Champions Creed

Chapter 139 Chapter 138: Perfect lineup? No, you need me too much! (Two in one!)
"Shaq, calm down!" Roger didn't know what Jordan said to Shaq, but O'Neal had been acting abnormal since they talked.

He was absent-minded on defense and very impatient when shooting free throws.

O'Neal ignored Roger. His mind was full of Jordan's words.

Previously, Anderson of SportsCenter said: "Now Shaq doesn't have to be the best player on the team to win."

Just now, Jordan said something similar again.

This made O'Neal wonder: "Does the outside world think so?"

Bullshit, all bullshit!
Roger and I are equal, we are both the boss!

Damn deputy!
I can't be a supporting role!
I am not just the one who pushes Roger from behind. He and I are comrades in the same trench, and there is no difference between us!
One round later, O'Neal continued to receive the ball in the low post. Rodman's fierce double-teaming arrived immediately. With him and without him, O'Neal was under completely different offensive pressures.

Not only Rodman, Dumars also ran in to strangle O'Neal. The Bulls' defense was even more aggressive than the previous game, and they spared no effort to win the most crucial seventh game.

The Bulls' goal was to force Shark to pass the ball and increase his chances of making mistakes.

But the Shark didn't pass the ball at all in this round. He turned around and shot despite the double-team!
Even though the Shark has good skills in the interior, this shot was still too difficult.

The basketball bounced off the rim, Rodman grabbed the rebound, and the Bulls once again had a chance to close the score!
"What is that bastard doing!?" On the bench, Brian Hill spread his hands. He didn't know what was wrong with O'Neal and why he didn't choose to pass the ball just now.

Unlike the Magic's simple, impatient offense, the Bulls' offense was very patient.

They went through the triangle offense, and finally Dumars finished it with a calm catch-and-shoot shot.

8:13.

With the score difference only 5 points, hope flickered in the eyes of the fans at the United Center again.

A few dozen seconds later, the United Center was boiling.

O'Neal was cut off by Rodman in a double-team, and the Worm immediately launched a quick counterattack.

Michael Jordan slammed the ball down the court, changing the score to 10 to 13!

This dunk caused Brian Hill to suspend the game, and the dead atmosphere in the United Center was finally broken.

In the stands, Jerry Krause breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was the one who proposed the plan of rebuilding if the team didn't win the championship, deep down, he still hoped that the team would have the last laugh.

No matter how much Jordan is hated, as long as he wins the championship, there is still money to be made from him.

Maybe the last dance will be postponed for a few years?
Brian Hill was furious: "Shaq, this is a Game 7, not a fucking backyard basketball game, you can't mess around! I passed the ball to the inside because I wanted you to attack the Bulls' defense, not to watch you make mistakes again and again!"

The Shark was very angry. Jordan's words made him upset and made him eager to prove himself.

But the coach poured cold water on him.

It was Roger who knew the real crux of the matter: "Whatever Michael said to you, forget that bullshit!"

O'Neal nodded, but he didn't really listen.

After the timeout, Orlando fans thought the Magic would regroup, but in the first round after returning, O'Neal missed both free throws again!
This time, Longley saw O'Neal pushing him away and preparing to turn around and dunk, so he immediately pulled the shark down with both hands.

O'Neal's resentment grew stronger and stronger. He walked to the free throw line while yelling: "You dare not let me play one-on-one, you are a bunch of cowards!"

His yelling is nonsense, because basketball games are never one-on-one. The real strong players often say "you better send someone to double-team me."

On the first free throw, the basketball bounced off the rim as expected.

While high-fiving, Roger patted the shark on the back, hoping to cheer him up.

But the Shark still missed the second free throw.

O'Neal missed two free throws in a row for the second time, and the Bulls had a chance to tie the score.

In the games that followed, O'Neal's performance satisfied all of Jordan's fantasies about him.

Because he was too impatient, the Shark played irrationally today and forced too many shots under double-teaming.

And the free throw percentage has never recovered.

When O'Neal first entered the league, Reebok invited four legendary centers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Lord of the Rings and Walton, to shoot an advertisement with Shark. There is no doubt that this advertisement means a kind of inheritance. At that time, everyone felt that Shark could take over the banner of these great centers.

