Champions Creed

Chapter 218 217: I will lead you forward (ask for monthly tickets!)
This was the second time that the vicious and strong man Karl Malone fell in front of Roger.

Literally fell in front of Roger.

This season, more than one self-proclaimed tough villain has been defeated by the Eagles.

There's no way around it. The warden who speaks nicely has all talented people under him.

People have already seen Bruce Bowen, now it's time to get to know Ben Wallace.

As we all know, Charles Barkley had a conflict with the opponent in the 1990 game against the Pistons, and beat up Bill Laimbeer, which led to a big melee. The two teams fought all the way to the second row of the audience, and Barkley punched a Pistons fan solidly.

Since then, Barkley has become the spiritual godfather of a man named Artest.

After Artest entered the league, he did all kinds of evil things, and even Michael Jordan was deeply affected by him.

But it was this villain who made even God go to the orthopedic surgeon, who later fought in the second row of the audience. It was because he did not dare to fight with a Pistons player that he vented his anger on the fans.

And the person who made Artest become a docile baby is Ben.

Apart from the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills, it is actually difficult to find any other records of Ben getting into fights.

But Big Ben's deterrence is built through repeated defense.

By blocking and fighting with him, you will know how terrifying his power is and how wild he is.

You don't have to be bitten by a tiger to know how scary it is, so most people wouldn't choose to fight with Big Ben.

Unfortunately, Karl Malone is the kind of person who has to be bitten by a tiger before he knows the pain.

In today's game, he did not have the advantage in any confrontation.

He should have a clear understanding of Ben's destructive power.

But he chose to do it.

Karl Malone was lying on the ground, with no feeling in his lower body.

The shame is that unlike Karl Malone who fainted immediately after being hit on the head, his mind was clear after his liver was blown up.

The liver itself has no pain nerves, but a severe blow to the liver can cause a rapid drop in blood pressure, accompanied by stomach cramps, causing weakness in your lower limbs and general limpness, but this will not affect your consciousness.

So, you will clearly see how your opponent humiliates you.

Karl Malone just watched Roger proudly shoot him in the chest three times.

Ma Long's sense of humiliation was at its peak. Roger's behavior just now, according to the famous saying of the 21st century, was: "Qiu Ya is getting married, and you are singing and dancing here."

Malone was clearly knocked down by Ben, but Roger managed to get back on track.

You are pretending to be a horse!
After this ball, Jerry Sloan called another timeout.

He couldn't remember how many times he had been forced to call a timeout because of Roger today.

But this is definitely the last time.

Because G2 is completely over.

The Utah Jazz ultimately failed to maintain their home-court advantage, and now the two teams are back on the same starting line, and the Hawks have three home games in the next five games.

Overnight, the Jazz went from being in a favorable position to being in a disadvantageous position.

Karl Malone slowly stood up with the help of his teammates and walked towards the bench in embarrassment.

This tough guy was extremely weak at this time, and the Jazz, like him, had completely lost their fighting power.

In the garbage time that followed, the camera occasionally turned to Malone and Stockton on the bench.

The Salt Lake City duo looked at the field expressionlessly, and no one knew what they were thinking.

Yes, Roger made too many unreasonable three-pointers today.

But the fact is, even without those threes, the Jazz would have struggled.

Because after Ben started, the Jazz's only advantage was gone.

In terms of defense, the Jazz and the Hawks are both excellent.

The Hawks only have Roger as a stable scoring point, and what about the Jazz? Probably only half a stable scoring point.

You never know when Karl Malone will suddenly shut down. He may be one of the most unreliable superstars in critical moments in NBA history.

Rebounding is almost the Jazz's only advantage.

This advantage has been destroyed.

"Unless you expect Jeff Hornacek to score 20 points on Roger in each of the next five games, the Jazz have little chance of winning. Well, we all know Jeff won't do that for his daughter.

Roger dominated the game again today, which is why the whole world still favors Roger even though they are 0-1 behind. This is not favoritism, it’s because everyone knows what he can do. ”

The game ended with the magician's concluding remarks.

