Champion Creed
Chapter 801 - 801 269 He is the key to everything Requesting monthly votes!_4

801: 269: He is the key to everything (Requesting monthly votes!)_4 801: 269: He is the key to everything (Requesting monthly votes!)_4 His head was drenched in cold sweat!

Grant Hill’s recent breakthrough was like piercing through your soul!

Pippen had faced Grant Hill before and admitted that Hill was quick, but Hill’s past directional changes relied more on sheer speed, lacking strong deceptive qualities.

But in that last play, Hill’s fake moves combined with speed left Pippen with no chance at all.

It was at this moment Pippen realized it wasn’t just speed creating the gap with Grant Hill—it was time.

He himself had weakened, while Grant Hill continued to improve, making Hill seem all the faster.

The Hawks retaliated, and the Lakers double-teamed Roger in the first play, with Roger passing the ball to Pippen.

Pippen took a shot for three, but Grant Hill quickly closed in.

This season, the Lakers’ starting lineup was essentially an upgrade from Glenn Rice to Grant Hill; many noticed Hill’s impact offensively but overlooked his stronger defensive contributions compared to Rice.

Grant Hill’s defense wasn’t yet at an elite level, but he excelled in diligence and attention to detail.

Additionally, with better physical attributes, Grant Hill’s rotation speed was quicker than Glenn Rice’s.

With Hill’s timely interference, Pippen’s three-point attempt bounced off.

This offense and defense play had already put immense pressure on Pippen.

Today, he had to be fully focused on Grant Hill and constantly careful.

Otherwise, he’d be overwhelmed!

This meant Pippen could no longer spare energy for help-side defense.

O’Neal secured the rebound, the Lakers counter-attacked.

Shaq grabbed the rebound and immediately passed to Grant Hill, with Kobe not demanding the ball blindly, ensuring smooth ball distribution after the center grabbed the rebound.

Grant Hill continued to face Pippen, but this time he didn’t showcase his rapid directional changes.

Holding the ball outside the right three-point line, Grant Hill passed to Kobe immediately after he ran from the opposite baseline corner.

This season, Kobe’s improvements in off-ball movements were significant.

Previously, he stubbornly believed having the ball in hand was necessary for game control.

But this season, Kobe thought he just needed shooting rights; having the ball or not was irrelevant.

After receiving the ball, Kobe smoothly broke through the center towards the paint.

Pierce lacked in speed and thus could only sprint to catch up.

Kobe suddenly paused at the three-point line arc top, then executed a behind-the-back move!

This unexpected stop sent the sprinting and unable-to-break Pierce flying several meters away!

Kobe’s transition between off-ball and on-ball play was the best Grant Hill had seen, with the only drawback being difficulty in collecting assists from such players.

But Grant Hill wasn’t concerned about stats.

After shaking off Pierce, Kobe took a three-point shot immediately.

This was a completely open opportunity, so Kobe was fully confident in this shot.

He hoped to make a strong start and take control from the very beginning.

Was 10 to 0 far-fetched?

Once this ball goes in, it’ll be 5 to 0!

Yet just as the ball was about to leave Kobe’s fingertips, a hand extended from the diagonal front, directly blocking the shot.

“Roger’s help defense was extremely quick; he sealed the great opportunity Kobe created!

This is the Hawks’ perimeter defense—they can turn all opportunities into nothing!” Magic was excited; the Hawks truly were the only team in the league capable of challenging the Lakers!

Pierce then picked up the blocked ball and passed it to Roger, who finished with a one-handed power dunk, opening the score for the Hawks in the Christmas showdown.

3 to 2, the Hawks trailed by 1 point, but Kobe’s attempt to start 10 to 0 was instantly crushed.

The Zen Master sighed from the sidelines; this was Roger, the freak with seven years and five championships.

That was one of Kobe’s few rational shots; he’d obtained completely open space.

Yet Roger still managed to timely reposition and destroy an excellent opportunity.

However, this was a scene the Zen Master was pleased with.

