Champions Creed

Chapter 283 282: There are no small characters here, everyone is a big shot! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)

This is the third time that Jeff Hornacek has entered the finals in his career.

The first two times were both with the Utah Jazz, and the results, thanks to Roger, were not satisfactory.

It can even be said to be a shame.

He first lost to Roger of the Magic, and then lost to Roger of the Hawks the following year.

Roger single-handedly destroyed the Utah duo's efforts and persistence for more than a decade, and completely blocked the Jazz's championship window.

Look at the Utah Jazz now. Karl Malone and John Stockton are like two old men who have lost all hope in life and are waiting to rot and stink in that shabby place in Salt Lake City.

Jeff Hornacek's memories of the past two trips to the Finals were not good, but this time, he firmly believed that everything would be different.

Even though he is about to face the most dominant team in NBA playoff history.

The Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference are like the Polish Winged Hussars that swept across Europe. Of course, you can also say it is the Mongolian cavalry or the German armored forces. In short, that place has been swept across many times by various different people.

All you need to know is that before this, even the Atlanta Hawks had never shown such exaggerated dominance in the playoffs.

Last season, the Hawks had a legendary undefeated playoff record, and the Lakers added an even more incredible condition to this record - winning by double digits in every game.

But even with the Lakers' incredible record, Jeff Hornacek is still confident about the finals. This season with the Atlanta Hawks, Hornacek has gained confidence he never had before.

No matter how talented Tracy McGrady is, no matter how scary Vincent Carter's three-point shot is, no matter how determined Allen Iverson is, in the end, Roger will lead the team to overcome them.

Of course, Jeff Hornacek himself also helped a lot.

He became the key point in Game 1 and Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and his three-pointer in the fourth quarter scared countless opponents.

But he didn't think what he did was anything special.

He just had to hit those three-pointers he took nearly 3000 times in his career when Roger drew a double team, and that was it.

And when he can help Roger create space, he just needs to stand on the court and watch Roger's one-on-one performance.

What is amazing is Roger, who is also the source of Hornacek's confidence.

Nobody can stop that guy, and the Finals will be no different.

On the day of Game 1 of the Finals, Jeff Hornacek arrived at Emory Health Center early.

He needs to come in advance to drain the fluid and then adapt to the knee after the fluid is drained.

Walking into the physiotherapy room, Hornacek found Michael Reed already having a muscle-relaxing massage, which meant he had just finished training.

Hornacek is no longer surprised by this. Michael Redd has long been a well-known gym rat in the team.

Hornacek sat on the treatment bed and casually asked Reid, "How long have you been practicing?"

"Two hours."

"Save some strength, we still have a game tonight."

Reed nodded. Although Reed has not had much playing time since the playoffs, he is still prepared for it.

Because Roger always told him: "It's not enough to have a chance, you have to be able to seize it. If a woman drinking a cold drink gets in your car at 12 o'clock in the evening, you can't let her go home, understand?"

This statement was so vivid that it left a deep impression on Michael Reid.

So he tried to stay in shape and waited for the woman drinking the cold drink to get in the car.

At this time, Hornacek's cell phone rang.

Everyone in the therapy room kept their mouths shut tacitly, waiting for Hornacek to answer the call.

"Honey, yes, I just arrived at the training ground and now I am going to coach Michael. The kid has made great progress and I think he will get playing time in the finals. I have to continue training him, Michael, say hello." Hornacek said, putting the phone to Reed's mouth.

Reed glanced at Hornacek speechlessly, then quickly adjusted his mood and shouted into the phone with full energy: "Good morning, ma'am."

Then, Death Ray Gun took the phone back and said, "Remember to come early this afternoon, otherwise there will be a lot of traffic. Also, let Abby eat less ice cream, she is already sweet enough. That's it, dear, bye."

After hanging up the phone, Jeff Hornacek and everyone in the therapy room breathed a sigh of relief.

Just like a few men who went out to sing and avoided their wives' checks on them, they were relaxed.

