warrior godfather

Chapter 202 This is no longer the era of the Wind Son

"...Dinard missed a 30-pointer with 114 seconds left and the Warriors don't seem to want to play any more. Watson kills the time after dribbling the halfcourt...Let's congratulate the Warriors for their 93:51 victory over the Trail Blazers! With the victory of this game, the Warriors' record came to 31 wins and [-] losses, ranking beyond the Spurs, and rose to sixth in the West. Their opponent in the playoffs will be Phoenix Suns."

As the sound of the commentary fell, the Warriors' 24-second attack time was up. Watson handed the ball to the referee. .

This game has no meaning for the Trail Blazers. Coach McMillan rested almost all the starters.

Such a lineup met the Warriors who were determined to win. Naturally, they were quickly defeated. The Blazers trailed by 16 points in the first half. In the third quarter, the Warriors made persistent efforts and opened the gap to 25 points. Above, the game completely lost its suspense, McMillan had no intention of fighting, and ranked in the third team in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors' starters were able to clock in three quarters.

At the end of the game, 6 Warriors scored in double figures. Curry scored 27 points and 23 assists in 11 minutes. Azubuike scored 15 points. Butler scored 13 points. Chandler scored 12 points and 16 rebounds. 4 blocks, Anthony Tolliver 12 points, Lowry 15 points and 7 assists, more blooming.

Zhang Yu is very satisfied with this game. The rest of the starting players have completed their warm-up through a preseason game. They have not exhausted too much energy and are ready for the playoffs. The team ranking has also reached the sixth place in the Western Conference. , achieved the goal at the beginning of the season, this regular season is perfect for the Warriors.

Although they have to face the Suns, a formidable opponent, Zhang Yu no longer cares about the outcome of the playoffs. As long as he cannot win the championship, there is no difference between the first round and the second round in his opinion. Accumulate experience in the playoffs is the most important.

But of course Zhang Yu will not give up the game. Even if the chances of winning are slim, he still wants to eat a piece of meat from the Suns. His first playoff trip with the Warriors must not end hastily.

"Boss, we are sixth in the Western Conference, and we are going to play in the playoffs!" Just when Zhang Yu was deep in thought, Curry came to him and said with a big smile.

Zhang Yu came back to his senses, stood up and said with a smile:

"Yeah, we're a playoff team!"

……

While the Warriors were celebrating their victory, some people in distant San Antonio had been watching the game.

"How did it turn out?" Popovich asked Budenholzer, an assistant next to him.

There was a little hope in his calm eyes, as if the Spurs' loss tonight hadn't affected him at all.

Budenholzer said:
"McMillan rested 4 starts, the Warriors won the Trail Blazers by more than 20 points, and we are now seventh in the Western Conference."

Popovich breathed a sigh of relief:

"Very good, I'm worrying about how to play against the Suns, the Warriors are good to win, good to win."

Budenholzer nodded in agreement and said:
"Compared with the Suns, the Mavericks are indeed easier to play. Our defense is too difficult to face the Suns, and the Mavericks' lineup is even older than ours. We still have the strength to fight."

Popovich smiled slightly:
"Ronan Zhang is still too young. He has the initiative and can choose opponents, but he picked the most difficult one. In fact, the Warriors are the most restrained Mavericks. They have more Tyson Chandler than when they were black eights. Le and Stephen Curry, black seven is very likely."

"The Warriors managed to make it to the playoffs once. He may be reluctant to be ranked sixth in the Western Conference." Budenholzer thought for a while and replied.

Popovich shook his head:

"No, he probably won't fail to see this. Even if he couldn't see it, it's impossible for Old Nelson not to remind him that he probably didn't want to dampen the spirit of the team. There are pros and cons, it's a win-win, he can train young people, and we have the opportunity to go further, oh, I forgot he is a young man, he needs to exercise himself."

Budenholzer smiled:
"Let the Suns have a headache, our opponent is the Mavericks, Greg, what do you think?"

Popovich narrowed his eyes:
"Of course, I've prepared a big gift for our old neighbor!"

……

After defeating the Trail Blazers, Zhang Yu brought Curry, Chandler, Azubuike and Lowry to participate in media interviews.

