Champions Creed

Chapter 182 181: You know very well how I will deal with you later

Chapter 182 181: You know very well how I will deal with you later (please give me a monthly ticket!)

Game 4 of the Finals was an ugly defensive battle.

In fact, if you recall carefully, you will find that before the No Handcheck era completely arrived, as long as the strength of the two teams in the finals was similar, no matter what styles of those two teams were, the finals would definitely become a defensive battle in the end.

In today's game, both sides took the confrontation to the extreme.

The Magic players, whose enthusiasm was ignited, pulled and pulled on the defensive end, full of energy.

Jerry Sloan saw that I couldn't make a shot from the outside, so you can't fucking make one either.

Give me the fight, give me the takeover, give me the knockdown in every round!
As a result, the offensive efficiency of both sides was greatly affected.

On the Jazz side, Karl Malone would be double-teamed as soon as he got the ball, and he had no chance to shoot easily.

As for Hornacek, he once again lost himself in Roger's tight defense and his daughter's sweet critique of "Dad can't make any shot."

What's even more outrageous is that her daughter wore a mini version of the Magic's No. 14 jersey.

His daughter was only three years old, but Hornacek could already feel the spike in blood pressure when his daughter ran away with another man.

Every time Roger blocked Hornacek's shot, he would smile and say, "Old Deng, you don't want your daughter to be disappointed, do you? As her idol, I have to defend you. You don't understand her at all!"

You don't understand her at all. This is probably the most blood pressure-raising trash talk in NBA history.

Of course, Roger and the Sharks' situation isn't much better on offense.

The Jazz also adopted a brutal double-team against them. They would rather leave other players open and ensure that there were at least two people defending when Roger and Shaq had the ball.

Naturally, there will be all kinds of pushing, bumping, and pulling involved.

It is inevitable that they will secretly elbow and attack each other.

In this fierce confrontation, if you are unlucky, you may even be accidentally injured by your teammates.

In the third minute of the second quarter, Roger missed a mid-range shot under the double-team of Brian Russell and Malone.

After the basketball bounced off the rim, Karl Malone immediately ran back to the basket, jumped high and grabbed the rebound. In the air, his elbow accidentally hit teammate Hornacek's head.

In this kind of game, grabbing a rebound is not as simple as jumping up and catching the ball.

The actual process is to jump up, collide violently with a bunch of strong guys in the air, and then find a way to catch the ball during the collision.

Poor Hornacek was the one who got knocked away.

In this round of finals, no matter what the result is, Jeff Hornacek will be the one who sacrifices the most.

He was beaten by his opponents, beaten by his teammates, and ridiculed by his daughter.

No one is worse off than him.

The fierce hand-to-hand combat pushed the score to a very low level. After three quarters, the score was an outrageous 56 to 56.

During the break, everyone was out of breath.

After three quarters of high-intensity defense, the 37-year-old Wilkins once had to breathe oxygen on the bench.

Harper clutched his knees, feeling as if his legs were about to break.

Roger also felt that his body was drained, and it would be difficult for him to have his usual touch in the fourth quarter.

Everyone is in hell.

The fans at the Triangle Center became even more excited after seeing this scene. They yelled at the Magic players in the stands:
"Choke it here, assholes!"

"Hahaha, this is going to be the sixth game, right? I'll satisfy you!"

"Roger, I'm glad to have made up for your regret!"

"The Magic will disband right away in Salt Lake City!"

The terrifying atmosphere in the Triangle Center is still terrifying, but the fire that the Magic ignited in the conference room yesterday burned more fiercely than the fire of the fans on the scene.

No matter what, all members of the Magic team will grit their teeth and persevere to make the last dance a perfect ending.

In the fourth quarter, the fight continued.

It was still not easy for both sides to score, and the Jazz also began to use the Hack-a-Shaq tactic against O'Neal.

Although the Jazz waited until O'Neal had the ball before they started to attack in order to control fouls, this still greatly limited the Sharks' offensive threat.

The Jazz didn't score many decent goals in positional battles.

The fast break initiated by Stockton's long pass is the Jazz's only stable offensive method.

The score remained tense, with both sides determined to keep the game ugly.

Constant mistakes, constant missed shots, constant back and forth runs.

