Champions Creed

Chapter 178 Chapter 177: Michael Jordan is no longer important (ask for monthly tickets!)
Dominique Wilkins has a psychological shadow about superstars.

How did Larry Bird kill the fourth quarter of the seventh game in 88?
In fact, it's not a complicated story. Bird won the seventh game with just one move - he used the inside screen, went to the mid-range to receive the ball, and made a shot against a number of people.

It was always this tactic, this set of moves, and after countless slow-motion replays of left and right hands, the Celtics won.

Yes, the way of forcing birds to kill the game is so simple and boring.

In terms of scoring excellence, Bird is not even half as good as Wilkins.

But it was precisely this simplicity that made Wilkins experience the most terrifying despair in his career.

The kind of despair that comes with having lead tied to your legs and being unable to get your head out of the water no matter how hard you try.

You know what he is going to do, and you know he will not do anything too outrageous. You can even catch his footsteps and interfere with his shooting.

But he just can score goals.

One goal, another, as steady as the motion of a piston.

The net is floating, and your heart is tormented as he scores again and again.

After doing all this, he will use the sentence "Damn, who is guarding against me" to completely destroy your dignity and make you afraid and hate him for the rest of your life.

This kind of Larry Bird is exactly the inner demon of Dominique Wilkins.

But Bird is just a concrete image. Superstars represented by Bird are the source of Wilkins' fear.

Wilkins was frightened and frustrated by the kind of opponent he couldn't stop no matter what.

They represent an unchallengeable order, something that is inviolable and invincible.

Today, that feeling came back when Michael Jordan overwhelmed the Magic with his godlike demeanor.

This is probably why Wilkins only played in the Eastern Conference semifinals in his entire life.

If the most qualified author in the league to write "Western Conference Finals" is Chris Paul, then Wilkins is the best candidate to write "Eastern Conference Finals".

As the team's top player, when he starts to be afraid and terrified of the opponent's top player, how can his team win the game?

Fortunately, Roger's tough stance gave him the courage he never had before.

Now, the Magic players did not have Jordan's divine descent in the first three quarters in their minds, but only echoed the words: "After tonight, we will all wear new rings!"

Screw the black God, we have the truth!
The fourth quarter started soon. According to the game arrangement, the offensive focus in this quarter would shift from Shark to Roger.

On the first attack, Roger did not have the ball. He cut into the inside, then used the off-ball pick-and-roll to turn out, received the ball on the right side of the free throw line, shot, and scored.

With an ordinary catch-and-shoot jump shot, Roger sounded the clarion call for a counterattack.

In the next round, Michael Jordan missed the shot, and the Magic had the opportunity to continue to close the score.

He cut in, took advantage of O'Neal's off-ball screen, turned out again, received the ball in the middle distance, and shot to score.

The New York fans at the scene felt a little confused. Wait, did we just watch the replay live?
It really was like a replay. The way Roger attacked just twice was almost a one-to-one replica.

Because this simple method happens to be Roger's most efficient way of scoring now.

He was in great physical condition, so his speed was hardly affected, which allowed him to easily leave Larry Johnson behind.

His touch is also barely affected, so he can still knock down those wide-open catch-and-shoot shots with ease.

Wilkins swallowed, he felt that the scene was a little familiar.

Same running route, same catch-and-shoot, same difficulty to stop.

The difference is that the person who is doing all this tonight is with himself.

Marvin Albert also smelled the sparks between the superstars: "We have been complaining that Roger and Michael's highlights always staggered. So today, will it be a game where Roger and Michael both shine at the same time?"

Yes, because Jordan responded quickly.

He asked for the ball in the low post, turned around and broke into the penalty area along the baseline.

O'Neal didn't dare to foul and could only raise his arms high to block it.

So, a classic, tongue-sticking pull-up layup allowed the Knicks to regain the lead by 5 points.

He reminded Roger that this difficult night would not end so easily.

After scoring the goal, Jordan turned around and yelled at Larry Johnson: "I'm coming after him!"

Michael Jordan decided to risk everything. He knew it would affect his offense, but he had to defend Roger.

