warrior godfather

Chapter 635 True Big Three VS False Big Three
If you want to select the most disappointing team in the NBA in recent years, the Heat must bear the brunt.

The three top stars James, Wade, and Bosh form the Big Three. In everyone's eyes, they should be invincible, sweeping all the way to win the championship, but they didn't win a championship. They played several tiebreakers in the Eastern Conference. No dominance was shown.

And the second disappointing team should be the Clippers.

As the number one point guard in the league at the time, Paul joined the Clippers and traded for Iguodala and Redick to form one of the strongest starting lineups in the league. At the price of a first-round pick, he invited champion coach River Si, the outside world generally regards him as a strong contender for the championship.

However, the performance of the Clippers was surprising. The Warriors who lacked Curry completed a 1:3 reversal. In the second year, they were forced to tie the tie with a 3:1 lead over the Rockets. Iguodala, who is usually indifferent, stepped forward and played a key role. The Clippers are likely to be reversed for two consecutive years, and Paul never touched the floor of the Western Conference Finals.

But no matter how tortuous the process was, the Clippers made it to the Western Conference Finals, created a new record in team history, and took an important step towards the championship—although they were swept by the Warriors immediately.

This season, Jordan continued to improve. With a shooting rate of 70.3%, he averaged 12.7 points per game. He was selected to the best team and the best defensive team. With an average double-double of 19+10, he was selected to the best second team + best first defense. Griffin, who was absent due to injury, also returned from injury before the playoffs. The Clippers also have their own Big Three. The posture of a big fight in the post-match.

However, the Clippers will never disappoint when it comes to disappointing people.

季后赛首轮，快船G1以115:95:大胜开拓者20分，G2亿102:81大胜开拓者21分，大比分2:0领先，已经半只脚踏进了下一轮。

But then, Lillard scored 32 points, McCollum scored 27 points, and Aldridge scored 24 points. The three scored 83 points together, and the Blazers pulled back a victory.

In G4, the two teams fought equally well, but at 6 minutes and 07 seconds into the third quarter, when Paul passed the ball to Redick, Paul poked his finger on the ball and felt uncomfortable. He went back to the locker room for inspection and suffered a fracture of the third metacarpal in his right hand. , out of the game, .

此前，保罗在场上得到了16分4助攻3抢断，快船以52:58落后开拓者6分。

After Paul was injured and left the field, Griffin stepped forward and scored 10 points in the third quarter, leading the Clippers to narrow the point difference to 2 points.

But after the start of the fourth quarter, Griffin played for 1 minute before leaving the field. His quadriceps injury in his left leg recurred. Like Paul, he withdrew from the game.

Iguodala stepped forward and scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, but his teammates were too weak. Rivers Jr. made 5 of 1 shots and only scored 2 points. The second offense scored 4 points, and the Clippers were beaten 32:20 by the Blazers, with a net loss of 12 points in a single quarter.

In the end, the Blazers defeated the Clippers 98:84 to tie the big score.

After the game, Paul decided to undergo surgery on his right hand and announced that he would be reimbursed for the season. Griffin had an indefinite truce.

The top star of the Clippers became Iguodala. In the next two games, he scored 21 points and 16 points respectively, but the efficiency was very low, all of which were piled up by shooting rights.

He is old and is no longer the little AI he was at the beginning. He can only play a supporting role and cannot be a C position.

The Blazers seized the opportunity and won two consecutive victories, reversing and eliminating the Clippers with a big score of 4:2.

But the Clippers played bloody in the last game. Crawford went berserk and scored 32 points. Iguodala, regardless of shooting percentage, overcame difficulties and scored 16 points. Jordan turned into O'Neal and made 7 of 6 shots. , 8 of 3 free throws and scored 15 points.

The most touching thing is Rivers Jr. He performed poorly in the first two games. He was criticized because Rivers was able to get the contract, but today, he played bloody.

In the middle of the first quarter, when Rivers Jr. was fighting for rebounds, he was elbowed by Aminu and hit his left eye. The upper and lower eyelids of the left eye were all cracked, and the brow bone and lower eyelid were bleeding profusely.

The "Prince" of the Clippers immediately withdrew from the game. No one thought he would return to the game. The fans of the Clippers were ashamed, and people were injured continuously. Is this God's punishment for the Clippers?

However, Rivers Jr. returned to the court with 11 stitches, his entire left eye was swollen, and his flesh was everted.

Seeing his weird face, Moda Center was silent, and then there was continuous applause like a sea tide.

