Champions Creed

Chapter 282 Chapter 281: This is a script that other teams cannot resist (please give me a monthly ticket!)
With 13 seconds left in the game, the Toronto Raptors had not given up.

Vince Carter pushed forward and shot the first three-pointer of the fourth quarter. He was hoping for a miracle to happen, hoping to continue his myth tonight with a tying shot.

But this three-pointer failed to continue the myth, it just got Ben's 13th rebound of the day.

Carter's three-point shooting touch has completely gone cold. He made 9 three-pointers in the first half, but only 1 in the third quarter and only 1 in the fourth quarter.

It's impossible for anyone to maintain a three-point shooting touch under such circumstances.

After all, this is an era of weak three-pointers. Steve Kerr will never ask Curry to stop shooting from long range when he is not feeling well, but Butch Carter will let UFO execute such instructions.

Butch Carter is considered an open-minded coach in this era. If it were Larry Brown, Carter would probably be scolded at the press conference later.

After Big Ben grabbed the rebound, he passed the ball to Roger the moment his toes touched the bottom. His many years with the Atlanta Hawks turned Big Ben from a substitute into DPOY, and also allowed him and Roger to form an excellent understanding.

He is not a master of passing, but he always instinctively passes the ball to Roger after grabbing the rebound.

Roger rushed across the midfield line alone, and the Raptors gave up on defense, knowing that the game was over.

Seeing that no one was defending him, Roger did not continue to go deep into the penalty area, but stopped one step outside the three-point line and shot very casually.

The next second, the only sound the whole audience could hear was the sound of the nets rolling, because the Canada Airlines Center was completely silent.

Tonight, Roger became an away silencer that is more terrifying than the purple and gold No. 8!
The buzzer sounded, ending this up-and-down game. 118 to 113, the Atlanta Hawks were trailing by 17 points at halftime, and Vince Carter scored almost 40 points in the first half.

But Atlanta's savior responded to his people, leading the team to a comeback victory and changing the series score to 3-0.

Given that there has never been a 0-3 comeback in history, the Toronto Raptors have essentially been eliminated!

Vince Carter scored 55 points, a career high. This was supposed to be a great night for the demigod, and almost everyone thought so.

But people didn't expect that the tyrant Roger would respond to Carter on the spot, and they couldn't even wait until the next game.

56 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. In front of the real God, the demigod tried his best but could not save his city and believers.

Perhaps, this is the difference between gods and demigods.

Vince Carter pulled off his purple headband, held it in his hand, and shook his head.

He has always regarded this headband as a switch. When he puts on the headband, he will enter a combat state, which is a kind of psychological hint he gives himself.

So tonight, he took off his headband and put it on again and again, telling himself that he must fight to the end.

But he still lost.

Yes, competitive sports are full of beautiful fairy tales, but there are more winners and losers.

At that moment, Carter felt like his heart was stabbed. He was so close to victory, but now he has nothing.

Larry Hughes' advice continues to gain in value.

Against Roger, don't ever, ever expect to beat him.

Only by having no expectations can you avoid being disappointed.

The lost Carter looked up at the stands, only to find that his No. 15 jersey was still flying in the purple ocean.

The fans here are still cheering for him.

It's like he's still the hero here.

Toronto fans really can't ask for anything more from Vince Carter. How many players in NBA history can score 50 points in the playoffs?
Even if we move forward 1 years, the GOAT can only score 50 points once in the playoffs, and the vice-GOAT can only do it 8 times.

Vince Carter was great tonight, but unfortunately, he met the most terrifying opponent.

Be content, Carter only scored 1 point less than Roger.

At least he is not like Sprewell in last season's playoffs, who was beaten 62-7 in a point-to-point massacre by Roger and lost his big contract.

Carter looked at everything in front of him, and at the fans who still supported him after his failure, and he had a feeling: I can die for Toronto!

Roger and Carter hugged each other politely and then accepted interviews from reporters on the scene.

The reporter's first question was exactly what Roger expected: "Can you tell us what happened during the halftime break?"

"Drink water, massage, and watch TV. Paul went to the bathroom to prevent some unfortunate person from adding extra food during the meal."

