warrior godfather

Chapter 557 An ugly victory is also a victory

In addition to Curry's excellent performance for the Warriors, Olynik, who played for the first time after the transfer, also performed well.

There is no doubt that he is not the player who decides the outcome of the game, but when Chandler was in foul trouble, Olynyk's excellent offensive performance was the hero that helped the Warriors cling to the score.

After the whole game, he played 26 minutes, only 1 minute less than Chandler, 8 of 5 shots, 6 of 3 three-pointers, no free throws, scored 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block. 3 turnovers, but the flaws are not concealed, the first time he played, he has already integrated into the team.

After the game, Olynik's performance won praise from the media and fans, but Zhang Yu's thoughts were all on the injured Green.

"You mean, Drummond is going to rest for half a month?" Zhang Yu frowned, looking at Schwartz opposite.

"It takes 2 to 3 weeks, maybe half a month will be fine, and it may take more than 20 days of rest to recover." Schwartz corrected.

After sending Schwartz away and leaving an injury report, Zhang Yu slowly rubbed his cheeks.

Finally, Whiteside was sent away, Thomas Jr. was exchanged for Olynyk, and Chandler’s contribution was ushered in. The Warriors were about to get on the right track, but Green was injured. The Warriors this season are really fateful mistaken.

Fortunately, Green's injury was not serious, and he didn't need to recuperate for too long, otherwise Zhang Yu would have to change the established plan.

Now as long as they last more than half a month, when Green returns, Chandler's state can also recover, and the Warriors can launch a sprint to the upper half by then.

But during this period, Zhang Yu has to think about the arrangement of the rotation lineup.

Green is an irreplaceable candidate for the Warriors inside. His defense and support are not available in other four positions.

It seems that the lack of quality can only be filled by the number of people...

The next day, the Warriors headed to Memphis for back-to-back away games against the Grizzlies.

At the same time, Zhang Yu recalled Antetokounmpo, who was playing in the Development League, and he will enter the team's roster in the next Warriors game against the Bobcats.

……

After 48 minutes of fierce fighting, the Warriors finally defeated the Grizzlies, ending the embarrassing record of two consecutive losses against the Grizzlies this season.

After a hand-to-hand fight with Howard, Chandler recovered his form at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Under his leadership, the Warriors' interior defense has become much more stable, and the Grizzlies failed to replicate the impact on the Warriors' restricted area in the first two games.

But Green's absence still had a great impact on the Warriors.

Chandler's current coverage is not as good as before, and Green's sweeping around is the key to the Warriors' impenetrable interior defense.

His defense can cover the distance from the basket to the three-point line. Chandler only needs to rest assured to protect the frame. With Leonard and Clay blocking the outside line, the Warriors' defense can be called solid.

After Green was injured, there were loopholes in the Warriors' defensive system. Yi Jianlian's defense was far inferior to Green's. He was not bad as a substitute, but after being put on the starting lineup, he was stretched.

It just so happens that the Grizzlies are a team that focuses on the interior twin towers. The Warriors lacked a pillar inside, giving the Grizzlies a chance.

Gasol and Randolph have completed high and low connections many times, caught Chandler's help defense in time, and achieved very good results against Yi Jianlian.

Zhang Yu can only make Leonard and Claydo shrink to help the defense, but this has caused loopholes in the Warriors' perimeter defense. Gasol and Randolph have excellent coping skills and can always distribute the ball to the perimeter. In the hands of an open teammate.

After the whole game, the Grizzlies have been making a fuss about the Warriors' [-]th position loopholes. JaMychal Green's defense is not as good as Yi Jianlian.

This is also related to the weak offense of the Warriors' bench lineup. Thomas Jr. was sent to the Celtics, and Livingston took over as a backup point guard. The Warriors' defense during the rotation period became better, but the offense was a little weak.

Originally, Olynyk could play a big role, but the Grizzlies' defensive discipline is very strong, and the Warriors' passes and cuts are difficult to play. Olynyk's high-position support did not achieve very good results.

Zhang Yu can only increase the playing time of the main force and use offense to make up for the lack of defense.

