Champions Creed

Chapter 272 271: Congratulations, you won (please give me a monthly ticket!)
Roger grabbed the ball with one hand and walked towards the Lakers big3, making the Hawks fans feel as if they saw a berserker fighting on the court.

Facing the tough Los Angeles Lakers, Roger became more and more courageous. He laughed at Phil Jackson's timeout and looked directly at the threat of the Big3.

He managed to bring suspense back to a game that was about to become boring. Under tremendous pressure, he used his full presence to narrow the score gap to 1 point.

He had been fighting desperately and didn't know what it meant to retreat.

The past eight minutes of the game drove all the fans around the world crazy, and the Hawks used their strength to explain why they are the defending champions.

However, victory tonight is not yet in the hands of either side.

Phil Jackson doesn't think any defense can stop the big three on the court at the same time.

What's more, Pippen and Bowen are already at the end of their strength.

The non-stop pressure from the defense over the past eight minutes must have pushed them both to their limits.

Phil Jackson admitted that the Hawks were strong, but Roger was even more incredible.

But once the big3 come on the court at the same time, everything will be settled!
Looking at it from another angle, the Eagles tried their best just now, but could only barely resist the Big3 who were paired up with two people in turns.

Now facing the three complete forms of the character, what can the Eagle do to resist?

The Zen master confidently threw out his last trump card, believing that this trump card could overwhelm everything.

The game resumed and the Eagles made a substitution.

Paul Pierce, who had not played in the fourth quarter, finally appeared, and Jeff Hornacek also replaced Bruce Bowen at this time.

Looking at this lineup, the Zen Master thinks he has a better chance of winning.

As he expected, Pippen and Bowen had reached their limits. If there was no other choice, who would have substituted a cash machine like Jeff Hornacek at the decisive moment?

From a defensive perspective, this was indeed a helpless move. Pippen and Bowen's physical strength was exhausted, and Michael Redd was not up to the task.

The 37-year-old Jeff Hornacek had no choice but to take on the task and become Roger's God Hand.

Jeff Hornacek's face gave Los Angeles fans great confidence.

Look at this guy, look at him. His face is full of wrinkles, he looks frail, and he looks like he will die of exhaustion on the court at any moment.

During the live broadcast of a Los Angeles radio station, the host couldn't help but joked: "Hey, is this guy sure he doesn't have heart disease and high blood pressure? He should go for a physical examination instead of appearing on the most competitive basketball court in the world."

The frail Hornacek seems to be the embodiment of the Eagles' current predicament. He lasted for eight minutes. This time, you guys should just die!

Big3 took the lead in starting their first round after reuniting, determined to open the door of despair for Atlanta.

The person defending Grant Hill became Roger. Roger's defensive strategy was different from Bowen's, and his defense was more aggressive.

Because Marion now has to take into account the Shark in the interior, he can't help Roger set up a defensive trap.

Pierce had to keep an eye on Kobe, and Hornacek was powerless on the defensive end.

Roger can only rely on himself, and he must use more aggressive defense to pressure Grant Hill.

Grant Hill looked at the guy in front of him who had swept him out for many years in a row, and suddenly felt something in his heart burning.

He wasted no time and accelerated to Roger's right.

But Roger is one of the best defensive outside defenders today. His prediction, lateral movement and confrontation enable him to perform defensive tasks very well. Even a historical breakthrough player like Grant Hill can be stopped by Roger.

Grant Hill's first step was blocked by Roger, but he forced to change direction without slowing down and dribbled past Roger!

This change of direction seemed incredible to Kobe and Roger. Not to mention Roger, no one in the world could stop such a change of direction.

After creating a little space, Grant Hill made a quick stop and jump shot.

Roger interfered in time, but the basketball still went into the net.

After scoring the goal, Grant Hill grinned, pumped his fist, and quickly retreated.

Even this most gentlemanly of men had his civilized side torn off and he became like a wild beast.

Kobe had never seen Grant Hill like this before, and he never thought that one day Grant Hill would show such a face.

After Grant Hill scored, the Sharks ran back to the basket and guarded it, fearing that the Hawks would attack them. At this time, the Sharks were like a woman in the follicular stage, taking the initiative too much.

The Lakers want to win so badly. This Lakers team really wants to win so badly.

This desire to win even changed Grant Hill and the Shark into different people.

Kobe also opened his arms and defended in front of Roger.

Facing the big 3? Roger's courage is commendable, but it takes more than courage to win!
Roger dribbled the ball across half court, Kobe immediately followed him, and Grant Hill quickly double-teamed him, just like he had done before.

