Champions Creed

Chapter 420 419: Attack Increased (asking for monthly votes!)

Monta Ellis turned into a bullet, cut through the air of the Staples Center, and hit Rudy Tomjanovich right in the middle of the eyebrow.

This was the second time in his life that his brains were splattered on the basketball court.

Rudy found it incredible because this was a dead end that the Warriors could not solve.

The defending champions have no one available. They don't have enough ball-handlers and no one who can become the backbone of the offense in the transition phase.

Boris Dior is a bottle of high-end seasoning, but you can't cook a dish with seasoning alone.

And a team's roster missing out can affect their entire season.

Some lucky teams may be able to fill in the gaps through mid-term trades, but for the Warriors, who have been included in the "trading blacklist" by most teams, they cannot make any changes before the trade deadline.

The lack of ball-handling options since Amar'e Stoudemire was ruled out for the season has been like India's animal safety problem.

This is also a major reason why the Warriors' regular season record ceiling is not high.

Many times, when Roger is resting, if the team is unable to stabilize the situation through defense, the advantage will be lost, and it is impossible for Roger to play 48 minutes in every regular season game.

So, Rudy Tomjanovich thinks this is a dead end for the Warriors.

The lack of personnel cannot be compensated by any tactics.

The Golden State Warriors have been amazing this season, and there have been countless times when their role players have stepped up when Roger needed them.

But they can't possibly stand up for someone who doesn't exist at all.

As a result, Monta Ellis showed up in time, just like his teammates.

He was like a cold-blooded executioner, and without saying a word he chopped Rudy Tomjanovich down in a pool of blood.

Jeff Van Gundy also never expected Monta Ellis to play.

It is unbelievable that a second-round pick who was suspended for 35 games by the team because he fell off a motorcycle for fun and was injured, can still get a chance to play in the playoffs.

Competition in the NBA is very cruel. There is a saying that goes: Those who can play in this league are all Rogers in their own basketball stories, but this damn league is full of "Rogers".

Maybe you are a superstar in college basketball, or maybe you are the second-best high school student in the United States. But in the NBA, as a second-round pick with a low starting point, you may find out that you have been cut during training the next morning after making a mistake, and the only consolation you can get may be just one sentence: "Everything will be fine."

But Monta Ellis' experience was not like this. Not only was he not abandoned by the Warriors, he also stepped into a bigger stage.

Eric Spoelstra is not a gambler. Fans can only see a player's performance in the game, but the coach can see everything about a player, his competitive state every day, his progress every day, all of which will be seen by the coach.

Spoelstra saw what Monta Ellis did after he was suspended.

He trained hard and took every opportunity seriously. His strength increased rapidly, and perhaps even he didn't realize that he was already far better than when he first joined the team.

The only thing Spoelstra doesn't know is why a jerk like Monta Ellis would change so much, but this is the most amazing thing about the Golden State Warriors.

This Warriors team can no longer be defined by the concept of a "team."

Monta Ellis is like the youngest brother in the family. His older brothers will scold him and educate him, but they will never give up on him.

So once again, when the Golden State Gang's title defense seemed to be coming to an end, someone brave enough stood up.

Monta Ellis' debut was so stunning that his layup was replayed over and over again on the big screen at the scene.

But in basketball, the value of a possession is limited.

Monta Ellis did not get complacent. He continued to stay focused and contribute to the team in the final minutes of the first quarter.

The Lakers attacked, and Monta Ellis began to bite Nash desperately. In the Warriors, maybe not everyone has strong defensive ability, but everyone is definitely active enough in defense, and this team culture is deeply rooted.

Monta Ellis was not a defensive player in high school, but the Warriors' team culture turned him into a mad dog grabbing bones.

And often hanging out with Gary Payton helped him change many of his bad defensive habits. Under the influence of these two things, Monta Ellis is now a tough defense at the No. 1 position.

Steve Nash couldn't launch an attack easily, so he called for a screen in an attempt to get rid of this troublesome kid.

But Marcus Camby actively switched defense and protected behind Monta Ellis.

Seeing this, Nash immediately passed the ball to Theo Ratliff, who tried hard to overcome his nervousness, took a big step and tried to dunk directly.

Why was he nervous? Because he knew that Marcus Camby, like himself, would not miss any opportunity to block his opponent.

The worst thing happened. As soon as Theo Ratliff raised the ball in the air, Marcus Camby's palm slapped it hard from the side.

The basketball was hit away, and Ratliff lost his balance and fell heavily out of the baseline.

After defending Nash's pick-and-roll, Marcus Camby immediately rushed back to the basket to block the shot, and his defense covered the entire line.

The Lakers' offense in the transition period was not as easy as they expected. When Steve Nash was oppressed, the Lakers' offense could not run smoothly.

The Warriors counterattacked, Monta Ellis used his speed to increase the tempo, Brian Cook wanted to use his advantage in confrontation to force Monta Ellis to slow down, but Monta Ellis did not rush forward impatiently like a rookie who was doing things for the first time.

