Champions Creed

Chapter 63 062: This is such a shame! (Subscribe!)
Michael Jordan thought people would start to miss him once the playoffs began.

As a result, Roger defeated the Nets and the Hawks with great force.

He also thought that when the Bulls faced the powerful New York Knicks, people would begin to miss him.

As a result, Roger delivered one of the most classic buzzer beaters in playoff history.

The coolest thing is that the world's best second-in-command, Scott Pippen, also built an extremely perfect stage for Roger.

Pippen's refusal to play added a lot of legendary color to this buzzer-beater.

If it weren't for Pippen's stupid move, Roger's buzzer-beater might not have been so popular.

Pippen refused to play, and Roger was isolated and helpless, but he finally withstood the pressure of internal and external troubles and completed the buzzer-beater. This play, even the best director could not think of it, but Pippen thought of it.

What else can I say? This is the self-cultivation of the strongest second-in-command in history.

He is always good at helping star players achieve greatness in various ways.

However, even though Roger had smooth sailing in the first two rounds of the game, and even though Roger performed such a wonderful buzzer-beater last night, Michael Jordan was still relatively calm.

Until he saw the sentence in the newspaper: We are entering the Roger era.

This really stung him.

Because another meaning of this sentence is: Michael's era is over.

Is it over? Jordan did not retire due to physical reasons, which is fundamentally different from the retirement of other stars.

When he left last summer, he was still on top of the world.

My era hasn't ended yet, so how can Roger's era begin?
Moreover, even if there really is someone who wants to replace him, Michael Jordan doesn't want that person to be Roger!
How could he possibly watch that bastard who disrespected him and almost caused him to lose an eye replace him?
Frustration on the baseball field could not satisfy Jordan's desire to win.

Roger's success made Jordan's desire to win even stronger.

He had to find a way to satisfy his desires.

So, when the whole world was immersed in Roger's buzzer-beater, Michael Jordan called Grover:
"Do you think it's possible for me to come back next season?"

Michael Jordan made up his mind faster than Grover expected.

Jordan is planning to retake his era, while the bloody battle between Roger and Riley continues.

After losing the first game, Pat Riley went ballistic in the locker room.

It's not that he couldn't accept the team losing in the playoffs, but he couldn't accept the team losing to the Bulls without Jordan in the playoffs.

What is even more unacceptable to Riley is that after this game, public opinion has changed.

Except for the New York media, no one is optimistic about the Knicks anymore.

Sports Illustrated believes: "The Knicks first played the Pacers to a Game 7, and now they lost to the Bulls. Is there a possibility that the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference is not as strong as we thought? The Bulls may be able to return to the finals!"

Bill Walton said it even more bluntly: "Pat was too superstitious about Michael. He thought Michael was a god. He thought the Bulls would be vulnerable without Michael. But he forgot that Roger was the one who dared to challenge Michael!"

The angry Riley punished the entire team to practice extra the next day, regardless of the fact that they were in the midst of a fierce Eastern Conference Finals.

There is probably no coach in the world who loves to train his players more than Pat Riley. Under Riley, if the players play well, they will be trained more, and if they play badly, they will be trained even more.

In 89, it was because Riley conducted high-intensity training before the finals that he injured Byron Scott and Magic Johnson, causing them to miss three consecutive championships, so that the Lakers players led by Magic Johnson united to drive him away.

But Riley's extra training is not all bad. His high-intensity training is very good at stimulating players' potential in a short period of time and allowing players to find their best competitive state.

When Magic Johnson returned to the court, he practiced until midnight, but he still couldn't find the feeling of the past, so he bought a plane ticket to New York the next day and asked Riley to whip him hard, and he almost handed the whip to Riley himself. Even Magic Johnson, who once drove Riley away, admitted that this man with a slicked-back hair could help players find their best form in the short term.

Therefore, Riley's extra training now is not purely a psychopathic behavior. He just wants to stimulate the players' full state. He wants to use devilish training to make the Knicks players enter a crazy fighting state to win the game.

In front of the media, Riley also expressed his determination to win: "If this is a 10-round heavyweight championship match, then we have only just finished the first round and only scratched a little. The real bloody battle has just begun."

Riley was right, Game 2 of the series was even crazier.

In Game 2, Roger scored 25 points. He has proven that he can continue to output efficiently in the face of the Knicks' terrifying defense. He has proved that he deserves to be on the best third team.

