Champions Creed

Chapter 378: 377: I may not be able to defeat you, but the Warriors will not lose (ask for monthly tickets!)
For Matt Barnes, his experience tonight was simply magical.

It's as magical as suddenly receiving a text message asking you to go to the White House to serve as the President of the United States.

Before this game, Matt Barnes only had about ten minutes of playing time per night, and was severely punished by the star player in a training game. Based on his previous experience of being cut, he could be fired at any time.

The result? The team's assistant coach began to actively guide his jump shot. He also entered the main rotation in a key game and defended Kobe Bryant in the first round of the game, causing him to commit an offensive foul.

He had a feeling that his life would completely change from tonight.

The street gangster's first appearance tonight was indeed impressive. In the words of Al Michaels, "The Los Angeles Lakers' ball was robbed. Yes, robbed. This is the feeling that Matt Barnes and the entire Golden State Gang brought to people. They were like the most vicious street thugs, using arrogance and violence to forcibly seize the ball from the opponent!"

The reason why the Warriors' defense gives people this feeling is because the team's leading defensive resources are too good.

Whether it is Jason Richardson, Tayshaun Prince or Matt Barnes, they can all perform the task of high-pressure defense very well and continue to put pressure on Kobe and Nash.

This kind of leading defense effect was not possessed by last season's champion Warriors.

Alan Houston was a diligent defender last season, but he was not good at pressure defense.

Last season, Jason Richardson's defensive level was not as mature as it is now.

The visual effect of the Warriors' continuous high-pressure defense looks like a well-mannered guy who walked into the wrong neighborhood and was robbed by local street thugs.

The name of the Golden State Gang began to become popular, and Al Michaels predicted that sooner or later the Golden State Gang would become as famous as the Bad Boys in the 80s.

After the Lakers players experienced a "robbery", Roger turned around and reached out to pull up Matt Barnes.

Matt Barnes' brain short-circuited at that moment because he had never really fit into any group since he was a child.

After he fell down, he always knew how to get up and swallow the blood.

In his opinion, no one can truly support you on the basketball court, you can only become strong on your own.

Matt Barnes never understood why the environment in this country was like this. Just because he was neither white nor black, he couldn't fit in with any group even if he performed well? He was obviously competing in basketball, not reincarnation.

But in Golden State, the group tried to embrace him.

Just as Matt Barnes was about to reach out his hand, Roger, who had waited too long, had already retracted his hand and muttered unhappily, "Oh, you really have a personality. It doesn't matter, as long as you can hold on to Kobe until the end of the game, you don't need to show me friendliness."

In the end, Matt Barnes got himself up, just like he had done in his basketball career for the past decade.

But he knew deep down that everything was different.

This group does not exclude themselves. They don't care about their skin color, their resume, or their draft pick.

They only care about one thing - whether you are eager to win and can help the team win.

Matt Barnes likes this kind of team, it suits his taste.

The game continued, and Stephen Jackson took advantage of Stoudemire's off-ball screen to get a three-point shot. But when he shot, Shawn Marion's long arms still interfered severely, and the basketball bounced off the rim.

This is the second consecutive round that Roger chose to pass the ball in a double-team situation, which means that Matt Barnes' appearance is indeed dragging down the team's offense.

Lakers backup center Chris Mihm grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Nash. Nash moved forward quickly with the ball, preparing to look for an opportunity for a fast break, but found that the entire Warriors team had retreated to their own half at an astonishing speed.

The Warriors retreat very quickly. From Roger to Stoudemire, all five positions have strong athletic ability, and quick retreat is precisely the basis for curbing this fast-paced offense.

The Lakers failed to launch an easy counterattack and were forced to fight the Warriors in a positional battle. The difficulty of scoring in a positional battle is bound to be several times that of a fast break counterattack.

Sure enough, Kobe was torn apart by Bart Barnes again as soon as he crossed the midfield line, and he had to fight hard in every round.

However, he is Kobe Bryant after all.

If Matt Barnes can lock him down so easily, he doesn't deserve to be one of Roger's strongest opponents in the West.

Having just suffered a loss, Kobe controlled his temper in this round. He did not make any obvious elbowing movements. He used off-ball screens and back-running to break away from the entanglement and finally caught the basketball outside the three-point line.

After holding the ball, Kobe held his collar in his mouth. The No Hand Check rule prevented Matt Barnes from directly grabbing the No. 15. Even if this rule was relaxed due to Roger's abnormal performance in the first game, direct frontal grabbing was not allowed.

Kobe slowly approached Barnes, stretched out his left foot and prepared to accelerate. As a result, just as Barnes moved, Kobe suddenly lowered his center of gravity on the three-point line, changed direction in a large arc, shook off Barnes who had made the wrong judgment, and then made a quick stop jump shot!

