Failed Experiment of Capricious Alignment
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At this moment, only 3 minutes had passed since the start of the third quarter, and the Warriors had extended their lead to 8 points. However, there was still plenty of time left, and the Suns didn't give up, launching a counterattack under Nash's leadership.
And the doubts of Ron Adams during the halftime break were also confirmed in the game.
The offense of this five-small lineup is extremely bold, with all five players capable of shooting, except for Tony Allen. The offensive spacing is wide, and the impact is full. Curry has shown improved skills in movement, control, and bodywork. Whether it's small or large plays out of place, or defending against Nash, he can consistently score points.
Curry switches between ball-handling and off-ball mode at will, and when running off the ball with Klay, they can tear apart the Suns' defensive formation. Green is effective in the low post and at the top of the arc.
Besides the positional battles, the strongest aspect of the five-small lineup is their defensive counterattacks. But except for some fast-break three-pointers at the beginning of the third quarter, the Warriors didn't play a much more effective fast break, because on the defensive side, the five-man lineup had problems.
"The Suns blocked, and Nash covered and entered the free throw line... Strike! Nash faked a real pass and fooled Green, Robin Lopez received a pass from Nash, and the dunk was easily made," said Mike Breen admiringly.
Jeff Van Gundy remarked, "How many times has Green been tricked by Nash? Nash is still so slick. He didn't even look at the ball under the basket, but the pass was so beautifully delivered. It seems like a casual pass, but few in the league can pass like that, so it's normal for Green to get fooled."
In the middle of the court, Green, who looked back and saw Robin Lopez dunking, clapped in frustration. He was about to handle a defense and two defenders, but Nash tricked him and completely forgot that Robin Lopez was behind him, ready to catch the ball at any moment.
On the bench, Liam looked at the big screen. The score was 82-70, and with 2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Suns had cut the lead to 9 points.
He sighed lightly, "Well, it seems like there are still major problems with the defense of this five-small lineup."
Ron Adams, sitting beside him, chuckled, "Of course, did you really expect to beat the Suns with this lineup?"
"Why not? Draymond has been very effective defensively in training, why can't he be on the court?" Liam was unwilling.
Ron Adams looked at him strangely. "Liam, what are you thinking? Can Jeremy and Nash be the same? It's normal for Draymond to protect against Jeremy's pick-and-roll, and it's normal for him to guard against Nash, but at the end of the day, he has no NBA experience, so it's hard for him to play the center position."
Liam smiled bitterly. He knew Ron Adams had spoken tactfully, and now Green couldn't be in the center position at all.
"Well, you're right. I'm too anxious to make this happen in one step. I need to wait for Draymond to gain enough experience and improve before bringing him into this lineup," Liam admitted his mistake.
Indeed, he had been carried away by the great image of the "Death Five" lineup earlier. The effect of this alignment had worked very well in training, and it had been published during the season opener. But he forgot that Green is still a rookie, his defense is at most elite level in the league, only his help defense could be considered superior. The rest of his aspects still need improvement, so it's really hard for him to play at the center position.
Not to mention, it was hard for Green at his peak to be tricked by top passers like Paul and Harden, but now Nash was fooling him with a glance. It was an impossible task for Green to handle both defense and two defenders under the basket.
Liam wanted to make the five-small lineup work, both offensively and defensively, but that still required a lot of time.
Swish! Liam watched as Nash hit a mid-range shot from inside the free throw line, reducing the gap to 10 points, and the Suns called a timeout.
He replaced Green, Butler, and Klay with Chandler, Matthews, and Yi Jianlian, returning the lineup to normal. After a quarter of experimentation, the Warriors' five-man lineup failed.
Purely from the offensive standpoint, the effect of the five-small lineup was very good, both impactful and with excellent shooting. Robin Lopez was pushed away from the basket by Green, and the Suns couldn't defend at all, allowing the Warriors to score quickly.
But on the defensive side, the Warriors barely protected the rim. Green was repeatedly pressed to the floor by Nash, and Robin Lopez devoured easy layups. The Oracle Center basket was almost about to be destroyed by him.
