warrior godfather

Chapter 200 Unexpected Victory

Although Durant also scored 41 points, 37 points were obtained in the first three quarters, and only 4 points were scored in the fourth quarter, and he also used a full 7 shots.

The fierce battle with the Warriors, back-to-back exhaustion, and the exhaustion of the first three quarters collectively broke out in the fourth quarter. Durant did not stand up when the Thunder needed to chase points.

After the game, countless ribbons and fireworks fell from the dome in the Rose Garden Arena, and the audience turned into a sea of ​​joy. The fans of the City of Tears shouted ecstatically, jumping for joy for the team to enter the playoffs. I don't want to leave for a long time.

The victory of this game brought the Blazers' record to 48 wins and 33 losses, while the Thunder's record became 47 wins and 34 losses, one game behind the Blazers, and their relationship with the Blazers is With 1 win and 1 losses, even if the Thunder win the next game and the Blazers lose the next game, the Blazers will still be ranked above the Thunder by virtue of the relationship between victory and defeat!

In other words, the Thunder have completely lost hope of entering the playoffs, and the competition for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference has come to an end. The only suspense is the specific ranking of each team.

There was silence in the Thunder locker room, no one spoke, and everyone had a gloomy face. In the face-to-face contest, they lost a crucial battle and ruined their hope of entering the playoffs.

When Durant was exhausted, his face was gloomy and terrible. He lay back on the chair and glanced at the teammates around him. The resentment in his heart was constantly growing.

Look at these guys!
When I tried my best to score 40+, what were you doing?
I'm so tired that I can't breathe, but I still have to carry the team forward. It's been three years. I've been the scoring leader, but I still can't make it to the playoffs, and the baby face of the Warriors, the rookie season is the All-Star starter , made it to the playoffs, why? !

Durant roared in his heart, but it was only roaring in his heart. With his character, he would not accuse his teammates face to face—at least not now.

He does enjoy the feeling of constantly scoring points and being under the eyes of everyone, but what he wants is a high score after winning, not empty scoring after losing.

What Durant likes most is that his teammates can provide him with enough help without stealing his limelight. In the end, the team wins, he scores high points, gets praise and honor, and his teammates will also get his thanks , isn't this the perfect result?

But his teammates can't do this. It's been three years, except that the Thunder have a chance to get close to the playoffs this year. In the past two years, they were ranked last in the West. The title has always been with him, even though he scored more and more, but his inability to win has always been his sore spot.

If I have a coach and teammates like Curry... no, I must win the championship for the Thunder!
Durant shook his head, dismissing the thought.

He is Durant, he is the scoring leader, he is the leader of the team, he wants to become a superstar, and he wants to reach the pinnacle of the league with his own hands!

……

"Boss, you've got everything right. Roy really stood up in the final quarter!" Curry exclaimed as he watched Roy, who was being interviewed after the game on the sidelines on TV.

Zhang Yu smiled slightly:
"Although Roy doesn't seem to average many points per game, he is a real team player. He averaged only 22.6 points per game in the regular season last year, but he improved to 26.7 points in the playoffs! He never cares about his own data. Usually He doesn't take care of everything when playing, but he will stand up at critical moments, and he has comprehensive skills and selfless style of play. He is a player worthy of the trust of the head coach."

He didn't know much about Roy in his previous life, but he has studied a lot of game videos of the Blazers this season. After all, these are opponents in the same division. They have to fight 4 times every season, and they are likely to meet in the playoffs. In the process of knowing himself and the enemy, he also knows Roy well, and appreciates Roy more and more.

And I don't know if it is the butterfly effect caused by Zhang Yu. Roy did not get injured in the middle and late part of this season like his previous life, but has remained healthy.

Zhang Yu was once puzzled by this. He obviously didn't remind Roy like he reminded Ross, why Roy wasn't injured?
Later, he figured it out. Although he didn't have much communication with Roy, his existence would affect Roy's future. Compared with his previous life, the game between the Trail Blazers and the Warriors must have changed a lot this season. , Roy's consumption or choice will definitely change accordingly.

