Champions Creed

Chapter 212: Atlanta Curse

Chapter 212: Atlanta Curse (asking for monthly ticket!)

The next day, a headline in the Chicago Tribune nearly sent Jordan's blood pressure skyrocketing.

"Scott is about to reach the finals again under Roger's leadership. Facts have proven that the Bulls can't reach the finals. The problem is not Scott, so who is the problem?"

This was the first time Michael Jordan hated the word "then" so much.

In fact, after this period of rest, Jordan has let it go a little.

He has won enough honors and written his own legend. He can ignore those failures and pretend they never happened.

During this period, Jordan has been planning to transition into management.

Look at that bastard Reinsdorf, he only spent 1985 million when he bought the Bulls in 1600. But now, the Chicago Bulls are worth million.

Did he do something?

He was not the one who sweated, nor was he the one who got hurt, but he became the biggest beneficiary.

So, Jordan also wanted to own his own team and be his own boss.

He thought that he had completely abandoned his identity as a player and could look at the sport of basketball from a completely different perspective.

But this report in the Chicago Tribune caused Jordan's long-calm heart to be disturbed again.

Since when did Scott Pippen become a starting point for the media to attack him?
Damn, what does it have to do with me if Roger can win with Pippen?
Yes, this is also what Roger was confused about back then.

Why in the summer of 1994, when he was just a rookie and had just lost a finals game, Nike used its media relations to label him as "never going to be able to surpass Michael Jordan"?
Just because one of his teammates was a player named Scott Pippen?

This is ridiculous!
Now, Reebok and Roger have handed this complex issue back to Jordan himself to think about.

Pippen has now changed from a unit of measurement to a unit of measurement for superstars. Whether or not you can lead Pippen to a championship has become a criterion for judgment.

However, Jordan is not the most embarrassing thing. Dwyane Wade, who is only 16 years old, would never have thought that the standard of "not being a superstar if you can't lead your teammates to win the championship by 8 points in a single game" would deal him a fatal blow many years later.

Roger easily defeated the Pacers in the first game, which made the Atlanta fans feel a lot more at ease.

The legend of the savior continues. Roger is like a superhero, and everyone is looking forward to him saving this crumbling city.

But the villain Pacer is not dead yet.

Larry Bird told everyone: "Don't blink, maybe you will see the head coach warming up on the court?"

In Game 2, Pippen continued to play his aggressive dog-fighting defense, pushing Reggie Miller to a new low.

Tonight, Miller made 13 of 4 shots, 3 of 1 three-pointers, and a shooting percentage of 30%.

In the end, Miller had to increase the frequency of cutting into the basket to create damage, and only then did he get 10 points from free throws.

On the Hawks side, the other players' offense was still not good enough. Pippen's shooting percentage was 33%, and Steve Smith's was 41%. In addition to Roger, Pippen and Smith, the other players did not score in double digits.

But Roger's 43 points in a single game solved everything.

94 to 88, the Hawks changed the score to 2 to 0.

As of now, the Pacers don't seem to be much stronger than the Hornets and Pistons.

Before the series started, the media had high praise for the Pacers.

He is both a godslayer and a villain.

As a result, in the two games in Atlanta, the Pacers had no ability to fight back at all.

But Reggie Miller and his Pacers did not become the clowns of the United States, because the real clown king was in Los Angeles.

In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, when Shaquille O'Neal ruined the Lakers' chances with a 37% free throw rate, the Utah Jazz had already taken a 2-0 lead in the series.

Before the series began, the media was very optimistic about the younger Lakers.

After all, this is a team composed of four All-Star players of that season.

The league has even launched a number of promotional advertisements for the Lakers vs. Hawks.

In addition, before the series started, O'Neal angrily criticized Roger for not being a real MVP. Los Angeles fans were looking forward to a real showdown between O'Neal and Roger, who had been holding a grudge against each other for a long time, in the finals.

But in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, led by the great Shaq, the Lakers lost by 35 points.

O'Neal was limited to only 16 points, making 6 of 19 shots under the stranglehold of Mutombo and Karl Malone.

In last year's finals, O'Neal was very dissatisfied with Roger winning the FMVP.

But this game fully illustrates why the FMVP can only be Roger.

Because without Roger, this is where O'Neill ends up.

The Jazz can easily block him and easily deal with his team.

Of course, if it was just the Shark who performed poorly, the Lakers wouldn't have lost so badly.

Just when you thought O'Neal's 37% shooting percentage was low enough, the talented guard from Lower Merion High School still has some tricks up his sleeve.

他在同一场比赛中14中4,三分5投0中,以28%的命中率狂砍16分。其中三分线外连续三个三不沾的表演,把洛杉矶球迷秀得头皮发麻。

Los Angeles fans are all wondering why the same team can have Kobe and O'Neal, these two talented talents!
This was the first time that Logo Man doubted his own judgment. He knew that O'Neal and Kobe would still need some time, but he never expected that the first game of the Western Conference Finals would be so humiliating.

