Champions Creed

Chapter 176 Chapter 175: No tiebreaker this year! (Please give me your monthly vote!)
In 1997, before the Eastern Conference Finals, which Phil Jackson named "The Last Dance," Michael said he had not forgotten:

"I certainly remember what the Orlando Magic did the last two years, they beat us in two Eastern Conference finals and they danced on our graves, I remember that. If you're a fighter, you don't forget that.

The Magic still had the same team this time, pretty much, Roger and Shaq, and I thought, this is God's chance for me to get revenge.

I remember clearly how I felt after failing for the past two years, and that has driven me toward success.”

It is not difficult to see from this passage how special this round of series is in Michael Jordan's mind.

In other games, he would walk into the opponent's locker room chewing gum, hold his head high and ask arrogantly: "Who will guard me tonight?"

He would look at his opponent and hold up five fingers: "50 points tonight."

But facing the Magic, he was quite serious before the game started.

Roger didn't say much when he entered the court. He just changed his clothes immediately and went on stage, concentrating on warming up.

Roger certainly knew that if he could defeat Michael Jordan this time, it would truly be his era!

He didn't just beat Jordan, he dominated Jordan!

If Roger allowed Jordan to steal one or two championships in the last three consecutive years, that would not be called domination, that would be called evenly matched competition.

But if Roger kept Jordan out of the finals for three consecutive years, it would be a completely different story.

Reebok can proudly promote: Michael was able to become the best player because Roger was not there.

Think about it, if Magic prevented Bird from winning even one championship, could it still be called a rivalry between Magic and Bird?
There are winners and losers, that's what he calls hegemony.

But for now, Jordan can only lose to Roger.

In competitive sports, losers are like those people in the movie A that you skipped and added subtitles to; no one will remember them.

Roger must continue this record and not give Jordan a chance to turn things around.

Before the game started, when Roger came on the court, all the fans were shouting MVP.

This time, Roger is the real MVP.

Before the start of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, David Stern presented Roger with the MVP trophy at the Orlando Arena.

Although this was a foregone conclusion the moment the regular season ended, the fans were still extremely excited at the trophy presentation ceremony.

After all, this is considered the most important individual honor in the basketball world, important enough to define a season.

This award will still tell fans many years later who this season, this year, and this regular season is named after.

Even though there were great names like Michael Jordan and Karl Malone standing out, Roger still became the final winner of the award.

Of course, during the award ceremony, when all Orlando people were cheering for their heroes, the sharks in the dark frowned even deeper.

In short, Roger is now the real MVP. As soon as he came on the court, Orlando fans welcomed the king of the magic world with MVP shouts.

He deserves the title of "King of the Magic World" because this year Roger not only won the MVP, but also made the All-NBA First Team for the third consecutive season. In addition, Roger also made a historic breakthrough: he was selected to the All-Defensive Second Team!
A player who was considered the team's defensive weakness in the early stage of his career got rid of people's stereotypes through four seasons of hard work, entered the best defensive second team with his fierce and determined heart and more perfect skills, and became one of the best defensive players in the league.

This is probably why Roger is so terrifying. He is already one of the top players in the league, but his career has just begun and he still has a lot of room for improvement.

On the other hand, the Shark still only made the third team this season due to his attendance problem. So far, O'Neal's best result is only the second team.

Compared with a player who has won MVP, FMVP, scoring title, been selected to the first team for three consecutive years and made the best defensive second team, Shark does look like a second-in-command in terms of personal honors.

And that’s all the shark wants to get away with!
The premise is, after winning the third championship.

Deal with Jordan first, then deal with any team in the Western Conference.

Then, O'Neal will fight Roger to the death for the rest of his life!
This round of extremely important games did not disappoint. In the first game, Roger showed his MVP style.

Roger made a three-pointer in the first attack after the opening today.

In the first few rounds of every game, Roger will definitely take a three-point shot to test his touch for the night.