Every time he paused, Rivers Jr.'s wound was bleeding, and the bright red blood meandered down, drawing a thin line along the corner of his mouth.

Little Rivers, with a bloody wound and one eye open, scored 14 points in the third quarter. In the absence of two core players, he led the Clippers to lead the Blazers by 2 points and enter the fourth quarter.

In the last quarter, the morale of the Clippers team was boosted and they fought bravely. Redick scored 9 points, Iguodala scored 7 points, and Rivers Jr. scored another 4 points, once opening the point difference to 6 points.

However, the overall strength of the Blazers is too strong. Lillard, McCollum, and Aldridge scored in turn, shrinking a little bit and tying the point difference.

In the end, as Aldridge singled out Jeff Green in the middle distance, he turned over and hit a jumper. The Blazers 105:103 and 2 points against the Clippers.

Looking back, Crawford made a mid-range shot, and the Clippers had no choice but to foul Plumlee. The latter made 2 of 1 free throws, and the point difference was opened to 3 points. With only 2 seconds left in the game, Rivers called a timeout .

After returning from the timeout, Rivers Jr. caught the ball, made a three-pointer, hit the iron, the red light came on, and the Clippers lost the game.

Amidst the streamers and fireworks falling from the sky, Little Rivers bent down and cried bitterly. Rivers stepped forward, patted his son, and helped him up. The two walked shoulder to shoulder and walked to the player tunnel.

The Clippers lost, and Rivers Jr.'s 21 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 1 steal came to naught, but since then, no Clippers fan has ridiculed him as "the prince".

Tonight, he's a real tough guy, an unyielding fighter.

The Clippers could leave the Moda Center with their heads held high, but the Blazers still had the last laugh. After falling behind 0:2, they completed the reversal and successfully advanced to the second round.

But after celebrating the victory, someone immediately blocked them.

In the post-match interview, a reporter asked Lillard about his views on the second round against the Warriors. The smile on Lillard's face slowly subsided, and he said slowly:
"This is a difficult series. The Warriors are strong, but we are fearless. We will be prepared and work hard to fight for every victory..."

He said he was fearless, but the joy after being promoted disappeared, and his expression was solemn.

Lillard entered the league in 2012. In the past 4 seasons, the Trail Blazers and the Warriors have played 16 games in the regular season, with a record of 2 wins and 14 losses-one win when the Warriors rested, one win when the Blazers exploded, and all other losses dropped the game.

The Warriors won three championships in four years and dominated the league, especially the Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Pelicans.

Aldridge was also asked this question, he was vague, but there was a gloomy look in his eyes.

Originally, he would be a free transfer in the summer and sign a maximum salary with the Spurs, but after Leonard was cut off by Zhang Yu, the Spurs could only rely on the aging GDP combination to maintain the ranks of the playoffs, with no hope of competing for the championship , Aldridge has no idea of ​​joining the Spurs.

Under the urging of Nick Orsi, Aldridge finally signed a four-year $4 million maximum salary contract with the Blazers.

McCollum played a key role in Aldridge's signing process after his stellar performance in the playoffs last season.

Aldridge's goal is to compete for the championship. The original Blazers' lineup made him very dissatisfied, but McCollum's emergence gave him hope.

This season, McCollum lived up to expectations and performed very well.

He entered the starting lineup, played 80 games, averaged 34.7 minutes per game, scored 20.8 points, 4.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals. The three shooting percentages were 44.8%, 41.7%, and 82.7%. The firepower of the gun is ferocious, second to none in the league.

But in order to keep Aldridge, the Blazers management let go of Batum, Matthews, and Robin Lopez. The depth of the lineup dropped, and the record fell instead of rising, from 51 wins to 44 wins.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Blazers finally eliminated the remnant Clippers and met the Warriors who beat him. Aldridge became worried again before he had time to be happy.

He really didn't know what to do to defeat the Warriors.

Is it wrong for him to choose to stay in the Blazers this time?
But Aldridge thought about it, no matter where he went, he had to face the Warriors, so what's the difference?

Slowly he calmed down and all worries disappeared.

As long as they are still in the West, the Warriors are a mountain that cannot be avoided. Instead of thinking so much, it is better to face the difficulties and fight for the championship!

……

May 5, seven o'clock, San Francisco, Chase Center.

The Warriors, who rested for six days, finally ushered in their first contest with the Trail Blazers.

After Paul and Griffin were injured one after another, the prospects of this round of the series became clear, and Zhang Yu began to practice tactics against the Blazers.

In fact, there is no need to practice much. The Warriors players are very good at how to play against the Trail Blazers, and they have already gained experience.