Roger's 8 points in the fourth quarter were all due to counterattacks. He did not get any chance in the positional battle. Kobe and Hill's defense in the fourth quarter was quite successful.

They both attempted to strangle Roger in the same way in this round.

Facing double-teaming, Roger did not stick to the ball and found Pierce in the first place.

The moment Pierce received the ball, Ron Harper had already rotated in to fill the position in time, and Pierce had no chance to shoot.

But Pierce did not take credit for himself and continued to pass the ball.

Finally, the ball was passed to Hornacek on the left, the guy who seemed the least threatening to Lakers fans.

Jeff Hornacek got the ball steadily. This low-key jazz musician is not good at performing magnificent music, but he will never make a mistake in every beat.

Facing Ron Harper who rushed back but it was too late, Jeff Hornacek took action calmly.

The basketball went into the net, Roger raised his arms high, the Eagles tied the score, and the Eagles were not done yet!

"It's tied! Oh my god, what a great game! The Eagles are fearless, just like Roger! The Big 3 can't easily defeat Atlanta, this is the realm of God!"

Phil Jackson almost broke the tactical board, he had already understood the Hawks' strategy.

Lenny Wilkens also knew that no defense could stop Big3, so in the last four minutes he wanted to attack!
"At the decisive moment, the Eagles are going to use the half-circle tactics! Damn it, does Lanny think Roger still has the energy to play one-on-one? Does he still have the energy to play one-on-one? "

Tex Winter swallowed and said, "I don't know."

In fact, Phil Jackson didn't ask Winter, he was talking to himself.

Does Roger still have the energy to kill the game in singles? After just eight minutes of high-intensity defense, can Roger still be efficient in one-on-one?
Phil Jackson had no answer, but he found himself afraid. He was afraid to let Roger go, even though Roger had just gone through a very difficult eight minutes.

So the Zen master waved his hands and said, "Keep on flanking, flanking!"

He would rather give Hornacek and Pierce a chance!

The game continued. Because the big three were on the court at the same time, they tied each other up on defense, and Hornacek had not made any contribution on the defensive end, so the Hawks' defense was no longer so solid.

The most direct opportunities came from Grant Hill and Kobe. With O'Neal's inside control, they only needed to defeat the opponent in front of them to score without worrying about being double-teamed.

In this one-on-one match, Kobe Bryant scored against Pierce with his back to the basket, putting the Lakers back in the lead.

But the Lakers' own defense is also in a dilemma. Although the Zen Master has issued an order for a double-team, does he really want to let Pierce and Hornacek go?
In this round, Kobe and Harper double-teamed Roger.

Roger passed the ball directly to Hornacek, and Harper, who was cautious, sprinted back to his position. He didn't want to be killed by an old white man who looked harmless.

As a result, when Harper pounced on him, Hornacek actually took back the basketball that was already above his head, and then accelerated to break through!
Harper never expected Hornacek to choose to break through, so he had no time to adjust his center of gravity to chase back.

O'Neal stood under the basket with his teeth clenched. The damn old accountant thought he could score in the restricted area? Huh?

Hornacek jumped up immediately after entering the penalty area and raised his hand for a layup.

Just as the Shark was about to teach Hornacek a lesson, he discovered that there was no basketball in Hornacek's raised hand.

The next second, Roger, who had already jumped into the air and was ready to attack the basket, appeared in the shark's field of vision.

Although Hornacek kept his eyes on the basket after the breakthrough, he secretly passed the ball accurately to Roger who was following up with a back pass, and then made a smooth fake layup, which confused the Sharks.

That’s right, this man who looks like an accountant is sometimes not that simple, he’s just not obviously flirty.

O'Neal jumped up hastily to stop Roger, but the moment he hit Roger in the air, Roger had already made his move.

The basketball went into the net and Roger was knocked out of the baseline by the shark.

The referee blew the whistle, but the goal stood.

Roger got a 2+1 opportunity at this critical moment!
Bill Walton almost yelled at the sight of this scene: "From the connection between Jeff and Roger, Jeff Hornacek is trying to prove that he is also a qualified God's Hand! The Eagles have tied the score again and have a chance to overtake!"

Pierce and Hornacek immediately walked out to the baseline and pulled Roger up.

At the scene, the shouts of MVP were deafening, like war drums.

Roger walked to the free throw line to the rhythm of the war drum and made the free throw steadily.

The score is over!

