Champions Creed

Chapter 137 Chapter 136: The most gentle and terrifying sentence (please give me a monthly ticket!)
Both the Magic and the Bulls have reached a crossroads of fate.

The outcome of this round of series will determine too many things.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic have no home-court advantage, so the battle will begin in Chicago.

I guess even Chicago fans themselves didn't expect the Bulls to have such a smooth start in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In the first two games in Chicago, the invincible 72-win Bulls won in straight sets and took a 2-0 lead.

In the first game, Roger scored 38 points and Shark scored 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

As a result, the other players on the Magic team only scored 7 goals in total!

Facing the pressure and stranglehold of the Bulls in the third quarter, Roger and Shark shared the ball with their teammates, but they failed to seize the opportunity.

Throughout the third quarter, the Bulls scored 26 to 13, which directly secured the victory.

Warming up in the first half, strangling the opponent in the third quarter, and watching the opponent's desperate face in the fourth quarter to win the game, the Eastern Conference Finals G1 was a very typical Bulls victory.

The Magic's unbeaten streak in the playoffs was broken, and the Bulls also broke their unbeaten spell against the Magic in the playoffs since last season.

In the second game, the Magic's role players performed much more normally, but Michael Jordan scored 41 points with a terrifying shooting percentage of 59% - O'Neal's shooting percentage today was only 58%.

Jordan's touch was so hot today that he was always able to hit a jump shot against Harper's defense the moment he cut out and received the ball.

When receiving the basketball in the low post, he can quickly turn around and jump shot before the double-team comes, or use his back to create space and then make a shot.

From the perspective of watching the game, you will feel that Jordan played just averagely and did not perform any outrageous moves, just some very basic techniques.

But before he knew it, he had 41 points.

If you watch Jordan's game videos carefully, you will find that Michael Jordan, after returning from playing baseball, played very concisely in positional offense, rarely used fancy singles with the ball, and even rarely dribbled more than three times in one offense.

He would not dribble the ball for 20 seconds per round and then pass it to Pippen or Dumars, nor would he always occupy the ball to wear down his teammates' enthusiasm and then call himself a ball-holding core.

Jordan dribbled no more than three times. Was it because he couldn't hold the ball? Of course not. Even if he slipped during dribbling, he could get up without traveling, continue dribbling, and then score.

He rarely dribbles more than three times simply because he doesn't want to play that way. He pursues extreme efficiency.

The ball-holding core style of play sounds great, but other than being helpful in brushing stats, it has no other obvious advantages.

This simple style of play that hardly takes up the ball can help Jordan avoid being double-teamed to the greatest extent, making his offensive power unparalleled.

After returning from playing baseball, Jordan, whose explosiveness had declined, improved his basic skills and understanding of basketball to perfection. He can kill your defense with just a few moves.

That was the case in this game. Jordan used simple offense to completely defeat the Magic before they even had time to double-team them.

In a version where zone defense is not allowed, this simple but efficient offense is completely frustrating.

Many times, Roger was just about to double-team when Jordan had already scored.

Of course, Harper is not a mere decoration, but Jordan's offense has reached the point where he can hardly be stopped in a one-on-one match.

In addition, O'Neal was forced to make 6 turnovers in the pressure double team, which was also one of the reasons why the Magic lost the game. As an inside player who did not hold the ball for a long time, 6 turnovers was a very ugly number.

As a result, the Magic lost the first two games of the series.

The big score of 2-0 boosted the confidence of Bulls fans.

Many Chicago fans believe that the Bulls' entry into the finals is a foregone conclusion.

Rodman even carried a broom to the post-game press conference: "Last season they swept the Bulls, this season we'll sweep them back."

Roger maintained the most basic calmness in the press conference: "How do you feel now? Wait until we lose four games or the Bulls lose four games and then ask me this question. Before the series is over, I won't feel anything, I will just keep fighting."

Roger was not blindly confident. Although the Magic lost 2-0 in the big score, the difference between the Magic and the Bulls in the two games did not exceed double digits. Even if Jordan played like a god tonight, the game was still very tense.

This shows that the strength of both sides is very close.

It was already late when Roger finished the press conference, but when he walked out of the conference, he found that Michael Jordan was sitting at the door of the conference with a cup of coffee waiting for him.

Seeing Roger coming out, Jordan greeted him with a smile and stretched out his hand to Roger: "Hey, buddy, how are you doing recently?"

