Champions Creed

Chapter 307 Chapter 306: You are so impatient, it’s only two minutes (ask for monthly ticket!)
After an overtime loss, the Pistons returned to Detroit with a 1-1 total score. Their next goal was simple, which was to win the match point in Detroit.

They are willing to do everything to achieve this goal.

All Pistons players are ready to continue sweating on the training ground, and they can't wait to get into training and games.

But after returning to Detroit, Rick Carlisle gave the entire team a day off.

Thinking back to the quarrel on the bus, Carlisle felt that everyone's nerves were too tense during this period.

Basketball coach Kim Carrey is definitely not the kind of coach who doesn't know how to get along with others. Apart from his strong desire for control and having to stand on the sidelines and shout tactics to the point guard in every round, he basically has no quirks.

Only guys like Rajon Rondo, who think "I know basketball much better than the coach," would have conflicts with him.

Rick Carlisle has always had a good relationship with his players.

He knew that the argument on the bus was purely about winning and was free of any personal emotions.

But it was still a bad sign, Rick Carlisle hoped that everyone could relax, not only physically, but also mentally.

Ben Wallace had originally planned to have a good rest, but early this morning, there was a knock on his door.

The giant man with the afro opened the door angrily and found that it was a group of children knocking on the door.

He stared at the little boys in front of him with a frown, as if he was angry because they had disturbed his sleep.

But the little boys were not frightened by the fierce strong man, instead they took out the remote control car tucked under their arms: "Ben, do you want to join us?"

Ben Wallace slammed the door shut. About a minute later, a big Ben in a racing suit appeared with his cool remote-controlled car and a gentle smile: "Let's go, racers!"

Ben's wife, Chanda Wallace, was on the second floor of the house watching her husband playing with the children, and she smiled and shook her head.

He can get along well with anyone, anywhere.

When will he grow up?

Completely different from his ferocious image on the court, Ben Wallace is always kind to his neighbors and never fierce, especially to children.

Moreover, Ben's hobbies are different from those of most NBA stars. Most stars like sports cars, like driving Ferrari, and also like to be the passenger seat of Ferrari.

But Ben has no interest in sports cars. He only loves to play with various remote control cars and has participated in professional remote control car competitions many times.

When he moved to Detroit, the first thing he did was convert the swimming pool of his new house into a garage for his remote-controlled cars.

Because he often sits at the door of his house and plays with remote control cars, the children around him also know about Ben's hobby. As long as there are no games or training, the children will come to play with Ben, and the Pistons center rarely refuses.

It's hard to imagine this strong man is like this off the court, playing with remote control cars and laughing with the kids.

Just when Ben and the children were fighting fiercely, an uninvited guest stepped on the car controlled by Ben.

Da Ben's expression changed instantly, he looked up along the foot and found that the person who was looking for trouble was an idiot.

"Take your dirty feet away!" Big Ben stood up and yelled, scaring the children.

"Come on, don't be so stingy, it's just a remote control car." Ron Artest let go of his feet with a sly smile.

Then he bent over and wiped the remote control car clean.

He is the only person on this planet who can combine both pretentiousness and cowardice so perfectly.

"What are you doing here?" Big Ben still looked unhappy.

"I'm not like you, leader, who plays so early in the morning. I passed by here on my morning run and came to see you."

"Morning jog? Do you think I'm Voldemort without a nose? I can smell the alcohol on you from a long way off! You've been drinking all night again, huh? You're a piece of shit, and all you know how to do is this!"

"The game is not until the day after tomorrow. Did my drinking last night have any impact? Besides, it was the coach who told us to relax. What I'm doing is called resolute execution of tactics. Someone like you who has never executed any offensive tactics at all can't possibly understand."

"Okay, tell me, what do you want from me? To borrow money? I don't have any!" Big Ben couldn't imagine what serious business someone like Artest could have with him.

But what Artest said next made Big Ben suspect that there was something wrong with his ears.