The Lakers scored again, and dragging the offense into the position still failed to completely stop the Lakers, but Eric Spoelstra was not nervous.

As a head coach, you cannot control every round, you can't lock down every superstar, what you can really control is the overall trend of the game.

The most important plan that Eric Spoelstra needs to achieve tonight is to prevent the Lakers from launching efficient quick counterattacks and force them to get dirty in the mud of positional warfare.

As long as the Lakers are forced into a positional battle, the defense will be half successful.

In the next few rounds, both sides were grinding their positions. Thanks to the restrictions of the new rules, Kobe, Nash and Roger scored some superstar goals without the defenders being able to get their hands on them at will, otherwise the scene of this game would probably be very ugly.

After the first quarter, the Lakers still led by 4 points, but Kobe did not feel happy about the lead.

In the 11 games this season, he has become accustomed to the rhythm of destroying opponents with fast attacks. But today, he was forced to enter the position for a laborious and difficult melee, which always made him feel very frustrated.

Also, that scumbag Matt Barnes is really despicable.

His trash talk and small actions bothered Kobe all the time, and his fierce confrontation did not abate because of being called for fouls.

He was like a death row inmate released by the FBI and given this promise: "As long as you defend the opponent's star at all costs, your previous crimes will be written off. I promise."

Kobe was sitting on the bench. Both he and Nash were very exhausted. Under the Warriors' continued pressure defense, the energy they needed to consume to score a goal was about two or three times that of usual.

The Warriors achieved such an extreme level of pressure defense without wasting any of last season's DPOY's energy.

Before the start of the season, many media predicted that the Warriors' lineup, which was stacked with a large number of forwards, would exert a terrifying sense of oppression on the defensive end.

Now, the Los Angeles Lakers are finally experiencing this firsthand.

In the next two quarters, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash did not have any easy offensive possessions.

Although Jason Richardson's defense is not as fierce as Matt Barnes', he is no pushover. He and Barnes took turns on the court to ensure that Kobe was fully covered.

Tayshaun Prince went up and down with Steve Nash and became Nash's exclusive "bodyguard".

At the end of the third quarter, Kobe scored several difficult goals in a row over Matt Barnes.

In the last attack, Kobe broke through the basket and completed a difficult layup with a switch of hands while being double-teamed by Barnes and Marcus Camby.

This shot gave Kobe 26 points in the game and helped the Lakers maintain their lead at the end of the third quarter.

It should have been a very morale-boosting goal, but after Kobe landed after the layup, the joy of scoring was gone.

Because Matt Barnes was still staring at Kobe with that ferocious expression that said "I'm going to kill you today."

For the attacker, it is very frustrating when the defender has no reaction to your charge.

Kobe knew very well that he still hadn't defeated that guy psychologically. In the fourth quarter, that bastard would still pounce on him like a hungry wild dog without hesitation.

Matt Barnes did not collapse. To be honest, Kobe's performance was good enough, especially at the end of the third quarter. That series of consecutive difficult goals was enough to make any defensive player collapse.

It was in this situation that Jeff Hornacek saw the true value of Matt Barnes.

Imagine having a guy in your rotation who can go all out as soon as he's on the court, always tirelessly biting the opponent's offensive snake. How exciting it would be.

Matt Barnes is indeed a bit of a drag on the offense now, but he can also raise the Warriors' defensive level to a higher level.

On the other hand, the two Lakers players responsible for defending Roger were not so mentally strong.

Whether it is Jumaine Jones or Brian Cook, they are now very desperate.

Roger has scored 25 points so far, and has also scored a number of difficult goals that left them helpless.

Their positive attitude is gradually being consumed, fear has begun to overcome courage and is about to affect their performance on the court.

They didn't know how to defeat Roger, they didn't know how to face that scary guy.

Soon, the difference in mentality between the two sides will be faithfully reflected on the court.

The fourth quarter started quickly and the Warriors attacked first.

In this round, Roger and Stoudemire performed a signature pick-and-roll. Shawn Marion was ready to switch defense, but Roger ended up accelerating to the side without the pick-and-roll.

Roger's fake pick-and-roll was indeed very sudden, and he eventually broke away from the defense and easily scored a mid-range jump shot.

When Kobe saw Roger score a goal, he flew into a rage: "Jumaine, if you don't want to play, get out!"

Kobe was angry not only because Jumaine Jones let Roger score, but also because of his negative defensive attitude. When Roger broke through to the side without a pick-and-roll, Jumaine Jones had a chance to rush over and interfere. But he seemed to have given up in advance, just lazily stretched out his hand and did not make a full-strength save.