"I'm fine." Roger also laughed, put on a calm attitude, and shook hands with Jordan.

He knew that Jordan was not there to say hello to him. The bastard just wanted to see him in embarrassment and enjoy the thrill of victory.

Roger would never let him succeed.

"It's going to be a tough battle, man, the kind that could destroy a team." Jordan had a smile on his face, but his eyes were full of murderous intent.

"I know. I knew it from the beginning."

"Good luck to you then, Roger."

"Thank you Michael, but I don't need luck."

The reporters' flashlights were flashing wildly, and this meeting between Roger and Jordan was the perfect embodiment of the phrase "smiling with a dagger hidden behind one's heart."

The game returned to Orlando, and the Orlando fans did not lose confidence just because the team was temporarily trailing 0-2.

On the day of Game 3, the local competition atmosphere in Orlando was very enthusiastic.

A few hours before the game started, all the fans wearing ice blue striped jerseys gathered on the streets, holding "consecutive championship" signs and marching and cheering.

At the entrance of the Orlando Arena, the Magic even organized a paid event. They parked a shabby car with the portraits of Bulls players printed on it in the square outside the arena, and placed a sledgehammer and a small hammer next to the car. Fans could pay to swing the hammers and smash the heads of Bulls players to vent their anger, with the small hammer costing 40 and the sledgehammer 80.

There were a lot of people participating in this activity, and in a short while, the car was smashed beyond recognition, looking horrible.

Orlando fans' confidence comes from the team. They firmly believe that the defending champions will not fall so easily.

The result of Game 3 did not disappoint Orlando fans. Although the Shark's playing time was greatly limited because Rodman committed several offensive fouls in this game, his shooting percentage of 9 in 1 from the free throw line was also quite bleak, and he only scored 17 points and 12 rebounds in the whole game.

But Roger scored 39 points, including 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Coupled with Pippen's limited offense, the Magic won the game 2-1.

At the press conference, Roger also brought a broom, and then broke it in two in public: "I don't need this now."

Roger was in a good mood as they were able to win a game at home, but O'Neal was very unhappy.

Because after the game, John Anderson of the "Sports Center" program commented on the Shark: "The best thing for Shaq is that now he doesn't have to be the best player on the team and still win. This is the advantage of playing next to Roger."

It is not difficult to imagine how frustrated O'Neal felt. Such comments made him unable to feel any joy of victory at all.

This sentence stimulated the Shark, who admitted that he was a little too excited in the previous Game 3. Rodman's trash talk and those rough fouls made the Shark always want to force the guy with colorful hair to eat the ball after getting it.

And that bastard always falls at the perfect moment.

The shark knew he had to play smarter.

In Game 4, O'Neal showed his power. He no longer pursued the basket to force the ball, but used hook shots or close-range one-handed throws to attack the moment he received the ball. With the height advantage, Rodman had no way to deal with these shots of the Shark.

This forced the Bulls to switch back to tall and meaty players like Longley to defend Shark. The adjustment did work, but the Bulls could no longer use the tactic of creating offensive fouls to cut into Shark's playing time.

However, O'Neal's problem of prone to passing errors under pressure and double-teaming has not been solved.

Last season, the Bulls relied on Webber to cooperate with the center. This season, Webber became Rodman, which made their double-teaming more fierce and made it easier for the Sharks to make mistakes.

Although Shark occasionally has highlight moments of passing, such as in the third quarter today, he was on the right side of the basket, under pressure from Rodman and Longley, and used a no-look back pass to pass the ball to Roger who cut in from the left side along the baseline.

God knows how he found Roger, it was like he had eyes on his back.

But this kind of flash of inspiration is difficult to sustain after all.

This means that giving the ball to the Sharks at critical moments is a very risky choice.

A mistake at a critical moment could ruin the entire situation.

So in the fourth quarter, Roger took most of the offensive rounds, just like in the previous game.

The two sides took turns leading and the game was extremely tense.

With 1 minute and 44 seconds left, the Bulls, who were trailing by 3 points, fouled O'Neal, sending the Shark to the free throw line.

The infamous Hack-a-Shaq tactic is back online.

This foul was mainly intended to interrupt Roger's offensive rhythm, as Roger had scored 6 points in a row.

Moreover, the three consecutive goals were extremely difficult to score, which made Rodman walk up helplessly and take Roger's hand to see what kind of hands could be so magical.

The Bulls would rather gamble on O'Neal's free throws than let Roger take another shot.

