NBA: Warrior godfather.

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After defeating the Warriors, the Spurs played 10 more games during this period. They won two games in a row, then lost two games in a row, then won three games in a row, and then lost three games in a row. They were playing very consistently. Still, they held the eighth position in the Western Conference.

When the two teams faced each other this time, Popovich did not resort to the strategy of flanking Curry, and "Ludu" (Liam) was able to dominate.

And his choice wasn't wrong. After Curry experienced a breakthrough at the beginning of the season, it marked the start of a relatively slow period where his shooting touch wasn't as sharp.

Although the Spurs' defense against him wasn't particularly tight, Curry only contributed 18 points and 5 assists in a satisfactory performance. Even though his shooting percentage of 40% was already at the level of the league's best shooters, his 18 points and 5 assists were a far cry from his explosive performances earlier.

But the Warriors didn't rely entirely on Curry to win. Liam made sure to involve Azubuike, Reggie Williams, and Butler in the offense, directing them to repeatedly attack the Spurs' weak frontcourt defense with remarkable results.

Even though Duncan was strong in the paint, no matter how good he was at defending and protecting the rim, he couldn't cover all of the Warriors' offensive threats by himself. His interior teammate, McDyess, was a veteran over 35 years old who could barely jump. Playing with experience and awareness, the Spurs could only rely on Duncan to support the Warriors' onslaught.

But even tigers can't stop wolves. Although Duncan was valiant, he quickly lost track of one threat while trying to cover another. The Warriors' relentless attack overwhelmed him, and the interior line was conquered.

Although Duncan turned around and beat Biedrins in the post, and Parker and Ginóbili also played with determination, their firepower couldn't match the multiple threats the Warriors posed.

In the end, six Warriors scored double digits, crushing their old teacher and defeating the Spurs 92-86.

Though the score gap wasn't large, it was an intense, physical battle. Liam relied on his young, energetic players and numerous forwards and wings to maintain a high-intensity inside presence for 48 minutes, wearing the Spurs down. It was the older players who secured the victory.

The Warriors held a slight lead throughout the game and never gave the Spurs an opportunity to fight back.

After the game, when Liam shook Popovich's hand, he smiled and said: "Greg, welcome to Auckland. Would you like to grab a drink together?"

Popovich appeared livid and clearly wasn't as composed after a loss as he was after a win.

The old coach snorted coldly and said: "Don't get too cocky. We were unlucky in this game. It won't be like this next time."

"I'm looking forward to the next Warriors vs. Spurs matchup," Liam said with a faint smile on his face.

Old man, you let me win once, and I'll let you experience the 'winner's behavior' next time.

"Of course, get ready..." Popovich nodded casually and said, "That butler on your team seems interesting. The Warriors don't lack forwards, right? Give me whatever you want, and you'll create the conditions."

Liam was taken aback for a moment and then smiled, saying: "What about Ginóbili? I'm lacking a sixth man."

Popovich was also stunned. He shook his head and laughed: "Manu is my old friend, I'm afraid not... How about Jordan Hill? He has great potential and impressive performances. He would be perfect for the sixth man role. If it weren't for Manu, I'd definitely keep him and train him well... This is a win-win situation, and both you and I can make the decision, so think about it carefully."

Popovich appeared very sincere, gripping Liam's hand firmly and patting him on the arm with his left hand, showing that he was considering him seriously.

Liam calmly withdrew his hand and smiled: "Then Parker. I think he and Stephen would do fine in the defensive zone."

When Popovich heard this, the smile disappeared from his face: "I'll think about it."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Liam looked at Popovich's back with a smile on his face and didn't forget to say goodbye: "Greg, don't forget to have a drink and get a good night's sleep after you return."

Popovich paused, then quickened his pace and left in a hurry.

Haha, old fox, you want to pull the wool over my eyes? Dream on.

Liam entertained Popovich for a while, and since the team had won tonight, he felt very pleased.

The reason the Spurs only hold the eighth position in the Western Conference is because they lack quality forwards.