Pippen, who had experienced a great humiliation in the previous game and decided not to make trouble anymore, also put in an outstanding performance, scoring 23 points.

But the rest of the Bulls completely shut down under the Knicks' insanely muscular defense.

Most of the Bulls players were role players, and they only scored one goal in the entire game today.

After experiencing the loss in the previous game, Patrick Ewing completely exploded today, making 12 of 9 shots and scoring 75 points efficiently with an exaggerated hit rate of 26%.

Ewing should have been the hero in the last game, as his tip-in at the last moment almost killed the game.

But Roger snatched victory from this angry King Kong.

So the gorilla released all his resentment tonight and completely destroyed the Bulls' already fragile inside line.

96 to 91, the New York Knicks pulled one back in their home court.

Riley was finally proud after the match: "The boxing match has officially begun. We landed a powerful uppercut. I hope Roger can hold on to the end!"

At this time, people did not know that what Riley said, "The boxing match officially begins," was actually a literal meaning.

In Game 3, league commissioner David Stern brought his wife to the Bulls' home court to watch the game. However, when the game was almost over in the first half, the Knicks and the Bulls had a fight in front of the commissioner.

The cause was that Derek Harper was abused too badly by Roger, so he took his anger out on Roger's substitute, Pete Meyers. Harper made very aggressive moves when defending Meyers.

Of course, Meyers would not sit still and continue to trash-talk Harper.

Finally, after the two finished their oral foreplay, they started to play the real game, wrestling with each other before the end of the first half. Naturally, the players from both sides rushed to take sides and joined the team fight. The scene was very chaotic for a while, just like a street fight.

Stern's face was livid. When he took over the league in 1984, the players in the NBA were a group of bastards who drank, smoked, had promiscuous sex, and fought. It took him a full decade to turn the league into a gorgeous theater. He has been trying to turn the NBA from a rough sport of punching, drinking, and taking drugs into an elegant white-collar sport that is worth watching.

With the decline of the Bad Boys and the elegant and agile Jordan replacing those rough and slow big men as the national idol, Stern thought he had accomplished his goal.

As a result, Riley's New York Knicks started to play against him again.

The Knicks were involved in many serious fights in the 90s, which made Stern determined to crack down on violence on the court.

As a result, the Knicks actually played right in front of him this time!

Stern was extremely angry about the fact that a hair salon was opened next to a public massage parlor.

In the end, the referee sent both Harper and Meyers off.

As both sides got angry, the actions became more and more violent and there were more and more fouls in the second half.

This resulted in both sides losing their touch and the game turned into an ugly defensive battle.

This is undoubtedly a rhythm that the Knicks are better at, and the Knicks eventually won 83-77 and led the series 2-1.

The Knicks came from behind to take the initiative in the series, but fighting in front of Stern still cost them a price.

After the game, Derek Harper, the instigator of the fight, was suspended for an additional two games, while Meyers of the Bulls was suspended for one game.

The impact of this incident soon became apparent.

Due to Derek Harper's suspension, the Knicks, whose offense is already constipated, lack an organizer to activate their offense.

The Knicks actually had a chance to hit 60 wins this season, but because of the injury to starting point guard Doc Rivers, the team's record was greatly affected in the early stages. It was not until the trade for Derek Harper that the team finally got back on track.

But now, they have lost Harper again.

Without Harper, the Knicks could only start Anthony Mason Jr., so the outside line composed of Starks, Mason and Oakley completely locked down the Knicks' own offense.

The Knicks' offense suddenly shut down in the middle of the third quarter and they didn't score in any running games for a full six minutes.

Roger seized this opportunity and scored a series-high 34 points, helping the Bulls win the game.
95比83，公牛拿下G4，将系列赛总比分扳平成2比2。

So far, the Chicago Bulls' performance has completely exceeded Riley's expectations.

After all, in his opinion, the Knicks could at most beat the Bulls 4 to 1.

Considering that the Knicks almost completely defeated the Bulls in the regular season, his expectations are not unrealistic fantasies.

He could never have imagined that the Knicks would suffer two defeats against the Bulls!

G5 returned to Madison Square Garden, where a very controversial scene occurred.

Because the offense was so bad in the last game, Riley took the muscular Anthony Mason Jr. out of the starting lineup and replaced him with third-year point guard Greg Anthony.