Kobe could not tolerate such a defensive attitude, but Jumaine Jones's spirit had been broken. Not everyone can recover from the setbacks of repeated defeats.

His defensive enthusiasm had already suffered a devastating blow in the first three quarters.

Seeing Kobe scolding his teammates, Roger immediately added fuel to the fire: "Why do you ask your teammates to do something that you can't do yourself? Is this how you lead the team?"

"Shut up, this is none of your business!"

In the next round, Kobe missed the shot under the pressure of Jason Richardson.

In the fourth quarter, Kobe still encountered such terrifying pressure defense, and his efficiency could not help but be affected.

What made the Lakers even more frustrated was that Kobe began to personally guard Roger on the defensive end!
Kobe was greatly stimulated by Roger's trash talk just now. He wanted to set an example and show his teammates how to defend Roger. Rudy Tomjanovich cursed inwardly. Kobe had consumed enough energy in the first three quarters. There was no way he could maintain his offensive efficiency while facing Roger.

Does this guy really know what he is doing?

Kobe's character determines his choice. When no one on the team can deal with the opponent's top scorer, he will step in personally without hesitation.

Many great players are like this, such as LeBron, who often faces the FMVP in the finals.

Roger did not refuse the one-on-one challenge with Kobe. He played with his back to the basket and scored the ball with a signature turnaround shot from mid-range.

"Look, you should apologize to Jumaine Jones because your defense is just as bad. You have no right to blame him."

Kobe was upset, but his troubles were not over yet. He wanted to respond immediately on the offensive end, but Jason Richardson's tight defense made him sink into the mud.

Steve Nash saw that Kobe had no chance so he called for a screen, and after the pick-and-roll he passed the ball to Marion who was running down the court.

But Stoudemire caught up with the hacker with his strong athletic ability and gave him a blood cap with a nail-biting shot.

The Lakers' offense failed again. Before this, the Lakers led by Rudy Tomjanovich were the most offensively efficient team in the league, and they seemed to be starting a new Showtime era in Los Angeles.

But tonight, the Warriors roughly stripped off the Lakers' gorgeous coat and trampled on the beauty in the hearts of Los Angeles fans.

One round later, Nash's mid-range jump shot missed due to Prince's tight interference. Roger forced a breakthrough in the face of Kobe's defense, but when he was about to enter the penalty area, he gave the ball to Stoudemire.

The latter jumped up and dunked, leading the Warriors to overtake the score.

The Warriors' offense is becoming easier and easier, while the Lakers' offense remains consistently difficult.

In the eighth minute of the fourth quarter, Kobe easily broke through Jason Richardson and made a mid-range jump shot to tie the score again.

Eric Spoelstra immediately paused the game cautiously because this was Kobe's second consecutive goal.

At this point in the game, Jason Richardson's physical strength was almost at its limit, which was the key reason why Kobe was able to score easily.

Guarding Kobe throughout the entire court is not an easy task.

Kobe knew Jason Richardson was gone, but it wasn't over yet.

Because there’s an asshole waiting for him on the Warriors bench.

Sure enough, after the timeout, Matt Barnes replaced Jason Richardson.

When he played in today's game for the first time, the Bay Area fans at the scene stared at Barnes with confusion, wondering why this kid could replace Alan Houston.

But now when he returns to the court, the fans' cheers show their recognition of Matt Barnes.

From teammates to fans, Matt Barnes has been accepted by everyone just by what happened tonight.

Now, he is no longer a wild dog.

He is a hound serving the Bay Area fans and the Bay Area Kings!

The King stared at Kobe and patted the hound's head: "Matt, keep going."

"Ah."

In the last four minutes of the game, the defensive pressure Kobe Bryant faced was no different from that in the first quarter.

Sticking his butt, bumping, swinging his elbows, Barnes' defense is always full of confrontation, and no matter what, no matter how many goals you score over his head, he will not back down, either mentally or physically.

The Warriors' horrible defensive continuity made Kobe's personal offense difficult.

Of course, the Lakers are the best offensive team in the league after all. They have never been completely cut off on the offensive end from beginning to end, and they always score a goal at critical moments.

However, after Roger started to exert his strength in the final moments, the score difference began to gradually widen.

Roger did not forcefully attack throughout the game, nor did he defend Kobe, which allowed him to have enough energy to unleash powerful scoring power at critical moments.

In the last 53 seconds of the game, when Roger pushed Kobe away and successfully broke through to end the attack with a layup, his personal score for the day had reached 41 points.

The Warriors led by 5 points, and the initiative of victory was completely in Roger's hands.