"The day after tomorrow, I've decided to put all my efforts into pressuring Roger, but I need you to pay more attention to my back. As for the rest of the Eagles, leave it to Rashid. I know this is very radical, as it is equivalent to putting the two best defensive resources of the team on Roger alone. But only in this way, only in this way can we limit that bitch Roger."

"Ah?" Big Ben was a little confused. He never thought that Ron Artest would come over early in the morning to discuss the game with him.

Artest ignored Big Ben's surprised expression and continued talking to himself.

"I spent the whole night thinking about how to stop that guy. I think the only way to stop him is to press him to the extreme and make it difficult for him to pass the ball or shoot easily.

But he will easily pass me. And if you care about others, you will definitely not be able to help me defend. So, just ignore the others. The other players on the Eagles can't kill the game. We just need to do our best to keep an eye on Roger. This is the only way for us to kill God!

Over the years, from Patrick Ewing to Michael Jordan, and then to Patrick Ewing and Michael Jordan, no one could beat him!
Wasn't the Knicks' defense strong enough in the 90s? But it didn't work. I saw him knock that team to the ground time and time again.

We can't repeat the same mistakes and fight him by the rules. That will be a dead end. Ordinary defense is useless against him. We must use more radical means!

Ben, the whole world knows that Roger will most likely not stay in Atlanta next season. He has fallen out with the stupid owners who let you go.

You know what that means? It means we're going to end Atlanta!

After we won this time, the Atlanta Hawks could never come back.

We won't be retaliated against like the Miami Heat. We have the opportunity to completely end a dynasty, the dynasty of that bastard Roger!
And you, my respected leader, you will become another player after Roger who establishes a dynasty after changing teams.

No matter what, we have to kill Roger!

What do you think of this plan? "

Big Ben swore that this might be the most serious expression Ron Artest had ever had in his life.

Artest really wanted to beat Roger. A kid from the streets of New York could one day play against the player he hated the most and have a chance to win, which would make his desire to win reach its peak.

Big Ben also became serious and answered Artest in a serious manner: "Go ahead, Ron. I will always be behind you."

"Oh, I hope you'll keep your word. But it doesn't matter. If Roger breaks through our defense, the media will only blame me. Haven't I been blamed enough? It's all Ron's fault. It's all because of Ron. It's all Ron's fucking fault. I'm used to it. Goodbye, childish boy. Go back to playing with your remote control car. The day after tomorrow, we'll act according to plan."

After saying this, Artest put on his hood, put his hands in his pockets, and turned to leave the neighborhood where Ben lived.

Ben looked at the guy's back and for the first time thought that he was actually quite handsome.

"Ron!"

"What?" A Tai stopped but didn't look back.

"No one can blame you this time. If you lose, I will shoulder the responsibility with you."

Big Ben saw Artest's hooded back tremble twice, as if he was laughing.

But he still pretended to be calm: "No need."

Until now, this is a set of handsome pictures that will be remembered by the children present for the rest of their lives.

But the next second, Artest, who was about to leave the court in style, tripped and quickly reached out his hands from his pockets to support himself from the ground. But the way he supported himself on all fours was not at all handsome.

"Damn it, Ben, can you pay some money to fill this hole? How can this look like a wealthy area? Damn it!"

Realizing that he was embarrassing himself, Artest trotted away immediately after cursing, and the originally movie-like scene became funny.

Big Ben sighed, well, this is Ron Artest, a man you think is reliable but he can immediately show you that he is not reliable.

But in the next game, he should be quite reliable, right?
A remote-controlled car hit Daben's feet. Daben picked up the car with pity and handed it back to its owner.

The kid wearing the No. 3 Pistons jersey took the remote control car and asked seriously, "Ben, will you win the next game?"

Big Ben patted the boy's head and said, "Don't worry Harry, I will protect this city!"

The little boys firmly believed that the hero of Detroit would not let his territory fall easily.

