Champion Creed
Chapter 647 - 647 227 Shaq's blood became the fuel for Roger's burning anger Seeking monthly tickets!_3

647: 227: Shaq’s blood became the fuel for Roger’s burning anger (Seeking monthly tickets!)_3 647: 227: Shaq’s blood became the fuel for Roger’s burning anger (Seeking monthly tickets!)_3 Defensively, he didn’t have much of a method against Roger.

Offensively, Kobe was almost completely locked down!

Bob Costas even joked, “Roger is giving Kobe a taste of ‘Paul Pierce beauty’.”

Although Shaq was able to score consistently in the paint, he couldn’t lead the Lakers to a surge that could change the momentum of the game.

With less than two minutes left in the game, the Lakers were still down by 5 points.

In other words, in the fourth quarter, faced with Roger’s relentless offense and defense, the Lakers had only recovered 1 point!

Kobe, who had 22 points in the first three quarters, only managed 4 points in the fourth quarter due to limited shooting opportunities and being defended by Roger and Eric Snow.

O’Neal ended up scoring a total of 36 points for the game.

Roger already had 45 points, with 14 in the fourth quarter alone.

What infuriated Shaq was that all 14 points Roger scored in the fourth quarter came from mid to long-range jumpers.

Roger didn’t set foot in the paint again, so Shaq didn’t have the chance to make him bleed.

Of course, Roger wasn’t afraid of Shaq; he just didn’t want to dribble much against the now-steal-prone Kobe, choosing to shoot directly whenever he got even a sliver of space.

As for Pierce, he only scored 2 points in the fourth quarter, totaling 9 points for the game.

Although he prevented Glenn Rice from scoring, his presence was still not notable.

Pierce was very self-critical, having played too smoothly in the first half of the season and thinking the NBA was easy.

But today, he realized just how much he still lacked.

The game was still undecided, with the Lakers in possession.

Big Ben continued to tussle with Shaq in front.

At the crucial moment, O’Neal’s disadvantages began to show.

It wasn’t just Shaq; most inside players struggled at the last minute, and that was even getting a chance to receive the ball was difficult.

Centers’ offense inherently required one extra step compared to guards and forwards—they needed to first receive the ball.

There’s no way you can catch the ball as easily as T-Mac does outside the three-point line and shoot right away.

Or like LeBron, catch the ball so easily outside the three-point line and go straight to the hoop.

Centers, especially the old-school ones who do not venture out to take shots, must go through intense competition in the paint to get a chance to receive the ball.

This time, O’Neal put in all his effort to wrestle with Big Ben, and 18 seconds of the 24-second shot clock had passed before the ball even got to Shaq.

But right as Shaq received the ball and prepared to make a move, Roger burst out, suddenly appearing in front of Shaq!

Roger had his eyes on Shaq for a while; he was waiting for that bastard to get the ball!

O’Neal tried to pass the ball, but Roger was quicker and slapped it away, successful in his steal!

Now O’Neal could understand why the Jazz had lost so miserably last season, and why Karl Malone had been so stifled.

Big Ben would wear you down, Roger would pop out for a double-team at any moment, and last season the Hawks even had Pippen.

It’s unbelievable what Karl Malone had to go through.

After the steal, Roger quickly crossed half court, but Kobe, through sheer effort, forced Roger to slow down just past the three-point line.

Roger wanted to pass the ball to Pierce, who was following up through the middle, but Glenn Rice was willing to tug at Pierce’s jersey to block the passing lane.

Roger then slowed the pace and waited for everyone to get into position.

Kobe continued to press.

He had thought he could prove today that he was capable of competing with Roger, only to have Roger make him lose face in the fourth quarter.

O’Neal was also fully focused, waiting to teach Roger a lesson, yet Roger didn’t even enter the paint in the fourth quarter.

However, O’Neal thought that the bastard would definitely come in, definitely!

Pierce was still trying to shake off Glenn Rice, but he was unable to accelerate anymore.

His defense was terrible today, and his stamina management was even worse.

Earlier, in order to stop Kobe, Pierce hadn’t thought about the later consequences.

However, all that overzealous energy on defense was useless.

Roger tried several breakthroughs but was bite-marked by Kobe each time.

Also, it wouldn’t have mattered if Roger had broken through because Shaq was waiting behind him, ready to close down on Roger.

When Shaq was serious about defense, you could rely on him to have your back.

With the shot clock running down, Kobe let the sweat drip off his chin, still intently watching Roger: “Hey, time for plan B, pass the ball to poor Paul Pierce.”

Roger laughed; did you think I didn’t want to pass?

That idiot Pierce was already dog-tired and couldn’t break free!

You couldn’t just force a bad pass knowing it would turn into a turnover at a critical moment, right?

With 8 seconds remaining in the game, Roger made a strong move on Kobe, but the next second after his drive, he suddenly stepped back.

Kobe closed in immediately, thinking Roger was certainly going for a step-back jumper.

But after retreating beyond the three-point line, Roger adjusted his center and surged forward again!

Kobe, who had completely lost his balance preparing to block Roger’s shot, was left watching helplessly as Roger blew past him.

Roger successfully got by Kobe, and his change of pace—from shallow to deep—had proven effective in various matchups.

After getting past Kobe, Roger faced O’Neal, who had already positioned himself quite high.

O’Neal was ready; he was determined to make Roger bleed!

But Roger didn’t engage in a physical contest with Shaq; instead, he suddenly jumped into a quick float shot while on the move.

Shaq didn’t even react in time, let alone jump, standing there like a big dumb lug as the basketball sailed over him into the net!

“Past Kobe, challenged Shaq, successful shot; that’s Roger!

The lead is up to 7 points.

The Los Angeles Lakers are just a small step away from defeat, and even combined efforts of Kobe and Shaq can’t counter Roger’s will!” Bob Costas was incredibly excited, as this was the outcome he had foreseen.