671: 234: Take Revenge for the GOAT!
(Asking for Monthly Votes!)_2 671: 234: Take Revenge for the GOAT!
(Asking for Monthly Votes!)_2 This kind of trade-off is very normal, after all, if there really were small forwards with both explosive power and heft in the world, then surely they could easily snatch seven or eight championships.
If they could handle some footwork too, they’d be the undisputed GOAT.
But most small forwards don’t have such talent; they have to choose between being a finesse player and a ground-bound player as their evolutionary path.
Pierce chose the latter, and this season he has become a genuine heavyweight small forward.
That’s why he believed it was only natural for him to have a good finishing rate under the basket, and it would be weird if he couldn’t do it.
He wouldn’t let his efforts go to waste.
And he wouldn’t make excuses for himself.
Witnessing Pierce once again force his way to a score under the basket, Lenny Wilkens got goosebumps all over.
In the locker room, Wilkens had seen Pierce’s body covered in scars.
The knife scars on his body were still shocking to the eye.
Especially the two on his buttocks, Wilkens could imagine the gruesome scene at the time, surely it was a case of a white blade in, a yellow blade out.
Not fully recovered, and with damaged lungs, Pierce endured pain with each clash.
But he did it without hesitation, and still managed to score.
Roger gave Pierce a thumbs up, feeling very relieved.
Pierce was not like Shaq, who might be a big baby for life.
But Pierce, he had grown from a greenhorn into a man.
Nor was Pierce like Steve Smith, who refused pressure and competition.
Pierce enjoyed competition and was unafraid of pressure.
All the patience and waiting finally paid off for Roger with an excellent right-hand man!
After a 12-0 lead, Steve Jones shouted, “This season’s Atlanta Hawks are terrifying!
You double-team Roger, and you can’t stop Paul!”
The Spurs were still waiting for their first basket of the day, thankfully, Duncan finally did not continue to disappoint.
This offensive possession, Duncan posted up Big Ben on the high wing, then made a solid turnaround bank shot.
Duncan’s ability to independently solve plays was strong, he didn’t even need to overpower Garnett; his singular ability was even stronger than that of the more stat-glamorous forward, Karl Malone.
Evidence being that throughout his career, Karl Malone’s assisted rate in the playoffs was as high as 70%.
That is to say, he relied heavily on Stockton in offense.
Without Stockton feeding him the ball, he would struggle.
Though that strong man was covered in muscle, he was someone who couldn’t get things done without someone else pushing him.
Whereas Duncan’s assisted rate in the playoffs was only 54%.
As a comparison, even Shaq’s assisted rate in the playoffs was 63%.
That’s why when Karl Malone retired, he seldom boasted about his thirty-six thousand points, because he knew that didn’t represent his offensive level.
This round was a typical display of raw solving ability, the turnaround bank shot was the only signature move in Duncan’s otherwise unsophisticated offensive arsenal.
But soon, whether intentionally or not, Roger also made a turnaround bank shot on the right side!
Mario Elie, tasked with defending Roger, had already done his utmost, sticking closely as soon as Roger received the ball and trying to guide him to the baseline.
But after Roger received the ball, he backed down just a bit, got just a sliver of space, and immediately turned around to take a jump shot.
Mario Elie only saw the basketball fly over his head, followed by a “bang-dong” pair of sounds.
Roger’s bank shot jump too went in steadily!
“It’s not just you who can make it, big guy!” Roger yelled at Duncan after scoring.
Duncan didn’t respond, just focused intently on the next offensive play.
But with timely interference from Pippen and Big Ben, Duncan’s second turnaround bank shot missed.
Duncan’s ability to create shots was stronger than Karl Malone’s, but again, the high post wasn’t Duncan’s preferred spot for offense.
If you searched online for keywords like “Duncan, mid-range, high post, isolation,” you’d understand why he was regarded as the number one king of being isolated against.
Duncan missed, but Roger would not miss the chance to score in his face.
Facing Mario Elie again, Roger drove down the side, stopped abruptly on the wing, and took a jump shot.
This shot wasn’t just an ordinary jump shot but another 45-degree bank shot.
The ball went through the net, and Roger shrugged.
After just having played a mismatch against Duncan, Roger had again humiliated the San Antonio fans’ claim to an invincible big man.
Inside the Alamodome stadium, the fans made no sound.
No boos and no cheers.
They were utterly disheartened.
You could imagine the fans’ feelings, a championship VS championship, heavyweight clash, strong versus strong, everyone was expecting an intense game.
Physicality, buzzer-beaters, clutch plays, victorious king or defeated usurper, these were what the fans were looking forward to.
At the player level, a second-year player who was an all-around defender leading the league and easily winning the championship with 27.4+14 average in the finals, this was seen as Roger’s biggest rival for the next five to eight years.
And what did people see?
A one-sided slaughter, Roger scoring over and over in Duncan’s face.
The Spurs’ own offensive weaknesses were exposed; in last season’s playoffs, they played 18 games, with only two scoring over 100 points and four scoring over 90 points.
The Spurs averaged only 88.4 points but could suppress the opponents to an average of 81.2 points, which was why they had the last laugh.
But what happens when they come up against a scorer they just can’t suppress?
Today was the answer.
When Pierce could keep attacking the basket despite the pain, sharing the burden with Roger.