Curry's hard solution is the most reliable offensive method for the Warriors. Leonard and Clay are not stable enough to score in the face of the Grizzlies' tough defense.

This was not a problem in the first place. The system can solve the problem in the regular season. It doesn't need too many strong attacks. Let Leonard and Clay practice for a season, and the playoffs will be able to play a role.

However, the continuous injuries have caused the Warriors to face many difficulties in the regular season. The offensive and defensive system has been destroyed, and stars need to stand up and use strong offense to solve the problem.

In the current Warriors, only Curry is a reliable scorer, and the others have no ability to change the situation in adversity.

In the end, relying on Curry's outstanding performance of 37 minutes, 22 of 10 shots, 12 of 5 three-pointers, 6 of 5 free throws, 30 points, 11 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal, the Warriors narrowly beat the Grizzlies 104:99. Achieved four consecutive victories.

Curry's key throw in the last 32.4 seconds killed the game. He was chased and intercepted by the Grizzlies, but he had to take on more organizational tasks. He sent a total of 5 turnovers, creating a new high in personal season turnovers. record.

In the post-match interview, Zhang Yu said bluntly:

"This victory is a bit ugly, but we are not qualified to pick and choose. Winning is the most important thing. We are already far behind in wins. Every win is very important to us. "

Curry also expressed his determination to win more games for the team:

"Have I played more than 37 points in two consecutive games? It doesn't matter. As long as I can win the game, I can play longer. This is not a problem. I am still young and full of energy. I am now focused on winning ..."

On December 12, the Warriors ushered in the last stop of their three-game streak, a game against the Bobcats.

I thought it was just a game of abuse, but Kemba Walker played exceptionally well. He made 16 of 10 shots, 4 of 2 three-pointers, 11 of 9 free throws, scored 31 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, leading the The Bobcats defeated the Warriors 115:110.

Zhang Yu doesn't want to let the planned victory slip away from his hands. He also wants to end his away trip with a victory. He employs people at all costs. Curry, Klay, and Leonard all played more than 38 minutes. , but the effect is not good.

The Warriors team was a little tired. Curry made 32 crazy shots, only hit 14 goals, made 15 of 6 three-pointers, 12 of 10 free throws, scored 43 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, but did not win a victory for the Warriors .

Clay and Leonard's scoring efficiency is not high. Clay made 12 of 4 three-pointers and felt cold. Leonard's shooting fluctuated and he made 15 of 5 shots. If the three of them were more accurate, the Warriors could also Take this game down.

Since the Warriors have not been able to establish a big advantage during the game, Zhang Yu is more cautious in employing people. Antetokounmpo did not get too many opportunities to play, and only played 8 minutes in the transitional period.

But in this limited playing time, he made 3 of 2 shots, scored 4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block, and he played well.

After the Warriors finished their road trip and returned home, Zhang Yu studied the video of the game against the Hornets, saw Antetokounmpo's performance, and began to give him more playing time in the next few games.

Antetokounmpo has been honing in the Development League for more than a month and has made great progress.

Especially on the defensive end, Antetokounmpo has accumulated a lot of experience, enough to play a role in the NBA.

Although the intensity of the Development League is very low, Antetokounmpo is smart and can apply the experience of the Development League to the NBA. This is the value of the ball quotient.

In the next eight days, starting on December 12 and ending on December 11, the Warriors ushered in a total of 12 games against the Mavericks, Rockets, Pelicans, Suns, and Spurs.

This is a relatively sweet home schedule, only the away game against the Pelicans, there is no back-to-back game.

The Warriors seized this opportunity and achieved a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, rising to sixth in the Western Conference.

In these 5 games, Antetokounmpo averaged 15.7 minutes of playing time per game, 3 minutes more than Jamichael Green, and was the first substitute for the Warriors at the fourth position.

His statistics are not conspicuous, only 5.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.2 blocks. Not many points, but he averages 1 block per game. He is very active on the defensive end. which performed.

Antetokounmpo's progress is gratifying, but the performance of other substitutes is somewhat unsatisfactory.

