Chapter 453 Chapter 452: Don’t miss the opportunity (please vote!)
Kobe needs James to play like Scottie Pippen, and that's the last thing James' team and Nike want to see.
All along, they have been avoiding the transformation of James in the Lakers and Pippen under Phil Jackson.
Yes, Scottie Pippen had a brilliant career and won many honors.
Seven rings, seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA Team, ten-time All-Defensive Team, and one steal leader. His honors are definitely solid enough. You can't say that his career is not successful enough.
But no matter what magazine's list, Scott Pippen can't make it into the top 20 in the league.
His historical status is inconsistent with his honor.
The reason? People think he was so successful because he was around Jordan and Roger.
He is like an actor in an art film. No matter how great the work is, the actor will always be a supporting actor.
This is why Nike will never allow James to become Scottie Pippen. This is why James breaks the defense when Roger says to James, "You play like Scottie Pippen."
But now, Kobe is asking him to play like Scottie Pippen, and James can't say no.
Because it was expected, because he had already consumed all the trust his teammates had in him in his first game.
Because this is the Lakers' only chance to reverse the game.
So in G2 of the series, people saw a completely Pippen-like James.
He put more energy on the defensive end, and Phil Jackson really thought of him as Pippen, because he asked James to fight Roger from the beginning of the game.
In the last game, although James was constantly called out by Roger, his effectiveness in defending Roger was actually not bad at the beginning. It was only after his mentality collapsed in the third quarter that his level plummeted like a jumping machine.
But today, James completely gave up on the offensive end, as well as the psychological pressure and team status.
Anyway, let’s win the series first.
After all, this is only the Western Conference finals. In James' view, this series alone is not enough to completely sentence him to death.
What if I win FMVP in the finals?
James was very serious about Roger's defense today. Although this resulted in him having almost no sense of participation on the offensive end, his defensive enthusiasm remained unwavering.
This did have an effect. Roger's offense was greatly restricted today. No matter where Roger went, James was inseparable. Even when chasing Roger without the ball, James did a great job.
Of course, the most important thing is that Roger also has to spend energy on defense to defend James, which affects Roger's offense to a certain extent. In the last game, Roger, who was physically stronger, only lasted three quarters while defending James and attacking at the same time.
Roger did not forget to continue to use words to stimulate James: "I really didn't expect that the former King of Cleveland would be willing to become the dog next to Kobe."
And James responded calmly: "King? Dog? There are only losers and winners on the basketball court."
Not in the entire first quarter, James only took two shots, and the rest of the time he was running or passing.
He is still active on the offensive end, but his desire to take action is not strong. This means that Roger still cannot relax when defending James.
No matter how much Roger insulted him with trash talk, he never lost his temper again and maintained his defensive intensity.
Kobe has completely become the leader. He scored 14 points in a single quarter today, leading the Lakers to take the lead.
James had 3 points, 2 assists and 3 rebounds. He is still versatile, but his statistics have nothing to do with being amazing.
James' Pippen transformation seems to have had an effect. The whole world saw the changes in this team after Kobe yelled at James in the first game.
Al Michaels was full of praise for James' performance: "When LeBron found a way to cooperate with Kobe, he played the performance that people expected. I think LeBron has the opportunity to become the best No. 2 in NBA history. Characters!”
James heard Al Michaels's voice. Although his original intention was to praise James, this sentence was like "I wish Dwight Howard many children and grandchildren." Even if there was no malice in it, it sounded like a curse. .
In the second quarter, James maintained this defensive enthusiasm, but Kobe was in trouble.
Chauncey Billups didn't feel particularly good today, and James spent too much on the defensive end, which affected his energy on the offensive end. This resulted in the Warriors being very determined to attack Kobe.
In many rounds, Kobe could only choose to be forced to pass the ball or make a strong shot against the defense of two people.
Scottie Pippen is very strong, but as someone who has won four championships with him, Roger knows very well that Pippen is not that perfect.
The biggest flaw is that the help he can give a star in terms of scoring is actually very limited.
