Champions Creed

Chapter 406 Chapter 405: Since you want to be MJ so much, I will satisfy you (please give me a monthly ticket!)

Cleveland fans did not expect Roger to get his first field goal of the game in this way.

In the Bay Area, fans in front of their TVs were already excited.

When they bid farewell to the Warriors and held up signs that read "We believe," they were not comforting themselves.

They really believed that the Warriors could conquer Cleveland and capture this so-called "impregnable" fortress.

Jason Richardson was so excited that he pushed Roger hard: "Let that bastard who talks as if he fart die!"

Although no names were mentioned, after Jason Richardson finished speaking, the entire Cavaliers team looked at the young No. 23.

It turns out that no one can deny LBJ's influence anymore. Although this is only the third season of his career, he is already famous enough that everyone knows that he is being scolded without mentioning his name.

Roger's dunk made all the Cleveland fans at the scene shut up. They all saw how wild Roger was tonight.

Regardless of whether the Warriors' winning percentage is high or low now, Roger's overly excited behavior is a dangerous signal.

This dunk also completely awakened the Warriors' self-confidence. They now absolutely believe that they can take away the victory against a team with 9 wins and 1 loss.

In the following rounds, the Warriors showed their unparalleled enthusiasm.

James originally thought that the pressure just now was just a deterrent strategy, and the Warriors might just want to increase their intensity in the early stages of the game.

But in this round, Jason Richardson was still like a dog that had been hungry for three days and three nights and found a greasy bone. He bit James and had no intention of letting go.

Tayshaun Prince also immediately double-teamed James, making it impossible for him to attack.

He could only pass the ball again to Kirilenko. Kirilenko did not continue shooting after missing the three-pointer just now, but went straight into the penalty area the moment he received the ball.

But Marcus Camby immediately got rid of the entanglement with Big Z, sprinted back to the basket and gave the Russian a hard blow, and directly slapped the ball away.

The Cavaliers' offense was curbed again!
Marcus Camby roared to the sky, and everyone on the Warriors bench jumped up.

Even with a poor start, the atmosphere in this game was still incredibly good.

"The Warriors' aggressiveness on the defensive end is unmatched," Al Michaels praised. "This is something the defending champions have not lost this season. They work hard in every game. The Warriors fought back, Roger assisted Stephen Jackson to score a layup, 10 to 3!"

Hank Egan, the assistant coach of the Cavaliers who also came from the Spurs coaching staff, nervously came to Mike Brown and said, "We need to make adjustments as soon as possible, especially on offense!"

Hank Egan has been on the Spurs coaching staff since 1994, and has more experience than Mike Brown, who joined the Spurs in 2000. When Mike Brown first joined the Spurs, he and Hank Egan were assigned to the defensive team together, and the two have many years of experience working together.

The reason why Mike Brown brought Hank Egan with him was because they knew each other.

Hank Egan really knew Mike Brown. He knew that guy was a coach who was slow to respond to offensive adjustments, so he gave him a reminder immediately.

But Mike Brown just sat calmly on the bench, ignoring the scoreline of 3 to 10 behind.

He adjusted his glasses and straightened the collar of his gray suit: "No, we don't need to make any adjustments. The Golden State Warriors' defense will kill themselves."

"What?" Hank Egan thought there was something wrong with his ears.

Mike Brown didn't answer, just sat there and stared at the field.

But from his clenched fists, we can see that Mike Brown is not calm at all. A man can pretend to be calm, but the degree of hardness of his body will tell you his true thoughts.

Mike Brown was indeed not calm, because this was most likely the night when he would snatch the title of "the strongest young coach" from Eric Spoelstra.

In his eyes, the Filipino coach was simply a gambler who was always walking on a tightrope, and Mike Brown scoffed at this coaching style.

The Filipino descent allowed Roger to be a fill-in player like KG and Scottie Pippen in the seventh game, while also allowing him to score.