103 to 82, the Hawks defeated the Jazz in their second away game and tied the finals at 1 to 1 in time.

罗杰全场39分3个篮板6次助攻，大本4分14个篮板4次封盖。

The Hawks made a successful change of formation, and now it was the Jazz's turn to take over.

After the game, Roger felt relieved.

The score is now tied, and the next three games will be played in Atlanta, so the situation is not so tense at the moment.

Facing the camera, Roger also seemed very relaxed.

"At least when I get back to Atlanta I can have a safe lunch before the game."

At the Jazz's press conference afterwards, Jerry Sloan also expressed helplessness about today's result.

Wearing reading glasses, he picked up today's data sheet and joked self-deprecatingly: "Wait, Roger made 11 of 7 three-pointers? Is this true? This is really the finals? Damn, Michael couldn't even make 7 in the three-point contest!"

The reporters in the audience burst into laughter. Who could have thought that the once-invincible Michael Jordan has now become a funny guy who sets off Roger's greatness.

The reporters were all laughing, but Jerry Sloan felt extremely bitter inside.

After the strongest duo in history disbanded, is the spring for other teams really coming?
No, it's far from that simple.

This game was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Jazz. The 21-point difference even made the Jazz's first victory look like luck.

The team's morale has definitely been affected.

Jerry Sloan had to find a way to get the team back on track, otherwise, the game might never return to Salt Lake City.

After arriving in Atlanta, the atmosphere of the finals became even more heated.

Every day, countless fans take to the streets to cheer for the Eagles.

Just three wins away, Georgia fans’ wish will come true.

With only three more wins, Roger will truly become the supreme savior.

Atlanta is just three wins away from shaking off the shadow left by the World Series and Super Bowl.

Roger is only three wins away from becoming the first superstar to establish a "personal dynasty"!

On the streets of Atlanta, everyone was wearing the No. 14 Hawks jersey and following their god.

All of Atlanta is ready to celebrate.

A brilliant period of history seems to be behind these three victories.

At this time, few people paid attention to what Karl Malone said after arriving in Atlanta: "If we didn't want to win, we wouldn't get on the plane to Atlanta."

He said this in a powerful voice, and his eyes were more determined than they had been in the past 13 years.

It's not just Karl Malone. After the extremely frustrating loss in the last game, the entire Jazz team did not look depressed.

Even a good man like Jeff Hornacek yelled at the camera: "Take a clear picture of our faces. It's us. We're going to bring the championship back to Salt Lake City!"

In fact, the night after Game 2, the Jazz locker room was as dead as Jerry Sloan had expected.

Even Karl Malone felt that he had lost hope of winning the championship.

Roger is like an omnipotent Superman, beating up all the guys who look like villains.

When thinking of Roger's unreasonable three-pointers, the whole Jazz team felt powerless.

Even the Jazz's greatest advantage, "using vicious elbows to put people to sleep", is now completely defeated by the Hawks.

This situation made everyone in the Jazz doubt themselves.

Jerry Sloan saw all of this, so today, when the Jazz players got on the plane, each of them saw an envelope on the small table in front of their seats.

That was Jerry Sloan's open letter to the entire team.

“Dear family, yes, the whole locker room was sad. It was like a bomb exploded in the locker room after Game 2. We are all disappointed because we failed to keep the home court.

The whole world thought that the Atlanta Hawks were about to reach the top. The whole world thought that Roger's personal dynasty was just around the corner, and we were just one of the many background boards.

But looking back on our journey through the playoffs, it seems that everything has made us the most special in history.

We defeated the legendary Rockets Big Three in the first round. We were trailing 2-1, and the Rockets had already won the match point. The media was already reporting on the black eight miracle. But who had the last laugh in Game 4 and Game 5? In the Game 29, we had Karl with 13 points and 8 rebounds, John with 5 of 3 shots, Dikembe with blocks, and everyone's efforts!
We reversed the Big Three, and then met another opponent who was already a sure winner in the eyes of the media.

But Tim and David couldn't stop us.