Since Chandler came to the Warriors, he will accept media interviews after almost every game. This is what Zhang Yu promised him before, and it is the "responsibility" he should bear as the leader of the locker room.

Of course, with Zhang Yu around, Chandler would not dare to shoot casually, nor would he speak casually about what happened in the locker room, but this feeling of being respected is unprecedented for him, and it is what he has always longed for. thing.

In Zhang Yu's previous life, after Chandler went to the Knicks, with Anthony and Stoudemire as his partners, he regarded himself as the leader of the locker room, dictating his teammates everywhere, and even complaining about his teammates in front of the media. If you lose, you must die. What is wrong?

Although he was an important contributor to the Mavericks' championship, he supported the team's defensive system with his own strength after coming to the Knicks and won the best defensive player award, but he is a blue-collar star after all. If there is no other means of attack, how could his teammates convince him?
In less than three years, Chandler was sent back to the Mavericks by the Knicks, and he still went his own way after returning to the Mavericks, causing Nowitzki, who had a good temper, to have conflicts with him on the court. Renew his contract.

And now, Zhang Yu fished Chandler out of the quagmire of the Hornets, let him serve as the team's starting center, assume the responsibility of the defensive core, and let him be the leader of the Warriors' locker room, which made Chandler I am very grateful to Zhang Yu, and the atmosphere of the Warriors is also very good. Chandler likes it very much. He trains and plays very hard. He often imparts valuable experience and lessons to the young players in the team, which benefits Curry and other rookies. A lot.

This time, he was the first to be interviewed, followed by Azubuike, Lowry and Curry, and finally Zhang Yu.

The most frequently asked by the reporters was naturally how many people thought about the playoffs. Chandler had played in the playoffs a few times and knew that the Suns were not easy to deal with, so he answered very cautiously.

But Azubuike is different. As a witness to the miracle of Hei Ba, he was so confident that he almost didn't say anything about Hei Liu.

However, his self-confidence is not without reason. This year, the gap between the teams in the Western Conference is extremely small. The Suns, the third in the Western Conference, and the Warriors, who are only 3 games ahead of the sixth Warriors in the Western Conference, cannot say that the Suns will definitely be able to win. Beat the Warriors.

The same is true for Lowry and Curry. Although they did not directly say that the Warriors will definitely beat the Suns, the 10-game winning streak at the end of the season has greatly boosted the confidence of the Warriors.

When he came to Zhang Yu, he seemed to think the same way. When the reporter asked him if he had confidence in the Warriors defeating the Suns, Zhang Yu replied confidently:
"Of course, we are in full swing. The Suns are only three games ahead of us, and their roster is aging. Nash is 3 years old. The Suns haven't won a series in the past two years. Now it's not the same. It's time for the Zonda, we will win this game."

The reporter asked:

"Do you mean that Nash can't play well in the playoffs? Or are you going to make targeted defenses against him?"

Zhang Yu smiled:
"If I remember correctly, Nash played only 5 games in the last playoffs before being eliminated, averaging only 16.2 points per game. Does he need any targeted defense from me for his performance?"

The eyes of the reporters brightened. Coach Z is really different from others. The other coaches didn’t play the game and went ahead with tainted milk. , as if the victory has been in the bag.

"No problem, that's all for today." Zhang Yu quickly ended the interview without giving the reporter another chance to ask questions.

After the interview, several people in Curry stood at the door waiting for Zhang Yu, and they all heard his answer just now.

Azubuike grinned and said:

"Boss, have you already figured out how to deal with the sun?"

The other three looked at him expectantly. Zhang Yu's smile quickly disappeared during the interview, and he glanced at everyone expressionlessly, and said lightly:
"Let's talk about it later."

After finishing speaking, he walked ahead without saying another word.

The four looked at each other and could only keep up.

That night, the Warriors flew back to Oakland overnight. After the regular season, the league only gave each team two days to rest. On April 4, the playoffs will begin. We must seize the precious rest time for Get ready for the playoffs.