The Los Angeles Lakers' 12-point advantage finally disappeared at this moment!
Roger's battle with big3 still did not become boring, and the balance of victory did not tilt towards Los Angeles.

Bill Simmons, who was watching the game at home, realized that he might be wrong.

The Lakers' big 3 is very strong, but you have no idea what Roger's ceiling is!
Of course, the Lakers quickly regained the lead.

In this round, Kobe fed the ball to Shaq who pushed Ben away. Shaq received the ball and jumped directly from the spot to attack the rim. The Hawks' inside players were powerless to do anything about it, and the Lakers overtook by 1 point again.

But Lenny Wilkens was not at all upset about the ball just now.

Offense is like this, you can't care too much about whether the other side can score. The key to offense is whether you can score a response goal after the other side scores.

The Hawks did just that, and Roger responded immediately after O'Neal scored!

In this round, the Lakers no longer dared to double-team Roger at will. The white guard who was ridiculed for having a heart disease when he came on the court almost gave all the Lakers fans a heart attack.

As for Paul Pierce, he cannot be left alone. The whole league knows how strong his scoring ability is.

Therefore, the Lakers' defense was forced to play one-on-one.

And that's exactly what Lenny Wilkens wants to see.

Kobe didn't believe that he couldn't defend Roger, who hadn't rested for a minute and was still working at a high intensity in the fourth quarter. He tried his best to put pressure on Roger, and Roger could only hold Kobe with his back to ensure the safety of the ball.

Roger, who was with his back to Kobe, suddenly turned around and tried to break through, but Kobe's steps were very tight and his resistance was very strong. Due to the influence of his physical fitness, Roger's speed and resistance began to weaken, so he found it difficult to break through such defense.

Phil Jackson gritted his teeth. He thought, this time he will succeed, right? Roger is almost out of energy!
No, Roger is still looking for other ways.

After pushing Kobe away a little, he used the space to change direction drastically. In order to prevent the ball from being intercepted, Roger lowered his center of gravity very low this time, and his shoulders almost touched Kobe's crotch.

This allowed Roger to avoid Kobe's hands that were good at stealing the ball, but his low center of gravity almost caused him to fall when he changed direction.

Kobe thought Roger made a mistake and was ready to fall to the ground to grab the ball.

But Roger supported himself on the ground with his hands, stabilized his core, accelerated past Kobe, and continued to head straight for the basket!

After entering the penalty area, Roger challenged the Shark who had already committed four fouls without thinking. O'Neal didn't dare to make any more moves in the air, and could only jump up and raise his arms to block. But this little block was insignificant to Roger, and he leaned on the Shark to score.

The Eagles took the lead for the second time, Roger scored 48 points in a single game!
The cheers at Philips Arena made Jackson's ears ring, but the Hawks did have reason to cheer.

Roger's change of direction just now and the layup that bravely challenged the Shark are enough to make him bear the title of Atlanta's savior.

He guards this land, even when facing three powerful purple and gold generals. This is his lifelong basketball philosophy - challenge everyone!

From challenging Jordan and Pippen in his rookie season to challenging the omnipotent big3 now.

Roger never backed down.

The semicircle tactics worked again. Roger's offensive efficiency as a single player was no worse than that of the big3 as a whole!
O'Neal was panting, and the oppressive feeling brought by Roger made it difficult for him to breathe.

What? Can't three people defeat Roger?

The Lakers attacked, and Kobe scored again in this round.

The Lakers' big three all scored in the last four minutes, showing terrifying firepower.

But they were only ahead by 1 point, just 1 point.

The game after this almost became a round-based battle.

The Hawks found it difficult to stop the Lakers' big3's gorgeous offense, but Roger's personal firepower was always able to penetrate Kobe.

The two sides took turns leading several times in the last four minutes, and every time one side scored a goal, it excited the hearts of the other side's fans.

This tension continued until 43 seconds before the end of the game.

In this round, Grant Hill broke through and passed the ball to Kobe.

Kobe received the ball and shot. Even though Paul Pierce had blocked Kobe's fingertips, the basketball still fell into the net.

Kobe was in excellent form today and he ensured the Lakers took the lead in the final moments.

The Lakers took the lead again, and the big3 simply disregarded the Hawks' defense.

But Roger also despised them.

He continued to hold the ball and approach, and from the last four minutes to now, Roger had not failed to respond once on the offensive end.

Steve Jones has already begun to sigh: "Facing such a strong opponent, Roger actually forced the Lakers into a dead end! Maybe the Hawks should have lost long ago, but Roger managed to hold on in the fourth quarter. I want to say that this is simply a challenge to the fate arranged by God!"

