Champions Creed

Chapter 140 139: You know, Roger is the best player on the Magic (ask for monthly votes!)
"As we all know, Roger was a fantastic competitor and he played a fantastic game! It's over, the game is over, the Chicago Bulls' immortal dynasty has completely collapsed!"

Bill Walton was deeply impressed by Roger's performance. When the Sharks were in a slump, Roger really carried the team on his shoulders, scoring more than half of the team's points, and at the last moment, he made a fatal attack and two defenses to kill the game. Moreover, the goal that killed the game is considered one of the best shots in NBA history!

What kind of performance is this? This is only Roger's third year in the league!
Even some high-draft talented players may still be working towards an All-NBA or All-Star appearance in their third season.

But what about Roger? The discussion about him has already reached a historical level!

However, the most impressive thing about Bill Walton's words is probably the last sentence: The Bulls dynasty has completely collapsed!

The sense of the dynasty's collapse was indeed strong, because it wasn't just Roger's assassin-like layup that killed the game.

Michael Jordan, the tyrant who was always responsible for killing his opponents, also wasted two chances to bury the Magic in the final moments. This seemed to be a hint of fate - Roger of the Bulls dynasty was doomed to fail, and even the Black Jesus could not stop him!

In this series where everything was on the line, Roger finally stood his ground, but Michael Jordan did not.

If the Bulls had just lost to the Magic once, it might not have been the end of the dynasty. You could say that Roger and Shaq just had a lucky win over the king.

But when Jordan and his Bulls lost to Roger twice in a row, it meant that their dynasty had been completely overturned!

Roger has made it to the finals for three consecutive years and is likely to win the championship for two consecutive years. Such achievements undoubtedly mean that Roger has replaced Michael Jordan and has taken over the league's dominance!

The Magic players began to celebrate on the court. At this time, the camera was turned to Jerry Krause. His expression was as if a pair of invisible hands had completely sucked his soul away.

He was pale and expressionless, just like a body without a soul. Everything he did last summer became useless at this moment. Roger proved once again that no matter how strong your lineup is, no matter if you get Rodman or Dumars, as long as I am missing, you will never make it to the finals!
Roger told Chicago again that trading me was the most stupid decision in the world!
Even if they traded me for Michael Jordan, it would still be a complete mistake!

And such a mistake can never be made up for in any other way! The consequences of this mistake will always linger in the minds of Bulls fans, making them spend Roger's entire career in pain and regret!
This is the greatest punishment Roger can give to those who despise him!
At the scene, countless Bulls fans burst into tears, because this was the second consecutive year that Roger killed the Bulls in the most brutal way.

In the playoffs, there are only two worst ways to lose - either being swept without any suspense, or being defeated in a Game 7 despite having a clear chance.

Roger gave Chicago fans a one of a kind experience a year.

Bulls fans couldn't believe that this 72-win team, this team with a flawless lineup, still couldn't get past the Orlando Magic.

And today, Shaquille O'Neal's performance was simply that of a war criminal.

Although he scored 21 points and 11 rebounds, his efficiency was very low. As a center, his shooting percentage was less than 45%, and his free throw shooting percentage was less than 45%. He made 6 turnovers and even lost the crucial jump ball when facing Rodman, who was much shorter than him.

If he hadn't taken so many shots, he wouldn't have been able to score 21 points.

So the Chicago Bulls completely lost to Roger.

This is cruelty within cruelty, because Roger was originally a member of the Chicago Bulls!
Toni Kukoc helplessly put his hands on his hips. His defense just now was very, very fast, but Roger's soft dribbling shot was simply amazing. Even the Iceman himself couldn't do better than him.

To be honest, Kukoc was already mentally prepared for this.

When Roger said in the last game, "It doesn't matter Tony, you're going to lose in the end anyway," Kukoc had already prepared for the worst.

But the final blow was more brutal than he had expected.

Michael Jordan was still recalling the two shots he had just made. He had missed countless shots in his life, but the two misses he had just made would definitely be engraved in his mind for the rest of his life.

It will wake him up from nightmares countless nights!
If he had made one of them, the game would not have ended like this.

Jordan was too tired and he didn't have the strength to shoot in the final moments.