Both Jordan and Roger experienced the situation in the playoffs when Scottie Pippen misfired and had to play more than one game.
Kobe also began to experience this after receiving "Pippen" today, but the problem is that Kobe is still not Jordan or Roger.
His hard-hitting ability is very strong, but compared to Jordan and Roger, his efficiency is still slightly worse.
As for Roger, he must fully defend a person who doesn't score much. This cost-effectiveness is really low.
Roger is indeed restricted by James, but of course, he is not locked up. What's more, Roger also has Brandon Roy to help.
Therefore, the Lakers have been unable to widen the point difference. Kobe failed to seize the opportunity of Roger's restricted firepower to fully grasp the game situation. The point difference was pulled back and forth around 6 points.
In the second half, Brandon Roy passed many good balls, but Stoudemire, Stephen Jackson and others did not seize the opportunity.
Stephen Jackson seemed to be infected with the "Billups virus" tonight, and he couldn't find the right answer at all. Stoudemire continued to be suppressed by Dwight Howard, and his mid-range shots and frame shots were ineffective.
James also sent many wonderful passes, but Billups, Ski Man and Howard also failed to convert these passes into points. The former two feel bad, and the latter is always sent to the free throw line when he is about to dunk heartily.
The game gradually turned into a defensive battle,
In the fourth quarter, Kobe began to play a large number of unreasonable offenses, and Roger also began to increase the number of personal shots.
The shooting percentages of both sides were not high. In the last minute, Roger personally defended Kobe and accurately cut the ball at the moment Kobe chose to turn over and shoot, causing him to make a mistake.
Roger then quickly passed the ball to counterattack, assisting Stoudemire who followed up quickly and scored with a dunk to take the lead.
One possession later, Roger blocked all of Kobe's drives and forced him to the right. Seeing this situation, Roy on the right quickly flanked Kobe.
Kobe Bryant, who was caught in the middle, passed the ball to Chauncey Billups, but the big-hearted man nicknamed Mr. Big Shot missed the key shot.
In fact, Chauncey Billups's shooting percentage in the deep rounds of the playoffs has not been high throughout his career. In the original timeline, from 2003 to 2008, Billups played in the Eastern Conference Finals for six consecutive years, but only twice did he shoot more than 40% in the Eastern Conference Finals. The highest one was only 42.9%, and the lowest one was only 27%. When he reached the Western Conference Finals with the Nuggets in 2009, his shooting percentage was only 39%. In the Western Conference semifinals of the same year, he was able to score 21 points with a 50% shooting rate.
In the Western Conference Finals or higher level games, Chauncey Billups needs to face high-level players on the defensive end for several consecutive games. His defensive pressure will be very great, so his offense will be affected and become It's easy to get limited.
This is why Chauncey Billups is a guaranteed player. He can guarantee that the team will at least reach the conference finals. But if you want to go higher, it is beyond the capabilities of Chauncey Billups.
His ceiling is right here, he's just that long, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't get deeper.
So today, Chauncey Billups just played at his normal level in the conference finals.
This three-pointer bounced off a long rebound. Roger took the ball personally and turned around to counterattack. When Dwight Howard and James were chasing the goal, Roger pulled the lever twice in the air, first avoiding James and then avoiding James. Drive Howard, throw him when the body is already down, wipe the board hit.
"Incredible strike, this is undoubtedly the greatest goal of the 21st century!"
After landing, Roger smiled tiredly: "LeBron, I was wrong, you are not even as good as Scottie Pippen. If it were him, he would definitely be able to block the shot."
In the end, the Warriors relied on defense to win with a slim advantage of 4 points, with a total score of 2-0 in the series.
Roger only scored 27 points, Kobe 28 points, and both shot below 45%.
James had 12 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 turnovers. The term "senior role player" is perfectly suitable to describe James at this time.
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Although he lost, Phil Jackson was not as desperate as he was at the end of G1.
Facts have proved that letting James Pippen change is the best solution for the Lakers to win the game.
Today, the Lakers have successfully restricted the Warriors and have the advantage most of the time.