In Game 2, the Lakers worked hard on defense and locked down all the Jazz players except Malone and Stockton.

As a result, O'Neal missed consecutive free throws in the final moments, making the team's efforts for the whole night go to waste.

2-0, Los Angeles fans were shocked.

Last season, the Orlando Magic swept the Jazz 4-1, and the huge gap in strength between the two sides was obvious at a glance.

As a result, this season when Roger was not by the Shark's side, he even found it difficult to steal a victory from the Jazz.

In the press conference after the game, Shark did not mention his poor free throws, but just said: "See you at home!"

Just like that, the Lakers fell behind the Jazz 0-2 and stole all the headlines from the Pacers.

The Smiling Assassin commented on O'Neal: "It is easy for young people to regard the success brought by the environment as their own success. Shaq thought his success came from himself, so he couldn't wait to jump out of that environment. As a result, reality slapped him hard in the face."

Of course, the series is a best-of-seven format after all.

There are also examples in NBA history where a team fell behind 0-2 but eventually turned the tables.

No one knows whether O'Neal will be the final winner.

But what is certain is that O'Neal was very sad about this.

Because after returning to Los Angeles, he actually went home after playing in a nightclub until two o'clock, and he only brought one woman with him.

Normally, he would go home watching the dawn at five in the morning in Los Angeles.

On the other side, Reggie Miller didn't sleep either.

Ever since the team fell behind 0-2, Reggie Miller has been losing his appetite.

He was even too embarrassed to go out on the streets because he felt he had let the city down.

Even after his mansion was destroyed by arson last year, Reggie Miller's feelings for Indianapolis remained unchanged.

Miller was also listless when he went to training the next day.

Tomorrow's Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 will almost determine the fate of the Pacers.

Because the score of 0 to 3 is irreversible.

But Reggie Miller couldn't get excited, he felt the team was finished.

After the training ended that day, reporters who came to interview had already started to question the team.

"Reggie, if the Pacers lose this series, and someone on the team must take responsibility, who do you think that person will be?"

Reggie Miller felt the question was directed at him, but Bird appeared in front of the camera and said, "As the head coach, I am responsible for all the losses."

"Larry, you didn't even play."

"But I am the architect of this team. If the team's infrastructure is flawed, shouldn't I be blamed? If we lose this series, I will be the biggest problem. OK, the interview ends here."

Reggie Miller looked at Bird, not the first time he had done so this season.

If the team wins, Bird will give all the credit to the assistant coaches, players and his staff, and you rarely even see Bird celebrating after a victory.

On the other hand, if the team loses, the entire burden falls on his shoulders.

He has been doing that this season.

After sending the reporters away, Bird turned and looked at the depressed Reggie Miller.

"Don't ever give up the game early! Don't embarrass me!"

Reggie Miller took a deep breath.

Don't embarrass yourself, Reggie!
The day before Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals began, Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals started first.

Reggie Miller set a great example for O'Neal. In Game 3 of the series, the game returned to Indianapolis. The enthusiasm of this basketball city did not diminish even though they were 0-2 behind. They trusted Bird and Reggie Miller.

And the Pacers repaid the fans' trust.

As soon as the game started, the Pacers scored in multiple areas.

Mark Jackson, Rick Smits and even Jalen Rose off the bench all had good offensive performances.

Reggie Miller didn't take many shots, but his hit rate was no longer as exaggerated as in the previous two games.

While maintaining their defensive intensity, the Pacers revitalized their own offense.

At home, they seemed to have regained all their energy.

In the fourth quarter, Roger began to launch an offensive.

He repeatedly caused trouble for the Pacers in the mid-range, and with 4 minutes left in the game, Roger once widened the gap to 8 points.

The fans in Indianapolis were a little desperate, and the Pacers players were also a little discouraged.

After working so hard for so long, will I still lose with the same outcome in the end?
At this moment, Reggie Miller shouted: "Don't worry, they are so nervous that they are almost suffocating! We still have a chance, they will die here!"

What happened next?
Pippen felt like his opponent had changed.

Reggie Miller runs, catches the ball and shoots tirelessly.

His touch is ridiculously good, and it seems that as long as he can successfully catch the ball, he can definitely hit a jump shot.

In the last 4 minutes, Reggie Miller made consecutive hits and scored 14 points over Pippen!
With 4.3 seconds left in the game, when Reggie Miller hit a three-pointer against Pippen's defense, the fans in the arena stood up and shouted, "Score right in front of you, Scott, right in front of you!"

Miller then smiled and held up four fingers: "Four three-pointers, Scott, are they enough to feed you?"

This three-pointer gave the Pacers a 4-point lead in the final moments. After that, Roger's ultra-long-range three-pointer missed, and the Pacers tenaciously pulled back a game at home.

They actually won MVP once!
Thin, no outstanding physical fitness.

Not fast.

Bounce in general.

The breakthrough is not strong.

But Miller has earned the respect of Indianapolis residents.

After the game, Reggie Miller walked off the court and hugged the greatest small forward in history: "I didn't embarrass you, did I?"

