warrior godfather

Chapter 634 Some people are happy and some are sad

California, San Francisco.

In the early morning, Curry was driving a Porsche 620 speeding on Third Avenue. With the windows down, the sea breeze from the Pacific Ocean was blowing on his face. He took a deep breath, and a chilly coolness refreshed his heart and lungs, refreshing him. A shake.

At this time, the sun had not risen very high, and it was emitting red light. When Curry passed by the Missen Bay, he looked far away, and the waves on the sea were undulating, with little orange lights flashing.

Curry came all the way to the Chase Center, parked the car in the parking lot, got out of the car, closed the car door smartly, locked it without looking back, and walked to the employee passageway.

After entering the Chase Center, the staff members encountered along the way rushed to say hello to Curry:

"Hey Stephen, congratulations on your mvp!"

"Good morning, Stephen, I read the report yesterday, it's amazing, another mvp, this is the 4th?"

"Stephen, it's not a dream for you to surpass Jordan if you go on like this, come on!"

Curry responded with a smile one by one, trying his best to maintain a humble posture, but the increasingly bright smile on his face revealed his true mood.

Yesterday, the NBA officially announced the winners of the MVP for the 2015-2016 season. Curry won 130 of the 113 first ballots and was elected as the MVP with a total of 1267 points. This is also the fourth in his seven-year career. An mvp trophy, the best in the league.

Durant got 16 first votes and most of the second votes, ranking second with 858 points, which is far behind Curry. James got 5 first votes and ranked third with 517 points.

This result is almost in line with what people expected. Although Durant scored some points with the help of public opinion before the start of the playoffs, he could not shake Curry's position.

This season, Curry played 75 games for the Warriors, and the remaining seven games were all in rotation. He averaged 34.8 minutes per game, scored 32.1 points, 6.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. The three shooting percentages were 49.3%, 43.9%, and 90.1%. , made 348 three-pointers in a single season, super-high-yield and super-efficient, and won the scoring title. The Warriors have a record of 67 wins and 15 losses, far ahead of other teams. Curry was elected as the mvp, which is well-deserved.

Yesterday, the league announced that Curry won the mvp, and public opinion on the Internet exploded.

This is the seventh year of Curry's career. As a result, he has won the mvp twice, Jordan only has 5 mvp, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has the most, but 6, Curry's peak is at least 5 years away, in these 5 years How many mvp can he get in the time?

Those Warriors fans who gave Curry a loan found that they seemed to be conservative. According to this momentum, Curry can not only surpass Jordan, but even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!

The Warriors have a strong lineup and a reasonable age. They are strong contenders for the regular season championship every year. The pass-and-cut system is very easy to score points on weak teams. As long as Curry thinks, he will be the scoring champion every season. Others want Don't even think about it.

Unless the opponent allows Leonard, Clay, and Antetokounmpo to score in order to prevent Curry from winning the scoring title, Curry will play a few pick-and-rolls with the ball, run a few off-ball screens, and shoot when defending counterattacks. A few chasing three-pointers, 30+ is easy to come by, and when you encounter a weak team with poor defensive discipline, 40+ and 50+ are easy, it doesn't take much effort, and the efficiency is extremely high.

This is difficult for other stars to do. They don't have Curry's off-the-ball ability and can only play with the ball. This will consume a lot of energy and will encounter the opponent's tight defense. Here, developing offense is more difficult.

Only Harden, who will make a three-pointer with a step back in the future + make fouls like a bag, can compete with Curry in scoring. This is another completely different style of play, which was developed to the extreme by Harden

But his efficiency is far inferior to that of Curry, and his game perception of infinite singles retreat three-pointers + continuous free throws is far inferior to the Warriors' smooth passing and sharp counterattack.

And this is very important in the selection of mvp. Harden has accompanied Zhang Yu many times in his previous life, and now it is even more difficult to compete with Curry.

The most important thing is that Harden's set can kill the Quartet in the regular season, but in the playoffs, it is equivalent to handing over his fate to the referees. He repeatedly lost the chain at critical moments, leaving a bad impression on reporters. This will make it impossible for him to gain the upper hand in the competition with Curry.

……

When Curry came to the locker room, almost everyone else was there.

Curry usually comes very early, but he was a little excited when he learned that he was elected as the mvp yesterday. He celebrated at home, went to bed late, and woke up late today.

Everyone was scattered and chatting, and when they saw Curry coming in, they all surrounded him.

"Good job, Stephen, I knew that the mvp must be yours!" Antetokounmpo said affectionately.

Clay grinned and said:

"Congratulations, brother!"

Leonard also smiled and gave Curry a high-five:
"Congratulations on getting the mvp, Stephen."