Two days later, the much-anticipated Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals officially kicked off at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

David Stern must be satisfied with this year's conference finals, as the ratings for both the Eastern and Western Conference finals were very impressive.

In the West, the Sacramento Kings unexpectedly caused a lot of trouble for the Lakers. If the referees had helped, the series might have been more intense.

As for the Hawks, their feud with the Pistons has long been a hot topic. Although David Stern is worried that the two teams will fight again in the playoffs, risks and benefits coexist. The ratings of the game between the Hawks and the Pistons have surpassed the Hawks' revenge against the Heat in 2000 and are close to the Magic vs. the Knicks in 1997.

The Palace of Auburn Hills was very lively, with countless Detroit fans waving flags and countless children wearing Afro wigs cheering for the patron saint of this city.

Some even went so far as to go topless, paint their bodies with the blue and red main colors of the piston with oil paint, and write the words "big ben" on them.

Big Ben is the undisputed leader of this generation of Pistons. His blue-collar temperament fits perfectly with this blue-collar city, and all the fans are crazy about him.

At this time, Big Ben, who was regarded as a hero by the fans, was gathering everyone in the locker room to gather in a circle and put their arms around each other's shoulders.

Rick Carlisle stood outside the circle with his hands on his hips, but goose bumps already appeared on his skin.

Big Ben looked around at everyone, and the eyes of every Pistons player were filled with animality.

After making eye contact with everyone, Big Ben started yelling.

“That’s when you have to yell: Before you do a pick-and-roll with your teammates!

This is when you have to fight: when you are not in your favorite shooting position, when you encounter dirty defense, when you make mistakes and lose the ball, and when you can only play one-on-one!
You have to be energetic, aggressive and competitive every second you’re on the court.

Of course, don't forget tenacity, calmness and determination.

Go for Detroit!"

"For Detroit!"

The Pistons players rushed onto the court to warm up, while the Hawks players were still making final preparations in the locker room.

They can feel the heat coming from the court just by sitting in the locker room. This scorching home court will inject strength into the Pistons players.

This reminds all Hawks players that tonight, like the previous six games, will be a life-and-death battle.

Paul Pierce was very lucky that he didn't have to play against the Pistons that year when he was stabbed 13 times, otherwise he might have had more than one leak.

But is Pierce afraid? No, he dreams of killing the Pistons idiots!

After the staff reminded him that he could go on stage, Roger stood up.

He didn't give a passionate speech like Ben, but just clapped his hands, turned around and left the locker room first, and shouted, "Follow me!"

With just these simple words, Roger was able to reassure the entire Eagles team.

Even before they saw each other after both teams came on the court, they were already showing signs of jealousy.

Everyone was serious and stern.

Up to now in the series, every game is a crucial battle for both sides.

Given that every game between the two teams is so close, no one can predict the final outcome of the game.

Therefore, the safest thing to do is to forget which game it is and just focus on winning the one in front of you.

Roger looked at the frenetic Palace of Auburn Hills and jumped twice on the spot.

For two consecutive times, the third championship of three consecutive championships was the most difficult. The Detroit Pistons were indeed the strongest Eastern Conference Finals opponent Roger had encountered after Jordan.

But it is precisely because of this that victory is more valuable.

If the game is artificially made simple, is victory still valuable?
Amid the thunderous cheers, a voice interrupted Roger's thoughts: "Hey Roger, what is the most painful defeat you have ever experienced? Was it when you were helpless against Dream in the 1994 Finals? Or was it when you were isolated and helpless against the Heat in the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals? No matter which one it is, after tonight, your most painful defeat will be refreshed!"

"Ron, well said. After I punched you twice last time, I knew that there was something wrong with your brain. You could barely think and speak like a normal person. Today's facts proved my point." Roger responded viciously.

But Artest was not angry: "Hey, you can insult me ​​Roger however you want, just remember what I said!"

