players stepped onto the court, both sides were fighting high.

The Warriors' starters are Curry, Jaylen Brown, Wiggins, Antetokounmpo, Lopez, and the Rockets' starters are Paul, Harden, Ariza, Tucker, and Capela.

The Warriors are ever-victorious divisions who have formed a championship background, calm mind, high spirits, and are not afraid of any opponent.

The Rockets are united and united, and their record against the Warriors in the regular season also gave them plenty of confidence.

Harden, who turned his prodigal son back, was eager to prove himself. Paul, who had been lingering for many years, finally saw the chance to win the championship. They did everything they could to win this championship.

This is Harden's salvation, Paul's long-cherished wish, and the goal of the Rockets.

And to do this, they must first defeat the Warriors, the biggest stumbling block.

Standing on the sidelines of the court at the Chase Center, Harden looked at Curry, who was chatting and laughing with Antetokounmpo, and his heart was ups and downs.

He is about to face the biggest enemy of his career. Yes, like James, Durant, Westbrook, and Paul, Harden also regards Curry as his number one opponent.

The Rockets met the Warriors twice in the playoffs, and they were all swept out without any power to fight back. One of them was called "the most disparate round of Western Conference Finals" by fans.

Harden and Curry are both rookies in the 2009 class, only one pick behind, and they are both super guards. They have been compared with Curry many times, but they have always been firmly held by Curry due to the huge gap in honor and record. Under the pressure, the "09 duo" proposed by the media is more like a mockery of Harden.

However, Harden is a person with a good mentality. These ups and downs off the court can hardly affect him. He still plays how he should play.

But it is impossible to say that he has no knots at all.

Everyone is a superstar, although you can beat me every time, and you have more championships, MVPs, and best teams than me, but why should I be inferior to you?
Until last season, Harden ranked second in the MVP selection, but he was not even selected for the best team. Finally, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and envy towards Curry broke out...

He is second in MVP, but he can't even win the best team!
In the first season after transferring to the Rockets, Harden scored 26+5+5. Since then, his performance has been getting better and better. The Rockets have never fallen out of the playoffs. The team came to the second position in the West.

But he can only win the best second team and the best third team. These are small honors, and he can't even touch the best team.

First, Curry and Rose monopolized the best backcourt. Later, Rose was troubled by injuries and finally went down. However, Westbrook took away a spot by virtue of his amazing triple-double per game.

In the past seven years, Curry has never missed the best team, and directly occupied a spot, comparable to Jordan and Kobe in their peak period, and firmly kept Harden out.

What's even more frightening is that Curry is only 30 years old this year, and he still has at least 3 years of peak time. His monopoly on the best team will continue.

This season, Harden ushered in Paul and played the best performance and record of his career. The best team is definitely no problem, but Curry performed better than him, and the Warriors ranked higher than the Rockets. To overwhelm Harden.

Harden's coveted MVP trophy is definitely hopeless.

Harden has imagined countless times how perfect his career would be without Curry.

Curry only defeated James and Durant head-on, but at least it will not prevent them from being selected for the best team. Not only will Harden be swept by Curry, he will not even get the best team, which is worse than other superstars.

Harden, who has always been good-tempered, couldn't bear it anymore, and his resentment towards Curry grew deeper and deeper.

And this Western Conference Finals is Harden's best chance for revenge. The Rockets are stronger than ever. He is confident to defeat the Warriors and prove to the world that he is no worse than Curry!
……

"Di-"

With the whistle of the referee, Capela took the first step, dialed the ball to the backcourt, and the game officially began.

Harden picked up the basketball and raised his hand to direct his teammates to run, but he himself slowly came to the frontcourt and settled at the top of the arc.

He actually observed the spot for a few seconds, and waited until his teammates were completely in position. Ariza and Tucker stood at the two bottom corners respectively, and Paul waved to Capela at a 45-degree angle to let him come up as a cover.

Lopez stayed below the free throw line and didn't come out, and Wiggins struggled to squeeze through the screen and interfere with Harden's shot.

Harden didn't break through to the inside immediately, but waited a while until Wiggins squeezed through the screen before he walked in.

He didn't hesitate, but wanted to see if there was a chance to hang on Wiggins and make a three-point foul.

But Wiggins controlled his movements very well, without showing any flaws, and Harden continued to the next step.