On the first three-point attempt of the game, the ball went through the net.

At first, no one took the three-pointer seriously. It was normal for Roger to make a three-pointer in the game.

In the first quarter, Roger attempted two more three-pointers and made them all. In the first quarter, Roger made three of three three-pointers.

Knicks fans seemed to see some dark clouds, but still didn't pay much attention.

But no one expected that in the second quarter, thunder, lightning and heavy rain would suddenly strike!
At the beginning of the second quarter, Roger took advantage of the off-ball screen to receive the ball on the left side of the three-point line, shot and made it.

The fourth three-pointer.

A minute later, Shark missed a layup with Ewing and Oakley under the basket, but he quickly jumped up and slapped the ball behind the basket to the outside line. At that time, Roger had already stepped back a few steps because he was preparing to return to defense. When he received the ball, he was two steps away from the three-point line.

But Roger didn't hesitate and just raised his hand to throw.

brush.

The fifth three-pointer!
So far, Roger has made 5 of 5 three-pointers.

Steve Jones and the Orlando fans were excited. He borrowed a famous quote from CBS commentator Ian Iger at the McDonald's All-Star Game in 1993: "Roger just takes whatever he wants from the basket!"

As we all know, Roger defeated Jerry Stackhouse's team in the McDonald's All-Star Game that year with only four players against five, scoring 40 points. Since then, Jerry Stackhouse unilaterally declared himself Roger's lifelong enemy.

In that game, Roger seemed to be able to hit the target no matter where he shot from or under any defense.

This moment is just like that moment!
Phil Jackson began to notice something was wrong, and he immediately yelled at the players on the court: "Stick to him, don't give him any room to attack!"

But it was too late, Roger's hands were as hot as the Florida weather.

In the fifth minute of the second quarter, Roger held the ball and faced Larry Johnson, and suddenly pulled up for the sixth shot.

After that, Roger was substituted and rested for a few minutes. The Knicks players thought this would interrupt Roger's touch.

However, it does not.

In the ninth minute of the second quarter, facing double team attack, Roger passed the ball to Wilkins and quickly cut inside. But after running a few steps, Roger pushed Larry Johnson away, ran back to the three-point line, received the ball, and faced the interference of Larry Johnson who almost blocked his fingertips, and made a three-pointer.

The seventh record!
The temporary break did not cool down Roger's touch.

Orlando fans went crazy, everyone stood up, and MVP's roar broke through the arena and reached the sky.

In the next few rounds, Roger did not make any more three-pointers under the Knicks' strict restrictions.

He had very few chances to shoot, and the few times he did, he missed due to interference from Jordan.

Roger's three-point streak was interrupted.

But Phil Jackson was still uneasy.

Is it all over?

I'm afraid it's not that simple.

33 seconds before the end of the second quarter, the Magic have the ball.

After Roger received the ball at the top of the arc outside the three-point line, he played a pick-and-roll with Derek McKay and broke through Larry Johnson's defense.

But old oak Oakley double-teamed him without hesitation. Roger did not pass the ball or stop the ball. Instead, he took a step back to avoid hitting Oakley, and then continued to dribble sideways.

Oakley covered Roger as quickly as possible, but his footsteps were not as fast as Roger's. When Roger ran to the left side of the three-point line, he had already left Oakley half a body length away, ready to shoot. But just as Roger was about to shoot, Michael Jordan blocked him again!
This was the third Knicks player to defend Roger in this round.

Roger could only rely on Jordan to break through. Oakley took the opportunity to catch up and joined hands with Jordan to surround Roger.

But after starting to exert his strength, Roger immediately took a step back to the three-point line and shot the ball before the offensive time ended.

