Today, Roger is responsible for defending LeBron James, and the heavy task of defending James falls on the shoulders of Tayshaun Prince.
This matchup change is the key to victory that Roger and Spoelstra discussed after the last game.
Matching Roger directly with James, the Warriors can indeed win, but it's really dangerous because Roger's offensive power is dragged down by defensive duties. Don't be fooled by James scoring below 15 points in the last two games—that's all thanks to Roger's tireless and positive defense.
If we want to secure the game, we must liberate Roger on the offensive end.
In the last game, Billups already proved that he can barely perform in conference finals-level matches. So using Roger to defend Billups, even without much effort, can produce a decent defensive effect, allowing Roger to save a lot of energy for offense.
