NBA: Warrior godfather.

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The next day, Oracle Arena.

"Stop! Tyson, you need to pay attention to your positioning, you're cutting too early for this ball, you didn't block for Stephen, remember, the main purpose of this tactic is to give Stephen an opportunity for coverage, if they follow him, you cut into the area and look for a second opportunity, understand?"

On the sidelines, Liam stopped everyone practicing tactical coordination on the court. He walked like a pen on the tactical board and explained the tactics to Tyson in detail.

Chandler raised his hand to admit it was his fault and nodded repeatedly:

—Got it, Coach.

"Alright, once more, Klay, Jimmy, you also need to pay attention to movement on the weak side, contain the opposing defenders, everyone move, I don't want to see anyone standing around stupidly watching others attack, EVERYONE must get involved!" Liam shouted loudly as he stepped aside.

Green, holding the ball in the low post, passed it to Curry. The five on the court moved to half court to run the same tactic again.

Curry dribbled to the top of the arc, with the other four also running to half court. Klay and Butler were at the left corner, 45 degrees outside the three-point line. Green had moved to the right low post, engaging with Anthony Toliver, who was playing with the opposing defender behind him, while Chandler stood at the right side of the free-throw line in the corner.

Curry dribbled twice against Jeremy Lin, who was defending him, at a 45-degree angle outside the right three-point line, passed the ball to Green, then ran back to the top of the arc, where Jeremy Lin followed.

After Green received the ball, Chandler began to move, and Whiteside, who was in front of him, knew what was coming but stayed by the free-throw line and didn't follow him.

This wasn't a game, it was a tactical drill. It had to simulate a real defensive environment, and no one would be guarding a blue-collar center outside the three-point line.

At the same time, Butler sunk into the weak side corner to provide coverage for Klay, who cut toward the basket, drawing all defensive attention from Matthews and Azubuike.

Just as Chandler was pulling back, Curry, who had just moved to the top of the arc, suddenly ran backward. Jeremy Lin quickly reacted, either knowing Curry would do this from the start or anticipating it, and stuck to Curry closely but was firmly blocked by Chandler's large body. Curry reached the right sideline and got an open shot.

As Green passed the ball, Curry immediately took the opportunity. Whiteside rushed in but it was too late. Curry even had time to aim at the basket after receiving the ball and confidently made the three-pointer.

"Good job! Tyson, you did great covering, and Draymond's pass was spot on… Clay, let's run this tactic again, Stephen goes to the weak side to create space!" Liam applauded and ordered loudly.

Soon, the players on the court adjusted their positions, and Clay began executing this tactic, also with Chandler's help, scoring three-pointers consistently.

"Alright, now we'll make it a bit harder. Jeremy, Kellana, you cover up when chasing Stephen and Clay, and keep up with them in time." Liam instructed.

Curry then ran the play again, but Jeremy Lin managed to dodge Chandler early, and Curry didn't get an open shot after receiving Green's pass.

But the offense didn't stop. Curry quickly ran a pick-and-roll with Chandler. Whiteside didn't dare to leave Curry alone, from the free-throw line to the right three-point line, not blocking Curry's shot. Curry immediately passed the ball for an open three-pointer.

This was also simulating a real defensive environment, since Curry had been playing for a season and had been famous for a long time, no team would let a center sag inside when defending Curry's pick-and-roll; it was simply a scoring play.

At the same time, Klay, who cut toward the basket on the weak side, didn't get a good chance but kept running toward the bottom right corner. Green, who had just passed the ball to Curry, immediately provided reflexive help to Klay, blocking the defender, allowing Klay to receive the ball and shoot a three-pointer with minimal coverage.

"Excellent! Your ball IQ is very high, this set of tactics is working well, the only hiccup is that the operation speed is a little slow, but it doesn't matter, we still have a month, we'll work on it again, this time we'll practice the third change..." Liam praised the players, and they returned to their original positions to continue running the tactics.

This time, after all the off-ball runs didn't open up space, Curry quickly shifted to offensive mode with the ball. He and Chandler ran a pick-and-roll, while Klay ran to the weak side to create space. Whether Curry passed to Chandler for a drive or connected with Whiteside for a simple shot, it depended on the situation.