But Bill Walton, who was sitting at the commentary desk at that time, really didn't expect that the Sharks, who were highly expected, would play like this in a life-and-death battle in a series.

His performance was anything but great.

The second quarter was almost over, O'Neal had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 of 3 free throws.

Because the Shark shot very badly today, the Zen Master boldly used the Hack-a-Shaq tactics frequently to cut the Magic's offensive rhythm into pieces.

With 19 seconds left in the second quarter, the Magic trailed by 7 points.

Roger was ready to take over the attack, but in the last 5 seconds, just when Roger was about to launch the attack, the Bulls' backup center Bill Wennington deliberately fouled the Shark and sent him to the free throw line again.

Once again, the Magic's offense was interrupted by the Bulls in such a disgusting way.

Since the current version has not updated the rules to curb the hack-a-shark tactic, there is no penalty of two free throws and one foul for players without the ball in the last two minutes of each quarter.

O'Neal stepped to the free throw line and Rodman began waving his arms, signaling the fans at the United Center to boo even louder.

Pippen stood next to O'Neal and whispered, "You'll always be a supporting role, Shaq."

These things completely crush the shark's psychology.

This time O'Neal made one of two free throws, but the Bulls still achieved their goal and entered the second half with a 6-point advantage.

"Shaq's free throws are making him pay a heavy price. Will he become yesterday's Karl Malone?" Bill Walton was very worried about Shaq's performance. If Shaq was still like this at the crucial moment of deciding the outcome, the Magic would be in great danger.

Rich DeVos was sitting in the luxurious room of the United Center. Because the Magic might become the Eastern Conference champion today, he came to the scene to attend the possible award ceremony.

But now, DeVos had no idea about the award ceremony. He was weighing one question in his mind: Is the shark worth 120 million?

During the decisive battle of the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, he was also considering whether Roger was worth the big contract, because at the end of the third quarter of that game, the Magic were 17 points behind, and everyone thought that this young team was going to be finished.

But in the fourth quarter, Roger and Shark led the team to a reversal with outstanding performance. That game was also considered to be a game in which the Magic were truly endowed with championship qualities.

That was the day DeVos decided to give Roger the big contract.

But what about today? Will O'Neal turn the tide?

During the intermission, Roger walked straight up to the Shark and said, "We need to talk!"

"No need to talk Roger, I know I screwed up. Damn, I just can't make those free throws, and I get so upset when I stand at the free throw line!"

Roger held the shark's face and said, "Then pass the ball more and defend seriously! Big Aristotle always has a way to influence the game!"

O'Neal nodded. He certainly knew how important this game was and he would not be stupid enough to lose the game just to prove himself.

In the second half, the Sharks' defensive condition improved and they were more aggressive in passing the ball.

But his free throw was still not recovered.

So every time the Magic were about to gain momentum, the Bulls would send Shark to the free throw line.

O'Neal's free throw percentage has remained steadily below 50%.

The price the Bulls paid for this was that two inside players, Bill Wennington and John Salley, committed five fouls in the first three quarters, but it was all worth it.

Don’t be surprised. The players with the most free throws in a single game in NBA history are all those with very poor free throw shooting skills.

Howard, O'Neal and Jordan Jr. have all had the experience of taking more than 30 free throws in a single game.

In the highly targeted playoffs, the frequency of Hack-a-Shaq is even more exaggerated. In the 2000 Finals, the Pacers even made O'Neal take 39 free throws in order to limit him!

This is the playoffs. You'd better not have any fatal weaknesses, otherwise your opponents will always exploit them.

In the third quarter, the Bulls maintained a 6-point lead thanks to their strangulation defense and successful execution of the Hack-a-Shaq tactic.

In this quarter, Roger scored 14 points alone and Salu also scored 9 points.

If the rhythm had not been interrupted repeatedly, and if the Sharks had been able to make a few more free throws, perhaps the score difference would have been eliminated long ago.

Although the team entered the fourth quarter with a disadvantage, the game was not yet decided.

