Chapter 1186: Chapter 377: I May Not Be Able to Defeat You, But Warriors Never Lose
Kobe couldn’t tolerate such a defensive attitude, but Jumaine Jones’s spirit had already been crushed; not everyone can come out of repeated failures.
His defensive enthusiasm had already suffered a devastating blow in the first three quarters.
Seeing Kobe yelling at his teammates, Roger immediately added fuel to the fire: "Why are you asking teammates to do things even you can’t do? Is this how you lead the team?"
"Shut up, this is none of your business!"
In the next possession, Kobe missed under the pressure from Jason Richardson.
Even in the fourth quarter, the Lakers still faced such terrifying pressure defense, and it was impossible for Kobe’s efficiency not to be affected.
What frustrated the Lakers even more was that Kobe began to personally guard Roger on the defensive end!
Roger’s trash talk had greatly stimulated Kobe, who wanted to lead by example and show his teammates how to defend Roger.
Rudy Tomjanovich cursed under his breath, knowing that Kobe had already expended a lot of energy in the first three quarters, and he surely couldn’t maintain offensive efficiency while matching up against Roger.
Does this guy really know what he’s doing?
Kobe’s character determined his choice; when no one in the team could deal with the opponent’s top scorer, he would resolutely take matters into his own hands.
Many great players are like this, just like LeBron, who often matches up against the Finals MVPs.
Roger did not refuse the one-on-one challenge with Kobe, backing down with a post-up and scoring with a signature turnaround bank shot from mid-range.
"See, you should apologize to Jumaine Jones because your defense is just as trash, and you have no right to criticize him."
Kobe was vexed, but his troubles were far from over. He wanted to respond immediately on the offensive end, but Jason Richardson’s tight defense dragged him into the mire.
Steve Nash saw Kobe had no chance and called for a screen, then passed the ball on the ground to the rolling Marion.
But Stademeyer, relying on his strong athletic ability, caught up with the Hacker and delivered a pinned block.
The Lakers’ offense failed once again. Earlier, Rudy Tomjanovich’s Lakers were the most efficient offensive team in the league, seemingly about to usher in a new Showtime era in Los Angeles.
But tonight, the Warriors brutally tore off the Lakers’ glamorous facade, trampling on the beautiful dreams of Los Angeles fans.
After another possession, Nash’s mid-range jumper missed under Prince’s close interference, and Roger forced a breakthrough against Kobe’s defense but handed the ball to Stademeyer as he was about to enter the paint.
The latter jumped on the spot for a powerful slam dunk, leading the Warriors to overtake the score.
The Warriors’ offense was becoming increasingly easy, while the Lakers’ offense difficulty remained constant.
In the eighth minute of the fourth quarter, Kobe easily broke through Jason Richardson and scored with a mid-range jumper, tying the score again.
Erik Spoelstra cautiously called a timeout immediately, because this was Kobe’s second consecutive basket.
At this point in the game, Jason Richardson’s stamina was nearly depleted, which was the key reason Kobe could score so easily.
Guarding Kobe the entire game was no easy job.
Kobe knew Jason Richardson was exhausted, but everything wasn’t over yet.
Because there was still a jerk waiting for him on the Warriors’ bench.
Sure enough, after the timeout, Matt Barnes replaced Jason Richardson.
When Barnes first appeared in today’s game, the confused eyes of the Bay Area fans were fixed on him, wondering why this kid could replace Allan Houston.
But now, as he returned to the game, the fans’ cheers already showed their recognition of Matt Barnes.
From teammates to fans, Matt Barnes, with his performance tonight, was accepted by everyone.
Now, he was no longer a stray dog.
He was a hound serving the Bay Area fans and the Bay Area King!
The King watched Kobe, patted the hound’s head: "Matt, continue."
"Okay."
In the last four minutes of the game, Kobe Bryant encountered defensive pressure identical to the first quarter.
Sticking out his butt, bumping, swinging elbows, Barnes’s defense was always full of confrontation, and no matter how many shots you made over him, he would not back down, neither mentally nor physically.
The Warriors’ terrifying defensive persistence made Kobe’s personal offense extremely difficult.
Of course, the Lakers were ultimately the best offensive team in the league; they never completely stalled on the offensive end and always managed to score at critical moments.
However, as Roger began exerting his strength in the last moments, the point difference started to expand gradually.
Throughout the match, Roger hadn’t been aggressively attacking or defending Kobe, which allowed him to have enough stamina to unleash strong scoring explosiveness at crucial moments.
In the final 53 seconds of the game, when Roger broke past Kobe and successfully scored with a floater, his personal score today reached 41 points.
The Warriors led by 5 points, and the victory was entirely in Roger’s hands.
Kobe desperately wanted to close the gap, but Matt Barnes used fierce confrontation to force Kobe into a direct fadeaway from mid to long range in this possession.
Kobe’s stamina had started to affect his confrontation; just as Roger easily squeezed past him, Barnes could resist him easily now, all because his confrontation ability was impacted by his stamina.