Today he was also responsible for defending Roger.

This is a complete mistake.

Roger did whatever he wanted over Greg Anthony, who was 13 cm shorter than him, and set a new series scoring record with 35 points!
And with 8 seconds left, Roger's quick stop mid-range shot gave the Bulls an 87-86 lead. Pat Riley smashed the tactical board, and he actually let Roger score 30+ points in a row!
New York home commentator Mike Breen also expressed his feelings: "Roger played a Michael Jordan-level performance!"

New York fans all swallowed their saliva. In last year's Game 5 against the Bulls, they were completely wiped out by Jordan.

This time, they met Roger, who was in hot form again.

How about going to the Hudson River tonight to make a nest in advance? It will be convenient for fishing!
At this time, the Knicks had the last possession of the ball. Starks and Ewing cooperated in a pick-and-roll. In order to prevent Starks from making a mid-range shot and Ewing from making a run, the Bulls collectively retreated to the three-second zone.

But Starks did not pass the ball to Ewing when he was double-teamed. Instead, he threw the ball to Herbert Davis outside the three-point line - a rare shooter in the 90s who always kept his three-point shooting percentage above 40%.

At this time, Pippen, who was at the free throw line, rushed over to block the shot like lightning and reached Davis almost instantly.

Herbert Davis's three-pointer finally missed, but the referee blew the whistle at the moment the basketball missed.

He called a defensive foul on Pippen at this critical moment!
Phil Jackson could no longer remain calm: "This is a stupid call!"

But apart from a technical foul, the Zen Master gained nothing else.

Pippen sat on the technical table with his head covered in frustration, his eyes dull, and it seemed that he was about to give up the game.

This is the second time in this series that he has proven to be a complete coward.

Herbert Davis made two free throws to save the Knicks' life, 88 to 87, and the Knicks got the match point.

However, after winning the game, there was no expression of joy on Pat Riley's face.

He knew that if it weren't for the controversial call at the end, Roger would have pierced his heart.

NBC sideline reporter Hannah was very disappointed. She had deliberately dressed very young today and even spent a lot of money on a pair of Valentino high heels and Balenciaga stockings.

As a result, because the Knicks won the game, she lost the opportunity to interview Roger.

That damn referee ruined Roger's heroic moment.

However, Riley, who was interviewed, was more depressed than her. His expression was as if the Knicks had lost the game: "We have to do better next time!"

Riley put away his previous arrogant face. He didn't celebrate, didn't make boxing metaphors, and didn't look down on Roger like a fool. His team won, but he said they had to do better.

This means that starting tonight, Pat Riley is a little afraid of Roger!

Just like he is afraid of Michael Jordan!

Roger was in a completely opposite state to Riley. Although he lost the game, he was very confident at the press conference: "Luck will not help Pat Riley twice. We will eventually go home with the Eastern Conference championship. Put my words in your newspaper, because this is what is going to happen soon!"

New Yorkers also began to fear. They wanted to defeat the Bulls without MJ, but they had to rely on luck?

The Knicks, who had escaped with luck, failed to win the game in Game 6. Derek Harper finally returned in this game, but he seemed to have lost his rhythm after being suspended for two games. Neither his offense nor his organization was up to the expected level.

The defense was torn to pieces by Roger.

He tried to tame Roger with a tough foul, but what awaited him was Kukoc's European iron elbow.

The European magicians who were afraid of the Knicks at the beginning have completely let go under Roger's leadership.

"If they do anything to you, I'll fight them."

This man who can truly be called Roger's friend on the Bulls does what he says.

Harper's poor return performance made Riley spit on him and vowed to train him harder.

The New York Godfather had to re-use point guard Greg Anthony, who was beaten by Roger in the previous game.

As a result, Greg Anthony performed like a war criminal. He made four mistakes in just 15 minutes, allowing Roger to score consecutive goals.

Steve Jones even joked: "Pat probably didn't expect he could still go downhill."

Well, Riley replaced Herbert Davis again. This amazing guard had just saved the Knicks from death in the last game. If you can't defend him, you can attack him.

As a result, because too much energy was spent on defending Roger, Herbert Davis, who had killed the game in the last game, only scored 25 point in 1 minutes of playing time today, and made 7 of 0 shots!
Luck did not favor the Knicks again.

