Auckland City.
This is the home city of the Golden State Warriors and the eighth most populous city in California. It is located in the northeast of the San Francisco Bay Area and faces the San Francisco Bay to the west.
The Warriors were originally based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and officially moved to California in 1962. Since California's nickname is "The Golden State", they were named the Golden State Warriors.
As one of the first 11 teams to join the NBA, the Warriors have won the championship 7 times in NBA history. In particular, the NBA's first championship was the Warriors. NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain, who played for the Warriors during that period, set the NBA's highest scoring record in a single game with 100 points.
As a veteran wealthy team, the Warriors have a glorious history.
After arriving in the 21st century, the Warriors have also had various ups and downs, but they have never been able to win the NBA championship.
Until the 2009-10 season, the Warriors achieved a record of 26 wins and 56 losses, ranking third from the bottom in the Western Conference. Poor team performance and an old stadium meant that the Warriors' home attendance rate was less than 60%.
The economic situation of being unable to make ends meet made the Warriors owner at the time decide to sell the team. Therefore, a businessman named Joe Bracco chose to buy the team. He joined forces with Guber, the founder of Mandalay Film and Television Company, for 450 million. US dollars bought the floundering Golden State Warriors.
At that time, the market value of the Warriors was far from what it would be later, and the team didn't seem to have much of a future.
In the following years, the Warriors kept trying, first handing over control of the team to coaches like Mark Jackson, then using the 11th pick in the draft to pick Klay Thompson, and then The core of the team at the time, Monta Ellis and others, were packed away.
Time flashed forward to the summer of 2014. Team owner Joe Lacob knew that the team had the potential to win the championship, so he offered a five-year, 25 million contract to poach their assistant coach Stephen Coe from the Spurs. Well, from this moment on the Warriors officially took off.
At this time, the Warriors players were doing routine training in the Oracle Arena.
As soon as tomorrow comes, they will officially leave for Minneapolis. There they will usher in the sixth game of the series. If they can win the game and tie the score to 3-3, then the Warriors may still reach the Western Conference Finals.
But if they can't win the game, all the Warriors' efforts this season will be in vain.
At that time, the knock-on effects of losing a game may be so great that the Warriors themselves cannot accept it. After all, it is unusual for the Warriors to sign so many stars and role players in their current state, and the main reason why these people are willing to stay here is that the Warriors have the ability to win the championship, especially those players who take the initiative to cut their salaries.
Once the Warriors no longer have the possibility of winning the championship, it is entirely possible for those players in the second half of their careers to opt out of their contracts and choose to leave.
For players entering the end of their careers, there is only one choice between money and championships. I chose the Warriors because the Warriors have been winning, but if they can't win, there is no need to take a salary cut to stay here.
After experiencing three consecutive defeats, the morale of the Warriors is much lower than before. After the players finished training, many stayed to practice more, chatting while practicing shooting to soothe their bodies.
The team's general manager Bob Myers also came to the sidelines to watch the game at this time. After seeing the people still practicing on the court, he stood off the court and observed for a long time.
He looked hesitant with his thoughts hidden. It was at this time that Zaza Pachulia walked off the court to drink water and rest.
General Manager Miles was obviously relieved when he saw that the person coming was Pachulia.
He pretended to rest and sat next to Pachulia, and took the initiative to say hello to the latter.
"Zaza, how does it feel to come to the Warriors?"
Pachulia didn't think much, thinking Miles was just chatting with her, so she responded, "Not bad! I like the competitive atmosphere here, it's better than any team I've been on before! "
General Manager Miles nodded.
"That's right, I also like this atmosphere very much..." He said, but changed the topic, "It's just that it seems that our road is not going smoothly this season! It's hard to imagine that we lose this time What will happen to the team?”
Pachulia was stunned for a moment, not expecting General Manager Miles to say this. He did not answer the question in a hurry, but silently wiped the sweat from his head with a towel.
"Zaza, if I remember correctly, your contract is only for one year, right?"
Miles suddenly asked.
Pachulia was a little puzzled and thought for a moment before asking the other party, "Mr. Bob, you were the one who discussed the contract with me. Although you were not solely responsible for this matter, you were also present at the time!"
"Oh, is it so?"
Miles didn't show any surprise. He just kept looking at Pachulia, and then gradually looked away.
"Of course I haven't forgotten... I'm actually very happy to sign you! It's just a pity that we don't have much time to work together! If the team loses the next game, I'm afraid the current lineup will not If you keep it up..."
"It's very likely that you will have to leave by then... If that's the case, I'm sorry!"
"Every team needs someone to stand up and be the villain, and he needs to do things that other players can't do. Unfortunately, our team doesn't seem to have this person... If there can be such a person, I will I think I will definitely like this guy very much, he is the real hero of the team..."
General Manager Miles said thoughtfully, looking at Pachulia as he spoke.
The latter was also stunned at this time. He was not stupid, and he had already heard something unusual from Miles's words.
"What a pity! Zaza, I have always wanted to persuade the team to renew your contract and give you a contract that is in line with your worth... It seems that I may not have this opportunity... ..”
General Manager Miles was about to leave after speaking. Pachulia was entangled at this moment, but he reacted quickly.
Pachulia went up and grabbed General Manager Miles, helped him sit down first, and then sat aside and said to him, "Mr. Bob, don't worry! The Warriors are also very important to me. I play here not only for money, but also to win a championship at the end of my career...No matter who wants to stop us from winning..."
"I understand what you mean! I believe that the team will be better next season. Then I can continue to stay in the team and sign a better contract..."
When general manager Miles heard Pachulia say this, his face finally showed a look of joy.
"Zaza, thanks to players like you in the Warriors... you are our real hero..."
