Capítulo 1432: Chapter 449: The Fate of a Coward Taking Shortcuts
Roger decided to break Jas’ mindset in the first three quarters, making the ga easier.
You have to admit, if the Lakers get into their rhythm, LBJ will unleash imnse power; he is a top tailwind pilot.
Brandon Roy took a deep breath; in the fourth quarter, he needed to take on greater responsibility, aning he had to take down Kobe Bryant!
Roy wasn’t afraid; if he wanted to take the baton, this was the test he had to go through.
On the other side, LeBron Jas was also facing a test.
In this globally anticipated showdown, he had just made a foolish mistake, allowing Roger to score a 2 1. This caused Kobe to start yelling at him, making his leadership on the team seem to co to an abrupt halt, and allowed Kobe to regain the initiative.
He knew he had to adjust imdiately, continue to dominate the ga, and make this night his own.
He couldn’t repeat past mistakes, couldn’t be bothered by all sorts of distractions.
He needed to overco this hurdle and face critical gas like a true superstar.
On the bench, Kobe wiped his sweat and then began issuing orders to his teammates: “Dwight, set the pick more solidly, don’t rush inside! Chauncey, simplify the play, pass decisively!”
Jas was ready to echo as a leader; in such monts, he also had to speak out, had to act like the owner of the team.
But before he could speak, Kobe turned and yelled at him: “Don’t take risky long-distance transition passes! Don’t ignore our strategy and tactics! LeBron, we absolutely cannot lose tonight, absolutely not!”
If it were Dwyane Wade, Kyrie Irving, or Anthony Davis, they would never talk to Jas that way on the court. Even if Jas were lost, they wouldn’t do that.
But with the Lakers, it happened.
Kobe scolded Jas; next to that guy, you could never lose focus without being reprimanded.
Roger watched the big screen showing Kobe yelling at Jas and wanted to give the live director at Oracle Arena a million US dollar bonus.
This scene was as exciting as catching a UFO.
Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy imdiately began discussing the Lakers’ bench dispute.
“Are LeBron and Kobe having trouble?” Jeff Van Gundy looked at the Lakers’ bench with interest.
“No, I don’t think so, that’s just Kobe; he just wants to remind his teammates,” Mike Breen replied.
Overall, the Lakers’ locker room wouldn’t have issues over such a matter.
But at that mont, Jas indeed felt a bit angry; he didn’t like being bossed around by Kobe.
Because it made him seem like he was no different from anyone else.
It made him feel that the Lakers were Kobe’s team, and everyone else was just a sidekick, including himself, with no special status.
This feeling of disrespect made Jas deliberately respond loudly: “Hey, we know what to do, Kobe.”
It was a normal response, but in the current situation, it was very subtle.
Phil Jackson quickly patted Jas on the shoulder: “Stay focused, LeBron, the most important thing is victory.”
Kobe remained focused all along and didn’t notice any special aning in Jas’ response.
His eyes were only on Roger now; he just wanted to win.
Roger was very confident in his plan; at the Lakers, Jas would suffer double pressure. Externally from Roger himself, and internally from Kobe.
He would definitely collapse, definitely!
The ga resud, Lakers’ ball possession.
Chauncey Billups was in control, and Kobe held the ball low, playing one-on-one against Tayshaun Prince.
Kobe had started losing weight last sumr; a big weight did give him an advantage, but his knees were no longer healthy.
For the sake of his career, he had to give up the weight advantage.
So, the usual resistance from Tayshaun Prince wasn’t so overwhelming in front of him anymore.
Kobe backed down twice, but the distance pushed wasn’t as much as imagined.
Nonetheless, Kobe shrugged his shoulders and jumped directly for a shot; Tayshaun Prince’s long arms blocked his view. No one could point out any mistake in his defensive timing, but the basketball still went in.
9 to 7, the Lakers regained the lead.
This was a mont for all Lakers players to cheer, as they had once again stabilized the situation.
But Roger’s voice, like a knock on the door while a girl is playing with toys, suddenly spoiled the Lakers’ players’ joy after scoring.
“Nice one, Kobe, worthy of being LeBron’s support. Hey LeBron, if there’s anyone in this world who can lead you to win, it must be Kobe. Don’t worry, Kobe will protect you well.”
“Shut the fuck up, you bastard!” Jas cursed as he retreated, defending next to Tayshaun Prince.
He wanted to calm down and stay focused.
But unexpectedly, Roger waved his hand, signaling Tayshaun Prince to set a pick for him.
Phil Jackson’s strategy against Roger’s pick and roll was resolutely prolong interference, switching directly if possible. Because Roger’s ability to shoot right after a pick was too strong, soone must always stay in front of him.
So Jas directly defended in front of Roger, forcing Chauncey Billups to chase the rapidly unrolling Tayshaun Prince.
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