But fans of both sides enjoyed watching the game and every goal was worth their cheers.

Finally, with 56 seconds left in the game, Roger scored his 24th point of the day with a jump shot in a double-team.

The Magic team only had 76 points at this time.

The Utah Jazz led by 2 points and went into the timeout.

Jerry Sloan was still arranging the defense: "Don't give Roger room to shoot. The referee was very lenient on illegal defense today. We can double-team him a little earlier!"

Jerry Sloan is going to use defense to completely strangle the Magic today.

attack?

To be honest, our offense now can only rely on occasional counterattacks.

In positional warfare, every move seems to be a matter of fate.

In the first attack after the timeout, Karl Malone's mid-range shot missed as expected.

Malone had to move between Roger and the Shark today. He played the role of filling the gaps on the defensive end, so he consumed a lot of energy and lost his touch early.

Roger had a chance to equalize or even overtake. This time, Roger shook off Brian Russell and shot over the head of Stockton who came up to defend.

But Stockton came up and gave Roger an elbow in the stomach in a very vicious way, which affected Roger's jump shot.

Stockton is really the kind of person who looks very different from how he acts.

"Roger, can you equalize?!" Marvin Albert almost stood up. He knew that Roger could always kill the game at the critical moment.

But after the yell, the basketball bounced out of the basket.

In Salt Lake City, which is known for its iron-bloodedness, Roger seems unable to create miracles.

Although Stockton's little move just now was disgusting, it must be said that he did a very good job in the save.

Evaluate Stockton's defensive awareness and give him as many points as possible.

If you look closely at his failed defenses, you will find that Stockton basically made the right saves but was blocked by Yan She.

On the defensive end, Stockton is always the clearest and calmest.

Roger retreated quickly with gritted teeth. He had to defeat this bastard who could never make mistakes!

Mutombo was stuck in position, and Stockton slipped in to grab the rebound, taking two steps.

Then, he threw the ball straight into the air with one hand.

The live camera quickly followed the flying basketball, and people saw that Karl Malone had run to the front court at some point!
But behind him, Derek McKay and Roger were chasing him quickly and could steal the ball at any time.

Derek McKay jumped as the basketball was falling, but the basketball just passed over his fingertips and fell steadily into Karl Malone's hands!

This is almost a replica of the scene in the 1997 Finals in the original history. At that time, there were more than 40 seconds left in the game and the Chicago Bulls were leading by one point. Stockton used this high-tech and precise pass from Chang'e 31's Mach 12 return to find Malone, with whom he had worked for years. Malone's steady layup helped the Jazz overtake at the last moment and changed the situation.

But this time, things were different.

Roger didn't jump up to intercept the legend just now, because he knew it was futile. When Karl Malone received the ball and jumped for a layup, he jumped up and roughly grabbed Karl Malone's arm in the air.

This was a fierce foul. Karl Malone lost his balance and fell sideways to the floor.

If this was basketball in the small ball era, Roger would at least get a technical foul.

But in 1997, it was just a foul.

Roger looked at Malone lying on the ground without any mercy on his face. He admitted that his action just now was a bit rough. But there was no need to be merciful when dealing with these two old bastards in Salt Lake City who liked to play dirty tricks, and Roger would not feel bad about it.

Malone stood up again with the help of his teammates and went to the free throw line.

He looked at Roger and shook his head: "Do you think it will work? Soon, we will drag the game into the sixth game!"

Malone thought Roger was just venting his anger because the foul was useless. He made two free throws and that was it.

He was confident that he would make the next two free throws.

Karl Malone used to be a bad free throw shooter. His free throw percentage in the first two seasons of his career was less than 60%.

But later on, he practiced the basic skill of free throws.

In the playoffs, he had four seasons where his free throw percentage was over 80%.

Therefore, he thought that making two free throws was a very easy thing for him.

The fans at the scene all fell silent, and only when the Jazz players took free throws did the Triangle Center have a moment of peace.

But this quiet environment makes it easier for Karl Malone to hear what other people are saying on the court.

Karl Malone is a very stable free throw shooter? Roger doesn't think so. Has he forgotten how the Jazz lost to the Supersonics in the seventh game last season?
Roger stood at the free throw line and yelled at Malone, "Everyone knows that you, a copper-smelting softie, can't make free throws at critical moments, just like last year."

