Champions Creed

Chapter 332 331: Hey, you bastard, good job (ask for monthly ticket!)

The most glorious moment of Gary Payton's career came in 1996.

He won DPOY as a point guard and led the Seattle SuperSonics to the finals. He and Shawn Kemp became one of the best duos in the league, and they seemed to be able to create a glory that had never been achieved in Seattle's history.

Then the cheerful symphony was suddenly interrupted at its climax, and all the beautiful fantasies came to an abrupt end in the finals.

The once glorious DPOY was beaten point-for-point in the finals, and the inside line guarded by Sean Kemp was turned upside down by O'Neal.

1996 became the most glorious and the most painful memory of their career.

After that, the Seattle SuperSonics gave up Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton never reached the divisional finals again.

His name seemed to have disappeared from the league, while Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and even his younger brother Jason Kidd, these names began to become increasingly famous in the league.

Where is Gary Payton? Gary Payton is already in the corner with tears in his eyes.

But he was unwilling to accept this. He didn't want to be like Patrick Ewing, his old teammate Sean Kemp, Alonzo Mourning, Charles Barkley and others, and disappear from the league without any explanation.

So he accepted a low contract, accepted a role he was not best at, and accepted being second to Tim Duncan.

He wants to wear the ring that should have been on his finger in 1996, and he is willing to sacrifice everything for this goal.

As a result, when Payton was ready to win, the man who had stopped him in 1996 appeared in front of him again.

"Roger."

"Gary, give your eulogy."

"I'm going to fucking kill you today. Your days of ruling everything are over, and they must end!" Gary Payton shouted out an angry roar from the bottom of his heart.

This damn No. 14 wants to stop me for the second time? No way!

Roger shook his head calmly: "I asked you to give a eulogy, not nonsense."

Payton's roar did not leave any ripples in Roger's heart, because Gary Payton was just a loser.

He couldn't cause any trouble to Roger during his prime, so there was no reason why he could do so during his twilight years.

There is only one player in the world who has lost to an opponent in his prime and then lost to the same opponent again in his twilight, and that person is not in the Bay Area.

While Roger and Payton were arguing with each other, the Warriors had already kicked the ball out.

Tayshaun Prince passed the ball to Alan Houston, and Payton immediately stuck to the mid-range shooting king, showing full aggression.

Maybe to Roger, Payton's defensive threat was not that big, but to Alan Houston, Payton was simply a hungry lion.

Defending Alan Houston is very easy for a defensive player of Payton's level, because Alan Houston's ball-handling ability is average and his finishing efficiency at the basket is low.

So all you have to do is be aggressive to the fullest and defend his shots. Even if he is broken through because he sticks too close to you, he will never be able to successfully challenge David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Alan Houston could only hold the ball tightly with both hands under pressure, for fear that it would fall away if he was not careful.

He raised the ball above his head, trying to find his teammates. But Gary Payton didn't give Alan Houston a chance to breathe, he jumped up and picked the ball from Alan Houston's hands!
The former DPOY got the ball back himself after being called for an offensive foul!
After getting the ball, Payton led the counterattack, but due to his decreased mobility, he was entangled by Roger before he crossed half court.

However, Payton did not stop. He still relied on Roger to rush to the frontcourt, stopped suddenly outside the three-point line, created a little space, changed direction, and accelerated to break through again.

But Roger's Payton was in position the moment he broke through, blocking his way again. And at the moment of physical contact, Roger decisively grabbed the ball and snatched it away!

Gary Payton lost the ball for the second consecutive round just after halftime!

Gregg Popovich was so angry that he raised his hand and yelled at Payton: "I don't want to remind an old man what to do all the time!"

Roger's counterattack was much faster than Payton's. He rushed to the front court quickly and then easily scored a dunk. This strong contrast made Gary Payton look old.

He still wanted to compete with top scorers, and he also wanted to tell others with his actions that "I am fucking Gary Payton", but he was defeated completely.

4 to 2, the Warriors were leading by 2 points, but the Warriors fans were cheering as if the team was already leading by 20 points.

Against a sworn enemy like the Spurs, every point lead makes fans feel that they should celebrate wildly.

"Gary, give the ball to Tony," Roger yelled at Payton, "Your ball handling is terrible and your speed is too slow. No, damn it, you are totally useless now. Listen, just stand in your corner."