"I mean, don't you have any special arrangements?"

"Special arrangements? No need. We will compete as planned, that's all."

Roger didn't look like a guy who scored 56 points and led the team to a big comeback. He was so calm as if the victory of this game was a matter of course.

That was indeed the case for Roger, as when he made up his mind to win at halftime, this result was exactly what he expected.

It's impossible for Carter to make 18 three-pointers in a game, right? As long as he can't do it, the result is already determined.

“Is there anything you want to talk about regarding the Los Angeles Lakers’ dominant performance in the playoffs?”

Great, finally a question that Roger is more interested in.

When all the media were praising how great the Lakers were this season, there was something Roger had wanted to say for a long time.

"Extremely dominant? How many rings have the Lakers already got?"

A simple sentence made everyone feel the gunpowder smell. Whether it was Kobe mocking Roger for wasting time on a 40-win team, or Roger asking the Lakers how many rings they had taken, it was adding fuel to the fire of the finals.

No one knows how big this fire will burn by then.

But what is certain is that other teams will be reduced to ashes by this fire.

After G3, the media was not particularly surprised by Roger's 56 points in a single game.

Since his first playoff 1997-point performance against Jordan's Knicks in 50, Roger has occasionally put up some inflated stats in the playoffs.

What really surprised the media was another thing: Vince Carter will borrow the team owner's private plane to return to North Carolina to attend his graduation ceremony before the start of Game 4 of the series, and then rush back to Toronto five hours before the game starts to play non-stop.

The whole of Toronto is in an uproar. It's a life-and-death battle to save the last bit of face. Carter actually wants to attend some crappy graduation ceremony?
For most ordinary people, college graduation ceremonies are indeed meaningful.

But for Vince Carter, the moment he was drafted by the Raptors in 1998 was like attending his own graduation.

He is already a professional player, earning millions of dollars from the Raptors every year. I understand that he wants to fulfill his mother's wish to get a bachelor's degree, but is it necessary to take up game time for such a ceremonial thing? What's more, the upcoming battle is a life-and-death battle!
Despite the many objections, Carter resolutely returned to his alma mater.

But when Carter arrived from North Carolina, everything changed.

He no longer has support in Toronto.

Teammates complained, and the hot-tempered Charles Oakley publicly cursed in the locker room: "You bastard who gave up the game early, this is the Eastern Conference semifinals, not the first round of the best-of-five series! Do you think we have already lost!? What kind of mentality are you using to treat this game?"

Fans' attitude towards Carter also took a 180-degree turn.

At the end of Game 3, everyone still regarded Vince Carter as a hero. But today when Carter stepped into the court again, he saw many unfriendly slogans and many people swearing at him.

But so far things have not gotten out of control, and all this can be made up by victory.

No one would say anything if Michael Jordan hired a female personal trainer to play golf with him five hours before the game because people knew he could handle the rest of the game.

Well, provided that the opponent is not Roger.

But Vince Carter turned in a terrible answer sheet after attending the graduation ceremony.

系列赛G4生死之战，卡特全场梦游，18投仅仅6中，命中率只有33%。虽然还是靠着9中8的罚球拿到了还算体面的20分，但球队却以23分脆败。

"Vince was exhausted from the continuous long-distance travel. He was like an old car without gas on the court today," said Steve Jones.

In sharp contrast to Carter was Antonio Davis, who was like a god in his mid-range shots today, making 15 of 11 shots.

This guy, who was called "the worst All-Star player in history" by the media, played like a man on the life-and-death night.

When the game ended, the Canada Line Center erupted in boos.

And Carter knew that the boos were not directed at the Hawks.

Toronto fans are all wondering, if Carter didn't go to that crappy graduation ceremony, and with Antonio Davis shooting 15-of-11, could the Raptors have won the game?
The more he assumed this, the louder the boos from the audience.

In addition to caring about winning or losing, fans also want to see attitude when watching a game.

The first three games have shown that the Raptors are not as strong as the Hawks, but even so, fans hope to see the Raptors players do their best.

Fighting hard and never giving up is one of the charms of competitive sports.

There is no fan who doesn't like to see such courage in an athlete.

