Champions Creed

Chapter 418 417: Such chips are a pain you cannot bear (ask for monthly tickets!)
Two years ago, Gregg Popovich listened to Bruce Bowen's advice and did not take that step.

But the Spurs lost the game, and the Admiral ended his career with regret.

Now, Popovich and his Spurs are just one step away from victory.

But whether the Spurs can take this step will determine whether they are still qualified to stay in this marathon.

Of course, Gregg Popovich is not a reckless man.

He will do whatever it takes to win, but that doesn't mean he will lose his brain for victory. He made his current decision after careful consideration.

The Golden State Warriors' ability to resist risks is very low this season, and they must use a lot of rotations to fill the physical gap.

Therefore, the absence of anyone will make their rotation stretched.

Would the Warriors dare to take the risk of someone being suspended to retaliate against the Spurs? Popovich didn't know, but this is the game, you have to gamble, but you have to find a way to make the outcome of the gamble as controllable as possible.

For Popovich, Robert Horry is a surprise player, but he may not be a main rotation player.

Therefore, he could take the risk of being suspended after Robert Horry's rough foul to achieve his goal.

If Roger missed both free throws or made one of two free throws due to the violent collision, the Spurs would have a chance to turn their fate around, which would be a small win.

If this leads to a conflict and causes someone from the Warriors to be suspended, thus breaking the entire rotation chain, the Spurs will also gain an advantage in the series, which is a win-win situation.

If Roger gets injured like last season? Well, then the Spurs have a better chance, it's a big win!

Gregg Popovich has become numb in his own thoughts.

Of course, even if nothing happens, it is better than watching Roger take down the King's Mountain.

So screw it, screw it, no matter what the cost.

That's what he's going to do!

He will no longer be scared by the non-existent threat mentioned by Bruce Bowen!
The Spurs are going to win, to win the championship, and the biggest threat will disappear forever!
Bruce Bowen walked onto the court, still feeling nervous.

Roger is probably the only person in the league who knows the benefits of violence and dirtiness, but still uses them with restraint.

When Bruce Bowen was on the Hawks, Roger would only allow Bowen to do what he did best when others violated the Hawks players.

For most of the game, intentionally injuring opponents is strictly prohibited within the Eagles.

You could say Roger, the jerk on the surface, is actually a man of sportsmanship. Many people don't realize that when Roger led the Chinese team to the Olympic gold medal in 2004, he was the perfect embodiment of the Olympic spirit.

But from another perspective, Roger is a vindictive person.

He never shows weakness when he needs to be tough.

Most people, when they are offended, will first give the other person a warning.

But Roger won't, he will choose to slit your throat directly.

Moreover, he will find the person who deserves to have his throat cut. Roger knows that it is important to capture the leader first.

What puzzled Bruce Bowen was why Tim Duncan acquiesced to Popovich's behavior.

The Spurs' team culture values ​​teamwork. In this team, David Robinson will give way to Tim Duncan, and Tim Duncan will give way to Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

Distribution of interests and struggle for status, which are commonplace in other teams, seem to have never existed in San Antonio.

There are exceptions. Young general Avery Johnson once wanted to use his influence in the locker room to challenge the status of Tim Duncan and the Admirals, but he was kicked out.

This incident shows that no matter how much the Spurs' team culture emphasizes teamwork, stars still occupy an important position in the minds of management.

Tim Duncan has a veto over Popovich's decisions. He can issue orders like Roger, telling the team: "Put away your damn bad ideas, I don't need this method to win."

Well, in Tim Duncan's style, he might just say "I disagree."

But he remained silent and said nothing.

Tim Duncan is definitely a good guy, better than 99.9% of the assholes in this league. Well, his only black mark is that his wife often complains that he doesn't take care of the family and is indifferent to her. But Duncan is not cheating, he is just obsessed with car modification. What's wrong with that? How can women have more fun than car modification?

But at that moment, the good man Tim Duncan did not want to give up the opportunity to become a vested interest.

Even if such benefits are built on sacrificing the other party's health.

He wanted to win so badly, his desire to get a ring in a full season overshadowed everything else, and he didn't want to struggle like everyone else in Roger's era.

