Chapter 1175: Chapter 373: Explosive Balloons
After Wade slipped past the screen and broke through, even if Stoudemire switched directly, he might not keep up. With just a gap, Wade could score from mid-range. If Yao Ming set a pick on Marcus Camby, Wade could easily attack the basket.
Moreover, Yao Ming could also indulge in low-post offense without restraint.
Though everyone jokes about Kevin Garnett’s tough jump shots, it’s undeniable that he is an elite level mid-range shooter.
Once Yao Ming secured a deep position, Wade feeding him the ball basically meant that the Warriors’ defense would fail.
No matter how hard Marcus Camby tried, it was difficult to stop this giant, who seemed to have his legs rooted 500 meters underground.
The Knicks’ offense flowed smoothly, and their defense was even more intimidating.
Yao Ming could secure the rim with peace of mind because Kevin Garnett would handle other matters.
Chuck Daly, when leading the Dream Team, was inspired by Scottie Pippen and believed that the perfect defensive player should be a "filler".
This type of player needs to be a tall, long-armed forward who moves like a guard, capable of quick, wide-range movements and compressing space everywhere. The basketball court is only so big, so the larger the area you cover, the more the opponent is left with nowhere to go.
But at the time, under NBA’s illegal defense rules, the role of such "fillers" was actually quite limited.
Nowadays, with zone defense allowed, "fillers" began to dominate defensively.
Ben Wallace is one of the most successful among them, while Kevin Garnett is also one of the top "fillers".
He would appear before or behind any teammate at any time to assist in defense, acting like the blood vessels of the Knicks’ defensive system, connecting everyone.
And because Yao Ming was guarding the rim behind him, KG’s perimeter defense range was larger than his time with the Timberwolves.
He doesn’t fear being broken through; his and Flash’s dashes across half-court are a nightmare for any team on offense.
Today, Roger was having trouble on offense.
Young Wade was pressing Roger throughout the game. With the relaxation of No HandCheck rules, Wade could use more aggressive defense to limit Roger’s jump shots.
After Roger broke through, Kevin Garnett would definitely appear first.
Of course, Roger’s passing ability allowed him to immediately find the open Amar’e Stoudemire.
But Gary Payton kept a keen eye on the passing lane, forcing Roger into four turnovers throughout the night—remember, Roger’s control over his turnovers has always been comparable to John Stockton’s.
Sometimes Roger would opt not to pass to Stoudemire out of fear of Payton’s steals. Even if the ball did get to Stoudemire, KG would bounce back in to interfere immediately.
Stoudemire also tried to force an attack on the rim, but the result was mediocre because Yao Ming’s rim protection was too solid.
The Warriors’ offense was faltering, and their defense was being targeted.
The only flaw in the Knicks’ offense was that when Yao Ming was double-teamed, he might not immediately distribute the ball to KG. Although Yao Ming has many imaginative passes in his highlight reels, he’s not actually a great passer as a center.
But this deficiency wasn’t enough to stagnate the Knicks’ offense.
The Knicks held the initiative throughout the game, and the high compatibility among Wade, KG, and Yao Ming was fully demonstrated in this match.
But after all, the defending champions are the defending champions; the Warriors managed to narrow the point gap to 6 in the last minute and 33 seconds of the match.
This was due to the Warriors’ strong second position. It was the first game this season where both Jason Richardson and Allan Houston were in good form. So whenever, whether with the starters or the connection phase, Roger, when double-teamed, could always receive strong support and response from the second position.
At this time, it was the Warriors’ possession. Due to Jason Richardson expending a lot of stamina defending Wade, Spoelstra put Allan Houston into the lineup to finish the game at this crucial moment.
This was actually a trust in him.
Roger once again broke through Wade’s heavy defense and again encountered the lingering KG.
Then, Roger saw Old Payton moving toward Amar’e Stoudemire, cutting off the passing lane.
So, he passed the ball directly to Allan Houston.
After passing the ball, Roger immediately ran off, and at the same time, Stoudemire had tacitly come up to set an off-ball screen for Roger, blocking Wade and making Kevin Garnett’s face show a look of panic.
He knew, of course, what it would mean if Roger made that three-pointer.
As per the tactic, Allan Houston should pass it back to Roger; he was well aware of this, as it was one of the common Warriors’ strategies.
However, the mid-range king chose not to do so; he chose to be a hero, attempting a three-pointer against Gary Payton’s defense.
Roger wasn’t completely against his teammates breaking the play, but Allan Houston’s decision to break it made no sense.
Under Payton’s interference, Allan Houston’s three-pointer clanked,
Yao Ming secured the rebound and threw a long pass.
The black lightning from Chicago had already dashed across the court, comfortably catching the ball on the other end and slamming it down to score.
With the last minute of the game, the point differential extended to 8 points, sealing the victory for the New York Knicks.
Roger glanced at Allan Houston, puzzled why this usually calm guy made such a decision.
Afterward, Roger looked up at the data sheet on the big screen.
Jason Richardson had 15 points, and Allan Houston also had 15 points.
Hmm, he seemed to find the reason why Allan Houston rushed to shoot.
Later on, Roger’s sudden stop jump shot under Wade’s pressure was distracted by KG but still went in, bringing the gap back to 6 points.
Unfortunately, in the next defense, Marcus Camby fouled early, sending Yao Ming to the free-throw line, and Yao Ming calmly made both free throws, maintaining the 8-point lead to the end, the Warriors swallowed their first defeat of the season.
At that moment, Kevin Garnett, Wade, Yao Ming, and Payton hugged each other tightly.
Over the course of three days, they successively defeated the Detroit Pistons and the Golden State Warriors.
Within his teammates’ embrace, KG excitedly howled into the sky: "Anything is possible, anything is possible!"
The Knicks truly believed they could make a mark during Roger’s era; it was a romantic night for New Yorkers.
Roger walked into the player tunnel, with the team spokesman waiting inside for him: "Roger, after today’s press conference, there might be many tough questions, we’ve prepared some preset answers for you to have a look at."
Roger skillfully took the notebook from the spokesman’s hand but instructed another matter: "Get Bob to see me after the press conference."
"The general manager didn’t come to the scene today."
"Then call him to come over!" Roger shouted, instantly silencing the entire player tunnel.
"O... okay, anything else?"
"Nothing."
Mount Mutombo was right.
If there’s too much air in a balloon, it might explode.
Even though having a lineup with Jason Richardson and Allan Houston seemed great, Roger decided to let some air out of their lineup.
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