Chapter 451 Chapter 450: Run away until you can’t run anymore (please vote!)
Kobe elbowed James and yelled, a scene that rattled Laker Nation.
The relationship between Kobe and James has always been a hot topic in the media.
However, to the disappointment of most media, James and Kobe almost never created any news except for some minor frictions at the beginning of the season.
They had always been very harmonious, as close as the admiral and the stone Buddha.
Nike spared no effort to promote the friendly relationship between James and Kobe, promoted that James used Kobe's mobile network because he was reluctant to give up traffic, promoted the moments of close interaction between James and Kobe, and promoted that "Kobe knows James better than James' girlfriend."
The Nike team wants to work hard to create an atmosphere where “they are equal friends.”
As a result, Kobe and James had a big fight tonight, completely breaking the atmosphere that Nike worked hard to create.
This accident was like a certain female anchor suddenly turning off her beauty, like an artistic actress stepping off the cover of a disc, and her ugliness was completely exposed.
Although Kobe disguised this behavior as "just wanting to return to the bench quickly," fans and media are not fools.
In the original timeline, Heat James just "accidentally" bumped Spoelstra's shoulder when he walked off the court, and their relationship became a hot topic. If Pat Riley hadn't supported Spoelstra and refused to change coaches, Spoelstra would have been directly unemployed.
At this moment, Kobe impatiently gave James an elbow directly on the court. You can imagine the heat this scene brought.
Mike Breen is a little disappointed and disappointed with James.
He had a chance to break Roger's reign, and no one had a better chance than him.
Jerry Buss took advantage of the allure of the big city and put together a perfect lineup almost within the rules.
As long as everyone performs normally, the Lakers have a chance to overthrow the Warriors.
But LeBron James didn't eat him alive at all. When he passed the ball to Vujacic just now, Mike Breen really wanted to know what James was afraid of.
Jeff Van Gundy's focus was entirely on Kobe's elbow: "Ao, this is not good news for the Lakers. Did Kobe just give LeBron an elbow directly? Mike, will this change the game? ?”
"This will definitely affect the game. Let's see how they deal with it." This is all Mike Breen said about the matter. He did not criticize Kobe for elbowing his teammate in public.
Because if he were in Kobe's shoes, he would do the same thing.
As a young superstar, LeBron James has never shown his killer side in the playoffs.
He passed the ball in confusion and defended in confusion. His super high basketball IQ seemed to suddenly disappear at certain moments.
Kobe and James were both sitting on the bench, but neither spoke to each other.
For Phil Jackson, this was the best ending. The arrogant Kobe did not press forward after venting his anger. He had done a good enough job. You have to admit, he's definitely matured a lot. If it were put five years ago, he would definitely have a big fight with James on the bench now, which would definitely directly damage the relationship between them.
But Kobe held back and said nothing.
Kobe did have a lot to say to James. He couldn't believe James' performance in this game.
Roger scored 31 points in three quarters and Kobe himself scored 25 points in three quarters.
What about LeBron James? He had 11 points and 4 turnovers in the third quarter and was completely beaten by Roger.
He plays like a fucking role player!
He didn't understand, if James didn't want to win, then why was he in Los Angeles? Wouldn't it be better to continue being the failed King in Cleveland?
But Kobe held back because he knew very well that once he yelled, the Lakers would completely lose their chance to win.
He doesn't want the tragedy with the shark to happen again.
James did not argue with Kobe, and they both remained silent.
At this moment, you can fully appreciate all the meanings of the word silence is golden.
The silence of the two preserved the last hope for the Lakers. At least on the surface, they have not broken their faces. At least on the surface, this team hasn't broken up yet.
Phil Jackson decided to add another layer of glue to the cracks in their relationship. It may not be strong, but it will be enough to survive this year's playoffs.
"LeBron, Kobe, when all hell breaks loose, go into your sanctuary."
