Roger executed consecutive "throat cut" gestures at the Lakers fans, silencing all noise in the arena.
Monta Ellis’s appearance filled the biggest gap for the Golden State Gangsters this season.
The truly terrifying part is that Monta Ellis is not a top-tier ball handler, not even at an elite starter level.
You could say he’s outstanding among rookies, but compared to true elite starters, he has far too many shortcomings.
However, even as a rookie ball handler paired with Roger, they have already produced such frightening offensive performance.
It’s unimaginable what his achievents could be if Amar’e Stoudemire were still around, or if Roger had an elite ball-handling partner.
Looking over Roger’s entire career, he has mostly lacked elite outside ball handlers around him.
During his Bulls period, his outside partner was Pippen, and during the Magic period, his outside ball handler was only at the level of soone like Sarunas Marciulionis.
It wasn’t until the Eagle Period, partnering with Paul Pierce, that this issue was truly resolved.
The whole world saw the terrifying dominance of the Atlanta Hawks when Roger played with Paul Pierce.
The lead widened to 10 points, marking the turning point of the ga.
After this, the Golden State Gangsters firmly controlled the situation, and the Lakers couldn’t co back to lead until the end of the ga.
In the end, 116 to 108, the Warriors secured a nail-biting victory against the West’s top Lakers on the road. Roger’s 43 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, exemplifying standard Roger-style stats, maximizing impact on both ends of the floor.
Kobe scored 36 points, 3 assists, and 7 rebounds, with a shooting percentage hitting a high of 58%, the result of deciding to defer to Steve Nash, thus greatly increasing efficiency without reducing his productivity.
Nash also contributed 17 points and 14 assists, not disappointing Kobe’s trust.
But this was still not enough to let the Lakers win.
For the third consecutive ga, the Warriors obtained a 1-0 lead at the opening stage of the series.
This ans Erik Spoelstra had prepared 100% for all opponents the Warriors faced; he didn’t need to rely on failure to probe or adjust. Before the series began, he fully analyzed the opponents, prearranged tactics, and considered all possibilities and counterasures.
Under normal circumstances, the first three gas of a series can be considered foreplay, providing enough lubrication for both sides, to prepare for the all-out sprint later.
But the Warriors ca out swinging deadly attacks, with no probing necessary.
Now Roger understood why that bastard always received the cheerleaders’ favor.
Sports girls like such straightforward guys because their stretching and preparations were already adequate.
Erik Spoelstra is an invisible core, definitely not a coach with the "luck-wins" style. But after the ga, he still decided to leave the spotlight for the players.
"I just did so things within my power," Spo replied, "Without such an excellent team, I couldn’t have been fortunate to get here. This is, in my opinion, the most dreamlike team I’ve seen."
Erik Spoelstra genuinely believes this to be the most dreamlike team in NBA history.
Yes, he served as an assistant coach for the Magic, known for having the "strongest duo in history," and during the three-peat period, Roger and Shaq’s dominance was unrivaled.
But so what? That team inevitably fell apart after gaining massive success.
And the truly terrifying aspect of this Warriors team is that Spoelstra truly couldn’t imagine anything leading to their decline.
Generally, in modern basketball, a three-peat represents the end of a great team’s life cycle.
Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic, and even the Atlanta Hawks couldn’t escape this curse.
Yes, Roger set a personal record of four consecutive championships, but those four titles weren’t achieved with the sa team; he still couldn’t successfully extend the lifecycle of a dynasty team.
This is the brilliant miracle Roger is about to create.
Even though the season’s outco isn’t determined yet, even if the Warriors achieve a three-peat, it won’t be the end of the Golden State Gangsters’ journey.
Spo has a feeling that Roger will accomplish his goal—to leave an unsurpassable legacy.
He will create a brilliant conclusion never before seen in the history of modern basketball.
Monta Ellis is another spotlighted Gangster mber; his 10 points and 5 assists don’t seem outstanding, yet his presence changed the ga’s trajectory.
This defiant guy wiped tears from the corner of his eye in front of the cara, pointing to his brother Antoine in the stands.
Imdiately after, he flashed his defiant smile again: "Now you can be proud of , old man."
Gary Payton clapped with a smile, murmuring: "Congratulations on seizing your opportunity, kid."
With the first ga concluded, only the victors’ glory remained on the court.
Kobe?
He disappeared right after the ga ended, not lingering on the court for even a second.
After returning to the locker room, Kobe remained silent, staring blankly ahead of his locker.
But truthfully, Rudy Tomjanovich isn’t worried about Kobe.
People like Roger and Kobe, even if they find themselves in a low point, will hold their heads high and keep fighting the very next mont.
Their spirits will never be crushed; you’ll never see them completely lost like LBJ in the face of devastating defeat.
Reviews
All reviews (0)