Chapter 450 Chapter 449: The consequences of a coward taking shortcuts (please vote!)
Roger decided to break James' mentality in the first three quarters, which will make the game easier.
You have to admit that if the Lakers really get things going, LBJ will burst out with tremendous power. He is a top-notch helmsman.
Brandon Roy took a deep breath. In the fourth quarter, he needed to take on greater responsibilities, which meant he had to kill Kobe Bryant!
Roy is not afraid. If he wants to take over the scepter, then this is the test he must go through.
On the other side, LeBron James is also going through a test.
In this duel that attracted worldwide attention, he had just made a stupid mistake that allowed Roger to score 2+1. This caused Kobe to start yelling at him, which caused his leadership of the team to seemingly come to an abrupt end, causing Kobe to take back the initiative.
He knew he had to adjust immediately, continue to dominate the game, and make the night his own.
He can no longer make the same mistakes as before, and he can no longer be bothered by miscellaneous things.
He needs to get over this hurdle and face key games like a true superstar.
On the bench, Kobe wiped his sweat, and then began to give orders to his teammates: "Dwight, the pick-and-roll is tighter, don't rush to cut inside! Chauncey, play more concisely, and hit the ball decisively!"
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James is preparing to echo like a leader. At this time, he must also speak out and behave like the owner of the team.
As a result, before he could speak, Kobe turned around and yelled at him: "Stop taking risks and moving the ball long distances! Stop ignoring our strategies and tactics! LeBron, we must not lose tonight, absolutely not!"
If it were Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, or Anthony Davis, they would never speak to James in this tone on the court. No matter how lost James is, they will not do that.
But with the Lakers, it happened.
Kobe scolded James. You can't lose focus around that guy without getting scolded.
Roger looked at Kobe Bryant yelling at James on the big screen and wanted to pay a $1 million bonus for the live broadcast at Oracle Arena.
This picture is as exciting as just catching a UFO.
Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy immediately began discussing the altercation on the Lakers bench.
"Are there any troubles between LeBron and Kobe?" Jeff Van Gundy looked at the Lakers bench with interest.
"No, I don't think so. That's just what Kobe is. He just wanted to remind his teammates." Mike Breen answered.
Generally speaking, the Lakers locker room does not have problems because of this matter.
But at that moment, James was really angry. He didn't like being told what to do by Kobe.
Because it makes him look like no other.
This makes him feel that the Lakers are Kobe's team alone, and everyone else is just a deputy, including himself. He has no special characteristics.
This feeling of being disrespected made James respond loudly and deliberately: "Hey, we know what to do, Kobe."
This is a very normal response, but it is very subtle in this situation.
Phil Jackson quickly patted James on the shoulder: "Stay focused on LeBron. The most important thing is to win."
Kobe remained focused and didn't care about the special meaning of James' answer.
He only has Roger in his eyes now, and he just wants to win.
Roger is very confident in his plan. In the Lakers, James will be under double pressure. There is pressure on him from the outside, and there is pressure from Kobe from the inside.
He's going to collapse, for sure!
The game restarts and the Lakers have the ball.
Chauncey Billups took control of the situation, and Kobe held the ball in the low post to hit Tayshaun Prince.
Kobe began to lose weight last summer, and the weight did bring him convenience, but his knees were no longer so healthy.
For the sake of his career, he had to give up his weight advantage.
Therefore, Tayshaun Prince, who is an ordinary opponent, is no longer so unbearable in front of him.
Kobe pushed twice with his back, but the distance he advanced was not as far as expected.
But Kobe still shook his shoulders and shot a jumper directly. Tayshaun Prince covered his eyes with his long arms. No one could point out any mistakes in his defensive timing, but the basketball still hit the target.
9 to 7, the Lakers took the lead again.
This is a moment worth cheering for all Lakers players, who have regained stability.
But Roger's voice was like the knock on the door suddenly heard by a girl playing with toys, which made the Lakers players' joy after scoring a goal disappear instantly.
"Beautiful, Kobe, worthy of LeBron's thighs. Hey LeBron, if there is anyone in this world who can really help you win, it must be Kobe. Don't be nervous, Kobe will take good care of you."
"Shut the fuck up, you bastard!" James swore and retreated to Tayshaun Prince's side.
He wanted to calm down and stay focused.
But then, Roger actually waved his hand and asked Tyshaun Prince to block him.
