The Head Coach Is Not Omnipotent

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With a score of 1:1, the Warriors left Phoenix with their heads held high.

Getting a win on the road is already a great performance. Even though the Warriors lost the second game against the Suns, Liam's speech after the first game made the Warriors players feel better about losing the game.

They all had one goal: to reclaim their spot at Oracle Center. They wanted the Suns to know what a real road trip felt like!

After returning to Oakland, the Warriors took a day off and then faced the Suns.

This is the playoffs. The schedule for each series is extremely tight. Although there are no back-to-back games, the fixed games every two days also increase player fatigue, especially as the schedule progresses and more frequent games are required. With the constant back-and-forth flights between the two cities, physical condition becomes an important factor that can affect the outcome of the game.

At this point, both the Suns and the Warriors had their own advantages and disadvantages. The Suns are a team of veterans. They've been in the playoffs many times and know how to manage their physical condition. On the other hand, the Warriors are mostly young players with a lot of energy. They are vigorous and even though they don't know how to regulate their physical condition, they don't get tired easily.

So, Game 3 began with both sides at their peak.

In this game, the Suns' players didn't hold back, and the Warriors' key players didn't miss a beat. Both teams played at their normal level, and even slightly exceeded it. After two competitive games, both teams had greatly increased their familiarity with each other. The Suns took off the mask of the regular season and played all out. The young Warriors were inspired by their potential under pressure and played their hardest to defend their home court.

With both teams determined to win, the game became extremely fierce. The first half dazzled the audience. Both teams adhered to one word: fast!

In the playoffs, known for its confrontation and defense, the Suns and Warriors waged a definitive offensive battle. The Suns resolutely implemented their "run and gun" strategy, easily scoring unreasonable three-pointers in several offensive and defensive transitions, even if there was defense in front of them. Moreover, the Suns' shooters made sure to hit the correct shots, and everyone scored, which caused Oracle Center to fall silent for a while.

But the Warriors quickly launched a counterattack. The young calves are not afraid of tigers. You shoot, and I also hit three three-pointers in the first quarter, and others didn't fall behind. Well, Azubuike, Butler, Channing Frye, and Hill started a battle. Both sides began a fierce fight from the three-point line.

Here, the Suns quickly sent a pass from the baseline. Nash advanced quickly and saw that Hill had already run to the offensive zone. He made a bold, long diagonal pass across most of the court, passing through three Warriors players, sending the ball to Hill.

This extremely imaginative pass was like a long pass in football, tearing through the entire Warriors defense. Fortunately, Butler was right next to Hill, only half a body behind him. Seeing this, he immediately rushed forward and stopped in front of Hill.

But Hill didn't hesitate at all after receiving Nash's pass. He stopped and shot. Butler's reaction was a little slow. Although he tried his best to catch up, he only lightly interfered with Hill's shot.

Swish!

The basketball sank into the net, and Oracle Center fell silent for a moment as shouts of "defense" echoed.

After Hill landed the shot, he completed his follow-through and kept his right hand up. After seeing the ball go in, he smiled slightly, turned around, and pointed at Nash, intending to thank him for the pass.

In the Suns, everyone knows that if you get a pass from Nash, you better act quickly. This isn't to add to Nash's stats, but out of trust in Nash.

Everyone believes that Nash's basketball IQ is higher than theirs, and they know his understanding of each player's characteristics very well. When Nash passes the ball, it means it's a good opportunity, or they're in a position to shoot with good rhythm, and they don't know if the opportunity will be fleeting, so the best choice is to not hesitate and act immediately. This is the best reward for Nash's pass.

And the facts proved that this choice was correct. Nash seems to have a pair of eyes that can predict the future. His passes always cut through the opponent's defense like a scalpel, sending the ball to the weakest point in the defense. This easy scoring opportunity made the Suns players trust him more and more, and this trust even surpassed their own internal judgment.

Looking back, the Warriors quickly sent the ball from the baseline. Curry dribbled the ball quickly to the front court. The Suns quickly retreated, but Curry faced Richardson blocking him and suddenly stopped a step outside the three-point line, raised his hand, and shot. A three-pointer!

