warrior godfather

Chapter 702 Curry shouldn't have a cylinder

In the first round of the series, the Warriors' main tactic was the high pick-and-roll.

Curry and Antetokounmpo became the protagonists on the offensive end. Leonard, who shined in the regular season, fell back a little bit, averaging only 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.5 steals per game. His scoring is almost the same as that of Antetokounmpo. , the focus is mainly on defense.

Clay only had 16.8 points, and he had fewer offensive roles, mainly playing the role of opening up space.

Zhang Yu is not aiming at Leonard who is about to leave the team. He also wants to give Leonard more ball rights, brush up the data, and ask for a few more draft picks in the summer.

But the playoffs are different from the regular season, winning is the first goal.

The Spurs' insiders are Duncan and Gasol, who are seriously aging and slow-moving. High pick-and-rolls are the most effective offensive method.

And Zhang Yu is a very pragmatic person. He is not arrogant in playing the eighth place in the Western Conference. He does not have any basketball philosophy to stick to.

As in the previous two seasons, after the Warriors led 2:0, the G3 referee came off the field, but the gap between the Spurs and the Warriors was too great. The Warriors easily won the victory against the referee's whistle.

In the post-match interview, the reporter asked Zhang Yu what he thought of the referee, but he was vague and did not criticize the referee.

Xiao Hua fulfilled his promise. The regular season gave the Warriors a greater home court advantage, and Curry deserved the superstar whistle treatment. He also had to follow the agreement and not trouble Xiao Hua with referees.

Originally these two points were just the conditions proposed by Zhang Yu in order to paralyze Xiao Hua and relax his vigilance, but he found that the home field advantage and the superstar whistle are surprisingly easy to use.

The Warriors' home record this season is 39 wins and 2 losses, usually big wins, even if the score is behind, they often complete reversals.

The viewing experience of fans in the Bay Area has skyrocketed, and the attendance rate at the Chase Center has been much higher.

After Curry got the treatment he deserved as a superstar, he averaged a historic breakthrough of 7 free throws per game.

Although it is far inferior to Harden and Westbrook, the number of 3+1s has risen in a straight line. Opponents no longer dare to violate Curry's cylinder unscrupulously, and it is easier for him to shoot three-pointers.

The Warriors fans didn't know the inside story, and thought the referee had found out with conscience. Tears filled their eyes, and the whole world celebrated, shouting:

"My God, Curry finally has a cylinder!"

Some quit, complaining online:

"Curry's three-pointer is so accurate, and he is given 3+1, how can others play?"

"Let's let the league directly walk the Warriors to win the championship. Curry can't defend, so give him the whistle. Other teams don't fight, just give up."

"Curry is a shooter, and he doesn't break through. He floats outside and shoots. He averages 7 free throws per game. Is there any reason?"

They took the unfair treatment that Curry suffered in the previous seasons as a matter of course. Curry suddenly had a cylinder and couldn't accept it.

Your Curry is so powerful, why can you still have a cylinder?
Isn't it right for whoever is weak? Why did it suddenly change?
They almost said the sentence "Curry shouldn't have a cylinder", but the most basic values ​​​​restrained them, so they didn't completely expose the double-standard face.

But in the playoffs, Curry's superstar treatment disappeared.

The Warriors are already so strong, it is impossible for Silver to give Curry a whistle, otherwise other teams will really be unable to play.

Fortunately, Curry's cylinder has not been "taken back". In most games, he can still get a fair penalty, but he will be targeted in away games, but this is the same for other stars, so there is nothing to complain about.

In G3 and G4, Curry's free throws were much less, but the Warriors are too far ahead, and this shortcoming is harmless.

After the end of G4, Popovich was interviewed and said in a low voice:

"Congratulations to the Warriors, they are the better team and deserve to win this series. We tried our best, but unfortunately, we failed to win even one victory. The era of the Spurs is over. Starting next season, the Spurs will be in a rebuilding phase, and we'll start over..."

Immediately afterwards, facing the reporter, Duncan suddenly announced that he had finished his last NBA game—Shi Fu retired.

Even during the playoffs, the news of Duncan's retirement caused quite a stir.

With four championships in hand, Duncan is a well-deserved number one power forward in history, ranking among the top ten legendary superstars in history.

Although he is low-key and lacks star flavor, he is highly respected in the NBA circle.

Numerous celebrities, coaches, and stars have spoken highly of Duncan's career.

Zhang Yu was the first person to comment. During the post-match interview, the reporter mentioned that Duncan was about to retire. Zhang Yu was surprised, and then said:

"Tim is the greatest power forward in the history of the NBA. He is very comprehensive. His basic skills are so solid. He has played a dominant role that is not inferior to all the great insiders... But the most precious qualities in him are selflessness and loyalty. .”

