Why is this happening? Because James is an emotional defender.
In some games, he can deliver top-notch defensive impact, but once his emotions or stamina get affected, James relaxes on defense.
This leads to his overall defensive performance throughout the season being quite average, making it hard for him to be selected for the All-Defensive Team.
When he defends seriously, he can push Roger to the brink. But when he finds his defense ineffective, he doesn't persist seriously like Kobe, Jordan, or Pippen.
Therefore, Roger needs to keep attacking, keep isolating James, keep putting pressure on him, keep making him feel frustrated.
The more it happens, the more he'll loosen up.
So after the first quarter, Roger's desire to attack was very strong. He almost sought out James for a one-on-one in every possession.
