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November 11th, Chicago.
The windy city in winter truly lives up to its name, the cold wind howling as Liam, who got off the bus, was swept by the wind, and he couldn't help but shrink his neck, lower his head, and quickly walk toward the United Center.
"What the hell...?" Jonathan, walking alongside Liam, complained softly, and Liam happened to hear it.
Liam spoke in a low voice: "Come on, I'll leave here after tonight. Milwaukee is cold too, but the wind isn't as strong as Chicago's."
"Ah, boss, I didn't mean it like that…" Jonathan seemed stunned and quickly explained that he didn't want Liam to think he was complaining about the job.
Liam heard Jonathan's slightly nervous voice and smiled, comforting him: "I'll be back in Auckland in two days, so I'll have time to rest and work hard."
Liam understood Jonathan's complaints; not only Jonathan, but everyone in the Warriors' team wasn't in the best of moods today, including Liam himself.
Since their home win over the Jazz on November 5th, the Warriors had embarked on a five-game road trip in the East.
On November 7th, the Warriors traveled thousands of miles to Detroit, by the shores of Lake Erie, to challenge the Pistons on the road.
This season, the Pistons' management still placed their hopes on the "Prince" Rodney Starkey, believing he would be the team's savior, but they were still as bad as ever, and the Warriors won this game effortlessly.
After the game, the Warriors flew to the exotic city of Toronto in the early hours of the morning, where they would face the Raptors the following night.
The Raptors, who had lost Bosh, weren't weak, but at least they were vulnerable. DeRozan still hadn't reached his peak, scoring only 11 points and 5 rebounds against the Warriors, and his efficiency wasn't high. However, Lowry, who was traded to the Raptors by the Warriors, performed very well.
His long-range shooting had greatly improved compared to last season. Although he wasn't at his best yet, he wasn't easy to empty. He put up 17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in the overall stats, causing many problems for his old club.
Lowry's performance wasn't fleeting. Since the start of the new season, he had averaged 14.5 points, 5.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game, firmly securing his position as the Raptors' starting point guard. Together with DeRozan, they were key to the team's growth.
However, the Raptors weren't strong enough in the end. They were down by more than 10 points throughout the game, and in the end, the Warriors defeated the Raptors 114-96, claiming the win.
It's worth mentioning that Lowry specifically thanked the Warriors during the post-game interview, especially Liam's guidance, which helped him understand the importance of shooting. This guidance was a key reason for his standout performance with the Raptors.
But two consecutive wins were only the beginning of the Warriors' trip in the East, as the Warriors flew from Toronto to New York with only one day off to face the Knicks after defeating the Raptors in their seventh consecutive win.
This season, the Knicks were no longer a weak team. The addition of Stoudemire allowed the Knicks to have an All-Star player again after many years, and D'Antoni had taken over in the Big Apple. New York fans hadn't felt hope like this in a long, long time.
And the Knicks truly didn't let their fans wait in vain. Since the start of the new season, they had a 5-2 record, ranking third in the East. While no one knew when they would fall, New York fans finally saw the hope of their team rising again.
In this game, the Warriors unfortunately became the Knicks' latest victory. The long-distance flights and back-to-back games had left the Warriors exhausted and in bad condition. The coaching staff hadn't studied the Knicks enough and didn't prepare specific tactics.
In this situation, the Warriors were caught off guard at the start, falling behind by 14 points to the Knicks. They tried to close the gap, but it was in vain. The basket at Madison Square Garden seemed to add a lid to the Warriors, and including Curry, the Warriors couldn't shoot and ended up trailing by 21 points at the end of the first half.
In the third quarter, the Warriors finally recovered their feelings, but still couldn't stop the Knicks' offensive. Both teams exchanged attacks, and in the end, the Warriors beat the Knicks by 2 points in a single quarter and entered the final period.