Others are also like stars holding the moon, sending their congratulations to Curry.

Curry was very happy, and the smile on his face became more intense. He hugged everyone one by one, and kept saying:
"Clay, you are also selected to the best team, congratulations!"

"Kawhi, you are the big winner, best team, best defensive player, best defensive team, it's incredible, I thought only Drummond could do it!"

"Giannis, you won the Sixth Man of the Year again? That's amazing..."

The few people mentioned by Curry were all smiling, and other people were also booing. The locker room was full of fun and a warm atmosphere.

Yesterday, the NBA not only announced the MVP award, but also announced the regular season awards such as the best team, best defensive player, and best defensive team (note). The Warriors, like last season, had a bumper harvest.

Curry was unanimously selected for the best team, and the other four players who were selected for the best team, Rose, James, Durant, and Jr. Jordan won.

Curry and Rose once again monopolized the number of guards. James did not get other honors, but he was selected to the best team. Durant returned this season, and Jordan was selected because of the helplessness of the league's center. .

Leonard was selected to the best second team. He played 76 games this season, averaging 33.6 minutes per game, scoring 22.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.2 blocks. The three shooting percentages were 50.8%, 44.7%, 88.6% %, high-yield and high-efficiency, integrated offense and defense.

Originally, he would be selected to the best team this season because of his outstanding performance on both ends of the offense and defense, but now he is playing in the Warriors and is overshadowed by Curry's halo. In people's eyes, he is not as important to the team as Durant and James. The absolute core of the two respective teams was only selected to the best second team.

However, his contribution on the defensive end has been generally recognized by the outside world, and he was successfully elected as the best defensive player and selected for the best defensive team.

The remaining players selected for the best second team are Paul, Westbrook, Paul George, and Cousins.

Nongmei averaged 24.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 2 blocks per game this season. He is a strong contender for the best second team and even the best first team. However, he only played 61 games and did not reach the best team. The selection criteria, regrettably lost.

As the most promising new-generation superstar in the league, after Nongmei entered the league, he has not played more than 70 games in any season, and has gradually been given the name of the glass man.

Paul George was very lucky. Originally, he would only be selected for the best third team, but Green's overall performance this season was not good, he was not selected for the best second team, and he didn't have enough thick eyebrows.

Clay was selected to the best third team. He played 77 games this season, averaging 35.3 minutes per game, scoring 22.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals. The three-phase shooting percentages were 47.5%, 42.8%, and 88.4%. After an early slump, he ended the season as an efficient top shooter, returning to the top of the league in [-]-point percentage.

The remaining players selected for the best three teams are Lillard, Butler, Aldridge, and Drummond.

The Bulls' record has declined compared to last season, but they are still in the forefront of the Eastern Conference. Butler was selected to the best team for five consecutive years, but this time, he was surpassed by his former substitute Leonard.

Harden got the luxury data of 29+7+6 this season, but due to the poor record of the Rockets, he himself was also plagued by negative news, and he was not even selected for the best third team. This is the first time in NBA history.

Antetokounmpo was elected as the best sixth man with 97% of the votes and 87% of the first choices. He played 78 games this season, 70 of which were off the bench, averaging 28.6 minutes per game, scoring 15.8 points and 8.4 Rebounds 3.7 assists 1.4 steals 1.7 blocks, three shooting percentages were 51.7%, 27.4%, 78.6%, offensive and defensive integration, comprehensive performance.

His shooting still hasn't been practiced, but his shooting percentage at the basket has improved step by step every year, from 58.6% in his rookie season to 69.7% now, ranking among the top inside finishers in the league.

Antetokounmpo was very happy to win the Best Sixth Man award for two consecutive years. After coming to the locker room today, the smile on his face has never disappeared, showing his big white teeth against the background of his dark complexion. , dazzlingly white.

It’s just a pity that the gold content of the award for the best sixth man is still a bit low. Looking at Curry, Leonard and Klay who were selected for the best team, Antetokounmpo felt a deep envy in his heart. Imagine the day when you are selected to the best team.

Antetokounmpo has been very happy in the past three years since he came to the Warriors. Zhang Yu values ​​​​him, and his playing time has increased year after year. From the best rookie team to the rookie challenge mvp, and then to the best sixth man, he can get it every year honor.

He also got along very well with his teammates. The team boss Curry took a lot of care of him, and no one on the team bullied him as a rookie.

The basketball atmosphere in the Bay Area is also very good. Fans like him very much, and people greet him everywhere he goes.

Moreover, the exposure rate of playing in the Warriors is high. Although Antetokounmpo is only a substitute, he has signed many commercial endorsement contracts, and even accepted two Chinese advertising endorsements.

