When We Recover, No One Will Want to Touch Us!

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In the first game after the All-Star break, the Warriors traveled to Los Angeles to challenge the Lakers.

Due to Kobe's injury, Jackson sent Shannon Brown, who had participated in the dunk contest, as the starting point guard. However, he obviously couldn't fill Kobe's shoes.

Kobe's absence left the Lakers without a clear strength in both offense and defense. Throughout the game, the Warriors relied on their powerful outside shooting to suppress the Lakers on the scoreboard, eventually winning 110-100.

Curry scored 26 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds. He averaged 5.6 rebounds per game this season, ranking among the best for point guards. Although his body was still relatively thin, the Golden State Sharks had a very sharp sense for rebounds. Curry grabbed an offensive rebound between Gasol and Bynum, which made the commentators laugh.

But this victory wasn't perfect. After 52 games of fierce battles, injuries finally began to affect the Warriors.

In the past, not all of the Warriors were healthy, and it was difficult for any NBA team to keep all of its members in good health. Continuous injuries have always been a recurring theme in this league.

However, the Warriors players didn't suffer any major injuries but rather minor ones such as thigh contusions and finger sprains. They returned after missing two or three games, and the injuries mostly affected bench players, such as Curry, Butler, and Azubuike. Booker and other starters had played with full assistance, except for necessary rest periods, which would not have impacted the team's strength.

This time was different. Azubuike, who had scored 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals against the Lakers, was performing very well. However, he accidentally twisted his ankle during a confrontation, and the doctor stated he would need a month to recover.

When Azubuike was injured, Liam became very nervous. After hearing the news, he sighed with relief.

In his previous life, Azubuike played very well with the Warriors, but gradually faded from the public eye due to frequent injuries. Fortunately, this time, it was not a serious injury.

Fortunately, Azubuike was not irreplaceable on the Warriors. Liam placed Matthews into the starting lineup. His defense was even better than Azubuike's, but he didn't have Azubuike's ball-handling ability.

But there's a saying that goes, "Good things never come in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone." After winning against the Lakers, the Warriors returned home to face the Kings. With Curry's outstanding performance of 31 points and 10 assists, they won with a hard-fought 119-114, but another injury surfaced.

This time, it was Varejao. He took a blow to his left thigh while attempting to grab a rebound in the first half of the second quarter. He fell to the ground in pain and immediately returned to the locker room. "Anthony Tolliver on the court."

This severely weakened the Warriors' interior defense. Kings coach Westphal saw the opportunity and instructed his players to aggressively attack the Warriors' interior.

Chandler, naturally, refused to give in, but the Kings' determined attack soon began to show notable results. By the middle of the third quarter, Chandler had committed 4 fouls. To protect him, Liam had no choice but to take him off the court. Rest him, replace him with Big Z, and let him protect the Warriors' interior.

This was too much for Big Z. Against the infinitely energetic Evans, Big Z was determined to stop him but couldn't save himself. He was too slow and couldn't defend. Even after Evans broke through, Big Z was too slow to recover. It was easy to pass his defense and put the ball in the basket.

He played only 3 minutes, and Liam immediately called a timeout, pulled him out, and put Ronny Turiaf on the court.

Liam was feeling desperate. Although Ronny Turiaf was an expert defender with good mobility and a tough defensive style, he was also a foul machine. Averaging 15 minutes per game, he could commit 2.5 fouls—astounding.

Sure enough, after Ronny Turiaf entered the game, the whistle blew frequently. Evans didn't seem like a rookie at all, but rather like an experienced veteran point guard, playing to Ronny Turiaf's applause, which led to three fouls in just 6 minutes. The Warriors' paint defense became precarious.

At that moment, Curry stood up and began a battle with Evans. He first nailed two three-pointers and then scored 6 points in the paint. He totaled 12 points in the quarter, helping the team maintain their lead. Chandler returned in the final quarter, and the Warriors stabilized the situation, ultimately winning the game.

But Evans still amazed the Warriors' home crowd, making them sweat. He scored 27 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds, nearly a triple-double, including 13 of 14 from the free-throw line.

In 53 games, he averaged 20.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game. If not for Curry's standout performance, the Warriors would have stayed in the playoffs and Evans would've won the Rookie of the Year award this season.

After the game, Varejao underwent an injury exam. The doctor told Liam that his left hamstring muscle had a mild injury, and it was expected that he would be out for a month or a month and a half.

This was very bad news for the Warriors. The team was at a critical point in the playoffs. They were already lacking interior players. Only Chandler and Varejao couldn't reach starting level. Ronny Turiaf was too rough, and Anthony Randolph was just a water cooler guy who couldn't be used.

With Varejao's injury, Liam could no longer create a balanced offensive and defensive interior combination. He could only rely on Chandler to hold things down. However, he had only played 3 games for the Warriors, and his integration with the team was far from ideal. It wasn't enough, and their opponents would certainly make a fuss about him on purpose.

Liam looked at the Warriors' upcoming schedule and said to Ron Adams with a wry smile:

"Ron, I need you to help Tyson integrate into the team's defensive system as soon as possible. We can only rely on him."

Ron Adams nodded solemnly:

"Of course, but you know, our defense emphasizes tight rotations and high-intensity ball pressure in local areas. Although Tyson is a very good defender, it will take some time to get in… unless you leave him in, then there's no need for adjustments."

Liam thought for a moment and shook his head slowly but firmly:

"No, that's too much of a loss of Tyson's mobility. But I'll choose the most appropriate defensive plan depending on the situation. Just wait for Anderson to come back… Our lineup is so unbalanced that we don't even have a second qualified interior player."

