Chapter 455 Chapter 454: Equivalent Exchange (asking for monthly ticket!)

With 17 points in a single quarter, after Roger made the shot that knocked James down, the Lakers suspended the game and Spoelstra replaced Roger for a rest.

James scored 10 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in a single quarter. He undoubtedly had his best performance since the Western Conference Finals.

When he has no distractions and only wants to win, he is actually not that bad.

Kobe actually played quite well, scoring 4 points with 3 of 8 shots in the first quarter, which was very efficient.

But Roger’s performance overshadowed both Kobe and James.

But the atmosphere at the Staples Center still provided energy to the Lakers players. Even when the team was down to the last 6 points in the first quarter, Lakers fans were still cheering, shouting and singing for the heroes.

Kobe didn’t blame James this time. He could see that James had done his best on defense today. “LeBron, that bastard can’t keep up this form for the whole game. Show him the real you! You can defend him!”

“Of course!” James yelled, “Of course I’ll f**king take care of him, you hold the situation steady on offense! Chauncey, you have to attack, you have to be more proactive, you can’t let Roger play so easily on offense! I know you didn’t make any mistakes in the first quarter, but just not making mistakes won’t kill the Warriors!”

“LeBron is right!” Kobe personally stood up for James.

This was the moment Phil Jackson had been looking forward to all season. Kobe and James put aside all their grudges and thoughts and led the team to pursue victory wholeheartedly.

Both James and Kobe were furious. One didn’t want Roger to score high points, and the other didn’t want his home court to fall easily.

At least tonight, they were united.

On the other side, Spoelstra was squatting in front of Roy: “Don’t stop running, don’t let Chauncey stop! Consume him, make him gasp like an old dog! Brandon, I want you to wear him down!”

Give someone a taste of his own medicine. Although James didn’t score many points in the last game, his active running on the offensive end made Roger dare not relax for a moment, resulting in Roger’s low efficiency on the offensive end. This consumption strategy was successful.

Today, Spoelstra will use the same method to deal with Chauncey Billups.

How does a woman make a man weak? Ride him and don’t stop no matter how much he begs for mercy.

The same is true when one man makes another man weak.

Roy may not score, but as long as he runs actively, Billups has to defend him.

Billups, who was over-exerted on the defensive end, only had some passing and controlling value on the offensive end.

What if the Lakers remove Billups from Roy? Then only Kobe will be on the court. But if Kobe is guarding Roy for the entire game, will the Lakers still be able to play offense?
In fact, Phil Jackson knew Roy’s level very well. In his mind, Roy was the fourth best player in the league, second only to Roger, Kobe and Wade. G1 had proved that even Kobe could not completely lock him down in a one-on-one match.

Therefore, the defense against Roy must not be relaxed.

Roger is in very good shape today. If Roy is also activated, the Lakers will be in big trouble today.

So when the second quarter started, Phil Jackson did not adjust the position.

Seeing James still standing in front of him, Roger started attacking without saying a word.

He used a pick-and-roll to get rid of James, and facing the double-team of Howard, Roger hit the ground, as if to pass the ball to Stoudemire who was following closely, and Howard immediately chased back.

But the basketball did not bounce to Stoudemire after it landed, but bounced back to Roger. He added some spin when he hit the ball, creating a beautiful fake pass.
After sending Howard away, Roger immediately shot the ball. Although James had caught up with him and interfered to some extent, this kind of interference was something Roger could withstand.

“brush.”

“19 points, LeBron,” Roger said with a smile, “You don’t have many chances.”

Immediately after the Lakers attacked, Chauncey Billups also called for a pick-and-roll to attack Roger. He wanted to contain Roger on the offensive end.

It’s not like Billups hasn’t played this role before. When the Pistons won the championship in 2003, facing the Spurs in the finals, Chauncey Billups used pick-and-roll offense to consume Duncan and force Duncan to defend.

This worked. Billups’ exhaustion and the Pistons’ tight defense meant that Duncan only shot 41% in that round of the series.

This is a shooting percentage that is not even acceptable even for an outside player.

But Billups himself has been greatly exhausted on the defensive end, and he is not known for his explosiveness now.

So, Roger easily bypassed the screen and stood in front of Billups.

Billups is not a good mid-range shooter, and he didn’t have much of a good offensive tool after being blocked by Roger.

He started looking for someone and passed the ball to Howard who was running down the court.

Howard got the ball and was about to burst up, but Stephen Jackson rushed in in time to foul Howard on his behalf.

Howard was so angry that he threw the ball to the floor: “Damn it, why can’t they just be kicked out? Damn it!”

Howard has not had many smooth offensive performances in the series so far. In the 09 finals, Howard’s peak performance was only 15 points per game when he faced a high-level opponent. Therefore, you can’t expect Howard to contribute anything on the offensive end now.

You can say his offense is better than that of Ben Wallace, who can’t even make a layup, but you can only compare him with players like Ben Wallace.

