Seven Hundred and Eighty-Two. The Gathering of the Counter-Attackers

After cursing Popovich, Sun Ce stopped caring about the Warriors and looked at his own schedule for April.

After playing the Warriors, the Grizzlies still have 10 games left. They will play the Rockets and Wizards back-to-back at home on the 2nd and 3rd, then play the Mavericks at home on the 5th, play the Bucks and Trail Blazers back-to-back away on the 7th and 8th, play the Spurs away on the 10th, play the Lakers away on the 12th, play the Suns away on the 14th and 16th, and end the regular season away on the 18th against the 76ers...

The schedule in the first three months was so easy, it really paid off! The schedule in the two and a half months from February to April was as cruel as it could be.

However, it was precisely because of the easy schedule in the first three months that the Grizzlies were able to run in the defense so well and have a record of 16 wins and 4 losses since the All-Star Weekend.

After Sun Ce calmed down, he also accepted this fact.

It's not possible that all good things should be taken by the Panda Army, right? Panda, as the strongest mount, also caused Chi You to lose his kingdom.

This kind of thing can only be dealt with hard in one game after another. They are under great pressure. After losing 7 games after the All-Star Weekend, the Spurs, who suddenly don't know what's wrong with their brains, will also be under great pressure to compete for the first place.

There will be another direct confrontation later. When the time comes, try to win. Maybe there will still be a chance.

Changing his mood, Sun Ce went to have some lunch, but not too much. He would have a big meal in the evening. Curry's current salary is much higher than his.

...

In the evening, Sun Ce and Morrow came to the restaurant reserved by Curry. When they got off the taxi, they happened to meet Ellis who handed the car keys to the waiter. This was a coincidence.

Sun Ce and Morrow greeted Ellis, but Ellis still looked cold.

Although they were teammates for a short time, Sun Ce didn't even play with Ellis in the regular season, but he seemed to be used to Ellis's personality.

It's good that Ellis can come. This kind of person is very principled from a certain perspective. He will not change his views on some things because of time, identity, status, etc. He is not a vulgar person. He is quite principled. What is his view on someone or something at the beginning, and what is his attitude towards it. If it is not that this person or thing itself destroys his principles, he will not change his attitude towards this person or thing no matter what changes happen to this person or thing.

Putting aside Ellis's awkward personality, making friends with such a person,

Actually, it's quite good, straight to the point, without so many tricks.

After entering the restaurant, the waiter took the three of them to the seat reserved by Curry.

Ellis is the star player of the Warriors. Sun Ce and Morrow are both players who have gone out of the Warriors and made a name for themselves and originally showed their talents in the Warriors. The waiter naturally knows them.

When they came to the seat reserved by Curry, in addition to Curry, there was also a counter-attacker who has undergone earth-shaking changes in the Warriors this season-Darrell Wright.

They are all acquaintances. Every time he and Curry get together this season, he will call Wright and say hello. There is no need for so many small talk. He is not asking for anything from the other party. It is just a dinner without any purpose. There is no need for courtesy. After saying hello, they sit down and order their own food.

Usually, I don’t have that concept. When so many people sit together, Sun Ce suddenly realizes one thing - this seems to be a party of counterattack.

Ellis, a second-round pick, got a three-year salary, won the Most Improved Award during this period, averaged 20+ points per game since the third year, and won a 5-year contract of 55 million US dollars.

He, Sun, is almost undrafted.

Morrow was undrafted when he graduated from college at the age of 23 in 2008. His rookie year was okay. In his sophomore year last season, he averaged two three-pointers per game and 13 points per game. The Warriors had no money to keep him. If Morrow stayed with the Warriors, he would definitely have to pay more money. Their target was David Lee. When the Grizzlies proposed to add him to the deal, he personally wanted to play with Sun Ce. He lowered some salary requirements and signed and then traded to the Grizzlies.