Michael Jordan and Oakley both blocked the Knicks' shot. This time, the defense couldn't be better. But Roger was forced to make this three-pointer without any space or breakthrough. Michael Jordan, Larry Johnson and Oakley, the three of them combined, couldn't hold back Roger's hot hand!
With the eighth three-pointer in the half, Roger set a new playoff three-pointer record in the first half!
It was as if he was practicing shooting alone in the training hall. Every ball drew a pleasing arc and flew into the basket!
At this time, the Magic were already leading by 17 points at halftime.

Roger demonstrated the majesty of MVP with his mythical performance.

With his hot hands, he held Michael Jordan's throat

After the goal, Roger looked at Jordan, spread his hands, shrugged, said nothing, just smiled and walked away.

This is what Jordan did to the Trail Blazers in 1992. Roger made Jordan experience the pain in a more brutal way!

In the second half, although Roger's magical touch was gone, he failed to make any more three-pointers due to the Knicks' tight defense.

But Roger does not only have the three-pointer as his offensive weapon. After the three-pointer opportunity is locked, he still has ways to continue scoring.

In the end, the Magic still defeated the Knicks 118-100.

Roger scored a career-high 50 points in the playoffs. No one expected that Roger would do such an explosive thing in the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, giving the Knicks a warning.

At this time, Charlotte, a 9-year-old boy, was deeply shocked by the performance before his eyes.

His father was also a three-point shooter in the NBA, but he had never created such a terrifying killing performance. In fact, his father only made 7 three-pointers in a single game, which was not as many as Roger made in the first half today.

Roger's 8 three-pointers in the first half were like butter melting into bread, seeping into the boy's dreams.

Who says shooting can’t kill a game? Who says shooters can only be role players? Who says a great dunker can’t also be a great shooter?
After the game, Michael Jordan walked back to the player tunnel with a gloomy face.

He played well today, with 34 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds, but it was nothing compared to Roger's divine performance.

In the past, it was Michael Jordan who made others look small with his great performance.

But tonight, it was him who was dwarfed by Roger’s great performance.

It was like a dirge for his career.

After the game, Roger smiled and looked into the camera: "Tonight, the basket was as wide as Lake Tohopokaliga."

That is the largest freshwater lake in Orlando, the city of a thousand lakes.

1-0, the Magic took a strong lead in the series.

But after the game that day, in the locker room, the Zen Master told everyone: "The magical world of Disney may be magical, but we all know that those beautiful things are not real. Those things can make you and your children happy for a while, but they can't make you really worry-free."

The implication is: Roger's magical touch today may help the Magic win a game, but it is impossible for him to help the Magic win a series. That is unrealistic.

In the second game, as expected, the Knicks began to fight back.

The Knicks' fierce pressure defense made Roger start to lose his touch. In fact, Roger himself did not expect that he could still shoot three-pointers like in the previous game. But today he not only shot three-pointers, but his mid-range touch was also limited.

In the restricted area, Ewing's efforts made it difficult for the Sharks to play smoothly. Before each attack, O'Neal had to fight with Ewing in the paint for 10-12 seconds. By the time the Sharks received the ball, the attack time was often halfway through.

At this point, O'Neal would have had a chance to finish the game directly, but if Oakley's double team arrived in time, the Sharks would have to spend time passing the ball.

So many times, the Magic can only make hasty shots when the offensive time is insufficient.

Of course, Wilkins and Harper also scored some goals in the gaps left by the Knicks' double-teaming, but those attacks could not penetrate the Knicks' heavy armor.

However, it wasn't the Knicks' defense that really killed the game today.

It was Michael Jordan's offense.

In the first quarter, Jordan was in full swing, scoring 10 points on 6 of 12 shots.

His mid-range shots are all piercing, and he is like a natural sculptor who has spent more than ten years carving the most perfect mid-range shot.

Roger's mid-range shots are accurate enough, but if we really want to talk about someone who is perfect from the movement to the accuracy like a work of art, it has to be Michael Jordan.

In the second quarter, Michael Jordan continued his god-like performance, but this time he was accurate with three-pointers. He made 6 of 4 shots in the quarter, and Roger shrugged.

