Chapter 1187: Chapter 377: I May Not Be Able to Defeat You, But Warriors Never Lose
This difficult fadeaway jumper bounced off the rim again, and Matt Barnes’ trash talk continued pouring out like a machine gun: "This is why you’re the number one loser in the league, you have never led the Lakers out of the quagmire, never done anything for Los Angeles to be proud of. You’ve been losing to Roger since your first day in the league, and that will continue. Do you know why Roger has a statue outside the arena? Because he is greater than any of you."
"Does a trash picker like you have the right to judge me? Bastard!"
Kobe was furious, and in his next defensive effort, he tried hard to stop Roger, only to be called for a foul due to excessive action.
Roger made both free throws, 43 points.
The entire fourth quarter, Roger scored 18 points in a single quarter, his performance shining brightly as he saved his energy for the last quarter.
Al Michaels felt sorry for Kobe: "The only unfortunate thing about Kobe Bryant is that his career coincided entirely with Roger’s peak."
The unwilling Kobe did what he does best in the next offensive possession—punish those who made him angry.
Countless defenders have been punished after provoking or committing flagrant fouls on Kobe, as Kobe would immediately respond with a highly humiliating basket against the person who made him angry.
This basket was no exception, as Kobe, forced to stop at mid-range, hit a difficult shot over the top of the strenuously defending Matt Barnes.
The point differential shrank back to 3 points, and Kobe finally roared in satisfaction: "Did you see that? That’s the difference between us!"
Often at this time, defensive players would become incredibly disappointed.
But Matt Barnes kept his resilient gaze, not letting Kobe’s basket bring him down, he responded calmly.
"I may not be able to defeat you, but the Warriors won’t lose, and that’s enough."
Matt Barnes’ attitude made Kobe feel like all his efforts were wasted.
This was a defender who simply couldn’t be defeated.
Even if battered and on the brink of collapse, he would still use the last of his strength to bite at your pant leg, dragging you into the abyss.
The King’s dog doesn’t care how much damage he suffers, he only faithfully carries out orders, safeguarding the dynasty of the King.
Matt Barnes was right, even though Kobe had closed the gap, because there was so little time left in the game, the Lakers had to rely on tactical fouling and hope for luck.
But Roger’s yet another two free throws burst the Lakers’ bubble of hope completely.
The Lakers fell behind by 5 points again, and under Matt Barnes’ relentless tight defense, Kobe’s last three-point attempt was disturbed and bounced off the rim.
In the end, the Golden State Warriors won this nationally televised showdown at home, 116 to 111.
Roger had 45 points, 11 assists, and 5 rebounds, Kobe had 39 points, 3 assists, and 6 rebounds.
For Roger, this was an all-around victory from personal achievement to team success.
After the game, when interviewed on the sidelines, Roger just shrugged: "No big deal, in my memory, I’ve always been beating the Los Angeles Lakers, I think Kobe won’t really feel anything about this loss, he should be used to it."
Joking about his old friend, Roger seemed to remember something else, so he immediately added: "When I take down the New York Knicks, I’ll share the feeling of victory with you."
He hadn’t forgotten the strength of the New Yorkers, and now, he believed the team was ready to overcome this hurdle.
"Do you think the next meeting, the team could avenge against the Knicks? They’re the league’s number one defensive team so far, and also top three offensive team in the league so far."
"That’s right, next time we meet, we’ll take everything back. Trust me, there’s no victory that the Golden State Gangsters can’t snatch."
After the interview, as Roger walked into the player tunnel, he happened to see Matt Barnes on the phone.
"Mom, I think I’ve made it, this time I’ll stay, we’ll never have to worry about those damn bills again! The duties father didn’t fulfill, now I’ll take on! You never have to worry about anything again, mom, never again!"
When Matt Barnes said these words his eyes were red, it was hard to connect this guy with the jerk who just got into a shouting match with Kobe on the court.
Realizing Roger was looking at him, Matt Barnes took a deep breath, wiped the corners of his eyes, trying to hide his tears: "That’s it mom, I have to go."
"Is everything alright?" Roger approached and asked with concern.
"Of course." Matt Barnes replied in a calm tone, regaining that cold-blooded, ruthless demeanor.
The child who just excitedly called his mom, and the jerk who now looked like a real troublemaker, Roger couldn’t tell which one was the real Matt Barnes.
But it doesn’t matter because those are both sides of a man.
Ultimately, a man has to act like a man.
"Matt."
"King?"
"Welcome to the Golden State Gangsters."
"It’s my honor, King."