Although he believed he could do it before taking the shot, reality reminded him that he was already 33 years old.

Before his first retirement, he was a man who could fly into the sky and hide in the ground. Every step he took was accompanied by landslides and earthquakes. He was invincible.

Now? He's still the best player in the league, but he's not the player he once was. He's slipped, even if not dramatically, but enough to show up in one or two key possessions.

Jordan fell into deep self-doubt. Last year, he was swept 8-0 by Roger. He was more angry and unwilling, but he never doubted himself.

He firmly believes that as long as he trains hard and the team can improve its lineup, he will be able to make a comeback.

But today, Jordan's mentality is completely different.

Roger was still so young, but he had already begun to slowly decline. This feeling of powerlessness when others are still shouting "hurry up" but you are already completely limp is enough to make every man fall into self-doubt.

Michael Jordan sat on the ground, looking calmer than people thought.

People expected Michael Jordan to be furious and tear down the entire United Center.

But he didn't, he just sat on the floor and buried his head in his knees.

In fact, Jordan was not calm, he was just completely knocked down tonight.

Have you ever seen a dead person angry?
In the stands, Reinsdorf closed his eyes.

Finally, this long dream came to an end.

This season, Reinsdorf once thought that his dream could continue.

The team defeated opponent after opponent and made history in the regular season.

They should have followed this perfect script.

But he underestimated Roger's revenge.

Reinsdorf believes that Roger was able to burst out with such great power because he hated Jordan.

Jordan is to Roger what the assassin is to Jordan.

There will never be a day when they can live in harmony.

Look what Jordan did to the assassin in the end, that’s what Roger would do to Jordan.

Just like the Detroit Pistons who have never recovered since their defeat to the Bulls in 91, Reinsdorf believes that this Bulls team is doomed.

It's over, it's all over.

This dynasty, which had already begun to decay, officially collapsed.

On the court, all the Bulls players began hugging and shaking hands with the winner.

This is their last grace.

Except for Pippen, who had lost even the last bit of his grace.

He refused to shake hands with the Magic players and hurriedly turned and left the court the moment the game ended.

"Scott Pippen will always live in Roger's shadow."

This sentence in "Slam" magazine is like an unbreakable curse, which is fulfilled again and again.

Pippen was unwilling to face such a fate, so he chose to avoid it.

All he wanted now was to find Larsa, the gentle woman who always took good care of Jordan's son.

Michael Jordan dared to face the defeat. He shook hands and hugged Roger.

After every playoff game, he would shake hands with Roger. Just from this point of view, Danzi is indeed magnanimous.

Roger laughed and teased: "Old man, you want to steal our championship, huh? Enjoy your vacation life, Michael, take care, now you can practice golf well."

Michael Jordan did not respond, just patted Roger on the back and left with a depressed face.

Faced with Roger's teasing, he was speechless.

In the past, he always teased others like this and enjoyed the fact that others dared not speak out in anger.

He always wrote stories of victory, and his humorous banter added to his legend.

But now, he has become the loser in the story. A complete loser, even the 72 wins in the regular season have become a shame.

Jordan left the court, surrounded by Bulls fans who were even more distraught than he was.

Since acquiring Michael Jordan, the atmosphere at the Bulls' home court has never been so depressing.

The No. 23 legend looked up at the three championship banners on the dome of the United Center, thoughtfully.

Where is my future?

Once again, Roger sent Jordan away.

He completely changed history.

The wheel of history is turning wildly because of the result of this game.

This game not only affected Jordan, but also the future of many people. Larry Miller, senior consultant of Reebok Basketball Department, was sure that Roger series of sneakers would surpass AJ and become a hit that no one could match. He would become another Roger and make Nike regret it!

James Dolan is in a good mood. He believes that his chances of getting Michael Jordan this summer have increased to 70%.

On the contrary, Logo was so angry that he smashed the glass in his hand at his home in Los Angeles. Roger's goal is likely to completely disrupt his plan.

Patrick Ewing feels that by this time next year, he and Jordan might be making it to the Finals together.

Joe Dumars already wants to end his career. If he can't win a championship playing outside the Detroit Pistons, what's the point of continuing to play? He doesn't want to wander around.