However, Roger's physical strength has reached its limit.

He didn't get much rest in the first three quarters, and not only did he play the entire fourth quarter, he also continued to work at a high intensity.

This time, Roger, whose speed and confrontation were seriously declining, could not get rid of Kobe, who had superb pace.

This was probably the first time in his career that Kobe completely defended Roger in one possession.

In desperation, Roger passed the ball to Paul Pierce, wanting to play without the ball.

But Kobe still stayed close to Roger, and Pierce didn't even have a chance to pass the ball to Roger.

The Eagles fans all covered their chests. If they couldn't continue to overtake the score in this round, all their efforts would be in vain.

The 24-second offensive time was slowly decreasing, and Pierce finally decided to take on the responsibility himself. He forced his way past Grant Hill and tried to score under the basket.

But Pierce was completely unable to rush, and Grant Hill was not overwhelmed by Pierce's physical strength. And after Pierce broke into the penalty area, he was double-teamed by Robert Horry.

Pierce, who was trapped in a double team, wanted to find Roger, but Roger was on the weak side and he couldn't pass the ball so far accurately in the crowd.

Pierce had no choice but to pass the ball to Hornacek, who just ran out of space to receive the ball.

Now when seeing Hornacek get the ball, no Lakers fan dares to laugh at his age and appearance, and no one dares not to regard him as a threat.

This old white guy has made Los Angeles shut up their arrogant mouths.

Hornacek received the ball, dribbled one step, and looked at Shawn Marion who was running back outside the three-point line.

Marion's three-point shooting percentage this season is 31%, which is not very good, but he can't just let it go, especially at this critical moment.

Robert Horry immediately ran towards Marion, trying to block the Hawks' last chance.

But Hornacek passed the ball in the opposite direction of his sight, and the basketball passed through the crowd and fell into the hands of Roger who ran to the weak side corner!
It was a bold pass, and Hornacek played a bold jazz blues tune.

This is why Roger selects rotation guards who have high basketball IQ and can pass the ball.

This kind of person may not be able to kill the game at the critical moment, but he can definitely hand you the knife!
Roger caught the ball, and Kobe was already chasing him. He made a three-threat move of sprinting forward, then jumped up and shot backward.

Kobe was fooled by the fake three-threat move and was half a beat late when he tried to interfere again.

Watching Roger successfully make the shot, Kobe felt a chill down his spine.

He had just given the world's most terrifying killer a fleeting opportunity, and he would regret it.

"brush!"

Roger gave the jumping jazz blues a brilliant sublimation!

"Three-pointer hit! The Hawks overtook by two points! In the decisive moment, Roger's firepower on the offensive end was no less than that of the Big 3! In the last round, Roger couldn't break through Kobe, and he was almost blocked by Kobe. But he can still use other means to continue to respond! Steve, it's not Roger who challenged God, it's the Los Angeles Lakers who challenged God!"

Bill Walton looked at Roger's data. He had already scored 55 points!
And followed by a bunch of data including 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks.

Few people can do so many things in one game, so they can't beat the Lakers big3.

But this is not a problem at all for Roger!
Roger scored a goal and hugged Jeff Hornacek with a smile.

Two great musicians performed an epic piece at the Philips Arena.

Six-year-old Abby Hornacek saw this scene and smiled and told her mother beside her: "Mom, don't you think they are a good family?"

Stacy Hornacek didn't answer, silly girl, unless you marry him in 12 years.

At this time, there were only 22 seconds left in the game, the Hawks were leading by 2 points, and Phil Jackson used his last timeout.

Just four minutes ago, the Zen Master thought that the fully-formed Big3 would win the game.

Apparently, Roger was much tougher than he expected.

Yes, the Lakers with the big 3 are no longer as vulnerable as they were last season.

They almost forced the Eagles into a desperate situation, but that was just a desperate situation.

It may not be the Atlanta Hawks that eventually fall off the cliff.

Phil Jackson shook his head, without thinking too much, and began to plan the tactics for the final attack.

On the other side, the Hawks also changed their "defense team". Lenny Wilkens decided to put two points on the defense and three points on the defense. Although the Hawks would have a narrow escape with their current physical reserve in overtime, it was better than losing the game directly.

"We must not give the Lakers any chance to shoot three-pointers. We must win on this Christmas Eve!"

The critical moment came, and the hearts of Lakers fans in front of the TV all accelerated.

Jerry Buss was also extremely nervous.