The Wolves are often referred to as "tofu waist with brass heads and iron bones," and the same goes for the Spurs. There's no shortage of stars in their defensive and interior lines, but there is a massive lack of players in the forward position. The only one they can use is Richard Jefferson, but at his age, facing high-level post-game situations is a struggle.

If it weren't for the lack of options, Popovich wouldn't be relying on 33-year-old Duncan to support the Spurs' defense, but he really has no one else to trust.

Besides being a defensive pillar, Duncan is also the offensive backbone of the Spurs. At his age, carrying such a heavy load requires a lot of energy, and his performance fluctuates greatly. This is why the Spurs win one game and lose the next, and they will never rise in the standings.

Popovich is very aware of this and has gradually shifted the tactical focus to the outside. However, it still takes time to build a new system and fill the gaps in the Spurs' defensive front line if they want to get back to their defensive roots. Among the strong teams, it took us a long time to adapt. Over the last two or three years, it can be said we've withdrawn from the championship contention.

Popovich has been worried about where to find an answer for the Spurs' forward position. It wasn't until he saw Butler that his eyes lit up. He was very impressed with him and wanted to test Liam's attitude toward Butler.

From Liam's sarcastic response, Popovich realized that Butler was not available to the Warriors. Even if he was, it was unlikely that Liam would hand him over to a competitor in the same district. Popovich would have to find another way.

The old coach left the Oracle Center, looked at the twinkling stars in the sky, squinted his eyes for a moment, took his phone from his pocket, called the Spurs' general manager RC Buford, and whispered: "I'm leaving you. How's the forward you've been keeping an eye on? Is there a suitable candidate?"

"The San Diego State University freshman meets our requirements and had a strong performance in the NCAA."

Popovich's eyes narrowed: "What's his name?"

"Kawhi Leonard."

Every family has its own hard-earned experiences. When Popovich searched for a suitable forward candidate and sent the Spurs scouting team to find talents across the United States, and finally saw a ray of hope, the Warriors suffered another loss.

After defeating the veteran Spurs, the Warriors unexpectedly lost to the Wizards, the underdogs of the Eastern Conference, continuing their pattern of winning one game and losing the next.

There's nothing to say about this game. The entire Warriors team looked sluggish, as if the basket at the Oracle Center had put the brakes on the home team. Not only did Curry, who was showing signs of recovery, manage only 2 of 9 three-pointers, but the rest combined for just 3. Curry shot 5 of 17 from the field, with a shooting percentage under 30%. He also missed several layups, giving the Wizards an easy victory.

After this loss, the Warriors traveled to Memphis to challenge the Grizzlies on the road and played a game that Liam was very unhappy with.

I'm not sure if it's because Christmas is coming, but the Warriors' players were collectively out of form. Except for Butler and a few others, including Curry, who were doing their best as always, the rest of the team seemed distracted, as if their minds weren't on the court.

The Warriors suffered multiple breakdowns and risks on the offensive side, even committing an 8-second violation, a famous scene that Liam could not tolerate. They committed an astonishing 26 turnovers in the game, setting a season record for turnovers in a single game.

Furthermore, they were defeated by the Grizzlies' black-and-white duo on the defensive side. Liam called several timeouts, repeatedly emphasized tactics, and even swore angrily, but to no avail. Later, he was so furious that he benched the starting lineup. The second and third units played the entire final quarter, and the Grizzlies finally defeated the Warriors 96-78.

After the game, when Liam was interviewed, a reporter asked him:

"Coach Liam, at the end of the third quarter, the Warriors were only 10 points behind. It wasn't that there was no chance of a comeback, but you benched the starters. Why did you make this decision?"

Liam said expressionlessly, "I'm the head coach of this team, and I wanted to do this. That's all."

"Are you not dissatisfied with the errors of the starting players?" asked the reporter.

"No, they're just a bit tired. This has nothing to do with who I send on the court. They made many mistakes, but this won't happen again in the future. I believe they'll quickly adapt," Liam casually said, brushing off the issue.

However, he maintained a calm expression in front of the media and did his best to protect his players. But once he returned to the locker room, his face immediately darkened.

