warrior godfather

Chapter 278 Hope You Are Right
Oakland, Oracle Centre.

Tuk Tuk Tuk.

"Please come in." Zhang Yu raised his head and said loudly.

His office door was pushed open, Silas walked in, stopped opposite Zhang Yu's desk, bent down and handed Zhang Yu a piece of A4 paper:

"Ronan, this is the training plan for these two days, take a look."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Zhang Yu nodded, took a cursory look at it, and agreed, "Okay, just follow this, and focus on daily training to restore physical fitness. You have arranged it well."

Last night, after the Warriors beat the Trail Blazers in an away game, they rushed back to Oakland overnight. Zhang Yu gave the whole team a day off.

The long regular season has made the players very tired. Before the start of the playoffs, the Warriors have three days to rest. Zhang Yu hopes to take this opportunity to let the players recover their physical fitness.

The players can rest, but the coaching staff can't, they have to prepare for the first round of the playoffs.

After Zhang Yu finished speaking with Silas, he handed back the A4 paper and turned his gaze back to the screen in front of him.

Silas turned to leave, but he half turned, turned back, and asked:

"Ronan, there is one thing I didn't understand. Last year, it was agreed to stay in the seventh position in the West and play the Mavericks in the first round, but you temporarily changed your mind to fight for the sixth in the West, even if you were eliminated in the first round... This year we Why not compete for third place in the Western Conference?"

Zhang Yu looked away from the screen, looked at Silas's curious eyes, smiled slightly, and said:

"I just made the right choice."

"The right choice?" Silas repeated.

Zhang Yu nodded and said:
"Of course, last year's fight for sixth in the Western Conference was because I saw Stephen and the others eager to fight. I realized at the time that water will always leave traces. I can't frustrate their spirit. The Warriors were too bad before. If you want to shape a winning culture, You can't give up every game. And it was our first season of rebuilding. The higher the ranking, the more confidence the team has. As for whether it is the first round or the second round of the playoffs, it doesn't matter. "

Listening to Zhang Yu's narration, Silas nodded slowly, and after he finished speaking, he asked:

"What about this year? We obviously have a chance to compete for the third place in the Western Conference. Although the Mavericks are very strong, we shouldn't just give up like that."

He was still puzzled by Zhang Yu's rest of Curry, and in the last regular season game against the Grizzlies, the Grizzlies fought desperately for a place in the playoffs, while the Warriors still played at a normal pace, and Zhang Yu didn't even What kind of targeted tactics are arranged, and a slight concession is equivalent to half giving the Grizzlies a victory.

This can be explained as Zhang Yu wants to save strength for the playoffs, but he did not hide the coaching staff when he arranged his tactics. Silas was clear about his plan. He just wanted to carry the Grizzlies into the playoffs, and that was the With a victory, the Grizzlies finally led the Hornets by 1 game and entered the playoffs with the eighth ranking in the Western Conference.

Zhang Yu smiled and raised his hand:
"Stop standing, sit down and talk."

Silas pulled a swivel chair from the side, sat opposite Zhang Yu, and asked doubtfully:
"If we can pass the first round, we are not sure about playing against the Spurs or the Lakers. Since they are both difficult to play, why not fight for the third place in the Western Conference? At least the Nuggets are much easier to play than the Thunder."

Before the trade deadline of the All-Star Weekend, the Nuggets and the Knicks completed a big deal. Anthony came to the Big Apple City, and the Nuggets entered the rebuilding period. Although they still entered the playoffs with the sixth ranking in the West, The strength is not as good as before, which makes Silas more and more puzzled.

Zhang Yu understands Silas's thoughts very well. Except for him, no one may believe that the Spurs will be hacked. Even the Grizzlies can't find anyone with such fantasies. The normal thinking is that the Spurs will easily solve it. Even swept the Grizzlies, and then faced the next opponent with a posture close to its full glory.

"As I said before, the Grizzlies will consume a lot of money for the Spurs. Compared to playing the Lakers in the second round, the fourth in the Western Conference is a better choice, which may make us go further in the playoffs." Zhang Yu spoke lightly.