We made Craig Popovich complain like crazy, we made David completely lost, and we showed the world that Tim Duncan was not that strong. Remember the final game? We used active team defense to prevent the Spurs from making 11 of 1 three-pointers, prevented David from hitting 31%, and prevented Tim from scoring only 14 points, breaking the championship dream of all San Antonio media!

Then we moved on and met another so-called favorite to win the championship, the guy from Florida who was described by countless media as the best big man in the league.

What happened? Those arrogant bastards didn't win a single game against us. That's right, they didn't win even one damn victory!

We completely destroyed the Lakers and made those people who thought they were big city stars and called us country bumpkins the biggest losers!

This is us! This is us!
We were the No. 1 seed in the West.

Our opponents in every round are the favorites to win the championship.

But we killed five top 50 stars along the way to get here!

So, what does this mean? It means that we have been creating greatness in difficult times!
Because we are strong enough, we have come this far!
Now, standing in front of us is just another favorite to win the championship.

The whole world is discussing Atlanta's redemption and Roger's personal dynasty. Just like the first three rounds, no one was optimistic about us.

But so what?

NBA history has chosen us. Don't escape, don't be afraid, don't be discouraged, this is a God-given opportunity.

We will defeat another great opponent and make history!"

This open letter was written by Jerry Sloan himself and a copy was printed for everyone.

This old man with a head full of silver hair, a lifelong tough guy and a fighter, poured all his emotions into this small envelope.

It really worked, and the Jazz team was re-energized and united.

They don't want to lose to the same opponent twice, and they don't want to waste this once-in-a-decade window to win the championship.

As a result, the intensity and difficulty of Game 3 of the Finals were greater than anyone expected.

In G3, the Jazz's defense was better than in the previous two games.

Roger only made one assist in the entire first half, it was like a dream back to 1.

Did Roger deduct his pass button again? No, Roger made a lot of good passes, but none of them resulted in assists. Because every time he fired from the outside, the Jazz's interference would immediately block it.

After the halftime, the Hawks' shooting percentage was terrible. Pippen made 7 of 1 shots, and Steve Smith made 4 of 0 shots. If Clifford Robinson, who came off the bench, hadn't made three three-pointers in the first half, the score difference might have been widened.

"We're a little quicker with our old arms and legs jumping out to defend the three-pointer," Jeff Hornacek told reporters. "That's the only reason."

In the second half, the injured Pippen continued to be lost on the offensive end, shooting 9 for 1.

Steve Smith simply reduced his shots and made 2 of 1.

These two guys combined for 22 of 3 tonight, which is a war criminal-level performance.

When a star player's left and right hands produce these kinds of numbers, it basically means that the team is not far from death.

But the Eagles changed all that with their defense.

Since Pippen couldn't score, he became even more crazy about harassing other Jazz players.

Karl Malone didn't dare to hesitate after getting the ball. If the ball stayed for a moment longer, Pippen's hands, which were the best at cutting the ball in NBA history, would attack Malone.

Steve Smith also fought hard to help fill in the position and became an excellent "filler", making it difficult for the Jazz to make three-pointers.

Coupled with Roger's stable output, Ben's active rebounding, and the excellent touch of Bowen and Robinson on the bench, the Hawks finally won Game 87 with a thrilling 83-3.

2 is better than 1!

The Hawks won the game, but the Jazz were not defeated.

The power of Jerry Sloan's letter continues, and the Jazz proved that the gap between them and the Hawks is far less than the 2 points in Game 21.

The Hawks also realized that the finals would not end so easily.

In this game, the Jazz were only a few rounds away from completely reversing the situation.

The reason why Pippen and Steve Smith had such a bad touch was not only due to injuries, but also physical factors.

Many people have forgotten that the Jazz had a full week more rest than the Hawks and they have better physical reserves.

The difference in physical reserves was not noticeable in the first few games, but became more and more obvious as the game went on.

The first 400 kilometers of a car with a full tank of gas and a car with a half tank of gas are the same, and both can complete the journey at top speed.

But after running another 400 kilometers, the gap will become apparent.

The Eagles will have a harder time the further they go.

