Chapter 456 455: Now I finally know what kind of person you are, LeBron (ask for a monthly ticket!)
“Roger is not a merciful monarch. He takes no prisoners and beheads them directly!”

Ernie Johnson looked at Roger yelling at Kobe after the goal, and looked at James kneeling at Roger’s feet, and felt that the guy was scary from the bottom of his heart.

No player in NBA history has ever been so feared.

Bird, Magic, MJ, they all created some fear in the league.

But they combined didn’t create half as much fear as Roger did.

In the future? There will definitely never be another player who can create a similar sense of fear.

Ernie Johnson felt that he would never see such a scene again, never again.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, one ranked second and the other ranked third in the MVP rankings. Both were selected to the All-NBA First Team. They led the Lakers to sweep the entire league and easily swept the 62-win Mavericks out.

You could say that without Roger, Kobe and James might be the two most powerful stars of this era.

They had already stepped onto the steps leading to the podium, but Roger’s appearance made the steps under their feet begin to tremble.

At this moment, Roger’s dominance over the league has undoubtedly reached its peak, because even if the second and third place in the league were added together, they still couldn’t shake his position.

This is equivalent to Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993, but they were still defeated by Jordan.

Ernie Johnson believes that such dominance will never be repeated, and no player can suppress the second and third place in the league at the same time.

Even if the league wants to force a successor to Roger in the future, give him convenience in the rules, allow him to travel, give him whistles far superior to others, and help him with media publicity, that person will never be able to surpass Roger.

There is no suspense in the debate over the GOAT in the basketball world. Not only is there no suspense now, but there will never be suspense in the future. There is no other sport whose GOAT is as undisputed as basketball.

Bill Simmons blew a whistle in the stands, believing the Los Angeles Lakers had been thoroughly defeated.

Chauncey Billups was caught in a defensive spiral, Dwight Howard struggled at the free throw line, and LeBron James fell to his knees.

Even if the Lakers still have a chance, given the current state of these main players, it will be difficult for them to cheer up again.

But Phil Jackson didn’t think so. A 1-point deficit with 29 minute and 12 seconds left was not an insurmountable gap. The Lakers couldn’t lose. Their efforts throughout the season couldn’t go to waste.

Kobe certainly didn’t give up. After the game was suspended, he returned to the bench and pounded on the back of the seat with gritted teeth: “Hey, it’s not time to give up yet! Can’t give up, can’t! If we give up, then what have we been doing this whole season!?”

After that, Kobe began to call out names one by one.

“Chauncey, at least you did a good job on defense today. Brandon only scored 14 points, and that’s all thanks to you! I know it’s annoying to chase him, but this is the game, we’re not here to have fun, we’re here to win! Hang in there, control him in the last minute and a half! Damn it, you’re the FMVP! You’re only 32 years old, are you going to be willing to be eliminated!?”

Then, Kobe turned his head and looked at Howard: “Dwight, I don’t want to say anything, but that fat guy is in the stands watching you laugh! You know he never looks down on you, do you want to be looked down upon by that idiot for the rest of your life? Cheer up, Dwight, if they foul you, just calm down, take a deep breath, and then shoot. It’s just a fucking free throw, not researching moon landing technology, how hard can it be!?”

Dwight Howard glanced at the Shark in the stands. He was not a fussy person, but as long as he was a person, he needed to be respected. Over the years, whenever O’Neal mentioned Howard in public, he was always sarcastic and condescending, which really made Howard unhappy.

And what earns you respect in the NBA? Championships.

The looks from Billups and Howard told Kobe that they still wanted to continue fighting.

They were not willing to surrender just like that.

Now, it’s James’ turn.

Kobe repeated the words to him for the third time: “LeBron, what do you want to be? A hero? A clown for life? A coward on his knees?”

Unlike Billups and Howard, James had no reaction and no emotion at all.

Kobe doubted whether he had listened.

To be honest, Kobe thought James was the person who needed the least guidance.

If it was Kobe himself, being humiliated to that extent by someone and booed by the fans, he would definitely fight back.

He could lose, but he would never tolerate being humiliated.

But James seemed to have sacrificed his soul to the so-called god of basketball. His eyes were empty and there was no emotion on his face.

Phil Jackson also walked up to James and said, “Come on, LeBron, bring the victory home for us! Go for it!”

This time, No. 23 responded.

He looked up, looking at Kobe and Zen Master in confusion, then bit his fingernails.

