Champion Creed
Chapter 692 - 692 240 8 points that's Kobe's value asking for monthly tickets!_2

692: 240: 8 points, that’s Kobe’s value (asking for monthly tickets!)_2 692: 240: 8 points, that’s Kobe’s value (asking for monthly tickets!)_2 Kobe really got carried away easily, sometimes it was a strength, other times a weakness.

Sometimes his unreasonable solo plays could demolish his opponents, which was a strength.

But sometimes his unreasonable solo plays could demolish the Lakers, and in those moments, it was a weakness.

Kobe forced the start, spinning into the basket area.

Seeing Roger firmly guarding the baseline, Kobe then spun towards the key to take the shot.

But what awaited him was Ben Wallace’s fierce block.

Three offenses, blocked twice, one miss.

Roger felt lucky he didn’t have to be teammates with someone like Kobe.

Even Pierce from last season, who was really on the dumb side, only had flawed defense but rarely ever took a misguided shot.

Now Roger was really curious about who he despised more, Kobe or Shaq.

Well, after the “Shaq’s done it too” incident, Roger definitely had to ask Shaq this question.

The game continued, Pierce didn’t waste his chance this time.

He used his strong physique to back down Glenn Rice near the key, then made a back turn towards the inside.

For a moment, Shaq, Glenn Rice, and A.

C.

Green – all three raised their arms and closed in.

Facing such a formation, Pierce wasn’t flustered.

After back turning, he followed up with a smooth step back and then shot the jumper from inside the key.

The three defenders all jumped, but due to the space created by the step back, their palms couldn’t reach Pierce.

The bucket was good, amidst the triple team, increasing the lead to double digits!

A strong body, solid footwork, soft touch…

Paul Pierce was the teammate with the strongest ball-carrying offensive capability Roger had played with since joining the league.

Scottie Pippen’s ball handling was never top-notch, Shaq was a center that needed to be fed the ball, and Stevie Smith’s style leaned towards playing off the ball.

So this was the first time in Roger’s professional career that he could fully invest in defense without having to worry about offense at all.

Paul Pierce would take care of everything.

The Angel Envoy and his apostles continued to spread fear in Los Angeles.

A possession later, Kobe finally scored.

A difficult shot, banked in while being completely covered by Roger.

But there was no cheering in the arena.

Because Kobe didn’t display the dominating performance everyone expected.

This basket didn’t quench the thirst; the Lakers needed efficient and stable scoring.

But in front of Roger, could Kobe really be efficient and stable?

The answer was no.

In the remaining fourth quarter, Kobe wouldn’t be shut out, but his offensive efficiency wasn’t enough to even the score for the Lakers.

Paul Pierce’s performance was just the opposite of Kobe’s.

His offense wasn’t as explosive as Roger’s, but it ensured the Hawks kept their grip on the situation.

With three minutes left in the game, Glenn Rice’s three-pointer finally got the Lakers within a ten-point margin.

Phil Jackson called a timeout, and you could imagine how furious Shaq was at that moment.

In the first three quarters, he and Roger were evenly matched, but following Kobe’s lead, the team fell behind by double digits.

“I told you earlier to give me the ball!” O’Neal had only taken three shots in the fourth quarter, with Kobe ignoring his calls for the ball most of the time.

Kobe said nothing, his efficiency leaving him without the right to say, “The fourth quarter belongs to me.”

In his fourth year, Kobe, who regarded himself at the peak, was thoroughly crushed by Roger.

In the first three quarters, Roger had dissected Kobe’s defense.

In the fourth quarter, Roger buried Kobe’s offense.

After the timeout, Shaq began to position himself in the post, ready for a one-on-one.

But he didn’t even receive the ball.

The moment Kobe passed to Shaq, Pippen immediately activated, cut off the passing lane, and intercepted the ball.

During the first three quarters, Pippen mainly guarded Kobe, so he couldn’t showcase his ability to play help defense.

But in the fourth quarter, he had full rein on the defensive end.

You can’t pass the ball recklessly in front of a team with Scottie Pippen, a rule that hasn’t changed since 1991.

Scottie Pippen might have too many antics, but you have to admit that not just anyone can play the court jester to two eras of kings.

Pierce’s miss gave the Lakers a chance to close the gap to a single digit, Shaq demanded the ball deep; he wanted to finish the job the moment he got the ball.

Harper lobbed the ball in, O’Neal shrugged off Big Ben, turned around, ready to smash the rim.

But before he could jump, Shaq was wrestled around the waist by Marion.

Marion fouled out of the game, a price to pay for defending Shaq.

But it was a price the Hawks could afford.

Shaq was a bit frustrated; what he hated the most was being deliberately fouled at critical moments when his team was trailing behind.

Theoretically, stopping the clock to score is what any trailing team would hope for.

But Shaq especially hated these moments.

He loathed free throws, the most detested part of his game on the court.

Over the past summer, he indeed had put a lot of effort into free throws, but that’s exactly what was so heartbreaking – his efforts were futile.

On the practice court, Shaq could easily hit around 85% of his free throws.

But it was a whole different story during games.

Once again, O’Neal made only one of two free throws.

Such free throws didn’t help the Lakers much in terms of catching up.

Shaq’s weakness in crunch time always seemed too significant.

Big Ben grabbed the rebound, and Roger, in no rush, accompanied Shaq back to the other half of the court, “Shaq, that’s why you only deserve to be a second-place champion.”