Curry… He was a lottery pick, so he shouldn’t be counted among the counter-attackers, but he has this mentality. He wanted to go to Duke after graduating from high school, but was rejected. After three years of college, the best model for him when he participated in the draft was Mohammed Abdul-Rauf, the third pick in 1990, a mediocre player who never made the All-Star team or the All-NBA team, played only twice in the playoffs, and had no other honors or deeds worth writing about except for a Most Improved Award and a second-team All-Rookie.

Curry also considers himself a member of the counter-attacking group.

Darrell Wright is interesting. He was the 19th pick in 2004 and started his career with the Heat. He almost never shot three-pointers in the first five years of his career, and only made 14 three-pointers in the five years.

In the first five years of his career, Wright was a well-known defensive player with outstanding physical fitness. But last season, Wright suddenly started shooting three-pointers, averaging 0.8 three-pointers per game. In order to clear space, the Heat even gave up his team option of more than 2 million. The Warriors lost Morrow and signed him with a one-year short contract. Who knew that he would suddenly explode and become the top three three-point shooters this season? Just as the one-year contract renewal period came, the Warriors immediately gave Wright a 4-year contract and renewed his contract until 2015. Such a catcher is easy to use and is also a very high-quality bargaining chip for trading.

Wright, like Morrow, was a player that Sun Ce had no impression of before. As a result, he exploded in the Warriors and averaged 2+ three-pointers per game. It happened to be when Sun had just entered the NBA.

After ordering the food, we started chatting. Everyone was used to Ellis's silence, so we didn't feel awkward. We just chatted.

As we chatted, we talked about labor-management negotiations.

"A few days ago, the labor-management and labor-management sides held a remote meeting and negotiations. Fisher and Jordan broke down again. I don't know if the next season can go smoothly." Curry sighed.

Speaking of this topic, Sun Ce joked: "Thirteen years ago, Jordan was the player's negotiator, the toughest one. Now he is the owner's negotiator, the toughest one. He is worthy of being the god of basketball."

Morrow continued Curry's sad atmosphere: "This is too bad. I remember that many stars fell during the last lockout, and many injuries occurred."

"We just need to do our own things. If there is a lockout, training will be enough. Those owners can't let the whole season not be played. They have many industries that rely on the NBA to advertise for them." Sun Ce analyzed.

"But there are also many players who may not make it. I remember that many marginal players went bankrupt during the last lockout, and they couldn't return to the NBA to continue playing." As a second-generation player, Curry is very familiar with the situation at that time.

In the 1997-98 season, Curry's father Dell Curry had just finished the highest salary of his career, 3.66 million US dollars, but after the lockout, the Hornets did not give his father, the team's scoring champion, a contract. Dell Curry was 34 years old at the time, and the lockout lasted so long. The Hornets felt that Dell Curry should retire, so the Curry family suffered a huge financial crisis. Dell Curry once played performance-style baseball to support his family. Dell Curry also participated in the Major League Baseball draft that year and was selected.

It was not until March that the Bucks gave Dell Curry a 1 million US dollar contract, and only got half of it. Fortunately, in the summer of 1999, the Raptors, who had playoff strength, took a fancy to Dell Curry's three-point ability and signed him for 6.2 million US dollars in 3 years.

Some people are relatively self-centered and pay more attention to themselves. Since it is relative, of course some people have this mentality of "worrying about the country and the people", which may not be reflected in the country. For example, Curry works in the NBA. He is worried about those role players, bench players and even water dispenser managers who have low salaries and unstable careers.

The three players with short playing experience kept discussing the lockout, while Ellis and Wright, two veterans, were very calm about it.

Wright listened to the discussion of the three for a while, and after understanding the different views of the three, he interrupted and said: "Stephen, what you said makes sense, but Noah's mentality is more suitable for us. There are some things we can't control and can only accept. By the way, Noah, I heard that the Grizzlies management is applying for you to renew your contract like Jordan?"

The topic was turned so abruptly that the three young players who were discussing heatedly felt awkward, but the topic was very attractive.

