Champions Creed

Chapter 419 Chapter 418: What kind of team is this!? (Seeking monthly votes!)

The third team in the Western Conference defeated the second team in the Western Conference. This was the second time in Tim Duncan's career that he lost to Roger in the playoffs.

Duncan didn't even remember how he spent the last two minutes of the game. After Roger completed a dunk over him and widened the gap to 13 points, the game seemed to fast-forward to the end in an instant.

Faster than the politicians in the Republic of Korea launching a positive change.

Previously, many media held this view: TD and Roger's record in the playoffs was tied 1-1, so Tim was still not dominated by Roger.

From the perspective of the "playoffs only" theory, this is true. Even though Duncan was beaten by Roger countless times in the regular season, he only lost to Roger once in the playoffs.

But now, this view that deliberately downplays the regular season results has officially failed.

Roger extended the playoff lead between him and Duncan to 2-1.

Duncan's halo of "one of the few players who defeated Roger in the playoffs" has been completely shattered after this round of series.

The Spurs' press conference was somber.

Gregg Popovich made feeble excuses for Horry while pointlessly blaming Barnes.

Tim Duncan chose to play it safe amid all the talk of a "hamstring strain."

"Injury? Nothing to say?"

"Foul controversy? Next question."

"You know, whether it's Rob fouling Roger or Matt fouling me, it's just part of the game."

Duncan, who was completely lost in Game 6 due to a hamstring strain, will not attribute the failure to that "accident."

First of all, injuries are not an excuse, never are.

Roger broke his fingers and ribs last season but still won the championship, which means that no matter whether it is a groin injury or any other injury, all excuses about injuries are unconvincing in the face of Roger's achievements.

Secondly, Tim Duncan didn't want to complain about the Warriors' foul on him because Robert Horry's foul on Roger was even more shameful.

Of course, Duncan can't blame his teammates. You can't always blame your teammates and coaches every time you lose a series, as if you don't have any responsibility. Only real losers will look for reasons in these things.

Also, Bruce Bowen had warned everyone long ago, but Popovich insisted on doing it, and Duncan did not intervene to stop him.

They made their choice, and you can't complain about it after making the choice you made.

Duncan could only admit that he had completely lost to Roger in this competition.

So Tim Duncan, who was just trying to please reporters most of the time, only had one sentence at the press conference that impressed the media.

"How can I guard that guy? I don't know. I really don't know."

This was the first time TD showed that he was conquered by Roger.

As he walked out of the press conference, Tim Duncan wiped his eyes.

His dream still could not be realized, and he could only continue his ascetic life with a "Void Ring" that was widely questioned by the outside world.

What is the most tragic thing in the world? It is that you hold a ring, but the whole world doubts the gold content of the ring.

In fact, Tim Duncan is a little too demanding of himself.

It’s not Duncan’s fault that the ring he won during the lockout-shortened season wasn’t of sufficient quality. It’s entirely Adidas’ fault.

Adidas' weak publicity and marketing capabilities are not even as good as Nike, which is suppressed by Reebok.

If it's Nike, whether it's a lockout championship, a campus championship, or a mid-season championship, all of these will be gilded.

To be honest, Nike doesn't know why Tim Duncan wants to act like the biggest loser, because his career has been outstanding enough, so outstanding that Nike is envious.

He won the championship in his sophomore year and is still one of Roger's biggest rivals and is very competitive.

He has no scandals off the court and doesn't do stupid things. The few technical fouls he received were because he laughed on the bench.

Nike can only promote a chosen one who finally made it to the playoffs in his third year.

Admittedly, leading the team to the playoffs in the third grade is already very good, but in comparison, Dwyane Wade played in the finals in his second grade.

Well, you said Dwyane Wade's teammates are too strong, and that's indeed true.

But how do you explain that Carmelo Anthony has already played in the playoffs three times?
Even so, Nike still had no choice but to support LBJ.

Carmelo Anthony is great, but his gangster background makes Nike uneasy.

Chris Paul, who won the Rookie of the Year award this season, is very outstanding, but the ceiling of the point guard is not worth Nike investing too much in.

And Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul who signed with AJ are at most Nike's collateral branches, but LeBron James is his biological son.

There is no reason to leave your own son untrained and put all resources on your godson.

What Nike regrets most now is that it did not snatch Kobe from Adidas because it was afraid of the Eagle County incident, allowing Reebok to take the lead.

Look at Kobe's popularity now. Reebok almost monopolizes the top three active players in the league. (Roger, Kobe, KG)

Therefore, LeBron James is the only person Nike can rely on.