These small choices will cause a chain reaction, just like the choice of a multiple-choice question in the college entrance examination will lead students to a completely different life path. The fate that should have been seriously injured has naturally changed.

Zhang Yu didn't know whether Roy's injury was delayed or just disappeared, but Roy underwent two operations to remove the meniscus when he was in college. Before the start of the 2008-2009 season, Roy's left knee became inflamed. In order to catch up with the regular season, the team doctor cut off a small piece of meniscal cartilage, and he should have recovered through patient rest.

But he knows that no matter whether Roy's final fate returns to the original track or changes completely, it is enough for him to enter the playoffs with a healthy attitude. He will dedicate more exciting games to the fans, and This is Roy's luck, as well as the fans' luck.

"Boss, let me play tomorrow. Although the Spurs beat the Timberwolves today, it is still very difficult for them to win against the Mavericks. If we can win the Jazz and Trail Blazers, the team will have a chance to rise to No. [-] in the Western Conference. It's six!"

Just as Zhang Yu's thoughts were dissipating, Curry's voice suddenly sounded in his ears.

He looked up and saw that Curry was holding a mobile phone in his hand. It should be the result of seeing the Spurs and Timberwolves just now, and he was looking at him eagerly.

Butler also chimed in from the side:

"Yeah, boss, you just let Stephen go."

Zhang Yu smiled, and shook his head under Curry's expectant gaze:
"No, you have consumed too much in the past half month. You should rest well tomorrow, and you may need to contribute to playing the Blazers the day after tomorrow."

Curry heard the words and sighed, but said nothing more.

This morning, after Curry happily hung up the phone with Ayesha, he learned from Zhang Yu that he will miss the game against the Jazz tomorrow because of his hip tension. Of course, if he thinks this statement is not good, Zhang Yu doesn't mind changing it to back tension.

Curry was not happy immediately, he was in a hot state, and although the Warriors have made it to the playoffs, they can still make a difference in the playoff rankings. Why did the boss suddenly want to rest him? up?

Curry wanted to play the game very much, and wanted to raise the Warriors to another place in the ranking, but Zhang Yu was determined. He could only accept the fact that he would miss the game tomorrow because of "hip tension".

……

The next night, the Warriors played against the Jazz at home. Although the Oracle Arena was still full of fans, the frenzied home atmosphere was much weaker than before.

The reason is simple. The Warriors rested three players, Curry, Chandler and Butler, and let most of the starting lineup.

In fact, if it wasn't for Azubuike and Varejao who had just returned from injury and still needed to find their feelings through the game, Zhang Yu would have wanted them to rest together.

After one season, both Curry and Butler have played 80 games. Curry's average time is 35.7 minutes, and Butler's time is 37.6 minutes, which consumes a lot. The playoffs are coming soon. Zhang Yu thinks it is necessary to let them Rest awhile.

Although Zhang Yu's behavior of giving up competing for a higher ranking was criticized by the outside world as "not thinking about making progress", Warriors fans understand this decision very well. They have already entered the playoffs, so what bicycle do they need?

But unexpectedly, although the Warriors let three starters, the substitute players played exceptionally well. Facing the inside line composed of Boozer and Okur, Lowry turned into Rose and hit the basket frequently. He scored 13 points. If he hadn't made 6 of 3 free throws, he could have scored more.

The enthusiasm of the fans was also aroused. Zhang Yu saw that the Jazz's inside defense was so weak today, so she immediately changed her plan, and did not let Varejao find the feeling of the game. At the beginning of the second half, she put on the inside composed of Big Z and Anthony. combination.

Although the inside defense of these two people is also very soft, but the Jazz has always resolved the battle in the middle distance. Both Boozer and Millsap's scoring are concentrated in the middle distance. In the case of playing, Deron also hit the basket many times in the first half, while Varejao and Roni Turiaf were transferred from the inside by Okur and Boozer, and they couldn't protect the basket at all.