After Green was substituted, he looked a bit depressed, silently watching his teammates struggle on the court with his lips tightly pressed.
Liam had been paying attention, and when he saw Green's expression, he said, "Draymond, what's wrong?"
Green, embarrassed, said, "Sorry, Coach. It was me who didn't play well, but I let the Suns cut the score. If it weren't for my defensive problems, the point difference definitely wouldn't have been reduced this much."
"Do you think it's your defensive problem?" Liam asked.
"Of course. In training, I played well, but I couldn't defend against the Suns on the court right now. I'm not at the level I should be," Green said, downcast.
Liam smiled, "Draymond, your opponent is Steve Nash, one of the top five point guards in NBA history! It's normal if you can't stop him. It's not your fault. It's because I wasn't thoughtful enough. You still lack game experience. I'll leave you to play the center position, but of course, it won't yield good results. Don't blame yourself. Watch closely how Tyson protects the rim. This five-small lineup will play again in the future, and I hope to see you under the basket as Optimus in that lineup."
Green didn't expect Liam to say this. He was stunned for a moment and then nodded repeatedly, "Okay, Coach, I know what to do."
Liam paused for a moment and then slowly said, "Draymond, you're just a rookie, and you have the right to make mistakes. Except, of course, on the court. I love the way you yell in the game, whether at your opponent or your teammates. You're a rookie, but you can't think of yourself as one. You're tough, and you're never afraid to make your voice heard. I want to see that tough side of you on the court because I'm looking forward to the day when you can be the leader of the Warriors' locker room and inspire everyone with your tough spirit."
Green, grateful, said, "Uh... Thank you, Coach. I'll keep going like this."
Green never expected Liam to really encourage him and let him continue doing this. After all, the NBA is a place where seniority is very important. Rookies carry bags and do errands for the veterans, and they even suffer tricks from them. Even the heaven-sent pride like Zhuangyuanxiu isn't exempt.
Of course, because the Warriors are a youth-driven team with an average age of 23.7 years, except for a few veterans, almost everyone is a rookie. There isn't such a situation, but after all, there are lottery picks, first-round picks, and drafted players, creating a clear distinction of rank.
But what makes Green feel strange is that there's no difference between the young and the old players on the Warriors. Curry, the star of the team, doesn't look down on Matthews and Jeremy Lin, who weren't drafted, and players like Tony Allen, champions with rings, aren't proud of their titles.
Earlier, Green thought it was the personality of these players, but now he understands that it was the influence of Liam that made the Warriors' locker room so equal and united.
"Coach, I'm going to be the best defensive player in the league!"
Green looked at Liam, who was walking up and down the sidelines, occasionally gesturing toward the court, and silently made a decision.
...
After returning from the timeout, the Warriors stabilized the situation, and the Suns, seriously behind in their lineup, quickly fell into a disadvantage against the increasingly polished Warriors' system. The point gap began to widen gradually.
Gentry sent all the starters in at the 8-minute mark of the final quarter, and he wanted to fight hard. Liam didn't hesitate to send out the starting lineup, but replaced Butler with Matthews, not giving the Suns any chance to chase points.
Liam looked at the helpless Gentry and smiled slightly. "You have a group of veterans who dare to fight early, but we're all young here. It's not hard to play for 48 minutes. You want to compete with me with a short rotation? Do you have that strength?"
In the end, the Warriors defeated the Suns by 18 points, 123-105, and had a great start to the season.
After the game, the Warriors played much more cohesively as a team. Curry handed off some of the ball-handling duties to Green and Butler, but his shot attempts didn't decrease, finishing with 27 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds.
His assist count was affected to some extent. If the Warriors had played according to last season's style, Curry would have had to dish out at least 10 assists or more to help the Warriors score 123 points.
And now, Green had also taken on some responsibility for playmaking, getting 8 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block, a very complete performance, but at the same time, he also committed 4 turnovers. It was his first time in the NBA, and Green wasn't as calm as he seemed on the surface. His condition had been somewhat affected.