Roger was humiliating his opponent as usual. Honestly, Roger didn't know what Payton was thinking. His decision to play singles just now was too abstract, as abstract as Xiang Zuo slapping himself inexplicably at the stairs and running away like a thief.

Is the Glove still living in the past? Does he think he is still the top three point guard in the league?
As for Payton right now, if Roger really wants to focus all his energy on him, he can't even score 5 points in a game.

Payton was silent. For two consecutive rounds, Roger easily made him lose on the offensive end, as if Roger was the best defensive player.

In fact, it is not just Gary Payton who feels this way. Most of the players who have played against Roger this season feel that Roger's defense is very difficult. It was difficult before, but it is even more difficult this season!
When you encounter Roger's defense, you will be like Stallone in "Rocky 3" when he first fought the villain Troud. At that time, he was in the corner and muttered in fear: "I can't get rid of him!"

Look at how Chauncey Billups was blocked by Roger against the Pistons and couldn't even take the key shots.

Look at how Paul Pierce was lost on the court in the crucial round against the Pacers because of Roger's defense.

Roger, who is entering his 11th season in his professional career, is willing to focus more on the defensive end because the team's defense was so bad last season that Roger realized that he has been too well protected by the excellent defensive inside players.

Even in the season when Ben Wallace was lost, Kurt Thomas and Hakeem Olajuwon were both excellent defensive players, and the Hawks' interior defense was still better than many teams in the league. Having excellent defensive players behind him for many years made Roger habitually dependent on them: I don't have to do my best on the defensive end, the team's defense is good enough.

Of course, Roger's defense is already excellent, and he has been selected to the All-Defensive First Team for five consecutive seasons. But everything that happened last season made Roger completely stop relying on top inside players, and also made him work harder on the defensive end this season.

However, if a person's energy is 100, then if you give 10 more points to defense, you will have to give 10 less points to offense.

When Roger defends harder, his offense will definitely be affected, but Roger doesn't mind letting Alan Houston and Amar'e Stoudemire help him share some of the burden.

So it’s really not Payton’s fault. So far this season, any player targeted by Roger has suffered on the offensive end.

After being easily defended and counterattacked by Roger, Payton obediently passed the ball to Tony Parker in this round, and then ran to his own bottom corner, just like a Wimbledon kid.

To be honest, this makes Gary Payton feel ashamed.

He was once a superstar and the team's main point guard, leading every attack of the team.

And now, he can only stand in the corner and do the same job as undrafted players like Bruce Bowen.

"That's right Gary, stand still!" Roger smiled and defended Payton. Even though Payton's behavior was equivalent to surrendering, Roger still did not let him go.

Payton still didn't say anything, but that didn't mean he had given up the fight.

Maybe Roger is right, his opponent is Tim Duncan.

But in Payton's view, Tim Duncan's victory is his own victory!

As long as that big guy can beat the Warriors, he will have defeated Roger!

Just when Payton was feeling extremely frustrated, he caught the ball at No. 21, who he thought could help him turn his entire career around.

After Parker took control, he steadily fed the ball to Duncan. This Frenchman who was once disliked by Popovich is now the number two player of the Spurs.

But the moment Duncan received the ball, Stoudemire and Mutombo surrounded him.

Because Stoudemire's double-team was so fast, Duncan didn't even have time to seize the opportunity to play one-on-one.

The poker-faced guy calmly passed the ball to the mid-range Admiral. Today, the Admiral is a thorough mid-range shooter, but this is also the reason why he was able to get the ring.

He only worked with Duncan for one season before he easily gave up the star halo that had accompanied him for more than ten years and was willing to play a supporting role around Duncan. This was probably the smoothest change of power in NBA history.

Even though he can only be a mid-range shooter, the Admiral is dedicated.

He got the basketball and prepared to shoot. But when he was about to shoot, Roger in the corner came in and tried to interfere!

The Admiral didn't expect that Roger would come in for rotation, so he passed the ball to Payton in the corner without hesitation.

Payton was left open, and even if Roger ran as fast as he could, he couldn't block Payton's shot.

However, not all superstars can successfully transform. The Admiral may be a good mid-range shooter, but Gary Payton may not be a good corner shooter.

With some interference from Roger, Payton opened fire. This is indeed not a pure point guard, but it is also an opportunity.