His tone was flat and there was a hint that he could not change it. Silas opened his mouth, did not continue the topic, and asked instead:
"Okay...but this time we pick an opponent, won't it frustrate the team's spirit?"

"will not"

"why?"

"The last time we tried our best to win was in the regular season. Stephen and the others just entered the league without any experience. A higher ranking can give them more confidence. But this time we will try our best to win in the playoffs. Only Only by going far enough in the playoffs can our rookies accumulate more experience and confidence, which is also conducive to our next step in recruiting players in the free market. It's completely different to reach the Western Conference finals." Zhang Yu explained.

"The Western Conference finals..." Silas repeated in surprise, and took a deep look at Zhang Yu, "Ronan, I don't know why you believe in the Grizzlies so much... In the current team, I am the only one watching The Warriors broke free from the quagmire step by step, all of this was brought about by you, I hope you are right this time."

Zhang Yu frowned slightly:

"Stephen, why do you place so much importance on this playoff ranking? The difference between third and fourth is only one place. As you said, it is very difficult for us to play against the Lakers or Spurs in the second round. There is no difference between the two."

Silas sighed softly:
"Ronan, I don't want to, but the players see what you mean, especially when you let Stephen rest and lose to the Grizzlies, they asked me, do you want the fourth in the West? position, and voluntarily gave up the third place in the Western Conference."

"Oh? How did they know?" Zhang Yu stared.

Silas smiled wryly:

"You tried to win every game before, but you rested Stephen when you were playing against the Spurs, and you didn't make adjustments when Randolph and Marc Gasol stormed the inside. This is completely inconsistent with your previous style. Stupid, how could you not see it? But they didn't dare to ask you directly, so they came to test me."

Zhang Yu shook his head helplessly:
"Well, I was negligent."

Although he usually pays attention to communicating with the players, the majesty of the head coach is there. Even Curry is close to him with awe, and Silas is in charge of the daily training of the Warriors. He is very friendly. Therefore, the relationship with the players is very good, and it acts as a bridge of communication between Zhang Yu and the players.

Silas said seriously:

"To be honest, Ronan, it's better not to pick opponents like this. A really strong team doesn't bother to do this kind of thing. If we don't achieve the expected results, it will lead to a very serious backlash, especially It’s because we have a lot of rookies on our team, and it’s going to take a serious toll on their confidence, and even their competitive spirit.”

Zhang Yu sighed softly:
"Why don't I know this, otherwise I wouldn't have changed my mind temporarily last year, but before the team really grows, I can only use a few tricks to get what I want. If we do, there will be a metamorphosis for the team and it will be a big step forward for us."

Silas stared at the sincere Zhang Yu, nodded slowly, stood up, and said in a deep voice:
"Okay, I will appease the emotions of the team members and let them prepare for the battle with peace of mind. After all, there are some things that only I can say."

"Thanks a lot."

Zhang Yu watched Silas leave, and looked at the screen again. On it was an ESPN column article. The content was obviously speculative, analyzing that the Warriors might be picking opponents. The article wrote:

"...Coach Z suddenly seemed inflexible. He gave up two games and seemed to focus all his attention on how to help Stephen Curry compete for his first scoring title. He succeeded, Warriors I also came to the fourth place in the Western Conference. Coach Z’s various performances made me suspect that he is controlling the rankings and picking opponents for the playoffs, but I can’t think of his motivation for doing so. The Thunder are more difficult than the Nuggets The opponent you are dealing with, is he like playing a spur? This is obviously impossible..."

After reading this article, Zhang Yu smiled and withdrew. This kind of view does not occupy the mainstream. After all, no one thinks that Zhang Yu would give up what is easy and ask for difficulty.

Wait another half a month, and you will know why I did this.

A smile appeared on the corner of Zhang Yu's mouth, and he clicked on the team rankings on ESPN's official website.

The top eight in the Western Conference playoffs are the Spurs, Lakers, Mavericks, Warriors, Thunder, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, and Grizzlies.

The top five needless to say, these five teams have firmly occupied a place in the playoffs since the beginning of the season, and are the first group in the Western Conference playoff sequence. The fifth-ranked Thunder also has a record of 61 wins and 21 losses. The difference is not too big. The Lakers and Mavericks have even the same record, but the Lakers are ranked second in the Western Conference by virtue of their win-loss relationship.