The Warriors have sufficient forward reserves, and even if one of them fouls out, the rotation is still sufficient. So the Warriors never hesitate to foul Howard.

In the stands, Shark shook his head: “Look, this idiot is worthy of being called the third center in active service? How can he be compared with me and Yao?”

Bill Simmons shrugged. “I don’t mean to ruin the atmosphere, Shaq, but there’s not much you can do about an intentional foul.”

“Come on, the ones who foul me are all big centers. If someone like Stephen Jackson fouls me, I’ll just give him a 2+1.”

Bill Simmons does not deny that the Sharks during his time with the Lakers were indeed terrifying, but he thinks it is not an exaggeration to call Howard the third center in the league.

“Actually, Dwight is not that far-fetched. If you knew that Eric Dampier of the Rockets (who was traded to the Rockets by the Warriors when Roger came) called himself the second-best center in the West, and the Rockets actually gave him a big contract, would you die of laughter?”

“I would never laugh at a person with cerebral palsy. They are pitiful, and so is Eric. I play against him four times a year, and I can be sure that he has cerebral palsy.”

Bill Simmons enjoys talking to sharks because they both have a great sense of humor.

As he was speaking, Roger scored another goal.

This time Roger changed his rhythm and switched to an off-ball offense. After receiving the ball at a zero-degree angle on the left side, he pretended to break through, but actually stopped suddenly and turned around to shoot.

There was really nothing James could do except raise his hands and pray that the ball didn’t go in.

Chauncey Billups then took a three-pointer, but it was blocked by Roger.

Roger knows Billups’ playing habits too well. As one of the earliest magic ball guards in the league, you must stick close to Billups outside the three-point line, but you can let him go a little in the mid-range.

Moreover, due to excessive consumption on the defensive end, Billups’ breakthrough threat has dropped sharply, and he will most likely seek opportunities outside the three-point line.

As expected, Roger’s close defense prevented Billups from even taking a shot.

The plan to let Billups consume Roger on the offensive end failed, as Roger could easily defend Billups. If the Lakers continue to let Billups attack, they will only lose faster.

Billups, who was having a very bad time on the offensive end, had no time to catch his breath before he had to follow Roy running all over the half court.

“Fuck you, damn bug!” Billups cursed as he chased after him, and he was almost about to break through the defense.

From Howard to Billups, they are all driven crazy by the targeting of the playoffs.

In this round, Roger gave the ball to Tayshaun Prince. He wanted him to play a few times to feel his presence and also took the opportunity to take a breath.

As a result, Prince was cut off by Kobe as soon as he got the ball.

Fortunately, Roger was not far away. He picked up the basketball immediately and rushed into the restricted area. Facing the air defense net woven by Howard in the sky, he performed a Kobe-like pull-up shot. After Howard’s body fell, Roger threw the ball and successfully hit it. He also had to add a free throw! The fans at the Staples Center began to feel something was wrong. Roger currently had 21 points, and the free throw would be 22 points.

But the second quarter has just begun!

If this game goes on for all four quarters, how many points will Roger score?
People didn’t predict the result, Roger’s free throw was successful.

“LeBron, 22 points, are you going to freeze me like this?”

Roger felt relaxed. It had been a long time since he had experienced the pleasure of focusing all his energy on the offensive end.

He felt he could keep scoring as long as he wanted.

Roger had a strong desire to score tonight, perhaps because this was a chance to end the series, or perhaps because James said, “I will continue to freeze Roger in the next game.”

The reason is no longer important. What is important is that the fans at the Staples Center witnessed how the strongest offensive player in active service scored points.

In fact, that was the case in the subsequent games.

For those Chinese fans who watched the live text broadcast on their mobile phones, the most common information they saw on the screen was: Roger scores +2 and Roger scores +3.

LeBron James’ defense was no different from the previous two games, but tonight, all his efforts on the defensive end were worthless.

By the end of the third quarter, Roger had scored 44 points.

The Lakers were 10 points behind, but they were still alive. Kobe played well today, but not as unstoppable as Roger. James’ offensive efficiency has begun to decline because he paid too much to defend Roger.

James does have an advantage over Prince, but Prince is not fighting LBJ alone, there are people behind him to protect him.

If LBJ wants to score, the best way is to shoot against Prince’s long arms.

This used to work before, but now as his touch has worn off, James is missing more and more shots.

No one knows whether the Lakers can catch up.

Reggie Miller has already started singing Roger’s praises: “He might get 60 points tonight!”

The last time Roger scored 60 points in the playoffs was many years ago. It was the 2000 playoffs when the Atlanta Hawks faced the Miami Heat, who had eliminated them last season.

Roger vented his anger that had been pent up for a whole year in G2 and shot a lot.

In the end, Roger played the most brutal point-to-point massacre in playoff history, 62 to 7, against Sprewell.

