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December 3rd, Oracle Center.
Knock.
Liam gently opened the door to the conference room and walked in, followed by Jonathan, who was holding a laptop and a stack of A4 papers. They entered the room.
Liam's eyes shifted. Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Bruce had already arrived. They were sitting together, chatting and laughing casually. When the three saw Liam and Jonathan entering, all their eyes turned to them, greeting them one by one:
"Liam, Jonathan, good morning."
"Hello, Liam, you're a little late today..."
"I slept a little late yesterday, woke up a bit late in the morning, and had to wait a while," Liam said with a slightly apologetic tone. Then he moved toward the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
When he was on good terms with the coaching staff, Liam never mentioned his identity as the owner. At this moment, he was just the head coach of the Warriors, not the owner of the team.
Jonathan leaned slightly, greeting the three assistant coaches one by one, and then placed the laptop on the table, took out a data cable from his backpack, and connected it to the projector in the conference room.
The Warriors' conference room was very large, and its design was different from a typical corporate room with a table in the middle. Instead, there were six round tables distributed in all directions, surrounded by chairs. The chairs were oriented in the same direction, and in front of them, there was a large curtain, especially arranged to facilitate video lessons for the team, as it was common in other teams.
It was a day off, and the players didn't have to train. The only people in the conference room were the coaching staff and Jonathan, so the five of them occupied just one round table at the front.
"Ahem..." Liam cleared his throat and smiled. "Let's get started quickly. First, let's watch the videos from the last six games, do a quick review, and then look at the video of the Thunder. We'll establish specific tactics and try to finish it as soon as possible so everyone can go back and rest."
With today being a day off, the Warriors would have three days to rest before heading to Oklahoma City to face the Lakers. As usual, the coaching staff would review the past few games, study the upcoming opponent's video, and prepare for the next game.
After finishing his speech, Liam waved his hand toward Jonathan. Jonathan understood, clicked the mouse, and the game video began playing on the screen.
At the same time, Liam picked up the scouting report from the table and said:
"Guys, the first game was against the Nuggets on November 22. Although we won, the defensive effect against Anthony was pretty average. He scored 39 points. Even though his shooting percentage was only 41.7%, he made 17 out of 17 free throws. Jimmy, Wesley, and Tony took turns defending him, but couldn't limit him. Combined with the previous game against the Lakers, where Kobe Bryant scored 40+ on us, this clearly shows that before Klay grows, we lack a great 3D small forward..."
As the game video continued playing after the cut, Liam calmly shared his analysis. The three assistant coaches focused on the screen, listening carefully and offering their opinions from time to time. Jonathan, following Liam's requests, occasionally paused, rewound, and made notes on the video. The room gradually became noisier.
After playing against the Lakers, the Warriors returned home to face the Nuggets and won 109-102. Curry continued his great form, shooting 5 of 12 from three, scoring 32 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, and 1 block, extending his streak of 30+ games to five—setting the longest such streak in the league and constantly breaking his own career record, catching national attention.
But Anthony proved to be an offensive kaleidoscope, with an impressive performance of 39 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. His 17 free throws taught Butler and Matthews a lesson, allowing both to foul out.
Even though Tony Allen, who was sent to defend him at the end, didn't foul out (measuring just 6'4"), Anthony made him shoot over him. If not for the Nuggets lacking a second offensive weapon besides Anthony, the Warriors might have lost the game.
The video of the game against the Nuggets wasn't long, focusing mainly on the defense against Anthony and the Warriors' offensive sets. Then came the next game. Liam said:
"... The second game was against the Rockets, and we lost. We allowed Scola and Kevin Martin to score 24 and 26 points, respectively. Honestly, this was my fault. If I hadn't insisted on letting Klay defend Kevin Martin and allowed him to get to the free-throw line, we wouldn't have lost this game. But what I didn't expect was that Draymond's defense against Scola was so poor..."
The video focused on Klay and Draymond's defensive plays, showing clear mistakes. In the replays, Klay and Green were frequently fooled by Kevin Martin and Scola, who combined for 15 free throws to outplay the Warriors at the free-throw line.
Liam thought this game would be easy, so he let Klay defend Martin to give him some defensive experience, but the Warriors' offense struggled.
Adelman's tactical preparation was very fine, which allowed Battier to stay with Curry the whole game. Curry had a bad game, shooting 8 of 19, 2 of 9 from three, and 4 of 6 free throws, scoring only 22 points. His streak of 30+ games came to an end, and the rest of the Warriors were limited by the Rockets' excellent defensive rotations.
Meanwhile, Green was trained by the Argentine Diamonds throughout the game, and Scola used his incredible footwork and fakes to score 24 points efficiently against Green. Kevin Martin shined as a double star, helping the Rockets win 111-101.
Mike Breen looked at Green after being shaken by Scola in the replay and said in a deep voice:
"Draymond is still too inexperienced. He only played 2 minutes in the first quarter, and Scola drew a foul on him, completely breaking his mentality. He was so impatient later on. Of course, even if he had a good mentality, he still couldn't handle Scola, but his defense would improve greatly in the future. I believe this game will help him a lot."
Bruce chimed in: "Yes, after the Rockets game, Draymond came to me and asked to practice his post defense, and he also requested a replay of the game in the video room. He watched it several times, and in the next four games, his post defense improved a lot right away."
Mike Breen smiled and said:
"Well, as for Klay... He's got plenty of time ahead, but he has what it takes, and as long as he plays enough games, his defense will not disappoint."