Morrow kept silent about this topic. His agent told him not to mention it to Sun Ce. He will enter the player option this summer. The 1+1 contract signed last summer with a total of 6 million US dollars has a player option. If there is no player option, he has the opportunity to get a higher starting salary and a long-term contract. Even if he wants to play with Sun Ce, it is unlikely to join the Grizzlies.

Curry has no scruples: "It's great, I'm going to get a high salary. Next time you treat me to a meal, it won't be pizza again..."

I don't know how it got spread that the Grizzlies boss wanted Sun Ce to renew his contract like Jordan's first comeback. It's impossible to think about it. Jordan's salary was not counted in the salary cap that time. This is not possible in the current NBA. Sun Ce wanted to explain but didn't know where to start. He didn't know the specifics. He just knew that Robert Pera was trying to win over the bosses of various teams to get this done. He simply didn't explain it. Anyway, it was quite cool.

Feeling Curry's resentment, Sun Ce said without blushing: "Pizza is so delicious, I like to eat pizza. Besides pizza, I like hot pot the most. Stephen, I will take you to my house to eat hot pot in the summer? You can eat expensive things as you like."

"Ahem..." Curry, who teased Sun Ce, was drinking water and almost choked to death. After a while, Curry held the water cup tightly and said: "I will never go to your house to eat hot pot again!"

Thinking of the food he ate last summer, Curry felt that he was not good at all. He swore that he would never go again!

……

……

The gathering with the former roommate was generally pleasant. Anyway, Sun Ce invited Curry to eat hot pot happily together during the offseason. Sun Ce didn't care whether Curry went or not. He just wanted to see Curry's desperate expression.

Nothing happened overnight. The next morning, Sun Ce and his teammates came to the familiar yet unfamiliar Oracle Arena. Last season and even the early part of this season, he still missed it a little when he came here, but now, that feeling is gone. This season, he has established a friendship with his Grizzlies teammates that is not inferior to the friendship with Ellis and Curry when he first entered the NBA.

Of course, the initial friendship when he first entered the NBA is definitely the most unforgettable. Nash, Curry, and Ellis are very important to Sun Ce, but Sun Ce no longer has any feelings for the other Warriors and the Warriors team.

After the pre-match tactical meeting in the morning, defensive assistant coach Joerger led the players in a simple defensive training, mainly high-speed rotation defense. Gasol will not play tonight, and he needs to prepare for the back-to-back at the beginning of next month.

After the morning training, the Warriors players returned to the hotel. There is one advantage of playing the Warriors away. Although the hotels in Oakland are worse than those in other cities, and many teams even choose to stay in San Francisco next door, the transportation is convenient.

After returning to the hotel, Sun Ce ordered some food in the restaurant. While waiting for the food to be delivered, he browsed Twitter for a while. At 12:05 noon, the NBA officially announced the new weekly player award.

Last week, the Grizzlies only had 2 wins and 2 losses. Sun Ce's overall performance was okay, not bad, and he failed to win the weekly player. Yao Ming, the center of the Mavericks who won three consecutive games, won the second weekly player of the season. Yao Ming averaged 22 points and 8 rebounds in 3 games last week. This is Yao Ming's 8th weekly player of the season. In the East, Howard won the 5th weekly player of the season.

But this time, in the West, Sun Ce won the weekly player of the season! The 9th weekly player of the season, continuing to refresh the record of the number of weekly players in a single season!

Last week, Sun Ce himself did not expect that he would get a triple-double in two consecutive games. The Grizzlies won all three games, and Sun Ce's data was good. He was better than Parker, the Spurs point guard who won all four games in the past week. Parker averaged 18 points and 11 assists in the four games in the past week, and performed well, but Sun Ce performed better and beat Parker to win the Player of the Week. It was a complete surprise.

After defeating the Spurs players, Sun Ce felt relieved!

He has won the Player of the Week twice this month, and Sun Ce began to imagine whether he would have a chance to win the Player of the Month for the third time?

In this way, his chances of winning the MVP will be further increased!