O'Neal stood on the free throw line cursing, but what made the Bulls very embarrassed was that the Shark actually made two free throws!
This move of hacking the shark actually caused the Bulls to fall behind by 5 points.

After scoring the goal, O'Neal yelled at the Zen Master on the bench: "Keep giving me points, idiot!"

The Zen Master was very upset, but what happened next made his blood pressure soar even more.

One round later, Jordan, who was double-teamed, passed the ball to Pippen who was cutting in.

Pippen wanted to dunk directly, but was knocked over by O'Neal who was flying over.

There is no doubt that O'Neal was called for a defensive foul and Pippen went to the free throw line.

The tempo of the game was cut into pieces, but fans of both sides were still watching it very nervously.

Pippen's first free throw was too short and hit the front of the basket amid the boos of Orlando fans. Before the second free throw, Pippen took a deep breath and patted the ball five or six times before throwing it out.

As a result, the second free throw was too heavy and hit the rim and bounced out!

At the critical moment, the Bulls wanted to use the Hack-a-Shaq tactic against the Magic, but O'Neal made two free throws. On the contrary, Pippen missed both free throws, putting the Bulls in a passive position!

Again, you can always, always trust Scott Pippen.

How can a shark be considered the top second-in-command? The real second-in-command of magic may not even be in magic!

After O'Neal grabbed the rebound, he immediately looked for Roger. Roger received the basketball steadily and quickly rushed to the frontcourt. Facing Jordan who had retreated to the penalty area, he used a beautiful European step layup to catch Jordan off guard and scored the ball.

Sarou waved the towel happily on the bench. Roger's European step was becoming more and more proficient.

This goal gave the Magic a 7-point lead at the final moments and completely secured the victory.

In the end, the Magic won Game 97 93-.

O'Neal, who played smarter, had 31 points and 13 rebounds and was very dominant.

Roger scored 36 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter.

After the game, O'Neal was very proud: "Do you still think I am dispensable? Roger and I are indispensable!"

In these two wins, Brian Hill has found the most balanced combination between Roger and the Shark.

O'Neal attacked more in the regular time, allowing Roger to save some energy. At the critical moment, Roger, who still had plenty of energy, would come to win the game.

2 to 2, the defending champion tenaciously turned the game around.

Tonight, Jordan was furious at the press conference: "We will not give the Magic any more chances. We will definitely get the match point in Chicago!"

When he came out of the press conference, he saw Roger also sitting on a folding chair, holding a cup of coffee, waiting for him, just like Jordan did before at the United Center.

Seeing Jordan coming out, Roger stood up and greeted him with a smile: "How are you doing recently? Is everyone at home okay?"

Jordan also didn't want Roger to see him explode with anger, so he forced a smile and said, "It's all good."

"That's great. I wish you good luck in the next few games. When the season is over, let's go play golf together."

"Okay."

"In order for you to win, you'd better practice your swing in advance."

"It's you who should practice your swing early, Roger."

After watching Roger leave, the smile on Jordan's face disappeared instantly.

He kicked the folding stool that Roger had just been sitting on away. How dare that bastard come to laugh at his joke!

Just when Jordan was about to explode, Roger suddenly came back and said, "Hey, I got this stool from the locker room, and I have to return it. Huh? How did the stool fly so far? Michael, you were not so angry that you kicked the stool away, were you?"

"I didn't. Why should I be angry? Just because you equalized the score? It's so funny. The situation is still under my control. I'm not angry at all."

"Why did the stool fly so far?"

"Ask the stool. I'm not angry anyway!"

Roger ignored Jordan's sophistry. He walked to the corner opposite the stool with a sly smile and picked up a DV camera: "Hey, I recorded it all, Michael. I'll go back and enjoy your expression slowly."

This was Roger's first experience of the joy of searching for flowers.

"You fucking idiot! Boring! Bastard!" Jordan stormed off.

Roger won. He did what Jordan failed to do. He saw Jordan's angry look.
Looking at the extremely happy Roger, the reporters nearby all shook their heads.

Are these two guys going to fight over something like this?

What a pervert!
In Game 5 back in Chicago, Michael Jordan did not fulfill his promise to get the match point. He scored 52 points with a 35% hit rate, but the Bulls were silent except for him.

The Magic lost in Game 1 because of the role players' failure to perform well. Today, it was the Bulls' turn. As fate would have it, no one can escape this kind of thing.