Roger's words were clearly heard by Karl Malone in the quiet environment.

Malone threw the ball and thought he was not affected.

As a result, with a "bang", the first penalty missed.

"Fuck!" Ma Long cursed, then high-fived his teammates.

Roger looked at Malone with a grin and shrugged, "Great Carl, you are going to disappoint the fans who believed in you again."

"Shut up Roger!"

"The referee didn't even tell me to shut up, why are you barking like a dog? Can't you bear it? Can't handle the pressure of being a champion? You don't deserve it at all, you're a wimp who can never score a penalty kick at a crucial moment."

"shut up!"

"You can't make the free throw, and you know very well how I will deal with you if you fail to make the free throw."

With the second free throw, Malone bore greater psychological pressure.

He tried to calm himself, but the rhythm of his shots was still unnatural.

The basketball hit the side of the basket and bounced out, and the shark grabbed the rebound.

"Damn it!" Karl Malone complained.

"Stop him!" Jerry Sloan pointed at Roger who was already running forward and shouted in horror.

O'Neal did not hesitate. He found Roger with a long pass almost the moment he grabbed the rebound and landed.

Yes, although the differences between the two have now reached a very exaggerated level, their tacit understanding has been engraved in their bones.

The basketball quickly crossed the half court and Roger caught it steadily. He and the shark could find each other easily even with their eyes closed on the court.

Karl Malone pursued desperately. He remembered what Roger had just said, "You know very well how I will deal with you if you miss the free throw."

He knew too well that the guy would not let go of any chance to kill the game!

When Malone was in despair, John Stockton, the guy who never made mistakes, had already reacted and bit Roger's side the moment Roger got the ball.

As a five-time All-Defensive Team guard, Stockton had countless legitimate and illegitimate ways to stop Roger's fast break.

But Roger then chose the most incredible way of attack.

Instead of breaking into the restricted area, he suddenly stopped one step outside the three-point line, jumped, stared at the basket, and shot the ball with the shooting action that was recorded in textbooks.

Stockton's eyes widened. This distance and this position were just like the buzzer-beater he made against Barkley in the last round.

Stockton jumped up with all his might and raised his arms high to try to block the connection between Roger's Killer Eye and the basket.

However, what Roger saw was not the basket, but the fire.

The fire in the conference room yesterday has long been extinguished, but look, it is burning in the hearts of every Magic player!
The ending of the story in the magical world must be happy!
The shark stared at the basketball, silently chanting in his mind: "THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

He admitted that he hated the team and hated Roger even more.

But he still wants to win.

He wanted to leave as a champion, not a lost cause.

Whoosh.

The hot triangle center was frozen.

"Three-pointer made, Roger used a three-pointer in the last 23 seconds to help the Magic successfully overtake! He is really crazy, he looks so determined, as if he really believed that this ball would definitely go in before he shot!" Marvin Albert screamed.

Roger landed, looked at Malone and Stockton, and pointed at the Western Conference championship banner on the top of the arena: "I want to hold the trophy in the Triangle Center. As for you, you are useless people who can't make shots or free throws at critical moments. Go to hell with the shroud of the Western Conference championship banner!"

Malone and Stockton stood with their hands on their hips and looked at each other, helpless in the face of the unruly Roger.

Roger's prediction came true, Malone was knocked down again at a critical moment because of a free throw. On the other hand, Roger did what he said and pierced the Jazz's chest.

This almost broke Malone.

Stockton sighed. Roger's shot was almost identical to the one he made against the flying pig. But this is competitive sports. One buzzer beater was buried by another buzzer beater, and a character who was supposed to be a hero was replaced by another hero.

This almost defeated Stockton.

So, they both became footnotes of legend!

Reading in the meeting room.

A memory like fire.

Karl Malone missed both free throws.

Stockton was helpless to interfere.

The legend had already begun brewing before this happened.

Everything before that was just the raw materials for brewing legends.

This goal was not a decisive victory, but it killed the game.

23 seconds later, John Stockton's mid-range shot missed due to interference from Roger, and the Orlando Magic won the defensive battle 79-78.

The fans at the Triangle Center looked disheartened because there had never been a 1-3 comeback in the history of the NBA Finals.

You could say the ending is already determined.