warrior godfather

Chapter 194
After the start of the second quarter, Zhang Yu put Curry on the court at 9 minutes and 05 seconds.

According to the normal rotation time of the Warriors, Curry usually plays the full first quarter, plays about 5 minutes in the second quarter, plays the full third quarter, plays about 7 minutes in the fourth quarter, and plays about 36 minutes in a game.

In this regard, Zhang Yu referred to the way Cole used Curry in his previous life, allowing Curry to play for one or three quarters, which is conducive to stimulating his state, taking more rest in the second quarter, and playing earlier in the fourth quarter. In case the opponent takes advantage of his absence to open the score and make the situation irreversible.

But today, Zhang Yu does not intend to let Curry go through the normal rotation. The Clippers are not a resilient team. He will use a big and quick victory to announce the return of the Warriors and play for the next eight games. momentum.

After Curry played, according to Zhang Yu's arrangement, he took the ball.

At this time, Kaman hadn't played yet, and last year's rookie Jordan was guarding the Clippers' penalty area. At this time, Jordan didn't have the old cold legs later. He was still a jumper, with explosive physical fitness and strong mobility. .

But Curry didn't mean to put him in the eye at all. Like hitting Kaman, he grabbed Jordan and hit him, and Jordan really couldn't do it. He really loves to dance, and Curry's fake moves are very good. Realistic, as soon as he raised his hand and aimed at the frame, Jordan jumped high like a stress response, and was easily passed by him, or stepped back and made a three-pointer.

In just 5 minutes, Curry scored 9 points on Jordan, 6 of which were scored by breaking into the penalty area. Although Hughes arranged follow-up defenses, Curry's state today is really bad. It's great, he treats the defense like nothing, lays up when no one is defending, and throws when someone defends. In the summer, he followed Brand Payne to train his skills hard, which is his greatest confidence.

In the current league, few people realize the usefulness of close-in throws. Most of them choose mid-range pull-up jumpers. Only Parker is famous for his smooth throws.

Under Zhang Yu's suggestion, Brand Payne formulated a systematic short-range throwing training plan for Curry, allowing Curry to master the one-step throwing technique from the free throw line.

Curry's single-action shooting, combined with his superb hand-eye coordination ability, gave him unparalleled shooting speed, but the single-action shooting is not perfect. Its take-off height is low, and the release point is naturally low, so it is easy to be caught. Interference, not suitable for mid-range shots.

This is also the reason why Curry shoots so accurately and rarely takes mid-range shots. On the one hand, in order to improve his offensive efficiency, Zhang Yu requires him to shoot more from outside the three-point line and in the restricted area. defective.

But a superstar cannot lack mid-range means, otherwise it will be too easy to be restricted. Flying shots are what Zhang Yu prepared for Curry, a mid-range compromise between the basket and beyond the three-pointer.

With throwing, Curry has a way to punish the opponent's defense in an all-round way, making it more difficult to be restricted, but he has not yet reached the level of proficiency in this technique and still needs practice.

But today, Curry was in excellent condition, and this one-handed throw shot became a hit, completely defeating the Clippers' defense. He played 9 minutes in the second quarter, scored 12 points, and made Jordan pay 3 fouls , Hughes can only quickly replace him.

Hughes originally wanted to use Jordan's mobility to defend Curry, but now it seems that he is not as good as Kaman. Although Kaman is slow, his defensive position selection is much better than Jordan.

Jordan was a little frustrated when he left the court, but he laughed after a while and chatted with his teammates, as if it was not the Clippers who were behind by a big score, but the Warriors.

This season, Jordan averaged only 16.2 minutes per game for the Clippers, scoring 4.8 points and 5 rebounds. He was far from the demeanor of winning the best first team and best first defense later, but his mentality was very good, and he was not worried at all. I have too little playing time, and I will try my best to express myself every time I appear on the court. Even if the foul explodes, I will jump up with enthusiasm to block the opponent in the next round, and I will not be depressed when I end the court.

After the first half, Curry has scored 35 points, and the efficiency is extremely high, helping the Warriors lead the Clippers by 70 points 49:21. The Staples Center has become a sea of ​​joy for the Warriors fans. The fans either defected or left the field, but it didn't matter much, because the Clippers didn't have many fans.

