The schedule was good for the Nuggets, who had two days off and were on their home turf, with little effort against the underdogs Timberwolves.

But after training this day, George? Carl held a special mobilization meeting.

"Margeti won't play in this game, Jackson is out and the Warriors don't have an incomplete roster, but they have a 17-6 record and are half a half-time ahead of us, so they're very strong."

The players are listening, George? Carr continued: "If you want to win the Warriors, you must first get stuck with Zhou Xuan, all of their lost games have a common point, Zhou Xuan has few points and no more than 10 assists, so he and Randolph's blocking and pick-and-roll cooperation must be prevented." Chauncy main defense, Kenyon (Martin), Nene (Lahirio), you must change the defense in time, and you must block Zhou Xuan's first step. If he divides the ball, others rely on regional joint defense, misplaced defense, and others pass the ball without Zhou Xuan's awareness, we must win this game tomorrow! ”

"We're going to win!" Cameron? Anthony laughed.

"Melon" is full of confidence, although the Warriors have Randolph inside, but Jackson and Margeti are not there, who will defend him? This is his time.

Anthony has been in good form lately, scoring 45 points and 11 rebounds against the Timberwolves. The previous time the Nuggets lost to the Warriors, Billups has not yet come, and this is a good time to take revenge.

When it was disbanded, Billups stopped Anthony? Carter asked, "You fought against Zhou Xuan, how do you feel about him?" ”

Carter sighed: "He's the kind of guard who likes to play against the opponent's tactics, and he doesn't usually fight hard and doesn't shoot the ball he is sure of. You defend him, and after blocking and dismantling, he will definitely be misplaced by the Warriors inside, and the possibility of facing Randolph is very high. ”

This style of play is easier said than done, and you have to time your passes well. Billups nodded. "I know, this time I want to see if he is really as good as rumored."

Billups won the MVP in the Finals that year and was selected for the Star Game a few times, but many people think that his statistics are not very good, and he does not have many offensive means, which is overrated. It's only this year that Billups proved that he's not overrated, but has always been underrated. Although he can't dominate the game by scoring, he knows how to help his team win. Unlike Iverson, defending after mismatches has always been his forte. After playing for the Pistons for many years, the defensive philosophy has penetrated into his bones.

After leaving the arena, George? Carl went to the Leeds Carlton Hotel, where the Warriors were staying, and he made an appointment with Nelson Sr. to meet.

It may seem strange for the two managers to meet and chat before the game, but it was normal for Carl and Nelson Sr., who had worked together and were friends.

Nelson Sr. may have the most "disciples" in the NBA, and Carl is one of them, and he is the one who most resembles him. They're all temperamental, they're stubborn, they've had the same cancer, they've worn urinary catheters on the field to play around opponents, yelled at their players, and yelled at referees and leagues.

The elder Nelson had some influence on Carl's entire career. Carl's second year as coach was in Cleveland, and in the 1985-1986 season, he was fired midway through the season and almost collapsed. Then Nelson Sr. hired Carl to go to Milwaukee and do his outpost scout. That year, the Bucks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. In those years, the Eastern Conference was the world of three teams, this year the Bucks defeated the 76ers and lost to the Celtics, and the next year they defeated the Celtics and lost to the 76ers.

George? Carl learned a lot from Nelson Sr. that the three-point shot is more efficient than other offensive methods, and he followed that philosophy to the end. And what makes Carl admire Nelson Sr. the most is his change. He was a defensive coach in Milwaukee, but as he got older, he became an offensive coach and adjusted his tactics based on what players he had.

Old Nelson gave Carl a hug and smiled, "George, you've been doing a good job lately." ”

"It's the same with you, and now the Warriors are ahead of us."

"Not necessarily after this one." Nelson Sr. was humble for a while, and now that they have an incomplete lineup, the Nuggets are strong.

The two found a quiet seat, asked for two cups of coffee, and chatted.

Talking about the situation of the two teams, Nelson Sr. said lightly: "You've changed, George. ”

"Yes, I was a very controlling person before I was diagnosed with cancer, but now I'm very democratic." Carl recalls his days battling cancer and laughs, "You told me that human energy is limited, especially as you get older. I didn't believe that the pressure of work and the unhealthy lifestyle of the previous work made people sick, but I turned out to be really sick, so I had to find a balance in my life. ”

"I didn't expect you to be able to make a defensive team."

Karl shook his head: "It's not me who changed the team's defense, it's Billups, and now the team is in a good mood, if Camby and Iverson stay here, we will definitely not be able to defend well." ”

"Camby is the best defensive player in the world." Old Nelson laughed.