The referee kicked off the game and Ben Wallace won the first attack for the Pistons.

The Pistons missed their first attack because the Hawks also raised their defensive intensity to the highest level.

Hamilton lost his rhythm due to Michael Reed's active pursuit, which resulted in a bad feeling when he received the ball and shot, and the basketball ultimately missed.

However, Pistons fans are not panicking. Although the Pistons' offense is not as almost non-existent as the Nets and 76ers, offense is indeed not the key to their victory.

As long as they can maintain a solid defense, the Pistons have a chance of winning.

The game continued, and the Eagles' offense found Roger in the first round.

And Roger quickly felt the changes in Artest on the defensive end.

Artest has always been an aggressive outside lock. His defensive moves in the No Handcheck era were enough to make him foul out in the first half.

This is also the reason why Artest's defense is no longer so dominant after entering the No Handcheck era.

As someone who has experienced both peak Pippen and peak Artest, Roger believes that in terms of defensive aggressiveness alone, Artest is even more terrifying than Scott Pippen in his prime.

But no matter how aggressive he was before, Artest would pay attention to his opponent's breakthroughs and would not press so aggressively.

But today, Artest completely ignored himself and just defended Roger, not giving Roger any space to shoot, pass the ball or pass the ball.

Roger leaned against Artest with difficulty, but Artest's strong body still made it difficult for Roger to resist.

Finally, finding a gap where Artest threw his center of gravity, Roger turned his back and passed the overly aggressive Pistons.

But just as Roger was about to shoot, he saw Big Ben coming up to defend and completely blocking his shooting space.

As an inside player, Big Ben directly assisted in defense one step inside the three-point line in this round!

Artest and Ben Wallace, two DPOY-level players teamed up to launch a complete siege on Roger!

Artest quickly caught up and double-teamed Roger with Big Ben. Roger could only pass the ball to Shawn Marion who cut in through the gap between Big Ben and Artest.

But the hacker's layup was blocked by Rasheed Wallace, the Hawks' offense failed, and the aggressive defensive strategy of Big Ben and Artest worked!

Artest, who successfully completed the defense, laughed triumphantly beside Roger: "What? God can't make a move?"

"Shut up Ron, I'll score in a second."

"No, I was the one who scored first!"

Lenny Wilkens was a little nervous. In this round, the Detroit Pistons not only strangled Roger, but also blocked the opportunities of others. It was a perfect defense.

Although it is impossible for the Pistons to defend so well in every round, if they defend Roger at all costs, it will test the performance of other Hawks players.

Hand the game over to someone else? This made Lenny Wilkens a little uneasy.

It’s not that Wilkens doesn’t trust others, but that no one in the entire league is more reassuring than Roger.

The Pistons counterattacked and Chucky Atkins passed the ball to Artest.

After receiving the ball, Artest pushed Roger away and rushed straight to the basket.

He wanted to fulfill what he had just said and score first before Roger tonight.

But at the moment when Artest received the ball and jumped, Roger, who was behind him, took action and successfully knocked the ball away.

Artest missed the shot and the Pistons still failed to score.

It is foreseeable that this will become the norm for the two sides in tonight's match.

Whether it is the Hawks or the Pistons, it will be quite difficult for both sides to score any goal.

Roger immediately picked up the cut ball and quickly pushed the seven-second attack.

But Ben's defense was incredibly fast, and he returned to the basket immediately, cutting off the Hawks' counterattack. Roger could only pass the ball to Pierce outside the three-point line, who took a step and shot from mid-range, but Hamilton, who caught up with him, interfered with him and Pierce missed the shot.

"It still didn't go in. The defense of both sides was quite suffocating today. I think this may be the highest level of defensive duel in the history of the Eastern Conference Finals!"

What Steve Jones said was not an exaggeration. The Knicks and Heat led by Pat Riley had good defense before, but they could not play zone defense after all. The rules limited the Knicks and Heat's ability on the defensive end.

