warrior godfather

With the arrival of the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors lost home court advantage in the playoffs for the first time in the past three seasons.

On May 5, the Chesapeake Energy Arena turned into a sea of ​​blue. In this small town, the Thunder, as the only team in the four major professional sports leagues, is the favorite of all Oklahomans. darling.

Fans in the Bay Area who can’t come to the scene don’t have to stay at home. Zhang Yu opened the Oracle Center. A ticket only costs $10. People can come to the arena and sit together to watch the game.

Although you can only look up at the big screen, there are many entrance ceremonies, cheerleaders, lucky draws, etc.
Today's Bay Area fans, though, may well regret why they came to the game.

In the expectation of the fans in the Bay Area and in the eyes of everyone, G1 of the Western Conference Finals ended in a disastrous defeat for the Warriors.

People thought that the Warriors would be very difficult to play, but they didn't expect the Warriors to be so difficult to play.

The Warriors players have shown the best defensive attitude, everyone is doing their best, and they are impeccable in terms of confrontation, movement, follow-up defense, and replacement.

Chandler, whose regular season state has declined significantly, also got a full rest in the second round, and today he showed the demeanor of the best defensive player. Under his guard, the Warriors' restricted area is impenetrable.

In the second round against the Trail Blazers, Westbrook scored 49.1 points, 27.8 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 6 steals with a shooting percentage of 1.8%. It is the engine of the Thunder's offense, and its role on the court is no worse than Durant.

Zhang Yu also attaches great importance to Westbrook. He carefully arranged defensive tactics. Clay led the defense first-line and made sudden shots. Chandler finally blocks, Trinity, make sure not to let him rush up.

Under the Warriors' very tight triple defense, Westbrook faced many obstacles every time he broke through, but his explosive power and confrontation were too strong, and he was still able to rush into the Warriors' inside line, constantly threatening the Warriors' restricted area, although the efficiency was not high. , but can score stably, and can also assist teammates to score after attracting the Warriors' defense.

The Warriors also heavily guarded Durant. Leonard was on the same level as him. As long as Durant broke through to the inside, Green immediately let go of Ibaka and came up to attack. Weakness, forcing him to take difficult pull-up jumpers in the middle and long range.

The Warriors' strict defensive strategy is enough to defend any top striker. Even James has not received this kind of treatment, but their opponent today is Durant, who is best at pulling.

After several breakthroughs were flanked, Durant no longer forced a breakthrough, nor did he call a pick-and-roll. He singled out Leonard with the ball, ignoring his interference. The pull-up jumper.

After winning the MVP + scoring title, Durant has absolute confidence and doesn't take Leonard seriously.

But Leonard doesn't eat Batum, he really can't guard Durant, no one in this world can lock Durant one-on-one, but he can make every shot of Durant become extremely difficult.

In the series against the Trail Blazers, Durant averaged 33.2 points per game. The Blazers' defense against him can be said to be useless, but under Leonard's defense, Durant scored only 1 points in the Western Conference Finals G25. After scoring 45.6 points, the efficiency has also dropped a lot, and the shooting rate is only [-]%.

However, Durant's 25 points were enough, Westbrook didn't score many, only 23 points, and his shooting percentage was as low as 41.7%, but the Thunder still won the defensive battle with 101:87.

The Warriors' defense is extremely good, but the offense has a big problem.

Although Brooks is not a head coach who is good at tactics, he has fully absorbed the experience of the Clippers being reversed by the Warriors and saw that the biggest weakness of the Warriors is the lack of ball holders who can score stably.

Therefore, the Thunder's defensive strategy today is based on single defense. Tony Allen wraps around Clay, Durant plays against Leonard, defends against pick-and-rolls and screens, Gobert guards the basket, and Ibaka follows Green. Only after the Warriors players enter the paint area will the guard shrink to protect the rebound.

