warrior godfather

Chapter 256 Helpless Brooks (5000 words)
Time flies, and two days passed quickly. On the night of December 12th, the Chesapeake Energy ball seat was full. During the entrance ceremony of the Warriors players, the fanatical Oklahoma City fans booed loudly. The revenge of last season, wanting to do my part, wishing to scare the courage of the Warriors and let the Thunder succeed in revenge.

On the sidelines, Zhang Yu was calm and relaxed amidst the boos all over the sky, and even waved to the Thunder fans on the sidelines.

Sitting next to him, Silas couldn't help laughing and said:

"Ronan, I enjoy seeing you."

Zhang Yu smiled slightly:
"The game hasn't started yet, the louder their boos are, the more scared they are. After we win the game, they are more disappointed. Of course I enjoy this process."

After he finished speaking, he got up and came to the technical stage, shaking hands with Brooks.

The two nodded slightly, and did not exchange more greetings. Thanks to the Warriors last season, the Thunder did not win a playoff spot. There is a subtle hostile atmosphere between the two teams. Brooks has a grudge, and Zhang Yu will not say it is useless. The lies, everything needs to be seen on the field.

Zhang Yu returned to his seat and looked up to see that players from both sides were standing on the field.

The Warriors continued their consistent starting lineup, Curry, Clay, Matthews, Green and Chandler all appeared on the field, and Brooks did not make a temporary change, sending Durant, Westbrook, Jeff Green, Krstic And Sefolosha, who also started last season when the Thunder played against the Warriors.

While Zhang Yu was observing the opponent's lineup, on the other side of the technical stage, Brooks looked at the Warriors players on the field and felt emotional.

How great would it be if the Thunder could develop a balanced lineup like the Warriors?

Brooks stared straight at Green and Chandler, and then turned to Butler and Tony Allen on the Warriors' bench, with envy in his eyes.

The entire league knows that the Thunder's lineup is full of geniuses, but Brooks himself is suffering and can't tell.

Presti has a vicious vision. The selected Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Jeff Green all have extraordinary potential, but Mr. Pu just forgot the importance of a reasonable match, and selected four high-ranking outsiders at once. As a rookie, this makes it difficult for the team to train. Brooks can only let Harden play the role of the sixth man and push Jeff Green to the power forward position, so that he can barely distribute the ball.

Moreover, the Thunder's four young players are strong offensively and defensively weak. Durant is naturally talented, but his defensive awareness is average, and he has no willingness to defend; He also slackened down, and he likes gambling steals very much, he doesn't like to defend off the ball, and his defensive habits are extremely poor; Harden is very smart, but he is a heavy guard, his lateral movement is average, and his perimeter defense is not good. Brooks can only find a way Let him shrink the basket as much as possible to cover up his deficiencies on the defensive end.

Among the four young players, only Jeff Green is an above-average defender in the league, but he is not up to the defensive level. The Thunder did not make the playoffs last season. The lack of defense is a big reason. With the offense of the four young players, any team can win, but their lax defense also allows them to lose against any team.

Even if the Thunder's record has improved by leaps and bounds this season, it has little to do with defense. Instead, it relies more on the improvement of the scoring ability of the four minors, and Westbrook's progress is the most critical.

Last season, Westbrook averaged 16.1 points, 8 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. His efficiency was also quite dismal. His shooting percentage was only 41.8%, and his three-point shooting percentage was only 22.1%. of.

And this season, in the 20 games so far, Westbrook has averaged 23.2 points, 8.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game, his shooting percentage has increased to 45.4%, and his three-point shooting percentage is also 33%. His ability to digest the ball has been greatly improved. He has become Durant's right-hand man and is the Thunder's first offensive launch point. Together with Durant, who has a better ability to hold the ball, he led the Thunder to rank fourth in the Western Conference. rising trend.