"He is one of the most selfless and loyal superstars. Only true leaders possess this valuable quality. Many people say that he should go to a big city and a better team, and he will get more More championships, more honors, but he didn't do that. He gave everything for the Spurs, at the expense of himself, I have to tip my hat to Tim!"

……

After the Warriors swept the Spurs, they rested for a week and ushered in their second-round opponent, the Jazz.

Between the Jazz and the Trail Blazers, there was the only tiebreaker in the first round.

In the end, the Jazz defeated the Blazers 114:101 and advanced to the second round with a big score of 4:3.

This is a close series. The Blazers are good at attacking and the Jazz are good at defending. The strength of the two sides is similar, but their styles are different. The battle went to the last moment.

It's just that in the playoffs, defense is more important. The Blazers' state is ups and downs. When they feel good, they can beat the Jazz by 20 points; when they feel bad, they can also beat the Jazz by 20 points.

Compared with the Trail Blazers, the Jazz's starlight is a bit dimmer. There is only one Hayward who was selected to the All-Star bench this season, and there are no other stars.

However, Schneider taught students according to their aptitude and built a mature offensive and defensive system with a higher lower limit. In the fierce confrontation in the tiebreaker, the Jazz was more stable and won the tiebreaker.

The Blazers' pseudo-big three fell in the playoffs again.

In the post-match interview, Lillard and Aldridge both expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation of the team.

The torn city seems to be on the verge of disintegration.

As the winners, the Jazz didn't have much joy. They knew that their next opponent was the defending champion, the Warriors with 70 wins in the regular season and four stars.

At the press conference, Schneider was asked about his prospects for the second round, with a serious expression, revealing a majestic air of majesty, resembling the godfather of gangsters, and said:

"The Warriors are the defending champions, they are the best team in the league, but we will not back down, we will fight game by game, we just went through the baptism of the tie-break, the whole team is ready, there is no difficulty can knock us down..."

Hayward was quite relaxed in the face of reporters' questions, jokingly said:
"Oh man, against the Warriors, you can't just glance at the scouting report and play, absolutely not. You have to limit those 4 guys (Curry, Klay, Leonard, Antetokounmpo) ), let other people beat us. We will study hard tomorrow, I haven't thought about it, I put my heart into the game just now..."

After this news report came out, everyone knew that Hayward was joking, no team could defend the Warriors' four major stars at the same time.

Jazz fans didn't take Hayward's words to heart. They also hoped that the Jazz would win, but there was a gap of 19 games between the Warriors and the Jazz, and the gap in strength between the two sides was too great.

Whether it is in terms of stars, tactics or lineup depth, the Jazz are at a disadvantage in an all-round way, and they still lack playoff experience. No matter how you look at it, there is no possibility of a comeback.

Even the most loyal Jazz fans watch the game with a Buddhist mentality.

Their biggest expectation is not to be easily swept away by the Warriors like the Spurs. As long as they can win one game, they will complete the task.

But unfortunately, the Jazz failed to achieve this humble goal of the fans.

5月2日，勇士以113:96轻松击败爵士，大比分1:0领先。

The defense that the Jazz are proud of is vulnerable to the Warriors, and Leonard completely suppressed Hayward on both ends of the offense and defense.

这场比赛中，伦纳德16投13中，三分4中3，罚球5中5，狂砍34分7篮板2助攻3抢断1封盖；海沃德仅仅15投4中，三分9中2，罚球2中2，拿到12分4篮板4助攻1抢断。

Because Adams defended well inside, Zhang Yu did not let Antetokounmpo attack again.

Curry's three-pointer with the ball after a high pick-and-roll, misplaced small hits, and Leonard's mid-range singles with the ball have become the Warriors' main offensive tactics in this round of the series.

Among them, Curry is still the number one main attacker, but Leonard is in excellent form today, not taking many shots, and his efficiency is extremely high. Instead, he overwhelmed Curry, who had 27 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

In G2, Zhang Yu rewarded Leonard for his outstanding contribution in the previous game and gave him more possessions.

伦纳德状态下滑不少，出战37分钟，20投9中，三分3中2，罚球8中6，砍下26分5篮板3助攻1抢断。

But he still suppressed Hayward. Hayward recovered in this game, scoring 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. However, he was intercepted by Leonard 3 times, one of which was one-on-one. Face broken, very embarrassed.

Curry scored 24 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds and 1 steal, mainly for connecting teams. Clay scored 18 points, Antetokounmpo 15 points, and Bogdan 13 points. Five of the team scored in double figures. Defeated the Jazz at 5:115, leading 103:2.

In G3, the Warriors encountered a side whistle again. Curry was fully fired, hit 7 three-pointers, scored 37 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds, leading the team to beat the Jazz 105:98, leading 3:0.

In G4, the Jazz have no fighting spirit, and the warriors are united.

Curry scored 25 points, Leonard 23 points, Clay 21 points, and Antetokounmpo 16 points. The Warriors won 117:102, swept the Jazz 4:0, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

(End of this chapter)