Chapter 1125: Chapter 358: This Fire Will Burn from the United States All the Way to Athens
That is why in key moments that require scoring, Erik Spoelstra would switch in Stephen Jackson to ensure the team could secure three or four critical points in a game!
Clearly, the tactic worked in this round.
Although Milicic scored 2 points, the Warriors responded with a 3-pointer.
In back-and-forth play, the Warriors extended their lead to 5 points!
After another round, Milicic wanted to post up again, but Roger anticipated the Pistons’ action, stepped into the passing lane early, and intercepted the ball.
Stephen Jackson is indeed easily targeted, but Spoelstra is gambling, betting that the Pistons can’t successfully post up on Stephen Jackson every round.
The Pistons’ defense is obviously gambling too, consistently throwing defensive resources at Roger during his drives, completely ignoring the three-point line in a gamble on the Warriors’ outside shooting percentage.
Betting, entanglements, targeting, and risking it all—this is the essence of the playoffs.
In this round, Stephen Jackson received a pass from Roger at the baseline, but Richard Hamilton immediately rotated over.
However, Stephen Jackson, with his excellent ability to facilitate, quickly passed to the wide-open Jason Richardson, who hit another three from his corner, widening the gap to 8 points!
Spoelstra’s adjustments proved effective; the Warriors have found a way to punish the Pistons’ tight defense at key moments!
On the next possession, Milicic scored in a low-post move against Stephen Jackson, cutting the lead to six points.
Ultimately, the Warriors entered the second quarter with a 6-point lead.
Although the gap wasn’t large, Roger and Spoelstra gained confidence.
The adjustments are working; victory is within reach tonight!
In the following three quarters, the game remained intensely contested; the point differential never exceeded double digits, making it yet another fiercely close match.
In the final 44 seconds of the fourth quarter, the Warriors were still ahead by 3 points.
At this critical juncture, the Pistons had possession, and both sides utilized their starting lineups.
The Pistons attempted a play but in the end, handed the ball to Chauncey Billups.
Unfortunately, his forced mid-range shot missed. Today, under Spoelstra’s strategy, Billups was just 5-for-14 from the field, and the miss made it 5-for-15.
Even the likes of Billups, with his renowned clutch, lost his sharp edge at mid-range.
After this defensive stop, the Warriors immediately called a timeout, subbing in Stephen Jackson, determined to secure this offensive play!
Roger posted up on Artest, and the Pistons tripled him immediately. Yet, Yelling Maestro stuck with the red-hot Steve Jackson, while Richard Hamilton came from beyond the three-point line to double Roger.
Roger, not just a mechanical strategist, sensed the Pistons’ defensive shift and instantly leapt up, passing to Tayshaun Prince at the 45-degree three-point line—his open shot extended the Warriors’ lead to 6 points!
"What a beautiful play, Erik’s key moment small-ball lineup works wonders! Roger has 34 points and 12 assists, and he just found the open teammate again, leaving the league’s top defense scrambling!" Mike Brown couldn’t help but applaud Roger, even though that crucial shot was not from his own hands, he completely flattened the Pistons’ defense, disrupted their defensive scheme, and created a three-point opportunity for his teammate.
What defines the ultimate offensive threat? This does!
One of the best defensive teams in NBA history was now left scrambling because of Roger.
At this point, Carl had no choice but to call a timeout to organize a crucial play. Upon return, Spoelstra replaced Stephen Jackson with Marcus Camby for defense.
The battle tactics between both sides now shifted to a round-by-round basis!
Switching back Marcus Camby, the Pistons still couldn’t find a chance in their offense.
Hamilton was locked down by Prince, and Rasheed Wallace tangled with Amar’e Stoudemire.
Billups could only call for a screen while handling the ball, yet this time he didn’t opt for a jump shot but passed to the cutting Artest along the baseline!
Artest securely grabbed the ball, his backdoor cut shedding Roger by half a step, offering a chance to attack the basket and end the game.
But just as Artest dribbled, Roger made a reach from the side and knocked the ball away!
Most forwards groomed as key players falter at integrating ball skills.
They typically can’t pass the test of combining their size with ball handling, particularly in smoothly translating this to jump shots, which is notably challenging for forwards. Even talents like Andrew Wiggins ultimately stumble at this too.
Even the greats haven’t mastered this entirely.
Durant’s shooting is purer, but his ball-handling is a touch elusive. LeBron’s ball-handling, barring aesthetics, is actually quite good, yet his transition to jump shots remains somewhat unreliable over the years.
Artest shares this flaw among forwards; his ball skills are not top-tier, his dribbling is subpar, which allowed Roger to easily intercept the ball!
This steal was nearly the final stab to the Pistons’ heart; in the fierce scramble for the loose ball, Marcus Camby had the last laugh, forcing the Pistons to foul him strategically.
Although Camby only hit one of two free throws, it was enough to seal the game.
In the end, the Golden State Warriors took down the Pistons 98 to 91, changing the series score to 1-2, refusing to allow the Pistons a match point!
As the game concluded, a frustrated Artest kicked the ball in anger after losing possession in key moments.
From a distance, Roger extended his hands, confidently catching the ball like a bullet, then placed it on the floor beneath his foot.
"Ron, do you regret provoking the Best Defensive Player?"
Roger responded to Artest’s post-defeat remarks from the last game - "The Best Defensive Player got tormented by the true best defender." He is truly unforgiving.
Mutombo watched Roger, who was yelling at Artest, and asked Camby beside him, "Are all well-endowed men such small-minded?"
Artest turned away angrily, while at that moment, watching from the TV, Larry Brown was even more furious than Artest.
Why?
Why couldn’t the Pistons seize the opportunity to bring this jerk down?
Larry Brown didn’t realize that his own dignity was already on shaky ground.
At 1-2, a glimmer of hope had arisen.
Mutombo didn’t know if well-endowed men were narrow-minded; he only knew Roger’s fervor was spreading, and Detroit was about to become a blazing inferno.