Dennis Rodman is terrified about this summer. He feels that he may never get the contract he desires in his lifetime.

What would the basketball world be like if Michael Jordan couldn't completely dominate the 90s?

The world will see it soon.

Afterwards, an interesting scene occurred at the award ceremony for the Eastern Conference champions. When Magic owner Rich DeVos handed the trophy to Roger with a smile, Roger did not let the trophy stay in his hand for a second, but immediately handed it to Salu who was standing beside him.

It seems that for Roger, the Eastern Conference championship trophy is not something worth cherishing.

Indeed, Roger won the Eastern Conference championship trophy in his first season of his professional career, but what was the result?
He became a useless person who could not win a championship in people's eyes, and a foil to support Michael Jordan's greatness.

After that season, Roger was very clear about one thing - the division championship was useless.

After tasting the championship last season, Roger is even less interested in the division championship.

After the award ceremony, Roger returned to the locker room and was extremely excited.

He high-fived every teammate with a smile on his face: "Win four more games, four games is not a lot, we only need to win four more games and we can win the damn trophy again, I can't wait to have the last laugh! Salute to Saru, your performance in the third quarter was very important. Salute to Ron, you made that bastard Michael become a useless old dog in the fourth quarter. Salute to Shaq, you didn't let that bastard Dennis get the key offensive rebound. We are going to win again, guys, we are going to win again!"

O'Neal smiled and high-fived Roger, temporarily forgetting all the unpleasantness.

I'm not even the best player on the team? No, why should I care what a loser says?
I was just not in a good mood today. Everyone has bad times, and it's normal.

Besides, as long as I win a FMVP trophy next time, no one will be able to say that to me anymore!

On the other hand, Michael Jordan did not attend the post-game press conference after changing his clothes.

He got into his red Porsche sports car with an exaggerated rear wing and drove away from the United Center.

The coolest thing about Jordan's car is not the bright red color or the exaggerated rear wing, but the license plate, which only has three letters "AIR", which is the exclusive logo of the flying man.

But can the flying man still fly? Everyone has a question mark in their mind.

When he got home, his wife Juanita and children were the first to comfort him, but the only one missing was his second son Marcus.

"Where's Marcus?" Jordan asked.

"He went to his Aunt LaSalle's house and said he wanted to stay the night."

Jordan didn't think much about it, and soon he received a call.

It was Patrick Ewing who called. He was concerned about his friend first: "We all know that you are the best in the world. You just lack a little luck. Maybe next year? You will be back to the top."

The relationship between Ewing and Jordan is better than people think.

Their friendship began in 1984, when they were both juniors in college and were selected for the Olympic basketball team. They lived in the same room and won the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles with a brilliant record of 8 wins and 0 losses, making all Americans underestimate the difficulty of winning the Olympic championship.

Although they became rivals after entering the NBA, their friendship was not affected.

The relationship between the two was definitely real, because you could see Michael Jordan at Patrick Ewing's jersey retirement ceremony on February 2003, 2. You know, Jordan was playing for the Wizards at the time, and there was a very important game against the Bulls the next night.

But Michael Jordan still attended his friend's jersey retirement ceremony the day before the game.

You might say, isn't it the right thing to do to attend a good friend's jersey retirement ceremony?
Oh, Wade would be very embarrassed if we talked like this. So sometimes playing on the same team is not as real as being opponents.

In short, Ewing really cares about Jordan, and Jordan is also very happy to receive Ewing's call.

But after talking for a while, Michael Jordan found that his good friend was there for more than just comforting him.

"Michael, what are your plans for this summer?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're going to test the free agent market, aren't you? What are your plans? How much are the Bulls prepared to offer you?"

"I haven't made any plans yet, and the contract hasn't been formally discussed yet."

"In any case, Michael, you should get a contract that matches your worth. Don't make any compromises for the team. You know, the owners are the coldest-blooded people in the world."

"Of course, David will take care of it."

After hanging up the phone, Jordan looked at his MVP trophy and slumped on the sofa.

What's next for the summer? Free agency?

Jordan, who had always been focused on chasing championships, had never thought about these things before, but now, it is really time to consider these things.