At the end of the halftime, Brian Hill's face turned red with anger when he faced the camera: "Fast break, jump shot, breakthrough. Damn it, our entire team can't stop him!"

In the second half of the game, Jordan's efficient offense continued.

He is still the same Jordan. Although his influence and prestige have been declining in the past three seasons, he can still stimulate countless eyes and hearts with his killer moves.

In the end, Jordan, who broke out completely, scored 54 points, responding to Roger's 1 points in G50.

Bill Walton shook his head: "This is God abusing Orlando!"

No one expected Roger to perform so perfectly in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and no one expected Jordan to return Roger another 100+ performance so quickly, as if he was paying him back $50.

It is very difficult to score 50+ in the playoffs. Even strong scorers like Durant, Curry, Kobe and others have only scored 50+ in the playoffs once in their entire careers.

If you think those guys above are trash who can’t touch the level of the best in history, it doesn’t matter, because I, the Goat, actually only scored 50+ once in the playoffs, not more than those “trash” guys above, let alone crushing them.

The difference is that, in a situation similar to others, he dares to call himself a goat.

Although Roger was not as amazing today as in the previous game, he still scored 32 points.

But in front of Jordan, his halo was completely taken away.

After the game, Jordan's tit-for-tat with Roger continued. When a reporter asked him, "How do you evaluate your performance today?" Jordan replied, "Today, the basket was as wide as the sea."

G1, Roger described the basket as Lake Tohopokaliga.

In Game 2, Jordan immediately responded with the sea.

This was the tone of this year's Eastern Conference Finals, and these two games left the teams eliminated by the Magic and Knicks speechless.

This is a war between great players. In a war of this level, no one else can intervene.

After the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, everyone understood that this would be an epic series.

This is a series that will go down in history forever.

Roger and Jordan, like the Magic Birds in the 80s, will bring another legendary competition to the world.

After the first two games of the series, Magic Johnson once again supported Roger on his show "Magic Hour":

"Michael responded very strongly, and it was the kind of matchup you should have in the playoffs, with both guys putting on great performances.

But the Orlando Magic are champions after all.

The Magic have not been without troubles on their way to winning two consecutive championships in the past two years. Olajuwon in the 95 Finals and the Chicago Bulls last season both had the chance to defeat the Magic, but the Magic ultimately proved themselves to be the better team. This is because the Magic have a unique temperament - the stronger the pressure, the better they perform.

This temperament comes from Roger, from his personality of never succumbing to fate. He radiates this temperament to everyone in the team, making everyone very dangerous.

So, on a seven-game scale, I'm more bullish on Roger and his magic."

After the magician finished speaking, the show entered a very nonsensical cheerleading dance segment.

That's right, in a sports talk show, a dance segment suddenly came out of nowhere, which sounded like a curry movie.

The cheerleaders in the Magic Johnson show dress even more boldly than the Lakers cheerleaders, and they are all pleasing to the eye.

But no one knows what the magician's purpose is in adding this dance to the show.

Perhaps, this is a way to save the show's declining ratings.

After the third and fourth games in New York, the style of the series suddenly changed.

The first two games were magnificent performances by two superstars, Roger and Jordan.

But in the two games after arriving in New York, the gorgeous performers seemed to be forced to wear shackles and heavy armor, abandon their splendor, pick up meteor hammers and maces, and start fighting fiercely.

In G3, Roger and Shark only scored 27 points and 23 points respectively, but the Orlando Magic won the game.

Because they limited the Knicks' scoring to less.

Michael Jordan scored 21 points with a shooting percentage of 38%.

Patrick Ewing scored 17 points and shot 46%.

The game scenes changed from exciting goals to collisions, falls, dragging, and fouls.

Brian Hill adjusted the team's direction after Game 2. He didn't think it was wise to compete with the Knicks in offense, so he strengthened the defense.

He asked everyone to put all their energy into pressuring Jordan. As soon as Jordan got the ball, they would double-team him and not let him move more than one step.