The team doctor who was draining the fluid from Hornacek shook his head: "You should tell your wife, Jeff. How long can you hide it from her? She has the right to know about your health condition, too."

"Please, she already has enough headaches taking care of three kids at home, there's no need to add to her worries. Besides, I can handle it myself."

That's right, Jeff Hornacek never told his wife about his physical condition, and his reason for coming to the training hall early every time was "to help Michael improve."

If he told Stacey that he had the fluid drained regularly, she would go crazy.

Because she promised Jeff Hornacek that she would continue to play on the condition that she stayed healthy.

Michael Reed, who had become the scapegoat at a young age, shrugged: "I also think you should tell her. I feel that I am too dangerous now. If she knew the truth one day, she would definitely blow my face off with a shotgun."

Hornacek smiled and patted Reid on the shoulder: "Don't worry, Michael, Stacy is not that rude. At most, she will use a small-caliber pistol to make a hole in your forehead."

Reid was stunned: "What!? Are you serious?"

"Okay, I've been healthy all season, nothing will happen."

After Hornacek finished draining the fluid and Michael Reed finished his massage, there was still an hour before the training started.

So the two of them watched TV in the physical therapy room with their trainer. Today, almost all sports channels were warming up for tonight's finals.

The invincible Lakers vs. the legendary Hawks, this is the most popular series since Jordan Knicks vs. Roger Magic.

The alliance will try every possible way to promote it, and major TV stations will also try every possible way to take advantage of this wave of traffic.

ESPN is replaying last night's interview with Roger.

Most of the time this show is boring, with the host asking pretty routine questions.

It wasn’t until the end of the show that anything interesting happened.

At the scene, the host played a highlight clip for Roger: "Michael Reed's playoff highlights."

In the video, Michael Redd either sat at the end of the bench in a daze or stood up and waved a towel. There was another time when he tried to high-five Pierce who was walking off the court, but Pierce ignored him, so he could only high-five himself to ease the embarrassment.

These scenes are very funny and are obviously making fun of the minor character Michael Reid.

ESPN has no ill intentions, they just want to have some fun.

After all, in this epic battle, the people who are in the spotlight are always Roger, Kobe, Shaq, Grant Hill and Pierce.

A minor role? Either nobody cares about it, or like Michael Reed, it's treated as a joke.

They seemed insignificant in this great war.

"Damn, what a rubbish host." The masseur did not expect that the show would have this segment. Sure enough, some bad news will always appear in front of you automatically even if you don't want to accept it.

It’s like one night more than 7 years later, you were playing with your phone and found that the Chinese national football team was defeated 0- again, and you felt like you were fed shit for no reason.

But Michael Reed was not angry because the show was a rerun and he had watched it last night.

And Reed really liked what Roger was going to say next.

After watching Reed's "highlights", Roger did not laugh. He told the host seriously: "I want to say that Michael really works hard. Why should we laugh at a hard-working person? In any case, he is a member of the Atlanta Hawks and he is indispensable. In my opinion, there are no small roles in our team. Everyone is a big shot who can change the game."

Inside the therapy room, those who hadn’t watched last night’s show looked at each other in bewilderment.

Jeff Hornacek couldn't help but smile, remembering Roger helping him take down Jerry Stackhouse during the regular season.

"Surprised? This is Roger. He doesn't mind being a villain and a scoundrel out there, but we're the only ones who know who he really is."

Michael Reid stared at Roger on the TV screen and decided to end his break.

This is just a passage Roger said on the show, just a passage.

But when a superstar is willing to speak up for a small character like Reed, everything is a different story.

Reed walked out of the physical therapy room, ready to continue shooting.

Whether he plays or not, he wants to make sure he's ready when Lenny Wilkens calls his name.

An hour later, the Eagles players arrived at the Emory Health Center one after another.

Roger had a serious look on his face since he entered the locker room, and except for the regular training time, he kept his eyes on the TV.

"Will the Los Angeles Lakers suffer their first playoff loss at Philips Arena?"

"The latest news from the frontline reporter is that the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing to take a lunch break and will leave for the game venue after the break."

