warrior godfather

Chapter 794 Escape or face

The interview with Zhang Yu by the San Francisco Chronicle ended soon.

What the reporter is interested in is Zhang Yu's views on the upcoming finals, as well as the explanation for Antetokounmpo's injury-even if it is vague, it is also the most authoritative and official source, far more than anyone else. The news that I don't know whether it is true or not is even more recognized by the fans.

However, the reporter didn't notice that after Zhang Yu bid farewell to him, his originally calm expression suddenly became serious, with a preoccupied look.

He walked out of the Chase Center quickly and got into the Porsche that Mark Baum had given him, but instead of driving away immediately, he called Schwartz.

"Beep...beep..."

The monotonous electronic sound played, and although he had only waited for more than ten seconds, it gave Zhang Yu an extremely long feeling, and made him, who had always been calm, show a slightly irritable expression.

Finally, Schwartz got through the phone, Zhang Yu didn't wait for him to speak, and asked first:
"Elliott, is it true that Giannis can't catch up to G4 of the finals? Are you not mistaken?"

"Uh..." Schwartz paused, and then replied in a very low tone, "Unfortunately, no, Giannis' injury is too serious. In the second round, his ankle appeared a little The problem, this injury has aggravated the symptoms, at least it will take at least 10 days of recuperation before he can play, and he will definitely not be able to return to his prime..."

Zhang Yu's face suddenly turned pale. This is a very rare thing for him. It only happened once when Curry was injured in the final game of the regular season against the Thunder in 2014.

He swallowed up and down his Adam's apple twice, and his resolute eyes also became lax, like a traveler who has trekked in the Sahara Desert for several days, and found out that life was leaving his body in despair.

He was not as confident, firm and indifferent as he was in front of reporters. He took off all his masks and showed the frustration, unwillingness and weakness that an ordinary person should have.

Yes, Zhang Yu was just pretending in front of the reporters. On the plane flying to Houston in Game 6, he also told a white lie to the Warriors players.

Antetokounmpo's ankle injury is very serious, and it can't be healed in a week. The answer Schwartz gave Zhang Yu at the time was that it would take at least 10 days for Antetokounmpo to play.

But in order to boost the morale of the team, Zhang Yu chose to conceal this fact, but Antetokounmpo's recovery time was shortened by half.

This approach has also achieved the expected results. The morale of the Warriors team is high, and G6 is united. Against many unfavorable factors such as the absence of superstars and away penalties, they completed the reversal and successfully won tickets to the finals.

After the game, everyone was excited and asked about Antetokounmpo's comeback time. Of course, Zhang Yu couldn't admit that he lied to them, even if it was a white lie, which would deal a great blow to his prestige.

So Zhang Yu can only push the blame on poor Schwartz. "Anger" said that Schwartz's test results were wrong. Antetokounmpo still needs to rest for a few more days before he can come back, at least not in time for the first two games of the finals .

The generals of the warriors were quite astonished by the news, but Schwartz's superb medical skills and his dedication to his duties were well received, so they had no choice but to accept the reality, and even persuaded Zhang Yu not to get angry.

With the prestige of reversing the Rockets, the Warriors players expressed that although Antetokounmpo could not come back immediately, it was only two games. Tokumbo returns as king.

Only then did Zhang Yu "reluctantly" forgive Schwartz, but then asked everyone to keep it secret in front of the media, and not to disclose the specific injury of Antetokounmpo.

Everyone immediately patted their chests and agreed, and then there was a scene in the post-match press conference where Curry and others who were interviewed by the Warriors were all vague and didn't know what to ask.

But maybe Zhang Yu's lies angered the God who governs the United States. Unfortunately, his words came true. Earlier today, Schwartz sent him a message that Antetokounmpo really needs a few more days of self-cultivation. Originally, it was just missing the first two games of the finals, but now it is very likely that they will not be able to catch up with the first four games of the finals.

For Zhang Yu, this news was no less than a bolt from the blue, disrupting all his plans.

But it happened to be the training time of the Warriors at that time, and Zhang Yu's thoughts became very confused because of this matter. Instead of calling Schwartz back immediately, he put it aside temporarily and forced himself to focus on training. Slowly calmed down, and came up with a rhetoric to deal with the media.

After the interview, he contacted Schwartz as soon as possible to confirm the news, and even had a mental breakdown.

In this era of star groups, stars are everything. Antetokounmpo's absence in the first four games will put the Warriors in a real desperate situation.