He was the only one who could hold back Roger's steps and make it difficult for him to catch the ball.

In the next round, the Knicks' defense was successful.

Jordan kept pulling Roger and sticking with him. Harper hesitated several times and finally did not pass the ball because he was afraid that Jordan would steal or destroy the ball.

The Magic had to start over on offense and the ball was given to O'Neal.

The Shark turned around and followed Ewing, then jumped up and made a layup against a pair of elbows that came from nowhere.

The basketball hit the backboard and bounced off the rim, but the Knicks' solid inside line withstood the impact again.

Jordan punched hard when he saw the basketball bounce off the rim, then yelled, "Wake up Roger, it's all over!"

"As long as you're in the league, Michael, this will never end." Roger also followed Jordan back to the half court. Wilkins instantly understood what Roger meant. He wanted to defend Jordan!

Roger also didn't let Jordan catch the ball. His legs seemed to be hanging with lead blocks and he couldn't get any space to move.

In the end, he could only hold the ball and challenge Roger one-on-one. Before the double-team was formed, Jordan dribbled one step and made a quick stop and jump shot from mid-range against Roger's defense.

But unfortunately, the basketball didn't go in. Jordan might be magical enough tonight, but he couldn't always hit the target.

In the next few rounds, neither side scored.

The high-intensity defense, fierce confrontation and mutual blocking between core players seemed to be the reincarnation of the hand-to-hand combat in the previous games.

But the Knicks were leading by 5 points, so they had nothing to fear.

But New Yorkers' happiness did not last long, and they fell silent again.

In the fourth minute of the fourth quarter, Roger ran to the left three-point line to receive the ball, but Jordan failed to catch up in time and gave Roger an alley-oop opportunity to receive the ball.

But when Roger received the ball, Jordan still blocked Roger.

But Roger resolutely chose to jump and shoot with almost no space.

Jordan didn't expect Roger to take the shot decisively in this situation, so he reacted a little slow.

Then, he only heard the sound of the net tumbling.

It was another almost identical catch-and-shoot shot, the only difference from the previous one was that this time it was a three-pointer.

The Magic narrowed the score to just 2 points!
Now, even Michael Jordan can’t stop Roger!
Wilkins clenched his fists. It is the New York Knicks who will feel the terror of the superstar tonight!

After scoring the goal, Roger looked towards his arch-rival, the number 23.

"You can fight me any way you want, I'll fight you to the end, Michael."

"I hope you will do what you say."

Apparently, Roger really means what he says.

Because soon, he increased his personal score to 34 points.

Michael Jordan took a mid-range shot from the bottom corner. His speed began to slow down and he could no longer cut off Harper's pass to Roger.

In half a quarter, Roger had already scored 10 points.

Jordan could no longer hold Roger down. On the contrary, Jordan's touch fluctuated in the fourth quarter under Roger's defense. After all, he had been firing on all cylinders for three full quarters.

This is not 1993, this is 1997. The 34-year-old Michael Jordan is like an old-fashioned internal combustion engine. Even if it roars at the highest pitch, it will be easily crushed by the new power motor.

"Get out of here, Michael! Do you want to be killed by me in such a miserable way?" Roger had a premonition that today he was not only going to defeat Jordan, but also to dominate Jordan!
The end of Michael Jordan's career will be more miserable than people expected!
Fortunately, the Sharks were in foul trouble and did not dare to make big moves on the defensive end, so Ewing helped share some of the pressure by scoring in the interior, preventing the Knicks from being swept away by Roger in one wave.

No one on the Knicks can deal with Roger now. Larry Johnson is not as agile as Roger, and Chris Childs is too short. Once Roger has the ball to deal with him, he will be powerless.

So, Michael Jordan had to persevere to the end on his own.

He gritted his teeth and chased Roger almost frantically.

But Roger made a mid-range jump shot and a layup after breaking into the paint.

With 14 points in a single quarter, Roger had led the team to overtake.

Jordan wanted to fight back, and he accelerated and broke through the moment he received the ball outside the three-point line, but now, neither his speed nor his body could help him create shooting space in front of Roger.