He once allowed players like Matt Barnes and Boris Diaw to play who looked vulnerable.

Now, he asked his team to start pressing hard in the first quarter.

Mike Brown admits that Eric Spoelstra is a talented and bold coach, which is the most significant difference between him and others.

But in the final analysis, Eric Spoelstra's success is due not only to his talent and boldness, but also to a little bit of luck.

He didn't know how he got into the NBA circle through Roger, and he didn't know how he was spotted by Pat Riley and studied with him for several years. He didn't know how he became an assistant coach for the Warriors, and he didn't know how he happened to meet Hubie Brown who was unwell at the most critical moment of the championship season. Then, as soon as he became the head coach, he led a team with such a brilliant lineup, and he went from being an unknown person to a famous coach known throughout the United States.

Mike Brown despised Eric Spoelstra, the lucky bastard, and he felt that Spoelstra had no ability at all.

If such a person can become the coach of two consecutive championships, then Mike Brown thinks he can do it too.

This hostility toward Spoelstra is common among young coaches.

Many coaches in their early thirties can only do odd jobs in the team, but Eric Spoelstra has already won two rings in great teams. This kind of excellence will inevitably make people jealous, and jealousy is fertile soil for hatred to grow wildly.

Tonight, Mike Brown made Erik Spoelstra pay for his audacity.

The Warriors' double-teaming may be able to temporarily contain the Cavaliers, but how can they solve their physical problems?

It's only a matter of time before the Warriors collapse, Mike Brown firmly believes.

He and LeBron James will both take a historic step tonight!
In the first quarter of the game, the Warriors once took the lead with fierce and aggressive pressure.

The Warriors' defensive aggressiveness is the closest Mike Brown has ever seen to the New York Knicks. As we all know, defense requires unrequited enthusiasm, which is often difficult to maintain.

Most teams will experience a decline in defensive activity at some point in the game.

Because the Knicks have KG, a walking stimulant, at any time, the team can maintain defensive intensity for 48 minutes.

The Warriors this season are no exception. Jason Richardson and Tayshaun Prince have been tireless in catching James. Time and again, the entire team has spared no effort in rotation.

From the first minute of the game, this enthusiasm never stopped.

James had no chance to score at all. He could only pass the ball helplessly again and again, and then watch Larry Hughes, the half-baked scorer, waste opportunities again and again with his unreliable jump shot.

Although Larry Hughes averaged 22 points per game last season, he is not an outstanding scorer. In fact, his jump shot is not much better than Jason Kidd. Except for finishing at the basket, Larry Hughes' shots from no position can be called efficient. His defensive value is far higher than his offensive value.

At the beginning of the century, this kind of guard who was better at defense than offense was very common, and players like Eric Snow and Aaron McGee were like this.

The biggest problem with Larry Hughes is that he is a bad shooter.

Whether it is Eric Snow or Jason Kidd, they will not take too many shots if they know that their shooting ability is not strong.

But Larry Hughes is one of those people who show off the more he lacks something, just like short Japanese people are always obsessed with big things.

After receiving the pass from James, Larry Hughes often shoots without thinking too much.

This caused the Cavaliers' already poor offense to become even more chaotic.

Although the Warriors' shooting was not very good except for Roger and Jason Richardson, the Warriors gradually widened the gap by relying on defense.

Eric Spoelstra's idea is right. His touch may be unreliable, but his defense will never go off track.

Hank Egan looked at Mike Brown nervously again and again, but the guy just sat there without saying a word.

Finally, in the eighth minute of the game, the Warriors ran into problems.

In this round of attack, Roger relied on Larry Hughes to break through to the mid-range position. Although Larry Hughes has the body of a No. 90 player, he weighs less than kilograms, which makes him very disadvantaged in the confrontation.

LBJ and AK47 both attacked Roger, and three Cavaliers players appeared beside Roger to defend him.

Roger jumped up immediately and found Jason Richardson in the air.

But Jason Richardson's wide-open jump shot bounced out of the rim.