Nike never gave up on him in this year's playoffs.

They have been working hard to market 23VS3 - yes, for Nike, LeBron's ability to play in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks is already a brilliant enough record.

Nike doesn't even dare to touch Roger again.

Considering the New York Knicks' dominance in the Eastern Conference, as long as the Cavaliers can win one game in the series, Nike will find a way to turn LBJ into Allen Iverson in 2001, a lone hero who lost the game but was highly respected.

However, you never know what surprises LBJ will give you.

Something that caught Nike off guard happened in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

LeBron James, the No. 03 pick in the 23 Platinum Generation, lost to the Orlando Magic led by Tracy McGrady, Baron Davis and Dwight Howard in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference semifinals despite the overwhelming 3VS publicity.

This is absolutely the rollover of the century.

In the eyes of outsiders, Tracy McGrady is just a data-driven star, a glass man who is not durable enough to achieve great things.

Dwight Howard is still very young.

Baron Davis is a fringe All-Star at best.

The three of them are naturally much stronger than ordinary players, but their value as stars is not high enough.

LeBron James, who was praised by Nike, actually lost to these three people.

You can imagine what an unexpected result this is. If it were in the Western Conference, it would probably be equivalent to Carmelo Anthony, Andre Miller and Kenyon Martin defeating Kobe.

Nike was originally very confident about this round of the series. They believed that the only team in the East that could truly suppress the Cavaliers was the Knicks.

Even the Detroit Pistons were not taken seriously by them. After all, this was no longer the Dark Ages of Defense, and the Pistons' ceiling had long since fallen short of the level required to dominate the Eastern Conference.

Nike viewed the Knicks as the Cavaliers' only rival in the East, and succeeded in making everyone else think so, too.

But when James' results were too different from Nike's publicity, their publicity killed themselves.

The champagne opened at halftime is nectar for the strong, but poison for the weak.

Just one sip is enough to cause death from the poison.

The result of this round of series even indirectly raised the status of two Adidas stars, McGrady and Howard. Through this round of series, they directly raised their status to a higher level.

Nike thinks that its status is entirely due to the support of its competitors, but in fact they are supporting each other.

The most disgusting thing is that Nike cannot suppress McGrady and Howard through public opinion.

They can't be too strong, but they have to be strong, otherwise it would be too embarrassing for LeBron to lose to them.

LBJ ended his first playoff trip like this. The result in the division semifinals was not glorious for a team that was considered to threaten the Knicks' status.

Of course, as we all know, according to some media, none of this is James' fault.

This is Larry Hughes' fault. His scoring efficiency in the playoffs was shockingly low. Even if he is not good at shooting and has to open up space for LeBron, he must also bear the responsibility for not making the shot.

This is Andrei Kirilenko's fault. Although he averaged 2.2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in the playoffs, averaging 15 points per game is unacceptable.

This is even Kurt Thomas' fault because he is too old. If Kurt Thomas was at the level he was in the Hawks, LeBron would definitely beat Howard.

LeBron? He really tried.

Don't ask why Nike's marketing department only uses this trick, because their marketers can't think of a better way.

This world is just a huge makeshift team. The NBA officials can mistakenly broadcast a score of 90 to 0 during a nationwide live broadcast, and the people in Nike's marketing department can also do crazy nesting dolls when they have nothing to do.

In the past two years, this kind of "teammates CBA" rhetoric has still had some market.

But nowadays, people are tired of such clichés.

From Michael Jordan to Michael Redd to Larry Hughes and Andrei Kirilenko, Nike's campaign to protect James and disparage his teammates has begun to rankle.

Charles Barkley mocked the game mercilessly in his show after the game: "Looking back now, LBJ's threat to fight the Knicks to the death sounds like a porn star threatening to remain chaste for her future husband."

Bill Simmons put it more civilized and interestingly: "Look at Gary, he has found the best way for LeBron to succeed: if you can't beat him, join him."

After the Warriors defeated the Spurs, many media ridiculed Payton: "His smart choice of joining when he couldn't beat them allowed him to successfully avenge his old club."

"If you can't beat them, join them" became a famous saying in the basketball world more than ten years ago.

Of course, the fans were just joking about it on the online forums and had no opinion on Gary Payton's choice itself.

Yes, he was once a superstar and competed with Roger in the finals.

But now he is only 38 years old, and scoring 14 points in a single game is considered a veteran's big breakout.