No fan likes to watch a player running around while losing.

So Toronto fans were very angry when they thought that Carter's poor performance was caused by the long journey to the graduation ceremony.

At the end of the last game, Carter just thought that he could die for Toronto.

He changed his mind after just three days.

Carter being booed by his own fans resonated strongly with Pippen, and he was deeply touched by it.

Because he has given everything to a team more than once, and then was put on the shelf by the team and the fans.

This season, if it weren't for Roger's words "my love, my blood", Pippen would probably have settled down in Washington.

Pippen walked up to Roger and smiled sarcastically: "See, Roger, this is reality. Vince should be thankful that he is not in the free United States, otherwise he might be like Reggie Miller, who would come home one day to find his house burned down by fans."

Roger looked at Carter who left the court amid boos and Pippen who complained, and shrugged calmly: "This is the nature of competitive sports, Scott. This is a place where victory is the only thing. When you get old and start losing, you will be hated by the people you once loved. So we can only win and run wildly on this road until we die."

After saying this, Roger left the court and prepared for the next round of competition.

He will continue to run wildly in this victory lane.

4-0, the Hawks swept the Toronto Raptors without any danger and successfully advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Roger was anxious and just wanted to play in the finals as soon as possible. However, the Eastern Conference Finals could not start immediately because the Hawks' opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals had not yet been determined.

After four games, the series between the 76ers and the Bucks is tied at 2-2.

While Roger and Carter were competing against each other for 50 points, AI and Ray Allen also played a spark-filled series.

This was a tone that was destined to happen, as the personal grudge between AI and Ray Allen began in college.

As early as their freshman year, Iverson and Ray Allen were both selected for the US team to participate in the World University Games.

The competition itself was uneventful and they won the world championship easily.

After winning the championship and returning to the hotel, AI fell asleep quickly. Ray Allen, who was extremely excited about winning the championship, teamed up with his teammates to play a prank and smeared shampoo and peanut butter all over Iverson.

It was clear that Ray Allen didn't understand this kid from the streets of the Hamptons.

After waking up, Iverson did not think it was a joke, but believed that he was bullied because of his small stature, so he picked up a fire extinguisher and chased after Ray Allen.

In the end, there was naturally no bloody conflict, and the two sides were quickly separated thanks to the efforts of the teammates.

However, AI threatened: "I will beat you in the college arena!"

AI knows that his Georgetown University and Ray Allen's University of Connecticut both belong to the Big East Conference.

Thus, a series of competitions between the two began, and they won and lost against each other in the regular season.

There was even such a saying at that time: "Whoever wins between Ray and AI will be the No. 96 pick in the draft!"

The competition between the two reached its peak in the 96 Big East Conference Finals, and the final result was that Ray Allen defeated Georgetown University with a buzzer-beater.

But after the draft in the summer of 96, Ray Allen cried. Not only was he not the No. pick, he was not even in the top three.

And the man he defeated, Allen Iverson, became the much-anticipated first pick in the draft.

In this way, the unwilling Ray Allen would play very seriously every time he met AI after entering the NBA, and AI would not miss any opportunity to humiliate Ray Allen, and the feud between the two continued in the professional arena.

This year's Eastern Conference semifinals is like their "EndGame", settling all the grudges from college to the present.

Neither of them gave in, and Ray Allen's individual performance was on par with Iverson's.

However, Robinson didn't get his first free throw until Game 7 of the series. And before Game 6, the league upgraded a foul committed by Bucks starting power forward Scott Williams in Game to a flagrant foul through video and then suspended him.

This ridiculous behavior caused the Bucks to lose Game 7 due to the loss of their main players, and also made Ray Allen rarely furious at the press conference.

"The league just wanted to send the 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals, so they upgraded the foul afterwards! Yes, he accidentally hit AI's chin while defending, but my point is, if Scott was really guilty, you could point it out on the spot instead of suddenly suspending him after everything was over! What else can I say? This is a league controlled by Reebok!"

I wonder how happy Reebok, whose original timeline has been sold back and forth, would be to hear this.

Ray Allen knew that his remarks would definitely cause controversy, and he was prepared to deal with the controversy and even accept fines.

