Chapter 1249: Chapter 395: We May Grow Weary, But We Will Not Perish
Tonight, Old Gary suddenly shook off the cobwebs and dust, contributing two critical goals at key moments.
With 1 minute and 33 seconds left before the end of the game, Wade’s mid-range shot clanged off, and Yao Ming tapped the ball directly to the outside. Payton caught it and fired, helping the Knicks gain a crucial 6-point lead.
Then, with 47 seconds left before the game ended, Wade drew a double-team and passed the ball to Payton, who shot a three-pointer over Tayshaun Prince’s long arms.
Payton didn’t want to become the next quickly forgotten Karl Malone; this intense desire drove him to give his all in the game, even when losing possession and status.
In fact, Payton only scored 8 points throughout the game. That means, apart from these two three-pointers, Payton had only one field goal before.
But these two three-pointers were enough to give him the highest presence on the court.
After the game, Gary Payton raised his arm high and strolled around the court.
He proudly cocked his mouth, as if reminding the world, "Look, I’m a superstar after all!"
After the 2-1, the world was quite lively, and "The New York Times" commented on the front page the next day: "If the American dream has a name, it must be Garnett, named Wade, last name Yao... Anyway, we are sure to bring the game back to New York!"
Kevin Garnett once again experienced a transformation from underestimation to the pinnacle. After Game 1 ended, the entire team thought the series was over, but now, the Knicks were leading 2-1 in the series.
However, KG’s joy didn’t last long. In Game 4 of the series, Roger’s left-side offensive showed no signs of injury.
Shawn Battier continued to employ the strategy of allowing the left but not defending the right against Roger, but today it didn’t work at all.
Roger’s pull-up jumper after breaking to the left was very smooth, and his left-hand finishing ability had also recovered a lot. His aggressive play flooded the Knicks’ defense like a tidal wave.
Roger eventually scored 44 points for the entire game, making even Shawn Battier, who has always been excellent at adjusting his mindset, shake his head after the game: "I think there probably isn’t anyone in this world who can stop Roger."
Amar’e Stoudemire then told the media the story of how Roger deliberately practiced the feeling of finishing on the injured side, creating yet another legendary narrative about a superstar.
With the score now 2-2, the series was back to an even state.
In the critical Game 5, Wade and KG’s shots were all off-target, and Yao Ming struggled to hold up under double-teaming with 25 points and 12 rebounds, but it was to no avail.
With 3-2, the Warriors would return to New York with the match point again.
In this game, Roger scored 37 points with a 48% shooting percentage.
It was proven that Roger’s amazing performance in the last game wasn’t just a stroke of luck, as a cat might find a dead mouse. He had indeed gotten used to the left-side pull-up jumper and under-basket finishes under a bone fracture situation.
And as Roger struggled out of the quagmire of injury, the possibility of a Knicks’ victory was being minimized.
After the game ended, an image never seen before after Roger’s victories appeared.
He sat exhausted on the bench, glanced at his already deformed fingers, then carefully exhaled—with a rib injury, even breathing heavily caused him pain.
This was probably the most tired side of Roger ever shown to the world.
The Roger of the past was always full of vitality, brimming with youthful energy at any time.
Looking at the exhausted Roger, Mike Breen ended the night that excited all Bay Area fans with one sentence.
"Roger is also 30 years old, ladies and gentlemen, and he has been fighting in this league for 12 years. Maybe, even a superstar needs to catch his breath."
Can Roger still hold on until the end? It’s the last space for fantasy for the New Yorkers.
After catching his breath for a few minutes, Roger stood up again.
On-site, all the fans stood up to applaud Roger and cheer for him.
The other Warriors didn’t leave either; they all went up to high-five or fist-bump Roger.
The last one to go up was ESPN’s sideline reporter Doris Burke, who asked Roger how he felt now.
But Roger didn’t answer the question; he just looked at the championship flags hanging above Oracle Arena and held up one finger.
"One more game, and then I will bring the O’Brien Trophy back to the Bay Area."
There was no pain in his eyes, no difficulty in his eyes, no time in his eyes, nothing but victory in his eyes.
He was determined only to conquer until the honors fill his own arena.
Until the opponent’s blood stains the floor red.
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I can’t imagine how Roger persisted through five games with a rib fracture and won three of them. Amar’e said he even practiced more to get used to the feeling of attacking from the left side in pain. It’s just crazy! Fighting the Knicks is not like fighting a human being!—"Slam."
In fact, we lost more to ourselves today. KG and D-Wade’s lack of touch wasted Yao’s great performance, but what’s the probability that they’d both go cold again in a game? Roger is just a beast making a last stand after being wounded, just a beginning to a fallen king; his glamorous cloak is already crawling with lice. The championship will stay in New York.—"The New York Times."
I know the tickets for Knicks’ Game 6 and Game 7 have sold like crazy. But trust me, Game 6 will end it all; the next game in New York will be a brutal beheading-like match, with the Knicks players themselves as the audience.—Bill Simmons’ column.