The outside world has begun to compare Westbrook with Curry and Rose, saying that the three are the strongest point guards of the new generation in the league, and have even threatened the status of Paul and Deron. The records of the Jazz and Hornets are very average. Paul and Deron Received a lot of criticism.

But Brooks is still committed to improving the Thunder's defense. He is an orthodox academic coach and believes in the truth that "defense wins championships". Want to promote transactions and build a more balanced lineup.

But Presti and Brooks had a disagreement. Although he also agreed with Brooks' efforts to improve the team's defense, Presti believed that when Ibaka grew up, the Thunder's defense would naturally be greatly improved. , The team is currently on the right path of team building, and when it is time to achieve results, they chose to hold back during the offseason.

The Thunder is Clayton Bennett's Thunder, and it's also Presti's Thunder. Mr. Pu said one thing to the Thunder, and Brooks had no choice but to try his best to tap the defensive potential of the current lineup to prepare for the playoffs.

But he has a faint premonition in his heart, that is, the Thunder will not go far in the playoffs. This kind of abnormal team building method is difficult to succeed. He tends to trade out a high-ranking rookie in exchange for one or two players. A defensive champion.

If his idea can be realized, with a reasonable lineup and Durant Westbrook's continuous improvement, Brooks even has the confidence to lead the Thunder out of the West and get their hands on the championship trophy!
Regrettably, the Thunder are destined to develop a lot now before they can compete for the O'Brien Cup with the powerful players. Brooks suppressed the reverie evoked by the Warriors lineup and focused on the game in front of him.

Putting other things aside for the time being, revenge is the top priority. Brooks has made full preparations for this game and vowed to avenge his shame at home!
……

"Di-"

The referee blew his whistle, threw the basketball into the sky, and the game officially started.

"Krstic turned the ball to Westbrook, and the Thunder won the first wave of possession...Mr. Su, what do you think of today's game?" Ke Fan stared at the screen in front of him and asked.

This battle of focus was broadcast domestically, and it was also broadcast live across the United States. The TNT commentary team sat in the commentary booth, and Ke Fan and Su Qun formed partners in the Sina live broadcast room.

Su Qun laughed and said:

"The Warriors should win. I have analyzed the current situation of the Warriors and the Thunder just now. The Warriors are ranked first in the West. Although they are about to be caught up by the Spurs and the Lakers, compared with the Thunder, the Warriors are still better. Their The defense is much better than the Thunder...Look at the Thunder's first ball, Westbrook successfully broke through Clay, but Green made it up and interfered with Westbrook's shooting! That's why I said the Warriors will win, their defensive integrity Very strong. The Warriors have a lot of rookies this year. Everyone may be focusing on Klay and Jeremy Lin, but the role of Green should not be underestimated..."

At this time, Su Qun didn't want to talk nonsense like he did later, and didn't even make basic preparations. When he carefully analyzed the situation on the court to the audience, Chandler grabbed the rebound and passed it to Curry. fast break.

Brooks emphasized retreating before the game. The Thunder players were very focused and retreated back to the backcourt in time. The Warriors turned to attack.

Curry gave the ball to Green in the low post, then he turned back to the top of the arc, ran to a 45-degree angle with the help of Matthews' cover, received a pass from Green, made an open three-pointer, and the basketball bounced into the frame.

3: 0.

Su Qun praised:

"Beautiful! The Warriors have to start every game this season with this three-person strong-side off-ball cooperation, but usually Green, Chandler and Curry play. This time, Matthews screened for Curry. His The quality of the screen was average, but Westbrook didn't chase much, Durant took a step slower and gave Curry room to shoot a three-pointer, which really shouldn't be."

On the sidelines, seeing this situation, Brooks frowned, but his expression did not change. He just let out a breath and shook his head slightly.

He emphasized Curry's defense before the game, and also showed Westbrook Curry's recent game videos, as well as the scouting department's summary of Curry's game habits, but Westbrook still did not make any changes in defense.