But he never expected that the first person to stand up and refute him was actually his coach George Karl: "That's enough, Ray, stop making excuses, okay? I'm ashamed! We lost because you are not as tough as AI!"

Ray Allen responded with a sentence that would eventually lead him to leave Milwaukee: "Oh, did you see that? It's a good thing we didn't make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, otherwise the team's problems would be covered up!"

The press conference turned into a quarrel between Ray Allen and George Karl.

But no one cares about their affairs anymore. Next, the divisional finals will be held among four teams: the Hawks, 76ers, Lakers and Spurs.

In fact, the moment the confrontation occurred, the script was already very clear.

No one can disrupt or rewrite the irresistible script of the Hawks and Lakers.

This scenario was destined to happen from the day Grant Hill joined the Lakers.

What happened next was basically in accordance with the script expected by the fans.

The Hawks encountered the most intense resistance from the 76ers. In Game 1 of the series, AI scored 30 points in the first half.

During the halftime interview, Lenny Wilkens shook his head helplessly: "Times have changed, guys. Times have really changed. The four new shooting guards have grown up and caused us a lot of trouble. You have to admit that. Roger encountered three of them. If he wins, he will have to encounter the fourth. Maybe everything is arranged by God."

Just like the original timeline, this timeline also has the concept of the four major shooting guards.

It’s just that Roger, the god of the second position, is high above everyone else, so a prefix is ​​added to the titles of the four major shooting guards - New Era.

Among the four great shooting guards of the new era, Roger has encountered the third one in a row.

This is seen as a war in which the new era stratum challenges Roger, the stratum god.

They are indeed a big trouble. The team led by McGrady, Carter and AI may not be as strong as the Hawks, but the four shooting guards themselves will bring many variables and suspense to the game.

We just sent away Carter, who often made 9 three-pointers in the first half, and now here comes AI who scores 30 points in the first half. Who can stand this?

Unlike Carter, AI's powerful firepower continued into the second half.

He continued to help the team score, and finally scored 48 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals!
That's why persistence is so important. Anyone can shiver, but continuous impact can directly raise a man's ceiling. But the Hawks are the Hawks after all. Jeff Hornacek made 3 of 3 three-pointers in the final quarter, and Roger's steady 36+5+7 still allowed the Hawks to win 103-97.

The Eagles have pinned down another talented monster. People can't help but wonder what achievements the four major shooting guards of the new era would have made without Roger.

Not to mention others, AI can at least win two more scoring titles and an Eastern Conference championship.

The 76ers' performance in the first game delighted Philadelphia fans, but after the stunning first game, the rest was all the glorious history of the Atlanta Hawks.

In Game 2 of the series, Paul Pierce scored 12 points in the first quarter, and Roger scored 15 points in the second quarter.

Under the terrifying double firepower of Roger and Pierce, the 76ers were suppressed throughout the entire game and finally lost 108 to 83.

In G3, Roger led the team to win the game with 47 points in a single game, making AI's 35 points pale in comparison.

G4 was a legendary night for AI. The Hawks led by as many as 20 points, but the tenacious Iverson led the team to narrow the gap to just 7 points.

In the fifth minute of the fourth quarter, when AI was asked to leave the court by the referee because of a cut on the corner of his mouth, he swallowed the blood and yelled at the referee: "Is this all right?!"

He has disregarded his life and death, and even though he is already trailing 0-3, he is still working hard for the final chance of winning.

Maybe this is the difference between AI and its previous two opponents.

Tracy McGrady would give up the game when trailing by 22 points at halftime, and Vince Carter was no longer on the court when trailing 0-3.

But AI, no matter what desperate situation he faces, his heart will not change.

Lenny Wilkens can understand why AI and Kobe are so popular. Although McGrady, Carter, Kobe and AI are collectively known as the four shooting guards of the new era, AI and Kobe are actually higher than the other two. This is probably because McGrady and Carter play very hard, while AI and Kobe play with their lives!

As far as Lenny Wilkens knows, AI now has injuries in 11 parts of his body, including his waist, legs and arms. He even missed a game during the Eastern Conference Finals because he could not bear the pain.