Monta Ellis did lose his center of gravity after the collision with Brian Cook. Although he tried very hard and his weight gain plan has been proceeding step by step, it is not something that can be achieved overnight.

His confrontation is still very weak.

But after losing his balance, Monta Ellis did not slow down the attack, but immediately passed the ball to Boris Dio who came in from the right.

Facing Theo Ratliff who had already chased back to the basket, Boris Diaw easily performed a 360-degree turn layup in the air, avoiding Ratliff, and the score difference was only 4 points.

Monta Ellis can not only score by himself, but also has a certain ability to pass the ball. He cannot become an excellent point guard and organizer, and cannot organize the team's offense.

But as a host in the transition section, his passing awareness is sufficient.

Steve Nash then used a mid-range jump shot to extend the lead to 6 points, but after scoring the goal, he did not celebrate, but nervously yelled: "Help is needed!"

He no longer underestimated this freshman guard. He could see that Monta Ellis had an excellent sense of the ball, his speed was as fast as his nickname, and his passing was enough to mobilize the team.

In fact, in the original timeline, Monta Ellis had always been very efficient as a role player, but when the Warriors pushed him to a core position, giving him more shooting freedom and greater responsibilities, his various problems began to be exposed.

There is a huge gap between Monta Ellis and the kind of star player who can truly support a team.

But if you treat him as a firefighter in the transition period, he will definitely not let you down.

This time Monta Ellis faced Nash again. Facing the first-team point guard, the high school rookie was not intimidated: "Are you nervous? When Kobe is not on the court, you are as panicked as a lost three-year-old boy. Don't be afraid, I'm just a rookie. It won't hurt."

Well, this is also part of the Warriors' team culture that is deeply rooted in their bones.

Monta Ellis accelerated, and when he collided with Nash, he did not forget to raise his elbow, hit Nash hard, and successfully helped himself gain a position.

On the sidelines, Gary Payton couldn't help but laugh: "This kid has absorbed all the essence of our team!"

The Canadian defender failed to stop his breakthrough, but Luke Walton arrived at the assisting position faster than before.

But Monta Ellis still made a quick stop jump shot, and the score difference returned to 4 points.

He really doesn't look like a rookie, he is confident, decisive and brave.

"This is a dream team," Eric Spoelstra said, looking at Roger on the bench. "This is an unprecedented team."

He and Roger witnessed the glory of magic, and watched it collapse.

He and Pat Riley created the iron-blooded miracle of the Miami Heat defeating Roger, but he watched the team fall apart.

Failure is very challenging, and similarly no team can withstand the test of victory.

At the beginning, everyone may have a common goal.

But as time goes by, problems will arise in the distribution of benefits and the determination to win will begin to waver.

What kills the champion is the champion itself, which is something all championship teams know well.

But on the Warriors, this problem was miraculously ignored.

There is always a saying in the media that the Warriors lack talent after losing Stoudemire this season.

No, Spoelstra now feels that the talent of this team is seriously underestimated. Yes, except for Roger, this team has no superstars, not even ordinary All-Stars.

But their true talent is particularly rare, even rarer than height, wingspan, speed and strength. It is the true indistinguishability of each other, working towards the same goal.

A ready-made example: If in another team, a veteran was robbed of playing time by a rookie, he would definitely be furious and then cause a series of internal problems.

But look at Gary Payton, he was even cheering for Monta Ellis.

The first quarter ended quickly and the 4-point difference was maintained until the end.

Kobe Bryant's face was full of black lines. His ambition to get a double-digit lead in the first quarter was shattered. This game was destined to be very difficult.

Monta Ellis left the game with 4 points, 2 assists and 1 steal, which was an excellent performance considering that this was his first regular-time appearance in the playoffs.

When the Warriors players left the court, everyone on the bench came up to high-five their teammates.

Gary Payton hugged Monta Ellis and said, "Your brother will be proud of you, but to me, you are not yet proud of me. You are far from it."

"Then just watch carefully, old man, and see what it means that Roger is first, I am second, and Kobe is third."

After saying that, he also hugged Gary Payton tightly.

Roger shrugged not far away and complained to himself: "Two like-minded bastards who are always inexplicably proud."

But this is the Golden State Gang's Go to the Hospital, these living characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, form this perfect team.

What Roger has always believed has come true again: people are more complicated than basketballs, and the secrets of basketball are outside of basketball.

After Kobe returned in the second quarter, the Lakers' offense revived again.

But Roger's return also gave the Warriors the ability to compete with them, and the game entered a new round of tension.

But Rudy Tomjanovich has lost the key to victory, and he can no longer come up with any strategic means to check and balance the Warriors.

Just like last year, he can only pray that Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant can withstand the pressure and have the last laugh.

This feeling of being unable to control the game annoyed Rudy Tomjanovich.

He has decided that if he fails to win the championship this season, he will resign as head coach of the Lakers.

In Los Angeles, he had a big contract and a name, and his reputation reached its peak during the years he coached the Lakers.

But what's the point of fighting an unbeatable opponent?

The two sides took turns leading the score, and the fans at the Staples Center were shouting until they were short of oxygen.

