Champions Creed

Chapter 173 172: Get ready, winter is coming (ask for monthly ticket!)
You only need to listen to what the Heat players said in post-game interviews to know how desperate they were in the fourth quarter.

The Magic's perimeter defense rotated quickly, filled in on time, and cut off the pass immediately. For a moment, I felt that the Magic had seven players on the court! -- Alan Houston talked about the big collapse in the fourth quarter and the Magic's perimeter defense.

Each of us had our rhythm disrupted. After getting the ball, we just wanted to take the opportunity to shoot, but this just lowered our hit rate. We completely fell into the rhythm of the Magic and were simply prey to be slaughtered. What? MVP rankings? Please, don't mention it again, okay? - Tim Hardaway smiled helplessly.

Go away, I'm not going to answer stupid questions like that! -- Jamal Mashburn talks about his new nickname "Wrong Reasoning"

Facing the opponent's defeat, even Harper learned to pretend: "Yeah, I can't defend Tim. My feet are slow, my knees are injured, and my back is almost bad. As you can see, I almost let his hit rate reach 40%."

Heat fans were disappointed again. Every time they thought their team was doing well, the Magic would wake them up and make them face reality.

After the game, the Magic continued to maintain their undefeated record at home, and Roger also used Tim Hardaway's blood to consolidate his position in the MVP rankings.

Although the season has not ended yet, the voices that Roger will win the MVP are getting louder and louder.

In the next few games, the Magic continued to advance.

People found that this team's perimeter defense was extremely strong.

Roger, a guard who people thought was not good at defense, together with the old Harper and Wilkins, actually played quite efficient defense.

Jim Gray became more and more nervous. He could only watch Roger getting closer and closer to the MVP, and watch the exclusive interview with MVP getting further and further away from him.

He had been looking forward to it for a long time, but he still hadn't seen the expression on Roger's face when that arrogant guy experienced failure!
Roger was certainly not invincible, and he still lost a few minor games.

But what Jim Gray longed to see was the despair that Roger experienced after the defeat, the despair of losing consecutive games and being overtaken by the Knicks in one fell swoop.

But the arrogant Roger has always been arrogant and has never changed.

Jim Gray now wants to slap himself. Why did you provoke Roger?

If Jim Gray really fails to interview the MVP and loses the ESPN contract because of angering Roger, he will regret it for the rest of his life.

Roger continued to lead the team to win games, scoring 40+ points from time to time.

His scoring average has started to rise, and he is currently the only player with an average of 30+ points per game.

The Knicks are struggling to swallow up the Magic's win advantage, but as the schedule shortens, their chances of overtaking are getting smaller and smaller.

On March 3, the Magic went to Charlotte for an away game. This time, the team took revenge on the Hornets, and the Knicks' plan to win the game was once again shattered.

After the game, Roger asked the reporter a question: "By the way, will the March Madness game between the University of Kansas and the University of Arizona be held in this arena tomorrow?"

Fans across the United States were stunned. Did Roger want to watch the NCAA game?
No, absolutely not.

At this moment, Roger was like a photographer at a car show. On the surface, he was taking pictures of cars, but in fact he had other purposes.

Everyone knows that someone is going to be in trouble.

Roger remembers everything.

The day after the game, Roger did not return to Orlando with the team. He still had fun in Charlotte.

On March 3, the semifinals of the Southeast Division of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, which is also the sweet 21 of March Madness, will be held in Charlotte.

There will be two matchups on the day, the earlier one being between the University of Kansas and the University of Arizona.

Mike Bibby vs. Paul Pierce.

That's right, Paul Pierce.

Roger didn't like the unkind remarks Pierce had made about him before.

Seeing that he would not be punished, the talkative Pierce continued to say many things about Roger.

"Who would know Roger without Shaq?"

"Michael is the real leader because no teammate dares to disobey him. But Roger? He doesn't even get Shaq's respect."

"The three consecutive championships belong only to Michael, and even the end of the world cannot change that."

Reporters like to ask him sensitive questions about this big mouth, and he accepts all of them like an ambitious young man who opens his legs to do business.

But there was no way. There was no NBA team in Kansas, and Roger couldn't just take a plane to cause trouble for Pierce.

The NCAA March Madness tournament is played in neutral venues, regardless of home or away games. Pierce never imagined that his Sweet 16 match would be in Charlotte.

There is an NBA team here, and Roger happened to be playing against this team yesterday.

Paul Pierce didn't sleep all night after learning that Roger asked about the venue of the University of Kansas' game after the game yesterday.

