Chapter 1061: Chapter 341: I Thought I Was Here to Assist Him

So for the Cavaliers, as long as they can keep up with the score in the first half, the Warriors’ combat power will inevitably decline in the second half when their main players’ time on the court decreases, and that will be the Cavaliers’ opportunity to win the game.

LeBron James is not worried about his playoff qualification at all, after all, he only needs to win one out of three games to secure the eighth spot in the East. But he doesn’t want people to say he made the playoffs by bullying that old man Michael Jordan; he wants to beat the Warriors or the Pistons!

Defeating either the Warriors or the Pistons would add value to the Cavaliers’ playoff berth.

LeBron James admits that last time when facing Roger, he was too nervous and completely lost on the court.

But this time, he will not be so weak.

He wants to become the pride of Cleveland!

The next day, the third-to-last day of the regular season. The Cleveland Cavaliers face off against the Golden State Warriors once again. This time, the battlefield has moved to the Bay Area.

When the players took the court, Michael Reed and Roger embraced and chatted for a bit.

“Roger, are you only playing twenty-some minutes tonight?”

“That’s right, don’t worry Michael, I won’t be treating you any differently. Today’s playing time won’t exceed half an hour either.”

“Then you might not necessarily win tonight.”

“Michael, since when have you become so humorous? You think half an hour isn’t enough to deal with you guys?”

“I’m serious Roger, you know we have to make the playoffs. And once the opportunity appears, we can never leave it for the next game to fight for!”

“Well said,” Roger nodded, “You should be the leader of the Cavaliers.”

“Come on, I just want to win for my hometown and get a max contract, that’s all. If the Cavaliers need me to support LeBron, I don’t mind.”

“Your dreams will come true, winning for your hometown, getting a max contract. But one thing won’t come true, and that’s securing the playoff spot here tonight.”

After a brief chat, both starters took their positions, and the game is about to begin.

Scottie Pippen was at Michael Jordan’s luxurious Atlanta residence, watching the game live with him.

Pippen and Jordan relaxed, half lying on the sofa, as if they were about to enjoy a popcorn movie.

Their relaxed state left Marcus Jordan quite puzzled.

Would you be that relaxed while secretly browsing a website at home? No, because once you’re discovered, you’re done for, you would spend that time in a blend of excitement and nervousness.

Today’s game is the same, once the Cavaliers win, his father’s entire season’s effort, accompanied by that damned Scottie Pippen who’s always monopolizing Aunt Larsa, would be for naught, everything would be ruined.

Yet they seemed so at ease, not feeling a pinch of nervousness.

On the television, the game had already begun.

Marcus Camby, starting today, utilized extreme jumping speed to overcome the height disadvantage and outjumped Big Z for the ball, winning possession for the Warriors.

This season, Camby and Mutombo’s starting positions aren’t fixed, it’s determined by the opponent.

If the opponent has a strong low-post threat, Mutombo starts and gets more playing time.

If the opponent lacks a strong low-post threat, Marcus Camby starts and gets more playing time.

Warriors deploying this lineup today already indicates that Hubie Brown doesn’t regard Big Z as a strong low-post threat.

No matter how stellar Yao Ming’s performance is this season, no matter how high Tim Duncan is rated, and no matter how many dunks Shaq has in Dallas, all these can’t change the fact that the glory days of interior beasts remained in the 90s.

The success of Olajuwon in 1993, Shaq during the Magic Dynasty, and Duncan in 99 still allow interior beasts to own a spot on the main stage.

But what happened after the millennium? Since 2000, the starting centers of the four championship teams have been Kurt Thomas, Big Ben, Kurt Thomas, Big Ben.

And these two happen to be the most unconventional short centers.

Their success sufficiently demonstrates that today’s championship teams absolutely do not need interior beasts.

Even the over 220 cm tall and technically delicate Big Z couldn’t produce a dominant performance in the era of zone defense. This gave the Warriors the confidence to start Camby and utilize his mobility to enhance the team’s joint defense.

The Warriors attacked first, with Eric Snow defending Roger.

Roger didn’t attack himself but passed the ball to Tayshaun Prince who used an off-ball screen to get out to the three-point line. James was blocked by Camby’s off-ball screen, leading to Prince comfortably sinking a three-pointer to give the Warriors a good start.

Though Roger only provided an assist, his mouth didn’t stop: “Did you see that Michael, that’s LeBron James, the guy you want to support. He left his man unmarked on the first play of the game. Damn it, I think he should be the one supporting you instead!”

James was fed up with Roger; he and Michael Jordan were birds of a feather.

But no one on the Cavaliers talked back, as everyone knew it would only lead to more terrible insults.

James didn’t respond either, as today he just wanted to let victory speak for him.

The Cavaliers’ turn to attack, Michael Reed started cutting for positions, but the one tailing him wasn’t Roger but the Little Prince who loved being like an armored vehicle.