Chapter 1124: Chapter 358: This Fire Will Burn from the United States All the Way to Athens
This put more pressure on Hamilton, after all, under Prince’s long arms and legs interference, even receiving the ball became difficult for Hamilton.
But Allan Houston gave Billups many breakthrough opportunities, Billups’ athletic ability is not top-notch, but breaking through Allan Houston was still a breeze.
Yet, the Warriors had Marcus Camby resolutely staying below the free-throw line to defend and restrain Billups’ breakthroughs, providing a certain level of mid-range interference.
Previously, the Spurs had used this “having one’s cake and eating it too” tactic against Roger, but unfortunately, Roger’s mid-range shot, after 11 seasons of refinement, remained exceptionally sharp, making any slight interference ineffective.
As a result, Billups, a guard preferring high-efficiency shots, found it very challenging to play in the mid-range.
His mid-range pull-up shots would be timely interfered with by Camby, resulting in poor shooting percentage.
When he chose to attack the basket, Camby, squatting behind the free-throw line, could immediately retreat to protect the rim.
For several consecutive possessions, Billups’ offense was stifled.
After Tayshaun Prince and Allan Houston exchanged defensive matchups, the defensive effect was immediate.
Although they couldn’t completely shut down Hamilton and Billups, at least they wouldn’t let both of them explode simultaneously again.
Previously, the 33-year-old Allan Houston was being run around by Hamilton to the point of exhaustion, and the 206 cm Tayshaun Prince found Billups’ elusive breakthroughs to be a struggle.
After adjustments and exchanges, they finally found the person who felt the most comfortable. It turns out you have to swap around a lot in these situations to find the right feel.
The Pistons’ offense was also stifled, resulting in a very low score for both teams.
In the last two minutes of the first quarter, Stoudemire was substituted out.
According to the usual rotation, Dikembe Mutombo was supposed to replace him at this moment.
However, today, it was Stephen Jackson who came onto the court!
This season, due to the Warriors having a surplus of personnel in the interior, Stephen Jackson mostly played as Tayshaun Prince’s substitute, rarely filling in at the power forward position.
But today, he returned to the power forward position, which was also part of Spoelstra’s minor adjustments.
The result was that Steve Jackson, right after coming onto the court, was targeted by the Pistons as a defensive hole. In this possession, the Pistons gave the ball to Darko Milicic for a low-post one-on-one against Stephen Jackson!
In this timeline, Darko Milicic is a competent backup interior player. He can play both the four and five, has skills, and plays defense. Whether pairing with Big Ben or Yelling Maestro in the transition phase, he can accurately find his position and perform well.
With the equality-oriented Pistons, Milicic’s average of 10.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game already stands out.
It proves that with Darko Milicic’s talent, as long as you give him a little playing time, he would not be without contribution.
In the original timeline, many people often argued that “Darko Milicic does not love basketball,” suggesting that even with playing time, he would not succeed.
This is absurd.
Nikola Jokic also does not love basketball, yet it does not hinder him from achieving greatness.
Anthony Edwards publicly stated before the draft that if an NFL team picked him, he would unhesitatingly withdraw from the NBA draft. Even after becoming an NBA All-Star, he still yearns for the NFL: “If I win a championship in three or four years, I will retire to play football.”
Compared to basketball, Roger believes Dwight Howard loves saving souls more, but this similarly does not prevent him from becoming the most fearsome defensive monster in the league at his peak.
In the NBA League, many people are actually like them, not passionate about basketball, but this does not become an obstacle for them.
In this timeline, under Rick Carlisle, Darko Milicic is a competent championship rotation interior. His talent may not match up to the previous ones, but it is enough for him to have a place on the court.
Therefore, seeing Stephen Jackson playing the power forward position, the Pistons confidently handed the ball to him for a low-post one-on-one.
Milicic leaned backward a step and turned around for a hook shot before Roger’s help defense arrived, scoring steadily.
After all, Stephen Jackson only has the physique of a small forward, and not all power forwards fear tall small forward players like Dirk Nowitzki does.
Both Rasheed Wallace and Darko Milicic have the ability to overpower Stephen Jackson in mismatches.
But Stephen Jackson’s presence on the court also has its purpose.
One possession later, on a Warriors’ attack, Roger’s penetration predictably attracted the Pistons’ defensive collapse, with Milicic and Big Ben retreating to the basket to intercept.
Roger jumped up and in the air, seamlessly feeding the ball to Jackson, who had been following him since the Atlanta days. Milicic and Big Ben couldn’t make it back in time to guard, resulting in a calm three-pointer from Stephen Jackson!
Why were Roger’s attacks not smooth in the previous two games? Because the spatial arrangement was too poor, allowing the Pistons’ double interior to recklessly double-team Roger. With Big Ben relying on his mobility, he can oscillate back and forth between double-teaming Roger and guarding Stoudemire’s mid-range shots, leaving no gaps. Thus, to truly provide open space for Roger, merely spreading out to mid-range isn’t enough; it must extend to the three-point line.
However, due to Darko Milicic and Rasheed Wallace’s low post threats, Spoelstra cannot simply and brutally start Stephen Jackson.