When he woke up the next day, he asked his good brother, Reeve LaFrentz: "If you were an NBA superstar, would you be so bored as to bother a college player?"

"That depends on what the college student said."

Pierce swallowed and said, "I've said too much!"

Roger can't be that real, right?
He was probably just joking in front of the media, right?
He is fighting for the MVP, how could he waste his energy on himself?
Maybe he just wanted to watch an NCAA March Madness game live.

Well, who doesn't like watching the NCAA?
Don't be nervous Paul, don't be nervous!
Besides, if anyone really dares to cause trouble, Coach Roy Williams will definitely stop him!

Pierce did a lot of psychological preparation for himself, and when he went to the on-site adaptive training at the University of Kansas at noon, his nervousness had eased a lot.

Besides, if Roger was still in Charlotte, he would have been here earlier.

At this time, Kansas head coach Roy Williams, who had studied under North Carolina coach Dean Smith, walked into the training hall.

He seemed to be in a good mood and called out to Pierce with a smile: "Paul, let me introduce you to a big shot."

"Who?" Pierce wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked in confusion.

"Roger!"

"God!"

"You can call him that, too."

"I didn't mean to call him that!"

At this time, Roger, wearing jeans and with his hands in his pockets, walked into the competition venue.

For a moment, all the players on the court stopped moving, stared at Roger with their mouths wide open, and then turned to look at Pierce.

Roger's eyes quickly locked onto Pierce and he whistled, "Nice to meet you, the best college player besides Tim Duncan."

Seeing that both parties were not restrained at all, Roy Williams prepared to leave: "You guys chat slowly, the coaching staff and I still have work to do. Don't be nervous, Paul, Roger is here to motivate you."

"Coach, why let outsiders in? The game is going to start tonight!" Pierce quickly grabbed Roy Williams as his last straw.

"Believe me Paul, talking to great players can give you strength!" said Roy Williams.

He really thinks so, and he feels that young players can burst out with greater fighting power after being inspired by great players.

Of course, the fact that Roger sent him a case of Dynasty Feast was another.

"Roy, don't go, wait!" Pierce desperately reached out to the coach, but the coach walked out of the arena. Then, Roger put his strong hand on Pierce's shoulder: "Boy, listen to Roy, it's a good thing to talk to great players. The first lesson I want to teach you is to be careful with your words and actions. Come on, pick up that damn basketball and let me see if you are ready for the game tonight!"

Pierce swallowed. Would Roger, a superstar, cause trouble for a college player?

The Orlando Daily News has already given the answer: Yes, he is that kind of person.

What happened after that is now a legend.

Before the game with Arizona started that evening, all the players from the University of Kansas told one thing in front of the camera: Roger, wearing jeans, completely defeated Paul Pierce in a three-inning 21-point head-to-head match.

In the most games, Pierce scored 3 points.

In the game with the fewest points, Pierce scored 0 points.

Just as the media were lamenting Roger's ruthlessness, something magical happened.

Perhaps because he was used to playing against higher-level defenders like Roger, Pierce was like a god in tonight's game.

迈克.毕比在三分线外7投5中轰下21分的表现，在保罗.皮尔斯15中11的32分面前也黯然失色。

Among them, Pierce made 4 of 4 shots from beyond the three-point line, and the defense of Arizona star forward Michael Dixon was simply useless in front of him.

In the end, Kansas defeated Arizona 88-82 and advanced to the Elite Eight.

After the game, reporters asked Paul Pierce another question about Roger:

"What happened this afternoon? Did Roger really challenge you to a duel?"

Pierce broke out in a cold sweat when he thought of his experience in the afternoon.

In the version told by his teammates, it seemed that Roger was just wearing jeans and fighting against himself.

But in reality, the process was filled with Roger's trash talk and intense frustration.

Pierce claims to be a master of trash talk, but when compared with Roger, he knows what it means to be crushed.

Roger will break your body with his goal after goal, and then taint your soul with his ugly trash talk.

Playing against him is the world's worst nightmare!

Next time he has his birthday, Pierce must make this wish: "Don't ever be teammates with Roger after I enter the NBA. Never!"

He simply couldn't imagine what it would be like to face such a tyrant for an entire season.

Reporters expected Pierce, the big mouth, to continue to speak without restraint, but at this time, facing questions related to Roger, Pierce no longer begged and wailed.

"Yes, before the game started, the great MVP taught me a lot and helped me win tonight's match. There is no doubt that he is my goal and idol. Anyone who says Roger can't win the MVP and three consecutive championships is a fool!"