If Klay executed this strategy, the ball would eventually pass to Curry at the corner, and the general formation of the Warriors would rotate clockwise, with Curry and Green moving from the bottom corner to the top of the arc for a pick-and-roll, which would lead to a completely different tactical routine from the Curry-Chandler pick-and-roll.

By the morning, the Warriors players had practiced several positional tactical routines based on Green's low-post drops, and the progress was rapid.

These players had a high basketball IQ. Even though it was their first day working with these tactics, they already understood their own movements, though the timing was still off and the running positions overlapped, dismantling the coverage prematurely. This would require a lot of practice to improve the players' tacit understanding of the lineup, which couldn't be solved quickly.

But this had relieved Silas, and the smile on his face had never disappeared.

When Liam told him during the summer that the Warriors wouldn't be running and gunning in the new season but would be playing a passing game, Silas was immediately surprised.

He had carefully persuaded Liam to abandon the idea, and his reasoning was solid. A young team dominated by first and second-year players playing a complex system of cuts and passes rather than simple screens and bombs—could they pull that off? They couldn't!

But Liam insisted on the passing and cutting game and even drew up some basic routines.

Silas looked at the tactics Liam had drawn and realized they fit the Warriors' player characteristics much better. Liam had made a decision, and it seemed like he had no intention of changing it.

Before the training camp began, Silas was pessimistic about the Warriors' tactical training, thinking it would take too long for the young players to learn the intricacies of passing and cutting.

But he was pleasantly surprised. These players seemed to fit naturally into this tactical system. They all had a team-first mentality to share the ball, their basketball IQ was high, and they understood the tactical routines quickly.

Even Klay, who scouts considered a poor passer, was not only a lethal scorer, but his shot selection was much more reasonable than Curry's. Silas believed Klay's shot choices were more intelligent than Curry's, despite Klay's reliance on catching and shooting against the defense.

Silas watched the players as they repeated the tactical drills on the court, and a strong expectation rose in his heart. What kind of brilliance would emerge from a team like this, with vitality, shooting ability, and tactical literacy on the offensive side after a full season of work?

In the afternoon, the Warriors shifted to defensive drills, with Liam and Ron Adams coaching from the sidelines, while Silas and Bruce took the bench to the adjacent court to practice offensive strategies.

The offensive tactics for the Warriors' bench differ slightly from the starting lineup, although they still operate under the pass-and-cut offense. However, the starting point for the bench players is to block and dismantle defenses, particularly focusing on Jeremy Lin and the interior players.

Compared to Curry and Klay, Jeremy Lin's off-ball movement is much weaker, but his strength lies in his ability to handle the ball after screens and dismantling. Liam certainly wouldn't waste this advantage, and together with Silas, designed various blocking and dismantling tactics to maximize his ball-handling potential.

Jeremy Lin's shooting ability isn't much better than Lowry's, but his first step is extremely quick. He doesn't struggle at all in the point guard position. He has a great finishing ability around the basket, plays very intelligently, has excellent court vision, and is a great pick-and-roll initiator. He understands the tactics well and is perfectly suited for a sixth-man role. If he plays well enough, it's not impossible for him to earn a spot in the starting lineup.

Silas didn't shy away from giving compliments during the drills, and Jeremy Lin wasn't modest either. He was a man from Colombia, living by American values and with no deep cultural ties to his teammates, but he quickly earned the respect of his fellow players.

While the Warriors' offensive system was coming together smoothly, their defensive system was gradually taking shape.

Last season, the Warriors had adapted to Chandler's central defensive system, making their restricted area impenetrable. This allowed the Warriors' defensive efficiency to rise to 8th in the league during the second half of the season, placing them among the best defensive teams in the NBA.

However, the Warriors' defensive strength relied on Chandler, and the downside was that they only had one Chandler.

In the NBA, the influence of perimeter defenders on a team's overall defense is never comparable to that of interior players. Butler's rookie season became the team's sole defensive strength, but that was limited. Her unique defensive ability wasn't at the elite level, and due to her height and reach limitations, she couldn't sweep and defend as she did in the NCAA, and there was little she could do.

