724: 248: The Retribution of the Haughty (Vote for Monthly Tickets!)_2 724: 248: The Retribution of the Haughty (Vote for Monthly Tickets!)_2 Under these circumstances, what’s to say that defeating Roger was impossible?
At the very least, he could give him a huge headache.
After all, in a best-of-five series, winning just two games can push the opponent into a corner.
He hoped to show his mettle in the first round, and even if he didn’t win the series, he intended to take a chunk out of Roger’s hide, to prove that the self-important bastard was no god.
But Ray Allen’s fantasies were ruthlessly shattered in the first game.
The Hawks’ perimeter defense was historically formidable, which was problematic since the Bucks relied heavily on outside shots.
In fact, their inconsistency was the reason for this.
An offensive team can lose many inexplicable games if they can’t find their rhythm or touch.
Tonight, Cassell’s shooting percentage was limited to 35%, and “Big Dog” Robinson was at a mere 23%.
Ray Allen was the best of the three musketeers, but his shooting was only 40%.
Roger, Pippen, and Pierce each took care of their matchups.
Defensively, the Bucks’ best player was a guy with a head bump.
He was only 201 cm tall, but worked incredibly hard, taking on all the dirty and exhausting tasks.
George Karl appreciated this aspect of him, a guy who had shattered backboards in the NCAA, relying on his excellent physicality to contribute defensibly.
But all the efforts of the head bump player went in vain.
Because, in the end, the Hawks won by 35 points.
The guy with the head bump was utterly dejected; he had been so earnest and hardworking, but Roger and Pierce were like playing a shooting game at an amusement park, hitting shots at will.
It couldn’t be helped; neither Ray Allen nor “Big Dog” Robinson were elite perimeter defenders.
With such weak first-line defense, no matter how hard the guy with the head bump worked to cover, it was fruitless.
He thought that this year’s playoffs would mark the beginning of his firm stand in the NBA.
But what he encountered was this kind of defeat.
LIttle did Darvin Ham know that his real break in the NBA would come as a “head bump coach.”
The Bucks’ defense was no threat to the Hawks.
In 2024, some data-loving fans often considered Ray Allen to be one of the best defenders against Kobe.
Kobe’s shooting percentage was often suppressed in games against the Celtics, and Ray Allen was the player who frequently guarded Kobe the longest.
But data won’t tell you about Tony Allen and Rondo’s efforts on the defensive end, nor will it tell you how significant Kevin Garnett was in that equation.
Once again, the game proved how different it is from the data: Ray Allen’s defense wasn’t bad, but he definitely couldn’t handle a scorer like Roger one-on-one.
Roger mercilessly scored 41 points on Ray Allen’s head, then continued to taunt him in the post-game interview, “I like Ray; I had a great time with him during the previous All-Star game.
He’s a guy who can surprise you.
Like tonight, his earlier statements made everyone think the Bucks would play fiercely against us, only to lose by 35 points.
Isn’t that a surprise?”
Ray Allen’s response was simple, “You have to win three games in a series to actually win!”
But except for last season’s Riley, this hope had been dashed for everyone else.
Ray Allen was no exception.
In the second match, George Karl decided to implement his specialty of front-court trapping.
The result was Pippen blissfully exploiting the backdoor.
He moved around freely and smoothly, experiencing unprecedented bliss.
The Bucks’ starting center Earvin “I’m not Magic” Johnson simply couldn’t stop this, his biggest achievement in life being that he shared a name with Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
In fact, when Earvin Johnson was on the court, his rim protection wasn’t bad.
The issue was that he was a benchwarmer at heart; George Karl had to restrict his playing time to under 30 minutes, just to avoid situations where he would “stand with knees bent, tongue out, breathing hard, missing a fast break.”
The only improvement for the Bucks from the last game was that Ray Allen found his touch, scoring 26 points with a shooting percentage of 50%.
But Roger’s performance of 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, along with Pippen’s 27 points, still caused the Bucks to lose by 31 points!
After the game, Roger deliberately patted Ray Allen on the shoulder, “Goodbye, Ray.
Promise me, no more big talk, will you?
The one with a high opinion of himself has always been you.”
In that moment, Roger really figured out why he disliked Ray Allen; fundamentally, he was a conceited person.
Ray Allen was indeed a difficult person, yes, he had a privileged family background, a commendable clean style of play, and a reserved personality.
But throughout his career, he also quietly fell out with multiple teams and players, mostly due to his conceit.
When he and Rondo were embroiled in trade rumors, he arrogantly believed it was all Rondo’s fault, that he was innocent.
When assessing Kobe, he haughtily commented on Kobe and Shaq’s relationship, as though lecturing Kobe on how to behave.
When teammates invited him out, he almost never went, then turned around to play golf with those of high social status, as if he was deliberately telling his teammates, “I am simply not from the same world as you, we just can’t mix.”