In the eight years since then, 8 points have never appeared in the playoffs again.

This is normal. 60 points may be a lot in the regular season, but 60 points in the playoffs has only happened three times in history, by Elgin Baylor with 62, Michael Jordan with 86 and Roger with 00.

A player scoring 60 points twice in his career? That’s impossible.

But today, Reggie Miller believes this record will be rewritten.

Next to Reggie Miller, Ernie Johnson asked, “Can LeBron still stop Roger?”

Miller shook his head: “The only two things that can stop Roger now are garbage time and Roger’s damn sense of honor. As we all know, Roger is not the kind of person who scores in garbage time. Garbage time is LeBron’s only chance.”

In the fourth quarter, James’ defense even began to decline.

Because he had to attack and defend at the same time, the consumption was too great.

So, instead of becoming more difficult, Roger’s scoring became easier.

Phil Jackson still did not double-team. He admitted that Roger had scored a lot of points, but at least the Warriors could not completely widen the score gap. This was because the Lakers did not give the Warriors the opportunity to take away the suspense with consecutive three-pointers.

If we double-team him at this time, all our efforts will be in vain.

Chauncey Billups’ weak offense, James’ declining physical condition, and Phil Jackson’s strategy of not double-teaming. All these formed a breeding ground for Roger to score high points.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, when Roger’s score exceeded 50 points, Roger shook his finger at James, who was already panting, and said, “I forgot to tell you, LeBron, it’s not 50 points either.”

“A superstar is slaughtering another superstar!” Reggie Miller shouted. This was a public execution in the playoffs!

Bill Simmons sighed, “LeBron will be completely nailed to the pillar of shame. I think his pursuit of Roger has come to an end. In the past few years, Roger has proved that LeBron is no match for him. Even if LeBron continues to run away and win seven or eight championships together, he can never be compared with Roger. Because in a real head-on confrontation, he has always been the one who gets beaten.”

O’Neal nodded, remembering his years as an enemy of Roger. “You’re right. LeBron is done. I’m glad Kobe is done with him.”

With 1 minute and 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers were trailing by 9 points. Roger easily got rid of the exhausted James with an off-ball run, and then caught the ball at the top of the arc outside the three-point line.

James gritted his teeth and squeezed out the last bit of his energy to block the shot. But Roger’s shot was faster, and Roy fed him the ball very comfortably, so Roger almost didn’t need to adjust before he could shoot.

After James landed, his legs went weak and he fell to his knees.

The basketball flew through the air at Staples Center without hitting the rim and went straight into the net.

This goal almost ended the suspense of the entire Western Conference Finals, and the mentality of most Lakers players had collapsed. It was difficult for them to turn the tide tonight, and it was even more impossible for them to turn the tide when they were 0-3 behind.

The Super Lakers are not only about to lose, they are also on the verge of being swept!
Reggie Miller pumped his fist excitedly: “62 points! This is the second time in Roger’s career that he has scored 62 points in the playoffs! LeBron James knelt at Roger’s feet, as if he was bowing down to the king!”

Looking at James kneeling on the ground, looking at James who kept saying he wanted to freeze Roger but ended up letting him score 62 points, the fans at the Staples Center booed.

They could no longer tolerate No. 23, and could no longer tolerate that outsider.

“Get lost, LeBron, you loser!”

“How much more bragging do you want to do? How do you manage to break your promises every time?”

“Roger’s right, you’re a fucking clown! A clown!”

James fell to his knees, his heart broken.

He had been insulted enough at Mission Bay, at Oracle Arena.

As a result, in his home stadium, the fans still spoke ill of him.

At this moment, he, lying on the ground, turned into a rat that everyone wanted to kill.

Looking at the boos and insults from the audience, Roger ignored James who was kneeling on the ground. He was no longer worthy of Roger saying anything more.

Roger just walked up to Kobe and said, “Look, everything has a price. I think I have bought the Staples Center with victory. Now, Kobe, get out of my paradise!”

In the stands, Bill Simmons was shocked by the Lakers fans’ reaction: “I’ve never seen Lakers fans boo their own players.”

O’Neal shrugged: “First of all, LeBron is not one of us. Secondly, as the star player of this team, he got all the attention before the game. Now, of course, he has to bear all the slander after the loss. This is the fairest equal exchange in the world. Roger told me this truth, and I told Kobe this truth. I don’t know if Kobe told LeBron.”

“Yes, equal exchange. This is included in the six creeds I summarized.” Bill Simmons was very proud. He thought he had completely disassembled Roger as a person, and no one was more qualified than him to complete Roger’s autobiography.

“Really? Then let me tell you more about how Roger ‘led the charge’ and I failed to do so, which ultimately led to the ‘bloody election’ incident.”

“Wait until the game is over, Shaq. Now, I want to concentrate on watching LeBron kneel down to Roger. As expected, the GOAT is all about kneeling.”

(End of this chapter)