Brooks is naturally unhappy about this, but he can't show it. As the core of the Thunder's offense, paddling on the defensive end is a privilege that Westbrook and Durant should enjoy. Not every player is Jordan or Kobe. Do your best on both ends of the offense and defense. In the NBA, perimeter stars, especially guards, are generally considered to be able to paddle on the defensive end and save energy for offense.

The round changed, the Thunder attacked, Westbrook dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and raised his right hand to direct his teammates to move. Clay stopped in front of him, ready to fight.

If Westbrook is actively paddling on the defensive end, then Curry is passively paddling on the defensive end. Zhang Yu usually arranges him to defend against opponents with weak offensive capabilities to minimize his physical exertion on the defensive end.

But the biggest difference between Curry and Westbrook is that Westbrook's attention is on the ball. Although Westbrook still doesn't want to be like later generations, blatantly waiting for rebounds at the basket, but it has already begun to show signs, and his eyes can't leave It is easy to miss the opponent who runs without the ball for a while, but he is very active in single defense, which is why Brooks did not arrange him to defend Clay.

And Curry will meticulously complete the defensive tasks assigned by Zhang Yu. Although his current defensive skills and awareness need to be improved, his attitude is very correct. But his positive defensive attitude has formed a strong appeal, making his teammates defend with all their strength, and no one dares to neglect.

Of course, even without Curry's exemplary role, they would strictly implement Zhang Yu's defensive arrangement, but the effect of defending with all their strength from the bottom of their hearts and passively listening to orders to fill the position is very different.

In this defensive round, this is perfectly reflected.

Facing Clay's defense, Westbrook did not call a pick-and-roll, but started directly after a small step, trying to use his speed to go to the right and pass Clay.

But Clay was prepared and knew Westbrook's game habits in detail. When he adjusted his pace, he predicted his movements, took a step sideways, and blocked Westbrook's breakthrough path sideways.

Westbrook was a little surprised, but he reacted quickly. He just slowed down a little, and then leaned hard on Clay. Clay froze.

In terms of speed and confrontation, Clay is far inferior to Westbrook at this time, but he did not give up and still tried his best to catch up, and his blocking of Westbrook just now was not useless. Green took this opportunity to stand in the position of assisting defense, Blocked in front of Westbrook, Westbrook couldn't continue to go deep into the penalty area, and Clay was chasing behind him, and he was about to be surrounded. In the blink of an eye, Westbrook didn't choose to pass the ball, but jumped high , Throwing a mid-range shot with a slightly stiff posture.

Bang!

Westbrook's zombie jumper was deliberately looking for a rebound, but it still went out of the frame. Chandler stuck Krstic behind him under the basket and pocketed the rebound.

"Hey……"

On the sidelines, Zhang Yu listened to the loud sigh coming from behind, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, he got up and clapped vigorously, and said loudly:

"Nice job, fight back, fight back!"

Thunder fans thought that Westbrook's missed shot was just bad luck, but they didn't know that Westbrook had fallen into the tight net of the Warriors from the beginning, whether he made a hasty jump shot or was given a three-pointer by Green. Jeff Green, who shot only 30.4%, the Warriors' defensive strategy has been successful.

Just as Zhang Yu yelled loudly, the Warriors had already launched a fast break. Curry dribbled the ball and ran to the frontcourt, made a slight adjustment one step outside the three-point line, raised his hand and threw a three-pointer, and the basketball hit the basket At the front of the basket, the rebound was picked up by Durant.

Su Qun shook his head dissatisfied:

"Curry's shot was a bit out of bounds. The Thunder retreated in time and simply played slowly. The efficiency of this ultra-long three-pointer is not high, and no one grabs a rebound at the basket. This is not a waste of offensive opportunities. ."

Between the Thunder and the Warriors, he naturally prefers the Warriors with Zhang Yu and Yi Jianlian.

Kevin smiled and said:

"Mr. Su, you may have commented on the Warriors in fewer games, and I watched more. Curry has this style of play. He shoots a lot of these ultra-long shots every game, and he is quite accurate."