Kobe was eager to close the gap, but Matt Barnes used fierce resistance in this round to force Kobe to shoot a fade away shot from mid-range or long range.

Kobe's physical fitness has begun to affect his confrontation. Just now, Roger was able to easily squeeze past him, and now Barnes can easily resist him, all because his confrontation ability has been affected by his physical fitness.

This difficult fadeaway shot bounced off the rim again, and Matt Barnes continued to trash-talk like a heavy machine gun: "This is why you are the league's number one loser. You have never been able to lead the Lakers out of the quagmire, and you have never done anything to be proud of for Los Angeles. You have been losing to Roger since the first day you entered the league, and this will continue. Do you know why Roger has his own statue outside the arena? Because he is greater than any of you."

"Are you a garbage-picking dog like you qualified to judge me? Asshole!"

Kobe was furious. He tried hard to stop Roger in the next defense, but was called for a foul because of his excessive movement.

Roger made two free throws and scored 43 points.

In the entire fourth quarter, Roger scored 18 points in a single quarter. He saved his energy for the last quarter and his performance was so brilliant.

Al Michaels felt sorry for Kobe: "Kobe Bryant's only misfortune is that his career completely overlapped with Roger's peak."

Unwilling to give up, Kobe did what he does best in the next offensive round - punishing those who made him angry.

Countless defenders have been punished after provoking or fouling Kobe, and Kobe would immediately respond to the person who made him angry with a humiliating goal.

The same was true for this shot. After being forced to stop in the mid-range, Kobe made a difficult pull-up shot over the head of Matt Barnes who was defending hard.

The score difference returned to 3 points, and Kobe finally roared with pride: "See? This is our gap!"

Often at this time, the defensive players will become extremely frustrated.

But Matt Barnes still maintained a firm gaze. Kobe's goal did not make him depressed. Instead, he responded calmly.

"I may not be able to defeat you, but the Warriors will not lose, and that's enough."

Matt Barnes' mentality made Kobe feel like everything he did was in vain.

This is a defensive player that simply can't be beaten.

Even if he is covered in wounds and his life is hanging by a thread, he will use his last bit of strength to bite your trouser leg and drag you into the abyss.

The King's hound does not care how much damage he suffers; he will only faithfully carry out orders and protect the King's dynasty.

What Matt Barnes said was true. Although Kobe narrowed the gap, there was little time left in the game, so the Lakers could only try their luck by committing tactical fouls.

But Roger's two free throws completely extinguished the Lakers' hope.

The Lakers fell behind by 5 points again, and under Matt Barnes's relentless defense, Kobe's final three-pointer was blocked and bounced off the rim.

In the end, the Golden State Warriors won this nationally televised battle 116-111 at home.

罗杰45分11次助攻5个篮板，科比39分3次助攻6个篮板。

For Roger, this was an all-round victory both individually and as a team.

After the game, Roger just shrugged when he was interviewed on the sidelines: "I don't feel anything. In my impression, I have always defeated the Los Angeles Lakers. I think Kobe will not feel anything about this loss either. He should be used to it."

After teasing his old friend, Roger seemed to remember something else, so he immediately added: "When I beat the New York Knicks, I will share the feeling of victory with you."

He hasn't forgotten how strong the New Yorkers are, and now, he believes the team can overcome this difficulty.

"Do you think the team can get revenge on the Knicks in the next meeting? They are by far the best defensive team in the league and also one of the top three offensive teams in the league."

"That's right, we will take everything back the next time we meet. Believe me, there is no victory that the Golden State Gang can't snatch."

After the interview, Roger walked into the player tunnel and happened to see Matt Barnes making a phone call.

"Mom, I think I succeeded. This time I will stay, and we don't have to worry about those damn bills anymore! What my father didn't fulfill, I will take care of now! You don't have to worry about anything anymore, mom, never again!"

Matt Barnes' eyes were red when he said these words. It was hard to associate this guy with the bastard who just challenged Kobe on the court.

Noticing that Roger was looking at him, Matt Barnes took a deep breath and wiped his eyes, trying to hide his tears: "That's it, Mom. I have to die."

"Is everything okay?" Roger leaned forward and asked with concern.

"Of course." Matt Barnes answered in a flat tone, and he returned to his cold-blooded and ruthless appearance.

Roger didn't know which one was the real Matt Barnes, the good boy who was so excited that he called his mother just now, and the bastard who looked like a bad guy now.

But it doesn’t matter, because those are what men look like.

At the end of the day, a man has to act like a man.

"Matt."

"king?"

"Welcome to the Golden State Gang."

"It is my pleasure, my king."

(End of this chapter)