Wesleyzi could do a lot of things, but only to a certain extent, and his contribution to the overall team defense was relatively limited.

This forced Chandler to never venture far from the paint. If he left the paint for a late switch or to help on a pick-and-roll, the Warriors lacked a second player who could help protect the rim, and the basket could be easily penetrated.

The Warriors could solve this by collapsing their interior defense overall, but this would certainly leave shooters on the weak side wide open for three-point shots.

There was no mistake; this strategy worked well in the regular season when most teams lacked solid spacing, and the Warriors could shrink their defense boldly. In the absence of a good pick-and-roll handler, Chandler could confidently drop into the paint to protect the rim. This was why the Warriors had one of the highest defensive efficiencies in the league during the regular season.

With a large sample size, few teams could break the Warriors' defense.

But in the playoffs, the story was different.

The Suns were the type of team with top-tier pick-and-roll combinations and good spacing, forcing the Warriors to choose between two poisons: Nash or the weak-side shooter.

Liam chose to let Chandler guard the pick-and-roll from the top and protect the basket on the weak side, preferring to give the Suns' shooters open three-point opportunities rather than giving Nash space to shoot.

Relying on this defensive strategy, the Warriors won two games in the series, but that was the limit. The Suns' role players weren't unreliable; once they regained their touch, the Suns' offense completely overwhelmed the Warriors' defense.

The Warriors had an offense similar to the Suns', with the same core of ball handlers, finishers, and shooters. But Chandler's offense was far from comparable to Stoudemire's. The Suns' defense was much better, and Nash's strong control of the game eliminated the Warriors.

But now, Ron Adams saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The Warriors no longer only had Chandler as their defensive anchor—they had Draymond Green.

During the defensive drills that afternoon, the Warriors players were surprised to find that Green seemed to be everywhere.

When the Warriors defended the pick-and-roll, Chandler would expand, and Green would arrive just in time from the weak side to help at the rim.

When Curry targeted the offensive strengths, Green would choose the most appropriate moment to help defend.

When Green selected his own shot, he wouldn't hesitate to switch defenses and take on the opponent's star perimeter players.

Most importantly, he always seemed to take the most opportune moment to help on defense. His ability to anticipate the opponent's offensive options was impressive, and he had no problem taking responsibility for directing the defense.

On the second day of training camp, Green's loud, harsh voice echoed across the gym:

"Switch! QUICK!!"

"Watch the weak-side corner, watch the weak-side corner!"

"Don't help me, I'll do it myself, you stay with the other shooter!"

"Switch when you cover him, don't hesitate, Stephen!"

He had no awareness that he was a newcomer. He had no reverence for the "veterans" and would immediately yell at anyone who made a defensive mistake, regardless of who they were.

Green, however, still lacked experience and sometimes made incorrect judgments. At times, Chandler and Tony Allen would point it out without hesitation, and Green wouldn't shy away but would admit his mistakes and passionately command the defense on the next play, without feeling embarrassed.

Ron Adams watched silently from the sidelines, observing the players constantly shifting positions on the court, and whispered to Liam:

"Liam, our players are fantastic, especially Draymond . He's a gem—a versatile defender that the NBA has never seen. Tony reminds me of Gary Payton. Tyson has the potential to be the Defensive Player of the Year... In the new season, everyone will be amazed by our defense."

Liam nodded:

"That's right, no one could've predicted that we, who were running and gunning last season, would suddenly turn into a top-tier defensive team."

"I can't wait to see the defensive effect of Tony, Jimmy, Draymond , Tyson, Wesleyzi, and I dare say, the best defensive team of the '90s won't be much better than the defense this lineup will bring," said Ron Adams.

Liam smiled:

"Then you might not get to see it, because I still need a ball handler in the lineup. Stephen and Jeremy will always be on the floor, and Klay also needs to be on the court."

Ron Adams smiled: "That's enough. Klay will become an elite defender; he just needs to protect Stephen, and this Warriors lineup will truly shine both offensively and defensively!"

"Yesterday, there were slight omissions in the roster and a few changes, so you might want to take another look."

End of this chapter

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