The day after Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals ended, almost all media gave the highest praise to Roger's great epic performance.

It was a great performance and an important chapter in Roger's legendary career that deserves to be remembered. The only regret is that Shaq can't prepare for the Olympics in advance. - The New York Times

Chicago fans were lucky enough to see an immortal performance last night. Roger scored 47 points in a single game and almost made a buzzer beater. He fully demonstrated the definition of a superstar. Unfortunately, the background of this great performance was Chicago's own team. - Sports Illustrated.

Roger is not Michael's successor, never was, he is the one responsible for destroying Michael! 72 wins but failed to make the finals, Roger made Michael's original great record meaningless, he completely ended the number 23! - "Slam Dunk".

If there is a player who can defend Michael twice at the critical moment and successfully score a near buzzer beater, then he is undoubtedly the best player in the game! Michael was the best player before he went to play baseball, but now the best player is Roger. Even if Michael won 72 games and the MVP, it still cannot change the fact that Roger is the best player in the game. Jerry Krause's stupidity in dealing with Roger is rising! - "NBA Time and Space".

Even though Shaquille O'Neal was almost useless in last night's game, and even had some counter-effects, Roger still defeated the Chicago Bulls. 47 points, a near buzzer beater. Who on earth can stop Roger? - Orlando Chronicle

The Chicago Bulls without Roger have missed the finals for the second consecutive year. Facts have proved that the Chicago Bulls without Roger are nothing. The era of the NBA being dominated by Asians has officially begun. - USA Today.

We did a poll on "If there is an Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy, who do you think is most qualified to win it?" As many as 99% of fans chose Roger, and only 1% of fans voted for Shaq. - Orlando Sentinel.

The whole world is paying attention to Chicago, where the game is held, because of the tiebreaker, and Roger is undoubtedly the most popular person in Chicago.

You have to understand that it was May 1996. The Atlanta Olympic torch relay was underway in Chicago, and Princess Diana had just visited. But Roger was far more popular than either of those two things.

This is the huge influence he has now. The moment he defeated Jordan for the second time, his influence was completely on a different level than before.

Almost all media outlets praised Roger, and all media columnists acknowledged Roger's greatness.

No writer or commentator would jump out at this time to show their unique ideas, because any remarks that slander Roger at this time would be extremely stupid.

However, while the media unanimously praised Roger, almost no one said anything good about O'Neal.

Even his poor performance served as a foil to Roger's great performance.

If it weren't for Shark's lameness, Roger wouldn't have looked so powerful in yesterday's Game 7.

O'Neill was very distressed by this. As a person with a childish personality, he was now hostile to almost all media, especially the Sentinel. He hated that newspaper because it always did boring telephone polls!
Such a public opinion environment also made the Magic's finals opponent George Karl smell the scent of opportunity.

In his opinion, this might be something that could be exploited.

That afternoon, the players of the Seattle SuperSonics were about to travel to Orlando, the city of a thousand lakes, more than 4000 kilometers away, to prepare for the finals directly in Orlando.

Before leaving, the reporter interviewed the team coach George Karl.

"George, what do you think of the Eastern Conference Finals that just ended?"

"There's nothing much to say. Roger played a great series. His performance in Game 7 should go down in history. But we will find a way to deal with him. I know the outside world is not optimistic about us. Some even say that whoever makes it out of the East will be the champion. But it doesn't matter. Whatever you say, the game is never decided by the media and outside opinions."

"You said Roger had a great series, what about Shaq?"

"Shaq was a tough guy, and he did what he did every night, destroying the paint and grabbing all the rebounds.

But you know, Roger is the best player on the Magic. He does everything the best player does. He's efficient on both ends of the floor. He's been doing that all playoff time. He's the best player on the Magic. I guess Shaq would be okay with that, right? "

George Karl's plan was so good that Jason Kidd could hear it in Dallas. The strategy of sowing discord was really too shady. If I become a coach in the future, I will definitely not use such a trick.

And so, George Karl flew to the magical world of Orlando with his best defensive player.

In his opinion, the Orlando Magic is just like Disneyland, which is just a bubble with a gorgeous shell that will burst with a single poke.

It's so easy to defeat them!

It’s definitely easier than you think!
(End of this chapter)