Champions Creed

Chapter 241 240: 8 points, this is Kobe's value (ask for monthly votes!)

The Apostle Paul's name comes from the Latin word Paulus, which means humble one.

Paul did not believe in God originally, but after witnessing the great miracle of God's resurrection from the dead, he decided to change his beliefs and became the most faithful apostle.

Paul Pierce didn't believe in God originally, and he even had a one-on-one match with God when he was young.

It was on that day that he witnessed the greatness of God's power and became an apostle of God.

Well, at first he was just pretending to believe in God to avoid divine punishment.

But as he believed more and more, he became more sincere.

Somehow, the similarities between some things are so exaggerated.

Phil Jackson realized the game was in trouble.

He had unexpected trouble.

He didn't expect the Eagles and Roger to hand over the fourth quarter offense to Pierce.

The singles in the previous three quarters were all fucking traps!

Phil Jackson hates traps.

Looking back, the moment Jeanie Buss stretched her feet from under the desk and rubbed against him in the office on the first day of reporting to the Lakers, he had already fallen into the trap of that woman. He thought Jeanie Buss just wanted to talk about feelings, but he didn't expect her needs to be so great.

And tonight, the moment Kobe was asked to defend Roger, Phil Jackson fell into the trap again!

The Hawks deliberately let Roger consume a lot of shooting opportunities to conserve Pierce's energy.

Then force Kobe to defend Roger alone, consume Kobe as much as possible and reduce Kobe's physical strength.

As for why Roger had to defend Kobe in the fourth quarter, it was simple. Roger is currently the player with the strongest individual defensive ability on the Hawks.

Even more than Pippen.

Pippen had more experience and skills, and was able to devote more energy to the defensive end, but he was slower after all.

Even if Kobe played defense with all his strength in the first three quarters, Pippen might not be able to hold him down.

So the person who killed Kobe could only be Roger.

Roger's rampage against Kobe in the first three quarters was just a warm-up.

When Roger started to defend Kobe, it meant the moment of judgment had come.

Pierce's goal just now gave the Hawks an 8-point lead, and Kobe had to get the offense done as soon as possible.

The ball was given to Kobe again, and he is now the starting point of the Lakers' offense.

Yes, the Zen Master became famous for the triangle offense, but his teams, whether it was the Bulls, Knicks or Lakers, never used the triangle offense in the game-killing stage.

This is why many coaches think the triangle offense is nonsense.

For example, now, the Zen Master's tactics, to put it bluntly, is to give the ball to Kobe and then act accordingly.

Either Kobe connects with the Shark, or Kobe breaks through to disrupt the Hawks' defense and then passes the ball.

But the reality now is that Kobe can't do anything.

The Hawks chose to let Roger defend Kobe alone, which was the confidence of Lenny Wilkens.

Roger spent a lot of time and patience on the defensive end, and he was not finally selected to the All-Defensive First Team until last season, the sixth season of his career.

And now in his seventh season, Roger's defense has finally reached perfection.

It’s just because he needs to focus on offense more often, so his defensive skills will not be easily revealed.

But when it comes to showing off, Roger will never show mercy!
Kobe made a three-threat shot to the left, then quickly broke through to the right.

But he couldn't create any space. Roger's extremely fast reaction and pace gave Kobe no chance at all.

Kobe shot despite Roger's interference, but the basketball went out of the rim.

Roger shook his head: "Keep shooting, Kobe, keep shooting. The more you shoot, the closer we are to victory."

Looking at Roger's perfect defense, Pippen could only sigh at the speed of time.

It seemed like the days when he and Roger played together on the Bulls were just yesterday. In the 94 Finals, even a guy like Vernon Maxwell, who was almost unknown now, could name-check Roger.

But now? Roger is helpless against one of the most talented guards in the league.

This is not fair.

This is really unfair.

After all, there are only a few players in this world who can truly play both offense and defense.

Most people like Roger who are not good at defense in the early stage of their careers may improve on the defensive end in the middle and late stages of their careers due to the growth of experience, skills and inner maturity. But at that time, they are often past their physical peak, so their defense is still not that good.

But what about Roger?

He is only 24 years old after seven seasons of growth. His body is at its peak and his experience and skills are at their peak.

This is so unfair.

Seeing Kobe miss again, O'Neal was a little annoyed. He agreed to give the ball to Kobe in the fourth quarter, but not to watch Kobe miss.

To be honest, O'Neal doesn't care about the winning streak at all. These empty things are useless.

But O'Neill would never let this record be broken in Roger's hands.

Roger said he would be the first player to beat the Lakers this season, but we can't just assume what he says is the truth!
In the next round, Pierce made a jump shot, but the Hawks still led.

So in this round, O'Neal decided to continue the attack himself: "Kobe, give me the ball!"

"Shut up Shaq!"

Phil Jackson felt something was wrong. This was the first time this season that Kobe and O'Neal had a dispute over the ball.

"That's right Kobe, ignore that trash." Roger continued to fan the flames.