Phil Jackson once again used this trick to calm the players. It has been proven more than once that this can indeed calm down a player's mood.
"Don't worry Phil, we will fight back. A 12-point difference is not the end of the world." Kobe replied insistently through gritted teeth.
Phil Jackson is not worried about Kobe. He knows that person too well. The key is the other guy.
He walked to James, squatted down, and touched the head of No. 23: "LeBron, you have only one way to get rid of the pressure and infamy, and that is to win the championship. The championship is like some kind of monster that can eliminate the world. All the troubles. The price is that you have to get through the pain before you win it. In the fourth quarter, I will send someone to attack Roger with you. Don't worry, it's not over yet. You just need to focus. Roger, don’t give up anything, okay?”
James nodded, but those damn rubbish words still stung him and made him think wildly.
What do Cleveland fans think of me now? It must have been like watching a failed clown.
What do the fans in Los Angeles think of me? After that elbow, could this still be my team?
On the other side, Roger was sweating profusely.
It felt really good to watch James break down and watch Kobe do justice on the court.
As a star, as a star who made a high-profile announcement that he was going to kick Roger out of the league, he deserves some beating and punishment when he plays such a disgusting performance.
In the original timeline, instead of being punished, LBJ became the real controller of the Heat. Dwyane Wade's operation was amazing.
In Los Angeles, justice is not absent after all.
But the price for justice is that Roger has consumed a lot of physical energy in the first three quarters.
James' collapse occurred at the end of the third quarter. Before that, it was undoubtedly difficult to challenge James and score a goal.
Difficult rounds will double the physical energy consumption of the athletes.
Roger needed backup in the fourth quarter, so he looked at Roy and said, "Hey, it's your turn."
In the last minute or so of the third quarter, neither team took the lead. The Lakers recovered 3 points and finally entered the fourth quarter with a 9-point gap.
The 9-point difference is still not small, but it is not without a chance.
Therefore, Roy has to ensure that the Warriors' offense does not stall.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Kobe broke through and passed the ball to Howard for an easy dunk, recovering 2 points.
This is a good start. As long as James stops being distracted on the defensive end and doesn't let Roger do whatever he wants, the score will definitely be restored.
The Warriors attacked, and this time it was Roger taking control of the ball. Brandon Roy moved aggressively, trying to get rid of Kobe.
But Kobe's defense became stronger in the fourth quarter, and he had to lead the team to catch up with these 9 points, so he had no reservations.
James and Billups flanked Roger together, and Roger clearly passed the ball to Prince.
Just when Chauncey Billups pounced back, Prince passed the ball again.
The target was Roy, who had just used Roger's cover to temporarily get rid of Kobe.
After Roger passed the ball, he immediately set up an off-ball screen for Roy. Kobe failed to bypass it immediately. James's attention was all on Roger and he failed to switch defense immediately. Although it still caused some interference to Roy, it was not strict enough.
"Brush!"
"Brandon took a decisive shot and opened the point difference to 10 points! Fortunately, he didn't throw the ball to Tyshawn after seeing LeBron's defense." Mike Breen didn't realize that he had changed. He became a beast with an unsatisfactory life.
After one round, Kobe shot directly from outside the three-point line, bringing the point difference back. Then he continued to attack Roy's psychological defense: "Brandon, if you score one, I will score one, let's see who of us misses first." .”
But Roy's indifferent expression disappointed Kobe. He had been attacking Roy from the first quarter, but the guy has not been affected in any way until now.
He always does the right thing and always brings a positive impact to the team.
At least he dared to take the three-pointer just now. One round later, Kobe squeezed through the screen and did not let Roy catch the ball again. The ball was eventually played into Stoudemire's hands.
Stoudemire struggled a lot today, mostly relying on air cuts and catch-and-shoot shots, because his underlying logic for scoring independently was broken.
His mid-range shooting space is based on the fact that the opponent does not dare to defend him, and he can easily break through, but it is also based on the fact that the opponent cannot keep up with him after defending.