The Bulls started to implement their stranglehold defense in the second quarter, and by the fourth quarter, everyone must have been exhausted.

This is the chance for magic.

The last chance.

On the Bulls bench, Kukoc lowered his head. His condition today was so bad that Bill Walton joked that Kukoc had used up all his good condition in the last game.

The Bulls' iron triangle was all wiping their sweat. The two consecutive quarters of strangling defense really made them miserable.

These players, who are already quite old, cannot withstand such torture.

What's even more desperate is that even after playing high-intensity defense for two consecutive quarters, the Magic were still only 6 points behind.

They couldn't hold Roger down. Roger's current state was completely different from that of the Sharks. Roger in the life-and-death battle was simply the most terrifying existence in professional basketball.

Phil Jackson told everyone: "Once Roger scores three times in a row, he will foul Shaq! We would rather let him shoot free throws than let Roger find his rhythm! Remember, defense, defense! That is the capital to win the championship!"

Then, the Zen Master looked at Jordan, who was exhausted.

At this stage, there is no way he can replace Jordan.

No matter how difficult it was, Jordan had to hold on. He couldn't count on Kukoc to explode again, he had to rely on himself to hold on until the moment of victory.

The same goes for Roger. The Sharks are destined to not be able to provide much support today, and it is impossible for Saru to be accurate in every quarter.

If his firepower is interrupted, it means destruction. Sharks can make mistakes, but Roger cannot. He must withstand the pressure and fight until the moment of victory.

The fourth quarter was difficult for both Roger and Jordan, and every step was extremely difficult.

But that’s the price of being great.

Greatness is to withstand arduous trials, to give it your all over again and again, to transform fear into excitement, and to give every drop of your sweat, tears, and blood.

Greatness is never something that comes easily.

It is definitely not something that can be obtained by taking shortcuts.

The buzzer sounded and Roger and Jordan stood up at the same time.

The great battle to decide continues.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, it was not just Jordan who had physical problems on the Bulls side, but all the main players.

It is foreseeable that they will not be able to play with the same defensive intensity as in the first two quarters.

In the first round of the fourth quarter, Roger broke away from Pippen and scored a mid-range shot after receiving a pass from Harper.

Then Roger ran back into the inside and scored a goal by connecting with McKay's back.

The Bulls' offense was a mess, and they hadn't scored since the start of the fourth quarter.

The same happened in this round. Jordan passed the ball to the exhausted Dumars in the double-team.

But his three-point jump shot bounced out of the rim, missing the opportunity to expand the advantage.

Roger quickly rushed across half court with the ball, and Dumars immediately chased him after he missed the shot. When Roger ran to the three-point line, he changed direction and shook off Dumars, breaking through to the right. But as soon as he broke through, he found that Pippen had already blocked his breakthrough route.

Roger didn't hesitate at all, and he stopped in front of Pippen and shot directly. The basketball passed over the fingertips of Dumars and Pippen, hit the front of the basket, but bounced into the net after hitting the backboard.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Roger scored 6 points in a row to tie the score!
But at this critical moment, Michael Jordan finally stood up.

The Bulls could not come up with any tactics in this round, and Michael Jordan was forced to play a one-on-one game with the ball.

Facing the double-team of Harper and Roger, Jordan, who was originally accelerating to the right, suddenly stopped and made a crossover to the left. Roger and Harper immediately adjusted their center of gravity. However, Jordan caught the moment when Roger and Harper adjusted their center of gravity, which was about 0.5 seconds, and immediately completed the second change of direction, passing between Roger and Harper and successfully breaking through!
After breaking into the inside, Jordan faced the Shark's defense and scored a layup, and caused O'Neal to foul!
Jordan's two-pass operation was so amazing that Bill Walton even screamed when he saw it.

Jordan's current physical condition may not allow for sustained output, but if he holds back for a few rounds, he will always be able to come up with a big move.

Standing on the free throw line, Jordan made the free throw and the three-pointer, allowing the Bulls to regain the lead by 3 points.

After scoring the goal, Jordan looked at Roger and said, "You are always just one step short, Roger, always!"

Roger doesn't think so. His touch is still hot and he is confident that he can score the fourth one in a row.

