Champions Creed

Chapter 175 Chapter 174: The Final Dance of Destiny (asking for monthly tickets!)
The Magic played extremely shockingly intimidating in the first round of the playoffs.

In three games, the Bulls lost a total of 92 points, an average of 30.6 points per game.

No wonder Pippen cried after Game 3. It was indeed a very tragic way to die.

Roger and O'Neal's relationship is still talked about. They didn't reconcile in the playoffs, but they still won games.

They broke people's previous perception of a successful team.

It is generally believed that in a successful team, players should be as close as brothers and like family.

But what about the Magic? They were about to touch the crown of the dynasty, but the two core players in the team didn't talk to each other.

Looking at the entire history of professional sports, this is a very special existence.

In fact, the Magic haven't completely messed up yet, because Roger and the Shark still maintain the final tacit understanding, or the bottom line, which is: whatever happens off the court, no one can mess around on the court.

Will this balance be broken? The answer is definitely yes.

Two people who hate each other have to play on the same team. Over time, one of them will definitely turn the table.

Kobe and O'Neal were actually at odds before their first championship. They played pickup basketball during the league lockout in 1998. As opponents in that game, they trash-talked each other. Things started to get out of control after Kobe scored a goal against the Shaq, saying, "Fuck you, you're not a leader, you're nothing, these are my fucking Lakers."

The two sides then had a conflict, and in the end O'Neal slapped Kobe on the spot, making him pay the price for his poor emotional intelligence for the first time.

But this incident did not affect their winning of three championships, because they all knew where the bottom line was, which was not to mess around on the court.

But in the following years, this balance could not be maintained. After winning three consecutive championships, Kobe and O'Neal were basically incompatible. When they got the ball on the court, they played one-on-one. Their feud had extended to the basketball court, destroying the team's chemistry.

The reason was that they had been together for too long, people's patience was limited, and both parties had reached the point where they could no longer tolerate each other.

Roger and O'Neal are playing in a range where they hate each other but can still stick to the bottom line for the time being. Their tolerance for each other is still within a safe range.

This is why the fighting effectiveness of Roger and the shark was not affected too much.

However, one topic is getting more and more heated, which is the future of the Magic.

In recent days, I don’t know if it’s because the Sharks’ agent Leonard Armato has started to plan ahead for the summer of 97, but many media outlets have suddenly reported that O’Neal may not want to exercise his player option.

This was well known within the Magic, but it was a bombshell to the outside world.

Although everyone knows that O'Neal and Roger have conflicts, having conflicts and announcing to opt out of the contract are two different things.

Following last year, the Sharks will test the free agent market for the second consecutive summer. This move is to remind those hungry teams: divorce immediately and you can flirt.

Before the season ended, O'Neal was caught up in various transfer rumors.

When John Gabriel was interviewed, he also semi-confirmed the news:
"Shaq has the player option, and he has the initiative. We will certainly do our best to keep him. In fact, negotiations are still going on. But again, the player option is in Shaq's hands, and no one can stop him from going anywhere he wants."

At the same time, before the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Michael Cage, Sarunas Marciulionis and Dominique Wilkins also announced in interviews that they would end their careers in Orlando after this season.

The three of them announced the matter in front of the media only after discussing it with Roger.

Michael Cage and Dominique Wilkins are old, and this tough season has taken a toll on their bodies.

For Michael Cage, being a part of a dynasty team is the highest honor, and he has no motivation to continue fighting.

For the essence of the movie, getting a ring is the perfect ending to a career, and there is no need to add to it.

Saroo's reasons are slightly different from theirs. Although he is already 33 years old, he is in good shape and there is no problem for him to continue playing.

But he wanted more to return to Lithuania and develop his country's basketball career after helping Roger reach the top.

"Just one strong player won't help us beat the Dream Team in the Olympics. We need a team of strong players." This was the reason Saru gave Roger.

So, that night, in the magician's "Magic Hour" program, he first proposed the concept of "The Last Dance".

"If you were Shaquille O'Neal, and you were tricked by the team management when renewing your contract, and you still couldn't take the top spot on the team, would you choose to continue your career in Orlando? No, Shaq has won enough championships and is still young, he must be eager to prove himself somewhere else.

He is eager to prove that he can win the championship without Roger, and that Roger cannot win the championship without him. This is definitely what he wants to do most after winning three consecutive championships.