"Shaquille O'Neal called the Atlanta Hawks a special team, so they'll probably only lose by single digits."

"I simply could not have predicted what would happen tonight, this is one of the most anticipated matchups in NBA history!"

"This is indeed a huge challenge for the Hawks. Hey, you can't expect Paul Pierce to do that again, right?"

There has been a constant stream of information about tonight's game on TV, and the atmosphere of a big battle is brewing in the locker room.

The little guys have temporarily lost their presence, and everyone's attention is on the stars.

After lunch and a bite to eat, Romero Collins, the Hawks' team security manager, told everyone, "You can get in the car and go to Philips Arena, guys!"

Roger was the first to stand up. He had been waiting for this call for too long.

He hadn't been so excited about a game in a long time.

Next to the door of the team bus, two general managers, Pete Babcock and Dominique Wilkins, waited outside, high-fiving every player who got on the bus and kept yelling, "You guys can do it, come on, come on!"

Roger got on the bus and put on headphones. The bus drove into the city. There were cheering fans all along the way, and it seemed that even the Chattahoochee River was shaking.

Ten minutes after the Hawks players arrived at Philips Arena, the Lakers followed.

Kobe Bryant got out of the car wearing sunglasses, and an Atlanta reporter yelled at him, "Will the conflict with your family affect today's game!?"

Kobe didn't have to answer this sensitive question because the period from getting off the bus to walking into the locker room was not the interview time for reporters. They could only take pictures but not ask questions.

But Kobe did not escape. He faced the reporter who deliberately wanted to embarrass him: "Family conflict? Man, even if the world ends, it can't stop us from strangling the Hawks tonight! You and all the other Atlantans better be prepared!"

Both sides continued to add fuel to the fire, which was already burning fiercely, burning the entire state of Georgia.

An hour later, the two sides finally met on the stage of the finals.

Roger frowned as he looked at the group of purple-gold knights who had entered his territory.

Big3 looked at the championship banner on the dome of Philips Arena, revealing their ambition.

The referee signaled the starting players to gather together and the game was about to begin.

O'Neal won the jump ball and the Lakers took the lead.

In the first round, Grant Hill assisted Kobe to score an easy mid-range shot.

Kobe used superb off-ball positioning to get the ball and shot directly after receiving it.

Pierce and the Cavaliers were not completely shaken off by Kobe. Pierce still interfered closely when Kobe was shooting. This was not a good opportunity for Kobe to shoot.

It can be seen that Kobe's desire to score tonight is very, very high. As long as the ball is in his hands, he will definitely shoot.

Kobe said this in an interview with reporters yesterday: "Many people want me to play the same as last season, but that's not me. You see, I have two ways. One is to play simple basketball as the public says, 20 points and 7 assists per game. Or, I can show aggressiveness and reach my limit. "

Obviously, Kobe is very aggressive.

But the Sharks won't be angry because this is an away game. On the road, Kobe is the Lakers' first choice.

What's more, Kobe made the shot.

O'Neal has become accustomed to Kobe's shots that make people's blood pressure soar. Who cares? As long as he can score, it's fine.

2-0, Kobe scored the first goal for the Lakers.

After scoring the goal, Kobe waved his fist with his teeth bared, which meant that Kobe's killing had just begun, and also meant that things off the court really had no effect on him.

On the contrary, things off the court have increased Kobe's fighting spirit.

Kobe Bryant is a man who is good at turning grief into strength. Many players will be affected by things outside the court. But Kobe is different. If you look at his "rule of rushing to the court" later, you will know that when he steps on the court, he can vent all his unhappiness on his opponents.

For Kobe, he divides his off-court self and his on-court self into two individuals.

The man outside the court is Kobe, and the man inside the court is the one Kobe likes to call the Black Mamba.

The Lakers' first attack was very strong, but the Hawks immediately fought back.

In the next round, Roger, who was trapped, passed the ball between two players and assisted Pierce to hit a three-pointer easily.