But Howard can both press Stoudemire and follow up immediately when Stoudemire breaks through with the ball.
This was the case in this round. Amare Stoudemire saw Howard pressing him, so he broke through with the ball.
But Howard moves also very fast, and Stoudemire's speed has no advantage in front of him. Coupled with his strong upper body, it became difficult for Stoudemire to rush into the frame, and he ultimately missed a layup during the confrontation.
Stoudemire's shortcoming of not being able to post up was infinitely magnified by Howard. The Lakers defended the ball, and then Chauncey Billups pushed a counterattack and assisted Howard for a dunk.
The point difference was only 5 points, and the Lakers, who were overflowing with talent, did not let the game lose suspense early.
In the following games, the Lakers keenly discovered that Roger's offensive frequency and efficiency were declining, and his physical energy had been greatly depleted by the first three quarters.
Roy plays an increasingly important role on the offensive end, but facing Kobe Roy, he can only play without the ball more, which limits his production.
James?
He seemed to have disappeared, and his figure was not very visible on both offense and defense.
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Mike Breen continues to live a dissatisfied life: "The U.S. Air Force should really figure out what kind of invisible material LeBron used. He is obviously on the court, but everyone can't see him."
It is precisely because one person has disappeared that the Lakers have problems every time they are about to take the lead.
Either Howard gets cut, or Kobe gets double-teamed.
As for the other big-hearted Mr. Chauncey Billups, Roy bit him to death.
At this time, all the computing power in James' mind was used to think about other things: Why did Kobe elbow me? What will happen to our relationship in the future? What role do I play in the Lakers?
The game lasted until the last 1 minute and 05 seconds, with the Lakers trailing by 3 points. In this round, Kobe bypassed the screen and threw away Matt Barnes, receiving the pass from Billups and preparing to take action.
But Roy quickly switched defenses in front of Kobe, and Kobe hooked his fingers: "Come on, trash, let me completely reverse the game on your head."
Roy still has no expression. People say that he is Tim Duncan at the guard position, and it is true.
He chose to press Kobe directly. Kobe pushed Roy twice and then suddenly started to use the advantage of confrontation to break through. However, he did not gain any space and could only forcefully drift and shoot backwards at a zero-degree angle.
Roy's defense was very good, it could be said that it was watertight. But limited by his poor wingspan, he couldn't interfere with Kobe who was leaning back, so he hit the basketball. This was a beautiful single that made Warriors fans want to cheer. Kobe narrowed the point difference to 1 point.
"If the Warriors lose tonight, you must be the culprit." Kobe continued to goad Roy.
The game reached a critical point again, but as soon as Roger got the ball, he was double-teamed by Billups and James.
To be honest, LBJ didn't contribute at all in the second half. At least he didn't lose focus on the defensive end.
Roger wanted to run out from the gap between the two of them the moment the encirclement was completed.
But his depleted physical energy greatly affected his explosive power. He failed to break through the shackles, but bumped into Billups and James.
Roger didn't mess around and passed the ball to Roy who was diagonally behind.
As soon as Roy caught the ball, Kobe pressed forward. Even though Roy is still far away from the three-point line, Kobe has no intention of letting him take it easy.
"Come on, Bitch, a bitch who can only hide under Roger's wing is considered a winner? Do you dare to beat me once? Do you have any other way to score besides catching and shooting? You are a burden Brandon , tonight’s celebration banquet after the Lakers win, no one will be able to carry the cup if you don’t come.”
Roy said nothing and was silent throughout the fourth quarter.
He wanted to pass the ball to Roger, but Billups was too tight.
So Roy pushed Kobe away with his butt and made a fake lunge to the left. Kobe reacted quickly and bounced away, but Roy changed his direction and sprinted to the other side. But Kobe still kept up quickly, and Roy was not known for his explosive power. Seeing that he could not get rid of the defense, he stopped suddenly outside the three-point line, but Kobe was still not fooled. He braked faster and got closer to Roy, applying crazy pressure.
