warrior godfather

Chapter 603 Winning is above all else

G1 of the Warriors and Pelicans has become the epitome of this round of the series.

The Pelicans are lucky they have a thick eyebrow, but the pelicans are also unlucky they only have a thick eyebrow.

In G2, Monty Williams adjusted his defensive strategy. As soon as his thick eyebrows came up, he rushed out to limit Curry's scoring.

In the second half of G1, this defensive strategy proved to be a failure, but Monty Williams had to make changes after the loss, and this was the only adjustment he could make.

So, Clay and Leonard took over the ball, but the Pelicans still couldn't prevent the Warriors' offense.

In the end, the Warriors defeated the Pelicans 105:96. Leonard had 23 points, Clay had 26 points, and Curry had only 16 points. The thick eyebrows were the same as the previous game, scoring a large double-double with 31 points and 12 rebounds.

From the data point of view, Nongmei is the star with the best performance of the two teams, but many of his points were scored against the Warriors' bench lineup, that is, under Antetokounmpo's single defense.

Compared with Nongmei, Antetokounmpo is still much immature, and he also suffers a bit in confrontation, unable to prevent Nongmei's attack.

In the first year of thick eyebrows entering the NBA, he has unlimited firepower, and he has been trained early. Antetokounmpo is not even a starter, and his growth rate is much slower.

But correspondingly, Antetokounmpo's load is also much smaller. He has not been injured in the past two seasons, but he has a lot of minor injuries. He can only play less than 70 games per season.

This is the tragedy of a small team. The Pelicans have a weak lineup, and thick eyebrows are indispensable for both offense and defense.

Today, Nongmei played the most minutes among all the players of the two teams. He took the highest number of shots in the game, and his shooting percentage was only 47.8%.

As the core of the Warriors, Curry doesn't even have to worry about the team's scoring. Of course, he is not afraid of thick eyebrows' defense. Count up.

But Curry doesn't need to do this. He just needs to hold his thick eyebrows, and then he can hand the ball to his teammates and enjoy their performances.

This is the crushing of the Warriors Pelicans in terms of strength. As for whether this will reduce his scoring and show his importance to the team, Curry doesn't care at all.

As long as he can win, he can be defended by two people all over the court like he did in college, without scoring a point, but the team can beat the opponent by 20 points.

Statistics are just a foil to victory. If he can't win, even if he scores 50 or 60 points, Curry won't be happy.

He was taught by Dell since he was a child, and later became a player of Zhang Yu. The basketball concept he gradually established is that winning is above all else, and scoring is a means of chasing victory. It has no meaning in itself.

Curry also went astray and suffered injuries on the road to chasing the scoring champion, which caused the Warriors to lose hope of winning the championship.

But now, he will never lose his mind because of his personal honor. The failure taught him a profound lesson. It was not recognized that he was the strongest last season. Rose of the championship.

No matter how strong Curry's performance in the regular season is, and Durant's scoring is incomprehensible, people will only remember the final championship.

So even after leading the team to 74 wins and creating the miracle of the 180 club's 30+ scoring leader, Curry quickly settled down and prepared for the playoffs.

Facing the strict defense of the Pelicans, he didn't have the idea of ​​proving his 180 club scoring ability. He strictly distributed the ball to his teammates according to tactics, willing to be a bait, and watched Klay and Leonard score high scores happily.

After the game, the reporter asked Curry how he felt, and Curry smiled brightly:
"We got another win, which is very important, because we are going to New Orleans next, and the big score of 2:0 can ensure that we will not come back with a disadvantage, which will greatly reduce our pressure... ..."

"Stephen, you only scored 16 points today, can you tell me why? You just won the highest scoring record in history..."

"That's not important!" Curry interrupted, "No matter how many points I scored, we won, that's enough, the team can win without me scoring high points, so I only scored 16 points, It's that simple."

……

On April 4, the third game between the Warriors and the Pelicans was held in New Orleans.

G3 is a game that must be won for the Pelicans. They cannot afford the consequences of falling behind with a big score of 0:3.

Monty Williams didn't dare to adjust his defense at will anymore, and the Pelicans lost 2 points less in G1 than in G10, which gave him a little bit of confidence.

After the start of the game, the Pelicans continued to guard against Curry, not giving him a chance to shoot from the three-point line, and even began to pinch Curry, trying to cause his mistakes and counterattack with a fast break.

