688: 239: You should pray, Kobe (asking for monthly tickets!) 688: 239: You should pray, Kobe (asking for monthly tickets!) Pierce and Roger each delivered an assist to each other after the game started.
They took on an aggressive stance at the home court of a team with a 16-game winning streak.
What infuriated Shaq the most was that both scores were made over his head.
When the Hawks team was first formed, people joked that Roger and Pippen were birds of a feather, but it turned out that Roger and Pierce were!
Under Pierce’s trash talk offensive of being “the best second in command in the basketball world,” Shaq got anxious, “Paul, what right do you have to talk about me, aren’t you just a second in command too?
No, even Scott ranks higher than you in the team!”
“Exactly, so I am complimenting you, you are the best second in command in the basketball world, you are Kobe’s best assistant, no one can compete with you for the second slot in the Lakers, you are so proud of it, how impressive you are,” Pierce sarcastically replied.
Shaq’s trash talk inadvertently dug a pit for himself, as Pierce could openly admit he was just a second or even third in command, but Shaq couldn’t.
O’Neal, unable to contain his rage, unleashed his fury on Big Ben, this round he charged like a football player, bumped hard after catching the ball, completely pushed Big Ben away, then turned around for a close-range toss to score.
After scoring, Shaq didn’t forget to flex his muscles at Big Ben.
“This is an undeniably offensive foul!” Lenny Wilkens complained loudly to the referee, very dissatisfied.
The referee didn’t respond, you have to admit that star treatment is a real thing.
As the hottest team of the season, the Lakers’ star players naturally received special treatment at the home court.
Roger also received similar treatment; when he played at Philips Arena, he could engage in more aggressive confrontations on the defensive end without worrying about being called for fouls, that’s a fact.
O’Neal’s basket helped the Lakers tie the score, he was trying to prove that this was his team.
Big Ben rubbed his chest, it would be a very tough night for him.
Shaq’s destructive power was at its peak at this stage; the Hawks’ inside line was fast but too fragile against Shaq.
In this era where blatant zone defense is not allowed, the power of helping defenders had not been maximized.
The era of traditional big men like Shaq had not yet passed.
Lenny Wilkens was certainly aware of this, no coach could expect two guys less than 210 centimeters to lock down Shaq.
But the team didn’t need to lock down Shaq.
The Hawks had other ways to handle the Lakers.
The game continued, with Roger scoring a mid-range jump shot using Big Ben’s screen.
Today, the main defender against Roger was Magic’s old guard Ron Harper; his defensive experience was indeed seasoned, but his physical capability had declined too much.
Now he simply couldn’t move quickly enough around Big Ben’s screen to keep up with Roger.
And since Shaq was typically unable to defend, scoring was simply too easy for Roger.
After scoring, Roger deliberately shouted at Kobe, “Ron, is your backcourt partner really this gutless?
Sending an old man like you to guard me?”
Harper didn’t respond, knowing that Roger was actually taunting Kobe.
Kobe dismissively shook his head, “You aren’t coming to guard me either.”
“Oh, you better pray I never come guard you.”
In the following rounds, Roger continuously used pick-and-rolls against Harper, making 2 out of 3 attempts.
Since the start of the game, Roger had already made 4 out of 5 shots, scoring 8 points.
This attacking efficiency could be compared to that of an insider.
Phil Jackson didn’t know why O’Neal had this defensive habit, he remembered O’Neal being able to defend while at Magic during their first championship season.
But since the first championship, O’Neal’s defensive enthusiasm had declined year by year.
The apathy brought by honors and money was vividly manifested in Shaq.
Although O’Neal had resolved to win this year, this resolution clearly didn’t include defense.
Shaq avoided defense mainly for two reasons: first, deeply ingrained poor defensive habits.
O’Neal needed to handle a large volume of offensive rights at the attacking end, and he was also heavier than during his Magic period.
Therefore, he had to scrutinize his remaining energy each minute like the stingiest of businessmen.
Compared to defending, Shaq preferred to reserve his energy for attacking.
As Roger continued to exploit this point and attack Shaq, Phil Jackson called for a timeout.
He knew that talking to Shaq about defense was a complete waste of words.
Zen Master didn’t want to waste words on this aspect, his tongue was reserved for serving Jeanie Buss.
Regarding O’Neal’s defense, Zen Master had gotten used to one thing: if you can’t change Shaq, then help clean up his mess.
This time during the timeout, Zen Master waved his hand, “Kobe, you guard Roger.”
Since Kobe didn’t have heavy attacking duties for the first three quarters, letting him wear down Roger was acceptable.
This adjustment had an immediate effect, when Roger once again used a pick-and-roll against Shaq, Kobe squeezed past the screen instantly, stayed in front of Roger firmly, and disrupted his jump shot, causing a miss.
After successfully completing the defense, Kobe couldn’t help but laugh, and Roger could hear the pride in his tone, “Feeling frustrated?
No worries, go back to the hotel and let your 19-year-old model girlfriend console you.
Maybe, go sit on the Ferris wheel at Santa Monica Beach?
That activity is more up your alley.”