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The next day, the Warriors returned to normal practice, and after a party, everyone got to know each other better, with the team's chemistry visibly improving, which gave the coaching staff more confidence in the team's prospects for the new season.
At 10:30 PM on November 3rd, the Warriors, who had had two days of rest, sat at home to face the Grizzlies.
Before this game, the Warriors held the top spot in the West with a 4-0 record, while the Grizzlies were 2-2, ranking eighth in the West.
This game was a battle between two young teams, and the Grizzlies had a youthful roster, with Mike Conley, Marc Gasol Jr., Rudy Gay, and O.J. Mayo, all talented young rookies. In addition, the three highly drafted rookies included Marc Gasol Jr., who was picked in the second round, but is now also an emerging star at the center position.
The Grizzlies had a poor record last year, but this season, their goal was clear: to make the playoffs.
However, the youth squads are different. The Warriors proved to be a playoff team last season, and this season, they are taking things to the next level. Their strength is not comparable to that of the Grizzlies, who are still trying to get out of the lottery zone.
In this game, the young Grizzlies got a tough lesson. Liam didn't organize any special tactics but relied on the Warriors' deep lineup, strong tactical execution, and player strength to suppress the Grizzlies all over the court, ultimately winning 106-96.
The margin may not seem large, but the Warriors had a firm control of the situation, never giving the Grizzlies a chance to turn the game around, resulting in a comfortable win.
At the end of the game, Curry easily posted 26 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, shooting 4 of 7 from three-point range.
Meanwhile, in the East, the Player of the Week was Rose. After losing to the Thunder, the Bulls won the next three games, with a 3-1 record, and ranked first in the East. Rose's stats were outstanding: 26.4 points, 5.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals, securing this award without any suspense.
After the Player of the Week awards were announced, ESPN published a report titled "The Twin Stars of the Point Guard Position Shine in the League: The Warriors and Bulls Rise, and the League's Landscape Will Change."
There are many reports like this, but more people tend to underestimate both teams, thinking that these young teams are just a flash in the pan. However, there is no doubt that the Warriors and Bulls have attracted a lot of attention, with Curry and Rose frequently mentioned, and the two young players who broke into the top 10 in jersey sales last season have fully become the stars of the spotlight.
In addition to Curry's stable game, the Warriors' victory was inseparable from more blossoming talent. Klay made 4 of 8 three-pointers and scored 15 points. Matthews contributed 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Chandler had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. On the bench, Butler played well, making 5 of 7 shots, 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 14 points. In total, 5 players scored double-digits, helping the Warriors successfully defend their home court.
In the first half, OJ Mayo faced Klay's defense and scored 15 points at halftime. But in the second half, Liam switched Tony Allen to guard Mayo.
Subsequently, Mayo, who had struggled against Curry in the first half, went silent, scoring only 5 points. His final stats of 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists didn't look too bad, but he was almost invisible in the second half, wasting many shots when the Grizzlies needed to catch up. After missing those shots, the Warriors capitalized on several fast breaks.
It can only be said that the stats can be deceiving.
The Grizzlies only had Gasol Jr.'s performance to highlight. He did his job well, contributing offensively and defensively, with a double-double of 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks. However, stopping Curry and Chandler proved difficult. He tried to crouch down in the first game, but Curry kept shooting threes with the help of a screen, forcing Gasol Jr. to defend him, and the Grizzlies' interior defense collapsed.
After defeating the Grizzlies, the Warriors solidified their position at the top of the Western Conference standings, and after a day of rest, they faced the Jazz on November 5th.
The Jazz play a similar style to the Grizzlies, with rough team defense and one-on-one positional offense, but unlike the Grizzlies, the Jazz have more experience and Deron Williams.
In this game against the Warriors, Deron Williams demonstrated his quality as a top-tier point guard in the league.
In the first half, Liam still sent Klay to guard the opponent's star, Deron Williams. Williams, without hesitation, gave Klay a lesson, finishing the half with 14 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds, helping the Jazz stay close, trailing the Warriors 45-48, just 3 points behind as the second half began.
As the best point guard of the Mesozoic generation, alongside Paul, Deron Williams is much older than Curry, controlling the pace of the game and slowly grinding out a positional battle with the Warriors. He limited the Warriors' fast breaks and reduced the effectiveness of their offense.
On defense, Jerry Sloan sent the defensive titan, Ragabel, to double Curry, and the Jazz displayed the discipline of a strong defensive team, limiting the Warriors' passing and cuts, with the Warriors' offense relying more on Curry's ball-handling.
The Warriors' bright record had made them a target. Jerry Sloan studied the Warriors' tactics thoroughly before the game and made full preparations. On the other hand, the Warriors still have a short lineup and haven't developed an impeccable chemistry, making it easier to commit mistakes under such directed defense.
Additionally, the Warriors are mostly young, with Green, Klay, Jeremy Lin, and others being rookies who just entered the league this year. There is still a lot of room for improvement in their play. The Warriors hadn't faced strong teams before, or if they had faced teams like the Lakers, the opponent's overall condition was poor, and there weren't many young players for the Warriors to worry about.
But Jerry Sloan is a very pragmatic old-school coach with extensive pre-game preparation. The Jazz is a team with excellent tactical execution and discipline, focusing on limiting the Warriors' rookies, such as guarding Klay closely, not letting him shoot threes, and deliberately cutting off passing routes between Green and his teammates, while giving Jeremy Lin tough defense.