But this is the style of play that the Warriors are best at. The Warriors know how to play and how to break. Curry's shots are timely and precise.

After the first half, the Pelicans trailed the Warriors by 16 points. Curry made another turnover and sent 1 assists.

As long as he plays seriously and doesn't waste time or play, it is difficult for him to make mistakes.

In the second half, Monty Williams didn't dare to pinch Curry anymore, but he still let the thick eyebrows switch defenses and prevented Curry from shooting three-pointers.

Curry only scored 8 points in the first half, and Monty Williams could only go to the black. He couldn't let Curry organize and score twice. That would only highlight his incompetence as a head coach. He could only bet Leonard and Clay are not sure.

Monty Williams was half right. Clay's touch did fluctuate, and he hit three-pointers again and again.

But Leonard is still a strong point that the Warriors can't solve. The Pelicans' striker can't match up, and he alone supports the Warriors' offense.

In the fourth and third quarters, Clay, who was frantically hitting the iron, finally regained his touch and scored 3 three-pointers in a single quarter, giving the Pelicans a fatal blow.

In the end, the Warriors defeated the Pelicans 112:100, leading 3:0 and winning the match point.

After the whole game, Leonard had 23 points, Clay had 21 points, Green had 15 points, and Middleton had 13 points. Curry's presence was still not high, with only 14 points, but he sent 10 assists, revitalizing the Warriors overall attack.

Thick eyebrows scored a large double-double with 27 points and 16 rebounds. The data is still extremely gorgeous, and there are 4 blocks and 2 steals. It can be said that it is a combination of offense and defense, but it still cannot bring a victory for the Pelicans.

However, the public opinion after the game was very tolerant towards the Pelicans. He was originally the son of the United States and was very popular with American fans. His opponent was the 74-win Warriors. No one thought that the Pelicans could win. People's hearts expected.

Instead, Curry, who led the team to win three games in a row, attracted a lot of criticism.

Starting from G2, as long as the thick eyebrows switch defenses, Curry will not attack. Instead, he will distribute the ball to his teammates, bring the thick eyebrows to the weak side, let his teammates play four-on-four, score less than 20 in two consecutive games, and show no history at all. The strength of the most efficient scoring champion, many people have speculated whether Curry is afraid of the thick-browed defense and dare not play.

There are even Warriors fans who are dissatisfied. Their requirements for Curry are more than just winning.

But Curry didn't seem to care about it at all, and didn't make any response, letting public opinion ferment.

……

After losing G3, the Pelicans are gone, and the only goal is to win at least one game and avoid being swept by the Warriors and Gentlemen.

But the Warriors did not give the Pelicans this chance. On April 4, the Warriors beat the Pelicans 25:114, with a score of 96:4, sweeping the Pelicans out and advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

In this game, the Pelicans no longer pinched Curry, and the thick eyebrows did not switch defenses. After losing two games, Monty Williams had to make adjustments again, admitting that switching defenses was wrong, and changing back to the pick-and-roll delay , Betting that Curry can't make a three-pointer, making the final struggle.

Unfortunately, Monty Williams lost the bet.

Curry scored low in the first two games because he didn't shoot, but his efficiency was still very high. The Pelicans gave him a chance to score, and he certainly wouldn't miss it.

In the first half, Curry scored 5 three-pointers and scored 21 points. The Warriors led the Pelicans by 15 points.

In the second half, Thick Eyebrow, who was forced to rush, put Monty Williams' arrangement behind him and switched to defending Curry to prevent him from shooting three-pointers.

Not everyone can watch Curry shoot a three-pointer in front of them and strictly enforce the shrinking defensive tactics. Monty Williams overestimated his control over the team.

But Curry was on the rise at this time, and his offensive desire that had been suppressed for two games was fully recovered, and he entered the scoring mode, even with thick eyebrows in front of him.

Curry first hit a step-back three-pointer, and then a Bowman raised his thick eyebrows, broke through to the inside and pulled the bar for a layup, and then returned the ball to Green after a pick-and-roll. Di's two people blocked and hit a three-point catch.

In the third quarter, Curry scored 16 points in a single quarter, and the Warriors' lead expanded to more than 20 points.

He taught thick eyebrows a good lesson, and told those who questioned him with practical actions that it's not that he can't get thick eyebrows, but he just doesn't want to.

In the fourth quarter, the Pelicans, who were behind by a large score, lost all morale. With 6 minutes and 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Warriors still led the Pelicans by 18 points. Monty Williams replaced all the main players and conceded the shot. .

