Champion Creed
Chapter 981: 320: The Answer You Dare Not Face (Vote for the Monthly Ticket!)_3

Chapter 981: 320: The Answer You Dare Not Face (Vote for the Monthly Ticket!)_3

But Shaq didn’t rush out too recklessly, because Raja Bell is extremely skilled at maneuvering around screens.

Sure enough, Roger barely took a step after the pick-and-roll and was immediately tied up again by Raja Bell.

However, Roger did not back down, using this aggressive opponent as leverage to continue his drive. Shaq was guarding the basket tightly, intending to team up with Raja Bell to stop Roger.

Yet, once Roger drove into the restricted zone, he clearly passed the ball to Amar’e Stoudemire, who had popped out after the pick-and-roll.

Amar’e Stoudemire took a mid-range shot, but unfortunately, the basketball bounced off the rim.

As a rookie, Stoudemire couldn’t yet hold up in the mid-range game consistently; he could try an occasional shot when he felt good, but his stability was lacking.

Roger wanted to test Stoudemire’s touch tonight in that play, but it was not the result he hoped for.

It seems he really has to go all out tonight to win, leaving no room for maneuvers.

Shaq grabbed the rebound and handed it to Van Exel, then dashed forward to participate in the offense.

To Roger’s surprise, Shaq did not taunt him about his missed shot.

However, when he ran near Stoudemire, Shaq was instantly loose-lipped: “Seriously Amar’e, your being picked third is just as ridiculous as someone thinking Tim Duncan is better than me; it’s the biggest joke in the history of the NBA draft.”

Stoudemire didn’t respond, or rather he wasn’t much inclined to respond to trash talk from opponents.

Not liking to stir trouble is often seen as a good trait by many, but on the basketball court, it’s entirely a bad habit. When you don’t respond to the opponent, they will mentally underestimate you and then become increasingly bold.

Stoudemire’s silence made Shaq even bolder, and this time he received the ball at a high position, preparing for a face-up one-on-one against Stoudemire.

O’Neal initiated before Prince could double-team, made a crossover under his leg breaking towards Stoudemire’s left. Stoudemire immediately shifted to follow, but Shaq spun in the opposite direction, using guard-like moves to completely outmaneuver Stoudemire, easily completing a slam to score!

O’Neal’s play was deliberately humiliating Stoudemire: “I don’t even need to rely on the body against a loser like you! The Warriors should have agreed to the trade involving you and Mutombo; they really should have sent you away, you’re not even as good as that 50-year-old guy.”

“God, help this kid, why does he have to face Shaquille O’Neal at the age of 19?” Charles Barkley shook his head, truth be told, he didn’t like Stoudemire, nor did he favor Yao Ming.

One who led a dive into the lottery in New York as a bust number one pick, and one who was a much-touted bust number three pick, why do they constantly occupy the headlines in major media outlets?

Is it just because Yao Ming is Chinese and based in New York?

Or because Amar’e Stoudemire plays alongside Roger, who is the best in history?

Merely from the media and fan attention, you’d think Yao Ming and Stoudemire were some sort of superstars. But a steadier look shows both average only 13+8 per game.

This seems so unfair to Flying Pig.

He never enjoyed such attention throughout his entire career as Yao Ming and Stoudemire do.

Why do these rookies deserve it?

Nonetheless, even Flying Pig who deeply dislikes Stoudemire, has some sympathy for the number 32 this time.

Unexpected attention would also amplify the failures of his rookie season; facing being destroyed by the best center in the playoffs at 19 for everyone to see, it’s really tragic.

Luckily, Roger quickly halted the Warriors’ decline.

This possession, Roger directly engaged in a back-to-the-basket play against Raja Bell, a step of pressure followed by a turnaround jump shot, the basketball banked in.

Raja Bell’s position was actually hardly better than Stoudemire, his only hope was for the fierce confrontation to erode Roger’s touch, otherwise, there was no way out for him.

Help defense? Double-team? You overestimate the Mavericks’ defense.

Throughout the Mavericks’ starting lineup, only Raja Bell’s defense is considered excellent.

The others lack any strong awareness for help defense, Old Nelson himself doesn’t emphasize that, he believes the Mavericks’ offensive system is enough to solve all troubles.

Neither side can defend the other’s superstar, thus it turned into Shaq and Roger’s earth-shattering shootout.

O’Neal was unmatched in the paint, except for occasionally “Little Prince” Prince intercepting passes and prematurely fouling from Warriors inside, Shaq was nearly unstoppable.

Yet Roger was even more terrifying, because he could attack while holding the ball directly, without the issue of intercepting passes. Moreover, Roger wasn’t the type of player who could be stopped with fouls.

In the third quarter, Hubie Brown made a decisive on-the-spot command, putting Troy Murphy, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Stephen Jackson on the floor simultaneously.

Stephen Jackson defended Dirk Nowitzki as the power forward, while Troy Murphy had only one task, to resist Shaq in the restricted zone along with Stoudemire.

In doing so, the Mavericks’ small forward position would be entirely exposed.

But this was where Hubie Brown gambled against Old Nelson.

Since Michael Finley was considered as a trade chip for Shaq, the Mavericks had been lacking a viable small forward option.

Whether it was the Mexican Eduardo Nájera, veteran Walter Williams, or the robust Adrian Griffin, they all lacked exceptional scoring abilities, not counting as qualified starters.

Unless Old Nelson could devise a way to score with the small forward, Hubie Brown’s strategy of dismantling the small forward to bolster the center’s defense wouldn’t be punished.

Old Nelson was truly helpless with this; no coach, no matter how formidable, could work wonders with a roster full of overly mediocre players.