It would be a normal choice for him to join any team where he has a chance to get a ring.

So, when Bill Simmons used this sentence to tease LeBron James, there was a strong sense of irony in it.

Mocking James, saying that he could only succeed by learning from Payton during his peak period.

Of course, no one took this seriously. Although the contract extension between James and the Cavaliers has caused a lot of controversy, just like teasing Gary Payton, Bill Simmons just wanted to make a joke.

There shouldn't be any young star in this world who would join the opponent who defeated him, or cling to someone else's thighs, right?
The Eastern Conference semifinals made McGrady and Howard famous, and also determined the four teams that were still alive at the end of the season.

In the East, the Knicks and Magic will experience another peak showdown since the 90s.

In the West, the long story continues.

A story about Roger and Kobe.

Kobe Bryant is considered the LeBron before LeBron.

He challenged Roger in his rookie season. He and Shark were once the combination that hated Roger the most and were also the closest to defeating Roger.

Now, he remains a strong challenger.

He is probably the most popular player among all the active players who have never won a championship or an MVP.

Since signing with Reebok, Kobe's popularity has continued to soar.

He topped the final MVP rankings of this year.

Kobe is full of confidence about winning the first MVP of his career.

His Lakers are the team with the best record this season, and his personal statistics are also extremely brilliant.

He was just one ring away from getting rid of Shark and Roger.

But just like what the "Sports Center" show said about Kobe.

"No matter how good Kobe is this season, even if he wins his first MVP, he is just surviving under Roger's rule."

Kobe knew that only by climbing over this mountain could all his past failures be washed away.

Being first in the Western Conference cannot help him succeed, the MVP cannot help him succeed, only the championship ring can.

But the ring haunted him for many years.

If he continues to play the same way as before, with endless one-on-one battles and fierce fighting with Roger, the outcome will probably be the same as in previous years.

So, after training two days before the start of the Western Conference Finals, Kobe found the Canadian who had worked with him for many years.

"Steve, I want you to take charge and play a bigger role in the Western Conference Finals."

It is well known that Kobe is the least pass-loving guard in the entire league.

Even a player like Nash, who needs to have the ball in his hands to play his best, cannot control the ball as much as he wants.

His ball control has always been diluted by Kobe.

Kobe controlled the ball in an almost domineering manner, and no Lakers player could have any objection to this.

But now, when the war is about to begin, he wants to give up power on his own initiative.

However, Steve Nash was not surprised.

If Kobe is stronger this year than ever before, then his strength is probably in things other than basketball.

This guy whose emotional quotient may be negative finally knows how to get along with his teammates.

I finally learned how to lead a team as a leader.

He rarely attended any team gatherings before, but this season he often treats the entire team to dinner.

He used to be quiet, but this season he has been in the locker room frequently to encourage the team.

On the training ground, he is still strict with his teammates.

But on the field, he will give the opportunity to the person who trains hard.

This is also related to Kobe's teammates. Caron Butler is one of the few true friends Kobe has in his career, and Steve Nash's gentle personality just complements Kobe.

Thus, Kobe's transformation occurred earlier than in the original timeline.

All he did earned the absolute trust of the entire team, allowing everyone to unify their goals and ideas. Everyone was willing to follow him and challenge the highest peak with full confidence.

If Kobe fails, they sink together. If Kobe succeeds, they cheer together.

This is the best atmosphere the Lakers locker room has ever had in the past decade.

People always say that Kobe knows all the secrets of basketball, but he just doesn't bother to use them and likes to do things his own way.

This season, he finally put "The Secret" into practice.

People change, and this also applies to Kobe.

Kobe's transformation this season was extremely subversive, so Nash was not actually surprised by Kobe's decision at this time. In fact, he knew there would be such a day and they would have such a conversation.

Kobe wanted to focus more on defense, and it turned out that he was more efficient without the ball.

Therefore, Kobe is willing to reduce production to a certain extent and is willing to give up some data in exchange for better defense and efficiency.

At the same time, it also brings out the best in Steve Nash.

At the end of the day, winning is all that matters.

Steve Nash nodded: "Caron and I will not let you down. No, our entire team will not let you down."

"I won't let you down," Kobe said, looking at the championship banners on the training ground wall. "I will definitely let you have the right to enjoy victory once, no, I will let you have this right forever!"

On the other hand, as the Western Conference Finals were approaching, the San Francisco Chronicle held an event.

They set aside a special page for all Warriors players to write down their expectations for this season or what they want to do after the season ends, and then sign collectively.