Harper dribbled the ball across half court, and Roger went to the top of the arc to ask for the ball, ready to make a long shot to tie the score.

结果
Beep!
Bill Wennington fouled O'Neal and he voluntarily asked for the sixth foul.

The Magic's offensive momentum was once again forced to be interrupted at the climax.

O'Neal was so angry that he almost stuffed the basketball into Wennington's dermatitis: "Don't you feel ashamed to play such an ugly basketball?!"

The Sharks are still too naive. There may be shameful basketball in this world, but there is no shameful victory.

If the Bulls can win, who cares what tactics they use?
O'Neal dribbled the ball a few times and made the first free throw.

But the second free throw hit the rim again, and his free throws were still unsuccessful!
Even by O'Neal's standards, his free throw percentage today was ridiculously poor.

Rodman successfully grabbed the rebound, then made a long pass to initiate a counterattack and gave the ball to Dumas immediately.

Dumas broke through and passed the ball to Pippen who followed up, who easily dunked and scored, stabilizing the score difference at 4 points again.

Roger's first attempt to tie the game failed because of O'Neill's poor free throw.

The second chance came in the seventh minute of the fourth quarter, when Roger tied the score with a beautiful breakaway pull-up and stole the ball from Pippen on the defensive end.

But in the next attack, O'Neal made a mistake in the low post. When he was about to pass the ball to Roger, Jordan suddenly rushed out and snatched the ball, then burst out with amazing speed, counterattacked and dunked, allowing the Bulls to lead by 2 points again.

When they were just one step away from overtaking, the Magic failed again.

Jordan threw his hands at Roger, just like he did to the 1992 Trail Blazers: "This is why you can't take my MVP, garbage."

"Shaq messed up again. He always has problems at the critical juncture of overtaking. This is simply not right!" Bill Walton was extremely disappointed with O'Neal's performance.

But this is O'Neal, he is a dominant player, but also a player with obvious shortcomings.

As a star who was habitually swept in the playoffs before winning three consecutive championships in the original history, Shark must have some shortcomings.

Don't forget, if it weren't for Roger, the Magic would have been swept by the Bulls in 96!

It was Roger's presence that raised people's expectations of O'Neal.

If O'Neal were allowed to lead the team alone in the playoffs, people would find that this is the norm.

O'Neal's fighting spirit has been completely wiped out. Ever since he said, "You're not even the best player on your team," the Shark has been in a daze. The more mistakes he made and the more missed free throws he made, the worse his condition became.

His mistake caused Roger's second attempt to equalize the score to fail again.

At this point, Roger had scored 43 points and Jordan had 38. Roger scored more points personally, but the Bulls maintained their lead from start to finish.

Both of them have done their best, but due to the intensity of defense, Roger and Jordan's hit rates have been getting lower and lower over time, and missing shots has become the final outcome of most attacks.

Two minutes before the end of the game, Roger got his third chance to overtake.

After Roger broke through Pippen's blockade, he tied the score again with a beautiful jump shot.

As long as we can defend one more Bull, there will be a chance to equalize the score!

Before this defense, Roger clapped his hands vigorously: "The winners are those who can't be stopped by suffering and pain. Come on, we are about to climb over this mountain!"

O'Neill looked at Roger, and many thoughts ran through his mind.

It seems like Roger has been like this all season.

He has always been the one carrying the team forward with difficulty.

He missed 32 games this season, but the team's record is better than last season.

I didn't play well today, but Roger still kept the score close.

Even O'Neal is asking himself this question: Am I really just a deputy?

The Shark was thinking too much, and at this critical moment, he was not completely focused on winning.

In this round, Michael Jordan, who always stood up at critical moments, was unable to continue his magic.

His turnaround shot bounced out of the basket, but Dennis Rodman jumped up three times in a row and pushed the ball out of the Shark's control, grabbing the offensive rebound.

An exasperated O'Neal rushed forward and grabbed the ball in Rodman's arms with both hands. Neither of them was willing to let go, and the tangle continued until they fell to the ground, with four big hands still pressing on the basketball.