But there is no way, the 76ers can't live without him, he can only force a comeback and drag the team to where he is now.

Look at this team's abnormal lineup. Apart from Allen Iverson, there is no other player who has the ability to score independently.

The AI ​​must turn itself into a bullet, piercing the opponent while burning itself.

After AI swallowed the blood, the gap was narrowed to only 7 points.

But just when this heroic moment was about to appear, it was Hornacek, the "anti-hero" guy, who stood up again.

Jeff Hornacek seemed to be born for the fourth quarter.

In G1, it was his three three-pointers in the fourth quarter that stifled the 76ers, and it was him again today.

He made 5 of 3 shots from beyond the three-point line in the fourth quarter, and with the continued output of Roger and Pierce, the Hawks finally defeated the cockroach-like opponent 106 to 92, cruelly wiping out the glimmer of hope that AI fought for with his life.

After the game, Roger did not celebrate the Eastern Conference championship with his teammates, but hugged AI in the center of the court.

"Sorry Aaron, but I want to win too."

"Sorry? Stop humiliating me, asshole. Go ahead and take down those self-righteous 'city people'."

"Don't worry, I will treat everyone equally. None of you four will be able to win the championship this year!"

AI still became a tragic lone hero, which seemed to be his fate.

Roger killed the third of the four great shooting guards of the new era. Now, the only one left is the last one in Los Angeles!

The next day, the Los Angeles Lakers also did not waste time and defeated the Spurs with a total score of 4-0 in San Antonio.

Just like they swept the Jazz last year to avenge their defeat, the Lakers also swept the Spurs this year to avenge their defeat in 1999.

So far, the Sharks have defeated all the teams that had swept them before and wiped their own butts clean.

Now there is only one team left to sweep him - the Atlanta Hawks!

This is a very exaggerated series, not just because of the 4-0, but because even the San Antonio Spurs couldn't narrow the score difference to single digits in a certain game!
In the first game, everyone thought it was a battle between two giants, Duncan and O'Neal, but Kobe broke the balance, scoring 54 points with a hit rate of 45%!
Before this, only Roger could deliver such a bloody blow under the Spurs' defensive system because his mid-range jump shot was perfect.

But now that Kobe has reached his peak, he can also seize the difficult mid-range opportunities deliberately left by the Spurs to hit their opponents hard.

From now on, "Spurs Killer" no longer refers to Roger alone.

In fact, the commentator of this game praised Kobe in this way: "This is a great performance at the Roger level!"

In Game 2, Tim Duncan gave it his all, scoring 40 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, hoping to make a comeback.

But Kobe continued to harass the Spurs from the perimeter, scoring 28 points. Grant Hill also attempted a lot of mid-range shots, scoring 21 points and 11 assists.

The Spurs had no way to deal with this. Neither David Robinson nor Duncan could expand their defensive area because there was a Shark in the interior.

Duncan's 40 points failed to help the team win, or even help the team lose less, as the Spurs still lost by 11 points.

之后的G3和G4的马刺简直任人宰割，G3湖人大胆的完全放掉大卫.罗宾逊的中距离死夹邓肯，逼迫邓肯打出了也许是职业生涯季后赛最丑陋的比赛——14中3，只拿了9分。

Even though David Robinson scored 24 points with his accurate mid-range shots, he still couldn't stop the Spurs from losing by 39 points. After all, the Spurs now belong to Duncan's team. If he can't play a role, it's useless for others to perform well.

The Spurs had lost their desire to win in G4, and the Lakers easily won by 35 points to complete the sweep.

In the end, the Los Angeles community lifted the Western Conference championship trophy with great satisfaction!

In the four games of the Western Conference Finals, Kobe averaged 33 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game. It seemed like he was telling the world with this performance that he was ready!

Be prepared to step on Roger!

Even O'Neal boasted about Kobe: "Kobe is my idol, he is much better than other guards in the league!"

Well, with the last sentence, it seems like O'Neal is simply discrediting Roger rather than praising Kobe.

After the game, the Lakers held a small celebration in the locker room for the Western Conference championship trophy.

The players splashed water on each other and laughed wildly.

O'Neal performed his impromptu rap in the center of the locker room.