Klay's performance was a pleasant surprise. His three-point shooting was 5 of 9, with 17 points and 3 rebounds. He was a pure shooter, scoring 15 points from beyond the arc, with just 2 points under the basket from an alley-oop cut. Moreover, he didn't record any assists. His ball-handling time on the court didn't exceed 10 seconds. The phrase "off-ball" was vividly reflected in him.
Apart from the three, the other Warriors players performed decently. Butler didn't have a chance to show his ball-handling ability, playing just 23 minutes and scoring 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Matthews played 30 minutes. Liam designed a strategy for him, and he took advantage of the opportunity, scoring 15 points, continuing his excellent performance from the preseason.
For the Suns, Nash had 18 points and 8 assists, but aside from him, only Robin Lopez, who scored 16 points by eating up easy baskets, and Richardson with 19 points, had a decent contribution. The rest of the team didn't score any double-doubles.
The Suns had a major issue with their offense. Even though Robin Lopez dunked several times in the game, those were all opportunities the Warriors gave up in the third quarter. After Liam sent Chandler back on the floor, Robin Lopez barely had a chance inside the Warriors' restricted area.
It turned out that without a reliable small-ball pivot, the five-small lineup was bound to be expelled from the restricted area. And without a good interior partner, Nash's pick-and-roll couldn't unleash its full potential. The issue of internal-external imbalance would continue to plague the Suns until they find another Stoudemire or sink even further.
At the end of the game, Liam approached the technical table and shook hands with Gentry, who smiled bitterly.
"Congratulations, your revenge has been successful."
Liam smiled. "No, it's just the regular season. If we meet in the playoffs, that'll be revenge."
Gentry sighed. "I hope we can meet in the playoffs. Honestly, it's been a terrible season for us."
After a slight complaint, Gentry turned to leave, and Liam narrowed his eyes, watching his departing back.
This is the end of the era that belonged to the Suns...
During the game, Nash hugged Curry and whispered in his ear, "Come on, Stephen, you're going to be a great player."
There was a hint of loneliness in his voice. The team that eliminated them last season had turned around and beaten them by 18 points, which made Nash feel a bit uncomfortable.
He knew in his heart that the Suns would not have another chance to compete for a championship, and he was destined to never bring a trophy to Phoenix.
Curry solemnly said, "I will, and so will you, Steve. You still have plenty of gas in the tank."
Nash shook his head and smiled. He didn't say anything else, turned around, and walked toward the players' tunnel.
At that moment, the Oracle Center turned into a sea of golden heat. The Warriors' fans cheered wildly, celebrating the team's strong start to the season. And because the Lakers narrowly defeated the Rockets by 2 points, 112-110, the Warriors temporarily ranked first in the West, although that first place didn't mean much, but it was still a joy for Warriors fans who had supported the team for many years. After all, it could be said that the Warriors had been in the West for quite a while.
Crucially, the Warriors defeated last season's playoff opponents, the Suns, and it was still a resounding victory. Almost all of the team's players performed well, even Chandler and Tony Allen, who didn't score much, had incredible defensive performances.
This made Warriors fans nostalgic for the new season, which saw them finish sixth in the West last year, and this season was not much more demanding. As Coach Z said in a previous interview, fourth place in the West is good, and if they make the playoffs for two consecutive years, then the Warriors will have truly completed their rebuilding process and fully emerge from the quagmire.
And Liam didn't disappoint the Warriors fans. In the post-game interview, he said confidently:
"Our goal? I think I've made it very clear. At the very least, you need to have home-court advantage in the playoffs, and you can't stop there. What? Playoff goals, you say? We were eliminated in the first round last season, and of course, we need to improve this season. I believe the second round is a realistic goal."
Some reporters also asked about the five-small lineup experiment in the third quarter, and Liam vaguely responded:
"It was just a small experiment with a lineup, and it turned out that the idea isn't mature at the moment. I won't put this lineup back in place until it really works."
Whether Liam's statement had an effect or whether the five-small lineup was chased by the Suns to recover many points, the lineup did not attract much attention, and the outside world generally considered it to be a "failed and capricious alignment experiment" by Liam.
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End of this chapter
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