The Jazz's goal now is simple, which is to do everything they can to win a game in Atlanta.

It’s not a big deal to take the lead directly in Atlanta, but as long as the game can be brought back to the thin air of Salt Lake City, the Eagles won’t be able to fly!

G4 was indeed more difficult than before.

Because today even Roger started to lose his accuracy.

Roger's physical fitness is very good, but it is not inexhaustible.

In the fierce confrontation, Roger had no touch tonight, with a shooting percentage of only 40% and only 27 points.

In the past three years, Roger has had O'Neal around him to help him share the pressure of scoring. No matter how much or how little the Shark scores, as long as he stands on the court, he can attract the opponent's defensive resources.

But this year is completely different, especially after Pippen and Steve Smith smashed the basket in Game 3, almost the entire Jazz team was targeting Roger in Game 4.

Roger's offensive pressure became very great and his physical energy was consumed faster.

Both sides missed shots and the score was kept very low.

With 45 seconds left in the game, the Hawks had the ball, the score was 78 to 77, and the Jazz were only 1 point behind.

Pippen dribbled past Hornacek and went straight into the restricted area for a layup.

But in the air, Karl Malone accidentally hit Pippen's back when blocking from behind.

Although Malone did not block the ball, the severe pain in his back prevented Pippen from completing the shot he was determined to win.

The basketball bounced off the rim and the rebound was grabbed by Roger himself near the free throw line.

Because the offensive time was almost up, Roger could only make a hasty jump shot from mid-range.

As a result, this time, Roger's key jump shot also bounced out of the frame!

Malone immediately elbowed Big Ben and firmly protected the rebound.

In the few games that Big Ben started, although he was able to protect his own rebounds very well, he had almost no chance of getting offensive rebounds.

Mutombo and Karl Malone's defense of the rebounds was impenetrable.

So, the Utah Jazz got the chance to kill the game!

They have the potential to tie the series at 2-2!
The whole world knows that the further the game goes, the more difficult it will be for the Hawks to sustain. If the Jazz equalize the score, it will most likely be the beginning of the Hawks' decline.

This was the Jazz's best chance to change the situation in the series, and Jerry Sloan also arranged several tactics during the timeout.

Finally, the Jazz's sideline ball was passed to Karl Malone who was about to reach position in the mid-range. Malone held the ball with his back to the basket in the mid-range, then quickly turned around, trying to break through to the basket for a strong shot.

But Ben's tough and quick interception prevented Malone from breaking through successfully.

Just as Malone was about to make a quick stop and jump shot, Pippen came up again!
Malone is now annoyed when he sees Pippen. Pippen has caused him to make too many mistakes in this round of the series.

Malone suppressed the urge to shoot and quickly passed the ball to Brian Russell who was left open by Pippen.

Russell raised the basketball and was about to shoot, but Steve Smith came over to defend.

There was no choice but for Russell to continue passing the ball to the big-hearted Stockton.

But the moment Stockton received the ball, Roger was already in position.

But Stockton is the player in the world who knows how to assist his teammates best.

He knew that Roger would rotate in, so after receiving the basketball, he did not let the ball stay in his hands for even 0.1 second.

He touched the ball with one hand and passed it away the moment he received it. This time his target was Jazz sharpshooter Jeff Hornacek!

Because Stockton passed the ball too quickly, even the highly mobile Hawks found it difficult to fill the position in time.

Roger rushed forward in desperation, but it was too late. Hornacek had already made his move before he could interfere.

The Death Ray pulled the trigger and shot the ball in the last 1.8 seconds.

The backboard glowed red, and Roger stared at the spinning basketball, feeling extremely nervous.

This was one of the few times that Roger felt the powerlessness of "his destiny was not in his own hands".

In the end, a loud bang saved Atlanta.

Jeff Hornacek missed this shot and he may never forgive himself for it in his life.

"Jeff failed to seize the opportunity. 3 to 1. Is it really time to say goodbye to Salt Lake City?"

At the end of the game, Hornacek fell to his knees with his face covered.

What about the Eagles players?
No one celebrated.