The Lakers' defensive strategy today was very extreme, which was to double-team Roger from the first second.

Even if Roger is holding the ball outside the three-point line, he will be trapped.

In Phil Jackson's opinion, no one in the league can defend Roger one-on-one. Therefore, double-teaming is what Roger deserves and is a respect for him.

Limit Roger's shots and give others a chance. Phil Jackson firmly believes that his big 3 can suppress the other players of the Hawks.

However, Pierce's three-pointer slapped the Zen Master in the face. This season, Pierce's presence is not as high as last season, but it is not because he is not good enough, but because everyone is used to his strength.

What was Pierce like last season? He had just had a disastrous game at a critical moment in the 99 season, and he had just been stabbed 13 times off the court.

So when he puts on an outstanding performance in the finals, people are surprised and amazed.

Paul Pierce has been very stable and still excellent this season.

This continued excellence no longer makes him stunning, but in fact, he has become the most powerful sword-wielding guard beside Roger.

In the following games, Roger did not attack forcefully in double-team situations, but was happy to share the ball with his teammates.

Since my teammates are in good form now, let them take more shots.

Anyway, it’s not time to take over the game yet.

Pierce made frequent jump shots, Marion made two three-pointers with his strange posture, and even Pippen found his shooting feeling and made two mid-range shots.

In the transition period, Bowen and Hornacek also scored.

Roger only scored 5 points in the first quarter, but made 5 assists, leading the Hawks to a 29-24 lead over the Lakers!

At that moment, all the Eagles fans at the scene were cheering.

Magic was so excited that he was sweating all over: "After the first quarter, the Atlanta Hawks are leading! The first team to defeat the Lakers in the playoffs this season may be born. Don't forget that it was the Hawks who ended the Lakers' seemingly invincible 16-game winning streak last season! When the entire league is helpless against the Lakers, the Hawks can always solve this problem!"

Although Magic is a Lakers legend and a small shareholder, he does not favor the Lakers in his commentary. He will praise whoever gives him goosebumps.

Phil Jackson's strategy didn't work in the first quarter, but he decided to stick with it.

The Lakers will never be killed by anyone other than Roger!
In the second quarter, Pippen and Marion's touch began to decline and they missed several open jump shot opportunities.

Fortunately, Pierce remained strong, and because Roger did not have to play hard on the offensive end, he saved a lot of energy, and he kept all the energy on the defensive end.

In the second quarter, Roger personally defended Kobe, weakening Kobe's terrifying firepower.

However, Grant Hill turned himself into a sharp knife, using his quick stop jump shot after breaking through to cause a lot of trouble for the Hawks.

In addition, the Sharks began to attack the restricted area, and the Lakers quickly gained the advantage.

At the end of the first half, the Lakers overtook the Hawks 56 to 50, trailing by 6 points.

Bill Simmons is absolutely right. This will be a bloody series and it will not be easy to determine the winner between the Lakers and the Hawks.

After the first half of the game, everyone could see what the winner of today's game was.

The key for the Eagles is whether players other than Roger can shoulder the responsibility.

The key for the Lakers is whether Grant Hill and Shark can kill the game after Kobe is restricted by Roger.

As the second half continued, Jeff Hornacek made two three-pointers in the limited time he had.

Both three-pointers helped the Hawks overtake the score at the time.

And when Hornacek is on the court, Roger can also score points by himself using off-ball offense.

On the Lakers side, O'Neal was restricted from receiving the ball. And because Robert Horry and Rick Fox were not in good form today, the Hawks' No. 4 position could double-team the Sharks without restraint.

But Grant Hill continued to have a hot hand and did most of the work that originally belonged to Kobe and Shaq.

In the third quarter, both teams were evenly matched and the score was tied at 76-76.

Obviously, the Lakers' strategy still did not work, and the Hawks players efficiently seized the opportunities created by the Lakers' double-teaming of Roger.

Paul Pierce had 29 points after three quarters, with a shooting percentage of 56%.

Jeff Hornacek had 11 points, 5 of 3 three-pointers, and 4 assists.