So, Orlando fans should not have any unrealistic expectations. The chances of Shaq leaving this summer are 100%.

In addition to the Sharks, the entire Magic will fall apart. This is the law of the end of a dynasty.

Perhaps, the Orlando Magic will win more championships under Roger's leadership in the future.

But remember, this is the last dance of the Magic from 1994-1997!

Cherish this team's final performance. I think the biggest regret of Bulls fans is that they did not cherish every minute and every second before the Bulls dynasty disbanded last season.

However, I believe Roger will not let Orlando fans feel too sorry.

He will definitely bring this dynasty to a perfect end."

Magic's remarks added a touch of tragedy to the Magic's title defense journey.

Whatever the outcome, this is the last time the heroes will fight side by side.

On the other side, before the start of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Michael Jordan went to the head coach's office to have a private conversation with Phil Jackson.

Phil Jackson thought Jordan's conversation would focus on the next round opponent, the Miami Heat.

Just now, the Zen Master and Jordan had a big disagreement on the issue of "who should defend Alan Houston".

The Zen Master believed that this task should be left to Larry Johnson, and there was no need for Jordan to waste any more energy on the defensive end.

But Jordan insisted that Larry Johnson had a hard time catching Alan Houston's smart moves. He told the Zen Master directly in the locker room:

"I don't want to lose any game because of that damn Alan. We not only have to beat Phil, but we have to do it cleanly! The Magic are too old, we can't give them any time to breathe! They will definitely sweep their opponents in the second round 4-0, and we have to do the same, we have to keep pressing!"

So, Phil Jackson thought Jordan came for this.

He held a book in his hand, looked up at Jordan, and then continued reading: "Michael, sometimes you have to learn to trust your teammates. Larry is not as good at off-ball defense as he is at on-ball defense, but he is a hard-working guy. He played a role player this season, but did you hear him complain? It's important to trust your peers."

"If we don't win the championship this season, I will retire."

There was a loud "bang" in Phil Jackson's head, as if his brain was blown everywhere.

What is that guy talking about?
The Zen Master was confused. What Jordan said was completely different from what he expected.

Wait, even if he had such an idea, he wouldn't say it so directly, right?
Without any foreplay or lubrication, you just do it forcefully! ?

"You mean retiring?" The Zen Master tried his best to make his tone sound calm, but his slightly trembling hands betrayed him.

"Well, my team, the Nike team, all of that talked me into it. I'd made up my mind, Phil, I didn't want to leave the league as a clown." Jordan did make up his mind, and he ultimately became the one who planned his own funeral in advance.

"Didn't you hear what Magic said? This is the last dance of the Orlando people! Of course I believe we can win, but if something unexpected happens, Orlando will have no fighting power next season. I mean, we still have a chance to win the championship!" "Phil, do you know why our first championship was so sensational? Because we cut off the heads of the Detroit Pistons and entered the finals, instead of avoiding them.

I'm not the kind of person who picks up trash everywhere and brags about being the best in history after winning two consecutive championships. If I can't chop off Roger's head and win the championship, I still can't get rid of his domination. Even if I win next season, what does it matter? Fans are not stupid. People know that I can win because the Magic are rebuilding, but Roger still dominates me.

And don't make it sound like we're in such a good place. How long will Patrick's knees last? How long will Larry Johnson's back last? How good will Charles be when he turns 35 next year?
The state of the team next year is completely unknown. If we lose again next year, the result will be something I cannot bear.

Well, I'm just telling you, I don't want you to hear about this from the news. Besides, we're going to win this year, I'm just making a hypothesis."

Jordan is a smart man, and he knows the consequences of continuing to lose. In other words, he is also a person who is afraid of failure.

After the 1998 season ended, Jordan actually wanted to continue playing. He thought that he was stronger in 98 than in any other year. In addition to using his body, he also learned how to use his mental strength. He felt that he was fully capable of winning his seventh championship. He was annoyed and unwilling to retire.

If that's the case, why doesn't he fight? It's not like someone is holding a knife to his neck and asking him to retire.

The answer is simple. Jordan knew that the Bulls would rebuild and that he would fail if he stayed.

So he left. With Jordan's status at the time, he couldn't afford to lose and he was afraid of failure.

The same is true now, Jordan can't afford to lose.

Even if he is unwilling, he must accept his fate.