Look at these two defensive plays; right from the start, the Hawks’ three key perimeter players had to maximize their defensive intensity to counter Kobe and Grant Hill.

Last season, the Hawks’ full-intensity, pressing defense was indeed formidable, but it could only last a quarter.

Now, they’re forced to employ this defense mode right in the first quarter.

And this surely impacted the Hawks’ offense.

Then, in the game, the Hawks indeed paid a hefty price defensively.

Pippen and Pierce had to constantly stay close to Grant Hill and Kobe, while Roger had to constantly participate in help defense.

Big Ben and Marion couldn’t help much, as they’d already been overwhelmed dealing with Shaq.

And when Hornacek came on, Roger had to personally match up defensively against Kobe or Hill.

By the end of the first quarter, the Hawks were trailing by 2 points.

Roger scored 15 out of the Hawks’ 25 points, as focusing too much on offense led to Pippen and Pierce being less active offensively.

Pierce’s shooting percentage was low, Pippen reduced his penetration frequency, and Roger’s offensive pressure increased significantly.

Later in the game, Lenny Wilkens tried implementing the semicircular offense, allowing Roger to utilize isolation plays and counter the Lakers’ big three with offense versus offense.

But Hornacek’s defensive abilities and stamina limited the duration of the semicircular offense.

In the second quarter’s middle part, Wilkens first called up Michael Reed from the end of the bench, hoping he would substitute for the heavily panting Hornacek and continue creating space for Roger.

However, Michael Reed failed to stage an inspirational story on this grand stage.

After entering the game, he missed all three attempts from beyond the arc and recorded a turnover.

He was very tense, appearing completely unprepared.

After being scolded by Lenny Wilkens, the second-round pick was benched for the rest of the game.

The Lakers were in control, Grant Hill was decisive, Shaq’s defense was serious, and needless to say, Kobe—the player most eager to win in the Lakers lineup—was constantly firing at full force.

By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers had already widened the gap to 12 points!

All Lakers fans in front of the TVs were thrilled at that moment, and Bill Simmons was right in saying the Los Angeles Lakers were making the game boring.

But for Los Angeles people, this was extremely exciting!

During the break, Roger wiped sweat and gulped half a bottle of Gatorade.

He had rested only three minutes so far in today’s game; in the regular season, Roger rarely played for such long periods.

But there was no choice; after resting for three minutes, the Lakers were already leading by 12 points.

If he rested any longer, the game would become even harder.

Lenny Wilkens devised a strategy for reversing the game, deciding to use two mixed lineups first for defense, then offense.

“Listen, the first half, we’ll use defense to catch up!

Scott, Bruce, give me your all on defense to bite those two brats from the Lakers and create counterattack opportunities!

Once the score is close, Jeff, Paul, seize those damn three-point opportunities, don’t be like some loser!

I want you to create isolation opportunities for Roger!”

After speaking, Wilkens glanced at Reed.

Reed lowered his head silently.

Lenny Wilkens’ strategy was correct; in basketball, to catch up with a big score gap, defense is fundamental.

Relying solely on offense won’t close a double-digit gap in one quarter.

Thus, the first half needs outstanding defense to narrow or level the score.

But over time, the defensive effectiveness will surely decline, and after such intense defense, Pippen and Bowen couldn’t execute precise shots to create space for Roger.

Therefore, after catching up with the score through defense, Lenny Wilkens planned to bring on Hornacek and the already rested Pierce.

Ideally, the score would be caught up by then, allowing an offensive showdown to conclude the game.

The only issue was Roger remained crucial in both phases, needing to stay on the court.

Focusing on defense meant he had to manage help defense.

Focusing on offense meant he was the primary one-on-one attacker.

Roger couldn’t rest in the fourth quarter—he was the key to everything!

Roger nodded after listening to the strategy; he wasn’t afraid of bearing responsibility or handling pressure.

He clapped his hands and confidently told everyone: “Let the Los Angeles people enjoy a real Christmas night.”