The referee's whistle interrupted Bruce Bowen's thoughts, and the last 11 seconds of the game began.

The San Antonio Spurs set up a tight net, and the best outcome for them was to steal the ball directly from the sideline.

But Boris Dio was skilled and brave enough to pass the ball to the far end. The basketball passed over the net woven by the Spurs and landed steadily in Roger's hands.

Roger held the ball and ran towards the three-point line. Robert Horry, the guy who had fought Roger for more than ten years, rushed over, but Roger didn't think he could stop him.

But when Horry got closer, Roger realized that he didn't seem to want to stop him.

Or rather, he was trying to stop himself using football.

"boom!"

Violent collision and fans' screams.

Roger's feet were in the air, and his body flew out of the sideline uncontrollably, hitting the billboard in front of the technical table heavily.

Everything Bruce Bowen worried about happened so quickly, leaving no time for thought.

Gregg Popovich finally chose to light the fuse of the explosive.

But to Bruce Bowen's surprise, nothing happened.

On the Warriors bench, Matt Barnes stood out of bounds like an angry dog, but he didn't step onto the court.

On the court, Stephen Jackson simply pushed Robert Horry away from Roger and did not take any other extreme actions.

Roger felt great pain in his back, but it was probably just a minor injury and his body was not that fragile.

After a few seconds, the pain gradually subsided and Roger stood up again with the help of his teammates.

However, the intense collision and the pain in his back still affected Roger's touch, and he only made one of two free throws.

The Warriors are only leading by 3 points, the Spurs still have a chance!

This may be the first time in Roger's career that he missed a free throw at a critical moment. When the second free throw bounced out, Raja Bell clapped his hands in glee.

"Golden State Gang? Nothing more than that."

Raja Bell was fully prepared for the scene just now. If a fight really happened, he would stand up to protect his teammates.

But nothing happened, which made him feel a little disdainful of the so-called Golden State Gang.

After their core was knocked away, they became as obedient as the top students in elementary school.

They are all show and no substance.

Popovich is right, they don't dare to act rashly. The Warriors are afraid of losing rotation players, so there is no revenge.

Roger glanced at the bastard and said nothing.

At this time, Gregg Popovich immediately suspended the game and was very proud of the result.

Look at them, each of them can only watch their core members suffer.

ESPN replayed the ball from every angle, and it was clearly a flagrant foul no matter how you look at it.

Mike Breen was puzzled by the referee's decision to only give a normal foul, and even more puzzled was the Warriors' reaction.

Look at what happened to LBJ after he viciously shoved Roger who jumped into the air during the regular season. He was nearly strangled to death on the spot.

The Golden State gang has never been one to show their gentlemanly manners in matters like this.

But Mike Breen doesn't believe that the Golden State Gang will swallow their anger. If this team allows others to trample on their bottom line, their team atmosphere would have collapsed long ago.

What on earth are these gangsters planning? What are they waiting for?
But the current situation is that Robert Horry has found another opportunity for the Spurs.

"Robert, it's Robert again. From the time Roger first played in the finals in 1994 to now, he has been causing trouble for Roger. Will he become a stumbling block for Roger tonight?" Mike Breen expressed the biggest suspense.

The game resumed and the Warriors replaced Boris Diaw with Matt Barnes.

The king's hound frowned, as if it had locked onto a target.

The Warriors were also trying to prevent the Spurs from taking the inbounds ball, and they were doing it more successfully than the Spurs had just done.

Tony Parker, Ginobili and Horry, the three most threatening players at critical moments, did not get a chance to receive the ball.

In the end, Bruce Bowen could only imitate Boris Diaw and throw the ball directly to the far end with great force.

Tim Duncan broke out from the inside, jumped up and caught the ball in the air.

Duncan has begun to observe the position of his teammates so that he can pass the ball directly after landing.

But before he landed, Matt Barnes, who was chasing him, bumped into him. Duncan lost his balance in the air and leaned forward. He subconsciously touched the ground with his left leg, but that didn't help him stabilize his center of gravity at all. The referee blew the whistle, and Matt Barnes's rough foul caused the Holy City Stone Buddha to fall heavily to the ground!