For a team like the Magic, which consists entirely of old men except for the two core players, this defensive strategy is basically equivalent to giving up offense.

Because no role player can maintain his touch while exerting high-intensity pressure on the defensive end.

The offense was basically entirely handed over to two stars, Roger and Shaq.

Today, it worked.

The Magic's strong perimeter defense put Jordan in danger and lowered his shooting percentage.

Dominique Wilkins worked hard and Harper's assist defense was always there.

But Roger is the most outstanding one.

His several defensive plays determined the final outcome of the game. In the last attack before the end of the first half, the Knicks had the ball. At that time, the Knicks had already played an 8-0 offensive and were about to tie the score.

In that attack, after Jordan received the ball, he first used a change of direction to pass Wilkins, then faked a shot to attract Harper, but passed the ball to the unattended Chris Charles in the air.

If Chris Charles scored this goal in the open mid-range, the Knicks would have tied the score. Most importantly, it would have given them a complete advantage.

But Roger rushed over from the weak side at high speed, and with just the right timing, he used his fingertips to steal the ball, interrupting the Knicks' momentum to catch up.

Then in the fourth quarter, Roger made two steals in the last minute and twenty seconds. Each time, Jordan was trapped and had to pass the ball. Then Roger seemed to be able to see through Jordan's mind and appeared just in the route of Jordan's pass.

Of course, Jordan knew that wasn't "just right."

It is Roger's reading of the game situation that allows him to always appear in the right passing route at the first time.

In the end, Roger blocked Jordan's passes throughout the game, got 4 steals, and had the last laugh in this defensive battle without fancy scoring data.

"In the first two games, he told people why he was the MVP. Today, he told people why he was selected to the All-Defensive Team. This is Roger, guys. Every honor he has received is well-deserved, and you can't find any point of doubt. Roger now can do more than just score," Steve Jones commented after the game.

But before the Orlando folks had time to be happy, the Knicks immediately tied the score in Game 4.

Michael Jordan still didn't score high, only 24 points, but he did a lot of other things: 11 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and 7 assists.

He was also more involved in defending Roger on the defensive end, which allowed the Knicks to limit Roger's shooting percentage to below 40% for the first time in this round of the series.

Jordan seemed to be responding to Roger in this game: You want to compare your versatility with mine? You're far behind.

When Roger was surrounded, the Shark scored 32 points and 12 rebounds, but it was of no avail because he was killed by free throws again at the most critical moment.

In the fourth quarter, the Magic's outside shooting was sluggish. When the team could only rely on Shaq, the Zen Master used the hack-a-shark tactic at the right time.

In the last two minutes, the Zen Master allowed other Magic players to shoot, but as soon as the Shark received the ball, he immediately fouled him.

In the end, O'Neal made 8 of 3 free throws and lost the game.

This was the first time that the balance of victory was not controlled by Jordan or Roger.

Everything was left to O'Neal. If he could help the team get the match point in the last two minutes, he would undoubtedly be able to tell the world that he was also the team's star player.

Roger, who had no touch at all, won the crucial victory with match point. O'Neal, the hope of all Orlando, got a nearly perfect stage to prove himself.

As a result, the first time O'Neal took control of the balance of victory, he messed everything up.

It is not difficult to imagine O'Neal's mood. He has been longing for a scene like tonight. He waited for the opportunity he had always longed for, but buried it with his own hands.

After the game, O'Neal returned to the locker room and was furious.

He punched the shelf on which the TV was placed. After the TV fell down, Shark kicked it again, completely turning it into a pile of scrap metal.

Then he threw the contents of his locker all over the place like a madman.

After cleaning up the locker room, O'Neal walked into the shower room again and removed a shower partition and a urinal with his bare hands.

Most of the Magic players tried to hold the Shark back, fearing that he would hurt them while destroying the team.