The final handwritten page will be printed directly in the newspaper, just like Jason Richardson's apology letter at the beginning of the season. Roger was the last one to write, and he also roughly looked at what all his teammates had written before him.

Everyone doesn’t need to write anything.

Matt Barnes wants to buy a big house for his mother who has cancer after winning the championship.

Jason Richardson wants to be part of a three-peat.

Boris Diaw wants to treat all Bay Area fans to a glass of his homemade red wine Americano at the championship parade.

Dikembe Mutombo hopes to use his influence as a dynasty player to encourage more African children to go abroad.

Marcus Camby wants to be selected to an All-Defensive team.

Stephen Jackson wanted to hold the championship trophy and drink for three days and three nights.

The most special expectations come from Amar'e Stoudemire and Monta Ellis.

Amar'e Stoudemire hoped to be healthy forever, and it is not difficult to imagine how much of a blow this season was to him. A rising star was ruled out for the season just as he was about to reach his peak. What's even more tragic is that the team is still strong without him.

This is a very divisive thing for Stoudemire. On the one hand, he hopes that the Warriors can do well. But on the other hand, the better the Warriors are, the more it seems that he is dispensable.

His sense of self-worth grew more doubtful the deeper the Warriors progressed.

Another expectation that impressed Roger came from Monta Ellis.

This guy, whose reputation has been completely ruined since he was banned from the game, wrote a few words crookedly.

“I want to be their pride.”

Amar'e Stoudemire's expectations may not be realized until next season.

But Monta Ellis?
He will achieve his goal.

In the next round, facing the Lakers, whose style is completely different from that of the Spurs, Eric Spoelstra decided to activate Monta Ellis.

The team needs him to contribute.

The Golden State Gang needs more people to step up.

After everyone left the locker room, Monta Ellis continued to practice his jump shot, just like he did in middle school.

The diversity of human beings is fully reflected in basketball players. Monta Ellis is playful, rebellious and unruly.

But he was a gym rat.

It's hard for fans to combine the terms "the jerk who lied about his injury after falling off a motorcycle" with "the training maniac", but such people do exist and there are many of them in the NBA.

Gary Payton walked out of the physical therapy room with a big protective gear tied on his legs. He glanced at Monta Ellis who was practicing and curled his lips: "Forget it, this won't help you find a better feel. It will only make your legs weak in tomorrow's game as if you had fought a woman eight times."

"Gary, how did you do that?"

"Me? I'm born to do it. My best record is eleven times a night!" Gary Payton's mouth became even more crooked as he showed off.

Monta Ellis looked at Payton with disdain: "What's so great about eleven times a minute? I'm asking you, how did you get back into shape in the last round?"

Gary Payton wanted to blurt out those clichés.

Hard work, focus, and confidence. These encouragements are necessary for a high school rookie who is about to play in the playoffs for the first time.

But the words were swallowed back when they came to his lips. Gary Payton realized that these empty words would not have any effect.

They need some real talk.

"I have a friend who told me something last summer, and now I'm telling you this: No matter what, don't give up the opportunity you can still grasp. God will not forgive those who give up opportunities, because he will not let the opportunity appear a second time.

Cherish your chance, Monta, and don't let yourself regret it in your bed at night."

"Did your friend seize the opportunity?" Monta Ellis asked a sharp question.

Gary Payton was stunned for a moment and shook his head.

As we all know, Shawn Kemp never returned to the NBA.

"No, he failed, and God will not give him another chance. He will never return to the NBA. When he was young, he always felt that he had many opportunities and that he had a lot of time. This is the biggest lie that youth gives to life. Ten years is just a blink of an eye. When I was 28 years old, I also thought that I still had many chances to get close to the championship. In the end... So kid, don't give up any opportunity, go for it."

Monta Ellis has always looked up to his older brother, Antoine, who was his childhood hero.

Devastated, Antoine gave up his own basketball dream, but still held on to his brother's dream, protecting him in the chaotic neighborhood, training with him, and keeping him away from the troubles on the streets.

In the Golden State Warriors, Monta Ellis feels like everyone is Antoine.

They were all protecting themselves and hadn’t lost faith in themselves after everything that had happened.

He would make them proud.

That was his expectation and what he had to do.

Two days later, at the Staples Center, the longest basketball drama of the 21st century began on time.

Before the game started, the Staples Center experienced a carnival to celebrate Kobe Bryant's first regular season MVP trophy.

This is the first time since 1997 that Roger has missed the MVP award for two consecutive years.

