warrior godfather

After the end of G1 in the finals, Curry took away all the brilliance and turned a fight between dragons and tigers into his own one-man show, which exceeded everyone's expectations.

Celtics fans were shocked, the Boston celebration became a laughing stock, and Warriors fans had a lot of reverie because of it.

It seems that the Celtics are not as loud as the media. Even without Antetokounmpo, it seems that there is no chance of winning the championship...

The media is also ignorant. The Warriors won G1, and when the wind vane changed, their position also changed. They began to seriously analyze the possibility of the Warriors defeating the Celtics to win the championship.

However, it is impossible for Cole to be obsessed forever. He can lose one game, but he never dares to lose two games.

If the Celtics return to Boston with a big score of 0:2, and the Warriors explode again and win G3, then the Celtics will be completely finished.

He never dared to take this risk, no matter how much he likes passing and cutting, no matter how much he hates singles, he still has to compromise with the reality and win the next game first.

And Curry is not God. After a burst, there will be a cooling-off period. He cannot achieve two consecutive 60+ games, and as long as he scores a little less, it will be difficult for the Warriors to win.

On June 6, G3 of the finals between the Warriors and the Celtics kicked off at the Chase Center.

Before the start of this game, people were expecting Curry to continue to explode, but truly sensible people know that it is impossible for Curry to perform like G1 again, whether it is the huge consumption of physical energy or the importance that the Celtics attach to him , it is impossible to let him have such a chance to score calmly.

This is indeed the case. After the game started, the Celtics' defense against Curry was much tighter than in the previous game, and the whole court flanked Curry.

Of course, the Celtics can't prevent Curry by doing this. If a superstar can be flanked to prevent death, then he is not a superstar, let alone a historical star at the Presidential Hill level like Curry.

He still scored 28 points in 34 shots through the Celtics' communication errors, excellent off-ball running, extreme control skills, and ultra-long range with no dead ends in the half.

Putting it on other stars, being able to play such a performance in the finals deserves any praise, but for Curry, the efficiency of 28 points on 34 shots seems a bit low.

In the last game, Curry scored 60 points and only took 33 shots. The efficiency is extremely high, but today, the Celtics strengthened their defense against him, attacking every screen, and the Warriors have no second person who can digest it. With more possessions, Curry can only increase his shots, even if it will reduce efficiency, he must ensure production.

Zhang Yu also expected that Kerr would guard against Curry. His on-the-spot response was a bit rigid, but after watching the game video after the game, he would never repeat the same mistakes.

He rearranged his tactics before the game. When Curry was flanked, others mostly ran without the ball to find open opportunities to catch Curry and shoot.

In the past, when the opponent pinched Curry, others could always punish the opponent for shorting. Even if Curry didn't score many points, the Warriors could win the final victory.

However, the Celtics are different from those teams. They have an unlimited defense system that is not inferior to the Rockets. After flanking Curry, the rotation speed is extremely fast, which is only worse than the defense of the Warriors in the four-star battle. There are very few open opportunities for the Warriors.

Fortunately, the personal abilities of the Warriors' role players are also good. Wiggins, Jaylen Brown, Bogdan, and Brogdon can also score in the face of defense, so the Warriors' offense will not collapse.

But this kind of play is not enough for the Warriors to win. Curry's offense is limited, and the team's scoring is also limited. Gained a 15-point lead.

Zhang Yu didn't sit still, nor did he wait for the goddess of victory to favor him. He made adjustments in the third quarter. Curry greatly increased the frequency of singles and forcibly created scoring opportunities.

At the beginning, Cole trusted Bradley's single defense very much. He is also one of the few top backcourt defenders in the league. Leading defense against super guards is already commonplace for him.

But Curry is the best of the super guards. Bradley's defense is excellent, with quick feet, accurate predictions, and tough confrontation, but he still can't prevent precise shooting, dexterous breakthroughs, and ghostly runs. bit.

Curry not only plays singles directly with the ball, but also looks for all gaps by turning with the ball without the ball and then turning with the ball. Bradley can't limit his scoring at all.

It's just that the last game was too exhausting. Curry feels average today. Several retreat three-pointers and ultra-long three-pointers created space, but he didn't make a shot.

Putting it on other people, it should be that these shots cannot be made. As long as one is thrown, there will be applause from the audience, but on Curry, it will only usher in disappointed sighs from the fans.

The audience's expectations for Curry are too high. They look at Curry every time he takes a shot, and they feel that he will make a shot. In history, it is impossible for a second person to vote.

But who made him Stephen Curry, the number one shooter in the NBA, the only man who felt like he should make every shot he made.

After Cole experienced the painful lesson of G1, he also learned a lot from the pitfalls. Seeing that Curry was very aggressive, even though he missed a few shots, he still immediately flanked Curry. Go straight up to double-team, force him to split the ball, and let the rest of the Warriors handle the ball.

This strategy had an immediate effect. In order to defend and change defenses, Zhang Yu had to go to Looney, and he could neither finish at the basket nor shoot three-pointers, which delayed the offense very much and gave the Celtics a chance to rotate.