Seeing that he was about to be forced to stop, in a flash, relying on more than ten years of experience and muscle memory, Jordan found the only possibility for this attack.

He took off on the run and then leaned back in the air to avoid being blocked.

In the past, he had always been able to disappoint his enemies with this move.

But this time, what greeted him was a ruthless block.

Roger kept close to Jordan and followed him into the air. In the air, Jordan realized that his speed and air retention were not as good as before. Roger slapped Jordan's ball away with a slap. Jordan turned around and tried to catch the ball, but his fingertips poked the ball out of bounds.

The Magic had the ball, and Michael Jordan looked disappointed and embarrassed in front of Roger.

After landing, Roger saw the referee give the ball to Magic and laughed: "You look like a lost dog."

"What the hell did you say!?"

"I said you look like a useless old dog." "Fuck you!"

Jordan almost got into a scuffle with Roger, but was quickly pulled apart by his teammates.

Roger stood there and laughed: "Don't stop him, look at what he can do, he still has the things I left for him in his eyes!"

Phil Jackson frowned. Roger wanted to completely take away Jordan's dignity today!

Jordan was in a mess in the following games. He could still score, but his efficiency was not enough to kill the game.

In contrast, Roger occasionally missed but his score continued to rise.

Three minutes before the end of the game, Roger faced Jordan, broke through after a triple threat, went straight into the penalty area, and jumped facing Ewing.

Michael Jordan jumped up like crazy, stretched out his hands from behind Ewing and grabbed Roger's wrist.

Under the rough obstruction of Jordan and Ewing, Roger turned over backwards and fell heavily to the ground.

As the referee blew the whistle, Roger stood up and stepped onto the free throw line.

Then he smiled at Ewing and Jordan, as if he was laughing at these two poor guys who had been forced into a corner.

The first free throw hit the front of the rim but still went into the net.

The second penalty went into the net.

Roger scored 20 points in a single quarter and the Magic led by 5 points!
Wilkins got goosebumps all over his body. He thought Roger was just talking casually.

In the Atlanta game, Roger told Wilkins: What happened in 1988 will never happen again, because this time, the bastard who can score 20 points in a single quarter is by your side.

Wilkins didn't expect that Roger could make it a reality!

Jordan and Ewing gritted their teeth as they looked at Roger on the free throw line, but they could do nothing.

This isn't the first time people have seen top athletes struggle during their slumps. Marvin Albert used boxing as an example:
"This foul is like Mike Tyson being forced to bite Evander Holyfield's ear to deal with the man who beat him up! Yes, they were both in a desperate situation, so they made such a helpless choice!"

Mike Tyson, who was once good at destroying his opponents in tens of seconds, is now forced to rely on some very tasteless nonsense to prove that he is still a ruthless man.

Where is Jordan?
He's worse than Tyson.

At least Tyson can still play.

Jordan's career was about to end.

No one expected that the fourth quarter of this game would be so ruthless.

People thought it would be a fierce battle between Jordan and Roger.

The result was an inhumane killing show.

Knicks fans felt like they had fallen into an icy cave, the cold was biting.

Madison Square Garden, the fourth quarter, a life-and-death battle. It seemed as if everything was destined.

Because Roger has never failed in this situation!
As the game time passed, Michael Jordan continued to be abused by Roger on the court.

The Knicks, who were leading by 7 points, are now falling further and further behind.

With 1 minute and 03 seconds left in the game, Roger scored his 25th point in the quarter with a jump shot after a pick-and-roll, and 48 points in the whole game!
Roger was 14 points behind Jordan in personal score at the end of the third quarter, but now, his personal score has completely surpassed Jordan!
Michael Jordan has only scored 9 points in this quarter, and now has 45 points.

The Knicks were already trailing by 9 points.

Jordan gasped. Was this the end of his career?
He continued to attack, looking for opportunities by running without the ball.

This time Roger was caught by Ewing's off-ball pick-and-roll and lost track of Jordan.

Seeing this, Wilkins immediately made up for the defense and stood in front of Jordan.

Jordan, with his keen sense of smell, knew very well that his chance had come!