The Pistons broke through this limit. This year, the Pistons' average points lost per game are indeed less than the Knicks and Heat, and their defense is even more suffocating than the Knicks and Heat.

As for the Hawks, although they lost the DPOY, they still played excellent defense through teamwork.

So this is definitely the most defensive game in the history of the Eastern Conference Finals, no doubt about it!

The Hawks missed again. In the Pistons' offensive round, Atkins wanted to feed the ball to Rasheed Wallace in the low post, but Marion suddenly went around and used his long arms to destroy the ball the moment Atkins passed the ball.

Big Ben on the side wanted to grab the ball flying to the baseline, but accidentally poked the ball out of bounds, and the Pistons' attack failed again.

The game was filled with failed attacks, and from the start till now, neither side had any chance to score.

No, not only did he not score a goal, he only had two successful shots!

If two unrelated teams played like this, it would be a ratings disaster.

However, the chaos in the regular season has also made neutral fans interested in this kind of game where there is no goal but the competition is very strong.

God knows when the two teams will fight again?

The Hawks continued their attack by kicking the ball out from the baseline. After Roger had the ball, he did not entangle with Artest. He used a three-threat fake and then a strong jump to pass Artest and went straight to the basket.

Seeing that Rasheed Wallace was temporarily blocked by Kurt Thomas and Big Ben was still chasing Marion, Roger continued to speed up his pace and jumped directly to dunk while Artest was entangled!
Artest jumped up from Roger's side and tried to block him, but his body had already been suppressed by Roger in the air and he couldn't jump fully.

Roger pressed down Artest and slammed the ball into the basket. It looked like it would be a fantastic slam dunk.

Artest cursed inwardly in the air. It was over. The defense had finally failed!

But the moment Roger exerted force, Big Ben, who was clearly still chasing Marion, had already rushed back. He used incredible speed to send himself into the air, and through Artest, he pressed his big hand on the basketball that Roger threw towards the basket in time!
The basketball hit Big Ben's hand hard and bounced out. Ben Wallace completed a perfect defense and successfully blocked the shot!
All three of them lost their balance and fell to the ground due to the fierce confrontation in the air. The Pistons quickly counterattacked. Hamilton received a pass from Atkins and scored a layup with the help of Reed.

At that moment, the cheers at the Palace of Auburn Hills were enough to pierce your eardrums.

Finally, the Detroit Pistons scored their first goal of the day!
They took the lead in tonight's horrific meat grinder battle!

In the other half, Big Ben stood up first, then stretched out his hands and pulled Roger and Artest up at the same time.

Then, Big Ben touched Artest's head and said, "Just say it, I'll always be behind you! Good job, Ron!"

Although the team had reached the Eastern Conference Finals this season, it was not until this moment that Roger felt the intense heartache of losing a DPOY.

The solid shield behind him was now protecting others and blocking himself.

This is why Roger doesn't want to continue working with the Hawks even if the Eagles ownership group is willing to keep Pierce now.

If Pierce is retained, what about Marion, Kurt Thomas, and Michael Redd?
As long as those idiots who like to fight among themselves are in power, the Eagles will definitely do stupid things to "weaken themselves".

Artest smiled and bumped fists with Ben, then got into position, full of confidence: "Come on, Roger, your unforgettable night has just begun!"

Artest has never felt this safe in his life. Not to mention the poor security in Queens, he didn't even feel safe at home when he was a child.

Because his parents often fought with each other, and every fight was a life-and-death duel, and they would not stop until the police came to their door. So from childhood to adulthood, he only believed in protecting himself.

Artest's psychiatrist also believes that his anxiety and mania come from a childhood in which he had no sense of security.

In the original timeline, why was Artest, who was in trouble, able to be reborn in the Rockets? Because he met Yao Ming, a man who was so famous but so humble. This was a teammate he had never met before. He did not bring him any threat, which made him feel extremely safe.