But faced with a great opportunity, Gary Payton just shot a bridge shot!

Payton himself is not particularly good at long shots, and he was too nervous just now.

He was afraid that he would mess up again. He was afraid that if he shot too slowly, Roger would block him.

So his actions were extremely hasty, which ultimately led to this outcome.

"Hey," Roger looked past Payton and toward the bench, "Craig, why did you let this kind of trash start?"

Popovich frowned, because that was the Warriors' latest defensive strategy.

In the past, when facing the Spurs, the Warriors rarely sent outside players to assist in defense, and the offense and defense in the interior was basically two on two.

But just now, the Warriors used Roger to go inside to participate in the defense of Duncan and the Admiral, which broke the balance.

Before this game, Tayshaun Prince needed to guard Parker, Roger needed to save his energy for offense, and Alan Houston had no value in assisting defense, so the two-on-two inside line was a helpless move.

But today, Hubie Brown and Roger himself are both interested in improving his defensive role. Again, when Roger doesn't have a top-notch inside player to rely on, he has to step out of his comfort zone and invest more on the defensive end.

This strategy was successful. From the beginning of the game till now, the Spurs' twin towers did almost nothing in the game except for Duncan's first singles at the beginning.

Gary Payton seemed to have fallen into the abyss. If he wanted Duncan to lead him to win, he needed to create space for Duncan. But if he didn't feel good today, Duncan wouldn't be able to perform.

Ultimately, his fate is in his own hands.

In the next few rounds, Gary Payton became the most embarrassed person on the court.

Roger repeatedly increased the defensive area and disrupted the offense inside, which gave Payton a lot of opportunities.

But he wasted these opportunities with missed shots and mistakes.

Roger can boldly enter the inside to assist in defending the Admiral and Duncan, while Gary Payton can only be like an old woman who has lost her charm, watching her husband spending his time drinking and partying outside and unable to win back his heart.

In the eighth minute of the first quarter, Duncan received the ball with his back to the basket in a higher position, then turned over and shot a jump shot the moment he received the ball, ready to show off his 45-degree angle rebound.

Mutombo tried his best to interfere, but Duncan's extremely high shooting point and slightly backward angle made it impossible for the African mountain to catch up.

Just as Duncan held up the basketball and prepared to shoot, the basketball was slapped down by Roger who came from the side!

After completing the block, Roger picked up the basketball and moved forward quickly. Facing the blockade of Bowen and Payton near the midfield line, Roger hit the ball to the ground and passed it between the two. Stoudemire who followed up from the left received the basketball, then slammed it with both hands and scored!
After this goal, the Warriors had a 7-point lead and Craig Popovich called a timeout.

"This is Roger's influence. I've said before that he is not only a top offensive player, but he is also definitely qualified to compete for DPOY," Mike Breen did not hide his love for Roger at all. "If I were eligible to vote, I would definitely choose him in the DPOY vote!"

The moment the game was suspended, the Oakland Arena shook.

After changing the defensive strategy today and allowing Roger to participate in defense, Bay Area fans finally saw hope of defeating the Spurs, their ultimate nightmare.

Popovich really didn't expect the game to be so passive. If a basketball game only lasted eight minutes, the Warriors would have already won.

It’s a pity that there are only forty minutes left in the showdown!
Eight minutes, that time when the old man who didn't know how old he was was almost exhausted. If he didn't make a substitution, the defensive pressure Duncan faced would become less and less.

If a substitution occurs, the defensive pressure faced by Duncan will disappear directly.

The only problem that needs to be solved next is Roger, who must be pinned down on the outside.

Popovich waved his hand: "Manu, it's your turn!"

On the other side, Mutombo was sweating profusely.

Playing against Tim Duncan is definitely the most difficult thing in the world. You have to consume your energy when he is positioning himself, when you are boxing out with him, and when you are defending him when he is attacking with the ball.

Duncan was everywhere in the game, which meant that Mutombo never had a chance to rest and catch his breath.

Mutombo, who was already extremely tired, knew that his first quarter was almost over, so he turned his head and looked at Marcus Camby at the end of the bench.

Camby stared at the coach with burning eyes.

Hubie Brown originally walked up to Troy Murphy, but in the end he turned his head and looked into Camby's burning eyes: "Marcus, are you still afraid of being let down?"

