Chapter 1182: Chapter 376: Only Suffering, No Salvation
After entering the NBA, it was the same. His teammates disliked his prickly nature, and coaches always belittled his efforts, as if someone like him should rot in the garbage heap, and even trying hard was wrong.
He has always been ostracized, and even now, the situation hasn’t improved.
From childhood, his father taught him one thing: "If someone bullies you, you mustn’t go home crying, nor plead on your knees!"
This was a core principle deeply rooted inside him.
Thus, Matt Barnes glared at Jeff Hornacek: "Did my shooting practice disturb you? You cowardly white pig! Get lost, don’t bother me!"
"Hey!" Amar’e Stoudemire, who was practicing on the side, stood up, "Did you just say that again?"
Jeff Hornacek motioned for Amar’e Stoudemire not to come over and then directly faced the furious Matt Barnes.
"Young man, why are you always so angry? I just wanted to tell you that practicing a million times with the wrong form will still yield a wrong result. Generally, we don’t change a player’s shooting form unless it affects their accuracy. When you jump shot, your elbow flares out too much, causing the ball to veer to one side."
Saying this, Jeff Hornacek tossed a ball to Matt Barnes and then corrected his posture hand by hand.
Afterward, Jeff Hornacek practiced with Matt Barnes for an hour, providing guidance on some shooting details.
Changing a shooting stance requires a long time to adapt, so Matt Barnes’s shooting percentage didn’t transform overnight.
But the balls he released indeed no longer consistently veered left, indicating Jeff Hornacek’s guidance was effective.
Matt Barnes looked at the white guard who once won two championships in Atlanta with Roger and sheepishly rubbed his head: "Sorry Jeff, I..."
"No apologies, Roger appreciates this about you."
"What?"
"Roger appreciates this about you; he likes your ruthless energy that dares to confront anyone. So keep it up; you should be aware this might be the best opportunity in your career. Tomorrow night against the Los Angeles Lakers, you might even enter the main rotation."
After finishing, Jeff Hornacek left the training facility, hoping this guy wouldn’t let Roger down.
On the way home, Jeff Hornacek spontaneously bought 16 Swiss rolls.
Just like preparing for a game, for everything to go smoothly, you must make thorough preparations.
The next day, the Warriors embraced the focus battle that the league had been wildly promoting early for late November, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers this season improved their roster, turning into a swift offensive team, currently with a 9-2 record.
Rudy Tomjanovich, succeeding Phil Jackson, fully utilized Steve Nash’s organizational abilities, inspiring the team to play fast-paced offense.
Tonight’s game began with fierce mutual attacks from both sides.
Steve Nash triggered a whirlwind akin to the Hawks, which was precisely the rhythm Shawn Marion was familiar with.
The young Kobe Bryant also greatly enjoyed this offensive pace, with an average scoring of a terrifying 36.3 points per game under this system.
But the Warriors’ offense also troubled the Lakers, as Jason Richardson shone brightly in Allan Houston’s first game after being traded away. Whenever Kobe showed any sign of slacking or doubling, Richardson promptly popped out, cutting in to create headaches for the Lakers’ defense.
And if Kobe didn’t assist in defense, the newly appointed Lakers starting small forward Jumaine Jones couldn’t possibly handle Roger one-on-one, relying only on Marion to cover for him.
However, Marion assisting on Roger would present another issue for the Lakers: leaving Stoudemire open.
Both sides’ offenses were extremely difficult to deal with, as Kobe and Roger had taken the lead to increase the score remarkably.
In the seventh minute of the first quarter, the Lakers led by 6 points.
Steve Nash had an excellent personal touch today, working wonderfully with Marion and Ratliff in pick-and-rolls.
Jason Richardson had done his utmost to squeeze Nash’s shooting space, but as long as a sliver of opportunity was blocked for him, he could lift his hand and hit the shot effortlessly.
This was why the Lakers could take the lead.
Game paused, number 15 Kobe shook his head at Roger, then said something related to his new number: "The suffering has reached its end; only good news remains."
"I never knew you were such a devout Christian; you could compete with LeBron for the ’Build Your GOAT Persona’ award."
"That’s not important; what matters is you’re finished tonight. We’ve all seen you lose to the Knicks, and if you lose again to the Lakers today, you and your mouthpieces’ dynasty narrative can be entirely dismissed."
Kobe was very confident; he believed the Lakers’ offense this season was unsolvable.
Even if the Lakers swapped out the connecting lineup next, it would remain the same.
After the pause, both teams made personnel adjustments, the Lakers substituted Ratliff and Jumaine Jones, while the Warriors took out the well-performing Jason Richardson and Marcus Camby today.
For the Lakers, replacing Jumaine Jones was sophomore forward Brian Cook. This year, the Lakers have enough reserves at the three spot to ensure the strategy can be effective in the transition segments, as Jumaine Jones and Brian Cook both have nearly 40% three-point shooting percentages, no matter who comes on stage, it can ensure the space is stretched wide enough, creating space for the V barrier pick.