Phil Jackson's strategy for dealing with Roger's pick-and-roll is to force delays and switch defenses directly if conditions permit. Because Roger's ability to shoot directly after the pick-and-roll is too strong, there must be someone in front of him at all times.
So James defended directly in front of Roger, and Chauncey Billups had to chase Tayshaun Prince who was quickly separated.
The entire side was left empty, giving Roger the space to challenge LBJ one-on-one.
Mike Breen's eyes widened, Roger actually specifically named James to single out!
This pick-and-roll is meaningless from a tactical perspective, because Roger did not switch to a weaker defender through the pick-and-roll.
Many people think that the pick-and-roll roll call tactic is something only in the small ball era. In fact, it has been very popular in the early 21st century. The most reliable hard-hit tactic of the Princeton Kings back then was to use Mike Bibby to run a 1-5 pick-and-roll to attack the undefendable Sharks, which worked wonders.
But the Lakers' three outside defenders have performed very well defensively this season. Phil Jackson asked Chauncey Billups to defend Roger simply because he needed James to devote more energy to the offense. And, Billups is calmer.
But in terms of overall defensive level, James is definitely not weak.
So it makes no sense for Roger to use the pick-and-roll to name LBJ.
There is only one explanation: Roger didn't want to make his offense easier, he simply wanted to kill LBJ.
This is a very old-school style of play, one that will be almost invisible 20 years later. Because in basketball 20 years later, continuous pick-and-rolls will be used to allow stars to name the opponent's weakest defender.
Even James doesn't bother to use this style of play, because he often chooses to face the opposite FMVP in the finals.
James originally wanted to calm down a little on the defensive end, but Roger didn't give him a chance: "LeBron, what are you hiding from? Aren't you trying to kick me out of this league? But you don't even have the courage to face me? You still want me?" Taking the initiative to come to you with a pick-and-roll? Stop hiding, come out and face it!”
Kobe shouted from the far side: "Don't care what he said, focus on it!"
James didn't respond and just stared at the basketball intently.
He won't back down, he has to win everything tonight.
Roger began to dribble with his left and right hands to find rhythm. The Lakers did not dare to attack rashly. This was the convenience brought to Roger by the Warriors' strong three-point threat.
But James is unmoved. When he is serious, he is a very good defender.
Roger broke through to the left, and James immediately moved sideways, giving Roger only about one-third of his body. Moreover, his stronger body put tremendous pressure on Roger.
Roger makes a sudden stop in the mid-range. He cannot enter the penalty area, which will become Howard's prey.
After the emergency stop, Roger turned his back and prepared for a jump shot. James blocked it and ensured interference but did not take off, which was quite cautious.
His single defense in this round was perfect. Under normal circumstances, the attacker would have been completely guarded at this time and was helpless.
But when Roger was completely blocked by James, he suddenly paused, interrupted his back-turn jump shot, turned around, took a step forward, and picked the basket with a low hand.
Roger just doesn't have great back-up moves, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to do it.
However, this is still an unconventional shot, because the position of the basket is too far away. Kobe often used this kind of footwork, but it was only when he was close to the basket that he would choose to finish with a pick-up.
Roger, on the other hand, directly picked up the basket when he was close to the free throw line. It looked more like he was forced to throw the ball into the air casually.
But the basketball was picked out in an exquisite arc, passed over Dwight Howard who was protecting the frame, and then hit the net hollowly.
James' vigorous defense did not allow him to win this round.
"What a wonderful ending! From Louisville to California, Roger's finger-twisting lob has been amazing for more than ten years! This is a superstar ball. You can't blame LeBron. I can only say that Roger has too many weapons. , and they have never aged, and you can use them directly when you take them out. "Mike Breen can't comment on this round. Both stars did their best. Although Roger successfully scored, you can't say that you forced Roger to choose this way. James who shot in this way failed.
After scoring the goal, Roger gave James a thumbs up: "It's just a little bit close, but it's always a little bit close. Don't be discouraged, Kobe will help you, this waste, come back."
Roger worked tirelessly to stimulate James' nerves and fill him with frustration.
He knows that once humiliation and frustration take over his mind, his defenses will become weaker and weaker.
James' biggest problem on the defensive end throughout his career is that his defense was at the top level for too short a time.
Defensively, he grew too slowly and declined too early.
LBJ was not selected to the All-Defensive Team until 2009, and by then he had been in the league for six years.