Liam nodded:
"The next third game was against the Grizzlies, nothing to say about this one. Hollins made a big mistake in his defensive arrangement. In the first half, he let us score six three-pointers, leaving Klay to shoot three in the second half, and later changed the defense. Tyson and Draymond had many opportunities to score easy baskets, and we scored 30 points in the restricted area. This game doesn't offer much to analyze."
His voice dropped, and Jonathan switched to the next video. Liam casually said:
"This is a game against the Timberwolves. You don't need to watch it. The opponent's defense was very weak. We could win casually. If I'm not mistaken, Stephen only played three quarters and scored 30 points in 29 minutes... Ah, by the way, what's worth noting in this game is the performance of the bench. Danny did well, shooting 4 of 7 from three, scoring 16 points in total, with strong defensive resistance, and Hassan, who scored 10 points."
Bruce added:
"I think we can give Danny some time in the rotation, but Hassan's defensive habits still need to improve. He doesn't have the same skills as an NBA player, except near the basket, and it will take him a long time to break into the rotation."
Silas and Mike Breen nodded in agreement. Liam slowly leaned back in his chair:
"Consider it, Stephen, you look into it. Talk about Danny the day after tomorrow, and review the next game against the Spurs... Unfortunately, the Spurs kicked our butts. Popovich seems to have figured out how to make them win again. What do you think about their changes this season?"
After Liam finished speaking, everyone watched the video in silence. No one spoke. Suddenly, Mike Breen said:
"Jonathan, stop. Look at this play. Klay came out at a 45-degree angle with Draymond's help. If it were the Spurs last season, Duncan would have definitely stepped up to help defend. But he didn't this time. He stayed under the basket, looking at the other players' positions. It was a contraction. And this isn't an exception... Look at this play again, Stephen ran out through the elevator door, and the Spurs chose the same response. The same thing happened in later games... Basically, the Spurs sacrificed their perimeter defense and focused on protecting the basket while controlling the backcourt rebounds and counterattacks."
The three nodded slowly while listening. From time to time, they lowered their heads to write something in their notebooks. After Mike Breen finished speaking, Silas spoke:
"On the offensive side, the Spurs have changed even more. Duncan has been promoted to the center position, and height has been exchanged for speed. They mainly play counterattacks, high screens, and breaking passes. Tony Parker and Ginóbili have taken over from Duncan and dominate the Spurs' offense... In my opinion, Duncan is no longer the core of this Spurs team."
Liam nodded and said:
"Exactly, you're on the same page as me. What's even scarier is that the Spurs have quietly completed the transition of the team's crown while keeping the tacit understanding of the GDP combo. Their tactical coordination is very fluid. Currently, they average 23 assists per game, fifth in the league, with 13 turnovers, third-fewest in the league. They are bound to rise again, and now we have one more playoff opponent."
Liam's voice grew very serious, and everyone's expression was solemn. The competition in the West was already fierce, and now the Spurs had risen from the ashes. Surrounded by heroes, the future development of the Warriors was sure to face many difficulties and obstacles.
Liam continued:
"This game has started to take shape. The Spurs beat us 128-118, and the whole team had six players with double-doubles. Their offense was smooth and impressive, while our defense still wasn't systematic. Ron, Bruce, you two need to work harder and have them practice defense more."
Both nodded in response, and Bruce said:
"Draymond once again exposed his lack of defensive experience. His awareness is very sharp, but he can't make up for his inexperience. His skills need to improve, but give me a season, and it will be fine. But one thing to note is his offense. After so many games, the opponent will no longer give him wide-open shots. He needs to improve his shooting, and his finishing around the rim is still a bit clumsy. He lacks independent offensive moves, which severely affects his offense."
Liam sighed slightly:
"I know, Draymond still has a lot of room for improvement. He needs to play and practice. During his growth process, we have to endure losses. The same is true for Klay. I hope they can grow faster."
He paused for a moment and smiled slightly:
"Everyone, this is interesting. The stronger the teams are, the more grinding it will be for us. As a young team, the Warriors need this kind of training... Of course, there's no shortage of preparation. Jonathan, notify the scouting department, analyze the data after every Spurs game, and then inform the video room to cut the video of every game of the Spurs against the top four teams in the East and West."
Jonathan quickly responded:
"Got it."
Liam gestured, and Jonathan switched to a new video. Liam continued:
"The last game, that is, the last game we played against the Suns, the value of this game is also limited. The Suns are not the Suns of the past. We won easily, and their defense was very weak, just a bit better than the Timberwolves'. The Suns are currently ninth in the West, fighting for a playoff spot, and are no longer our competitors."
His voice was full of emotion, and the three of them also looked somewhat embarrassed. The team that eliminated the Warriors from the playoffs last season was now struggling for a playoff spot, while the Warriors were second in the West. The world was unpredictable.
After watching the replays of the six games, Jonathan opened a new folder and played the video inside. Liam picked up the recent scouting report of the Thunder, looked serious, and said:
"Guys, the next team to look at is our upcoming opponent, the Thunder. They are a young team like us, and they've improved compared to last season. Durant's ball-handling skills have improved, Westbrook's scoring has significantly increased, Harden is gradually adapting to the role of sixth man, Jeff Green has been consistently contributing, and Ibaka has emerged... They are on a great momentum right now, only losing three more games than us. It's going to be a tough fight!"
He paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled:
"Of course, they still have weaknesses, and it's not hard to beat them. So let's take a look at the Thunder's flaws..."
End of this chapter
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