The entire side was cleared, giving Roger the space to go one-on-one with LBJ.
Mike Breen’s eyes widened; Roger actually specifically called out to challenge Jas one-on-one!
From a tactical standpoint, this pick-and-roll was aningless because Roger didn’t use it to switch to a weaker defender.
Many people think that the pick-and-roll targeting strategy only ca with the small ball era. In fact, it was already very popular in the early 21st century. Back then, the most assured hard solution for the Princeton Kings was to use Mike Bibby to run a 1-5 pick-and-roll to attack the immobile Shaq, which achieved remarkable results.
But the Lakers’ three periter defenders this season are all excellent defensively. Phil Jackson assigned Chauncey Billups to defend Roger simply because he needed Jas to save more energy for offense. Plus, Billups is calr.
Yet, in terms of overall defensive level, Jas is definitely not weak either.
So there’s no reason for Roger to use the pick-and-roll to call out LBJ.
There’s only one explanation: Roger doesn’t want to make his offense easier; he just purely wants to take down LBJ.
This is a very old-school play style, one that is almost unseen 20 years later. Because basketball 20 years later relies on continuous pick-and-rolls to call out the opponent’s weakest defender.
Even Jas disdains this style as, in the finals, he often chooses to match up with the opponent’s FMVP.
Jas initially wanted to stay calm on defense, but Roger gave him no chance: "LeBron, what are you hiding from? Didn’t you say you would push out of this league? But you don’t even have the courage to face one-on-one? You need to actively use a pick-and-roll to find you? Stop hiding, co and face !"
Kobe shouted from the far side: "Don’t listen to him, stay focused!"
Jas didn’t respond, just intently staring at the basketball.
He won’t back down; he has to win everything tonight.
Roger started dribbling left and right to find his rhythm, and the Lakers didn’t dare to double-team recklessly. This was the convenience provided to Roger by the Warriors’ strong three-point threat.
But Jas remained unmoved. When he is serious, he is an extrely excellent defender.
Roger made a left-side breakthrough, and Jas imdiately slid over, only giving Roger at most a third of a body space. Plus, his stronger physique applied imnse pressure to Roger.
Roger stopped suddenly at mid-range; he couldn’t enter the paint, or he would beco Howard’s prey.
After stopping, Roger imdiately followed with a back-turn jump shot. Jas moved up, ensured interference but didn’t jump, being quite cautious.
This possession his individual defense was near perfect. Under normal circumstances, the offensive side would have been completely guarded, helpless.
But as Roger was completely blocked by Jas, he suddenly paused, interrupted his back-turn jump shot motion, turned around, took a step forward, and went for a low-handed finger roll.
Roger’s footwork while back-facing isn’t exquisite, but it doesn’t an he can’t do it at all.
However, this was still a very unconventional shot because the finger roll was launched from too far. Kobe often uses this kind of footwork, but only near the basket does Kobe choose to use a finger roll to finish.
Yet Roger directly finger-rolled from near the free-throw line, which looked more like a desperate fling toward the basket.
But the basketball was guided along a marvelous arc, bypassed Dwight Howard’s rim protection, and went straight into the net.
Jas’s vigorous defense didn’t grant him a victory this possession.
"What a wonderful finish! From Louisville to California, Roger’s Finger Roll has been dazzling for over a decade! It’s a superstar move; don’t bla LeBron, it just ans Roger’s arsenal is too vast, and still as sharp as ever, ready to use at any mont," Mike Breen remarked, unable to evaluate this play. Both stars did their best, and though Roger succeeded in scoring, you can’t say that forcing Roger to shoot this way signifies Jas’ failure.
After scoring, Roger gave Jas a thumbs-up: "Just fell short, but it’ll always fall short. Don’t despair; Kobe will help you take it back."
Roger relentlessly taunted Jas, trying to fill him with frustration.
He knows that once humiliation and frustration occupy his mind, his defense will grow weaker and weaker.
Throughout his career, Jas’s biggest issue on the defensive end is the short span of ti his defense remains at an elite level.
On the defensive end, he grew too slowly and declined too early.
LBJ didn’t make the All-Defensive Team until 2009, and by then, he had been in the league for six years.
This status lasted only five seasons, then he completely withdrew from the All-Defensive First Team.
As a comparison, Michael Jordan has 10 First Team selections, Kobe 9, Pippen 8.
Alright, even without First Team, maintaining a spot on the Second Team consistently isn’t bad.
But even counting the Second Team, throughout his entire career LBJ only made the All-Defensive Team six tis.
He truly had high-level defense only for those few years.
Many people say that LBJ’s defense is actually strong, it’s just the haters amplifying a few lapses here and there.
This is real misinformation; Jas’s defensive shortcomings can’t be summarized in just a "few lapses," but rather countless "notorious monts" on defense from 2014 to 2024.
Based on LBJ’s talent and his self-proclaid historical standing, his defensive consistency is clearly inadequate.
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