The Thunder's defense is to test Clay's ability to snipe and shoot strong shots at the moment when he catches the screen, and Leonard's ability to single-point blast.

Unfortunately, Clay's touch today was mediocre. Under the strict defense of the Thunder, he had to digest the ball that should have belonged to Curry, and his efficiency was not high. He only scored 17 points in the game.

Leonard is also struggling to play against Durant in singles. Durant's defense has continued to improve over the past few seasons. With his outstanding physical talent, his single defense level is above the league average. , The offensive efficiency is very low.

Zhang Yu also arranged a pick-and-roll tactic for Leonard, letting him play Gobert alone, but Gobert did not switch defenses, but chased after a delay. Leonard's ability to handle the ball is average, and he always looks at Durant before returning In front of yourself, and then singles.

After the whole game, Leonard scored 20 points, which was higher than Clay, but he took a full 23 shots and 4 free throws, and the efficiency was dismal.

When the Warriors' offense stagnated, Zhang Yu made a lot of adjustments, but to no avail. In the end, he had to change to the Death Five and give it a go.

Brooks was tit-for-tat, replacing the five small lineups used in the regular season, pushing Ibaka to the center position, Durant as the power forward, Tony Allen, Westbrook, and Sefolosha partnered outside. The fifth junior who is completely worthy of the Warriors does not suffer at all.

Even the five small lineups didn't work, and Zhang Yu had no other choice. He could only watch Durant and Westbrook scoring inefficiently but very stably over and over again off the court, and the points were almost pulled apart.

What was more tormenting than Zhang Yu was Curry sitting on the bench. He was wearing a cdline red baseball uniform, looking at Durant on the field, shaking his head non-stop, but there was nothing he could do.

After the game, Zhang Yu expressed helplessly for the first time in an interview:

"We've done everything we can. I'm proud of my players. Our defense is great, but the Thunder are the better team. Durant and Westbrook are undeniably superstars. They defended them in various ways, but they still scored, and the Thunder's five small lineups achieved very good results, and they definitely deserved this victory."

"The Warriors' offense today has a big problem. Is it because the players are not in good shape? Or is the Thunder's defense too good?"

Zhang Yu said:

"I don't know, I need to go back and watch the game film and see what went wrong ... The Thunder did a good job defending today, but we will find a way to deal with it."

Of course he knows what went wrong. As long as Curry comes back, all the Warriors' problems will be solved, but he can't say that in front of the media, which will put a lot of pressure on Curry.

The Warriors players did not lose confidence because of this loss, and they all expressed that they would fight back in G2 and strive to win the home court advantage.

The Warriors fans were very depressed, the turn-based advantage came to the other side, and Clay and Leonard began to be sprayed again.

However, the Warriors also lost to the Clippers in the second round of G1, but in the end they completed a 3:4 big reversal, and the day of Curry's return is getting closer and closer, so most people still have confidence in the Warriors.

But one day later, on May 5, the Western Conference Finals G24 continued at Chesapeake Energy, but the Warriors failed to pull back a victory. The Thunder defeated the Warriors 2:105, leading by 99:2.

In this game, the Warriors' offense was much smoother than in the previous game. This was mainly because the players were in better condition than in the previous game. Clay scored 24 points, but there was no change in tactics, and it could not be fundamentally resolved. question.

Durant and Westbrook's hard attack abilities are still as stable as in the previous game, scoring 24 and 26 points respectively. As long as they are there, the Thunder don't have to worry about offense.

Ibaka scored 17 points and made 9 of 6 mid-range shots with extremely high efficiency, punishing Green for several over-help defenses.

The 0:2 lag made the Warriors fans panic. The Warriors have no way to retreat. If they lose in the next game, the big score will be 0:3 behind, and there has never been a 0:3 lag in NBA history that can be reversed. team, that would be a real desperate situation.

Fortunately, the Warriors withstood the pressure. On May 5, the Warriors and the Thunder came to the Oracle Center after a two-day rest for the third match. The Thunder tied the score to 27:89.