This was his second consecutive miss in wide open situations.

"Fuck!" Jason Richardson wiped his sweat and immediately returned to defense. As soon as he retreated to half court, Larry Hughes rushed up with the ball. He was not a good shooter, but he was definitely an expert in counterattacks.

Jason Richardson tried to move sideways to block Larry Hughes, a task he would have accomplished easily under normal circumstances.

But this time when he moved sideways to block, Larry Hughes just passed by him, and Jason Richardson's move was half a beat slow.

Larry Hughes broke into the penalty area and faced the chasing Little Prince, who passed the ball behind his back to James who was following up, and the latter dunked and scored.

The Quicken Loans Arena was revitalized because after this goal, the Cavaliers were only 3 points behind.

A set of data appeared at the bottom of the big TV screen: The Cavaliers were leading a 7-0 offensive climax.

In the past few rounds, the Warriors, who had originally controlled the game, allowed the Cavaliers to gain the upper hand on both offense and defense.

At this time, Mike Brown on the bench finally said to Hank Egan: "Look, we don't have to adjust anything."

The Warriors paused the game and Mike Brown stood up amid cheers, enjoying the feeling of being in control of everything.

The reason why the Warriors suddenly shut down was simple: their physical energy consumption was greater than that of the Cavaliers.

The constant pressure made the Warriors players more tired and also depleted their touch.

This was the moment Mike Brown had been waiting for. He knew that Erik Spoelstra was digging his own grave.

For the Warriors, who rely heavily on three-point shooting on offense this season, physical fitness issues are fatal.

Spoelstra's strategy may allow the Warriors to take the lead temporarily, but it will definitely not win the game.

The Cavaliers players walked off the court and high-fived each other.

Mike Brown squatted in front of the young No. 23 again: "How do you feel?"

"Falling behind, stalemate, overtaking. It was just over half a quarter, but it felt like a lot of things happened."

"That's right, that's what a great game is like. Only through victory, defeat, tension and blood and tears can a fighter's heart be carved out. Come on, LeBron, keep up the momentum and kill them!"

Mike Brown was motivating James while also motivating himself.

James needs to step over Roger, and Mike Brown needs to step over Eric Spoelstra.

Tonight, nothing could stop them.

The timeout ended quickly. The Cavaliers replaced Big Z with Brazilian Anderson Varejao and replaced Kurt Thomas with Donyell Marshall. The Cavaliers' three players remained on the court, ready to take advantage of the Warriors' exhaustion to expand their advantage.

But the Warriors' substitutions were more thorough.

The Warriors replaced three players at once, and all the starters except Roger and Stephen Jackson were replaced.

Matt Barnes replaced Jason Richardson, Boris Diaw replaced Tayshaun Prince, and Dikembe Mutombo replaced Marcus Camby.

Seeing that the Warriors had put out their transition lineup early, Mike Brown became even more excited.

Whether the Warriors send their substitutes on early or let the starters continue despite their tired bodies, the Cavaliers can always press on to win.

The game resumed. Larry Hughes, who had just performed well in the scoring phase, continued to pressure Roger and couldn't help but say: "This is the beginning of your becoming MJ."

At the beginning, they only had 5 wins and 5 losses, and were stretched to the limit in front of the young emperor. All of this seemed to point to one ending - Roger eventually followed MJ's path, and history is a cycle.

The rulers of the past began to fall, and the one who would kill them would be the next one to wear the crown.

Roger ignored it and just called Mutombo to come out for a pick-and-roll.

But this pick-and-roll has no power at all. Last season, it was the Warriors' most effective scoring method, but this season without Stoudemire, the pick-and-roll is almost impossible to play.

Whether it is Camby or the African mountain, they do not have much offensive threat after blocking, and they cannot take away the defense for Roger. Pick-and-roll, can only block but not break is doomed to be incomplete.