Roger had 28 points but had already made 10 assists.

In the fourth quarter, Phil Jackson decided to let Big3 play the entire game.

The Zen Master is not the kind of coach who likes to fuck his players to death. This is completely a helpless move.

He has not forgotten the scene of losing to the Hawks in the regular season. In the fourth quarter, when Kobe, Hill and Shark took turns to rest and only two superstars were left on the court, the Lakers were simply helpless against the Hawks.

So the Zen Master adjusted the rotation strategy and let them play the entire fourth quarter.

In this way, Grant Hill's playing time will increase to 44 minutes, Shaq's 45 minutes, and Kobe's the most exaggerated, he only rested for a short time in the third quarter. So if the fourth quarter is played, his playing time will reach 47 minutes!

This is not the rotation method that the Zen Master likes, but there is no other way. We have already reached the finals. If we don’t shed blood and sweat now, when will we wait?
The Lakers' big three kept the Hawks behind for most of the fourth quarter, and even Roger started to take those strong shots under double-teaming.

In the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, Lenny Wilkens sent Jeff Hornacek on the court again.

Phil Jackson gritted his teeth. He never thought that this old white man who was planning to retire would become a trouble.

Jeff Hornacek didn't score many points, but in this tight game with the difference being only one or two points, any three-pointer could change the game.

Let him shoot? Didn't he cause enough trouble in the fourth quarter of previous games?
But if we defend Hornacek, we have to give up the double team attack on Roger outside the three-point line.

The Zen master hardened his heart. He didn't believe that such a small character could determine the victory on such a big stage.

So he waved his hands and continued to attack Roger!
Then Phil Jackson paid the price for it.

With two minutes left in the game, the Hawks were trailing by 3 points. Paul Pierce had missed two consecutive shots. Kobe was madly biting Roger, leaving him no chance to run and catch the ball.

In the end, Roger had to pass the ball to Hornacek to get the ball.

But the moment he caught the ball, Roger was double-teamed by Kobe and Ron Harper.

Roger forced a breakthrough, attracting more defenders. The Lakers, just like the Zen Master had arranged, continued to guard Roger tightly.

In the original timeline, in the 1998 Finals, the gambler Michael Jordan also made a similar gamble.

The Bulls were trailing by one point at the time, and Jordan did not choose to defend the dangerous Hornacek. Instead, he let him go and suddenly rushed to Malone's side and stole the ball from the Mailman.

Everyone knows what happened after that. That was the last sight of Michael Jordan at his peak, his most legendary buzzer beater.

Roger did not make the same mistake as Karl Malone. He jumped up and created space for himself vertically, then made a magic pass to Hornacek who was ready.

"They get along just like a family!" the magician recalled the past.

Hornacek, a small man, held the dagger in his hand at this extremely critical moment and decided the game.

He jumped up with his already battered knees and struck out steadily.

There was only one echo in his mind at that time: "My goal is to do my best to assist Roger in building a dynasty. This is the only chance in my life to be associated with the word 'great'."

"Jeff Hornacek made a three-pointer. It's him again, it's him again! In this year's playoffs, he has played the role of executioner in the fourth quarter countless times! So far in the entire fourth quarter, he has only taken this shot and scored this goal, but the value of this goal is immeasurable!" Marvin Albert next to the Magic Johnson could hardly control his emotions.

The score was tied by Hornacek, and the Philips Arena was filled with cheers.

Now, is there anyone who still says that the Los Angeles Lakers are invincible?
This three-pointer changed a lot of things, boosted the morale of the Hawks and made the Lakers feel tired.

They were used to easy victories, so they were not prepared for such a bloody battle.

One round later, Kobe tried to dribble past Roger, but Roger snatched the ball from his hands.

Tonight, Los Angeles' road silencer was completely smashed by Roger.

Roger's fast break dunk and the loud noise from the basket made the fans in Philips Arena completely out of control.

The noise at the scene even drowned out the referee's whistle, so much so that Kobe didn't hear the Zen Master call a timeout and was still wondering why no one came up to serve the ball.