The Warriors players knew very well that this was a quasi-life-and-death battle. Everyone tried their best, fought hard, pulled up the intensity of the confrontation, grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, and did not miss every opportunity.

Clay's outburst is also an important reason why the Warriors can drag the game into a critical moment. After two consecutive games with a mediocre feel, his feel finally recovered today, scoring 26 points, and repeatedly made three-pointers when the score was stalemate.

Zhang Yu also made adjustments on the defensive end, and began to pinch Durant from outside the three-point line to limit his shots.

Durant's current passing ability is still very average, and his ability to play the ball under flanking is not awakened. There are not many ways to break the double-team, and he is very afraid of being flanked.

However, Brooks is also very aware of Durant's weakness. When Durant is flanked, let him play more off the ball, and Westbrook will take on the task of handling the ball.

This is a double-edged sword. Westbrook's biggest feature is passion, and passion is often accompanied by recklessness, and recklessness means mistakes.

Today's Westbrook is not calm enough. At the critical moment, Leonard, who was assisted in defense, used a robbery steal to snatch the ball from Westbrook's hands, and succeeded in a fast break and layup. The Warriors were able to win in the last 34 seconds. 2 points ahead of the Thunder.

In the next round, Westbrook still handled the ball. He took the risk of passing the ball to Durant, but the ball was intercepted by Green, who had been prepared.

The Warriors spent the offensive time until 24 seconds was almost up, and they still didn't find a good offensive opportunity, so Green made a long two-pointer to catch the pot, but unexpectedly made a shot at the buzzer, and the Warriors led by 4 points. 11 seconds left in the game.

Subsequently, Brooks called a timeout, but his tactics were completely seen through by Zhang Yu. Durant was stuck in position by Leonard and Clay, and there was no room to receive the ball. Westbrook could only send it to Sefolosha. Then he got the ball back, forced a three-pointer, the rebound was protected by Chandler, and Ibaka immediately fouled him tactically.

Chandler made two free throws, and the Thunder called another timeout. After returning, Durant missed a three-pointer and time ran out. The Warriors finally pulled back a victory.

This victory made the Warriors fans breathe a sigh of relief. Although the Warriors lost simply and won hard, they never thought that the current lineup of the Warriors could eliminate the Thunder and enter the finals.

It is already a surprise to reverse the Clippers behind 1:3. It is very rare in the history of the NBA to enter the Western Conference Finals without a leading star. Zhang Yu's subtle adjustments, Rivers' stupid mistakes, and the Warriors' unity , The Clippers' mentality collapse and many other factors are indispensable to have this shocking reversal.

Warriors fans only hope that the Warriors can win as many games as possible. When Curry comes back, it is time for the Warriors to attack the championship.

But soon, the Thunder shattered the Warriors' hopes with a hearty victory.

On May 5th, G29 of the Western Conference Finals was held as scheduled at the Oracle Center. Durant suddenly broke out. Under the attack of the Warriors, he scored 4 points, 36 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steal and 1 block, leading the Thunder to a 1:115 victory over the Warriors. The big score led 97:3 and successfully won the match point!
In this game, Durant returned to the off-ball style when he first entered the league, frequently used screens to move, did not make adjustments after receiving the ball, or only adjusted one step, pulled up and shot, minimizing the impact of flanking on him , had an immediate effect.

Leonard is a heavy forward, and his ability to squeeze screens is average. Chasing and defending the flexible Durant is very difficult, and switching defenses has little effect on Durant. Chandler's height does not have an advantage in front of him. In the flanking attack, Durant always pulls up and shoots, ignoring any interference, relying on his fiery touch to score.

The 1:3 lag brought the Warriors to the edge of a cliff, and they couldn't afford to lose a game.

Everyone can see that the upper limit of Wu Kuyong is here. If the Clippers play normally, it will be the Western Conference semifinals. It is impossible for the Warriors to reach the finals without Curry.