Richardson ran forward quickly, but Curry was in his rhythm, and his shooting speed was extremely fast. The basketball seemed to fly right past the tips of Richardson's fingers, but the slightest difference was that it was too far, and even if it was crucial, Richardson couldn't interfere with Curry's shot.

Richardson could only watch the ball fly in a high arc and fall directly into the basket.

Boom!

After making the shot, Oracle Center, which had been silent just a moment ago, erupted like an active volcano. However, what erupted wasn't thick lava and ash blocking the sky, but the thunderous cheers and applause from the Warriors fans.

An organization once tested that the decibel level of Oracle Center is the highest among all home arenas in the league. This is a true "devil's home" stadium!

But this didn't faze the Suns. Under Nash's control, the Suns' fast break and shooting were quick and organized. Beneath the dazzling movement, it was a meticulous tactical routine, scoring quickly, making the ball soar in the sky. The arena cooled down again.

Looking back, the Warriors relied on Azubuike's determined attack on the basket to score, and the atmosphere in the arena heated up again...

These two rounds were just a small snapshot of the first half of the game. The 24 minutes played in front of the fans were the most exciting offensive battles of the playoffs so far. The audience in Oracle Center was hoarse, and there was still a heated discussion about the thrilling offensive and defensive exchanges at that moment.

On the edge of the Warriors' bench, Larry Riley stood up, followed Liam, and high-fived the Warriors players one by one.

He looked around and saw a golden ocean boiling. His face was filled with smiles, and a trace of emotion sparkled in his eyes.

It had been three years since Larry Riley had seen this golden sea. That Black Eight miracle is not only an eternal memory for the Warriors' fans but also the achievement Larry Riley is most proud of as the general manager.

After Liam took over the Warriors, Larry Riley thought he would be fired and had already made plans to leave, but he didn't expect Liam to keep him.

Later, Liam's series of operations made him think he had an arrogant and conceited boss and that the Warriors' future would be bleak. But it turned out that it wasn't that Liam was too young, but that he was too conservative.

Under Liam's drastic reforms, the Warriors' roster underwent a significant overhaul, and their record also improved, placing them in the playoffs. After three years, they entered the playoffs again with the sixth seed in the Western Conference, their best result since 1994.

And everyone knows this is just the beginning. Curry has shown superstar-level potential, and the other young Warriors players are also very capable. If this continues, the Warriors' results will keep improving, and after nearly 20 years of decline, they will finally see the dawn of rebirth!

And all of this was triggered by Liam. He was the one who chose Curry. He was the one who fired all the team's stars, tore it apart, and then built it back up. He was the one who gave these young, frustrated players a chance, and even traded away the team's defensive pillar amid bad-mouthing.

Larry Riley looked back and felt that everything was so incredible. He didn't believe that anyone besides Liam had the courage to do this.

According to Larry Riley, if a team like the Warriors wants to complete a rebuild, it has to go through a trial-and-error period of 2-3 seasons before they can select a central player with potential and give them a few years to level up. During this process, they gradually clean up the original players, select some high-ranking rookies, and trade for capable role players to rise from the ashes.

But it took Liam less than a year to completely change the roster. Now, only a few players on the Warriors have been with the team for more than a season, like Ronny Turiaf and Watson. And Ronny Turiaf rarely gets a chance to play. This kind of rebuilding speed could be considered the fastest in NBA history.

This kind of great sale isn't hard at all. Every team that adopts a collapse therapy does this. What's difficult is that Liam spent a summer building a reasonable framework for the Warriors' future, with the core of the team and high-quality role players, both inside and out, developing in a balanced way. This is the dream or fantasy of every coach.

But now the dream has come true.

After the Warriors players entered the tunnel, Larry Riley took two quick steps, followed Liam, and suddenly said excitedly:

"Boss, did you hear that?"

In their ears, there were cheers of "Warrior" echoing throughout the crowd.

"Looks like we played really well in the first half," Liam said with a slight smile.

"Of course! Boss, I feel like this season is like a dream. We're back in the playoffs! We've successfully rebuilt!!!" Larry Riley shouted.