Only Roger sat in front of his locker, indifferent.

is that useful?
Has this guy changed?
When Roger first arrived in Orlando three years ago, the Sharks were giant babies.

Now, he is still a giant baby.

When O'Neal punched the TV stand just now, Roger knew that this idiot had never changed.

He never thought about what the consequences would be if he hurt himself.

It was as if he hadn't thought about the consequences of firing at the entire team on live television broadcast across the United States.

This is my good teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

At this time, Brian Hill returned to the locker room and was shocked to see the mess. "What happened? Did Godzilla just break into the locker room?"

Roger smiled helplessly: "Don't you have a child, Brian? Families with babies are always so messy. Have you forgotten? There is also a baby in his twenties who weighs nearly 300 pounds in our locker room."

Twenty minutes later, the Magic team doctor gave O'Neal a full-body check. Fortunately, the bastard didn't hurt his hands or any other parts of his body. There were only some minor scratches on his thigh, but it didn't affect his playing.

At the post-match press conference, O'Neal and Roger were still in a state where they were only one meter apart but still needed reporters' help to pass messages.

"Tell Shaq he did nothing wrong in his last moments and don't feel guilty about it."

"Shaq, Roger said you didn't do anything wrong the moment you left, so don't feel any psychological burden. What do you think?"

"Tell that bastard not to judge me with such a condescending attitude! What is psychological burden? Why should I have psychological burden? He was also locked in at the last moment, how could he not have psychological burden? It's as if the loss is my sole responsibility!"

"Roger, Shaq asked you not to comment on him in such a condescending manner. He thought you were also locked in at the last moment. What do you think?"

"I don't really care. If he likes to criticize his teammates, then let him do it. I'm not familiar with him anyway."

"Shaq, Roger said."

Before the reporter finished conveying his message, O'Neal angrily left the press conference.

Was this press conference weird? It was quite weird. The reporters became the mouthpieces for Roger and the shark.

Yet, this has been the norm for Magic press conferences this season.

Roger and O'Neill refused any form of positive communication.

Although Magic's show was terrible, he was right about some things, such as the sentence: Shaq 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.

In any case, the total score became 2 to 2, and the fierce competition will continue.

In G1 and G2, Jordan and Roger competed with each other in scoring.

In G3 and G4, Roger and Jordan both showed their versatility.

This competition, which currently has no winner, is entering a white-hot stage.

G5 returned to Orlando, and people were speculating on how Jordan and Roger would continue the competition.

As a result, both of them had diarrhea today.

After the last game, the Zen Master further refined the tactic of hacking the shark. He found that the most efficient way to hack the shark was to wait for the shark to receive the ball in the last two minutes of the game.

If you slash all the time, even when you don't have the ball, you can't control the number of fouls. If you don't grasp this degree well, you are likely to get yourself into trouble.

But by waiting for Shark to have the ball in the last two minutes before cutting, the Magic can disrupt most of their key rounds without having to worry about too many fouls.

Of course, there is a premise: the Magic will definitely give the ball to the Sharks a lot in the last two minutes.

If the Magic want to do this, they have to lock down the outside line in the first three quarters and let them consume their energy. When no one has a good touch in the fourth quarter, the ball will naturally be handed to the Sharks.

That's what the Knicks did in this game.

In the first three quarters, the Knicks used Ewing to defend O'Neal, and everyone else dealt with the perimeter. More precisely, everyone dealt with Roger.

Roger was having a hard time on the offensive end, so he took out his anger on defense, assisting and double-teaming Jordan even more fiercely.

This resulted in Jordan's shooting percentage being a mess.

Roger and Jordan hurt each other, and the Sharks hurt Ewing in the paint.

But Ewing is one of the four great centers after all, and is still at the tail end of his prime.

He couldn't defend against O'Neal, but he also couldn't let O'Neal kill him directly.

And Ewing relied on mid-range shots after pick-and-rolls to fight on par with the Sharks.