His first step was fast, and his body was very strong. Carrying Wiggins, he came to the penalty area, and Capela also disassembled and went down immediately.

Lopez retreated step by step, firmly stuck in Capela's position behind him. At the same time, Antetokounmpo also emptied Tucker and recovered his defense to the basket.

Harden had a wide field of vision and observed the changes in the Warriors' defensive formation. With a flick of his wrist while walking, he passed the ball to Tucker in the corner.

Tucker received the ball and was about to shoot a three-pointer, but Jaylen Brown rushed over. The action was very fierce, covering Tucker's shooting space. He could only take the ball back and pass it to Paul at 45 degrees.

After Paul got the ball, there was no defense around him. Antetokounmpo tried his best to pounce. Paul seized the fleeting opportunity and made a three-pointer, but he was a little hasty. The basketball bounced out of the frame and was forced by Lopez. Press Capela to grab it.

Antetokounmpo rushed forward, Paul pushed him away, frowned, and his face became more serious.

The Warriors' rotation speed is much faster than when the two teams played against each other in the regular season, which caught Paul by surprise.

After Lopez grabbed the rebound, he immediately passed it to Curry, and the Warriors immediately turned from defense to offense.

Antetokounmpo quickly came forward, and Curry made a football quarterback-style long pass to find Antetokounmpo, but the Rockets also retreated quickly. Tucker and Ariza settled ahead of time. Tokunbo didn't find a chance to hit the basket, so he could only stabilize the rhythm and wait for all his teammates to pass halftime before playing positional battles.

Curry came to the frontcourt, received a pass from Antetokounmpo, and then lobbed it back to Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo hit Tucker with a low back, and Tucker fought hard to resist, but there was a gap in height and weight between the two. He was still crushed to the basket, and Antetokounmpo turned around and put the basketball in.

During this process, no one from the Rockets came to help defend, and insisted on letting Tucker defend alone.

When D'Antoni saw Antetokounmpo score in singles, he just shook his head slightly.

Of course, Antetokounmpo has an advantage in playing Tucker, but Tucker is not a vegetarian. If Antetokounmpo has been so big, it will consume a lot of money, and it will be difficult to maintain a whole game. He also gave up the biggest advantage of the Warriors, D'Antoni Not panicking at all, but wishing Antetokounmpo would continue playing.

Looking back, Harden directly singled out Wiggins. Wiggins was very cautious, put Harden half a step away, and gave priority to preventing Harden from breaking through. , 3:0.

"Oh……"

There was a loud sigh from the audience, and the Warriors fans collectively hugged their heads.

This season, the step-back three-pointer has become Harden's signature technique, and his shooting percentage is extremely high. Wiggins dared to let Harden half a step, which made it difficult for fans to understand.

Lopez sent the baseline ball, Curry dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, landed and fought, and played a pick-and-roll with Antetokounmpo.

The Rockets switched defenses directly, Tucker came to Curry, and Ariza went to talk to Antetokounmpo.

At the same time, Lopez made a screen for Wiggins on the weak side, but the Rockets also decisively switched defenses and did not create scoring opportunities.

Curry didn't hesitate, and directly hung it to Antetokounmpo, asking him to single out Ariza.

Now the Rockets had to help defend. Ariza's strength and confrontation were far inferior to Tucker's, and he couldn't withstand the impact of Antetokounmpo at all.

Capela was pinned down by Lopez in the corner on the weak side and had no time to shrink, so he could only be defended by Paul from the corner on the strong side. However, he was too short, and Antetokounmpo carried Paul and Ariza directly. He turned around with a big stride and was about to dunk. In a hurry, Paul directly grabbed Antetokounmpo's arm and pulled him down severely.

"Di!"

The referee immediately blew his whistle. This is the Warriors' home game, or the series G1. Xiao Hua will not control the field at this time. Of course, the referee will not allow Paul to be presumptuous.

Paul hit very hard. Antetokounmpo staggered two steps when he landed, frowned, stomped his feet, and twisted his ankle twice before standing on the free throw line. He made 2 of 1 free throws, 1:3.

Looking back, Paul took the ball and played a pick-and-roll with Capela.

Lopez still stayed below the free throw line and squatted, Jaylen Brown tried his best to squeeze through the screen, Paul dribbled two steps in, pulled up and shot, and made a long two-pointer, 5:1.