This scene happened to appear on a close-up of the TV. Rich Paul, who was watching TV, covered his head and muttered to himself.

“Fuck it, we’re done. It’s all over.”

The game resumed, and Roger, who had already scored 62 points, tying his career playoff scoring record, remained on the court.

Roger actually wanted to put on a Larry Bird-style show of “Record? They’ve already lost, I want to take a break”, but this was the finals after all, there was still a minute and a half left, and No. 15 was the key killer in the league second only to himself.

So Roger still stood on the court, about to carry out the final public execution of the Lakers.

The Lakers players returned to the court, and Los Angeles fans looked at the Lakers’ lineup, feeling even more angry and ashamed.

In the past few days, the NBA has announced the lists of the best lineup and the best defensive lineup, and the Super Lakers can be said to have achieved great results.

Kobe and James were both selected to the first team, Howard to the second team, and Chauncey Billups to the third team. In other words, the Lakers still have four players on the best team of the season.

In addition, Kobe was selected to the All-Defensive First Team and Howard to the All-Defensive Second Team.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ lineup, at least as far as the starting lineup is concerned, is simply cheating.

However, even with such a cheating lineup, they were forced into a desperate situation and had such a hard time in the Western Conference Finals.

Los Angeles fans get angry when they think of this.

They came to read a happy story, but now it has turned into a story about torturing the protagonist.

The game resumed, and Kobe did not mindlessly hold the ball just because it was a crucial round. In this round, the ball was given to Chauncey Billups.

Billups had just been woken up by the scolding. He controlled the ball steadily and observed Kobe’s movement.

At the same time, Dwight Howard screened Kobe in time, allowing Kobe to easily get rid of Roy.

Kobe went outside the three-point line, and Billups fed the ball in time, giving Kobe a chance to shoot a three-pointer.

But Tayshaun Prince switched defense immediately and raised his arms to completely cover Kobe.

Kobe had no chance at all, but he felt that he had a very good rhythm to receive the ball. So he pulled up and shot a jump shot while being closely guarded!
The Shark whistled: “This is why I can’t work with him, his shot selection is simply”

“brush.”

The basketball went in, the score difference returned to 9 points, and the Staples Center burst into a final roar.

Kobe waved his fist, and at this moment, he was the God of Staples Center.

O’Neal shrugged awkwardly: “Even if it went in, I have to say that Kobe’s shot selection is simply a piece of shit. His talent and his shot selection are like a sexy woman talking like a man, which is a disappointment.”

The shark stared at Kobe, and to be honest, he was a little jealous.

At least for now, he is a hero in Los Angeles.

To become a city hero in the NBA, you either have to be as strong as Roger, creating insurmountable rounds in every city, or be like Kobe, Duncan or Reggie Miller, one person in one city.

It is difficult for a player like Shark, who is neither high nor low but has a collection of rainbow jerseys, to be treated as a hero in a certain city.

But after seeing James, who came to Los Angeles with a bad reputation but was booed by Los Angeles fans, the Shark felt much better: “Well, at least I’m not the worst person.”

Kobe worked hard and provided a faint light for the people of Los Angeles in the darkness again.

And then, Dwight Howard made the light a little brighter.

In this round, the Lakers double-teamed Roger, and Phil Jackson was now gambling on the touch of other Warriors players.

He knew that the Warriors were very accurate in shooting three-pointers today, but at this point, he had no choice but to take a gamble. You can’t continue to defend a player who has already scored 62 points. If Roger continues to play one-on-one, the Lakers will definitely die, with a survival rate of 0%. If other Warriors players shoot three-pointers, the Lakers will also die, but at least there is a certain probability of survival. 10%.

Even if the survival rate is only 10%, it is worth it for Phil Jackson to go all in.

Facing the double-team of Billups, Roger passed the ball to No. 7, who was destined to take over his baton.

Roy raised the basketball and prepared to shoot. Chauncey Billups rushed back with all his strength and raised his hand to squeeze Roy’s shooting space.

But Roy just calmly faked a shot and didn’t shoot. Although Chauncey Billups didn’t jump, he still rushed past Roy due to inertia. When he stopped, Roy had already broken through!
Brandon Roy went straight into the paint, and the skier panicked and went to defend. And the whole world knew that no matter how hard a player of Radmanovic’s level tried, he could not defend Roy’s attack on the basket.

In Game 1 of the series, it was Roy’s singles against Kobe at the critical moment that helped the Warriors secure the victory.

Tonight, the same thing looks like it will happen again.