If the only thing that Antetokounmpo is a little dissatisfied with is that he has not gotten a starting position so far, and he is still a substitute.

He is a very competitive person. As long as he plays the game, he wants to do his best. He spares no effort in defense and does his best in offense. He also has some ideas about the status of the team.

He admires Curry very much and recognizes him as the boss of the team from the bottom of his heart, but he is not so convinced about Green, who has been pressing on his head.

In Antetokounmpo's view, Green is a pure defensive blue-collar with a lot of assists, but with the Splash Brothers, what's so difficult about getting assists?
The offensive method that Green relies on most is the open three-pointer, which is entirely the job of a role player. Now that the unstable three-pointer is gone, he relies on fake hand-offs and pick-and-rolls to steal chickens, and his scoring ability has dropped sharply.

How can such a blue-collar, who pretends to be a tiger, still occupy the starting position of the team?

The more Antetokounmpo looks at Green, the less pleasing it is to his eyes, but he knows that only Zhang Yu can decide who will start and who will play as a substitute in the Warriors. The only thing he can do is to show his progress and impress Zhang Yu with his performance. Take the starting job away from Green.

Now, Antetokounmpo feels that he has achieved half of his success. The continuous growth of three seasons and being elected as the best sixth man for two consecutive years is the biggest capital for his competition with Green.

He is a young talent with great potential, while Green is a defensive blue-collar who is standing still and gradually degrading. Antetokounmpo believes that as his performance gets better and better, he will soon be able to enter the starting lineup. Green squeezed down.

……

When the Warriors team congratulated Curry on being elected mvp, Green was no exception.

But he just forced a smile, casually said something perfunctory, and then fell silent, completely devoid of his usual lively style of expressing his opinions no matter what he encountered.

Compared with being selected to the best third team and best first defense at the same time last year, and being elected as the best defensive player, Green was only selected to the best first defense this year and did not get any other honors.

The best first defense is also a very good honor, but it is easy to go from being frugal to extravagant, and it is difficult to go from extravagant to frugal. Green has tasted the taste of the league's first all-around power forward, and now he has suddenly turned back to a defensive blue-collar. taste?

But he also knows that his data is really not good-looking, and it is impossible to be selected for the best team.

This season, Green played 78 games, averaging 33.8 minutes per game, scoring 9.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks. The three shooting percentages were 49.5%, 33.2%, and 69.6%. So-so -- especially for a big who takes one-third of his three-pointers.

The decline in three-pointers has caused Green's threat on the offensive end to decline seriously. As the season progresses, opponents have adopted varying degrees of shorting strategies for his defense, which has increased the defensive pressure on other Warriors players.

Fortunately, Olynik has a three-pointer, which can open up space. The Splash Brothers are super shooters. Leonard has a good three-pointer this season and can tolerate Green dragging space.

But when Zhang Yu put on five hours of death, Green and Antetokounmpo are both non-space points, and the Warriors' offense is a bit uncomfortable.

However, thanks to the wonderful configuration of the Warriors, they are the only team in the league where stars open up space for role players, and they are also the only team with three top outside scorers, Antetokounmpo It is also the top end of the league. Green's drag on space has been greatly reduced, and he can play the role of starting card.

However, the decline in personal data and the weakening of his role on the defensive end still prevented Green from being selected for the best team.

This made Green very upset. He felt that he was the axis of the Warriors' passing and cutting system and the defensive core of the Death Five. He sacrificed the ball for the team, but failed to get the recognition of the outside world.

At this moment, he forgot that he enjoyed the leisurely vacation in the summer, missed those open three-pointers in the game, and moved lazily on the defensive end.

If it weren't for the poor performance in the first half of the season, it is not impossible for him to be selected for the best team.

After all, the high-quality strikers and inside players in the league are gradually withering. Paul George, who is eighth in the Eastern Conference, has been selected to the best second team. On the contrary, the competition for guards is becoming more and more fierce. Harden, Lowry, DeRozan, Wade, etc. Leading the team to the playoffs, guards with excellent statistics missed the best team.

But Green's heart was already filled with resentment, unwillingness, and shame. Especially when he saw Leonard, who had reproduced his honor from last year and was even better, his mood was even worse.

I am the striker with the deepest qualifications in the Warriors. I am second only to Stephen in the Triple Crown exploits. I am the defensive core of the Warriors. Why was I only selected as the best first defense, but you became the best defensive player? !

Leonard was selected to the best team. Green has no objection to this. Leonard averaged 20+ points per game, which he will never get. He knows this.

But he is very proud of his defense. He thinks he is the defensive core of the Warriors. He is the most versatile and best defender in the league. other people.