Schwartz was also very aware of the impact of this news on Zhang Yu, and kept silent all the time. Only his faint breathing came from the phone, the laughter of his wife and girlfriends talking on the phone, and the American TV series " The classic lines of Breaking Bad:

"Either escape, or face..."

After more than a dozen seconds, which seemed to be as long as a century, Zhang Yu's eyes became firm again, and that coach Z who had strategized and never gave up was back.

He picked up a bottle of pure water on the cup holder next to him, unscrewed the bottle cap roughly, raised his neck and gulped down half of the bottle, then wiped his chin vigorously, his voice returned to his usual calmness, only a little hoarse:
"I see, I hope you will do everything possible to help Giannis recover as soon as possible without harming his health, the sooner the better!"

"No problem." Schwartz agreed, then hesitated, and then said, "But Giannis strongly demanded to play closed..."

"No!" Zhang Yu categorically interrupted Schwartz, "The confrontation in the finals is too intense, which is likely to shorten his career. Even if I lose the championship, I can't let my players take the slightest risk. This matter is not negotiable!"

"Okay, I'll tell Giannis..." Schwartz breathed a sigh of relief. As a doctor, he also disapproved of Antetokounmpo's playing in a closed court, which would bring great risks to his body. .

"No, I'll tell him in person!" Zhang Yu flatly vetoed it, and muttered angrily, "This short-sighted guy, whose career has just begun, doesn't know how to cherish it at all! I have to teach him a lesson. no……"

At this moment, he is not at all like a cold-blooded capitalist who once grabbed billions of dollars in the subprime mortgage crisis, but a head coach who cares about the health of players.

Later, Zhang Yu asked about Antetokounmpo's recovery in detail before hanging up the phone with Schwartz and driving away from the Chase Center.

After returning home, he called Antetokounmpo. The reality severely reprimanded Antetokounmpo for his thoughts of disregarding his career, and then comforted him, and finally made a promise:

"...you take good care of your injuries, I assure you, the team will last until you return, isn't it the Celtics? There is no team that can sweep the Warriors yet! All you need to do is to take good care of your injuries and use your best Return to your state, then lift the O'Brien Cup with your teammates and become a true legend!"

After three to 10 minutes of communication, Zhang Yu's voice was dry, and he finally persuaded Antetokounmpo to give up the idea of ​​playing with injuries and concentrate on recuperating without stopping the training of upper body and core strength, trying to maintain the best state.

"Huh..." Zhang Yu put down the phone and let out a long breath.

There is no doubt that Antetokounmpo is a very persistent person, and it is difficult to change if he has identified the goal, otherwise he would not have worked hard from the slums of Greece to the NBA and become a world-famous superstar.

This is not something that only talent can do. The most indispensable thing in the NBA is talent. Many peerless geniuses who are more talented than him have fallen on the way. Only those who are extremely determined can climb the steepest mountain. of the mountain.

It took Zhang Yu a lot of effort and exhaustion to force Antetokounmpo to change his mind.

But he still couldn't rest, took a few breaths, and after drinking a large glass of water, Zhang Yu picked up the phone again, dialed Riley's number, and ordered:
"Larry, you go to do something and let the wind out. Giannis' ankle injury is very serious. You can contact Elliott for the specific injury and ask him to make up one. The more serious the better, you will miss the entire finals, or even the You have to rest for a summer... Remember, don't let others know that you took the initiative to disclose it, and make those reporters feel that you have contacted insiders to dig up the shocking information. After the news is sent out, act out a scene of catching the ghost... Yes, pick a person who is willing to sacrifice his reputation, demote him first, and then give him generous compensation... Mmm, hurry up and do it..."

Ten minutes later, Zhang Yu finally settled the details with Riley and put down the phone.

This time, he can finally rest.

But his eyes radiated a strange light, which was the excitement of a hunter chasing prey in the forest, and the joy of a spider seeing flying insects slowly being entangled in its web.

Zhang Yu told lies in front of reporters, but also told the truth.

Antetokounmpo is unlikely to come back anytime soon, but he really knows Kerr better than anyone, not only because Kerr was an assistant coach for the Warriors, but also because he is the only one who has seen Cole. The guy who coached the Warriors game.

Now, he gave Cole an irresistible reason. He believes that Cole will definitely act according to his ideas, and that is the only way for the Warriors to beat the Celtics in the absence of Antetokounmpo.

(End of this chapter)