"Damn it!" O'Neal was helpless. The center really has no human rights!
If he were a guard, he could just stick his butt out beyond the three-point line to ask for the ball and then initiate the offense himself.

Kobe is indeed easily excited, which is sometimes an advantage and sometimes a disadvantage.

Sometimes his unreasonable singles can destroy his opponents, which is an advantage.

Sometimes his unreasonable one-on-one play can destroy the Lakers, but this is a shortcoming.

Kobe forced his way forward, turned around and slid into the basket. Seeing Roger firmly guarding the baseline, Kobe turned and shot towards the restricted area.

But what greeted him was Ben Wallace's blood.

Three attacks, two were blocked and one shot was missed.

Roger is thankful that he doesn't have to be teammates with someone like Kobe.

Even the very stupid Pierce last season, at most he just played blind defense but rarely took blind shots.

Roger is now really curious about who the Sharks hate more, himself or Kobe.

Well, after the "Shaq did it too" incident, Roger must ask Shark this question.

The game continued and Pierce did not waste the opportunity this time.

He used his strong body to roll over Glen Rice to the penalty area, then turned around and walked into the penalty area.

At once, Shark, Glen Rice and AC Green all raised their arms and surrounded him.

Facing such a situation, Pierce was not panicked. He turned his back and took a smooth step back, then shot a jump shot in the restricted area. The three people who surrounded him all jumped up, but because of the space created by the step back, their palms were a little far from Pierce. Pierce scored a jump shot under the three people's siege, and the score difference was double digits!
Paul Pierce, with his strong body, solid footwork and soft touch, is the teammate with the best ball-handling offensive ability that Roger has ever had since he entered the league.

Scott Pippen's ball handling has never been top-notch, Shaq is an inside player who needs to be fed the ball, and Steve Smith's style of play tends to be without the ball.

So this was the first time in Roger's career that he could focus entirely on defense without having to worry about offense at all.

Paul Pierce will take care of it.

God and His apostles continue to spread fear in Los Angeles.

One round later, Kobe finally scored.

A difficult turnaround shot that was made while being completely covered by Roger.

But there was no cheering.

Because Kobe did not play the dominance that people expected.

This one goal does not quench the Lakers' thirst. What they need is efficient and stable scoring.

But in front of Roger, can Kobe really be efficient and stable?
The answer is no. In the rest of the fourth quarter, Kobe was not shut out, but his offensive efficiency was not enough for the Lakers to tie the score.

Paul Pierce's performance is just the opposite of Kobe's. His offense is not as explosive as Roger's, but it can ensure that the Hawks stabilize the situation.

With three minutes left in the game, Glen Rice's three-pointer allowed the Lakers to narrow the gap to 10 points.

Phil Jackson called a timeout, and you can imagine how angry the Shark was. He and Roger were tied in the first three quarters, but when Kobe took the lead, the team fell behind by double digits.

"I told you to give me the ball!" O'Neal only took three shots in the fourth quarter, and Kobe ignored his requests for the ball most of the time.

Kobe didn't say anything. His efficiency prevented him from saying "the fourth quarter belongs to me."

In the fourth grade, Kobe, who thought he had reached his peak, was really beaten by Roger.

In the first three quarters, Roger dismembered Kobe's defense.

In the fourth quarter, Roger buried Kobe's offense.

After the timeout, the Shark began to position himself in the paint, preparing for a one-on-one play.

But he didn't even catch the ball.

The moment Kobe passed the ball to the Shark, Pippen immediately started, cut off the passing route and intercepted the ball midway.

In the first three quarters, Pippen was mainly defending Kobe, so he had no way to show his talent in assisting defense.

But in the fourth quarter, he was able to shine on the defensive end.

You can't pass the ball around against a team with Scottie Pippen. That hasn't changed since 1991.

Scott Pippen may have done too many clownish things, but you have to admit that not just anyone can be a jester to two generations of emperors.

Pierce's miss gave the Lakers a chance to close the gap to single digits. The Shark asked for the ball very deep, and he wanted to finish the moment he received the ball.

Harper lobbed the ball in, O'Neal pushed Big Ben away, turned around, and prepared to slam the ball into the basket.

But before he could jump up, the shark was grabbed by Marion around the waist.

Marion fouled out, which was the price of defending the Sharks.

But it's a price the Eagles can afford.

The Shark is a bit impatient, and what he hates most is being beaten when the team is behind at a crucial moment.

It stands to reason that stopping the clock to catch up is the situation that all teams that are lagging behind most hope to see.

But sharks particularly hate this moment.

He hated free throws, which was his most hated part of the basketball court.

He did work on his free throw shooting this past summer, but that's exactly what's most painful - his efforts were completely in vain.

On the training ground, Shark's free throw shooting percentage can easily reach around 85%.

But that's not the case at all in the game.

Once again, O'Neal made only one of two free throws.

Such free throws are not very helpful for the Lakers to catch up.

The Sharks' shortcomings in the sprint moments are always too short.

Ben grabbed the rebound, and Roger calmly ran to the other half of the court with Shaq: "Shaq, this is why you only deserve to win the second championship."

