Chapter 1198: Chapter 380: Roger Speaks Many Languages
If he can’t succeed here, then he’ll have no chance of success in his entire career.
Yes, Roger has shown just how terrifying he can be as an opponent. It’s undeniable that Roger is a formidable adversary, possibly the strongest one without question. In front of him, you can’t show any disrespect.
But even if he has to move forward with fear, he will do so without hesitation.
The timeout ended, the game resumed, and the camera shifted away from the Olsen sisters. The fans stopped gossiping about whether Roger would walk into the wrong room if he lived with the older, more similar-looking sisters, ignoring the underage Elizabeth.
Amar’e Stoudemire was excited: "Alright, next is what we’re most familiar with, completely destroying the opponent!"
He thought that after Kevin Garnett’s breakdown, the game would easily fall under the Warriors’ control.
But Roger reminded his sidekick: "No, Amar’e, it’s not that simple."
"Huh?"
At that moment, Kevin Garnett’s New York Knicks stepped back onto the court. As the spiritual leader, KG clapped his hands: "Come on, guys, the game has just begun!"
Roger looked at Kevin Garnett, who was still motivating his teammates, and shrugged: "See, Amar’e, that bastard is a true leader."
Roger understood his younger brother well; his flaws were countless, and his tendency to duck during fights alone would leave him ridiculed for a lifetime.
But in terms of desire and passion for victory, Kevin Garnett was stronger than most people.
"Keep fighting, everyone," Roger stood up with his team, "Victory won’t just fall into our laps."
The game resumed, and both teams continued to battle fiercely, refusing to yield.
The Knicks players have now sobered up from the joy of consecutive wins. Previously, they only needed a little effort to crush opponents. But today, they have deeply realized that Roger is unlike any of the opponents they’ve conquered before.
To deal with this absolute dominator who has established dynasties with two different teams and won championships with three different teams, they must be more serious and diligent.
Subsequently, the passes from Kevin Garnett, Wade, and Yao Ming became more cautious, preventing Roger from easily stealing the ball.
On defense, they worked harder on rotating defenses, trying to compress Roger’s shooting space as much as possible.
The words Kevin Garnett said on the bench were rooted in the heart of every Knicks player, driving them to play their best performance to date.
In the sixth minute of the first quarter, the Knicks finally turned the score around and firmly suppressed the situation.
In several possessions before the first timeout, although Roger played strongly, it was mostly based on individual ability. In fact, KG almost always rotated defense very well every possession.
Roger could score under such defense, but it was difficult to score efficiently under such pressure.
The Warriors only began to regain some points when the Knicks switched to their bench lineup, mirroring how most top-heavy teams operate. The Knicks’ starting lineup was so stellar that it resulted in a huge gap in strength between starters and bench players.
As long as the salary cap rules aren’t lifted, this relative balance in lineup will persist.
So, during the bench phases, adding just one more bench player means an additional weakness for the Knicks on the court.
And this is precisely the Warriors’ advantage, as their lineup is noticeably more balanced. The starting lineup is, of course, stronger than the bench lineup, but the bench lineup still ensures the team’s tactical integrity.
However, in the second quarter, when the Knicks once again fielded their entire starting lineup, they quickly regained control of the situation.
Over the past few seasons, as Roger gradually transitioned to a major ball-handler, he achieved brilliant individual stats and made his team heavily reliant on him for offense.
If Roger gets shut down, his team’s offense collapses.
The lack of enough ball-handling points was an issue the Warriors faced last season.
The New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons have been the best at achieving the goal of "shutting down Roger" over the years.
Last season, the Warriors came back to win four games in the finals for three reasons: first, Roger himself performed outstandingly; second, the Detroit Pistons had limited capabilities in critical moments, especially Chauncey Billups, who struggled against the Warriors’ "mid-range shot, three-point, and penetration defense" strategy.
The third reason was Spoelstra’s bold use of a one-big-four-small lineup during bench phases, using space to break through the fortress for Roger.
But things got harder against the New York Knicks.
Wade’s mid-range shot and penetration were deadlier than Chauncey Billups’, so you couldn’t hope to exploit him.
Yao Ming’s low-post threat wasn’t even in the same league as Ben Wallace. A one-big-four-small lineup worked against the Pistons, but against the Knicks, it was self-defeating.
The Warriors must find other ways to deal with the Knicks. The biggest issue now is that each offensive possession for the Warriors is highly challenging. How can they create easier scoring opportunities for Roger?
Spoelstra and Jeff Hornacek have been pondering this question over the past two months.
They have a strategy, but they’re unsure if the person executing it can be reliable.