So that year in the Rockets, Artest played very seriously and achieved an achievement with Yao Ming that was more valuable than a championship - contributing a world-class emoticon.

In short, if Artest plays in a place where he feels safe, he will become very confident and serious.

Now, Artest has that sense of security in Big Ben.

Yes, Big Ben is completely different from Yao Ming. He is not humble at all, and he will really beat you up.

But on the court, you can trust him with your back!

In the previous defense, Artest was mentally prepared to be dunked. In the end, Ben appeared in time to save him.

This sense of security makes Artest extremely confident. He now really feels that he can defeat Roger and the Hawks and end this dynasty!
Now, this is what Roger needs to face. Two DPOY-level defenders, one inside and one outside, trusting each other and cooperating well.

This was like asking Roger to break through a solid wall with his bare hands.

But Roger had no choice, he had to try, even if his hands were covered in blood.

Otherwise he and his crown would be completely buried in Detroit.

In this round, Roger finally let the Hawks score. He scored a drift shot under the close pressure of Artest. This shot was very difficult because when Roger made a jump shot, Artest's position loss was not particularly serious and he still interfered with Roger. The tough confrontation also destroyed Roger's shooting action to a certain extent.

But thanks to his strong mid-range shooting ability, the basketball still went into the net.

2 to 2, after a series of extremely difficult rounds, the score was only 2 to 2.

Steve Jones reminded everyone: "Don't expect to see a high score today. Just be thankful if both sides can score over 90."

After Roger scored the goal, he returned to defense and whispered in Artest's ear:
"Ron, have you ever thought that this might be the most regrettable night of your life? You tried your best and played the best game of your career, but still lost, just like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki in the regular season."

"I'm going to play the best game of my career, but I'm not going to lose!"

After that, the hit rates of both sides were indeed very low.

On the Pistons side, Hamilton's rhythm was disrupted by Reed's fierce defense. Michael Reed was determined to lock Hamilton down today, leaving no stone unturned on the defensive end.

Artest's mid-range and long-range shots are not stable, and the pressure on Roger consumes his physical strength and touch, so his offense can only rely on breakthroughs. It is unrealistic to use this kind of unskilled strong attack to support production. Unless Ron Artest can understand the magic of footwork, his offense will not kill the game.

Rasheed Wallace is the most stable offensive player for the Pistons, provided he can receive the ball in the low post.

Of course, the Eagles' offense was also very bad.

Michael Reed's touch was quite poor today because he invested too much in defense.

The fierce confrontation between Marion and Roaring God made his odd jump shot lose its accuracy, and he had to face the rim protection of Rasheed Wallace when he cut in. Today, Marion and Rasheed Wallace really had a love-hate relationship.

Paul Pierce was the most efficient finisher today, but in reality his efficiency was not particularly high. Because Michael Redd was inaccurate, Atkins dared to double-team Pierce.

As for Roger, under the aggressive defensive strategy of Artest and Ben Wallace, he could only score by difficult outside shots.

When Roger is in good physical condition, he can score goals with difficult shots that make Pistons fans despair.

But as the game progressed, when Roger's physical strength was quickly consumed by Artest's reckless pressure, his hit rate also fluctuated greatly.

Roger was still able to score, but not efficiently enough to kill the Pistons.

The less goals there are, the more energy both sides will put into defense.

The more investment is made on the defensive end, the lower the hit rate of both sides will be.

The game entered such a vicious cycle. For neutral fans, the best thing to watch tonight was probably the occasional pushing and shoving between the two sides, and several conflicts that almost broke out.

Fortunately, the Hawks have Pierce who can score goals, and his back-to-the-basket singles make it difficult for Hamilton to resist.

But the Pistons also had Rasheed Wallace respond with a low-post attack.

Although they were also restricted, they were already two of the more stable ones among everyone today.

However, Pierce also lost his touch in the fourth quarter.