The referee blew the whistle and awarded a scrimmage.

Rodman deliberately and roughly pushed away O'Neal who was pressing on him, which made Shark very dissatisfied and he started to quarrel with Rodman.

"Who do you think you are? You're just a clown, no one treats you as a star!" "Hahahaha, you think anyone treats you as a star, big guy? You think you're on the same level as Roger, but in fact you never are. Roger was in the first team twice, and you were in the second team at most once. Roger has a scoring title, and you have nothing. Roger is second on the MVP list, and you? You're not even in the top ten. Most importantly, Roger has a Finals MVP, which says it all, stupid Shark."

"Fuck you." O'Neal almost went crazy. What really made him uncomfortable was that what Rodman said was true!
To be honest, it is often the biggest black in the world.

Telling the truth is often more hurtful than lying.

O'Neal was so provoked that he lost his mind. If his teammates hadn't held him back, he would have beaten Rodman up.

After the conflict subsided, O'Neal stood at the free throw line, ready to compete with Rodman for the ball.

The importance of this jump ball cannot be overstated. Everyone's nerves were stretched to the limit. Everyone knew that the result of this jump ball could be the turning point of the game.

But considering the height difference between the two players, there was almost no suspense in this fight for the ball.

The only advantage a smaller guy can use to beat a bigger guy in a ball-contest is his athletic ability, but O'Neal's athletic ability is not bad at all.

Therefore, the Magic players, including Roger, believed that this defense was essentially successful, and everyone was preparing for the counterattack later.

The referee was about to toss the ball when Rodman spoke again: "Big idiot, if you were a man, you should have beaten me up just now. But it turns out that you are just a little bitch who likes to hide under Roger's crotch."

While talking trash, Rodman also did some tricks.

The first two jump balls were whistled off by the referee, as they were invalid because the cunning Rodman would deliberately stretch his arm towards O'Neal's shoulder every time to interfere with his jump.

Brian Hill on the sidelines was going crazy: "That bastard should be sent off, damn it! Who can make him shut up!?"

Even Brian Hill was treated like this, you can imagine how broken the Sharks' mentality is.

The Sharks were annoyed by Rodman's little moves and trash talk, and Rodman was using every trick in the book to increase his chances of jumping to the ball.

The third time, the referee tossed the ball up, but O'Neal had lost his rhythm and jumped too late.

Again, Shark had too many things on his mind today and he wasn't completely focused on winning.

Although he couldn't do something like deliberately giving up military power and forcing Roger to give up his position to him, he just couldn't concentrate.

So, Rodman took the lead in grabbing the basketball and put it into Jordan's hands!
The entire Magic team didn't expect O'Neal to lose the ball, so they were a beat slow to react.

Jordan received the ball and made a steady three-pointer to keep the team ahead!
"Michael scored the 41st point of the game! He still persisted and did not let the Bulls dynasty collapse completely! There was only a little over a minute left in the game, and the Magic still couldn't tie the score. Does the defending champion still have a chance!?"

O'Neal covered his head with his hands. He couldn't believe that he lost the jump ball to Rodman, who was so much shorter than him.

Rich DeVos watched with gritted teeth. Once again, O'Neal ruined the team's chance to overtake.

Did that idiot contribute anything today? He just wasted chances again and again! If it weren't for his stupidity and cowardice, the game wouldn't have come to this!

"He's not worth that much money, not at all!" Rich DeVos muttered.

At the same time, Reinsdorf re-evaluated the value of Jordan and Rodman in his heart. Maybe they were really worth a big contract?

The game was suspended, and Rodman raised his arms to welcome the cheers of more than 2 fans at the United Center. He had only scored points so far today, but he undoubtedly proved that basketball is not just a sport about scoring, nor is it just a sport for giants.

Last summer, when the Bulls decided to recruit Rodman, no one knew whether this decision would be a blessing or a curse for the team.

But now, such debate can end.

Jordan pursed his lips and pumped his fist, then put his arms around Dumars and Pippen’s shoulders.

Phil Jackson calmly picked up the tactical board, and only God knew what new way he had come up with to dismember his opponent.

Can this team really be beaten? Many Orlando fans are doubting it.