But for Reebok, they still dominate the MVP seat. The three MVPs from 2000 to now, Roger, KG and Kobe, are all players under Reebok.

This is a reflection of Reebok's influence. You can indeed say that the current alliance is the Reebok alliance.

But the whole world knows that MVP does not mean the transfer of power.

Only a championship can establish a player's status.

In the first quarter, Kobe showed his changes.

The first quarter was almost over, but Kobe had only taken three shots.

This situation has happened before. In those years, when the media criticized Kobe for being too independent, he would deliberately not take a shot, and then watch the Lakers lose, using this childish way to tell the world: You guys really need me to take a shot.

But now, Kobe no longer plays badly on purpose.

Although he did not take a shot, he made three assists and actively participated in the defense of Roger.

Steve Nash took control of the situation and launched a gorgeous offense on defense in the playoffs.

Kobe's decentralization and the Lakers' control made the Lakers' offense invincible. They effectively avoided difficult positional offenses and hand-to-hand combat with the Warriors' front line. They controlled the entire court with defense and counterattacks, and completely brought the game into the rhythm of offense.

Jeff Van Gundy marveled at Kobe's performance: "This is the closest he has ever been to Roger!"

This is undoubtedly a compliment to Kobe.

Last season, when Kobe also put on an almost abnormal scoring performance, no one ever commented on him like this.

But now, when Kobe gives up the data, people start to praise him.

In the ninth minute of the first quarter, Kobe promptly helped Caron Butler defend Roger, forcing Roger to miss the shot. Then, he turned around and grabbed the rebound, then quickly advanced.

Kobe ran madly along the middle, with Shawn Marion and Caron Butler on his left and right.

He looked in the direction of Caron Butler, but passed the ball to Shawn Marion behind his back.

After receiving the ball, Marion took two big steps and went straight for the layup, but unexpectedly, Tayshaun Prince, who was equally tall and had long arms, rushed over and completed the chase.

However, as the basketball hit the backboard and bounced backwards, Kobe caught the ball in the air and gently let it go before it hit the ground, completing the tip-in.

This is the content of the game presented by Kobe. He gave up endless singles, but his figure was everywhere in the court.

He assisted Roger in defense, grabbed the rebound, and then actively made a fast break to tip in the ball.

He did not rush into a one-on-one fight, but organized the entire team and only took action when he needed to provide a backup.

After the ball went in, the Los Angeles Lakers led by 8 points in the first quarter.

Kobe pumped his fist and then high-fived his teammates.

Finally, he turned and looked at the man he had been chasing for 10 years.

Yes, since entering the league in 1996, Kobe Bryant has had only one goal, to catch up with Roger.

This was the closest he had been to Roger in 10 years.

He will never lose if the Warriors lose their number two player!
"Roger, you know that playing house can't save you this time. I will end the first quarter with a double-digit lead."

Kobe and Rudy Tomjanovich both firmly believe that no one on the Warriors can stand up.

As the game was brought into the rhythm of offense, the importance of the ball-holding core was infinitely elevated, and the functional forward line was no longer the key to determining the outcome of the game.

Because the positional defense rounds were diluted, the Warriors' basic strategy of relying on defense to stabilize the situation was useless.

They could only be forced to fight against the Lakers.

All of the Warriors' offense depends on Roger's huge ball-holding threat.

As for other players, whether it is Jason Richardson or Matt Barnes, their off-ball attributes make them rely on Roger's presence to perform.

They are just decorations in the house, but if you don’t even have basic decorations, no matter how good the decorations are, they can’t create a beautiful attack.

When Roger is on the court to attract double-teaming and pressure the opponent's defensive lineup, they just need to seize the opportunities created by Roger for them.

But after Roger left the court, they had to find ways to create opportunities on their own.

In the past, when Roger was off the court, the Warriors would use tight defense to temporarily stabilize the situation.

But now, the Lakers' offense cannot be stopped by defense. Nash has just rested for a few minutes, and he will come back to continue leading the Lakers to play a gorgeous offense.

In the following rotation period, the Warriors were missing the role of a ball-holding core.

According to the Warriors' rotation habits, Roger will be replaced by Gary Payton next.

Gary Payton played extremely well in the last round and his condition and determination are worthy of praise.

But he is not peak Gary after all.

Payton's defense is worthless against the Lakers' strong offense, and his current ball-handling offensive ability is not enough to compete with the Lakers.

No matter how good the other players are, they can't become a threat with the ball overnight.

So Kobe and Rudy Tomjanovich asserted that no one else on the Warriors would stand up.