"Damn it!" Bruce Bowen ran to Duncan first because the No. 21 player was covering his thigh which was the first to hit the ground.

Matt Barnes turned his head coldly, glanced at Tim Duncan on the floor, and walked away.

Everyone thought the Warriors would be fearless because they were afraid of someone getting suspended, but they were so wrong.

Roger anticipated Popovich's tactics, so he emphasized before the series began that no matter what happened in the game against the Spurs, no one should rush into the court or cause conflict.

This is why the Warriors' reaction was unexpectedly calm after Roger was knocked down just now.

In fact, they were not calm at all. They wanted to beat Robert Horry up on the spot.

But in the end, they obeyed the king's orders.

Roger didn't want too many Warriors players to be suspended due to conflicts, and the lessons of the 2007 Phoenix Suns in the original timeline were right in front of him.

But this does not mean that the Warriors will swallow their anger. They will definitely retaliate in kind.

Now, revenge has come.

Tim Duncan stood up with difficulty and limped to the free throw line.

Gregg Popovich was extremely nervous and roared on the bench: "What happened to Tim's leg!?"

No one could answer his question.

I don’t know if it was affected by his legs, but Tim Duncan’s free throws were even worse than Roger’s just now, and he missed both free throws!

The moment the basketball bounced off the rim, Popovich's mind went blank.

The Spurs not only suffered from the loss of both free throws, but also the possible injury of Duncan.

Duncan has never been strong, his lower body was already scarred in college, and now he has plantar fasciitis. No one knows whether this will affect Tim Duncan's next game.

At this time, the Kings' hound Matt Barnes walked to the sidelines and stared at Popovich: "This is the price for violating the Kings' honor. The Golden State gang will take revenge."

That’s right, the price.

Gregg Popovich always thought that the person he pushed to the gambling table was just Robert Horry - a chip that would not have much impact on the situation even if he lost.

But in fact, when he ignored Bruce Bowen's advice and insisted on making the decision, the chip he pushed onto the gambling table was Tim Duncan, a chip he could not afford to lose.

When Robert Horry knocked Roger away and the Warriors did not respond, Popovich thought he would not have to pay any price. But now, the price he needs to pay is the pain he cannot bear.

That's the way the Golden State gangs work. No matter what you do, they'll hit you back with the most violent force possible.

Their king must not be violated, their victory must not be trampled upon.

In the end, the San Antonio Spurs lost the crucial decisive battle by 5 points.

After the game, amid great controversy, the league made a final ruling on two fouls in the final moments of the game: Matt Barnes and Robert Horry were each suspended for an additional game.

This is a relatively fair ruling. The fouls committed by Matt Barnes and Robert Horry were both dirty and there is no room for discussion. They will both be unable to participate in the next game.

Both sides lost a rotation player, but are the strengths of the two teams really balanced?

Tim Duncan's injury report was also released soon after the game, and he had a mild strain on his left hamstring.

This is not an injury that will affect Tim Duncan's career, but it will definitely affect this round of the series.

The San Antonio Spurs had to play Tim Duncan through injury, which affected them far more than Robert Horry.

In Game 6 of the series, the game returns to Oracle Arena.

Duncan was in very bad shape in today's game.

He was dragging an injured leg, and the pain from plantar fasciitis made every step he took on the court a torture.

He can't score efficiently in the low post, and his rebounding is no longer as good.

Even defense, the basic foundation, has declined due to injuries.

Tim Duncan is always a step slow in helping out on defense and can never jump up when protecting the rim.

The Spurs' previously solid restricted area defense, like the legs of a KTV waitress who could not hold the bottom line, began to loosen and was slowly pried open.

Roger did not maintain his touch from the previous games today, so he chose to attack the penalty area directly.

Tim Duncan, who was in poor form, could neither reduce Roger's efficiency nor his production.

Gregg Popovich watched Roger successfully challenge Duncan again and again with a dull look in his eyes.

It's not that no one has reminded him. The irony is that Bruce Bowen, a demon who has hurt countless people, reminded Popovich not to use dirty tricks for the first time, but was ignored.