"No kidding, only people who don't know how slow he is would say that, he's not the same as Nene and Martin."

Camby knows how to block and stare at rebounds, but the ones who really defend well are players who can defend and defend people in the low post. In fact, Camby's best defense was when he was with the Knicks, but his stats were much worse at that time than when he was with the Nuggets.

Karl praised: "I really admire your vision, you can actually find such a rookie as Zhou Xuan, he was selected at that time, many people said that it was because of the Chinese market, how did you find him?" ”

"I found it, and his agent knew that we didn't have a defender, so he recommended him, and then this kid came to my house and said that he could play as a starter. As I said in an interview, that's exactly what happened. Old Nelson was a little smug.

"But this time against Billups, I'm afraid it's not so easy for him to play." Karl laughed, confident in Billups' defensive prowess.

The old Nelson didn't expect Zhou Xuan to become the MVP in his first season, and he played hard against the Spurs and Celtics, but he could also learn something. In this game, he will let the players play, win or lose.

Karl said lightly: "To tell you the truth, now I have regarded the Warriors as a strong opponent other than the Lakers, do you think so?" ”

"Looking at the lineup, it's true, is this a declaration of war? I accept. Old Nelson smiled.

Both have won the Coach of the Year title and dominated the regular season, but neither has won an NBA championship. After the trade, the Nuggets have made a championship their only goal this season. The same goes for the Warriors, and Nelson Sr. is very much looking forward to the team configuration after Ellis' return. He's going to put Ellis off the bench, and then the team will have the best sixth man to compete with any team. The goal, of course, is to win the championship.

The Suns are fallen; The Mavericks had a bad run-in after the trade, lacked a good center, and had average interior defense; The Jazz relied too heavily on Deron and Boozer's pick-and-rolls; The Hornets didn't go to the bench; Spurs Bowen is old, with obvious defects in the forward position and lack of stamina; The Trailblazers were too young; Rockets are plagued by injuries. Many of the strong teams in the West are in the transition period of the old and the new, and need to rely on trading and developing new talents to get through, and the Nuggets, Warriors and Lakers are the most likely to compete for the Western Conference championship this year.

After analyzing the situation in the NBA this year, both of them are full of emotion. Every year, I look forward to the team winning the championship, and then I am disappointed again and again, and this is how the second old man has come over these years. Karl led the team to the playoffs every year, but stopped in the first round in a row. Not to mention old Nelson.

Nelson Sr. smiled: "What I hope most now is that you can kill the Lakers and then be defeated by us in the Western Conference Finals." George, you have a few more years to do, and I might be retiring next season. I really want to work for a few more years to see how far Zhou Xuan can go. ”

"Be content, you had five championship rings when you were a player, and I didn't have anything." Karl smiled wryly.

Nelson Sr. laughed: "You guys are point guards, it's hard enough to win championships." ”

"Who said it, I think Zhou Xuan is like the core, and our core is Anthony." Karl immediately retorted.

Saying that the point guard is the core has become a curse in the NBA league in recent years.

Isaiah in 90? After Thomas won the championship with the Pistons Bad Boys, no team in the league with a point guard as the core has won a championship. In recent years, the situation of people like Parker and Billups is more special, and it is difficult to determine whether it is the core of the team. Without two Wallaces defending O'Neal, the Pistons would certainly not be able to beat the Lakers. Without Duncan, the Spurs would not have won four titles.

Most of the point guards who have won championships are not the core cornerstone of the team, but mostly play an auxiliary role. Looking at the teams that have won championships, the point guard is not necessarily the top in the league, but it is basically the most suitable for the team system. The current core point guards such as Paul, Delon, Nash, and Kidd have not broken this situation.

The more defensive intensity the game, the more it is full of single-handed, unreasonable offense, so that the super point guard has always controlled the rhythm of the court, and the scene of finding a teammate who is available to pass will become less in the playoffs.

In fact, Thomas did not lead the team independently, at that time the Pistons were bad from the inside out, Ranbier and Mahon were the top hitters in the league, and Rodman was like a good guy. Then the only point guard to lead the team is probably only "Magic" Johnson, and "Magic" looks more like the first playmaker in history.

Old Nelson didn't refute and smiled: "In Jackson's absence, Zhou Xuan is indeed the core, and he still has many shortcomings...... However, I believe that if there is a point guard who can break the curse and lead the team to a championship in the future, it will be him. Let's see. ”