Chapter 1196: Chapter 379: Remember, No Japanese
It is KG’s selflessness, focus, passion, and determination that have transformed this New York Knicks team, giving them not only talent but also a tenacious belief.
He’s the one who truly brings a revolutionary change to the team.
Garnett’s will wasn’t defeated by that shameful turnover just now, he is still trying to lead the whole team through the siege.
However, the King’s punishment hasn’t ended.
This possession, after a pick-and-pop by Garnett, he gets the ball and is double-teamed by Stoudemire and Jason Richardson.
KG instinctively wants to pass the ball to Wade, who’s temporarily unguarded, but experienced Roger has already anticipated KG’s move.
He quickly abandons Gary Payton and sprints madly towards Wade on the other side of the court. Finally, he timely intercepts Garnett’s pass, creating a turnover!
Roger rapidly turns after getting the ball and launches a fast break, while Flash uses his incredible speed to catch up with Roger, ready to perform one of his signature chasedown blocks.
But Roger doesn’t drive to the basket himself; instead, he forcefully slams the ball towards the floor on his rear side.
The basketball bounces high, and the trailing Jason Richardson catches it in mid-air, executing a 360-degree spinning slam dunk.
to 6, Warriors have taken the lead!
"Kevin made a mistake; his pass just now was too naive. Don’t forget, Roger was last season’s Defensive Player of the Year; such passes won’t work in front of Roger!" Mike Breen shouts.
Kevin Garnett knows that he’s been targeted by Roger.
That terrifying bastard is now dealing with him with the highest level of targeting.
This is the price he has to pay for the comments he made.
Kevin Garnett stops trash-talking; he just wants to work diligently at his job.
He doesn’t want to continue to anger Roger—it’s like playing with fire.
The Knicks’ offense changed rhythm this time; Wade didn’t hold the ball to penetrate, but rather Old Payton lobbed it to Yao Ming in the low post.
Yao Ming turned around for a hook shot, but under Marcus Camby’s hard defense, it clanked off the rim.
Experienced KG uses his elbows and hips to squeeze out Stoudemire, grabs the offensive rebound, and then directly explodes under the basket unawares, ready for a two-handed slam.
Garnett forcefully slams the ball towards the basket, but a big hand appears between the basketball and the hoop.
The basketball hits the palm and bounces away—Kevin Garnett suffers a brutal block!
"After completing the steal, Roger has now blocked KG’s dunk! Roger is angry, he’s surely mad because of what KG said on last night’s show!" Mike Breen had also watched the show last night; when Kevin Garnett said those words, Mike Breen knew KG would have a rough night tonight!
But the offense isn’t over yet; Garnett quickly races to the ball, grabbing possession for himself.
Roger, also rushing for the ball, now has no choice but to stay close to KG for defense, thus fueling the excitement of the crowd.
Kevin Garnett has gotten a one-on-one opportunity against Roger!
This is a mismatch; Kevin Garnett has the height and bulk advantages.
Without hesitation, he backs up with the ball, ready to post up.
Indeed, Garnett is a face-up oriented big man, but that’s not to say he has no post skills at all. Against a guard like Roger, Garnett is willing to give the post-up a try.
Roger isn’t daunted by defending a mismatch; he pushes against KG with one hand while continuously talking: "KG, you should know I’ve always considered you one of my best friends. If you think we don’t need to maintain that relationship on the court, I’ll show you what it’s like to be my true enemy."
"I’ve been in this league for nine and a half years; do you think words like that can still scare me?"
Garnett forcefully bumps backwards, then turns to prepare for a jumpshot.
This is a disappointing outcome for Mike Breen—even when facing Roger, KG doesn’t plan to attack the basket? Is he so obsessed with jumpshots?
KG has his concerns; entering the paint, Marcus Camby and Amar’e Stoudemire will immediately help on defense, making scoring more difficult. And against Roger, he has a height advantage; his jumpshot might not be contested.
Of course, at the end of the day, it’s because KG is a guy who favors jump shots.
If Charles Barkley got such an opportunity, he wouldn’t think much; he’d just drive straight into it.
Garnett turns to shoot, but before he gets the ball up to his chest, Roger directly strips it away!
Immediately afterward, Roger pushes for a fast break, and Knicks fans can hardly believe KG was overcome by Roger so easily!
Garnett pursues with all his might, while Wade has already crossed the half-court, protecting the basket.
At the same time, other Knicks players keep track of the trailing players, cutting Roger’s passing routes.
This time, Roger has to finish the offense on his own.
Blocked front and back by Wade and KG, Roger storms into the paint, leaps high, and pulls back the ball forcefully, seemingly intending to dunk directly.
But Wade and KG are both skilled basket protectors; they follow Roger and leap forward and backward in the air, about to complete the block.
Just then, Roger lifts the ball with one hand, then spins in the air, smoothly glides past Wade, bypasses KG, and scores with a reverse layup!
With remarkable ball feel and body coordination, Roger completes a highlight reel-worthy shot set for one of the season’s top plays!
Stealing from KG and finishing with a beautiful layup under his chase, Warriors take the score to 9 to 6. Kevin Garnett experiences a textbook "you messed with the wrong guy" moment.
After scoring, Lenny Wilkens cautiously calls a timeout.
Roger finally gets his moment to shine.
"Nine and a half years, so what? You’ve really disappointed me, Kevin, because after nine and a half years, you’re still so vulnerable. Do you think you’re qualified to compete with me? No, there’s no difference between us now and back then. It’s not about whether you like it or not; you can only be my little brother, you have no choice."
Roger finishes speaking and turns to walk towards the bench, but after two steps, he turns back: "By the way, let me remind you again. Remember, No Japanese."
Kevin Garnett lowers his head, an intense sense of suffocation enveloping him, and the King’s punishment is relentless.
This is the first time New York fans have seen the passion disappear from him.
(Today’s single update, directly 10,000 words due to the combination of two updates into one. This afternoon, I’ll run some errands for my dad regarding work injury matters; although the chances of succeeding in brain hemorrhage review aren’t high, it’s still worth a try.)