Pippen found it particularly difficult to straighten his back after being bumped by Malone during his layup.

As soon as the game was over, he lay on Roger, who was closest to him, and Roger helped him walk towards the player tunnel.

"Damn it." Pippen covered his back with one hand, feeling unbearable pain.

The self-sacrificing save in the last round and the layup just now caused additional damage to his back.

Can he hold on in Game 5? Even if he can, what kind of form can he show? Even Pippen himself doesn't know.

Steve Smith lay on the floor, his chest heaving violently.

For two consecutive games, his shooting percentage has been less than 40%. Although he can play a role on the defensive end, his physical problems have seriously affected his performance.

Big Ben took off his thick shoulder protector because he sprained his shoulder in a "wrestling" with Malone in the previous game, but he had to persist in the game.

Kurt Thomas supported his knees with his hands, sweat dripping onto the floor. Fighting the African mountain for four consecutive games had almost drained his body.

This is the current situation in the playoffs. The Hawks are leading 3-1, with a huge advantage. But everyone knows that if the Jazz win a game in Atlanta, the situation will change instantly.

Today, the Jazz were only one ball away.

What about the next game? Can the Eagles hold on?
Even Magic Johnson, a fan of the NBA, admitted: "If there really is a 1-3 comeback in the Finals in history, this year is the most likely year to happen!"

The same was true in the 98 Finals in the original history. The Bulls actually led 3-1 early on. But after the Jazz won the second game, the situation instantly became tense. That was even considered the most difficult of the Bulls' six championships.

Although this was partly due to Jordan celebrating early and eating a fruit plate and drinking champagne the night before Game 5, which resulted in him being unable to get out of bed the next day.

But it is a fact that 98-3 is not completely safe against the 1 Jazz.

As for the Jazz, they were certainly hit hard. Including the game in Salt Lake City, they have lost three consecutive games to the Hawks in the finals.

But in these three games, the Jazz got closer to victory with each game, and the Hawks became weaker with each game.

This reminded all the players of the Jazz of what Jerry Sloan said in his open letter: "NBA history has chosen us. Don't run away, don't be afraid, don't be discouraged, this is a God-given opportunity."

Yes, there have been 1-3 comebacks in the history of the NBA playoffs.

It's just that the finals haven't happened yet.

So why can't this be the first time?

The Jazz players don't say the cliché "records are meant to be broken."

But the door of hope was not completely closed, there was still a crack.

As long as you hold on and keep pushing hard, there's still a chance to push the door open.

The following G5 will be a turning point in history for both sides.
-
It's not over yet. This may be the most unsafe finals in NBA history. Leading 3-1, we don't know how the Hawks will play in Game 5, let alone how they will play in Salt Lake City. As long as the Jazz can successfully bring the game back to Salt Lake City, there is still a glimmer of hope. - "Slam Dunk".

Roger only scored 40 points with a 27% hit rate. What's more terrifying is that even so, he is still the most stable scorer of the Hawks. Of course, the Jazz's offense is not much better. But it is certain that Game 5 will still be a big battle. Both teams feel that they still have a chance to kill each other. - The New York Times

In any case, Roger has proven that Shaq is indeed a loser. He is a loser who takes up a lot of space and poops a lot. However, proving Shaq is a loser is not Roger's ultimate goal. Is the so-called personal dynasty really possible? - Los Angeles Times

A warden once told me that 80% of the people in prison are first-time offenders. Maybe it was a bad night, improper driving, a few drinks, a fight that shouldn't have happened, or something similar that put them in prison without a chance to repent. Unfortunately, Jeff Hornacek experienced such a bad night without a chance to repent. I hope his baby daughter can comfort this poor father. - Salt Lake City Tribune.

The entire Atlanta, the entire team, all those Hawks fans who have been waiting for decades and still follow us, I will carry you forward! I swear, I will continue to carry you forward. Whether I lose or win, I will bear all the doubts and responsibilities. But please remember, no matter what, I will carry you forward! - Roger told Sports Illustrated in an exclusive interview in the locker room after G4.

(End of this chapter)