The game resumed and both sides have made substitutions. The Spurs' lineup is now Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Malik Rose and Duncan.

The Warriors are Roger, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, Stoudemire and Marcus Camby.

Roger frowned when he saw Ginobili and Parker on the court at the same time.

Although this is only Ginobili's sophomore season, no one can ignore him on the offensive end.

After all, in the summer of 2002, Ginobili became famous for leading Argentina to defeat the Dream Team .

So now, the Spurs have two extremely threatening attacking points on the court.

Stephen Jackson needs to deal with Parker, so only Roger will face Ginobili.

The problem is that the Argentines must not let the ball go at will.

If he can find his touch, he'll give you a night comparable to that of a superstar.

Roger's tentacles could no longer affect the inside line.

During these few minutes, the inside defense can only rely on Stoudemire and Camby themselves!

This is Popovich's strategy, using Ginobili to create space for Duncan.

In fact, in Popovich's plan, Parker, Ginobili and Duncan are the masters of the next era of the Spurs.

The Spurs can only play their greatest power when these three are on the court at the same time.

As soon as the game started, the Spurs couldn't wait to find Duncan.

Ginobili is not an honest corner shooter. He shuttled all over the court and Roger had to follow him closely, with no energy at all to help defend.

Duncan received the ball in the high post and faced Camby, his opponent he had met in college.

There was no expression on his poker face, but he was smiling brightly in his heart.

Marcus Camby is the league's most defensive player.

His defensive statistics are very good, and he blocked himself twice in the last game.

But Duncan loves playing against him because he can ignore all basic defensive rules in order to block shots.

Off the court, Gary Payton also clenched his fists.

Next, it’s finally Duncan’s turn to perform, right?

As long as Duncan can win, I am also a winner!
Duncan faced the basket with the ball, made two three-threat steps, and then suddenly raised the basketball.

What surprised Duncan was that Camby did not jump in a hurry this time, but just raised his arms high in front of him.

Duncan lowered his center of gravity and chose to break through. Marcus Camby stayed close to Duncan throughout the entire process, gritting his teeth to fight against this center who was known as a power forward.

Breaking through to the basket, Duncan deliberately raised the basketball again.

However, Marcus Camby still did not jump to block the shot!

He stood in front of Duncan diligently and did not give Duncan any easy chances!

Off the court, Mutombo was wiping his sweat with a relieved smile.

He finally regained his sense of honor.

Keep running, Marcus, and don't stop.

Duncan, who was blocked, could only half turn around, but because he was stuck, he could only use his left hand to make a small hook shot - few people know this detail, Duncan is not good with his left hand, but Marcus Camby successfully forced Duncan to use his left hand to hook the shot.

This is his true defensive level.

This time Camby finally jumped up and interfered with Duncan.

In the end, Duncan's clumsy left-handed hook shot hit the side of the basket, and the Spurs' inside attack failed again!
Stoudemire grabbed the rebound and found Roger, who ran at full speed and Bowen couldn't catch up with him at all. Only Ginobili could stick to Roger.

But Ginobili's defensive ability is not outstanding. Roger simply made a quick stop outside the three-point line and shook off the Argentine who was pushed out by his inertia.

Then Roger raised his hand decisively and made a three-pointer in a fast break situation, which was "outrageous" in this era.

Roger was very confident about this unreasonable move because there was almost no interference.

The San Antonio Spurs dominate the Warriors? The San Antonio Spurs control the West? The San Antonio Spurs are Roger's career nightmare?
Great, let everyone see how the San Antonio Spurs die!

"brush!"

"10 points!" Mike Brin stood up. "The first quarter hasn't even finished yet and the Warriors are already leading by 10 points! Roger is always able to handle all opponents. No one can really suppress him. No one!"

After the goal, Roger and Poker Face looked at each other, but neither of them spoke.

Then, Roger's attention shifted to Marcus Camby.

"Hey, you asshole," Roger said, speaking to Canby for the first time since the previous incident, "good job."

Camby nodded and continued to stick close to Duncan.

On the sidelines, Gary Payton's heart felt extremely cold and he felt the blood was freezing in his veins.

The person he relied on most seemed to have collapsed.

And the people he hated the most were still terrifying.

The clear river water of the holy city seemed unable to dilute the stench of a loser on him.

(End of this chapter)