If it weren't for Chauncey Billups' poor touch, the Lakers would have a great chance of winning the game.
Kobe also thinks so. He was relatively relaxed at the press conference: "I can return to my territory for the next game."
James also stated: "Yes, we will get our respect back in the next game."
The reporter laughed: "If the Lakers win the next game, but you score less than 15 points in three consecutive games, do you think this will allow you to gain respect from LeBron?"
James' face was full of black lines, and he couldn't answer this question.
Today he sacrificed his data and became Scottie Pippen for once. What was the result? The team only came close to winning and he became the laughing stock again.
He couldn't bear this situation anymore.
Maybe, coming to Los Angeles was a mistake.
But no matter what, he couldn't quit midway.
He still wants to beat Roger, and the home game will decide everything.
Even the Super Lakers can't reverse a 0-3 deficit.
So, James shrugged: "Whatever you say, I'm not the kind of person who cares about data."
It is foreseeable that this sentence will become one of the classic quotations along with "I never dive" and "I never slack off in any game" in the future.
James continued to add: "I don't care if I scored 15 points or 25 points. You can say that I scored less, you can say that my data is not bright enough, but there is one thing you must admit, that is, you must respect me and respect me for victory. The contribution I made, respect my contribution in limiting Roger, I will continue to freeze him in the next game, as Kobe said, that is our territory.”
He is full of witty words and extremely clever.
He scored less, but he emphasized his contribution on the defensive end. Moreover, Kobe changed "my territory" to "our territory".
You can never doubt LBJ's IQ.
Roger also knows that this game is close, and to be honest, the Lakers have a great chance. If we fight like this again, the Warriors may not win.
But Roger had already discussed the next adjustment strategy with Spoelstra after the game. Yes, after a victory, Roger was already preparing for the next game.
He told everyone in the locker room: "We will decide the outcome in the next game, don't give the Lakers a chance, NoworNever!"
This is not the first time Roger has said this. CCTV reporters translated it as: Don’t miss a good opportunity.
Roger felt confident that the new strategy was working.
"Their territory? I'll take the Staples Center to myself with a win."
"LeBron said he's going to keep freezing you."
"Oh God, LeBron has too many unfulfilled promises, and he is still stacking them? Please, he should complete those previous promises first. For LeBron, I just want to tell him one thing."
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All the reporters seemed to prick up their ears.
"Who is my greatest rival? You can say Michael, Kobe, Tim or KG. But who is the biggest clown of my era? There's only one answer, LeBron. Freeze me? I wish you could do that if If you don't, the Lakers' season is over. Don't miss this opportunity, LeBron."
——
Dominic Wilkins has a guest at his house today - the now popular basketball columnist Bill Simmons.
He came for Roger's autobiography.
"I'm really curious. I remember that when you first went to the Magic, you had a hard time with Roger. But after that, you almost became his number one fan and supporter. You even played the best game of your career with the Magic. Great defensive performance. Where did this transformation come from? Is there anything we don't know about it? Did Roger threaten you with Michael's titanium eye incident? "Bill Simmons and Wilkins? Just kidding.
"Hahahahaha, of course there is no threat, of course not. Oh, that was really many years ago, although it was a short time, but it was the best memory of my career, so I remember everything. The root of the transformation , in fact, there is only one sentence: Leadertakethelead”
"Hmm, it really matches the six tenets I summarized. I'm such a fucking genius." Bill Simmons boasted, he had this kind of character.
"This book is called "Champion's Creed," right? You said you used six creeds to deconstruct the secret of Roger's success. I'm curious why you summarized it with six?"
"Because God took six days to create the world, and the God of Basketball used six points to explain his teachings." Bill Simmons raised his head slightly proudly. He knew that his idea was good and would definitely be liked by everyone.
Dominic Wilkins nodded approvingly: "It's interesting. I'm already curious about which six articles it is. I will be the first to buy it when it is published."
"No, I will personally visit you and give you a copy. Now, let's talk in detail about how Roger took the lead. This will be an important chapter."
(End of chapter)