That being the case, Zhang Yu simply opened up the penalty area further, welcomed Delong as a guest, and expanded the space on the offensive end.

He would like to see whether Deron alone can attack better, or the Warriors, a group of young people who desperately want to show themselves, can score.

Facts have proved that collective strength is always stronger than individual strength. Although Deron hit the basket very efficiently in the second half, he scored 8 points and 12 points in the third and fourth quarters, scoring a high of 35 points in the game. , but the attack group composed of Lowry, Azubuike, Reggie Williams and CJ Watson is even more fierce.

They took turns to challenge the Jazz's inside defense, and Okur and Boozer experienced the pain of their former opponents. They had to follow Big Z and Anthony Toliver to the outside line. It was difficult to protect the frame. Millsap has this ability. But his height of just over two meters is really not tall enough, and each of the Warriors is a young man with strong physical fitness, full of impact. A foul, dare not make moves.

More importantly, while strengthening his personal scoring, Deron ignored the organization of the team. The Jazz team, which is highly integrated, became a solo player on the offensive end. After everyone got the ball, they wanted to attack the weak Warriors. This is also Jerry Sloan's instruction.

They did score a lot of points in the Warriors penalty area, but they also fell into Zhang Yu's trap.

In the absence of Chandler and Butler, it is impossible for the Warriors to win on defense. The only way they can win the Jazz is offense.

Facing the bait given by Zhang Yu, the Jazz didn't grasp it, and unknowingly accelerated the pace of the game, trying to score more inside while Anthony Toliver and Big Z were on the court.

As a result, the pace of the game gradually accelerated, and the two sides played against each other. On one side, Deron Williams ran over Lowry for a layup, and on the other side, Reggie Williams quickly received Lowry's long pass and dunked.

The scores of the two sides rose rapidly, but the Warriors have been leading the Jazz by about 5 points by virtue of the advantage of holding the ball.

This rhythm was maintained until 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter, when Jerry Sloan finally smelled something wrong and called a timeout, allowing Deron Williams to slow down and play positional warfare.

But a basketball game is not a video game. If you want to go fast, you can go fast, and if you want to go slow, you can go slow. The Jazz players have formed a habit of playing fast. Zhang Yu also kept Big Z and Anthony Toliver on the court at the last moment. They unconsciously It's like accelerating into the Warriors' restricted area.

And at this time, the conflict between Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan is already very deep. He has his own ideas, thinking that the Jazz are now behind and need to chase points quickly, so he did not follow the coach's instructions.

But Deron Williams forgot one thing, the team that played against the Warriors, except for the Suns, no team has a good end. Familiar, in the last 3 minutes, they firmly maintained their lead. In the end, the Warriors beat the Jazz by 126 points 121:5, and this was also the point difference between the two sides at the end of the third quarter.

In other words, the Jazz with the starters, the Jazz with two All-Star teams Deron Williams and Boozer, and the Warriors with 4 substitutes, almost all of whom are young people. There was a tie in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors defended their home court gloriously!
After the game, the fanatical atmosphere swept the Oracle Arena like countless games in the past, and the fans gave the most enthusiastic applause and cheers to these hard-working young people.

The Jazz left the game sadly. After they lost this game, they will have a back-to-back game with the Suns tomorrow. The Suns are competing with the Mavericks for the second place in the Western Conference. They will definitely do their best. This is another game hard fight.

The Nuggets and the Jazz have the same record, fighting fiercely for the fourth position in the Western Conference. This is related to home court advantage in the playoffs. downwind.

Fortunately, after the Jazz returned to the locker room, they received good news. The Nuggets lost to the Suns tonight. As long as they win the Suns tomorrow, they can overtake the Nuggets, rank fourth in the Western Conference, and win the home game in the playoffs Advantage.

Faced with this situation, Jerry Sloan chose to suppress the conflict between him and Deron Williams, focusing on the playoffs, but the differences between the two are getting bigger and bigger, and will eventually usher in an explosion that day.

(End of this chapter)