As a result, this state only lasted for five seasons, and he completely withdrew from the ranks of the best first defense.
For comparison, Michael Jordan had 10 first defenses, Kobe had 9, and Pippen had 8. Well, without primary defense, it would be nice to stay on secondary defense for a long time.
But even if LBJ added the second defense, he only entered the defense six times in his entire career.
Those were the only years he really had a high level of defense.
Many people say that LBJ's defense is actually very strong, but it's just an exaggeration by the scumbags who caught those who missed the ball in the few rounds.
This is truly confusing. James' defensive difference can't be described as just "a few rounds", but he has contributed countless "famous scenes" on the defensive end in the ten years from 2014 to 2024.
With LBJ's talent and his self-proclaimed historical status, his defensive consistency is obviously not enough.
Why does this happen? Because James is an emotional defender.
He can have a top defensive impact in certain games, but once his emotions are affected or his physical fitness is affected, James will relax on the defensive end.
This resulted in his overall defensive level being relatively average throughout the season, making it difficult to be selected for the All-Defensive Team.
When he was serious about defending, he could corner Roger. But when he finds that his defense is not working, he will not continue to defend as seriously as Kobe, Jordan or Pippen.
Therefore, Roger needs to continue to attack, continue to single out James, continue to put pressure on him, and continue to frustrate him.
Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!
As the number increases, he will definitely get looser and looser.
So in the game after the first quarter, Roger's desire to attack was very strong. Moreover, he challenged James in almost every round.
James' defense is commendable. In the first quarter, he stole Roger once and blocked Roger once. Although he couldn't completely lock Roger, he didn't let Roger do whatever he wanted.
But in the second and third quarters that followed, Roger remained "unyielding" and caught LBJ in crazy singles.
Finally, James started to suffer.
Because he consumes a lot of physical energy on the defensive end, James' activity on the offensive end is very average.
As a result, his numbers barely increased.
Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups and Dwight Howard played a large role on the offensive end and contributed more than one five-ball-level possessions.
Where is James?
He can only pass the ball and open up the space. When he just experienced a difficult defensive round, he didn't have much energy available on the offensive end.
He only wants to take some simple open shots or air cuts, because he knows that with his current energy, his hit rate may not be too high if he attacks tough situations. And when the time comes, everyone will blame him for his shooting percentage, and this blame will put more pressure on him.
But Roger's defense made it impossible for James to get an easy shot or an opportunity to attack the frame, so he kept passing the ball on the offensive end.
Well, this is LeBron, he has a lot more on his mind than the fans in front of the TV.
If Kobe could think about his shooting percentage during the game, he might not be so tough.
In the seventh minute of the third quarter, when Dwight Howard used his zombie hook in the low post, Roger began to whisper in James' ear again: "LeBron, I never thought you had a good tactical position with the Lakers." So low. Even Dwight started to post up, but you were still passing the ball."
After saying that, Roger raised his hand to ask for the ball, and Roy obediently gave it to him. After getting the ball, Roger told the No. 23 in front of him in a showy tone: "Look, this is called the core. I really didn't expect that in order to defeat me, you actually I am willing to be a blue-collar player in the Lakers whose tactical status is not as good as that of Dwight Howard.”
James was in a daze, and was easily passed by Roger, and then hit the mid-range shot from a wide open position.
At the beginning, James' originally good defense finally began to loosen under Roger's fierce impact.
Kobe spread his hands: "What the hell are you doing!?"
Roger used the topic to play on: "Look, this is what happens to a coward who betrays his hometown and takes a shortcut. No one in Cleveland dares to talk to you like this. How does it feel to be under someone else's roof?"
The double pressure began to make James suffer, and his sensitive heart began to suffer.
He was eager to fight back, so he said a trash talk that he regretted: "What qualifications do you have to speak against me? You also betrayed Orlando and Atlanta."
This sentence is like a boxer who suddenly puts down his defensive hands during the game and completely exposes his head to the opponent. Roger retorted almost without thinking:
"Betrayal? I brought three championships to Orlando before leaving. I brought four championships to Atlanta and saved that city. I have experienced some transfers, but I can say with a clear conscience that I do not owe anyone As a team, I didn't let every penny spent by the owners and fans go to waste. Even fucking trash Michael Jordan left Chicago after three championships.
And you? Apart from failure, apart from wasting a lot of money from the team owner, apart from lying one lie after another, what have you brought to Cleveland?