However, his self-confidence was shattered. Leonard won the best defensive player with 547 points, and Green ranked second with 421 points. He lost to his teammates-teammates whom he once regarded as his younger brother.

In the eyes of the outside world, one or two of the best defensive players are Warriors players, which shows that the Warriors are strong defensively, and the Warriors themselves are also very high-spirited. Congratulations to Leonard for being the best defensive player, but also congratulations Green came second in the selection.

But when Green heard it, he felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly.

He couldn't accept losing to Leonard, just as he couldn't accept his blue-collar status.

He is the core of the Warriors and the Warriors' triple crown feat. Although he can't score, he can deal cards. He is more important than scorers like Leonard and Clay!

Green did not expect at all that his performance this season made Antetokounmpo start to covet his position. He made up his mind to perform better in the playoffs to prove his core position in the Warriors.

……

After the league officially announced the various regular season honors yesterday, Leonard has been smiling faintly.

The best second team, the best defensive player, and the best defensive first team, each of which is a rare honor, but he won three at once. Even if he is not covered by Curry's aura, he is very likely to be selected as the best for a while.

From now on, he will truly rank among the top strikers in the league. With his comprehensive performance on both ends of the offense and defense, he will overwhelm Butler and Paul George, only inferior to Durant and James.

Purely from the point of view of performance, with the blessing of defense, the gap between Leonard and Durant and James is very small, but he played this kind of performance next to Curry. He is only the second star of the Warriors and lacks convincingness. And gold content, this is also an important reason why Leonard was not selected for the best team.

However, Leonard himself doesn't care about this. Like Antetokounmpo, he is very happy playing in the Warriors.

The coach values ​​it, gets along well with his teammates, signed a big contract, the team pays a lot of attention, has many commercial endorsement contracts, and has won many honors... All these make Leonard very satisfied.

He is not such an ambitious player. If he can, he is willing to stay in the Warriors for the rest of his life.

However, not everyone thinks so.

……

Not long after Curry came to the locker room, Zhang Yu arrived. He congratulated Curry and others who won the regular season award, and then started today's training.

It is normal for Warriors players to gain something after the season. The playoffs are still going on, and Zhang Yu did not celebrate.

It is a pity that Donovan, who coached the Thunder to return to the playoffs, won the best coach award. Blazers general manager Neil Orsi successfully renewed Aldridge and was elected as the best manager. Riley didn't win either.

However, Bogdan was selected to the best rookie team with his outstanding performance of 11.6 points, 2.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals, continuing the tradition of the Warriors having rookies selected to the best rookie team every season.

In the subsequent training, since the series between the Trail Blazers and the Clippers was not over yet, and the Warriors' next round opponent was undecided, the coaching staff only arranged simple shooting training to maintain their state, which was also for the Warriors players who had just finished the first round , take a break and recharge your batteries.

After training in the afternoon, Leonard returned to the mansion he had just bought in San Francisco in the summer, and met his mother Robertson and uncle Dennis who came to visit him.

Leonard was very surprised. The two didn't tell him that they were coming to the Bay Area. This was a sudden surprise.

After the three went to a high-end restaurant for dinner, they returned to Leonard's house. Robertson was watching TV in the living room. Dennis called Leonard into the study and chatted with him about business.

"Kawhi, you got a lot of honors this season, how do you feel?" Dennis asked.

"Very good, we won a lot of goals, I have made great progress, and the statistics are very impressive. These honors are the best rewards." Leonard laughed.

"But don't you think it's a pity? Based on your performance, the best first team is not a problem, but you only got a second team. It's really a pity..." Dennis looked regretful.

"No way, the best team is too difficult. Durant and James are very stable. It is difficult for me to compete with them." Leonard also regretted.

"Yeah, they are the core of their respective teams. The team's record has improved. As long as their data is not bad, they are the best team. It is difficult for you. Stephen is the core of the Warriors, and it is difficult for a team There are two best teams, unless you are a superstar who transferred halfway, but you grew up in the Warriors, I think it will be difficult for you to be selected for the best team in the future, and it is even more impossible to win the mvp..." Dennis said The look of regret on the phone became stronger, and while talking, he quietly observed Leonard's expression.

Leonard showed regret at first, but later his expression began to change, and his complexion was cloudy and uncertain.

"...Okay, let's not talk about this, go to rest early, you still have to train tomorrow." Dennis put it away when he saw it, patted Leonard on the shoulder, got up and left the study.

Leonard sat on a chair, looked out the window, and remained silent.

In the dark night sky, there were only a few faint stars flickering, and the black sky was like a huge curtain, covering Leonard's head without revealing any light.

　Make up for today.

　　Note: The major NBA regular season awards are not announced on the same day. For the needs of the plot, a small change has been made, which will not affect the reading.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)