Parsons averaged 5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists in these 3.2 games, but his defense has declined a lot compared to before.

To be precise, his solo defense is acceptable, but his assisted defense is not active enough. Zhang Yu can only let others take on more assisted defense tasks.

The reason why Parsons did this is also very simple. No matter how hard the defense is, it is not as good as one more rebound in statistics, which will help him more.

The NBA is very professional, but not professional enough. It mainly evaluates a player based on basic data.

The performance of other Warriors substitute players is also relatively average. Danny Green will not disappoint, but it will not bring surprises either. The average output of 8.4 points per game is very stable.

Livingston can only make a straight-arm jumper. After he replaced Thomas Jr., he averaged 5.4 points per game.

Olynik's performance is very comprehensive, but he lacks the ability to score directly, averaging only 7.3 points per game, relying more on space threats and support to create opportunities for teammates.

But others also lack scoring ability, resulting in insufficient offensive power in the Warriors' rotation stage. Zhang Yu can only let Clay and Leonard bring more substitute lineups, increase the playing time of the main players, and make up for this shortcoming.

During this period, Curry, Clay, and Leonard were the main scoring players for the Warriors, all playing more than 36 minutes, and Curry took on the heaviest scoring task.

Clay's efficiency is not a problem, but he can score about 20 points per game at most, with little ups and downs. Leonard only has about 16 points. Sometimes he feels bad and his score will drop. The Warriors can only rely more on Curry's scoring , in order to maintain the fire output.

In these 5 games, Curry was forced to increase the proportion of offense with the ball, averaging 32.1 points, 8.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, which is the biggest contributor to the Warriors' victory.

When Green was there, Curry had another supporting point. He could run with Clay without the ball. The Warriors rely on the passing and cutting system, which can create many easy air cuts and spot-up opportunities to make up for the lack of scorers with the ball.

This is also the most suitable offensive method for the Warriors before Leonard and Antetokounmpo grow up.

But now, Green is injured, and Curry is unable to play the gravitational role of Curry when he deals the cards. The Warriors' offense has been greatly affected.

Facts have proved that dealing cards is not something that can be done casually. Green is not there, only Olynyk has the ability to deal cards, and insiders such as Yi Jianlian, Chandler, Antetokounmpo, and Jamichael Green are not good.

Zhang Yu can only increase the time that Olynik and Curry play together, so that Curry does not have to play so much with the ball, try to play his off-ball threat and reduce his consumption.

But no matter how heavy the burden on Curry, the Warriors finally survived the time when Green was injured.

On December 12, the Warriors beat the Lakers 21:102. Green finally recovered from his injury and ushered in a comeback in this game.

His ankle injury has fully healed. On the day of his comeback, he scored 12 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block. The Warriors' defense became solid again and locked the Lakers' offense.

After Green's comeback, the Warriors' rotation got back on track. Jamyale Green's time was cut off, and Antetokounmpo's playing time was also greatly reduced, with only a little over 10 minutes left.

This is because Zhang Yu considered that his defense has improved, and took part of the time from Yi Jianlian and Green, so that he can get the tempering of the game.

Antetokounmpo's strength is still not enough, and there is still a long way to go to replace Yi Jianlian as a substitute.

The playing time of the Warriors' main players has also been reduced. In the next two games against the Nuggets and the Clippers, the Warriors have a neat lineup and an orderly rotation, and the passing and cutting system is finally working.

Among them, in the Christmas game against the Clippers, the Warriors sat at home and defeated the Clippers 111:105, pulling the Spurs from the fourth position in the West.

But the Warriors fans were not happy for too long. When the Warriors defeated the Suns on December 12 and launched an impact towards the top three in the Western Conference, an accident happened again.

On December 12, the Warriors challenged the Cavaliers away and won easily with 29:113, narrowing the gap with the Rockets.

However, Leonard fell to the ground in a defense at 5 minutes and 34 seconds of the third quarter, fractured his right hand bone, and withdrew from the game. He will be absent for at least 3-4 weeks, casting a shadow over the Warriors' victory. A thick shadow.

(End of this chapter)