The fierce confrontation made it difficult for him to continue such performance until the end of the game.

No one on the bench could stand out. Bowen, Stephen Jackson, Pippen and Tyronn Lue could occasionally score some goals, but they were just sporadic.

Dream? In fact, what Hamilton said after the loss in Game 2 was absolutely correct: Dream can't have a flash of brilliance in two consecutive games.

Therefore, Roger could only continue to carry the banner of attack in the most difficult environment.

But with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Roger also began to lose his accuracy.

In this round, he used a screen to get rid of Artest and then made a quick stop and jump shot, but Ben, who came to defend in time, interfered tightly, causing Roger's shot to hit the front of the basket.

And this was the third consecutive round in which Roger's shot was too short.

This can only mean one thing. Mike D'Antoni also saw this problem and reminded Lenny Wilkens: "Roger's energy is running out!"

For a player of Roger's level, three consecutive rounds of shooting were too short. It's not that he doesn't know how to adjust, but that he can't adjust.

Lenny Wilkens didn't answer. He certainly knew how exhausted Roger was. No one could score in double digits against the defense that Roger faced tonight.

But Roger still scored 26 points and kept his shooting percentage above 40%.

But now, Roger needs to pull back and take a break. He can't keep attacking like this.

But the problem is, if he doesn't take a shot now, the Hawks won't even have anyone to take the shot.

After Roger missed the shot, the Pistons immediately counterattacked, but Atkins' three-point jump shot also bounced out of the frame.

But Big Ben grabbed the rebound over Marion and Olajuwon's heads. After he dribbled the ball, he took a big step and completed a one-handed slam dunk over Olajuwon who could no longer jump!
Big Ben does not have the means to score, but his athletic ability is enough to support him to occasionally perform such exciting dunks!

After this dunk, the Hawks paused the game because the Pistons successfully overtook by 1 point.

In this kind of meat grinder battle, even falling behind by 1 point is a very fatal thing, because you have no idea when you can make up for this 1-point gap.

Big Ben roared to the sky, and in the stands of the Palace of Auburn Hills, countless fans with afros were cheering for him.

That's why he's so popular with kids in Detroit, he doesn't score a lot, but he's always passionate. Most importantly, he's always there to protect the place!

Most of the Pistons players gathered in front of Ben to celebrate with him, but Artest did not. After the game was suspended, he rushed to Roger's side and said in his face: "It's almost there, Roger, it's almost there, the most painful failure in your life is coming! We will bleed, but our blood will only drown you!"

Pierce pushed Artest away from the side: "Get out of here, go back to your own bench!"

Artest did not back off, but continued to taunt: "Oh, look at you, look at you, Paul. This should have been your big day, Roger was locked up, you got the shot, you should have made a splash. But look at you, you can't even hold up the victory."

"Go away!"

"Hey, why don't you try touching him again?"

"I'm not just going to touch him, I'm going to touch you too!"

The two sides once again squeezed together and pushed each other. This was the nth time in the game, and the conflict was on the verge of breaking out.

However, both sides were actually much more restrained than in the regular season, because they wanted to take away the victory more than beating up the other side.

Thanks to the efforts of the referee and the coaching staff of both teams, the conflict was finally resolved.

Paul Pierce sat on the bench and threw away the towel in anger.

This was definitely the most frustrating game he had ever played in the Eagles. He didn't dare to fight and was suppressed in the game.

Even a guy like Ron Artest dared to attack Roger right in the face.

Olajuwon's eyes were dull. The scene of being dunked by Ben just now made him deeply realize that his time was really up.

Michael Reed looked at his 6-of-1 three-point shooting today and wished he could beat himself to death.

Sean Marion was so tired that he couldn't speak. No player in the league dared to say that fighting Roaring Lord for a whole game was an easy thing, let alone the hacker who was much lighter than Roaring Lord. He had to put in several times more effort than others to limit that guy's score.