O'Neal was so angry that he wanted to push Roger away, but seeing Andre Patterson on the Eagles bench staring at him hungrily, O'Neal decided to mature for once.

You can't always fight and play like a child.

The game continued, and Pierce's catch and jump shot outside the three-point line gave him his 14th point in the fourth quarter.

The score difference came to 12 points.

Immediately afterwards, Kobe was intercepted by Roger again.

The Shark's just-taken mistake made Kobe even less likely to pass the ball.

But he dribbled too much, and Roger saw at least three opportunities to steal the ball but didn't take them out of caution.

But when the fourth chance came, Roger knew that Kobe had lost his most basic patience.

After Roger successfully stole the ball, the Los Angeles fans at the scene felt desperate.

Roger and Pierce, the Lakers couldn't stop either of them.

Phil Jackson sat on the sidelines, silent.

He could imagine Michael Jordan snickering in front of the TV, saying, "I told you, those two idiots can't help you."

With 1 minute and 03 seconds left in the game, Roger threw the ball to Pierce as usual, but Pierce immediately passed it back to Roger.

The meaning is simple: Boss, you take the final blow.

Roger didn't hesitate and accelerated to the left the moment he received the ball.

Glen Rice had no time to react, and Robert Horry, who came on as a substitute, immediately came to his aid in defense.

But Roger quickly turned around and walked to the right side of the court.

Glen Rice and Horry tried to catch up as fast as they could, but Roger drifted out without any warning.

Glenn Rice, who was not good at defense, didn't react at all. Robert Horry immediately jumped up to block him, but he was still a beat too late.

At that moment Robert Horry knew that everything was over.

The current Atlanta Hawks have two guys who are unstoppable once they find their rhythm.

brush.

Roger made the shot in the double-team, just as easily as shooting in the open position. The score difference was 15 points, and the game completely lost its suspense.

After scoring, Roger pointed directly at the Shark: "Don't worry, Shaq. Eat something good tonight, drink some red wine, and sleep in peacefully tomorrow. Nothing will happen. People will only say that it is natural for the Lakers, who have won 16 consecutive games, to lose to Roger."

Pippen shook his head. He felt that Pierce was really sensible.

He knew Roger needed to say something before the end of the game, so he completely dominated the fourth quarter and took the initiative to give up the stage without hesitation.

Now Pippen understands why Paul is the greatest apostle.

In the end, the Atlanta Hawks won the game 109-96, ending the Lakers' 16-game winning streak at the start of the season and preventing a new winning streak from setting a new record.

The Sharks had 37 points and 13 rebounds, and Glen Rice had 20 points.

But Kobe only scored 14 points.

For the Hawks, Roger scored 38 points and Pierce scored 27 points.

In the fourth quarter when Kobe should have stood up, he was ruthlessly defeated by Roger.

He was not better than Roger in either offense or defense.

The discussion about "Los Angeles version of the strongest duo in history" ended at this moment.

Even if a shark is a shark, Kobe is not Roger.

No one can replace Roger to form the strongest duo in history.

He is the most important component.
-
This was a tragic defeat. In the final analysis, some of our players became as weak as lambs to be slaughtered when facing a strong opponent like the Hawks. --Phil Jackson commented on the team's defeat.

I don't care who Phil is talking about. -- Kobe Bryant on the question of "Who is the lamb that Phil Jackson is talking about?"

Yes, Phil was talking about me. I let the team down. It's all my fault. - Rick Fox tried to take the blame in an interview.

From now on, I will name the combination of Roger and Paul Pierce as God and Apostle. They are so good that I can't imagine any team can resist their offense. You better pray to God and Apostle. Los Angeles fans didn't pray to them tonight, so they refused to show mercy. ——Magic Johnson's post-game summary

Hey, who dares to say that I can only beat Kobe Bryant in a fight? — Paul Pierce, who was covered in holes, smiled very brightly.

"Roger, it was a great game. However, the situation in the fourth quarter was definitely beyond most people's expectations. You gave the ball to Paul and let him shine. Was this part of your plan?"

"Of course, we have been preparing to do this for a long time."

"How does it feel to be the first player to beat the Lakers this season?"

“How do you feel when you get up in the morning and brush your teeth?”

"Well nobody feels anything special when they brush their teeth in the morning, right?"

"Yes, because getting up in the morning and brushing your teeth is a natural thing. I became the first player to beat the Lakers this season, which is also natural. I have said it a long time ago. I am better than Shaq and Kobe, and I have Paul to help me. This result is inevitable."

"You scored 38 points tonight, which is already a lot, but I think many fans may expect you to score more in this game. After all, you said that 61 points is not your limit. Your limit depends on how strong your opponent is."

"Yes, this sentence is still valid, because Shaq's strength is only worthy of me scoring 30 points."

"What about the remaining 8 points?"

"The remaining 8 points are for Kobe, for the number 8. That's his value."

——Roger accepted an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated.

(I am here, late but I am here)

(End of this chapter)