Roy pushed Radmanovic who came to defend, then raised his hand for a layup. Radmanovic also jumped up, but couldn’t touch the ball at all.

The basketball flew over Radmanovich’s palm and toward the basket. At this moment, Dwight Howard flew from behind Radmanovich. His jumping height was amazing, and his entire head seemed to have surpassed the basket. Then he swung his arm and fanned the ball out when it reached the highest point! After Howard’s body fell, he even had to turn his head to avoid hitting the backboard. This shows how terrible this jump was!
“He hasn’t given up yet, the Lakers haven’t given up yet,” Reggie Miller shouted exaggeratedly, “Dwight saved Los Angeles like a superman, he was just flying!”

In a flash, Chauncey Billups, who received the blocked ball, started to fight back.

Because of the principle of nearby defense, Roger was chasing Kobe at this time, and the person defending Chauncey Billups was Roy who had just been blocked.

Billups stopped suddenly outside the three-point line, staring at Kobe, as if preparing to pass the ball.

Roy pounced forward and tried to cover Billups, but Billups suddenly changed direction to the left and chose to break through!
“Damn Brother Ni!” Roy cursed and turned around to chase him.

Billups made a quick stop and jump shot in the mid-range, which he was not good at, and Roy’s interference had blinded Billups’ eyes.

“Boom, swish!”

The basketball hit the backboard and went into the net. Ernie Johnson next to Reggie Miller lost control of his emotions and yelled, “Mr. Big Shot! Chauncey Billups, this is the level of FMVP! Even if he doesn’t score well throughout the game, he can still give you a heavy blow at the critical moment!”

Billups howled to the sky, then jumped up and bumped chests with Kobe.

Bill Simmons was shocked: “Did I make a wrong judgment?”

When Roger scored his 62nd point, Bill Simmons and most people in the world thought that the Los Angeles Lakers were doomed.

But now, with 53 seconds left in the game, the Lakers had narrowed the gap to just 7 points – the gap was still large, but at least it was not hopeless.

Kobe Bryant’s fighting spirit is not surprising, but what is surprising is that Billups and Howard are also burning with fighting spirit.

After celebrating with Billups, Kobe glared at Roger fiercely: “Take back your victory, Staples Center is not for sale!”

Roger kept smiling, still looking confident of victory.

He did not respond to Kobe, but looked at James.

Then he signaled to Spoelstra not to call a timeout.

Under normal circumstances, a timeout is definitely needed at this time to interrupt the opponent’s momentum.

Everyone knows how disappointing it is to suddenly stop when you are having the most fun.

But the Warriors didn’t do that. Spoelstra wanted to call, but he preferred to listen to Roger’s advice.

The game continues and the Warriors attack.

In this round, Roger passed the ball to Roy and ran without the ball.

Kobe didn’t think there would be any problems with the defense in this round. Now the morale of the whole team was boosted and no one would give the Warriors players an easy chance to shoot.

It was wishful thinking for Roger to try to kill the match with an easy shot.

He either holds the ball and attacks in a double team situation, or continues to pass the ball to others.

Just as Kobe was thinking this, Roy passed the ball, and the target was Roger as expected.

The following scene will be unforgettable for Kobe.

This round of the series has already seen a scene that Kobe will never forget. That was in Game 1 of the series, when James dribbled the ball for 20 seconds at a critical moment, and then passed the ball to Kobe who had no chance at all at the last moment.

Kobe would never have thought that he would encounter an unforgettable scene for the second time in a series.

When Roy passed the ball, Kobe actually saw Roger in a wide open space outside the three-point line!
There is no one defending around him!
Where’s James? Where’s James!?

James was already in tears.

Chauncey Billups, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant may still want to fight, but James was defeated the moment Roger scored his 62nd point and fell to his knees.

He was thinking, what if they win? The fans here see Kobe as a hero and him as a clown. If they win, it’s a song of praise for Kobe, not for him.

He was wondering what his future media image would be like.

He wondered where his career was headed.

He thought about a lot of things, but the last thing he thought about was victory.

You can’t expect a guy who has surrendered early, who is not focused on winning, to fight hard when chasing without the ball.

Then, something incredible happened.

James suddenly lost his way when he was chasing Roger’s off-ball run and encountered Stoudemire’s pick-and-roll, and stopped chasing. He seemed to want Howard to switch defense, but he didn’t shout to communicate, which eventually led to Roger rushing out of the three-point line alone and getting a wide-open shot opportunity.