This is a textbook-level perimeter defense. The offensive time is getting shorter and shorter. The Lakers are about to defend this attack and then take the lead.
Want to pass the ball? Roy can choose to pass the ball, but there is not much attack time. Even if he successfully passes the ball to Roger or other teammates, the next person's only option is to force the ball.
Passing the ball at this time is irresponsible.
However, Roger has excellent strong shooting ability. He was born for this kind of round, and it seems that it doesn't matter if he passes it to him.
Roy is faced with a choice, and he doesn't have much time.
"Keep your umbrella to keep out the rain in Seattle."
"Brandon, take the umbrella."
"Do you still want to let that Roger hold an umbrella for you?"
"Tonight, it's you who will hold the umbrella."
These sounds flashed through Roy's mind like lightning, and he made a choice.
He doesn't want to rely solely on Roger to win forever!
So Roy stopped suddenly and then immediately started up again. He used his exquisite rhythm changes to make up for his lack of explosive power. He passed by Kobe and then raised the basketball high towards Dwight Howard and gave it a light pick.
"Brandon! He singled out Kobe before the end of the shot time, helping the Warriors reopen the point difference to 3 points in the last 27 seconds! The Lakers' attempt to overtake was shattered again! Mr. Big Heart, Brandon He is definitely a man with a big heart. This guy is not timid when facing the second best shooting guard in active service!" Mike Breen stood up and applauded. This was a heroic ball belonging to Brandon Roy.
After scoring the goal, Roy pointed at Roger with a smile and made a gesture of holding an umbrella next to him.
"Take it to keep out the rain in Los Angeles."
Roger smiled and extended his fist to touch Roy.
Matt Barnes applauded on the sidelines, and now he was sure that that kid was definitely qualified to take over the scepter.
The Lakers were 3 points behind, with only 27 seconds left in the game. Phil Jackson paused the game and arranged a tactic for Kobe.
But his tactics were easily guessed by Spoelstra. When the ball was thrown on the sideline, the Warriors cut off all Kobe's receiving routes, and the ball finally ended up in the hands of that guy - LeBron James.
This is an extremely dramatic scene. LBJ, who had disappeared for an entire quarter, suddenly had a full sense of presence at the most critical moment.
The whole world is staring at him. This ball determines the life and death of the Lakers and the outcome of this basketball traffic war.
Endless pressure came from all directions. Roger opened his arms and clapped his hands on the floor: "Give you a chance to kill me and prove that you are not a coward."
Then, Roger still followed the traditional method of shooting without guarding against breakthroughs, giving James a fairly generous shooting space.
Kobe looked at James. Will he turn the tide like Brandon Roy just did?
LBJ waved his hand, motioning for everyone to pull away, and then dribbled the ball continuously with his hips.
Mike Breen's blood pressure soared: "LeBron wants to beat Roger alone, LeBron wants to save the game!!!"
This is simply too dramatic. James has the opportunity to wipe away all the previous stains in one round.
Time passed by, and when there were only 5 seconds left in the attack time, James accelerated and sprinted.
But Roger's control of distance is top-notch. He always stays in front of James, blocking the breakthrough route and only giving some space for shooting.
James stopped suddenly and Kobe stared at the basketball, praying that James would make the shot.
As a result, Kobe's eyes widened in the next second.
In his 12 seasons in his career, he had never seen anything as outrageous as this moment, because the basketball did not fly to the basket, but to Kobe.
LeBron James pulled away and dribbled for twenty seconds, but in the end he chose to pass the ball! ?
Kobe caught the ball, took a hasty shot, and the Lakers missed the last chance.
It was the first time that Roger looked down on an opponent so much, and the first time that he sympathized with Kobe so much.
"Run away, coward, run away until you can't run anymore. That's why I say that not having you is my greatest advantage."
(End of chapter)