They have Dumars who is always calm and in control, Pippen who is always focused on defense, Jordan who can always stab you in the back at the critical moment, and the best coach Phil Jackson.

There is also Rodman, who is like a demon, eccentric but really plays a huge role in the team.

The team's configuration is too perfect, otherwise they would not have been able to win 72 games in the regular season.

Will a team like this really lose in the series?
It's not just the fans who think so, but the players as well.

The Magic's morale hit rock bottom. They came close to success time and time again, but failed at the last step each time.

Once or twice, the players can still hold on.

But every time I was just a little bit short of success, which was really discouraging.

"Cheer up, we still have a chance, we still have a chance!" Brian Hill tried hard to excite the players, but it was completely useless.

He was already unable to resonate with the players last season, and after some unpleasant things happened this season, Hill was even less able to mobilize the players' emotions.

Seeing that everyone was still lifeless, Brian Hill looked at Roger pitifully.

He was almost shouting "Roger save me".

He wanted Roger to come out and say something, wanted Roger to get everyone fired up like he always did.

But Roger said nothing.

He knew that it was futile to say anything now as the Bulls had been suppressing the Magic for too long.

You can only restore confidence to your teammates through actions.

The timeout is over with 1 minute and 13 seconds left in the game.

"This will be the most important minute for the Bulls and Magic!" Bill Walton began to get nervous. In another minute, the history of the league would be completely changed.

Will Roger take over the reigns, or will Michael Jordan continue to expand his dynasty?
It only takes a minute to decide these!
The Magic sent a sideline ball, and Roger received the basketball outside the three-point line and faked a shot, triggering Pippen.

Pippen thought Roger would shoot a three-pointer because that would be enough to catch up with the score.

But Roger didn't do that. In fact, he didn't plan to take even a three-pointer in the remaining time.

His touch is not stable right now, so he can't take risks on long shots.

Finally, Roger made a quick stop jump shot from mid-range and scored his 45th point, narrowing the gap to 2 points!
In the small ball era, it is generally believed that mid-range shots are the least efficient way to shoot. Either shooting three-pointers or going to the basket is the best solution.

The data shows that this is indeed the case. If you shoot 1000 balls at the same time, the efficiency of mid-range shots is indeed very low. A mid-range shot with a 50% hit rate is less efficient than a three-pointer with a 33% hit rate, or a layup with a 70% hit rate.

But if you only have two or three chances to decide the outcome, the mid-range shot is the most efficient option.

Because it is more stable than the three-pointer and there are more opportunities to shoot than under the basket.

This is why mid-range shots are the least efficient, but often the most lethal!

In the next defense, Roger took over the task of defending Jordan from the overdrawn Harper!
Both of them were sweating profusely, but Roger did not relax at all. He tried hard to chase Jordan and tried hard to fight against him.

He gave it his all.

Seeing that Jordan couldn't catch the ball, Dumas gave it to Pippen.

Facing the half-dead Harper, Pippen broke through easily and then made a mid-range shot from mid-range.

But at the moment of shooting, Pippen's eyes went dark.

Roger, who was just chasing Jordan, arrived in time and interfered with Pippen!
Not only was he biting Jordan, he also had to take time out to help defend Pippen!

Roger is telling everyone with his actions that it is not time to be discouraged!
Pippen missed the mid-range shot, and the Magic were about to tie or even surpass!
But just when all the Magic fans were extremely excited, that annoying voice rang out again.

"Dennis Rodman fouled out, sending Shaq to the free throw line! At the critical moment, the Bulls will test Shaq's free throws!" Bill Walton thought of yesterday's Western Conference Finals Game 7 and Karl Malone who missed the victory because of free throws.

Today, will Shark be a replica of Karl Malone?

The eyes of the whole world are on the Shark. If he can make all the free throws and tie the score, the Magic will still have a chance of survival.

The Magic were just those damn 2 points away from tying the score.

O'Neal also knew the importance of these two free throws. He had already wasted an opportunity in the previous jump ball, and he must not fail again this time!

But the more he did this, the heavier his psychological burden became.