It wasn't until the last two minutes that the Zen Master blew the whistle and the Knicks dropped the big shark net again.

As soon as the ball reached O'Neal, Ewing or Oakley would immediately foul the Shark.

This kind of foul was not as simple as just a light push, they really threw O'Neal to the ground.

The Sharks' free throws did not disappoint the New Yorkers, and the Magic's key rounds were disrupted time and time again.

Fortunately, the Knicks' own offense was also weak, so the score was not widened directly.

In the final moments of the fourth quarter, the two teams played extremely ugly.

The Magic are attacking, and O'Neal is missing shots from the free throw line using all kinds of awkward positions.

The Knicks attacked and saw Ewing miss the mid-range shot after the pick-and-roll.

People don’t know why G1 and G2 were such magnificent games, but G5 turned out like this.

It feels like watching an online writer live stream, only to find that he starts slacking off after half an hour, and then suddenly becomes a game streamer. The change is so big that it catches people off guard.

From the perspective of future generations, G1 and G2 were more like games from the 21st century, with high scores, fast pace and many exciting scenes.

Starting from G3, it is the standard 90s style.

The change is indeed too big.

With 1 minute and 04 seconds left in the game, Michael Jordan couldn't stand it anymore and decided to take the shot himself.

At this point, the player's physical strength had basically reached the bottom, so he failed to stop Jordan's first step in breaking through.

After Jordan passed Wilkins, he chose to end the offense with a very simple pull-up jump shot. Fortunately, Roger arrived in time and interfered, which prevented Jordan from scoring successfully.

The Knicks were still trailing by 3 points, and both teams had a hard time scoring in the final moments.

Brian Hill paused the game and he had to change his strategy.

In the final moments, Brian Hill didn't want to give the ball to the Sharks again.

Watching the Shark go to the free throw line is a torture for both the Shark and the team.

So he decided to replace the exhausted Wilkins with Saroo and wanted to make some moves on the outside.

This magical Lithuanian was always able to play a role at critical moments in last season's playoffs. Sarou's 3-point performance in Game 15 of last year's Finals was the most classic masterpiece of his career.

But the Knicks will definitely not be stupid enough to leave him open, so the key next is how to make the Knicks leave him open and still get the ball to him safely.

Brian Hill planned a bold strategy, with Roger as the main initiator.

O'Neal felt a little disappointed because the balance of victory was once again not in his hands.

The game continued, and Magic Johnson, as today's live commentator, lamented the low shooting percentages of both teams:

"In the 82 Western Conference Finals against the Spurs, I remember Pat said that he wanted to overturn the fallacy that 'playoff basketball is half-court offense and defense.' So he led us to play a fast-paced defensive counterattack, which was a gorgeous Showtime. But it turns out that this theory has not been overturned yet. Most teams in the playoffs still play a bloody half-court offense and defense, and even Riley himself does this."

Marvin Albert next to him responded, "Yes, buddy. The more critical the moment is in the playoffs, the tighter the defense. Both sides are like two conservative boxers. They won't punch easily, but will defend with all their strength and wait for the other side to make a mistake."

Marvin Albert really got the point.

Wait for the other person to make a mistake.

Whose defense will make a mistake first?
The Magic team kicked the ball out from the baseline, with Sarou controlling the ball outside the three-point line, O'Neal positioning himself, and Roger running and pulling. It seemed that the Magic team still had to use these two as the core to play this crucial attack.

With 16 seconds left on the offensive clock, Salu passed the ball to Roger who was on the right side of the three-point line.

Roger started straight away and passed Larry Johnson, who was also running slowly due to exhaustion, in one step.

Of course, this does not mean that Roger's breakthrough was successful.

Soon, Jordan, Chris Charles and Oakley attacked Roger from the front, left and right, leaving him no space to attack and cutting off his passing route.