Ron Adams comforted him:

"A month will pass quickly, and Anthony can provide more space. We still have to fight."

Liam smiled and said:

"Of course, I believe this little thing won't stop the Warrior!"

March 19, San Antonio, AT&T Center.

Liam crossed his arms over his chest, pacing back and forth at the sideline, watching the court with a grim expression as his anger rose, but he had nowhere to vent.

The game between the Warriors and the Spurs had reached the final moments of the last quarter. The scoreboard displayed 140-110. The Spurs were leading by 30 points, with only 2 minutes left in the game. The Warriors were on the brink of defeat, and the game had already entered garbage time.

Beside him, Curry, Butler, Chandler, and the others sat dejected on the bench, looking frustrated.

After 2 long, quiet minutes, the game finally ended with a few points from the bench players, and the Warriors lost to the Spurs 117-141.

After the buzzer sounded to end the game, Liam went straight to the players' tunnel without shaking hands with Popovich.

Silas had no choice but to exchange pleasantries with Popovich. Seeing this, the Warriors players didn't waste much time. After a brief exchange of words with their opponent, they returned to the locker room.

As soon as they entered, they saw Liam leaning against the wall, twirling a marker in his right hand, silently watching them.

When all the Warriors players had returned to the locker room, Liam faced their anxious gazes and suddenly asked:

"What do you think of this game?"

Everyone looked at each other, but no one spoke. After a while, Curry said:

"We lost the game, we played terribly, I missed a lot of threes, I should've scored more..."

He scored 27 points but took 24 shots, including just 4 out of 14 three-pointers. The efficiency was abysmal.

And this wasn't the first time he performed like this. After winning against the Lakers and Kings, Curry suddenly seemed unable to play. His three-point shooting percentage dropped drastically, and his field goal percentage was also very low. In games this month, his average dropped below 20 points, and his three-point percentage fell to only 37.6%. This wasn't bad for others, but for Curry, it was extraordinary.

"I'm sorry, coach, I played badly, I just couldn't shoot, and I don't know why," said Butler with some frustration.

He also didn't perform well. He played 34 minutes

, made 2 of 10 shots, 3 of 6 free throws, and scored 8 points. He also committed 4 fouls on defense. His plus-minus was a shocking -23.

And this wasn't the first time Butler had produced such stats. Over the past half month, his performance had been up and down. He'd played three games in one and almost never scored in double digits. The rate had been much lower.

Chandler spoke up:

"I played badly too, and I let the Spurs score too many points in our paint..."

Soon, the other players reviewed their mistakes one after another, and each one took responsibility for the loss.

Liam looked at the people who were blaming themselves, and his grim face gradually softened. After everyone finished speaking, his expression returned to its usual kindness, and he said in a deep voice:

"We lost so miserably because we didn't play well enough. I'm glad that everyone can see their flaws, but the good news is that the Thunder lost too. Even if we lost this game, we're still 7th in the Western Conference. We're in a favorable position. No need to take this loss too seriously. Rest well when you get back."

Everyone sighed in relief, and Chandler was the first to respond:

"Don't worry, coach, we'll meet again. It was just an accident tonight. In the next game, I won't let my opponent score so easily under the basket again."

After Chandler spoke, the others responded, and the atmosphere in the locker room became less dull, but Curry and Butler still looked a bit down.

Liam looked at the two of them and then at Chandler:

"Tyson, you and I are going to the press conference today."

Tonight, Chandler was the best player for the Warriors, with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds. It wasn't his fault the Warriors couldn't defend the Spurs. The GDP combination was so well-coordinated on offense. Duncan was also a hidden treasure. He was old, but he was the only one fighting to support the Warriors on the inside and gave his all.

When the two left the locker room, Liam warned:

"The reporters will definitely ask some interesting questions, don't get tricked."

Chandler nodded and followed Liam to the spot.

After they sat down, the reporters first asked Chandler questions. He answered according to Liam's instructions. The reporters had no choice but to focus on Liam:

"Coach L, you lost to the Spurs tonight. Last month, the Warriors played 14 games with a record of 6 wins and 8 losses, and there were 3 big losses with a point difference of over 14 points. What do you think of the Warriors? What caused the current situation?"

"Our form hasn't been very good, and we've lost some games we shouldn't have lost," Liam responded flatly.

"Can you tell me specifically who is in bad shape?" asked a journalist.

"The whole team has some problems," Liam said calmly.

"Really? Stephen Curry's stats this month are 19.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds, 42.3% shooting from the field and 37.6% from three. Compared to before, there's been an overall decline. Why is this?"

"He's just a rookie. I think his current performance is good enough. Next question."

Another reporter asked:

"I've noticed that Jimmy Butler's stats have also significantly declined compared to before the All-Star break. Is this a coincidence or due to other reasons?"

Liam still answered calmly:

"They're just tired and need time to rest, and they won't stay like this forever."

"Alright, then, who do you think should take responsibility for the Warriors' loss?"

Liam replied:

"We've been affected by some injuries. Kelana and Anderson are important members of the team. Without them, it has a great impact on our game. When they return, I believe victory will come back to us."

"So are you saying that the Warriors lost because of injuries?"

"Yes."

"But the data shows that Varejao and Azubuike don't play a very important role in the Warriors. Curry is the core of this team, and his performance has been so bad..." The reporter still refused to give up on Curry.

Liam interrupted and said:

"Stephen is just a rookie, not even the first overall pick, and his performance is already quite good."

"But as the central player of a team heading to the playoffs, shouldn't he be a little better?" the reporter said in a raised voice.

"Trust me, he'll get better. He just hit the rookie wall. When he recovers, no one will want to touch us!"

End of this chapter

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