During the intermission, Zhang Yu said in the locker room:
"Stephen has completely recovered his form. We hold a 21-point lead, but we can't take it lightly. I want a perfect victory! In the second half, we must maintain our defensive strength. If anyone dares to relax, I will replace him. ,do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" The warrior generals responded loudly.

The big score lead in the first half made their self-confidence reach the peak. They have no doubts about winning the game, but once they relax their mentality, they are easy to relax. Zhang Yu must take preventive injections in advance.

……

After the start of the second half, it turned out that Zhang Yu was right to worry. The Warriors' defense was slack, allowing Gordon to score 5 points in a row. Zhang Yu immediately called a timeout and replaced Azubuike who was directly defending Gordon. After coming down, he severely criticized everyone:
"If you don't want to fight, don't fight! Stephen is defending well, why are you walking there? Kelanna, if your injury is not healed, then continue to rest, and if your injury is healed, give me a good time Defense! I don’t need players who only know how to attack but don’t know how to defend. You must concentrate on keeping the pressure on the ball. Do you hear me?!”

Azubuike said quickly:

"Coach, my injury has healed, I must defend well."

Zhang Yu glared at him, wanting to put him on the bench, but he just came back from injury, just in time to find his form, and the Clippers are undoubtedly a very suitable opponent, so he could only snort coldly:
"Hmph! Sit for a few minutes first, and I'll give you another chance later. If you still slack off, just go home and stay!"

After the timeout ended, no one of the Warriors dared to relax anymore, and they all worked hard on defense. On the offensive end, because the Clippers focused their defensive attention on Curry, Hughes couldn't bear it and double-teamed him. Zhang Yu He didn't let Curry attack anymore, but let him drive his teammates more, and the effect was also very significant.

After the third quarter, Curry's score only increased by 4 points, but he sent 7 assists in one quarter, helping the Warriors further expand their lead, leading the opponent by 89 points 64:25. In this era, such a big The point difference is enough to make the game lose suspense.

In the fourth quarter, Zhang Yu did not let Curry play, but the morale of the Warriors team was stimulated. The substitute led by Lowry chased the Clippers fiercely without mercy.

At the end of the game, the Warriors beat the Clippers with 110 points 84:26. Curry played 33 minutes and clocked out of get off work in three quarters. He scored 39 points, 9 assists and 4 rebounds, completely recovering his state.

At the moment when the red light came on, the Staples Center burst into enthusiastic cheers, giving Zhang Yu the illusion of being in the Oracle Center.

Kenny Smith also exclaimed:

"Stephen Curry scored 39 points. This is his first 20+ points in the past 30 games, and his efficiency is extremely high. He only took 19 shots, made 12 goals, and made 13 three-pointers. 8-for-[-], he's back, the All-Star guard is back!"

Barkley laughed:
"Kenny, don't be so surprised. When Curry played Kaman and DeAndre Jordan in the first half, we should have thought of this moment. When Curry found the touch, he was unstoppable."

After most of the season, Barkley was obviously impressed by Curry's shooting.

After the game, Hughes was interviewed by reporters, and he smiled wryly:

"Steph Curry destroyed our defense and he's a deserving All-Star."

A reporter asked Curry:

"You scored 39 points in this game. It was the first time you broke through 30+ points after the All-Star break. Can you tell me why you are in such a hot state tonight?"

Curry smiled slightly:
"My girlfriend came to the scene to watch the game, which gave me a lot of encouragement...Of course, this is not the main reason. We need to compete for the place in the playoffs, and this is the most important thing."

Facing the reporter's question, Zhang Yu also said:
"I'm very happy to see Stephen get back to form, and Anderson will return to the team soon, I feel better than ever, we will definitely be able to enter the playoffs."

……

On March 3, the Warriors challenged the Jazz in an away game. Facing the modern version of the "Utah Twins" composed of Deron Williams and Boozer, Zhang Yu arranged a strict defensive strategy, taking advantage of the Jazz's weakness in shooters. Deron Williams and Boozer's pick-and-roll cooperation must be guarded against.

