Chapter 1099 - 350: The Gap Between Us Is More Than Just One Level!

Words : 992 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Phil Jackson really didn’t know whether to call Spoelstra a genius or an idiot, so he had just described this young coach as a madman.Only the most extreme madmen would use the season’s scoring leader for such obsessive defense! Spoelstra is indeed a madman, because during the Heat’s Big Three era, he had James and Wade doing exactly that. In fact, James and Wade even had to help the Heat’s virtually non-existent center clean up, using help defense to protect the rim. But Roger wasn’t that unfortunate; at least he had reliable rim protectors behind him, so executing this defensive strategy wasn’t too difficult for him. Nash naturally wouldn’t be suppressed by double teams; he passed the ball to the cutting George Lynch amidst the pressure from Roger and Allan Houston. However, getting the ball to George Lynch, the least threatening player, was precisely what Spoelstra wanted to see. George Lynch shot a mid-range jumper right after catching the ball, and Stoudemire immediately moved in for help defense. Although the interference wasn’t very effective, George Lynch’s shooting skill was even less so. The basketball bounced off the rim, and Marcus Camby secured the rebound steadily; the Warriors initiated a highly aggressive defense right off the bat! "This is a very bold strategy; Erik really has Roger playing the role of KG on defense. Are the Warriors going to choke the Lakers with defense?" Mike Breen was also amazed by Spoelstra’s audacity; this rookie coach was by no means a puppet coach without his own ideas. The game continued, and the Warriors went on the offensive. Roger did not go one-on-one but immediately called for Stoudemire to set a pick right from the first round. After the pick-and-roll, he eagerly passed the ball to Stoudemire. Karl Malone finally realized how annoying his pick-and-roll with Stockton was during this series. Stoudemire caught the ball, feigned, deceived Karl Malone, then directly challenged Theo Ratliff, scoring robustly with a layup. In Zen Master’s view, this play alone was enough to prove that Erik Spoelstra was just being alarmist. Because after Roger exerted himself fully on defense, it was obvious that he reduced his effort on offense. Roger’s decisive pass right after the pick-and-roll clearly showed he never intended to go on the attack himself from the start. Roger might be able to play like KG today, but there’s no way he could single-handedly sustain both offensive and defensive duties. Sure, Roger’s abilities are indeed extraordinary, but no matter how extraordinary, he can’t surpass the limits of human endurance. Sustaining both offense and help defense for an entire game? That’s beyond human capability. The following rounds seemed to verify the Zen Master’s prediction, as Stoudemire’s ball-handling in the offense clearly increased compared to the previous six games. It seemed like he was the main offensive focus in this Game 7. This season, Stoudemire made significant progress, evolving from averaging 13.5 points last season to 20.6 points, and averaging 22.3 points in the playoffs so far. But he wasn’t at the championship-caliber level of a go-to scorer. In the fifth minute of the first quarter, Stoudemire isolated Karl Malone, used a triple-threat move to shake Karl Malone’s balance, and accelerated to break through, but the experienced Mailman immediately grabbed Stoudemire’s jersey, then fiercely confronted him, slowing down Stoudemire’s drive. When Stoudemire reached the basket, he fell right into Karl Malone and Theo Ratliff’s double team. With poor passing, Stoudemire struggled to send the ball back to Allan Houston on the perimeter; the Warriors didn’t execute their normal play for this round. At that moment, Roger, standing at the top of the arc, raised his hand to call for the ball, then signaled everyone to clear out. Facing George Lynch, Roger executed continuous crossover moves, accelerated to the left, and after the first step, immediately pulled the ball from in front of him to the right. Just when everyone thought he was really going to accelerate and break through this time, Roger suddenly came to a stop, switched the ball again beneath his legs to his left hand, then sprinted. George Lynch desperately shifted to block, but upon hearing a "bang," the ball bounced off the court again as Roger made another change of direction, increased speed, stopped suddenly, stepped back, and shot a three-pointer. This perfectly timed series of crossovers and step-backs sent George Lynch flying, opening up space for Roger to shoot, which he nailed solidly! After that three-pointer, Phil Jackson had to call a timeout because the Warriors led by 8 points after just five minutes! During those five minutes, Erik Spoelstra’s strategy was fully unveiled. On defense, Roger was like KG, sweeping the entire half-court area, fully utilizing the current defensive regulations. On offense, most conventional plays were handled by Stoudemire. But when the team’s tactics were shut down, when it came time for tough points, Roger would step up and take over! Although Roger had fewer shot attempts and less ball-handling than in the previous six games, he was indeed hitting clutch shots. He indeed did things single-handedly that usually required the combined efforts of the Timberwolves’ Big Three! As the ball went in and the game was paused, Roger spread his hands to Karl Malone amid the adoration of Oakland fans: "You loser can only catch underage girls!" This was in response to the statement Karl Malone made before Game 7, saying, "We’re capturing a so-called god who is a narcissist." Karl Malone’s face turned grim; it was nearly his last season, and he didn’t want to fall at Roger’s feet at the last moment. He definitely didn’t want to end his career with the shame of being insulted by Roger. So during the timeout, Karl Malone, for the first time this season, voiced his personal opinion in the tactical meeting: "If Steve and Kobe struggle under that bastard Roger’s help defense, then give the ball to me!"

Chapter 1099 - 350: The Gap Between Us Is More Than Just One Level!

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