For the entire season, the Golden State Warriors' rotation was like a bottomless ocean, making it impossible to fathom.

But tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to tell the entire league that the Golden State Warriors are not that deep!

"Kobe," Roger responded, "you don't know us, not at all."

Eric Spoelstra had anticipated this before the game, and he would not make adjustments only after he suffered a loss.

His advance adjustment was to give the time that originally belonged to Gary Payton to Monta Ellis - he was the only person on the team besides Roger who could hold the ball and create an offensive threat.

Spoelstra doesn't need Monta Ellis to play like Mobley, as long as he doesn't let the Warriors fall into a scoring drought.

So Eric Spoelstra walked up to Monta Ellis.

"Boy, are you ready to stand up?"

Monta Ellis stood up and the ESPN live broadcast gave him a close-up shot. Jeff Van Gundy smiled and shook his head.

"Golden State Warriors' signature show, Eric's bold substitution again! Last season's Matt and Boris were also substituted in unexpected situations and played a key role. The rebellious teenager who was suspended for 35 games in the middle of this season only played in garbage time in the previous two rounds, but now he has to play in normal rotation time! We all know that the biggest feature of the Warriors this season is that everyone can stand up. Can Monta, who once disappointed the Bay Area, win back trust!?"

No one doubts this. In the past few years, Eric Spoelstra's bold use of players has almost never failed.

The saying "don't employ a person you don't trust, and don't doubt a person" is fully demonstrated in him.

Even Spoelstra himself was an unexpected protagonist who stepped onto the stage.

How would he have gotten the chance if Hubie Brown hadn't suddenly fallen ill?
Hubie Brown trusted him and gave him the stage.

After that, Eric Spoelstra will give opportunities to people he trusts, even if the whole world does not trust that guy.

Since Eric Spoelstra dares to let Monta Ellis play, it means that he trusts that guy and the Golden State Gang trusts that guy.

In this case, the entire Bay Area will trust him.

Roger reached out and high-fived Monta Ellis.

Next are Matt Barnes, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, and finally, Gary Payton.

All Roger said was, "You're a member of the Golden State Gang. You always have been."

“I’m ready to step up!”

After Monta Ellis finished speaking, he looked up at the stands again.

Antoine was waving at him.

His brothers were waiting for his moment of success.

The game resumes and the Warriors have the ball.

Rudy Tomjanovich frowned. This was a substitution decision he had not expected.

No, it's impossible.

There's no way Monta Ellis will be effective.

The Golden State Warriors can't be so magical that a high school rookie can stand out from the bench.

Last year's second-best high school student in the United States dribbled the ball and walked in front of Steve Nash. Nash wanted to seize the opportunity to steal the ball, but the rookie's body did not look much stronger than his own.

Monta Ellis pulled the ball to the left and Nash followed, but then Monta Ellis changed direction to the right, and the speed exceeded Steve Nash's expectations.

The Lakers' help defense immediately appeared, and Luke Walton, who came on as a substitute, came up to defend.

But Monta Ellis made a smooth turn and passed the second person.

But his body was still hit by Luke Walton, which made his center of gravity confused as he was not good at confrontation. He staggered into the penalty area and jumped up staggeringly.

Theo Ratliff jumped high, and Luke Walton followed and blocked the ball.

Monta Ellis tilted his body and pulled the ball in the air to avoid the two people's block. Without even seeing the basket, he lightly picked the ball and successfully scored!

At the moment of the goal, Jeff Van Gundy shouted: "The Mississippi Bullet whizzed through the Staples Center and is about to become the pride of everyone!"

Kobe's eyes widened. That kid's sense of smell under the basket was simply outrageous.

Beside him, Rudy Tomjanovich was cursing in panic.

"What kind of team are the damn Golden State Warriors!?"

He couldn't believe that there really existed a team in this world where everyone could stand out.

Even the 94 Rockets he coached weren't this outrageous!

Monta Ellis opened his arms and retreated as fast as if he was flying in the air. On the sidelines, all the Warriors players jumped up to celebrate for him.

Jeff Van Gundy tells the simple truth.

"They have experienced difficulties, disappointments and hopes together, lost together, and won countless opponents together. In the process, they each performed their duties, did not complain about each other, and did not give up on each other. They are like a family. And everyone is eager to contribute to this family. This is the Golden State Gang."

Once upon a time, perhaps there really was no team where everyone could stand out.

But now there is.

(Today's 9400 words, 600 words shortened)

(End of this chapter)