Disassemble the reasons for the Warriors scoring drought in the final quarter, and explore the fatal shortcomings of Cole s on-the-spot adjustment

Could it be that the core competitiveness of a champion team collapsed instantly due to one person’s absence? The recent tragedy of the Warriors' repeated last-quarter collapses have exposed coach Cole's on-the-spot shortcomings - when Curry was not present, the team's tactical system was as fragile as a piece of waste paper. The cause of the

event is traced back to the lineup adjustment at the beginning of this season. The Warriors management sent away veteran Clay, straightened young players Kumingga and Pojemsky, trying to reduce the burden on Curry. However, Cole's stubbornness in the pass-through system has made these young players become tactical puppets. Especially when Curry is absent due to a rest or injury, the team's offense is like a headless fly. For example, in the match against the Thunder, Cole knew Curry was on the right side before the game, but he still insisted on letting Podjemsky and Payton II partner in the backcourt. Both of them hit less than 30% of the three-point shooting percentage this season, causing their opponents to unscrupulously shrink their defense line. The turning point of the

match appeared in the early part of the fourth quarter. At that time, the Warriors were leading by 6 points, but Kerr replaced defensive players such as Li Kaile and TDJ. This "zero space lineup" allowed the Thunder to seize the opportunity to launch a 12-0 offensive. What's even more ironic is that when the rookie Castle, who had scored consecutively, was replaced, the live commentator exclaimed: "Keal is calling a timeout for his opponent!" Similar scenes were staged again against the Spurs. Within 4 minutes of Curry's rest at the end of the third quarter, the Warriors' 17-point advantage was eroded, and Keal did not remember to switch back to the main force until the score difference was close to 4 points. This slow adjustment of rhythm is not so much a cautious approach as numbness.

Kor's philosophy of employing people has long caused heated controversy among fans. Some netizens dug out an old post three years ago: "Kor regards two-way contract players as treasures, lottery shows as grass, and has been repeating mistakes for five years." More sharp criticism points to his attitude towards Kumingga: When the young man scored 10 points in a single quarter, Koor immediately sent four teammates without shooting ability, causing him to fall into a double-team mistake. This strange phenomenon of "suppressing if you fight well" is in sharp contrast to Popovich's bold delegation of power when he cultivated Leonard. In the end, the Warriors were reversed in the final quarter in three consecutive games, with two opponents being the Spurs and the Thunder, the bottom of the West. Data shows that when Curry was absent, the team's offensive efficiency fell to the bottom of the league in the last quarter, and Cole still put the blame on "lack of tactical starting point" after the game, but never mentioned his decision to refuse to use a substitute point guard.

This losing streak exposed the Warriors' deeper crisis: Cole's system myth is being shattered. While other teams are developing multi-faceted offensive tactics, he remains obsessed with the success formula from a decade ago. What's even more terrifying is that this rigid thinking is killing the growth of young players - Podgemsky has gone from a rookie to a "dribbling tool" while Kumingga is unable to show his talent for breakthrough due to tactical restrictions.

Perhaps we should ask: Was Curry who achieved Cole's championship halo, or did Cole delay Curry's final peak? When a coach's on-the-spot adjustment is always three beats slower than his opponent, and when his tactical board always has only one name written, can such a shortcoming be concealed by "Dynasty Afterglow"?