The Warriors' offense was contained again. Even though Wiggins, Jaylen Brown and others tried their best to digest the ball, their strength is still far from that of Curry and Antetokounmpo, and they are completely unable to compete with the Big Three of the Green Army. compared to.

In the end, the Celtics defeated the Warriors 115:101, tying the big score at 1:1.

In the post-match interview, Cole said very confidently:
"We're back on track. The Warriors are strong, but we're the better team. G1 was just an accident. We're going back to Boston. The initiative is in our hands. We'll win the final game." victory……"

Zhang Yu remained calm, but anyone could tell from his serious eyes that his mood was not as good as it appeared on the surface.

After the Warriors lost, the reporter's questions focused on Antetokounmpo's injury, and Zhang Yu's answer was the same as before:
"Giannis is recovering very well. He is about to make a comeback. His current state is doubtful in every game. As long as he gets permission from the team doctor, he can play at any time..."

But such words are not convincing. If Antetokounmpo really recovered as Zhang Yu said, how could he not return to the court to play?

After seeing Zhang Yu's interview, Cole smiled and said to assistant coach Uduka:
"I know Ronan too well. When he keeps repeating one thing but doesn't do it, it's just a smoke bomb. Giannis can't come back. As long as Stephen is restrained, the championship must be ours!"

……

On June 6, the Warriors and Celtics moved to Boston for Game 6.

After the first two games, Zhang Yu and Cole fought wits and used all kinds of conventional tactics that could be used, and the Warriors were at a disadvantage. If they want to reverse the situation, they must come up with something unexpected .

Basketball tactics may seem complicated, but there are three basic concepts, one is to balance offense and defense, one is to emphasize offense and despise defense, and the other is to emphasize defense and despise offense.

If you can choose, every head coach will choose a balanced offense and defense, but due to the limited lineup, compromises are often required.

After Antetokounmpo was injured, Zhang Yu made a compromise. He chose to focus on offense and light defense, and let Markkanen start. He achieved extraordinary results in the Western Conference finals, won G6 and successfully advanced to the finals.

In G1, Zhang Yu chose to focus on defense and light offense. He first tried to let Lopez start. When the Celtics started to target Lopez, he replaced Looney to strengthen the defense. In addition, Cole insisted on passing and cutting tactics. The Warriors were very targeted. Sexual defense played a role, and finally won the game.

If there is no defense, even if Curry scored 1 points in G70, it would be difficult for the Warriors to win.

G2 Cole adjusted his tactics, no longer obsessed with passing and cutting, changed to singles with the ball, gave full play to the advantages of the Big Three, and no longer underestimated Curry on the defensive end, strictly guarded against Curry, balanced offense and defense, and finally accepted the game firmly .

In G3, it is impossible for the Warriors to achieve a balanced offense and defense. Looney can't defend when he is on the court. If he wants to win, there is only one way to go.

Zhang Yu reused Lopez, activated Markkanen, put up a 5-out lineup, and fought against the Celtics to win that chance of victory!
The inside combination of Lopez + Markanen has almost zero defensive ability, and the Celtics' Big Three are even more comfortable playing singles.

But the Warriors' offense has also become clear. The extreme space makes Kerr have to choose, either strangle Curry and let others go, or switch defenses indefinitely without giving the Warriors a chance to open up. Take care.

Cole chose to strangle Curry.

He was terrified by Curry's G1 performance, and even made a choice that violated his basketball philosophy. He would rather let the Warriors shoot open three-pointers and double-team Curry.

In this case, the Warriors' role players got a lot of scoring opportunities, and the Celtics could only try their best to rotate and interfere with the Warriors' shots, but with little effect.

Wiggins and others have their own ability to attack with the ball. Although the effect of singles against defense is not good, it is much easier to catch the ball and make a second launch.

The Warriors' offensive efficiency has improved a lot compared to the previous game, and the point difference has remained within 10 points.

However, the Celtics' offense is more efficient.

The playoffs are the stage for superstars, this saying is not false at all.

In the first half, the two sides fought evenly, and the score rose alternately, and even the Warriors often overtook the score.

In the third quarter, as the physical consumption increased, the Warriors' offensive efficiency slowly declined, but the Celtics remained stable, and the point difference was slowly widened.

In the fourth quarter, the generals of the Warriors lost their touch, but the Celtics' Big Three still scored as steadily as in the first quarter, and the point difference was stretched to about 10 points.

Curry wants to stand up and take over the game, but the Celtics are too strict with him. They would rather let him go for a layup than let him shoot a three-pointer. Curry scores a lot, but the score is not as good as the three-pointer. The ball comes fast, and the efficiency of chasing points is too low.

In the end, the Celtics defeated the Warriors 126:119, leading 2:1.

Curry took 30 shots and scored 37 points. He only made 4 three-pointers in total. The others were all two-pointers, which consumed more possessions, but his scoring efficiency was lower, not as good as the Big Three. The firepower output, helplessly lost the game.

After the two-game losing streak, the situation of the Warriors is getting more and more critical. Everyone's eyes are on Antetokounmpo, wanting to know when he can come back.

Zhang Yu still used the same rhetoric:

"Giannis can come back at any time, as long as the team doctor agrees..."

Cole was not worried about this, and said vigorously:

"We will go to San Francisco with a big score of 3:1!"