In the first 4 minutes of the final quarter, both teams' bench units fought evenly, with the Warriors closing the gap by 2 points, only for the Knicks to quickly regain them. Liam simply didn't send the starters back into the game, reversed the momentum from the third quarter, and abandoned the match. The Warriors eventually lost 96-110.
Liam did this for a simple reason: the game against the Knicks was held the night before, and immediately after the game, the Warriors flew from New York to Chicago to prepare for the game that evening against the Bulls.
That's right! There were two consecutive games in the Warriors' five-game road trip in the East!
This is also why the Warriors' opponents were all weak teams in the East except for the Bulls, but the schedule was a devilish one. The league had also made things difficult for the Warriors, sending them to the Great Lakes to play against the Pistons, then to Toronto in Canada to face the Raptors, followed by a flight to New York on the East Coast, and finally back to Lake Michigan, and eventually to Milwaukee, just 600 kilometers from Detroit, to play against the Bucks. It was a real roundabout journey, starting and ending in similar locations.
In order to create such a complicated schedule, with two consecutive games in the middle, the league had put in a lot of effort. Their work ethic, considering the players' well-being, quickly earned the "praise" of the entire Warriors team. The players had been showing their hearts to the league in recent days.
But no matter how much they grumbled privately, the game still had to be played. The day before, Liam strategically abandoned the game against the Knicks to prepare for a win against the Bulls tonight.
Unlike the Knicks' negligence, at the start of the season, Liam had instructed the scouting department to pay close attention to the Bulls' movements, gathering videos of all their games and carefully analyzing their tactics.
Not just the Bulls, but the Warriors' scouting department was highly focused on games against strong teams like the Lakers, Mavericks, Spurs, Thunder, Celtics, Heat, Magic, and others, who were potential playoff opponents for the Warriors, especially those in the West.
Liam didn't know what other teams were doing, but he believed in the principle of "know yourself and know your enemy, and in a hundred battles, you will never be in peril." Even information about these strong teams in the East hadn't been overlooked. While he didn't expect the Warriors to compete for the championship this year, he knew that opportunities always favor those who are prepared. If the time to sharpen the weapon arrived, it would definitely be too late.
Therefore, Liam attached great importance to this game against the Bulls, one of the only two meetings between the Warriors and the Bulls in the regular season this year. The next game between the two teams wouldn't be until February 5th, nearly three months later.
The Bulls, who currently sat at the top of the East with 5 wins and 2 losses, were the first truly strong team the Warriors had encountered this season. It was also a great opportunity to test the Warriors' quality.
After arriving at the United Center's locker room, Liam made it clear to the players what he wanted to say: "How strong the Bulls are, I don't need to repeat it. How to play tonight's game, I've emphasized it several times. The only thing you need to do is to win the game with all your might. If you win the Bulls tonight, you'll have a day off tomorrow. And when the Bucks return to Oakland after this game, you'll still have another day off!"
The players immediately got excited and shouted: "Boss, don't worry, we'll win!"
"Hurry up with the vacation!"
"No one's going to stop me from taking a break…"
Liam looked at the locker room, which seemed like a group of demons wildly dancing, and couldn't help but smile.
No matter how much an NBA player earns, they're still a worker earning money with manual labor. And as long as they are workers, there's no one who doesn't want to take a vacation, especially if it doesn't cost them any money.
In many cases, the coach doesn't need to serve much motivational speech, as long as they offer a couple of extra days off, the players will naturally go out on the court and work hard.
Of course, Liam could only do this because of his great power, and the general head coach doesn't have the right to give players vacation time on a whim. Even if they want to use the vacation to motivate the players, they can't do so, which is why they have to desperately pour motivational speeches on the players.
Just as the Warriors players were motivated by Liam's words, in the local team's locker room, not far from the visiting team's locker room, Thibodeau was also giving a pre-game speech.
The rookie coach, leading an NBA team for the first time this season, had transformed the Bulls into an impenetrable defensive powerhouse, currently holding the top spot in the league. This was the moment for the spring breeze to be proud.
