Chapter 155 - Liam González VS Popovich

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On the bench, Big Z reached his peak again, putting up nearly a double-double with 19 points and 8 rebounds, complementing Lowry's 5 points and 7 assists, which made him a surprise player off the Warriors' bench.

The Mavericks were completely dominated by Nowitzki. The German showed the world the art of mid-range shooting, making 16 of 23 field goals, 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, and 3 of 3 free throws. He finished with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He was worth the price of admission.

But aside from him, the Mavericks only had Terry and Drew, who scored 18 and 14 points, respectively. Aside from that, no one else reached double figures. Kidd posted 3 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. A double-double doesn't mean much if you don't score.

As Jeff Van Gundy said, three points are worth more than two. Nowitzki was alone and couldn't match the firepower of the Warriors. This is the main reason the Mavericks struggled.

Carlisle consoled his players on the sidelines, and his desire to make a trade grew stronger.

This lineup can dominate the regular season, but it will be hard to go far in the playoffs.

"Offense wins games, defense wins championships." This saying isn't made lightly. The Mavericks relied on Nowitzki to dominate the regular season, but if they want to make a big splash in the playoffs, they need to improve their team defense.

His mind wasn't on the game ahead, but rather on the future of the Mavericks.

After being eliminated by the Warriors, Cuban fired young general Johnson, hired him from the Pacers as head coach, and drastically revamped the lineup.

After two years of being a fringe playoff team, the Mavericks finally shook off their pain this year. They made great strides in the regular season and marked the beginning of their resurgence. Carlisle would never allow the team to fall victim to defensive issues.

He looked at Nowitzki, who was exhausted after fighting for an entire game, with a sweaty lock of hair stuck to his forehead, and decided he needed to move forward with a deal and not waste Nowitzki's peak years. The German Tank!

He found Cuban, who was watching the game from the sidelines, and said:

"Mark, between us and the championship, we still need a solid defensive big man."

Cuban was downcast after the loss. When he heard Carlisle's words, he immediately nodded:

"Tell me who you want, and I'll get him for you."

He was a passionate Mavericks fan, and his greatest wish was to win a championship trophy. As long as the Mavericks had a home game, he would be there, and he often traveled with the team for away games. He was the second most knowledgeable owner in the league. The first was Liam González.

As long as the Mavericks had a chance to win the championship, he was willing to do whatever it took.

Carlisle spoke gravely:

"I need Tyson Chandler!"

…

Liam González had to admit that the world is sometimes strange. Losers can go home and sleep peacefully, but winners can only hurry away, embarrassed.

Both the Mavericks and the Warriors had back-to-back games, but the Mavericks would face the Rockets away tomorrow. The players could go home, take a nap, and then make their way to Houston.

The Warriors were scheduled to play the Spurs in an away game the next day. They had already left their hotel in Dallas and taken a special flight to San Antonio overnight.

The grueling schedule continued, and Warriors players had to suppress their joy from the victory, making the most of every minute of rest, dragging their tired bodies, and barely managing to sleep on the plane.

Liam González didn't rest like the players. He took the time to study the video of the Spurs' games to prepare for the match the next day.

The Spurs had a rough start to the season, losing several games, and were currently in eighth place in the Western Conference with a record of 6 wins and 6 losses. After the Warriors beat the Mavericks, their record stood at 9-4, further solidifying their fourth-place spot in the West.

The Warriors seemed to have the advantage and were in better shape, but this was the second game of the back-to-back, and who knows if Popovich would throw in a surprise. Liam wasn't too sure about this game.

He studied the Spurs' recent back-to-back victories over the Bucks and the Wizards, then felt relieved and came up with a countermeasure.

…

The following night, AT&T Center.

Two years ago, the Bulldogs defeated UCLA in this arena to make it to the finals, and then beat Memphis University in the Alamodome to win their first NCAA championship in history. That was also the beginning of the Bulldogs' dominance in college basketball.

It was after that March Madness that Liam González became a true championship coach, and San Antonio could be considered his sacred place.

But tonight, the arena was very hostile to him.

Spurs fans filled the AT&T Center, loudly booing as the Warriors players received the ball, doing everything they could to interfere with every offensive play.

In reality, this was nothing. Every NBA player has experienced a grueling away game and is mostly unaffected.

What made Liam frown frequently on the sidelines was the aggressive double team on Curry by the Spurs.

Curry was finally facing his first real challenge, but what Liam didn't expect was that the first person to be embarrassed was Popovich.