"CIC from Paul! In the past two rounds of the series, he has shown us this skill countless times. Now it's the Warriors' turn. Will Coach Z still insist on letting Lopez sit in the pit? Paul likes this kind of skill most. Defensive!" said Mike Breen, who was broadcasting the nationally televised game.

On the court, the Warriors attacked, Curry and Antetokounmpo picked and rolled, the Rockets switched defenses a step slower, Antetokounmpo, with his terrifying strength and mobility, rushed to the basket one step ahead of Tucker, pointing to the sky with one hand, Curry When the man arrived and the ball arrived, Antetokounmpo succeeded in dunking in the air, 5:3.

Mark Jackson said:
"It seems that the Warriors' tactics are very clear. To start the game with Antetokounmpo, Curry has been playing for him. Coach Z should open up the advantage from the inside first."

Round conversion, Paul continued to pick and roll against Lopez, hit a long two-pointer, 7:3.

The Warriors attacked, Wiggins and Jaylen Brown crossed positions, the Rockets made a communication error when switching defenses, Wiggins got a small open space, received a pass from Curry, and made a three-pointer.

The basketball bounced high, Lopez, Antetokounmpo, and Jaylen Brown all poured into the Rockets penalty area. Into the net, 7:6.

Looking back, Paul continued to pick and roll against Lopez, but this time, Capela's screen quality was not high. Jaylen Brown stood up early and quickly squeezed through the screen. Under serious interference, Paul made a mid-range shot.

Jeff Van Gundy said:
"The Rockets' opening tactics are also very clear. The pick-and-roll is aimed at Lopez. Harden hardly shoots mid-range. He needs to break through to the basket and will face help defense. Let Paul play. His shot distance is far enough. The Warriors It's hard to help defend in place. Now both sides have their own advantages and disadvantages, it depends on who can't hold on first..."

……

The first quarter between the Warriors and the Rockets was spent in endless pick-and-rolls.

The offense of the two teams this season has been simple. The Rockets are Harden one-on-one, Harden pick-and-roll, and Paul pick-and-roll. Now the Warriors have a live target Lopez, of course Paul refuses to let him take the ball. Harden has no objection , happy to hand over the ball and watch Paul perform.

In the second round of G5, Paul showed his power, scoring 42 points in a single game, 16 of 12 from mid-range, and killed the Jazz alone.

Harden knew that Paul had this ability and was willing to be the green leaf by his side.

The Warriors would still play some pass-and-cut tactics, but the Rockets’ unlimited defenses were very resolute. They didn’t give the Warriors a chance to play pass-and-cut. question.

Zhang Yu is not competitive either, since the tactics can't be played, then play the wrong position. The Warriors have advantages in talent and size, and they are not afraid of the Rockets' infinite defense changes.

In addition to Antetokounmpo scoring 12 points, Wiggins and Jaylen Brown both played singles with the ball twice. With two pulls and a mid-range shot, Wiggins crushed Ariza with his body, rolled to the basket and hit a layup, causing two fouls.

The Warriors faithfully carried out Zhang Yu's instructions, and rushed in when they got the ball, just bullying the Rockets for their short stature.

洛佩斯和阿德托昆博联手抢到5个前场篮板，勇士利用二次进攻拿到7分，首节以31:26领先火箭5分。

The Rockets' offense relies entirely on Paul and Harden. Paul scored 14 points, and Harden mostly passed the ball to his teammates and got 3 assists.

Curry is very similar to Harden. He didn't attack much in the first quarter, and he focused all his energy on making the ball for his teammates. He scored 5 points and 4 assists, and played more of an organizer role.

The core stars of the two teams did not exert their strength, and the tactics were very monotonous, but the game was still very exciting. Antetokounmpo's violent crushing, Paul's exquisite mid-range shot, Wiggins' physical impact, and Capela's alley-oop Dunk, let the fans feast their eyes.

Although every attack of the two sides is similar, the fierce confrontation and thrilling game make every round a real knife and a gun without any water.

And this is at the Chase Center, the referee is more inclined to the Warriors, encourages physical confrontation, and chooses not to call some fouls that can be called or not. The game is very smooth, except that Harden has a lot less free throws. Other than that, everyone else is very satisfied.

This is the intensity that the Western Conference Finals should have, and what fans want to see, the peak duel between two super teams!

(End of this chapter)