CHAPTER 1308: CHAPTER 414: MY OBSESSION WITH VICTORY IS JUST AS INTENSE

The souls of the two intersected in the starry sky.

Those who understand Roger know that his biggest difference from LBJ is that his words are never just casual, not even to women.

Quickly, he demonstrated just how obsessed he is with victory.

In the first round of the playoffs facing the Memphis Grizzlies led by Paul Gasol, who had upset the Warriors in the regular season, the reigning champions advanced to the second round of the division with four consecutive victories without bloodshed, shattering the Grizzlies’ hopes of winning their first playoff game in franchise history.

The gap in strength between the two sides is indeed large, with the Warriors even pushing three of the four games into garbage time.

At playoff intensity, Paul Gasol was completely isolated and without support.

Former All-Star guard Eddie Jones could only contribute 10 points in this series, and Mike Miller, as a shooter with little ball-handling ability, averaged only 8 points under the Warriors’ pressing defense.

Where Roger’s obsession with victory manifests is in the fact that he scored 40+ points in two of the four games.

Yes, the Memphis Grizzlies were pushed into garbage time in three of the games, but that doesn’t mean Roger’s high scoring was because he was padding stats in garbage time daringly.

In those two games where he scored 40+, he already had those numbers by the end of the third quarter.

This means that even when facing the paper-thin lineup of the Memphis Grizzlies, Roger did not let up at all, determined to end the battle in three quarters without dragging the game into the fourth.

He showed the world what he is like in playoff mode in the first round.

This regular season, Roger’s average score was an extravagant 36.2 points, a career-high, and his 11th consecutive season leading in scoring — something Michael Jordan could only achieve in the hypothetical scenario of not retiring to play baseball.

And in the first round of the playoffs, Roger immediately demonstrated that it wasn’t his limit with an average of 39 points per series.

However, the Warriors team is not complacent, as the first round was just a warm-up. For the Golden State Gangsters, the real test starts in the second round.

Just one day after the Warriors eliminated the Grizzlies, the San Antonio Spurs also easily swept the Los Angeles Clippers with a total score of 4-0.

Destined rivals, the Warriors and the Spurs, Roger and Duncan... these classic elements reappear in the playoffs after a brief separation last season.

The words Gregg Popovich said during the regular season were dug up by opportunistic reporters once again.

"Killing blows in four separate months precisely show the Warriors’ over-reliance on Roger this season. The Warriors team lacks talent, has no second person, and cannot dominate a championship-contending team. Those buzzer-beaters only cover up these issues with victory. And when it comes to the playoffs, these problems will collectively explode."

Gregg Popovich has always been extremely confident in defeating the Warriors.

His confidence is not unfounded since the Spurs set the best regular season record in franchise history this season.

This record is due to Gregg Popovich’s keen judgment on the situation and timely adjustments to the team.

In the past, the San Antonio Spurs were a slow team that relied on grind and bloodletting defense to tear at opponents.

But with the fading of the Dark Defense Era and the implementation of the No Handcheck rule, this style is no longer the standard answer for winning games.

What happens when you coach a team using outdated thoughts? Gregg Popovich’s teacher, the now thoroughly discredited Larry Brown, is a living example.

Furthermore, Tim Duncan is no longer healthy.

The pain from plantar fasciitis plagues him, making every move, run, and jump on the court subject him to severe pain. The Spurs must have someone step up to take the burden off him.

The team can no longer expect Tim Duncan to solve all problems like before.

So this season, Gregg Popovich, like a freshly matured teenager, is forward-thinking and bold, breaking the Spurs tradition by shifting the offensive focus to the perimeter.

Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili got more opportunities, and Tim Duncan, like his predecessor Admiral, voluntarily sacrificed. This season, the great TD set several career-low records, including average score, marking the first time since his rookie season that he isn’t the team’s primary shot-taker.

The reduction in Tim Duncan’s offensive role posed no problems for the Spurs, which is part of the reason for the Spurs’ unusual longevity.

From Admiral to Tim Duncan, each generation of their leaders silently chooses to sacrifice for the team as if brainwashed. Thus, when Kawhi Leonard, a regular star player, was unwilling to sacrifice, he instead seemed abnormal.

In short, Duncan’s sacrifice enabled the Spurs to smoothly transition. Were it not for being overshadowed by the second-generation Showtime Lakers, the Spurs would have been the top seed in the West this season.

Alongside the shift in offensive focus, Gregg Popovich also adopted a very non-traditional move, implementing a 1-big, 4-small spacer lineup.

In the regular season, besides Tim Duncan being the immovable presence inside, Rasho Nesterovic and Nazir Mohammed were only makeshift starters, playing less than 20 minutes per game. Most of the time, the Spurs’ lineup on the court consisted of Parker, Ginobili/Raja Bell, Michael Finley, Bruce Bowen, and Duncan.

And in the playoffs, Gregg Popovich didn’t even pretend, directly letting Bruce Bowen or Robert Horry start at the four, spreading the offensive space.

Gregg Popovich’s series of changes made the Spurs one of the best-spacing teams in the league, with a three-point shooting percentage second only to the Golden State Warriors, close to 40%, allowing Tim Duncan to focus more on defense, thereby maintaining top-level defense even as their offense greatly improved.

The changes he made to the Spurs have given them the strong performance seen this season, making all the Spurs fans hope to replicate the glory of 2003.

They all have one thought in their minds: if we beat Roger once in the playoffs, why can’t we do it a second time?

Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, at the San Antonio team’s home AT&T Center, two fated opponents met.

Tim Duncan looked at Roger walking onto the court from the player tunnel, his eyes wide open, with no one knowing what he was thinking.

Though Tim Duncan has also been tormented by Roger over these years, he’s probably the star least tortured by Roger.

In his sophomore year, he already experienced the taste of a championship in Roger’s era.

Compared to Kobe Bryant and others who still don’t have rings, Tim Duncan is fortunate.

This achievement is also the reason why he and Popovich remain confident about "defeating Roger."

They have succeeded in the Roger era, and although it was many years ago, once you succeed, people believe it can be replicated.

Before the game, Gregg Popovich reiterated today’s strategy: "Don’t slack off for a second on double-teaming him, as long as the other team’s shooting goes cold, we’ll be the ones winning the game!"

Gregg Popovich plans to double-team Roger in an extremely aggressive manner today, a lesson learned from the regular season.

Without a second option, the Warriors absolutely cannot win a series if Roger is locked down.

Relying on gambling on three-point shooting? They can’t always rely on someone stepping up every game. As Gregg Popovich said, a team without a second option is destined not to go far in the playoffs, and this issue will inevitably explode.

Armed with this strategy, the Spurs’ 1-big, 4-small starting lineup set out once again.

Gregg Popovich was grateful for Amar’e Stoudemire’s absence, allowing him the freedom to use the spacer lineup.

Before the game, Roger’s old nemesis, known for his toughness and brutality, Raja Bell tucked his jersey into his pants and walked over to Roger.

"Sorry, but the march to the three-peat stops here, tonight you might only get 20 points."

points isn’t actually bad, but for a super scorer averaging 36 points, it’s called effective limitation.

Raja Bell is full of confidence in Gregg Popovich’s strategy; in the regular season, when teamed with Bruce Bowen, the Spurs could indeed effectively curb Roger.

This time, the Warriors didn’t even have the chance to drag the game into critical moments.

Roger looked at Raja Bell, smirking and responding dismissively.

"Which quarter?"