At present, Sun Ce's goal is to compete for the regular season championship. If he wins the regular season championship, his chances of winning the MVP will be far ahead.

But if he can't get it, then the Player of the Month is very important.

The first player of the Month in a single season in NBA history... is still James, who won the Player of the Month four times in the 08-09 season. James won the MVP that season. The second is Kobe, who won the Player of the Month three times in the 06-07 season.

In addition, no other player has won the Player of the Month three times in a single season. Before 2001, the Player of the Month was not divided into the East and West. Superstars such as O'Neal, Jordan, and Olajuwon all won the Player of the Month twice in a single season, but it was almost impossible to win the Player of the Month three times in a single season in that era. In the 1995-96 season, Jordan led the team to 72 wins, but only won the Player of the Month once.

Although the Player of the Month and the MVP are generally unrelated, Kobe won the Player of the Month three times in the 2006-07 season, but only ranked third in MVP votes. Nowitzki defeated Nash and Kobe with his record, and the record is the most important.

But Sun Ce certainly hopes to become the third player to win the Player of the Month three times in a single season.

…

At 6:40 in the evening, after the warm-up, Sun Ce and his teammates entered the Oracle Arena together.

The fans cheered for Sun Ce. Sun Ce's contract was about to expire, so they naturally wanted to bring him back. Although the Warriors management had been pushing for the change of the rookie clause because of the loss of Arenas, the Warriors fans did not want the change of the rookie clause to be established.

After almost two seasons, the Warriors fans' love for Sun Ce has not diminished but increased. After losing Arenas and Sun Ce, the Warriors fans felt that they were the most tragic fans in the entire NBA.

Not to mention the fans, the Warriors players and coaching staff heard the cheers from the fans for Sun Ce and were secretly complaining that the two bosses had brain problems.

This game was not a popular game. Last season, after Sun Ce abused the Warriors by 59 points in a single game, the Grizzlies and Warriors played again and there was an additional national live broadcast. This season, the topic of "Sun Ce's revenge on his old club" has no appeal.

The Warriors lineup is still good, and the chaos is very strong, otherwise they would not have won 32 games. The Bucks, who are currently ranked eighth in the East, only have 32 wins. The "competition" between Curry and Jennings is still quite fierce.

The Warriors' starting lineup is very stable, from point guard Curry to power forward David Lee, they are all very strong. The weakest in the starting lineup is the center - Thabeet. After entering the court, Sun Ce curiously looked at Thabeet's ability evaluation and data when they played against each other for the last time.

"Hashim Thabeet, 24 years old, ability evaluation B-, offense F, defense A-... 23 minutes per game, 4.6 points, 7 rebounds, 2.4 blocks per game..."

It has been a long time since I paid attention to this second-place pick in the same year who was traded for me. Sun Ce didn't expect Thabeet to play well. His blocking skills were really good, and he had a block almost every 10 minutes.

When Thabeet was drafted, his selling point was "the next big dream". He has good flexibility among players over 220 cm tall, slightly worse than Yao Ming, but better than Big Z. His blocking sense is extremely sharp. Last season, he averaged 18 minutes and 1.8 blocks per game. This season, his playing time has increased, and his blocking data has reached a new level.

In this way, Sun Ce felt that Thabeet still had some talent, at least his height was well utilized, but there was no room for Thabeet to be cultivated in the original time and space. Gasol's talent was better than the Grizzlies management expected, and Thabeet's talent was far below expectations. It was easy to decide who to cultivate.

After the pre-match cheerleading performance, at 6:58, the starting lineups of the two teams appeared.

The Grizzlies sent out Sun Ce, Tony Allen, Paul George, Randolph, and Jordan tonight.

Gasol was rested and Battier was also put in the second lineup, mainly to deal with the opponent's speed.

On the Warriors side, Curry, Ellis, Wright, David Lee, and Thabeet were the starting lineup.

After the game started, the two teams quickly entered a fast-paced offense and defense. Curry was very excited today and started to soar!