Everyone is tired and everyone is a little anxious.

Because tonight, even Roger had a hard time making his shots.

Lenny Wilkens let the players catch their breath for a while and finally decided to make a substitution.

He had to replace him with someone who still had some physical strength to help Roger take care of the shots for a few rounds and give Roger a chance to catch his breath.

Of course, Roger cannot leave the court directly, because if he leaves the court, Artest and Big Ben will be freed up, and then the others will have no chance to score.

The Eagles still need Roger's containment.

Roger must be present, but he also has his own way of taking a break. In the next few rounds, we have to find a way to let Roger take a short break on offense and recover his strength.

He first replaced Shawn Marion, who was so tired that he had almost no shooting percentage, with Stephen Jackson to increase the threat of cutting in and three-pointers in the corner.

But the next step is to replace the guard. Bowen's touch is not good, Tyronn Lue likes to pass the ball to Roger too much, and Pippen's offensive threat is too small.

After looking around, Lenny Wilkens called Jeff Hornacek.

In last season's finals, because Jeff Hornacek was injured, Lenny Wilkens used Michael Reed.

In this year's Eastern Conference Finals, because Michael Redd lost his touch, Lenny Wilkens used Jeff Hornacek again.

It's like a reincarnation.

Michael Redd looked at Hornacek, the big brother who had been training him in shooting for two consecutive seasons, and smiled and raised his fist: "Come on, old man."

Hornacek and Michael Reed bumped fists: "Take this as a lesson, rookie."

Olajuwon looked at Hornacek, and the 39-year-old shooter quickly took off his training clothes without saying much.

Because he had been prepared for this moment.

There was a moment when Olajuwon felt that he was even smaller than the role player Jeff Hornacek.

That guy hasn't accepted his fate yet, why should I surrender?

So what if Ben dunked on you? Just stand up and dunk on him again!

Lenny Wilkens started making arrangements without even picking up the tactical board because he believed Jeff Hornacek knew what to do.

"Jeff, just do what you are most familiar with. Set screens, stretch the defense, run out of space, and make those damn three-pointers steadily! Roger, don't shoot for the next few rounds. Just contain the Pistons' defense and take a few breaths. Stephen, get to the corner as much as possible and receive the pass from your teammates at any time. Make the most of those damn jump shots! Everyone else, give 100% of your attention to defense. Do you understand what you should do?"

"understand!"

In the next few rounds, Lenny Wilkens doesn't need too good defense. He just needs someone to take a few shots and make as many shots as possible.

And no one is better suited for this job than Jeff Hornacek. He has plenty of stamina, his touch rarely goes wrong, and he has experience in major competitions.

Maybe Jeff Hornacek does not have the ability to fight in the playoffs for a long time now, but he should be able to complete some specific tasks in a short period of time and make one or two three-pointers at this time.

After the timeout, Jeff Hornacek stood up and the whole audience exclaimed.

Steve Jones quickly looked through the information: "After 331 days, Jeff Hornacek is back on the NBA playoffs stage! He's back!"

When he got on the court, Roger stood beside him with his hands on his hips: "These two minutes have kept me waiting long enough, Jeff."

"You are so impatient. It's only two minutes."

"I hope these two minutes weren't wasted."

"Shut up, Roger, and save your energy. I certainly won't keep you waiting in vain. I will help you build a dynasty. That's why I stay here!"

The Hawks crossed half court, and Artest looked at Roger with a grin: "Are you so desperate that you'd want to replace this old loser? It looks like you're really hopeless tonight. Don't worry, Roger, I won't embarrass you too much. I'll show some leniency and not let you lose by double digits, you can rest assured."

"Ron, if you want to say anything else, hurry up and say it, because I'm going to deal with you later."

Roger believes in Hornacek, and he will be patient and take a few rounds.

Then, end this bloody night.

(One update today, because all the 10,000 words have been merged into one)
(End of this chapter)