In the past, the Trail Blazers were a team with strong offense and weak defense. Aldridge renewed his contract, McCollum rose, and after Batum, Matthews, and Robin Lopez left, the offense was stronger and the defense was weaker. Totally out of balance.

Now, the Blazers' starting lineup is Lillard, McCollum, Aminu, Aldridge, and Mason Plumlee.

The two guns in the backcourt, one with a height of 1 meters and the other with a height of 88 meters, have a middle-to-lower defense in the same position. Aldridge's defense is average, and he and Lillard have a common shortcoming, which is a poor sense of defensive position.

Only Aminu and Plumlee can play a role on the defensive end, but Plumlee's footsteps are too slow, and like Robin Lopez, they cannot be defended.

The backcourt is too short, the inside moves slowly, and the internal and external dual-core defense is not good. The Blazers' defense can be said to be tailor-made for the Splash Brothers, and they are the favorite opponents of Curry and Clay.

It is also difficult for Stotts to arrange defense. He must use the three major scorers Lillard, McCollum, and Aldridge, but their defense is not good. Neither is good.

The Blazers win by attacking and killing their opponents. If the hand feels bad, or the offense is restricted, it will be difficult to win.

The Warriors are the team with the highest defensive efficiency in the league, and they are truly perfect for the Trail Blazers.

In this game, the Blazers had no chance of winning, not even leading by 1 minute, and finally lost the game 102:123, trailing behind by a big score of 0:1.

Zhang Yu gave the right to fire to the Splash Brothers. They will be the protagonists of this round of the series. Leonard, who scored 23.6 points in the last round of the series, will focus more on the defensive end.

But Zhang Yu also arranged for him to dislocate tactics against Lillard and McCollum. The Warriors' offensive goals are very clear-targeting the shortness of the Blazers' guards and the slowness of the inside.

Lillard and McCollum are neither good at leading defense nor good at chasing and defending. A screen can get rid of their defense. The Warriors pass and cut smoothly. shot opportunities.

Curry's pick-and-roll with the ball is also unsolvable. Neither Aldridge nor Plumlee can defend against it. A screen is a three-point opportunity, and a switch is Curry's military training.

If they make a save, Green and Antetokounmpo can go straight down to attack the frame. Leonard is standing in the corner on the weak side. Aminu dares to shrink, and the pass is an open three-pointer. As for McCollum, he The shrinkage can be completely ignored.

The Blazers' offense consists of three tricks-Lillard or McCollum holding the ball to instigate a pick-and-roll, Aldridge's low-post singles, and McCollum catching and shooting around the screen.

Lillard and Aldridge basically don't have the ability to play off the ball. Only when they have the ball in their hands can they play the greatest role. Stotts can't arrange off-ball tactics for them, so they can only let McCollum run without the ball.

Fortunately, McCollum's off-the-ball ability is very good, and the Blazers did not reach the point where the ball is not enough.

Faced with these three offensive methods, the Warriors solved it with only one attack.

Lillard's ability to shoot three-pointers with the ball may be second only to Curry in the league. McCollum's mid-range emergency stop jumper is excellent, so the Warriors cannot retreat in defense against pick-and-rolls.

But their ability to play the ball is not good. As soon as the two hit the pick-and-roll, the Warriors will go up and attack. The follow-up rotation is also the Warriors' strong point. Consecutive defensive counterattacks quickly opened up the score.

Aldridge's offense is indeed difficult to defend. In this era of withered insiders, he may be the best power forward in the league in post-up offense, and a turnaround jumper is even more incomprehensible.

But he also has the problem of passing the ball. In the face of flanking, Aldridge can pass the ball quickly, but he cannot pass the ball to open teammates and cannot create direct scoring opportunities.

As long as Aldridge has the ball in the low post, the Warriors will flank and force him out of the ball, allowing him to finish in the mid-to-long range.

The Blazers' offense was blocked, but they couldn't prevent the Warriors' offense. They were completely defeated and eventually lost the game.

库里砍下36分8助攻，克莱27分，完胜得到23分6助攻5失误的利拉德，和得到18分4失误的麦科勒姆。

Aldridge relied on mid-range and long-range jumpers and scored 25 points, but Leonard also scored 23 points. He didn't have much possession of the ball, but he made 3 corner three-pointers, several misplaced singles against Lillard and McCollum easily succeeded, making 14 of 9 shots, 6 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 23 points with high efficiency.

Both teams are equipped with the Big Three, but the Warriors are the real Big Three, and the Blazers are the false Big Three. In the end, the real Big Three won.

(End of this chapter)