"Then," the Zen Master closed the book and his eyes became serious, "Let's continue with your hypothesis. If, just if, we fail this year and you retire, will you come back for the third time? What if I invite you to come back in a certain year?"

Phil Jackson was testing the waters, and the answer he got was: "If the accident we hypothesized happened, there is a 99.9% chance that I would not play in the NBA again. So, we'd better not let any accidents happen. By the way, I listened to you about the previous matter, and we let Larry guard Alan."

After Jordan said this, he turned and left the Zen Master's office.

After walking out, Jordan clenched his fists.

From now on, he will play every game as if it were his last!

This is the last dance for magic, and isn’t it the same for myself?

In the office, Phil Jackson smiled.

99.9%?

Well, at least Michael Jordan hasn't said anything final.

The Eastern Conference semifinals didn't make the Magic and Bulls wait too long.

After four big battles, the Miami Heat defeated the Cavaliers without any major problems.

The Pistons defeated the Hornets in a Game 5 game.

So, the semifinal matchups between Heat vs. Knicks and Magic vs. Pistons were finally confirmed.

The results were not suspenseful, as both the Magic and the Knicks advanced with a total score of 4-0.

Pistons vs. Magic, no one was optimistic about the Pistons from the beginning.

This series was a torture for Chris Webber.

Because of O'Neal's presence, he looks as soft as a piece of jelly.

Grant Hill maintained his usual level and proved to be a player who can fight tough battles.

But the key is, how can Grant Hill do what even Michael Jordan couldn't do? -- Michael Jordan and Chris Webber were once swept 8-0 by the Magic in a single season!

Not everyone can lead Chris Webber in the playoffs.

Except for Game 3, when the Pistons' hot three-point shooting caused some trouble for the Magic, the Magic won the other three games without any suspense.

4-0, the Pistons were eliminated by the Magic in the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Grant Hill, who was highly expected, was not even a match for Roger.

Just like last season, the Magic reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive year with a seven-game winning streak.

On the Knicks side, people's expectations for this round of games are completely different from those for the Magic vs. Pistons.

Most fans and media thought it would be a tough battle. The Miami Daily News claimed before the game: Our defense is enough to beat the Knicks!

Considering that Ewing's offensive power is not as good as Shaq's, and Jordan is the only weakness of the Knicks on the offensive end, the confidence of the Miami media is understandable.

Jamal Mashburn, a "perverse logician", also thinks so: "Michael has to face high-intensity defense with no blind spots for 48 minutes. If he loses focus for a moment, our defense will taste blood!"

But the result was too unexpected.

Tim Hardaway, who was able to maintain his form during the regular season, faced the Knicks' pressure defense and his shooting percentage in the entire series was only 35.1%.

Alonzo Mourning was entangled by senior gorilla Ewing and old oak Oakley, and his average points per game dropped to only 15 points.

Jamal Marsh averaged 12 points per game, which was not a big deal.

Alan Houston averaged 19.3 points per game and is the Heat's only hope.

But his shooting percentage of only 38.7% can't kill the Knicks.

In the third game, Steve Jones explained in his commentary why the Heat could not beat the Knicks in the playoffs: "The problem with Miami is that everyone is strong, but there is no absolute strong point that can really support the team."

What it means is: the five starting players are all second-in-command, and there is no player at the level of the boss!
Yes, the Heat's defense is very strong. They kept Jordan's shooting percentage below 40% in two games.

But they forget that the Knicks have a stronger defense.

Facing the Knicks' defense, the Heat's mediocre offensive talent was stretched to the limit. They had no superstars to stand out, and the playoffs were precisely where superstars were at. At least, most of the time.

4-0, the Heat not only failed to win, but also lost without any suspense.

As expected, the league's two most terrifying teams and two of the most terrifying people met again in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The feud between the Knicks and the Magic.

The feud between Jordan and Roger.

This moment is intertwined and will have a final reckoning.

After the game, reporters interviewed Phil Jackson: "It's another year that you will meet the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. For two consecutive years, your team has lost to Roger. So, if you want to name this special series, what word do you plan to use?"

"The last dance."

Phil Jackson showed an unfathomable smile. No matter who wins or loses, the final outcome will be highly consistent with the theme.

The long, mutual hatred between Michael Jordan and Roger came to an end in blood in the summer of 1997.

(End of this chapter)