Zhang Yu also replaced the full bench lineup. Curry, who scored 40 points in three and a half quarters, clocked out of get off work, and the game entered garbage time.

Antetokounmpo no longer needs this kind of garbage time to practice, and stayed on the bench. Wiggins, who had few opportunities to play before, finally got a lot of playing time and felt the atmosphere of the playoffs. .

In the first three games, Wiggins only played 6.4 minutes. Middleton, who has been swinging in the second and third positions, has secured the position of the backup small forward.

Zhang Yu can use the regular season to train Wiggins, and his defense has also been practiced, but the Pelicans do not have a strong striker, and the rotation lineup needs strikers to provide scoring ability. Zhang Yu also trusts Middel, who has playoff experience. Dayton, Wiggins' playing time dropped sharply.

Zhang Yu paid great attention to Wiggins' emotions. After making the rotation arrangement, he told Wiggins that he did this because the team needed Middleton's scoring ability more. When the defense needed to be improved, Wiggins would Get more playing time.

After hearing Zhang Yu's explanation, the last bit of disappointment in Wiggins' heart disappeared. Sitting on the bench, he enthusiastically cheered for his teammates.

After playing in the fourth quarter, Wiggins did not paddle because it was garbage time. He defended seriously, actively ran tactics, cherished every minute of playing time, and showed his progress to the coaching staff.

Behind the Warriors lineup, the competition for each position is very fierce, and Wiggins, who was born as the No. [-] pick, dare not slack off in the slightest.

When the game ended and the red light came on, Wiggins made 5 of 4 shots, no three-pointers or free throws, and scored 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal, expanding the point difference to more than 20 points.

Whenever Wiggins scores, Curry will take the lead in waving the towel, cheering from the bench, making him more and more motivated.

After Wiggins left the court, Zhang Yu gave a thumbs up, affirming his resolute attack on the inside of the Pelicans after he came on the court. Others gathered around and praised Wiggins' performance.

The encouragement and affirmation from the whole team made Wiggins very happy, grinning with warmth and innocence.

When walking towards the player tunnel, Wiggins saw the dejected thick eyebrows in front of him, and he was very glad that he was selected by the Warriors instead of going to a fish belly.

Although he didn't have much playing time in the Warriors, and he didn't even have a starting position. It seemed embarrassing to be the No. [-] pick, but he can win all the time, has teammates who recognize him, and a coach who cares about him. Team status and big contracts are more important.

The Warriors give Wiggins the feeling of a big warm family, and he is willing to stay with the Warriors.

But he will not be satisfied with the position of the substitute. He knows that he cannot compete with Leonard now, but as the boss said, Leonard also played as a substitute for two years before starting. Progress and use strength to win the starting position.

……

After eliminating the Pelicans, the Warriors became the first team to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

On the same day, the Grizzlies defeated the Blazers 115:109, leading 3:0. If nothing else, they will be the Warriors' opponents in the next round.

In other first-round matchups, the Rockets 3-0 the Mavericks and got the match point.

Nowitzki is still young and can score 20+10, but Harden has evolved to the level of a superstar, 28+8 in the first three games, and can get 10 free throws in each game. He is invincible in singles. The Mavericks can't limit him at all. score.

The Clippers 2:1 the Spurs, the Clippers won the first two games, lost by 3 points in the third game, and were pulled back by the Spurs.

But without Leonard's Spurs, they can only rely on their aging GDP. As the series progresses, physical consumption intensifies and resistance becomes more and more difficult.

The Eastern Bulls and Cavaliers both lead their opponents 3:0, and they won each game cleanly. The Eagles 2:2 the Nets, and it is hard to break up.

On April 4, the Trail Blazers pulled back an away game. Lillard scored 27 points and 32 assists, leading the team to a 7:99 victory over the Grizzlies to avoid being swept out.

The next contest between the two teams is on April 4. Even if the Grizzlies sweep the Trail Blazers, the Warriors will get at least a week of rest.

Zhang Yu simply gave the team another day off. Although the Warriors only resumed training for one day, such a long interval does not require daily training to maintain their state.

But Zhang Yu couldn't take it easy. Taking advantage of this time, Larry Riley came to the door and handed Zhang Yu a bunch of draft reports:

"Ronan, do you have any favorite candidates for this year's draft?"

(End of this chapter)