The Warriors' previous opponents had used a one-on-one defense against Curry. No head coach would double-team a rookie beyond the three-point line.

Curry wasn't Kobe, just a shooter who could only make three-pointers. People admire him when his defense changes, but this treatment was reserved for superstars. Curry? Let's wait a bit longer. We still don't know if his three-point shooting will hold up.

This was the general perception. Curry's stats were so impressive they rivaled league superstars. The Warriors' record was also among the best, but no one thought of the Warriors as a strong team, and no one considered Curry a star.

Experts and celebrities didn't believe a team that relied on three-pointers and a point guard who shot a lot of them could accomplish much. The Warriors' opponents preferred to defend Curry one-on-one, and when Curry missed, the record tumbled.

In their view, the Suns were already pretty rebellious, but Nash was still a traditional point guard focused on passing. Curry was a player who only knew how to shoot three-pointers. So, was he really a point guard?

Curry's playing style was seen as heretical, a challenge to the tradition of basketball! The true meaning of basketball is winning the world from inside, not from the outside. There has never been a superstar famous for his three-pointers, and no team has ever won the championship relying on them. The Warriors might shine for a while, but sooner or later, they'll be exposed as a weak team.

Over the years, only the Suns have made it to the Western Conference Finals relying on running and shooting, but there's a limit to that. They've never made it to the Finals. They're just the Little Suns of Auckland, not worth mentioning.

But Popovich didn't care about the reputation of a strong team, nor did he have the traditional persistence of a famous coach. Since Curry had superstar numbers, he treated him like one.

Throughout the game, the Spurs focused all their attention on Curry, giving him personal coverage for all 48 minutes.

As soon as Curry ran the pick-and-roll, McDyess immediately stepped up to the three-point line and teamed up with Parker to double-team him, blocking his shooting space and driving lane. They didn't care about the other Warriors players. It was a four-against-three situation.

Curry couldn't handle the one-on-two, and even if Jordan were there, all he could do was pass the ball to Biedrins.

But Popovich had already prepared a second line of defense. The Spurs' other forwards rotated in front of the Warriors' remaining shooters. Duncan stayed inside the paint and shifted to help cover the Warriors players cutting to the basket, while also keeping an eye on Biedrins.

In this way, the Spurs' defense tested Biedrins' ball-handling ability, forcing him to attack Duncan's defense or pass to his open teammates.

However, the Warriors' players struggled without ball movement. Against the disciplined rotation defense of the Spurs, it was hard to get any open looks. Even when they got a chance, Biedrins' vision was so limited that it was difficult for him to make timely passes.

The Latvian had no choice but to try to dribble into the paint himself, but his dribbling skills were just as basic as his coordination. When he stumbled into the paint, the Spurs' defense recovered, Duncan blocked his shot effortlessly, forcing Biedrins to stop or make a mistake.

By the middle of the first quarter, the Warriors' offense was almost completely shut down. Fortunately, the Spurs' offensive firepower wasn't strong either, and they only led by 6 points at 62-50.

At halftime, Liam made another adjustment. He replaced Lowry and Ronny Turiaf with Butler and Varejao, adding an organizer and a blocker to the lineup, which allowed Curry to run off the ball.

Curry took advantage of the coverage from his teammates, hitting two consecutive three-pointers and helping the Warriors close the gap in the score.

Popovich responded immediately. He substituted in Bonner and Roger Mason, then started deploying tactics against Ronny Turiaf. Ronny, unable to defend effectively, found himself out of position, and both Spurs players nailed three-pointers one after another.

Parker, as always, utilized his quickness to target Turiaf and Biedrins, running pick-and-rolls with Duncan to attack inside. The Frenchman pushed the tempo to its limit, frequently causing damage to the Warriors' defense.

On defense, Popovich left Lowry completely open, while the Spurs players focused all their attention on Curry. At that moment, Curry's off-the-ball skills were still not fully developed. Facing the relentless pursuit and interception from the Spurs, his chances became increasingly difficult. Although Curry managed to hit two catch-and-shoot three-pointers, his efficiency plummeted.

Lowry, on the other hand, was not performing well. His three-point shooting percentage was just 27%, and though he tried to shoot, his lack of precision was evident. With no one else around, he couldn't avoid attempting some three-pointers, but he only made one, and after that, he didn't dare shoot again.

Liam replaced Watson once again, but his 31% shooting wasn't much better than Lowry's. The Warriors still relied on Azubuike for offensive production.