He coldly surveyed the locker room. Everyone had their heads down, not daring to look at him. He slammed the tactical board onto the floor with a loud crack, startling everyone and forcing their gazes upward.

They had never seen Liam so angry. The Warriors had never lost like this before. When mistakes were made in practice, Liam would get angry, but he'd only yell a few words. Nothing like today. With murderous intent, he shot two cold beams of light from his eyes, making the players who were being watched feel as though they were being held by two sharp daggers, and their hairs stood on end.

Only Curry and Butler had seen Liam this way when they were in college. They knew their leader was really angry. Although they had performed better in this game, they didn't dare to make a sound, afraid Liam might notice.

They remembered that after the Bulldog team was in a careless state, they were first ridiculed by Liam, then scolded bitterly. Finally, they were given an intense training session and experienced the feeling of wanting to die. From then on, no one dared to distract themselves during games.

At that time, Liam was just the head coach, and under pressure from the basketball operations department and the board, he took the players' class time for additional training. No one could easily deduct their salary—who knew what punishment he would apply? His teammates had learned a lasting lesson.

After Liam broke the tactical board, he didn't say a word. He remained silent for a while and then coldly said:

"I am very disappointed with your performance!"

He paused, then kicked the tactical board forcefully against the wall, making a loud "bang," and everyone was stunned and trembled.

"Losing doesn't matter, and missing a shot doesn't matter. These are normal occurrences. No one can guarantee that they'll win every game and make every shot every night... but 26 turnovers? This is simply... criminal!"

Liam's voice gradually rose:

"We're not playing a game of passing and cutting. We don't need you to find your teammates on every single pass! The Grizzlies aren't a very aggressive defensive team. On the contrary, their defensive strategy is very conservative! In this case, you can make plays. With so many mistakes, I truly doubt you have the level of an NBA player!"

Everyone shrank back and remained silent in the face of his roar, not daring to refute. They all knew how poorly they had played.

"I don't know if you're thinking about Christmas, but I can tell you clearly—if you don't win the next game against the Hornets, I'll organize a training session on Christmas Day, and it will leave you exhausted!"

Everyone looked at Liam in shock, disbelief written on their faces.

Liam flashed a "gentle" smile:

"Why are you all so surprised? As much as it's Christmas, if I can't beat the Hornets, I'll do exactly what I say! If someone doesn't want to come, that's fine - don't even think about playing this season! They can stay home every day."

His tone was cold, and everyone felt even colder after hearing it.

Liam isn't just any head coach—he's the owner of the Warriors. If he says you can't come, then you really don't need to come.

After saying this, he glanced around coldly, turned, and walked out of the locker room, slamming the door behind him.

Inside the room, everyone looked at each other, but Silas broke the silence:

"Although Liam's words were very serious, he was just very angry for a moment. After all, you made a lot of mistakes... I don't think he'll actually put you through such heavy training, but if you really lose to the Hornets, forget about Christmas vacation."

His euphemism didn't comfort the Warriors players; if anything, it scared them even more.

"So guys, focus on winning against the Hornets and return to Oakland for a comfortable Christmas!" Silas laughed.

Curry looked around and saw no one else was speaking, so he stood up first:

"The boss isn't trying to make life difficult for us. The Hornets are only ninth in the Western Conference. Come on, everyone, cheer up. We'll be fine!"

Big Z followed closely and said:

"We've got to make up for today's bad performance… come on, let's beat the Hornets!"

Their words made everyone else feel a bit embarrassed.

In this game, they were the two most stable players. Curry's condition had improved even more. He scored 24 points and 7 assists, and Big Z added 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 three-pointers. Despite the great performances, they were now in danger of being punished just like everyone else.

Azubuike stood up and shouted loudly:

"Take down the Hornets and go home for Christmas!"

One by one, everyone stood up, formed a circle, and shouted together:

"Take down the Hornets and go home for Christmas!"

Outside the locker room, Liam leaned against the wall, listening to the faint shouts from inside, smiled slightly, and quickly walked away.

End of this chapter

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