The Battle for the Scoring Title
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After their victory over the Heat, the Warriors marked the beginning of a wave of heavy and easy schedules.
The heaviness lies in the fact that after the home game against the Hawks, they would embark on a long seven-game road trip across the East, including two consecutive games, which would be a significant mental and physical toll on the players.
The easiness of the games comes from the fact that most of the opponents are not playoff contenders, with only the Hawks, Celtics, and 76ers in the playoffs among the eight opponents, and the rest are teams ranked at the bottom.
But for the coaching staff, no matter who the opponent is, they need to study the game footage and prepare tactically, and the pre-game work is even more burdensome because the Eastern teams have fewer games and the scouting department doesn't have enough information about them.
After the Heat game, the Warriors had two days off, and the coaching staff took the opportunity to study their upcoming rivals, while the players focused on training and preparing for the second half of the schedule.
At six in the evening on February 23, in the conference room at the Oracle Center, the coaching staff gathered around a round table, all facing forward, looking at the projection screen in front of them, where the game footage of the Hawks was being shown, with Silas leading the explanation.
Liam placed his right hand on the back of a chair beside him, crossed his legs, extended his left hand, placed it on the table in front of him, gently tapped the table with his index finger, stared intently at the projection screen, listened to Silas' suggestions, and nodded occasionally.
This was a "pre-game meeting" for the Warriors' coaching staff, and the results of their discussions, combined with the scouting department's report on the Hawks, would become part of the Warriors' training tomorrow.
Half an hour later, after everyone had discussed and made decisions, the meeting ended, and the Warriors determined their tactics against the Hawks, mainly sticking to the offensive and defensive strategies in which the Warriors excel, but making adjustments based on the Hawks' tactical characteristics and the current form of the opposing players.
Compared to the players, the coaching staff's work is endless—studying video, preparing tactics, setting lineups, organizing practices, and making adjustments in real time. After the last game, the coaching staff immediately dives into preparing for the next one, and compared to the glamour of the players in the spotlight, they can only hide behind the scenes, leaving an impression on the fans, often getting blamed by outsiders.
But the coach is also crucial to a team's victory or defeat. Many games that could be won are lost inexplicably due to poor tactical decisions and rotation choices, and even some "famous coaches" become obsessed with their past honors and stubbornly cling to outdated philosophies, thereby burying a team's potential.
Fortunately, none of this would happen with the Warriors, and Liam's basketball philosophy before this era would not fail. At least the players he favored would not suffer in vain, and he knew that in the next ten years, the league would usher in monumental changes, and he would never become complacent or stagnant after achieving some success.
"Liam, I'll go first." Ron Adams took his old-fashioned briefcase and said to Liam.
Liam nodded.
"Drive carefully, Adam."
When the meeting ended and everyone left, Bruce grabbed his notebook and followed Ron Adams out of the conference room, but he wasn't heading home.
Tomorrow the team would have a tactical practice, but the players' individual skills training wouldn't stop, so Bruce had to head back to the office to adjust tomorrow's training schedule based on today's practice results, remove some elements, control the intensity, and leave time for tactical training.
Finally, only Liam and Silas remained in the conference room, discussing the passing and screening proportions in the team's positional offense.
They agreed unanimously that the Warriors' passing and cutting coordination still wasn't in place, and they needed to keep running. The team's next positional offense should still be based on screening and pick-and-rolls.
However, unlike the first half of the season, which relied entirely on Curry to handle the ball, Silas believed that both Curry and Butler could be organized with pick-and-roll tactics, which might not fully maximize Curry's off-ball mismatch advantage, but would allow Butler to find guards off the reverse, free up Curry's ball handling, and relieve some of the pressure off Curry.
After Silas made this suggestion, Liam agreed and immediately asked Silas to consider pick-and-roll tactics involving Curry and Butler after their return, and then the coaching staff would discuss it.
A new tactic isn't something that can just be thought of with a snap of the fingers. For different players, the conditions for using a tactic, the subsequent changes, the movement and positioning of others, and other elements all differ, and it requires careful thought and discussion from the coaching staff and testing in practice games to be effective in actual games.