This time, Z immediately switched defense after the pick-and-roll, while AK47 and James double-teamed Roger in time to block the route for Roger to pass the ball to Mutombo. Because Tayshaun Prince and Jason Richardson were off the court, Kirilenko and James double-teamed Roger more resolutely. After all, the three-point threat of Dio and Barnes is far less than the former two.

After the double-team was formed, Big Z tried his best to run back to the basket to protect the rim, and Larry Hughes continued to stick to Roger. This time the pick-and-roll was easily broken by the Cavaliers.

Roger quickly passed the ball to Matt Barnes outside the three-point line, a guy whose three-point shooting percentage last season was less than 30%.

The latter took a jump shot, and Larry Hughes and LBJ both ran to the frontcourt at the same time, ready to steal points.

Roger looked at LBJ's figure running forward, which was full of his shadow when he was 40 years old.

The inside players of both teams fought under the basket, both trying to grab rebounds.

But this three-pointer finally went into the net, and Matt Barnes' three-pointer was successful!

"We can't let Matt go this season. In the past ten games, he has shot 36% from three-point range. Whether you admit it or not, the King's hound already has a long-range threat. The Warriors are back in the lead at 6 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers' nightmare won't end so soon!" Al Michaels pumped his fist excitedly. To be honest, he wanted to see the Warriors win more.

After all, who doesn’t love fairy tales?

If the Warriors can defend their title despite losing their No. 23 player, relying on Roger's personal ability and the enthusiasm of others, it will be a more beautiful fairy tale than defeating the Pistons on No. .

Matt Barnes roared to the sky after scoring the goal. Since last season, Jeff Hornacek has been working on improving Matt Barnes' jump shot, and he has been tirelessly carrying out the boring exercises.

And all those seeds watered with sweat finally reaped the harvest this season.

Mike Brown certainly knows how good Matt Barnes' jump shot percentage has been in the past ten games, but he doesn't think Matt Barnes can maintain that touch all the time.

Just like Jason Kidd now actually has a 36% three-point shooting percentage, but there are still few teams that seriously defend his three-pointers.

Players who couldn't shoot before but later successfully learned to shoot are often labeled as "not shooting stably enough" and are ignored.

Unfortunately, all of Mike Brown's plans fell through.

On the offensive end, LBJ's nightmare reappeared.

Matt Barnes's attack on him was even more crazy than Jason Richardson's, but Matt Barnes is not Ron Artest after all, and James can still handle this level of one-on-one defense.

He pushed past Barnes and dribbled past him with an ugly spin move that was, in fact, a traveling move, and everyone on the Warriors bench was signaling to the referee, but to no avail.

But just after passing Barnes, Boris Dio double-teamed James in time and once again locked him outside the three-point line!
The Warriors' defense did not weaken after replacing the substitute players!
Matt Barnes's defense is more ferocious than the starters. The Frenchman's basketball IQ allows him to choose the timing and position of double-teaming as well as Tayshaun Prince.

This is why Eric Spoelstra dares to reduce the playing time of starters and increase the playing time of substitutes.

Because he believes that the Warriors' starting lineup and transition players are very close in strength.

As long as physical strength and playing time are allocated reasonably, this kind of pressure can last for 48 minutes!

As James was hesitating, the ball was snatched away by Matt Barnes.

James had already made three turnovers in the first quarter, and he immediately retreated to face Roger who was advancing with the ball.

Roger ran outside the three-point line, but did not confront James. Instead, he chased him and made a direct pull-up shot!

James rushed out to interfere, tripped over Roger's leg when he landed, and fell to the ground.

Roger kept his balance, maintained his shooting posture and watched the basketball go into the net, widening the score difference to 9 points!
After scoring the goal, Roger raised his legs and stepped over LBJ: "Tell your little brother (Larry Hughes) that since you want to be MJ so much, I will satisfy you."

At that moment, Mike Brown, who had been extremely calm, stood up.

He realized that he was not in control of the game at all.

He has always been the idiot who was led by the nose.

(End of this chapter)