Although Korver got a few open three-point opportunities by running without the ball, he made 9 of 4 three-pointers and scored 12 points, but he couldn't beat the Warriors. He made 10 shots, scored only 3 points, and was blocked by the Warriors.

Although Deron Williams has stood up, he is a heavy traditional guard. Scoring has never been his strong point. He has never averaged more than 22 points per game in his career. This season, he averaged only 18.7 points per game. , Scoring explosive power is limited.

In this game, he scored 24 points, but only sent 5 assists, which was only half of the average assists per game. Curry continued his good form against the Clippers, and used the pick-and-roll that the Jazz are best at to blow up. Boozer and Okur scored 31 points to help the Warriors beat the Jazz 89-76.

In this high-intensity defensive battle, Curry scored very easily. Jerry Sloan stubbornly believed that Curry's three-pointers could not kill anyone. Boozer and Okur alone were enough to defend him. Then he Just watched Curry blow up the two of them one by one, and every three-pointer was like a knife stabbing a Jazz fan, taking away the victory of the game.

After the game, even with Jerry Sloan's stubbornness, he had to admit:

"In the beginning, I thought Stephen Curry would be Jeff Hornacek, then, I thought he was Reggie Miller at most, but I was wrong, he is Steph Curry, I have never seen anyone like him Shoot [-]s like that, never, he might change everything, I might be old, it's time to retire..."

……

On April 4, the Warriors returned home to face the Knicks from afar.

Because Zhang Yu, the butterfly, flapped its wings, many things became unrecognizable. David Lee did not come to the Warriors, but stayed in the Knicks, and the Knicks were still as bad as ever.

In this game, the two sides played against each other, but the difference is that the Warriors have defense.

After more than a month of training, Varejao ushered in a comeback. His candy-style defense made David Lee very uncomfortable. Although David Lee still scored 25 points, his efficiency was not high. He only made 21 of 10 shots.

The Knicks were defeated by the Warriors' stormy offensive. They only resisted for two and a half quarters, and fell behind by as many as 29 points, which made the game lose suspense.

Curry didn't make much effort. He made 12 of 7 shots, including 8 of 4 three-pointers and 4 of 4 free throws. He scored a double-double with 22 points and 12 assists efficiently. In three quarters, the Warriors beat the Knicks 118:93.

It is worth mentioning that Varejao scored 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. When he was replaced by Zhang Yu, he received applause from the fans.

Zhang Yu is not surprised by this. In his previous life, this season was Varejao's peak season, and he was selected to the best defensive second team. This is also the only best team in his career.

Now he has also shown good defensive ability, single defense and auxiliary defense are good, but the Warriors are not Cavaliers, defense pays attention to shrinking the inside line and rotating to fill positions. Varejao suffers from mobility, and his single defense There was little opportunity to show, so there was no call to enter the defense.

But this does not prevent Varejao from integrating into the Warriors' defensive system. With the deepening of Chandler's running-in with the team, the Warriors' inside defense has greatly improved compared to the beginning of the season.

……

On April 4, the Warriors traveled to Toronto to challenge the Raptors away.

The Raptors are currently ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference. They are competing with the Bulls for a playoff spot, and they are going all out in every game.

Dragon King Bosh fought for 43 minutes. If it wasn't for the Raptors coach Triano to pull him, Bosh would have wanted to play the whole game, and his determination to win this game was very firm.

He told Varejao with practical actions that the All-Stars are different from the All-Stars. David Lee Varejao is very uncomfortable, but Bosh treats him like nothing. He made 19 of 11 shots and 13 of 10 free throws. , scored 32 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals, dominating the mid-range.

But the Raptors still didn't win the game because Curry dominated the three-point line.

In the face of this crucial battle that both sides are bound to win, Zhang Yu also let go of Curry's playing time limit and gave him unlimited firepower. Against Bosh and Bargnani, he made 39 of 20 shots, 13 of 16 three-pointers, 9 of 2 free throws, scored 2 points, 37 assists and 5 rebounds, and led the Warriors to beat the Raptors 4:95. win!
(End of this chapter)