However, there was no look of arrogance on his face. He maintained his serious expression, just like his more than ten years as an assistant coach. Perhaps it was only when the Bulls executed a brilliant defensive round that he smiled.
At this moment, he looked at the Bulls' players with a solemn expression and calmly said:
"Although the Warriors just lost to the Knicks yesterday, that's not their real level. They're first in the West and have won one more game than us. Everyone needs to stay positive, focus, and do a great job on every defense if we want a chance to win this game. We'll stick to the defensive strategy we've set. I've already told you what to pay attention to. Let me emphasize again—first, the rebound..."
Then, Thibodeau went into great detail about how to perform well on the defensive side, including minor adjustments made to the Warriors' offense. He briefly mentioned the offense at the end:
"…The Warriors' defense is also very strong, especially the combination of Chandler and No. 23 Draymond Green, which makes their interior defense difficult. But I believe in your impact, especially Derrick. We'll still try to attack the inside, get the ball to the basket, and look for opportunities in the mid-range. Three-pointers are just an alternative. Honestly, we don't have much chance of hitting other threes..."
Finally, after a long speech, Thibodeau finished his pre-game pep talk, and it was time for the Bulls to start their warm-ups.
The Bulls players, who had been listening silently for a long time, quietly felt relieved and quickly stood up and left the locker room. Hearing Thibodeau's dry speeches before every game was definitely a form of torture.
No doubt, Thibodeau gained popularity quickly, and his passion for basketball and obsession with his job convinced the players of his professional ability. However, his dry pre-game speech was so dull that people wanted to skip it.
Unfortunately, Thibodeau, who followed Rivers to win a championship, didn't learn Rivers' ability to pour motivational "chicken soup" for his players. Instead, he preferred to learn from Jeff Van Gundy, whom he had followed for many years, emphasizing defensive details before games rather than using any vague slogans, even if his disciples were a group of young players.
Among the Bulls players leaving the locker room, Rose was at the back, his head lowered as he walked ahead in silence. No one knew what this shy guy was thinking.
"Derrick, it's up to you to play."
A familiar voice echoed in Rose's ears, and a familiar touch came to his shoulder.
He looked up and saw Thibodeau approaching him, patting him on the shoulder, speaking seriously.
Before every game, Thibodeau would say this to Rose.
"Okay, Coach." Rose's expression didn't change much, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly. He nodded and replied.
After hearing Rose's response, Thibodeau exhaled softly, as before, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Then I'll feel relieved."
The two stayed silent and left the locker room one after the other, entering the stadium just like they had done before the first seven games.
But after walking a short distance, Rose suddenly asked: "Coach, we're going to win this game, right?"
"Hmmm..." Thibodeau turned his head, looked at Rose with some surprise, thought for a moment, and slowly said, "I don't know. I can only say, if we defend well, we'll have a chance to win any game. Why did you suddenly ask about this?"
Rose had never shown doubt about winning since Thibodeau took over the Bulls, but today, Thibodeau saw hesitation in Rose's eyes.
Rose slightly lifted his head, looked into the distance, and calmly said: "It's nothing. I just have a reason why I have to win this game."
He recalled the call with Curry the day before:
"Hey, Derrick, I'm in Chicago, but I'm going to have to fight back-to-back with you, so I can't let you invite me to dinner."
"Didn't I invite you when you came to Chicago in May?"
"That's different. It has to be on the road."
"Actually, it's fine. Otherwise, you have to eat together if you lose, which is a bit embarrassing."
"Yeah, I can't let you lose the game, and I have to pay a gift. I'll treat you next time."
"Stephen, it's you, not me. It's embarrassing because I'm going to win."
"No, no, no, I don't believe it. We've won one more game than you, and we beat the Lakers, who are your opponents…"
"Goodbye, see you on the court!"
End of this chapter
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