At two o'clock in the morning, the special plane of the Warriors landed at Oakland Airport. Although it was very late, dozens of fans were still waiting outside the airport. When the Warriors players came out, they rushed up and entered the playoffs for the team. And rejoice.

Zhang Yu waved his hand away, and the players came forward and signed autographs for these die-hard fans. Fortunately, the Thunder at home a few days ago made the Warriors successfully enter the playoffs, and the excitement of the fans was vented that day. A lot, otherwise the number of people picking up the plane today would definitely be ten times or more.

Not only the players, but also some people asked Zhang Yu to sign and take a group photo. After Zhang Yu signed them, he waved goodbye to the fans.

"Coach Z, can we beat the Suns?" a fan shouted.

Zhang Yu paused, then smiled and said:

"Of course, we're going to win, and getting to the playoffs is just the beginning."

When the fans got Zhang Yu's answer, they all laughed happily, held up the cheering cards in their hands, and shook them vigorously. Dozens of people chanted the slogan "warrior" together, adding a bit of fiery atmosphere to this cold night.

"but not now……"

Zhang Yu added in a low voice, and finally waved to the fans, took the players on the bus and left.

For the Warriors, the regular season of the 2009-2010 season is over, and the next is the playoffs. This is a matchup that is more intense, more intense, and more thrilling than the regular season.

The end of the closing day has also settled the rankings of the East and West, and all teams know who their opponents are about to face.

The competition in the East is much easier than in the West, and the playoff rankings are determined earlier. The Cavaliers have a record of 65 wins and 7 losses, ranking first in the East and the league. James averaged 27.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in the regular season With 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks, the MVP trophy can be said to have been in his pocket, and the result is just short of announcing the results. Combining the record and statistics, there is no way for others to compete with him.

The second place in the Eastern Conference is the Magic with 59 wins and 23 losses, and the fault has opened up with the Cavaliers. Howard averaged 18.3 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. Supporting the inside defense of the Magic, it can be called a pillar of the sky, and it is very likely that it will be the best defensive player again.

The third place in the Eastern Conference is the Eagles with 53 wins and 29 losses. Although they have no superstars, they have many powerful players in the team.

The fourth in the Eastern Conference is the Celtics with 50 wins and 32 losses. Although the Celtics are only ranked fourth and have stumbled in the regular season, no one dares to underestimate the only Big Three team in the league. The Walters are still the strongest team in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Big Three have accumulated physical energy for a season, and they are bound to burst into full energy in the playoffs.

From fifth to eighth in the Eastern Conference are the Heat, Bucks, Bobcats and Bulls. Their records are all below 48 wins. They can't make it to the playoffs in the Western Conference and have not attracted much attention.

The theme of this era is that the West is strong and the East is weak. The Celtics, who are fourth in the East, are placed behind the Warriors who can only rank sixth in the West. Like the Spurs, the Trail Blazers are ranked No. 48 in the West with a record of 33 wins and [-] losses. Eight, coming to the east is fifth.

Going a little further, the fifth place in the West is the Jazz with 53 wins and 29 losses. Deron Williams averaged a double-double of 18.7 points and 10.5 assists per game, firmly ranking among the top five point guards in the league.

The Nuggets have the same record as the Jazz, but relying on the dominance of the win-loss relationship, they rank fourth in the West. Anthony averaged 28.2 points per game, but he can only score, and his average assists per game is only 3.2, which is just an end Point, if it weren't for Billups to control the overall situation, the competition in the West this year is so fierce, the Nuggets may not necessarily be able to enter the playoffs.

The third place in the Western Conference is the Suns. This team, which experienced a lot of ups and downs in the first two seasons, finally got back on track. Nash averaged 16.5 points and 11 assists per game. Relaxed and freehand, the ability to drive teammates is as strong as ever.

The second place in the Western Conference is the Mavericks. Nuo Tianwang never loses the chain in the regular season. As long as he is in one day, the Mavericks will never have to worry about the playoffs.

The number one in the Western Conference is naturally the Lakers, and the defending champion is also the biggest favorite in the league. Their performance is two words - steady!
So far, the regular season of the 2009-2010 season has come to an end, and the battle for the playoffs is about to ignite!

(End of this chapter)