In fact, when James discovered that Howard had no intention of switching defense, he actually had the opportunity to rush out and interfere with Roger.

But he didn’t do that. He just stood there, staring blankly at Roger catching the ball and shooting.

then
“Goal! Roger scored his 65th point tonight, and LeBron James made an unforgivable mistake! What is he doing? He wasted the efforts of the entire team!” If Reggie Miller had a gun in his hand right now, he was not sure if he would rush up and put the gun to LBJ’s head.

Given Reggie Miller’s personality, he completely couldn’t understand LBJ’s behavior and even thought that this behavior was a blasphemy to basketball.

In the 90s, people said that Reggie Miller was a mortal man resisting God. On the one hand, this was a compliment to his courage, but on the other hand, it also reflected his mediocre talent (compared to other superstars)

But even though his talent was mediocre, Reggie Miller never gave up any game and never surrendered to any opponent.

What about LBJ? He had such a great talent, but he chose to be a deserter and a coward.

When he fled from Cleveland to Los Angeles, you could say there was nothing wrong with a player leaving his hometown in order to win a championship.

But when he flees at a critical moment like tonight, all the excuses about LeBron James become pale in comparison.

Especially when Kobe, Billups and Howard were all fighting back, James’ performance was even more eye-catching.

Reggie Miller almost hated No. 23. He said word by word: “Maybe for him, this is just a game, that pathetic bastard.”

Roger knew that James had not recovered yet, so he did not call a timeout. As it turned out, his choice to trust James was correct.

Now, the score difference is back to 10 points, and there are only 35 seconds left in the game.

Phil Jackson used his last timeout, and the Lakers fans booed. Then, the boos turned into a unified chant: “LeBron sucks! LeBron sucks! LeBron sucks!”

There has probably never been another player in NBA history who has been so hated by his home fans.

Even in the era when blacks suffered the most severe hatred from whites, Bill Russell was not that bad in Boston.

In fact, it’s not just the fans and commentators who hate James at this time, but also his teammates.

The first thing Kobe said after he sat on the bench was: “Phil, take LeBron off the court!”

LBJ opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he realized that no matter what he said, it would be powerless.

At the last moment of the game, James was not sent to play. It is undoubtedly humiliating when a superstar is not needed at a critical moment.

Sasha Vujacic replaced James and Kobe was pushed to the third position. They wanted to make one last fight.

After entering the court, Roger told Kobe: “I told you a long time ago, get out of my paradise of celebrating victory. With LeBron by your side, how can you still struggle?”

In this round, Roger personally defended Kobe, but Kobe still made a difficult fadeaway shot, and the score difference returned to 8 points.

But time was no longer on the Lakers’ side. At the critical moment, the Lakers pressed the entire court and did not give the Warriors an easy chance to kick the ball out from the baseline.

Roger was surrounded by two people, and the ball was passed to Brandon Roy. However, Roy still made two free throws amid the boos of the Lakers fans, and the score difference returned to 7 points.

Everything is so hopeless. Victory is so close yet so far away.

At this moment, all Lakers fans can’t help but wonder, if James didn’t give Roger an open three-pointer opportunity.
The game ended and the 8-point difference remained until the end.

Roger completely destroyed the Lakers with a 65-point performance in a single game, with the total score being 3-0.

After this loss, it was hard to imagine the Lakers having any chance of winning the game.

4-0, this is probably the final fate of the Lakers.

After the game, Kobe turned around and left. He walked up to LeBron James, who had a dull look in his eyes, and told him in a cold tone.

“I’ve been asking you what kind of person you want to be. Now I know what you are, LeBron – a cowardly little boy who can’t handle the pressure of the game and doesn’t deserve to win!”

This almost indicates that James’ career with the Lakers is over.
–
LeBron was right when he lost. I still live the same life as yesterday. My life has not changed. But it doesn’t affect my happiness. I am happy to see him lose and lose everything. – Daniel Gilbert, owner of the Cavaliers, publicly talked about James.

If LeBron was replaced with any All-Star small forward, the Lakers would have won tonight! —— Reggie Miller criticized after the game.

Roger has a very important quality, he always stays hungry, no matter what the situation, he always desires to win. Staying hungry is a key part of Roger’s creed. But I don’t see this quality in LeBron. He is more like a person who is full on the court. ——Bill Simmons’s sharp comments on LeBron James’ performance tonight.

(6000 words update, I will take this afternoon and tomorrow off to deal with my dad’s affairs, and will be back to normal on the 30th)
(End of this chapter)