After this productive session, Liam left the conference room in high spirits, waved goodbye to Silas, and prepared to head home.
But just then, Larry Riley approached, first greeting Silas, and then saying to Liam:
"Liam, do you have a moment? I need to discuss something with you."
Liam was momentarily surprised, then nodded and said,
"Come to my office... Stephen, don't worry, just give me the new tactics in three days."
He shook hands with Silas and went back to his office with Larry Riley.
Jonathan was sorting through the scouting reports and other materials that Liam would need the next day, and when he saw them enter, he quickly stood up to greet them. Liam gestured for him to continue and proceeded to the reception area with Larry Riley.
After they both sat on the sofa, Liam casually asked,
"Tell me, what's going on?"
Larry Riley said in a low voice,
"Liam, Durant is now averaging 27.6 points per game, 0.7 points ahead of Stephen. If you want to help Stephen compete for the scoring title, it will be too late if you don't step in. Jeff Austin also hinted at this, and for the good of the team's operations, I believe we should help Stephen win the scoring title this year."
"Scoring champion..." Liam thought for a moment, slowly nodded, "Alright, we'll still fight for this."
Shortly after the game began, Liam proposed helping Curry compete for the scoring title, and later, other teams started to pack Curry, his long-range shooting deterrence was initially established, and the score inevitably dropped, with the team's form fluctuating. The development of the rookies on the team became the biggest concern for the coaching staff, and this matter was put to rest.
But today, Larry Riley approached and reminded Liam that helping Curry win the scoring title would be very beneficial for the Warriors.
As Curry's agent, Jeff Austin couldn't fully represent Curry's intentions, and Liam believed that with his relationship with Curry, if Curry wanted that scoring title, he would tell him directly. However, Jeff Austin's meaning was clear: winning the scoring title was very beneficial for Curry, and he wanted to fight for this benefit on his behalf.
Of course, the Warriors' situation is the most special in the league. Liam has absolute authority as both owner and head coach, and the relationship between him and Curry is strong. Jeff Austin only dared to bring it up vaguely, and the decision was entirely in Liam's hands.
From Liam's perspective, he should also help Curry compete for the scoring title. As the team owner, he shouldn't just consider the team's history, but also the team's future operations.
For an NBA team, the star is the most important asset, and the Warriors' most valuable asset is undoubtedly Curry. That might sound cold, but the NBA is a business, and from the owner's perspective, Liam has to think about things this way.
Curry is already a two-time All-Star starter, has been named to the All-NBA Second Team once, and will definitely make the All-NBA team this year. He's already a near-superstar. If he can win the scoring title, his popularity will soar, and he will truly join the ranks of the superstars!
Not to mention, this would also boost Curry's commercial value, and the current scoring champion title is still a highly valuable accolade, holding extraordinary status in fans' hearts.
As the saying goes: a superstar doesn't have to be a scoring champion, but a scoring champion must be a superstar.
For the Warriors, this is the success of creating stars, which can attract a huge fanbase to watch Warriors games. The team's merchandise will also sell better under Curry's influence. Liam knows better than anyone the terrifying commercial value Curry represents, and calling him a golden goose would be an insult.
Before his rebirth, the Warriors' market value skyrocketed to second place in the league because of Curry, only behind the Knicks. With the league's highest luxury tax payments, the league saw the largest profits.
This is still the result of Curry's severe injury and the two wasted years of key growth, but now Curry's development is ten times smoother than before. He made the playoffs in his rookie season, was selected as an All-Star starter, and made the All-NBA team.
Liam thought about the stakes in his heart and said:
"I'll do everything I can to help Stephen fight for this scoring title. This road trip is a good opportunity. The team will set tactics for Stephen, you'll communicate with Jeff Austin, get in touch with the media, and start building momentum for Stephen's scoring title. The focus is on 'making history.'"
"Making history?" Larry Riley asked, puzzled.