Most of the lyrics that Shark says are actually pretty messed up and don't rhyme.

Only one sentence Grant Hill remembers clearly: "Roger will tell me right now how my ass tastes!"

In the joyful atmosphere, Grant Hill was the only one who couldn't see Kobe.

Kobe often shows his unsociable side at times like these, and most Lakers players are used to it.

But Grant Hill believes that Kobe should also share the joy of the moment. As a bridge between Kobe and the Sharks, Hill believes that he has the responsibility to bring Kobe in.

He began to search in the locker room and finally saw the young man in the corner of the locker room.

Kobe was holding a small Western Conference championship trophy at the moment, operating his mobile phone with an indifferent expression, as if he was texting someone, which was out of tune with the cheerful atmosphere around him.

Grant Hill is a thoughtful person and he can probably guess why Kobe is unhappy.

Kobe Bryant was having a great season on the basketball court, but he experienced a breakup with his family off the court.

His performance in the playoffs was so brilliant, but his father never came to watch any of his games throughout the playoffs.

Just a few months ago, the last words his father said to him were: "From the moment you decide to marry her, your life will be yours alone and has nothing to do with us!"

So there were only 12 people at Kobe's wedding, half of whom were bodyguards and the rest were all family members of the bride.

He did not invite any teammates because he felt that if even his family didn't want to bless him, then forget it.

Kobe didn't know why he had come to this point. He bought his parents a $300 million mansion, gave them $1000 million for investment, and even had a clause in his shoe contract with Adidas that "Joe Bryant can get an additional $15 per year."

Then, because he wanted to marry a Latina girl, his parents broke up with him.

Yes, the despised Ni brothers also have their own contempt chain. In their eyes, Latinos are the lowest of the low, at the bottom of the contempt chain.

They wanted Kobe to marry a white or black girl, but Kobe's stubbornness made him want to marry the Mexican girl no matter what.

Before tonight's game, Kobe's mother tried to ease the awkwardness between father and son.

She asked Kobe for two tickets and said she would bring her husband to watch Kobe's game, hoping to break the ice in this way.

But at the end of the game, Grant Hill only saw Kobe's mother hugging him.

This meant that his father still hadn't shown up.

This is probably why Kobe is so distressed.

Grant Hill walked over to Kobe and sat next to him.

He didn't want Kobe to be affected by such negative emotions, so he decided to enlighten him.

Kobe looked at Hill, said nothing, and quickly put away his phone.

Hill put his arm around Kobe's shoulders. Kobe was not disgusted by Grant Hill's intimate gesture. He did not hate Grant Hill. In fact, Grant Hill was the first teammate to enter his house.

Because Kobe likes his selflessness and believes in his character.

The most important thing is that Grant Hill is not like a shark, always treating himself as a younger brother.

"Man, your father must be busy with his own things. I believe he is also concerned about your game. After all, you are his son. Don't think too much and celebrate the victory with everyone."

"Why mention that bastard?" Kobe asked with a smile in his tone.

"You're not happy about him not coming today, aren't you?"

"If he doesn't come, then he doesn't come. I don't want to see him either. From the moment I got married, my parents and sisters were no longer the most important people. My wife and children are the most important people. He can come if he wants to, or not, it's fine. I don't care." Kobe's tone was firm, and it seemed that he was really determined to break off with the family he had lived with for the past twenty years.

"and you."

"Grant, you don't think I'm upset about this? You think I'm some little kid crying because I miss my dad? No, I just don't want to join in on this stupid celebration.

Look at Shaq, look at all those guys, look at them, I just don't know what they're doing.

They acted like they were the real champions, but we had nothing. The whole team didn't have more rings than Roger alone.

What is a Western Conference championship? If I were Jerry Buss, I would have thrown it in the trash the next day. The Western Conference championship banner is not even worthy of being raised at the Staples Center.

I just... I just held the Western Conference championship trophy and imagined what it would feel like to win the championship.

The sweep of last season's finals makes me fucking sick every day.

I must win this time, nothing can stop me!
I can't think about anything else, let alone that old bastard Joe. If you're here to comfort me, forget it Grant, I don't have any problems."