The Lakers' Big3 was created to defeat the Hawks. If they fail, all his money will be wasted.

Of course, a regular season defeat does not count as a defeat for the entire season.

But if the Hawks can beat the Lakers once in the regular season, how can you guarantee that they won't do it four times in the playoffs?
At the start of the game, Pippen chased Kobe throughout the game.

Because he had just rested for four minutes, Pippen regained some energy and bit Kobe very hard.

The Lakers almost couldn't even kick the ball out from the sideline. In the end, Grant Hill was able to shake off Roger and receive the pass with a counter-run that was as fast as a change of direction.

Grant Hill has always been steady at critical moments. He is calm and composed, dribbling the ball while directing his teammates to move.

Grant Hill wanted to pass the ball to Kobe, but Pippen blocked all opportunities.

At this time, O'Neal was about to stop in position, so Hill chose plan B and passed the ball in.

At this time, because the score was too close, the Hawks would not risk using foul tactics to send him to the free throw line.

If O'Neal made both free throws, the game would have been dragged into overtime, which would have been very disadvantageous to the Hawks.

Robert Horry pinned Marion outside the three-point line. Marion could leave Horry alone during regular time, but at critical moments you have to treat Horry as a real superstar.

So Marion didn't help Big Ben to double-team the Shark at the first time, and O'Neal got the chance to equalize.

He was about to push the ball with his back, but Roger appeared in front of Shark and slapped the ball away.

O'Neal immediately picked up the ball and passed it back to Grant Hill in shock.

Grant Hill had a fleeting three-point opportunity, but he didn't take it.

He knew that his three-point shooting was still unstable, but he did not take any risks in the critical moment because he wanted to play it safe.

At this time, Hill saw Kobe use a reverse run to shake off Pippen and run out of opportunity, so he passed the ball without hesitation.

But at the moment Hill passed the ball, Roger, who had already returned, opened his arms, touched the ball, and changed the direction of the basketball's flight!
Kobe used his elbow to push Pippen away and ran out, but still caught the ball, just one step outside the three-point line.

With little time left in the game, Kobe had no chance to adjust and shot directly after getting the ball.

But it was Roger again. After disrupting the pass, he chased after Kobe directly and finally interfered with Kobe's hasty long-range three-pointer.

After the jump interference and landing, Roger, who was already exhausted, fell directly and sat on the ground.

He stared at the basketball and felt like someone had pressed the slow-motion button on the spot.

Kobe was also staring at the basketball. His shot just now was too hasty and was also interfered with, so he had no idea about this shot.

When the basketball was halfway through the flight, people noticed a detail: Grant Hill covered his head in advance.

Through the flight trajectory of the basketball, he had predicted the outcome.

The basketball hit the side of the basket, and it seemed to trigger the mechanism of the backboard. The moment it hit the basket, the backboard also glowed red.

Roger used extreme offense to break the encirclement of big3, and then in the final round, he defended every member of big3!

The game ended with a score of 110 to 108, and the Atlanta Hawks won this epic battle at home!

The warrior rushed into the enemy camp with a sword in one hand and cut off the heads of the three great generals of Los Angeles!
The moment the game ended, Roger lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the Philips Arena and grinning.

Pippen walked up and held out his hand: "Get up and celebrate the victory, man."

Roger shook his head. "Take a break, Scott. Damn, I feel like I just had a fight with some of the best players in the world. My body is about to fall apart."

"Congratulations, you won." Pippen blinked.
-
The great Lakers Big3 challenged the God of Basketball, but unfortunately, they failed to make the God bleed. --Bill Walton summed up the game.

When I saw Roger holding the ball in one hand and walking towards Big3, I knew the Lakers couldn't win. Because at that moment he was fearless, and all that was left was to move forward courageously. -- Pippen commented on the result of the game.

It's a sad, disappointing ending. We have a lot of work to do, but congratulations to Roger for another great night. - Phil Jackson spread his hands helplessly.

The Lakers were strong, and as they entered the fourth quarter with a 12-point lead, I was a little scared that our throne seemed to be shaky. At that time, I turned to the bench and asked myself, who can I rely on? Then Roger took the ball and walked towards the Lakers players. At that moment, I knew that we would be saved. We just need to follow his footsteps and we will be invincible. I am happy that I can be a footnote to a great epic.

Well, like Abby said, I am suitable to be a family with Roger. I trust him more and more and rely on him more and more.

——Jeff Hornacek smiled and commented on Roger's performance tonight.

(End of this chapter)