In the ninth minute of the fourth quarter, the Spurs were already trailing by 11 points.

Roger dribbled the ball across half court and was immediately double-teamed as expected.

He calmly passed the ball to Boris Diaw and started running.

Raja Bell did not relax his defense. He continued to fight against Roger and continued to consume Roger's touch which was not very good today.

Roger got past the layers of screens and went outside the three-point line. Raja Bell knew it was impossible to stop Roger from catching the ball, so he could only try his best to catch up with him and block Roger's first chance to shoot.

At the moment when Kraja Bell was chasing forward with all his might, Roger made a reverse run and cut into the penalty area!

Boris Dio understood what he meant and did not pass the ball to Roger outside the three-point line. Instead, he waited for Roger to cut in before throwing the ball to him.

God knows how the French knew what Roger was thinking. The Warriors have often played with such incredible tacit cooperation this season.

When Roger received the ball, he had already rushed at full speed, and the only one left under the Spurs' basket was Tim Duncan with an injured leg.

There is no personal grudge between Roger and Tim Duncan. Even though the media hyped up Duncan in the past few years as the only player who was not dominated by Roger, and even though Duncan has always been one of Roger's biggest competitors, those were just competitions in basketball and had nothing to do with individuals.

The same is true now. Roger only sees Tim Duncan as a basketball competitor, nothing more.

But the competition in basketball is cruel enough, and Roger will not stop rushing to the basket just because Tim Duncan has a leg injury.

It’s like, if Robert Horry successfully injures Roger, if Tim Duncan successfully becomes the beneficiary, he will not turn around and sympathize with Roger.

There was no personal grudge or friendship between them.

All that remains is the cruelty of competitive sports.

Roger stomped on the floor of the paint area and jumped up. Tim Duncan wanted to stop him, but he obviously couldn't jump up. When a man weighing 97 kilograms rushes towards you at full speed and collides with you, that kind of force is devastating.

Roger knocked Duncan down in the air and the ball in his hand slammed into the basket.

That basketball was like the atomic bomb that dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki half a century ago, ending everything for the Spurs with devastating consequences.

"BOOM!!! Roger ignored Tim's defense and completely defeated him!" Mike Brin stood up and shouted.

Roger tugged at the rim, slapped the backboard, and landed on his feet.

Tim Duncan lying between Roger's legs, escaping the man's domination? How ridiculous.

The score difference was narrowed to 13 points. In the last two minutes or so, the Spurs, who had completely lost their morale, were unable to launch any counterattack.

The Warriors, as people expected, did not let the Spurs leave the Bay Area alive.

4 to 2, the Warriors, who were missing their second player, miraculously advanced to another round.

And the miracle is one step closer to becoming a reality.

Gregg Popovich sat on the bench with his head in his hands.

He admits.

The decision he made in the final moments of Game 5 was the one he regretted most in his coaching career.
-
This is immoral, assholes like Matt Barnes should be banned for life! Robert? Robert is just clumsy! - Gregg Popovich talks about the foul that caused Duncan's hamstring injury and tries to justify Robert Horry's foul.

What did Roger just say to me? Man, I don't want to repeat it. He hates me, probably because I told him in the final moments of Game 5 that the Golden State Gang was nothing more than that. -- Raja Bell talking about Roger's whisper beside him after the series.

"Roger, it was a great series. Although there were no consecutive 40-point games, you relied on your tenacity and strength to get through another round. Do you want to talk about the controversial but decisive Game 5?"

"There's nothing to talk about. They accidentally knocked me out, and we accidentally knocked Tim out. That's it."

"Is it really just an accident?"

"You have the right to question, but it's pointless. Besides, it wasn't us who caused the accident first."

"What did you say to Raja Bell after the game today? Was it because he said in Game 5, 'Golden State Gang is nothing but that' that pissed you off?"

"Yes, I told him that neither you, nor the old agent (Popovich) who likes to play tricks, nor the stone statue with round eyes, have the right to say in front of me that the Golden State Gang is nothing more than that. I think I must have made him realize this deeply."

——Roger accepted an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated.

(End of this chapter)