It seemed that Pippen had not yet recovered from missing two free throws at a crucial moment in the previous game. After five games of hand-to-hand combat, Dumars finally felt the ruthlessness of time.

The Magic used the old trick, with O'Neal taking more shots during regular time to allow Roger to save energy.

In the fourth quarter, Roger took over the game, efficiently killed the Bulls and won the decisive game.

The Magic won three games in a row and reversed the total score to 3 to 2!

The Chicago Bulls now have only one fight left, and their dynasty is only one step away from complete collapse.

The Magic have a great chance of advancing in Game 6, because, as a general rule, such a devastating defeat in the decisive game and the blow of losing three games in a row in the playoffs are enough to bring down a team.

But the Chicago Bulls were the most successful team in the 90s after all.

In Game 6 in Orlando, the Bulls, whose life was hanging by a thread, used a biting defense to lower the Magic's shooting percentage from the second quarter.

They no longer cared about things like allocating their physical energy. To them, this was the last battle with no way out, so they had no time to care about their physical energy.

This move worked. O'Neal no longer scored in large numbers during regular time, but made frequent mistakes.

Roger had to take over early, but the fierce confrontation also consumed his touch.

However, Roger had one advantage, which was that he found that the referee today was not too strict and was very willing to whistle.

So Roger threw himself into the crowd again and again to cause damage. Even Rodman's fierce foul on Roger could not stop Roger from continuing to attack.

He was determined to end the series in Game 6, but determination alone was not enough against this Bulls team.

In the fourth quarter, both teams were exhausted and missed shots, and the game turned into an ugly hand-to-hand defensive battle.

The two sides took turns to possess the ball, but no one could produce stable output.

O'Neal failed to change the situation under the Bulls' endless hack-a-shark tactics, and his eyes were a little blurry from shooting free throws.

Roger, whose touch was worn out by his repeated attacks on the basket, failed to change the situation.

It was predictable that Pippen failed to change the situation.

Jordan didn't do it either. The early pressure and strangulation defense made Jordan exhausted.

All four superstars have sunk, and no one knows how the game will end.

It wasn't until the Zen Master put on the No. 7 jersey that the balance of victory finally began to tilt.

Toni Kukoc came on in the second half of the fourth quarter to replace Rodman who fouled out, and then he scored 5 points on 4 of 9 shots in the following time, completely destroying the Magic.

Roger's best friend in Chicago dealt the cruelest blow to his heart!
At the moment the game ended, Toni Kukoc raised his arms high, enjoying this hard-earned victory.

In this Bulls team, people only remember Pippen and Rodman's All-Defensive First Team.

I just remember that Phil Jackson won the best coach award.

I only remember Michael Jordan's MVP.

But few people remember the best sixth man on their bench!

His talent has always been overshadowed by the halo of the Bulls' iron triangle, but when the dynasty is about to fall, he has become the last fulcrum of the Chicago dynasty!

After the game, Roger looked at his friend from afar, breathing heavily.

That guy actually helped the Bulls successfully save their lives in the Orlando Arena. It's really unpredictable.

In the 94 Eastern Conference Finals Game 18, Toni Kukoc almost cried at the last moment because he lost backcourt rebounds in a row, allowing the Knicks to take a 2-point lead in the last seconds.

His mentality was almost broken at that time, and it was Roger who comforted him: "We haven't lost yet."

After that, it was the classic 18 seconds in which the Knicks were repeatedly shut down.

Roger led the team to victory and saved the self-confidence of this European player.

Also in the summer of 94, Roger left the Chicago Bulls, whom he hated and loathed.

He has almost no attachment to Chicago, and only cares about one person: "Don't care about Scott and Michael's slander against you, you are the best! Thank you, and goodbye Tony, my friend forever."

How could Roger have imagined at that time that the good friend he had always encouraged would deal him the most painful blow tonight two years later.

Kukoc took the initiative to come forward and hug Roger: "Sorry brother, but I have to do this, after all, I am a member of the Bulls."

Roger patted Kukoc on the back and said calmly, "It's okay Tony, you will lose in the end anyway."

Roger's tone was so calm, as if he was stating a well-known fact.

These were the most gentle and terrifying words Toni Kukoc had ever heard.

As a result, this round of the bloodiest series was dragged into the bloodiest game seven!

The collapse of a dynasty and the establishment of a new dynasty are only one step away.

The wheel of history has reached its final moment.

(End of this chapter)