The Nuggets, Trail Blazers and Grizzlies constitute the second group in the West. The Nuggets have 50 wins and 32 losses, the Trail Blazers have 48 wins and 34 losses, and the Grizzlies have 47 wins and 35 losses. The difference is very small. In fact, the Hornets are also in this ranks. They Achieved a record of 46 wins and 36 losses, and was blocked from the playoffs by a hair.

Afterwards, the Rockets compete for the playoffs every year and come close every year. Yao Ming has no hope of returning, and McGrady is also sent away. They should have completely entered the reconstruction, but they still want to fight for the playoffs. The draft picks are all top and bottom.

The Suns rank No.11, announcing the end of an era. The Zonda can no longer lead his team to set off a storm of running and bombing in the league. The management that keeps making stupid decisions has ruined Nash's hope of competing for the championship, but Before sunset, their general manager Steve Kerr turned into a commentator, waiting for the next opportunity, leaving Nash struggling with his old and sick body.

After the Suns, there are four rebuilding teams, the Jazz, Clippers, Kings and Timberwolves. Except for the Jazz, the intruder, the other three old acquaintances are vying for their "first". Winner, with a record of 17 wins and 65 losses, leading the league.

In terms of poor performance, the Timberwolves are the most professional. All teams in the East and West are unmatched. The Cavaliers have worked hard to catch up with the Timberwolves, but they still won 4 more games than the Timberwolves, 21 wins and 61. A negative record can make them rank second to last, but it cannot take away the Timberwolves' throne.

Above the Cavaliers are the Raptors, Wizards, Nets, Pistons, Huang Feng and Bucks in order, and they constitute the lottery area in the East.

The Nets, closely watched by Zhang Yu, have a record of 29 wins and 51 losses. The addition of Matthews allowed them to win 5 games more than the original, but these 5 victories did not change their ranking. The Nets are still ranked as before. Sixth to last in the league, the Warriors' first-round pick from the Nets is still priceless.

Above the Bucks is the eighth-ranked Pacers in the Eastern Conference. This tough and tenacious iron army has begun to show signs of improvement. Many young people in the team have shown extraordinary potential, helping the Pacers return to the playoffs after a lapse of four years race ranks.

The Eagles, Knicks, and 76ers are the third group in the East, ranking fifth, sixth, and seventh in the East.

After Anthony came to the Big Apple, he immediately led the Knicks back to the playoffs, while the Hawks and 76ers were the upper limit that civilian teams could reach. Respect, but not many people are optimistic about their performance in the playoffs.

Ranked fourth is the Magic. After reaching the Finals in 2009, the Magic has been on the decline, and the lineup is also aging. Only Howard supported himself hard, and Warcraft did their best to win the playoffs for the team. Home field advantage in the first round.

The Bulls, Heat, and Celtics constitute the first group in the Eastern Conference. Throughout the regular season, the top three positions in the Eastern Conference are almost dominated by these three teams, and the Bulls have always been entrenched in the Eastern Conference. On the throne of One, overlooking all living beings.

They won one more game than the Spurs, that is, this game, allowing the Bulls to occupy the first place in the league. It seems that there is only time left for Rose to be the youngest MVP in history.

Although the Heat rank second in the East, no one dares to underestimate the strength of the Big Three. They are recognized as the biggest favorites to win the championship. The defending champion Lakers are not as powerful as the Heat. It was forgotten to the side, and everyone thought they would be the stepping stones for the Heat to reach the top.

It seems that my sense of existence is a little low.

After reading all the team rankings, Zhang Yu sighed secretly. The structure of the league is almost the same as he remembers. The impact of the rise of the Warriors only caused the Hornets to fall out of the playoffs and changed the second half of the Western Conference playoffs. The team rankings in the Eastern Conference have hardly changed.

"Wait a little longer, two years is still too short, give me a little more time, just a little is enough..."

Zhang Yu whispered to himself, exited the browser, clicked on the game video of the Thunder, and devoted himself to his daily work as the head coach.

　Thanks to Yu Qingfeng, ALfrank, and book friends 161219144813359 for their rewards!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)