"It's about focusing on Curry's three-pointers, the league's top scorer, the scoring champion who makes history, the most efficient scorer of all time, and so on." Liam explained.
Larry Riley's eyes widened.
"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? It could cause a backlash, and this is only Stephen's second season after all…"
"No mistake," Liam chuckled. "If the strength is there, those are great footnotes. Stephen has enough strength—let him go for it."
…
On February 25, the Warriors hosted the Hawks.
The Hawks remained the same—they've been to the playoffs, but couldn't make further advances. Their roster is balanced but lacks true superstars. The management has accumulated a bunch of athletic jumpers, but they've never hit the lottery they need.
The Hawks' dispersed offensive points were simply contained by the Warriors, with their tough front line of Butler, Green, and Kirilenko being a wall on the other side, allowing Joe Johnson, Horford, and Josh Smith to headbutt each other to no avail.
The Warriors relied on their pressing defense, often forcing turnovers and creating fantastic fast-break opportunities that further boosted the team's momentum. They played very focused on the offensive end and ultimately defeated the Hawks 115-95.
Curry played 30 minutes and finished with 35 points, seven assists, and five rebounds on 12 of 20 shooting, including 6 of 12 from three and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line.
In fact, by the third quarter, the Warriors were already ahead by 21 points, and Curry could have rested, but Liam let him play for two minutes in the fourth quarter, where he hit two three-pointers and reached 30 points before replacing him.
On the same day, the Thunder lost to the Magic 88-101, with Durant scoring 23 points, and Curry pulled ahead by 12 points, putting the two 25 points apart in season totals.
On February 27, the Warriors officially began their seven-game road trip, with their first stop in Minnesota.
Against a Timberwolves team struggling, the Warriors didn't hold back, defeating their opponent 132-106 to start the trip strong. Despite the Timberwolves' poor defense, Curry easily posted 23 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds in three quarters, almost achieving a triple-double with high efficiency.
This time, Liam didn't let Curry play in the final quarter to score, simply because the Timberwolves' defense was so poor, and the Warriors held a massive 28-point advantage through three quarters.
The Thunder also played that day, where they faced the Lakers at home and fought against the defending champions all game long, eventually losing by three points, 87-90.
The game's intensity was high, Durant scored just 21 points, and Curry closed the gap by 2 points. Durant still led by 23 points.
On March 1, the Warriors traveled to Indiana to face the Pacers, and Liam returned to his hometown, but didn't have time to catch up with Stevens. The Warriors would head to Washington the next day for back-to-back games against the Wizards.
The Pacers remained the same tough and tenacious team, but without Paul George's growth, they lacked a true star to lead the team forward. Granger did his best, but he was just a star, not a superstar.
The same thing happened in this game: two teams focused on defense, struggling against each other after the opening, and this was a moment when stars had to step up. Curry was clearly a better star than Granger, posting a double-double with 24 points and 11 assists to help the Warriors defeat the Pacers 105-98, while Granger scored just 17 points and missed key moments.
In this game, Liam focused on winning, not letting Curry score too much, as he couldn't live up to the warm cheers from Indiana fans initially. The Pacers' defensive discipline was excellent, and when Curry held the ball, their defense was tight, not allowing him any space to score.
The Thunder did not play that day, and Curry surpassed Durant by one point in total points. However, since Curry had played one more game than Durant, he was still behind Durant in points per game, but the gap had become minimal.
On March 2, the Warriors arrived in Washington to challenge the Wizards.
Originally, the Warriors could have won more easily, but Curry had a bad hand in this game, missing the first 7 shots, and in the Thunder game that ended today, Durant took on the Pacers' State and exploded, cutting 33 points.
But the Warriors still relied on tough defense to stifle the Wizards full court, allowing champion Wall to score just 12 points, while Curry totaled 25 shots, 9-of-25 shooting, 4-of-16 three-pointers, 4-of-6 free throws and 26 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds.
The battle for the scoring title between the two continues.
Kerr vibes :;)
End of this chapter
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