"Oh, that's right." Su Qun nodded, but still mentioned, "This ball is still a bit unreasonable..."

He seemed to have heard Su Qun's call. After he said this, Curry tried another ultra-long three-pointer in the first quarter. After the failure, he didn't shoot again. He played very reasonably.

This is also the epitome of the start of the game between the two teams. After Westbrook failed to make a mid-range shot for the first time, he also switched to a normal game rhythm, focusing on breaking through and scoring, reducing his own shots.

This is not because Westbrook knows that his shooting efficiency is not high, he never lacks confidence, but the Warriors' defense against him is very tight, Clay blocks the front line, and Green and Chandler behind him help defend at any time, try not to give him a shot Opportunity person, so that he can only choose to pass the ball in more cases.

But correspondingly, the Warriors devoted a lot of defensive resources to Westbrook, and the offensive environment for the rest of the Thunder will be better. In the first quarter, Durant maintained a high offensive efficiency under Matthews' single defense. They scored 6 points on 4 of 9 shots in a single quarter, but the Thunder still trailed the Warriors by 25 points at 32:7. They really couldn't prevent the Warriors from attacking.

Zhang Yu didn't arrange any targeted strategies in the first quarter. He just played according to the usual routine, but it happened to hit the Thunder's pain point, because Westbrook was defending Curry.

Curry consciously increased the proportion of offense without the ball, while the Thunder's defense lacked pressure on the ball. Green passed the ball very comfortably, and Curry ran without the ball very easily. This is why he did not shoot ultra-long three-pointers. Because of this reason, no one will leave an open three-pointer and not shoot a three-pointer, and run to shoot a super long three-pointer.

After the first quarter, Curry made 7 of 4 shots, 5 of 3 three-pointers, and scored 11 points in a single quarter, which was comparable to Durant.

And because of the Thunder's weak inside defense, Chandler and Green also got a lot of opportunities to eat cakes, and the Warriors' offense in the first quarter was relatively smooth.

But Zhang Yu didn't feel relaxed because of this. During the break between festivals, his expression was a little dignified, and he specially told when arranging tactics:
"Don't relax when you are going to play, the defensive end must concentrate and execute according to the arranged tactics."

He knew very well that neither side showed their hole cards in the first quarter. related.

The Thunder has always been a team that is more offensive than defensive. They like to rush up and play. The Warriors also like to play a fast-paced transitional offense. After the two teams met, the rhythm became faster and faster. It is inevitable to focus more on the offensive end.

But Zhang Yu knows that as the game deepens, the Thunder, which is behind, will definitely seek changes, and the intensity of the game will gradually increase. The Warriors must always be prepared for contingencies.

After the start of the second quarter, the atmosphere in the Chesapeake Energy Arena became agitated again. Zhang Yu calmly watched the players on the field switching offense and defense. Silas suddenly said:

"Ronan, we seem to be able to win this game without too much effort."

boom!
As soon as his words fell, Yi Jianlian immediately disassembled a few straights after covering, received a pass from Jeremy Lin, and succeeded in an alley-oop dunk, which made the clamoring Thunder fans quiet.

The players on the Warriors' bench also waved towels one after another, stood up and shouted, and cheered for their teammates. Curry's eyes widened in "surprise", as if he had seen some incredible spectacle. Teammates laughed.

But Zhang Yu just clapped his hands and said lightly:

"Let's hope so, but I don't think Brooks won't do anything and maybe we'll have a real challenge in the second half."

At this time, the second quarter had just started. The two teams had a mixed lineup of starters and substitutes, led by Harden and Jeremy Lin. The rhythm was fast, the defensive intensity further decreased, and the scores of the two sides rose alternately.

Zhang Yu paused and said:

"Of course, this is only if the Thunder can withstand the offensive we launched in the third quarter."

(End of this chapter)