CHAPTER 1062: CHAPTER 341: I THOUGHT I WAS HERE TO ASSIST HIM

Where’s Roger?

Roger spread his arms wide and stood right in front of LeBron James!

Offense is a long process, so if you want to settle a match in 25 minutes, defense is the sharpest weapon.

Roger’s plan today is very clear. He’s willing to give it his all and ramp up the defense intensity from the start of the game to suppress his offense.

When defending Michael Jordan, you need to watch out for his cuts, his post-ups, his shoulder fakes.

Defending Kobe Bryant, you need to be wary of his sudden pull-up shots, watch his various turnaround jumpers.

When defending Allen Iverson, you absolutely need to watch his dribble and never get greedy for stats by trying to steal.

Even defending Reggie Miller is troublesome because that old bastard’s off-ball movement is slick like it’s greased, and he’s as cunning as an antelope evading a lion’s pursuit in the forest.

Defending all these big names means there’s a series of complicated precautions, and you can’t relax for a moment on defense.

But defending LeBron James, you only need to do one thing: take a step back.

Roger has played in this league for 11 seasons and he’s never seen a player with such popularity who’s so simple to defend.

James is already used to being defended like this. He wanted to take advantage of the space Roger left by stepping back to test his shot, but he hesitated because the stakes are high in this game.

Finally, after another glance at the hoop, LeBron James took the shot.

What LeBron James didn’t expect was, as soon as he released the ball, Roger approached without any delay and jumped to block it. Normally, players wouldn’t jump decisively on the perimeter due to the fear of getting beaten. But Roger jumped forward with all his might, as if he didn’t even consider the possibility of James breaking through.

However, Roger’s choice was correct. Because of his high jump, not only did Roger block LeBron James, he slapped the ball right down!

Michael Jordan straightened up on the couch, Scottie Pippen held his head with both hands, and Marcus Jordan saw Aunt Larsa, who was bending down to get drinks from the fridge, straighten up too.

"What’s going on?! Is this a streetball court? How did Roger just snatch LeBron’s shot out of the air?!" Defense maestro Scottie Pippen remarked.

Michael Jordan’s eyes widened as if witnessing a miracle.

Yes, in an NBA game, directly grabbing a block is quite difficult.

But just when James glanced at the rim, Roger already figured out his intentions and jumped with all his might to cover him up.

Roger thought this through — even if James got past him, it wouldn’t matter because Stoudemire and Camby were there to guard the rim. Even if LeBron James broke through, scoring easily wasn’t guaranteed.

Amidst the astonished chorus of the crowd, Roger, having completed the block, quickly pushed forward for a fast break, with James trailing closely behind.

As Roger entered the paint, James leaped from behind to attempt a block, but Roger switched hands to neutralize the threat and scored the fast break point solidly!

"LeBron," Roger bantered while running back, "What’s the worst game you’ve ever played offensively? Whatever it is, forget about it because tonight will bring a new ’worst game’."

The young LeBron James wasn’t discouraged, and in the next play, he passed the ball to Big Z and quickly cut in.

Big Z made a bounce pass to the number 23, who gathered himself to go for a layup. But Roger came from behind and poked the ball out of bounds!

The ball still belonged to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but James’s attempt failed once again.

This season, Roger, as a guard, has been in the top three of the DPOY rankings.

When he focuses more on defense, his impact on that end is evident.

And tonight, when Roger turned up the defensive intensity right from the start, the effect was even more apparent.

"Damn, hold onto the ball at least, right? What the hell has that fool Michael been teaching you recently?"

Facing Roger’s trash talk, James remained silent.

Sitting in front of the TV, Michael Jordan chuckled, "Look at him, if it were Roger, he would’ve already shot back with some banter!"

The Cavaliers continued their attack, initiating a baseline pass to Eric Snow, who quickly handed the ball to the number 23.

At the top of the arc, James held the ball against Roger, since the Warriors’ defensive strategy was to have Roger guard the number 23 alone, leaving James with no passing options.

He also tried several times to break through, but was easily stopped by Roger each time.

This scenario of spending 20 seconds outside without taking a step inside left LeBron James looking quite embarrassed.

In the end, James passed the ball to Michael Reed, who circled to the three-point line, and Reed hit a heart-piercing shot to end the Cavaliers’ scoring drought.

to 5, the Cavaliers weren’t smothered, and LeBron James notched an assist in the stats.

But how was his performance in this play? Those who know, know.

"LeBron, nice job, you beat our defense," Roger sarcastically clapped.

James remained silent, continually telling himself, "Just hold on for the first half, just hold on for the first half!"

As long as he held on until the first half was over, he wouldn’t have to see Roger’s face anymore, or listen to his nonsense!

In the end, if he could leave the Bay Area as a victor and secure a playoff spot, all the humiliation suffered now would be worth nothing.