Bird chewed gum expressionlessly: "Better than a shark."

After Game 3, the Pacers' confidence has been fully restored.

They proved that this Atlanta Hawks team is not invincible.

In G4, Reggie Miller continued his magical performance.

He scored five points in a row in the last 50 seconds of the game.

In the final moments, the Pacers were trailing by 1 point. Roger was preparing to execute the final attack when a whistle sounded on the court.

The Pacers actually chose to commit a tactical foul on Pippen.

Pippen stepped to the free throw line and missed the first one.

At this time, the cheers from the audience had drowned out Pippen.

In this series, Pippen has never been confident in his jump shot. And this free throw will determine the direction of the series, and Pippen is even more nervous.

"Scott, relax!" Roger tried to save Pippen's soul amid the cheers of Pacers fans.

But it didn't work.

On the second free throw, the basketball bounced several times on the rim and finally bounced out.

Schmitz grabbed the rebound and Bird called a timeout.

"Scott missed both free throws! God, Roger never thought that he would experience this after leaving the Sharks!" Magic sighed, and at the same time admired the courage of his old rival Bird.

How did he know Pippen would miss both free throws?
he does not know,

That madman was always very bold.

Or maybe he trusted Reggie Miller too much, because even if Pippen made both free throws, the Pacers would still have time to execute an offense.

In the last defense, Pippen couldn't stop when chasing Reggie Miller due to inertia, and knocked him directly to the Pacers' bench.

The Pacers players believed that Pippen was deliberately retaliating and stood up and pushed Pippen.

The players from the Eagles team also quickly went over to help, and the atmosphere was filled with tension.

The referee blew the whistle, dispersed the players from both sides, and gave Reggie Miller three free throws.

Once again, the opponent had to rely on free throws to decide its fate.

At this time, the score was 89 to 90. If the Pacers made all three free throws, they would have a chance to tie the total score.

If you miss a penalty, you may fall into hell again.

This kind of free throw that determines the fate of the series will put tremendous pressure on the person who takes the free throw.

Pippen was under tremendous pressure just now.

But Reggie Miller's three steady empty balls made the whole of Indianapolis dance for him.

"In the past decade or so, no one has received more inexplicable whistles than Reggie Miller!" Magic Johnson spoke up for the Hawks.

"Buddy, you have to know that some people can't seize the opportunity even if they are whistled. Reggie held on, that's a fact. He is one of the best ice blockers in NBA history. Countless examples tell us that you can't win the championship when the team lacks an ice blocker." Steve Jones believes that being able to make free throws at critical moments is also a kind of strength.

(Ice Blocker: A player who can freeze the game with stable free throws at critical moments)

90 to 82, the Hawks had 3 seconds left but no timeout.

In the last 3 seconds, the Pacers used all their strength to prevent Roger from catching the ball.

Pippen could only pass the ball long to Steve Smith.

But Jalen Rose suddenly rushed out and intercepted the long pass.

2 to 2, the Indiana Pacers miraculously tied the score at home!
After the game, Reggie Miller screamed like a woman who saw Leonardo DiCaprio, folded his arms, jumped in the air, spun, and danced on the court like a skinny sissy. This is the worst celebration in NBA history, but it was used in such a great moment.

This is the Indiana Pacers, a team with the most inconspicuous lineup but the most not to be underestimated. With a three-pointer from Reggie Miller, they can suddenly wake up from their dead state.

"Damn it!" Pippen kicked the ball away. For two consecutive games, he let Reggie Miller kill the game over his head.

Steve Smith put his hands on his hips. Because he was closely guarded, his average score was not high. He was worried that if he failed Andy
Atlanta is once again shrouded in shadow, and the curse still haunts the city.

But at the post-match press conference, Roger was calmer than people expected.

"This is the playoffs, you know, I at least have a chance, some people don't even have a chance."

The day after he said this, Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers were swept humiliatingly 4-0 by the Utah Jazz.

One of the most disappointing franchises in NBA history was born.

All the hype about the Lakers vs. Hawks in the league has come to nothing.

Shaquille O'Neal became a laughing stock throughout the league.

A day later, Roger led his team to defeat the Pacers in the decisive battle at home and got the match point 3-2.

But the game will soon return to Indianapolis, a place the Eagles have never conquered.

Now everyone knows that the Pacers are different from the spineless Lakers, and Reggie Miller is different from Shaquille O'Neal.

They have the ability to win the game.

They have the ability to push the Eagles into a corner.

They have the ability to put the Atlanta curse into effect.

After the game, this was also the issue that reporters were most concerned about.

"Roger, if the game goes to a seventh in Indianapolis, are you worried about losing? Will the Atlanta curse bother you? Can Andy still see the Eagles hold the trophy?"

The reporter's questions were all stressful for Roger.

But Roger withstood the pressure: "Shut up, I won't play a tiebreaker this year."

“It’s something that could happen.”

"Is it possible for me to have the final say?"

(End of this chapter)

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