Jeff Van Gundy had to turn up the volume on his headphones and told fans around the world: "This may be the loudest noise in the world!"

In such an atmosphere, both sides became more and more excited, and players from both teams devoted themselves completely to this epic battle.

The Lakers' offense was indeed too strong. The Warriors were in very good shape today, but they still couldn't break through the Staples Center.

Eric Spoelstra didn't want to watch the game become more tense. Even though he had the most dangerous clutch killer in the world, he didn't want the game to go to that point.

He wanted to break the situation, so he decided to weaken the defense and continue to join the offense!

He wants to go all in on the two ball-handlers in his team!
The turning point of the game came in the sixth minute of the fourth quarter. In order to increase firepower, Eric Spoelstra used a new combination: Roger + Monta Ellis in the backcourt.

The combination worked, and the already thoroughly burned-out Golden State Gang opened up with a volley of fire.

Steve Nash's pass to Kobe was intercepted by Matt Barnes, who had been causing trouble for Kobe since last season. He picked up the ball and pushed it forward himself.

The Lakers' defensive focus was on Roger who was running without the ball. Kobe quickly ran towards Roger and handed Matt Barnes who was advancing with the ball to others.

Caron Butler was restrained by Monta Ellis, and Monta's off-ball threat should not be underestimated.

Shawn Marion needs to retreat quickly to protect the rim.

Therefore, the task of temporarily defending Matt Barnes fell on Steve Nash's shoulders.

Considering that Matt Barnes has little independent offensive ability, this doesn't seem to be a problem.

As a result, Matt Barnes boldly chose to chase down Nash's defense and shoot a three-pointer. Nash was caught off guard. He did not expect Matt Barnes to shoot with the ball, so he failed to interfere in the first time.

brush!
Three-pointer hit, Warriors lead by 4 points!
Fuck!
Steve Nash rarely swore on the court. He felt like a cheap prostitute and everyone on the Warriors would have sex with him.

One round later, Kobe's cut-in attack missed under Mutombo's protection, and the African Mountain grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Monta Ellis.

He sprinted at full speed, compressing the Lakers' defense, and the live camera lens also moved quickly following Monta Ellis.

After breaking into the basket, Monta Ellis jumped up with all his strength, but instead of making a layup, he passed the ball out of the screen.

When the camera moved again, Roger had already received the basketball, and he quickly shot a three-pointer from the top of the arc in one go!
In the past, if Roger wanted to get an off-ball opportunity, he had to look for it through tireless running.

This is the first time this season that he can wait for the opportunity to come to him from beyond the three-point line.

Monta Ellis did not score, but he and Roger helped the Warriors score easily in two consecutive rounds after they came on the court at the same time.

Roger, who had widened the gap to 7 points, pumped his fist and roared, but it seemed that this was not enough to vent his emotions, so he looked at the stands at the Staples Center and made a throat-cutting gesture.

This action undoubtedly greatly stimulated the nerves of Lakers fans. The noise decibels in the Staples Center continued to rise, and they even let the exclusive slogan of New York fans appear in advance.

"Fuck Roger!!! Fuck Roger!!! Fuck Roger!!!"

Jeff Van Gundy admits: "The loudest noise in the world was just broken by Lakers fans themselves"

At this time, the whole world hoped that Kobe would stand up, and Kobe did so. He received the pass from Nash outside the three-point line and shot directly.

It’s a pity that being a savior is not that easy.

Kobe's three-pointer bounced out of the frame, Mutombo protected the rebound, and the Warriors had a chance to widen the gap to double digits!

Roger held the ball outside the three-point line, and Monta Ellis kept interspersing, making Caron Butler dare not let his guard down.

Matt Barnes' hot hand also made Shawn Marion dare not leave him even a step.

Steve Nash has to guard Jason Richardson.

So, Roger got a chance to challenge Kobe one-on-one!

Roger had even forgotten when was the last time he had such a comfortable one-on-one duel. He had become accustomed to being double-teamed as soon as he got the ball.

Roger didn't waste any time. After he had created some distance between them, he used an extremely smooth Sam Gold dribble to pass by Kobe.

Kobe's "heavy armor" was of no use at this moment, he could only reach out to pull Roger's jersey.

Theo Ratliff immediately protected the rim, but Roger still jumped up resolutely, holding Ratliff with one hand and passing his other hand under Ratliff's armpit and gently picking him up.

The referee blew the whistle and yelled to the technical table: "And one!"

The score difference was widened to 9 points, and Roger had to take additional free throws.

Monta Ellis and Roger came on the court at the same time, causing the Lakers' defense to collapse quickly.

Roger was quickly pulled up by everyone and stood on the free throw line.

At that moment, the noise in the Staples Center was much louder than before.

Roger smiled at the stands, made another throat-cutting motion, and then kicked the ball out steadily.

"brush."

The difference is 10 points.

The loudest noise in the world came to an abrupt halt.

(Today I only have one update with 5200 words. I am really tired and in a bad state. I want to have a good sleep. Of course I will not reduce my output. I will return to normal tomorrow after a good rest.)
(End of this chapter)