Roger turned his head to look at Harper who was lurking in the bottom corner, and reached out to him with both hands. Jordan immediately tried to block him, but Roger was just pretending to pass. After dribbling past Jordan, Roger jumped up to Oakley and passed the ball around Oakley's waist.

This action seemed to be to feed the ball to the shark behind the defensive player. Seeing this, Ewing immediately pushed O'Neal away and rushed to the passing route.

Two years ago, because of the alley-oop of the century and the cooperation between Roger and O'Neal, the Knicks were completely destroyed.

Roger passed the ball, but the target was not the Shark. He passed the ball around Oakley's waist and magically passed the ball back to Saroo on the left side of the three-point line!
Through a series of deceptions and misdirections, there was no one in front of Saroo when he received the ball.

In this heavyweight showdown, the Knicks' defense made the first mistake.

And it is well known that the king's most loyal knight will always respond to the call and never betray.

brush.

"Sarunas made a three-pointer, and he gave the Magic a 44-point lead in the last 6 seconds! A beautiful goal, but Roger's assist was also very wonderful. I have said long ago that Roger will radiate his rebellious spirit to everyone! This is a fateful ball, and the match point is almost within reach!"

The magician was right, this three-pointer ultimately helped the Magic secure the victory.

Although it was not a buzzer-beater, just like the three-pointer made by Kyrie Irving in the last 2016 seconds of Game 7 of the 53 Finals, Saruna's shot was a game-killing goal.

And Roger also delivered the most lethal pass in his career.

After the game, Roger rushed to Saroo and picked him up by the waist.

After being put down, Saru patted Roger on the face and said, "With a king like you, I'm really worried about returning to Lithuania, hahahaha."

Once again, Saru saved the game. As long as the knight remained with the king, he would fulfill his duty.

However, the joy of victory did not last long.

Although the Magic got the match point, the series is not over yet.

Roger didn't want to play a game seven like last year. In the fourth quarter of today's game, it was obvious to the naked eye that Harper and Wilkins' physical strength was almost collapsing.

If the team plays a game seven before going to the finals, it will be in a passive position.

This game was a game in which both Roger and Jordan were silent.

乔丹25分5篮板5助攻，罗杰26分8助攻4篮板。

Jordan's shooting percentage was 39% and Roger's was 40%.

Neither is good.

In the next battle, this cannot happen again.

Jordan thought so too.

This can’t happen again in the next battle.

The showdown between the two superstars will reach its final climax.

Ultimately, victory will depend on Roger and Jordan.

Marvin Albert proposed a conjecture: "So far in the series, Roger and Michael have both shown dominant performances in different games. The next game will be a battle of promotion for Roger and a battle of life and death for Michael. So, is it possible for them to show dominant performances in the same game and have a true peak showdown?"

After saying this, Marvin Albert glanced at Wilkins.

Maybe, just like the showdown between Big Bird and the movie Essence in 88.

When Marvin Albert looked at Wilkins, Wilkins was looking at Roger.

For Wilkins, this was the furthest he had ever gone in his career, and the intensity of the Eastern Conference Finals was far beyond his expectations.

This was a battle he had never experienced in his career, and he understood what a showdown between superstars was.

Right now, he had no choice but to trust Roger.

At this time, Magic, who was acting as a sideline reporter, walked up to Roger.

Roger put his arm around the magician's shoulders and acted very intimately.

The magician spoke well of Roger every other day, and Roger did have some feelings for him.

"Congratulations, Roger. The last pass was very creative, like the kind of pass I would have made in my youth. This was a tough game. What kept you going until the end?"

"It's the desire to win. Of course, thank you for your encouragement, buddy."

“What are your expectations for the next game?”

"No Game 7 this year! If we win, buddy, I'll come on your show and talk about this series."

"Thanks for your kindness Roger, but my show was taken off the air a week ago. I was eliminated before you eliminated the Knicks."

The magician smiled bitterly and shook his head.

(Today there is only one update because it is a two-in-one chapter)

(End of this chapter)