The only question now is, when will Curry return?

Warriors fans are praying that Curry will come back soon, and the media are also frantically inquiring about Curry's injury. Some reporters speculate that Curry will return in the next game, because Curry's expected absence time was six weeks. It's here, and he should be coming back.

But it is the Thunder who are most concerned about Curry's return time. After the Thunder won G4, Brooks said in an interview:
"We're ready for Curry to play. Even if he comes back next game, our confidence will not be shaken. This is the closest we are to the finals. Everyone is full of fighting spirit and ready for everything. challenge!"

Durant also expressed his determination to reach the Finals after reiterating his apology for Curry's injury:

"Our goal is only one, and that is to win the championship. We will defeat all opponents in front of us, whether it is a warrior with Curry or a warrior without Curry."

Of course, the reporter will not let Zhang Yu go, but Zhang Yu's answer is very official and vague:

"The time for Stephen's return has not yet been determined. It depends on his recovery from his injury. As long as he gets the permission of the team doctor, he can return to the game, but until then, we will not take any risky moves."

After these words were reported, Warriors fans became worried:

"Is Curry's injury still not healed? It's already June. Didn't it say that he could heal in six weeks?"

"Who knows, what Coach Z said is the same as if he didn't say it, and he didn't give an accurate statement. He was so anxious!"

"The three consecutive championships are just one step away. The chance of the dynasty! I really hope that Curry can play in the next game. As long as he can play, I will not panic at all when I fall behind by 1:3. If he doesn't play, hey... "

Warriors fans hope that Curry will return in the next game, and commentators also believe that without Curry, the Warriors are likely to be eliminated by the Thunder in the next game.

Jeff Van Gundy said:
"The Thunder have Durant and Westbrook, and the Warriors now only have Clay and Leonard. This is obviously a mismatch. The Warriors need to find new and stable means of hard solutions on the offensive end. Of course, Curry is the best The choice, but his injury recovery is still unclear, I hope he can return to the game as soon as possible, otherwise this round of the series will be too lacking in suspense."

Bill Simmons wrote in his article:
"To be honest, I never thought that the Warriors could go all the way to the Western Conference Finals without Curry. This is a miracle, especially after they fell behind 1:3 and reversed the Clippers. But I have to express regret, The Warriors' magical journey will end here-if Curry can't return to the game in the next game. Whether Curry can return will determine whether the Warriors still have the hope of a three-peat. This is likely to be the Warriors and Curry The only chance in my career for a three-peat..."

Stephen Smith said:
"The Warriors have reached the most critical time and need a hero to save them. This hero can only be Curry! I believe he will return with a high probability. He is a natural leader, and the leader will not sit on the court and watch the ball The team is going to lose, you know, I'm a Knicks fan, Willis Reed's return of the king in 1976 is an eternal classic in NBA history, this is the leader, and Curry is such a leader, let's see, Will he also stage the return of the king and lead the Warriors to complete the reversal, if the Warriors can finally win the championship, this will be the greatest reversal in NBA history..."

After G4, from the media to fans, from commentators to people who eat melons, everyone is looking forward to Curry's return in the next game.

Whether Curry staged a good show of the return of the king, the Warriors made two consecutive 1:3 reversals, or the Thunder killed the defending champion and advanced to the finals, it is much better than the Western Conference Finals ending so hastily.

All eyes were on Curry, but he remained silent and did not give any interviews.

But he didn't just stay at home quietly to recover from his injuries. The day before G5, Curry came to Zhang Yu's home.

Zhang Yu was not at all surprised by Curry's arrival. The two sat down in the living room, and he asked with a smile:

"Stephen, if you're not at home to recuperate, what are you doing here?"

Curry took a deep breath and said seriously:

"Boss, let me play tomorrow!"

Thanks to the lord Yu Qingfeng for the reward!