O'Neal's free throw percentage today was just over 40%, and the probability of making two free throws was even lower.

The Magic now have to hope for a miracle with a low probability.

But unfortunately, miracles don't happen all the time.

"boom!"

"The first free throw missed! Shaq's free throws today were a complete tragedy! Jerry Krause can have an extra glass of red wine tonight. He built a perfect lineup for the Bulls last summer and made up for his mistake of trading Roger away!"

O'Neal has lost all his confidence and now feels like vomiting whenever he sees the free throw line.

Failed jump ball, failed free throws. Rodman's ridicule, Michael Jordan's mockery. In this most crucial battle, in this important battle for professional players to prove their star quality, O'Neal experienced only failure.

I'm really just a supporting role, I'm really just a damn supporting role!

Damn it! ! !

"Shaq, stop thinking about it and focus! We can win. We didn't come all this way just to lose to the people of Chicago!" Roger's voice pulled O'Neal back from the brink of emotional breakdown.

O'Neal took a few deep breaths and finally made the second free throw.

But even so, the Magic still trailed by 1 point.

Inside the United Center, fans can already see the dawn of the finals.

No, it’s the dawn of the championship!

Whoever breaks out of the East will be the champion, this view has not changed.

As long as they can beat the Magic, the next few games against the Supersonics will just be routine games, and the Chicago Bulls will be able to return to the throne!

The situation was indeed advantageous for the Bulls. As long as they could delay time, they could still take the lead at the last moment even if they didn't score in the end.

And if the next attack can score, it will directly lock in the victory!

The Bulls fans were very happy, but Zen Master and Jordan still looked solemn.

Because they all knew what it meant to have time left on the timer.

No matter how much advantage you have now, as long as the game is not over, Roger will still be a huge threat!

In the next round, the Bulls tried hard to control the time, and Jordan finally started the offensive mode until the last 24 seconds of the 4 seconds.

Jordan was now unable to get rid of Roger in one step, so he could only make a shot with difficulty.

After the basketball hit the backboard, half of the ball had fallen into the net, but it eventually spun out.

Missed!

Brian Hill was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. The ball just missed the target by only 2 centimeters! If the ball had gone 2 centimeters further, the outcome would have been completely different!

Michael Jordan supported himself with his knees, and he had a vague feeling that this would be the jump shot he would regret most in his life.

Of course, the Bulls still had the upper hand. With only 20 seconds left in the game, they were leading by one point.

Brian Hill used his last timeout and drew up a sideline ball tactic for Roger, hoping that Roger could catch the ball and finish in the mid-range.

If Roger can't catch the ball, the backup tactic is to give it to Saroo and let him take the ball and attack.

The third alternative play was to give the ball to McKay.

"This is our chance to achieve greatness! Not many teams can win two consecutive championships, and not many teams can beat Michael Jordan two years in a row! Michael left us 20 seconds, so use these 20 seconds to kill him!"

O'Neal sat aside, having lost all his energy.

At the critical moment, the coach arranged three tactics, but none of them had anything to do with him.

He is just a supporting role, an insignificant supporting role.
The game resumed, and the Magic lined up at the free throw line, and anyone could rush out to catch the ball.

After the referee blew the whistle, Roger took advantage of the Shark's screen and ran towards the sideline, but the screen did not stop Pippen, who still held on to Roger.

In this situation, giving the ball directly to Roger would most likely result in a mistake, so Horace Grant prepared to look for the second and third chances.

But what made Grant despair was that Saru and McKay were also entangled by their respective opponents!
The Bulls did not use double-teaming, they used tight one-on-one defense to curb all opportunities!
The Zen Master knew very well that leaving anyone alone at this time would be extremely dangerous.

No Magic player should be given open space to shoot.

Right now, everyone's touch has been exhausted, so one-on-one defense is enough.

Just now, Michael Jordan missed a mid-range shot under Harper's one-on-one defense. So can Roger score a mid-range shot under interference?

None of Brian Hill's three tactics worked, so Roger could only push Pippen away and temporarily run outside the three-point line to receive the ball.

We have to take the ball first. We can't waste the ball because of a serve violation.