After the timeout, Kobe continued to be closely guarded and Grant Hill missed his mid-range jump shot.

The Shark grabbed the offensive rebound but was immediately fouled by Ben.

After making one of two classic free throws, the Lakers were still trailing by one point.

In the next round, the Lakers still stubbornly chose to double-team.

But this time, it was Kobe and Hill who double-teamed Roger - they would rather let go of Pierce with 35 points than Hornacek with 12 points!

Pierce played it safe and didn't shoot a three-pointer, but instead dribbled one step forward and asked for 2 points.

This turned out to be a bad decision, because after taking a step forward, Grant Hill got to him more easily and deflected Pierce's shot with his fingertips.

Lakers fans cheered, and Magic exclaimed: "This block is enough for the Lakers to make a statue for Grant!"

But it was too early for them to cheer, because the basketball that was knocked away fell into the hands of Ben who was actively fighting for the ball.

But now there is an embarrassing problem - Big Ben has no offensive ability at all, and because the basketball did not touch the backboard, the offensive time will not be called back.

When he got the ball, there were only 4 seconds left on the shot clock.

Big Ben didn't have a good vision for passing the ball, so he could only pass the ball to the teammate closest to him in a panic within a very short period of time. He didn't even see who that person was, he only knew that he was wearing the white and red home jersey of the Hawks.

It wasn't until the other player caught the ball that Big Ben realized that the person was Hornacek.

Hornacek just chose to cut in to pull Harper away from Pierce, but he happened to appear next to Big Ben and received the ball.

This old white guy's firepower from beyond the three-point line was terrifying, but no one thought he could score near the basket.

However, due to the limited offensive time, Hornacek had no choice but to shoot in positions he was not good at.

Hornacek turned around, jumped with his back to the basket, and hooked the ball behind his head like a street juggler. The Lakers team did not expect Hornacek to shoot in such an outrageous way. In fact, it looked more like a hasty act without time. In a sense, the Lakers' defense was successful.

However, this fancy shot, which seemed completely inconsistent with Hornacek's style, finally hit the backboard!

I've said it before, he's actually a very introverted person when playing basketball.

Always able to give you little surprises while following the rules.

Hornacek scored and the Hawks led by 33 points in the last 3 seconds.

As Kobe missed the next three-pointer, the Lakers had to commit a tactical foul on Marion who grabbed the rebound.

Marion made two free throws and the game ended.

The Los Angeles Lakers' unbeaten streak was officially broken at the Philips Arena!
The knights in purple and gold armor are trying to conquer the country but encountered obstacles in Atlanta!
Roger had 35 points and 14 assists, Pierce also scored 35 points, Hornacek scored 14 points, Marion scored 15 points, and Pippen scored 10 points.

On the Lakers side, Kobe was defended so well that he only scored 23 points, Grant Hill scored 34 points, and Shaq scored 28 points. They were the only three players on the team to score in double digits.

It is not difficult to see from the data that the Hawks and the Lakers have completely different styles. The Lakers play superstar basketball, while the Hawks use points to lead the whole team. Roger did not score exaggerated points today, but he used his containment to benefit the whole team.

The most dazzling person today was undoubtedly Hornacek. The last 14 points of his 5 points were so crucial.

After the game, Hornacek excitedly hugged his family, then held his baby daughter's face and said: "When this season is over, Dad will give you the most beautiful ring in history."

When interviewed by reporters on the sidelines, Hornacek, who performed outstandingly today, still looked like an honest man: "I don't know why I became the key. I just did some simple things under Roger's wings."

Roger emphasized again: "I have said it before, there are no small roles in our team, everyone is a big shot who can change the game. It feels good to win a game, but it is not enough, we will continue to win!"

Walking into the player tunnel, Roger high-fived Hornacek.

Then Hornacek turned his head and looked at Reed who was following behind him, and winked at him.

"Look Michael, everything is fine, you don't have to worry about a hole in your head. Everything is fine until we win the championship."

(End of this chapter)