Liam looked at his general manager, who rarely showed such an excited look, and smiled:

"Successful? Not necessarily... but we've lived up to the fans' expectations! Let's go, there's still the second half of the game..."

As the two walked toward the tunnel, a fan in his thirties to the left stuck his head over the railing and said loudly:

"Liam, can we win?"

Liam paused, looked at the fan, and nodded seriously:

"I know you want me to say yes, but I have to be honest: it'll be tough for us to win, but we'll do our best!"

The fan was stunned for a moment; this wasn't the answer he expected, but then he laughed and said:

"Please... you..."

"Hey, we've already made it to the playoffs, we've already won a game, right? That's enough! Thank you, Liam, I've been watching Warriors games for over ten years, and this is my first happy moment. The first was the Black Eight season three years ago!"

Liam laughed and said:

"Really? I think soon it'll be the second, third... or even the tenth!"

"Haha, that's fine, I'll wait. Come on, Liam, we need you to get more wins!"

"No problem, enjoy the game, brother!" Liam nodded, stopped to chat for a moment, then went into the player tunnel one after another with Larry Riley.

"Warrior…"

Behind him, the hoarse cry of the fan echoed. Liam paused slightly, then quickened his pace and walked forward.

…

After the second half of the game began, the atmosphere in Oracle Center remained intense, but the situation changed quietly.

The Suns kept scoring efficiently, but the Warriors' offense was not as organized as in the first half.

As soon as the third quarter started, the Suns accelerated the pace of the game even more. Nash regained his full speed. Every offense was aimed to be completed in 7 seconds or less. Under his control, the Suns' offense was fast but organized. Although efficiency decreased compared to the first half, the points kept coming fast.

The Warriors also liked to play fast. Not only did they not slow down to play a positional game, but they also tried to speed up even more, following the Suns' pace.

However, under the continuous fast pace, the Warriors' young players' poor ball-handling ability began to show. Even Curry started making frequent mistakes. On several occasions, they were anxious to succeed and simply handed the ball over. For the Suns' players, this not only ruined good opportunities, but also allowed them to play directly into a fast break, expanding the point difference.

Liam called two timeouts and emphasized the need to slow down and play a positional game. It worked at first, but soon Nash made the game speed up more and more, returning to the previous situation.

Liam could only watch helplessly from the sidelines as the Warriors made mistakes and got counterattacked by the Suns. He screamed, "Slower! Slower!", then watched the young Warriors fight through a round and then start running again with the Suns...

By the end of the third quarter, the Warriors were already 12 points behind the Suns.

During the break, Liam deliberately substituted Big Z, who had been DNP, hoping to use the limitations of the lineup to slow the pace. As a result, the Suns seized the opportunity, trapped Big Z, and attacked him fiercely. Liam had to quickly replace him, and the game returned to the previous fast-paced run-and-gun rhythm.

Liam's voice was hoarse from yelling, but it was to no avail. In the end, he simply sat on the sidelines, watching the game in silence, without giving any instructions and letting the players play.

There was a sense of helplessness in his heart. When there was a point guard like Nash on the opposite side, the tactics and arrangements of the head coach seemed so impotent.

He knew how to deal with the Suns' tactics and organized positional battles, but the Warriors' pace simply couldn't slow down. The players clearly wanted to implement their tactics, but Nash would divert them.

When Liam watched football in his previous life, he always felt puzzled. Why did certain teams play this way, and why didn't the coach adapt?

Now he understands that the head coach is not omnipotent. It doesn't mean that the players will play the way the coach tells them to. For example, he wants the Warriors to slow down, but Nash can make them play fast involuntarily. That's just how he is. As a superstar point guard, if Liam is as slow as he wants and as fast as Nash is, then the word "pace" has no meaning.

All the teams in the league know they can't play fast against the Suns, but they'll still try to run with the Suns. The same happened to the Warriors today, so it's no surprise that they lost.

At the end of the game, the Warriors lost 105:119 to the Suns by 14 points, trailing 1:2.

As in the previous game, the Warriors scored very high, but the Suns scored even more. In this offensive battle, the Suns had the last laugh.

End of this chapter

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