In the end, Grant successfully passed the ball to Roger outside the three-point line.

But this also means that the tactic has completely failed, and Roger must find a way to score singles.

It is not easy to challenge the Bulls' muscular defense when they are already exhausted.

The Chicago Bulls can win the game as long as they defend this attack, and Roger can become a legend as long as he breaks this defense.

The stage has been set to decide fate, and it's time for the heroes to write their own stories.

The Bulls really adopted a one-on-one defense tactic, and Scott Pippen used his last remaining strength to pressure Roger.

Slam magazine once said that Pippen would live in Roger's shadow all his life, but Pippen scoffed at this statement.

Today, he will break this damn shadow!

Roger did not control the time. Now was not the time to control the time. He had to make sure he scored first.

Facing Pippen with his arms open, Roger broke through to the right, but Pippen judged the direction of Roger's breakthrough correctly.

The Bulls' No. 33 didn't steal the ball or do anything risky. He just covered Roger and didn't give him room to shoot.

Seeing this, Roger immediately turned around and passed Pippen.

But Pippen was still close to Roger's side and front. Even if Roger performed his signature turn-around jump shot, the shooting space was very small and he would definitely encounter strict interference.

However, after Roger turned around, he did not choose to shoot. Instead, he suddenly pulled his hips back, took a step back, created a little space for shooting, and prepared to catch the ball with both hands.

Roger didn't actually plan to shoot, he just wanted to use this trick to cheer up Pippen.

But Pippen didn't fall for it. He just raised his arms and covered Roger's head.

He knew very well that with Roger's current touch, only a little interference would be enough to force him to miss the shot.

Again, Pippen would never do anything risky at this time!
Pippen's defense was perfect. If the Bulls successfully advance tonight, this round of defense will undoubtedly push Pippen to the altar and allow him to completely break Roger's shadow.

Roger didn't call on Pippen, but still chose to break through.

Pippen immediately changed his center of gravity and stuck to Roger's side. At the same time, Kukoc rushed out to assist in defense in front of Roger.

Horace Grant was left open, but Roger had no angle to pass the ball.

And because Kukoc came up to assist in defense too quickly, he swallowed up Roger's shooting space, making it very difficult for Roger to make a quick stop jump shot.

So, Roger jumped in the extremely narrow space half a step behind the free throw line and gently kicked the ball out with his fingers.

All the Bulls fans at the scene gasped. This was a finger-loop layup that was even more iconic than the turnaround shot!
Roger's finger flicked the ball, fast, soft, light, and hard to catch. The basketball passed over Kukoc's head and fell into the net in front of everyone's eyes! Roger was like a jade-faced assassin in a martial arts novel. With a seemingly effortless flick, his opponent fell heavily to the ground, his head and body separated!
Kukoc swallowed his saliva. He knew that Roger's trouble was not so easy to solve!

"The ball went in, Roger scored his 47th point of the game. He helped the Magic overtake by 8 point in the last 1 seconds of the game! This was a legendary soft layup. Even the Iceman never made it to the finals with this move! The Iceman was highly respected in both the ABA and the NBA, but he just couldn't win a championship. Roger is different, he is the real winner! When Shaq was at a disadvantage in free throws, Roger used a beautiful attack to change his fate!"

After Roger scored, the Bulls, who were running out of time, quickly kicked the ball out of the baseline.

Michael Jordan struggled to cross half court under Roger's pressure, and then forced a jump shot two steps away from the three-point line.

The basketball brushed the net and flew out of the baseline, and the backboard glowed red.

A shot that missed the rim was the most embarrassing outcome for Michael Jordan.

When the game ended, the entire United Center fell silent.

And every fan could clearly hear Roger yelling at Jordan:

"No matter how great your roster is, Michael, you're not going to make it to the Finals without me.

You guys need me so damn much!"

After saying that, Roger fell directly to the floor in exhaustion.

He truly dedicated every drop of his sweat, tears, and blood, and bravely moved forward in the face of the unknown. He was not knocked down by fear like a shark, but turned fear into excitement.

This is what greatness is.

(Today there is only one update, because it is a two-in-one)
(End of this chapter)