Grant Hill looked at Kobe's determined eyes and felt that he might have been worrying too much.

He didn't bother Kobe anymore, stood up and left, giving Kobe enough private space he wanted.

After Hill left, Kobe continued to take out his phone and looked at the text message that had been edited but not sent: "Why didn't Joe come?"

After hesitating for a few seconds, he deleted all the letters and ultimately did not send the text message.

Screw it, he didn't care anymore.

He didn't want to be distracted by any messy things. He just wanted to win the championship, the championship that was so close to him.

Kobe already has an undisturbed heart of stone, and now all he wants is to win.

And such a person often bursts out with unimaginable power.

Just like when Roger pointed the gun at Jordan.

The only survivor among the four great shooting guards of the new era has pointed his gun at Roger.
-
11 games, 11 wins, 11 games with double-digit score differences. The Lakers are the first team in NBA history to sweep two 50-win teams in a row by double-digit points in the playoffs. The next game the Hawks will face is this Los Angeles Lakers team. - Sports Illustrated.

Roger's legend may be ended by the Los Angeles Lakers. It's true that Roger beat the Lakers once in the regular season, but it's hard for me to imagine anyone defeating the Lakers in a seven-game series. - "Slam Dunk".

This is the strongest finals opponent Roger has ever faced in his career, and I believe he knows this. Can Roger still fulfill his promise to win three consecutive championships with the Hawks? No one can predict this. - "NBA Time and Space".

The four great shooting guards of the new era are lining up to try to snatch the crown from Roger's head, but three of them have already failed. Will Kobe be the only winner? - Los Angeles Times

Roger resisted the impact of the younger generation. Every new era's four major shooting guards imagined Roger as Michael Jordan, and they all wanted to be Roger. But there is only one Roger, and what happened to Michael Jordan will never happen to Roger! - Atlanta Military Police.

"I know that maybe 60 to 70 percent of the media think the Los Angeles Lakers are unbeatable. But I still have to say that this is Roger in his prime, a Roger who is in control of everything.

Aside from his back-to-the-basket moves, Roger's technique has no shortcomings.

His strict discipline has sculpted a perfect body for him, capable of withstanding any serious collisions and fouls, and will not make him feel tired at the end of the game.

He can punish defenders smaller than himself and he can also crush those taller than himself.

Conversely, he can make all the outside offensive players in the league suffer on the defensive end.

Moreover, he knows how to use his teammates and knows when is the right time to take over the game.

He manages the locker room well, he no longer hurts his partners publicly or privately, and everyone who plays with Roger enjoys it very much. Therefore, we will not see the farce between Ray Allen and George Karl, and we don't have to worry about the Hawks suddenly falling apart at some point.

I think Roger's only problem right now is that he simply can't find an opponent in the East that can drive him to keep winning.

He has nothing to win anymore. He only lost one year in his career and didn't win the Eastern Conference title. He wasn't even very excited when he won the MVP award.

This situation would kill Roger's desire to win. No one likes to play simple games repeatedly. I was worried that Roger would leave at the peak of his career like MJ did when he retired for the first time.

But the Los Angeles Lakers have perfectly solved this pain point. Believe me, Roger looks at the Lakers like an adolescent boy spying on a beautiful and dynamic senior schoolmate, and he is already eager to make a move.

So, it was the greatest player against the scariest team.

But one thing is certain: anyone who thinks the Hawks or Lakers can easily beat each other is an idiot.

This will definitely be a bloody, intense, tense and exciting finals, and no side can easily win. All the games in this round will definitely be selected into ESPN's classic game channel.

At least this is a good thing for the fans. No one should want to see Roger easily abuse those poor Western teams in the finals again, right?

As a sports columnist, from a rational point of view, I cannot make any predictions for this round of the finals.

But from an emotional standpoint, I'm 100 percent behind Roger and think he'll have the last laugh.

God knows what surprises he will have for us.

In any case, we'll find out tomorrow. Get ready and go to bed early.

And then tomorrow night, we get to face greatness.”

--Bill Simmons, ESPN The Magazine column

(Here come the fathers, late but here they are. One update today, because I have reached the finals with 10,000 words)

(End of this chapter)