The reporters were all surprised. Why was Pierce's style so different from usual?
What are you talking about! ?

To borrow a phrase from Kawashimaru during the TV debate among US presidential candidates: I have never heard so much nonsense in my life.

On the sidelines, Roger smiled with relief.

You know what, it’s quite relaxing to occasionally abuse these little cuties during the long season.

Of course, the Paul Pierce incident was just an episode this season.

After a little entertainment, Roger threw himself back into his MVP season.

In the following games, Roger still led the team to maintain the two records of "no losing streak" and "no home loss".

4月4日，赛季第74场比赛遇见老对手纽约尼克斯，魔术以84比93败北。

Roger scored 42 points in the game, but the rest of the Magic were completely frozen.

Ewing scored 30 points in the paint and Michael Jordan also scored 33 points.

After this game, the Knicks narrowed the gap in wins.

It seems that Michael Jordan still has a chance to win the MVP.

But in the last eight games, the Knicks ended the suspense of being the first in the league.

Because they lost two of their last eight games.

一场面对活塞，格兰特.希尔拿下27分12个篮板10次助攻的三双，最重要的是名不见经传的特里.米尔斯三分9投5中拿下赛季最高的29分，让尼克斯翻车。

Another Knicks unexpected defeat to the Cavaliers was an ugly game, with the score being 73 to 70, which was shockingly low. Both teams shot no more than 40%, with Jordan shooting 25 of 7 for only 28%.

Although the great Michael Jordan still scored a seemingly respectable 23 points, he was ultimately defeated by two-time All-Star guard Trill Brandon.

The Cavaliers were still competing with the Bulls for a playoff spot, so they played with great concentration and seriousness, and their fighting power was not weak at all. The Knicks thought they had hit a soft persimmon, but in fact they had hit a hard rock.

In the end, the Knicks won 66 games this season.

The Magic, who won all of their last eight games, achieved the same 68 wins as last season, ranking first in the league!

Considering the departure of Horace Grant and the serious aging of the team, it is really not easy for the Magic to tie last season's record!
To the league and the media, the final eight games were Roger's moment to solidify his MVP status.

Although they lost to the Knicks, Roger proved how good he is at leading a team. Even if he leads the team alone, the team's stability is very high. At least they didn't lose some inexplicable games like the Knicks did.

And in the game against the Knicks, Roger also had better personal statistics than Jordan.

At this point, Roger, a fourth-year player, had a record of 68 wins and averaged personal data of 32.8 points, 4.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game, as well as a single-season unbeaten home record and a single-season record without any losing streak. It was almost a foregone conclusion that he won the MVP trophy, and the only thing left was the award ceremony!

Compared to his averages of 24.2 points, 1.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game in his freshman year, Roger has completed an all-round evolution in his fourth year.

Every time people couldn't believe that the Chicago Bulls actually traded Roger.

No one knew at the time that that decision was the beginning of Michael Jordan's true fall from grace.
-
I will reiterate one last time that Roger is really my idol. I said those things before just to deliberately irritate him and make him compete for the MVP. As you know, I am Roger's little brother and I love him! - Paul Pierce talked about his relationship with Roger from the heart.

Roger has won the scoring title for the second consecutive season. He not only interrupted Michael's dominance of the scoring title, but also ruled the scoring title himself! I think it will be difficult for anyone to take the scoring title away from Roger! - Orlando Beacon News.

Roger's MVP is almost certain. Michael is great, but not as good as Roger. Shaq? His attendance rate is too low. Karl Malone? No one will really choose him, right? I'd rather put the MVP trophy in a cloth bag and sew it up than give it to him! - Sports Illustrated.

Just as stable as Roger MVP, Tim Duncan has already secured the No. 1 pick. No matter how much Red Auerbach brags about Keith Van Horn, it will not have any impact on this draft. Even if Elgin Baylor holds the No. 1 pick, he knows to choose Tim Duncan. The biggest suspense is, who will be lucky enough to get the No. 1 pick? --NBA Time and Space.

"Perhaps you haven't discovered a terrifying fact yet. The Magic team led by Roger alone is already strong enough. But in the second game of the playoffs, Shaquille O'Neal will return.

Yes, the Orlando Magic that we have been praising and commending for some time is not complete. They are missing one of the strongest stars in the team!

Even so, magic is scary enough.

But they can be even scarier!
Maybe many people have forgotten this, but soon Roger and Shaq will remind everyone of the true horror of magic.

Get ready, all the playoff teams, winter is coming."

-- John Anderson, "SportsCenter."

(End of this chapter)