When I returned to Orlando and Atlanta, I was greeted with cheers and tribute clips. What greeted you when you returned to Cleveland? The fans there even fucking burned your jersey!
Never, ever compare you to me, that's the mistake you've been making since day one in the league. ”
When Roger put the cruel facts on the table, James' mind went blank. James now wants to go back five seconds in time and let himself take back the stupid trash talk he just said.
Then, as expected, James got lost.
In the next few defensive rounds, James' reaction was always half a beat too slow.
The Lakers' offense was also not going well, and Kobe began to hit the ground running as Roger began to double-team him.
Seeing this situation, Kobe only handed the ball to James when he was flanked.
But for two consecutive rounds, James failed to take action or break through when faced with opportunities.
He is still passing the ball patiently.
In the tenth minute of the third quarter, Roger scored on a mid-range shot under James's completely relaxed defense. He already scored 28 points in the game.
After scoring the goal, Roger turned to look at Zen Master: "If I were you, I would replace this piece of trash. He can only be used when bragging at the press conference!"
This goal put the Lakers behind to 9 points. They must score next, otherwise the team may enter the fourth quarter with a double-digit point difference.
Kobe caught the ball in the low post and prepared to single out Matt Barnes, but Roger immediately flanked him.
At this time, because Howard and Billups were replaced and rested, Kobe either passed the ball to role players such as Vujacic, or gave the ball to James.
This does not seem to be an option. Of course, the ball must be given to the star at this critical moment, and the star must stand up.
So, Kobe passed the ball to James for the third consecutive round. He hoped that James would understand the current situation.
James received the ball and Roger quickly counterattacked, but No. 23 still had a half-open shot.
Or, he can fake a shot and drive through.
But he had no choice between these two offensive methods. He chose to pass the ball to Vujacic who was being marked by Jason Richardson.
Kobe Bryant could almost spit fire out of his throat. It's one thing to think about the big picture, but at this moment you should become a killer. As one of the most important players in a team, you had several chances to save the team, and then you passed the ball to Vujacic, which made no sense at all!
Vujacic was at a loss and passed the ball back to Kobe. The moment Kobe got the ball, Roger happened to be in position.
There is no other way, No. 15 can only turn over and fall back under the defense of two people.
Judging from Excel, this will be a round in which James made no mistakes, and Kobe, who was alone, was "stupid" and forced a shot against two people. Years later, this will become fodder for countless people who don't watch the game to criticize Kobe.
The basketball rebounded, Mutombo protected the rebound, and the Warriors attacked in the round.
When Roger faced James again, James opened his arms and stood far away.
Kobe was impatient behind him: "LeBron, press, press!"
James was unmoved, he could no longer hear any sound.
There was only one sentence in his mind: This is the fate of a coward who betrays his hometown and takes shortcuts.
Kobe couldn't stand it anymore. He was just as irritable as when he called Jeremy Lin to foul his opponent in the original timeline, but Jeremy Lin was unmoved. He simply rushed up personally and flanked Roger with James.
Roger passed the ball to Jason Richardson, and Kobe quickly jumped back. As a result, Jason Richardson hit the ground and passed the ball. Kobe turned his head and saw that Roger had easily cut in, while James was turning around on the aircraft carrier and turned to pursue.
This means that his reaction was slow again just now.
After receiving the basketball, Roger went straight to the basket. Without Howard, Roger could attack the frame with confidence.
Theo Ratliff? Yes, he was once the shot-blocking leader, but that was in the past.
Roger leaned on Theo Ratliff and threw the ball toward the backboard during the confrontation.
"Dong, brush!"
Two crisp sounds, the basketball entered the net, and the referee's whistle sounded.
Roger spread his hands: "The women in Hollywood are tighter than you, LeBron."
James' dignity was completely trampled on, and Roger's goal was achieved. He destroyed No. 23 in three quarters without mercy.
The extra free throw was made, the Warriors led by 12 points, and the Lakers suspended the game.
Kobe and James walked off the court together. James was slow and leisurely, while Kobe was very impatient.
When he walked to James, he raised his elbow and hit James hard on the chest: "Damn it, give way!"
This is undoubtedly the best shot of the third quarter, and Oracle Arena's million-dollar broadcast once again presented it all on the big screen.
Roger sighed.
As I said, Kobe is not as good-tempered as Wade.
(End of chapter)