This defensive strategy was highly effective, and in the first half, the Warriors' passing and cutting system was well limited, but Ragabel's defense against Curry failed.
After a season of rookie growth and a summer of hard work, Curry's strength has improved by leaps and bounds compared to last season. He has now combined the three threats of shooting, running, and passing, becoming a true superstar by focusing more on shooting threes.
Last season, Curry was just an All-Star, but now he's a true superstar. Unlike Liam's previous life, he has already reached the peak of his physical and technical abilities earlier, thanks to more specific training, and the Curry of today has at least reached the strength of the 2013-2014 season.
The aging Ragabel could only slightly limit Curry's scoring efficiency, but still allowed Curry to score 16 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds in the first half, matching Deron Williams' performance.
In the second half, Curry continued his excellent performance, using the screen and roll from the Warriors' big men to lead the offense. Liam also switched Tony Allen to guard Deron Williams, just like in previous games.
However, Deron Williams is no OJ Mayo in the making, and won't be avoided like a rising star, but Tony Allen's fierce defense made him suffer greatly, causing his scoring efficiency to plummet. The Warriors switched to infinite defense on other positions, not giving Williams the chance to lead his teammates with passes, testing the individual skills of the others.
Clearly, the Jazz didn't have a second qualified ball handler, and the gap slowly widened as the Warriors went ahead, eventually defeating the Jazz 96-82. Curry unleashed his offensive mode in the second half, scoring 17 points and 2 assists, finishing the game with 33 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds, almost half of the team's scoring coming through him.
Outside of Curry, the best player was Butler. Liam gave him 28 minutes of playing time in this game, slightly more than Matthews, and set up special tactics for him. Butler lived up to expectations, using improved skills to hold the ball and catch the Jazz off guard, scoring 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, helping Curry lead the Warriors' offense.
The Jazz let go of Boozer in the summer, and only Deron Williams had trouble supporting the team, with a double-double of 23 points and 11 assists, but he couldn't help change the outcome for the Jazz.
However, what makes Jazz fans happy is that Hayward, who played in the bench period, had an outstanding performance, scoring 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 19 minutes of play, showing great potential.
In his previous life, Hayward didn't have many opportunities in his rookie season with the Jazz, averaging only 16.9 minutes per game, 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game, and he wasn't even selected as Rookie of the Year.
But now, Liam trained Hayward for a year and tailored specific training to suit his skills, accelerating his development. This made Hayward much stronger in college, and after being drafted by the Jazz, Jerry Sloan quickly recognized his potential.
Unfortunately, this game didn't have much attention and wasn't broadcast live in the U.S. In this world, apart from Jazz fans, there probably wasn't anyone interested in watching Jazz games, and they missed an exciting, high-quality game.
However, scouting departments and coaching staff from other teams were closely watching this defensive battle, not focusing on the Jazz but on Curry's performance in this game. They even repeatedly studied him, especially teams with playoff potential in the West.
The Jazz were the first tough bone the Warriors had to chew in the new season. Before, everyone thought it would be the Lakers, but the Lakers lacked veteran generals, were out of form, and currently only ranked sixth in the West.
All teams want to know if the Warriors' standout record is just a flash in the pan or a true rebirth, which could change the league's landscape.
After this game, all teams reached a consensus: Curry shows the strength of a superstar, and the Warriors are indeed a strong team now. Liam said the Warriors aim to fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs, and it might not be an empty promise.
Although the Warriors still have many weaknesses, which were exposed in the game against the Jazz, such as inconsistency from the rookies, the offense's over-reliance on Curry, and lineup issues, the Warriors have also shown many strengths, such as the third-best defense in the league so far, strong roster depth, and most importantly, they have Curry, a superstar-level Curry.
In the regular season, a superstar with a defensive lineup is enough. Often, there is no need for complex tactics; just relying on the superstar, the team can win many games and make it to the playoffs. Now that Curry has so much strength, as long as he's unleashed and works with the Warriors' best defense, the Warriors can easily cruise to the playoffs.
As a result, while the outside world still focuses on star-studded powerhouses like the Heat, Lakers, and Celtics, those with real insight have predicted the rise of the Warriors.
Popovich told his assistant coach: "We need to prepare for every game the Warriors have to face."
The Zen Master looked at the Warriors' report in the newspaper, thought for a moment, set the paper aside, and murmured to himself: "Warriors... something interesting..."
Carlisle flipped through the scouting report with a solemn expression, then sighed lightly: "Chandler was cut by the Warriors. Where can I find a suitable center for Dirk?"
For reasons well known, the Mavericks have been closely watching the Warriors, and that focus only intensified after Carlisle's valuable Chandler was cut by Liam last season.
After seeing Chandler play so well with the Warriors, Carlisle regretted more than once not pushing to bring Chandler to Dallas. If Chandler had been inside, the Mavericks might be the Mavericks now, rather than the Warriors, who currently sit in first place in the West.
It's too late to say anything now, and after listing the Warriors as a potential playoff opponent, Carlisle still has a headache over the Mavericks' center issue.
He thought for a long time and suddenly his eyes lit up: "Maybe... I can try..."
End of this chapter
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