Azubuike's performance was completely different from Curry's. After three quarters, the Spurs had extended their lead to 16 points.

At the start of the final quarter, Liam took a risk and sent out a small-ball lineup of Curry, Butler, Azubuike, Matthews, and Biedrins, completely abandoning interior defense and attempting to compete with the Spurs in a shootout.

But the Spurs were not like the Mavericks, and Duncan was not Nowitzki. Duncan didn't have the unguardable mid-range shot of Nowitzki, but he brought a much tougher defense that the German lacked.

With Duncan protecting the paint and complemented by excellent and disciplined perimeter rotations, the Spurs stuck to their defensive strategy of double-teaming Curry, and it yielded great results.

According to Popovich's plan, Curry had Parker closely following him on the outside, Richard Jefferson ready to help in the middle, and Duncan in the paint as the last line of defense, always ready to block Curry's layup attempts.

The Spurs' defense was like a web, covering Curry in layers, blocking his shooting space, slowing down his steps, making every shot he attempted extremely difficult, forcing him to pass the ball and let others on the Warriors take over, shutting down the Warriors' run-and-gun offense.

In the end, Liam's desperate counterattack failed, and the Spurs maintained their lead until the final buzzer. They defeated the Warriors 91–75, claiming their third consecutive victory.

Duncan played excellently, recording a double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Parker gave Biedrins a lesson, hitting 12 of 17 free throws, scoring 32 points, and adding 7 assists, supporting Duncan's defense. Bonner and Roger Mason scored 9 and 12 points respectively, making a significant contribution with a combined 7 three-pointers.

As for the Warriors, Curry was heavily double-teamed throughout the game and had limited opportunities to shoot. He only made 5 of 13 field goals, 3 of 9 from beyond the arc, and 1 of 1 from the free-throw line, finishing with 14 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds through a disjointed effort. It was the worst performance and efficiency since he entered the NBA.

Not only did Curry struggle, but the entire Warriors team appeared physically and mentally fatigued in their second consecutive game. With the Spurs focusing all their attention on Curry, the team's performance suffered.

Azubuike took 25 shots in this game, setting a career-high, but only managed to make 10, including 6 of 18 three-pointers and 2 of 4 free throws, scoring 28 points, but his efficiency was extremely poor.

With Curry locked down, the Warriors couldn't run their offense, and the rest of the team struggled to generate scoring opportunities. Only Big Z managed 11 points with a mid-range jumper, while Duncan stifled Biedrins, who only had 4 points and 8 rebounds for the entire game. Aside from that, no one else scored in double digits.

After the game, Liam walked up to the technical stage and shook Popovich's hand.

Popovich looked at Liam and smiled kindly:

"Young man, would you like to grab a drink?"

Liam smiled bitterly and replied:

"My team lost miserably, and I'm not in the mood for a drink. Call me Liam... I must say, Mr. Popovich, you've given me a lot of problems. The other teams know how to deal with us."

Popovich laughed:

"Liam, don't look so worried. You should be thanking me. This is the threshold the Warriors must cross to become a great team."

He gave Liam a very friendly and open-minded gesture and gently patted his arm.

But Liam knew that Popovich's friendliness was because the Spurs won. If the Warriors had won, Popovich's expression would have been much different.

This old man never hides his emotions. His happiness and anger are written all over his face.

Liam looked Popovich straight in the eyes and said:

"Although I lost, the Spurs are not in a better position than the Warriors. I hope to see you in the playoffs this year, Greg."

Popovich's smile faded. He knew exactly what Liam was referring to. Duncan was still Duncan, but he wasn't the same Duncan anymore.

He couldn't perform like the best power forward in history every night, which was the main reason behind the Spurs' inconsistency.

But then he said in a serious tone:

"But tonight, I'm the winner. I can have a drink, sleep peacefully, and think about how to win tomorrow… at least I don't have to worry about not having a second option for the team."

Liam remained silent, as Popovich had clearly pointed out the Warriors' biggest weakness: the lack of a second ball handler besides Curry.

The facts had shown that Azubuike was clearly not ready to shoulder that responsibility. Lowry still needed time to develop and his height made it difficult to co-exist with Curry for long periods. His most suitable role was as a backup point guard.

The Warriors needed an interior player who could handle the four-on-three situations after Curry was double-teamed. The passing system also required another playmaker besides Curry.

A name popped into Liam's mind. As expected, people only truly appreciate things after they lose.

End of this chapter

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