Jordan passed the ball and broke through, tricking Wilkins into moving sideways but then he immediately changed direction.

But Wilkins actually moved in time, blocked in front of Jordan, and collided head-on, forcing Jordan to stop!
Jordan's brown eyes were full of surprise, and he looked at Wilkins in confusion. He didn't understand.

How can this be?

Even if this guy had been gasping for breath just now, it is impossible for him to become full of energy again.

Under normal circumstances, it is impossible, unless your heart allows your body to break through the bottleneck.

Now, Wilkins has realized that Roger is the superstar who destroyed the Knicks.

The thing he once feared the most, this time stood with him.

So he has nothing to fear.

Fuck the exhaustion, fuck the fear.

Even if I fall into hell, even if I break my legs, I will persist until the end of the game and get the ring!

Come on Michael Jordan, come on!
Kill me or be killed! Victory is the only truth. Win victory, win everything!
Jordan didn't have much time to adjust after being blocked because Roger was already rushing towards him.

Should he pass the ball to Larry Johnson? No, his touch had already run out. Although passing the ball would allow Jordan to absolve himself of some responsibility, he would not do so.

So Jordan adjusted himself, pushed Wilkins away with one hand, and prepared to step back and jump shot.

But at the moment when Jordan put his hands together, the ball was poked away by Wilkins!

Dominic Wilkins, who has always liked gambling-style steals, won the most important gamble in his life!
"what!!!"

Wilkins let out a low roar, and used his legs that once could fly to squeeze out the last bit of strength to run towards the ball, then fell to the ground and pounced on the basketball.

It's hard to imagine that just last fall, at the Magic's preseason training camp, the arrogant Dominique Wilkins was grabbed by the collar and scolded by Roger because he was too lazy to lower himself to chase the ball that was out of his hands.

The two of them thus became estranged from each other.

But now, he was desperate and devoted himself completely to the game.

Yes, not all people are like sharks and will never change.

Wilkins dived for the basketball and pushed it toward Roger with one hand.

Go ahead.

Go make the score difference into double digits!
Go and fulfill your promise!
Go put an end to all this!
Go make me wear that damn ring!

Roger bent down and picked up the ball.

Jordan quickly chased after him, but found that the distance between him and Roger was getting farther and farther, and he could not catch up.

Where is Roger?
At this moment, he remembered the season when he was traded.

Roger, the world's number one whistleblower.

Without Michael Jordan, the Bulls are nothing.

This one year is enough to prove that Roger will never be as good as Michael, because Michael can lead the same Bulls to win the championship, but Roger can't.

Ha ha.

Now, Roger wants to make Jordan nothing!

If I were replaced by Jordan, the Bulls wouldn't be able to make it to the finals once, and Jordan wouldn't be able to make it to the finals once either. I do what I say!

Roger broke into the penalty area, his whole body tensed in the air, and dunked the ball hard like he was smashing an axe into Jordan's head!

The next scene of this ball, if it were frozen at that moment, would be Wilkins jumping in the air, Harper with his hands raised high, Brian Hill shouting loudly, the substitute standing up and waving the towel, and the Shark with a complicated expression.

Everyone was losing their composure, being ecstatic, and sharing the joy of that moment.

Many years later, there will still be many people who will remember this day, the day when Roger's name was recorded in history.

He killed God for the third time.

He himself became part of the dynasty!

Sprint, dunk, land, roar.

27 points in a single quarter, 49 points in the whole game.

Roger hacked Michael Jordan to pieces in the fourth quarter.

Then, with blood on his hands, he became the last standing winner, taking a brutal and bloody victory.

Michael Jordan stood not far behind Roger, his hands on his hips.

It's over, it's all over.

He had seen the most glorious peak, and now, he had fallen into the most desperate valley.

At this time, Roger ran back to defense and passed by Jordan.

Jordan thought Roger would trash talk him, after all, Roger's vicious trash talk never stopped in this quarter.

In the end, Roger said nothing and didn't even look at Jordan.

Roger's reaction made Jordan even more desperate.

This means that he is no longer important, just like the other opponents who fell in a pool of blood.

(End of this chapter)