Riley couldn't find anyone who could defend Roger, Starks? The Knicks still needed his outside firepower, so Riley didn't dare to use him to defend Roger directly.

Seeing that they still couldn't find a suitable guard after changing a lot of players, Mike Breen on the commentary booth said it best: "First-year, 18-year-old Roger blew up the entire New York guard line!"

Pat Riley began to understand what the Chicago Tribune said: a new nightmare is about to envelop New York.

In the end, Roger broke the series scoring record again today, scoring 36 points.

He hardly had any rest. When Phil Jackson wanted Roger to rest according to the regular rotation time in the third quarter, Roger only said: "We must win today!"

Trailing 2-3, Roger really had to win, and he did it.

With Roger's perfect performance, the Bulls defended their home court with a score of 93 to 80. Whether the Knicks want it or not, they will be stuck in the quagmire of a seventh game for the second consecutive round!
Mike Breen spent a long paragraph after the game expressing his admiration for Roger:

"Let me tell you some statistics that are not easy to notice. Roger is the only player this season who can score 30+ points in three consecutive games against the Knicks. Even Michael Jordan couldn't do it last season! The young bull No. 14 has blood on his horns!"

Roger didn't waste any words at the press conference: "I said before that I would go home with the Eastern Conference championship trophy. We are just proceeding according to plan now."

In this history, Roger replaced two main players, B.J. Armstrong and Horace Grant, so the Bulls' lineup was not simply an extra Roger. If Roger was added to the original lineup of the 94 Bulls, this series would not even have to go to Game .

In the original history, the 94 Bulls lost to the Knicks in a Game , but Roger believed that he could have a different outcome.

Because Riley's reaction won't lie, he is already at the end of his rope and he can't do anything about himself!
They were badly beaten in G4, won in G5 thanks to controversial decisions, and got beaten again in G6.

The Knicks' struggling performance in the last three games has made New York fans very uneasy.

It also made Pat Riley very uneasy.

In fact, when the team won Game 5, Riley was already very uneasy. Today's defeat in Game 6 made Riley even more crazy.

"Coach, what do you think is the biggest reason for our loss tonight?"

"The biggest reason was that the Bulls outscored us by 13 points."

"Who will you send to defend Roger next time?"

"I'm not going to answer that question."

"You don't plan to answer, or you can't answer? You used almost everyone you could to restrict Roger today, but he kicked everyone's ass one by one."

"I have nothing to say about that." Riley's face was full of displeasure. He was using his expression to remind these damn reporters not to ask such questions anymore.

But reporters sometimes like to see the opposing coach look embarrassed, so they continue asking questions.

"Roger said he'd make you regret what you said during the regular season. What do you think?"

"I think you'd better change the subject and stop mentioning that name."

The reporter didn't listen to him: "How are you going to limit Roger in Game 7?"

"Damn it!" Riley slammed the table hard. This coach who was so glorious when facing the Bulls in the regular season, this coach who arrogantly said "I welcome him to come and seek revenge on me", is now embarrassed by Roger's name.

"I said, I don't want to answer any questions about Roger!" Riley no longer dared to say those belittled words, but he didn't want to praise Roger, so he could only refuse to answer.

"Okay Pat, last question."

"Is it about Roger?"

"Not really."

"Just ask."

"Do you admit it? The Bulls are still strong without MJ."

"Okay, okay, I admit it, I admit Roger's Bulls are also very strong! But there is still a difference. Without MJ, the Chicago Bulls can't make it past this Game 7!"

After saying that, Riley threw down the microphone, ending the press conference that had made him lose composure.

Next, he had to play a game seven against a team led by a high school rookie and a coward.

This is a great shame!
Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Glenn Robinson, who will be the next No. 1 pick? - Sports Illustrated

Although Pat Williams said the team would never trade Chris Webber, this is definitely just a way for him to raise the price. In fact, we have reason to believe that the Magic are open to trading Chris Webber. - Orlando Sentinel.

I am happy with where I belong now, I am a member of the Birmingham Barons. But I do follow the NBA games, after all, I am still a fan. - Michael Jordan interviewed by ESPN

Don't have any illusions, Madison Square Garden is not a place for those kinds of hooligans to run wild! - The New York Times

Roger will completely destroy Madison Square Garden in the seventh game. New York fans feel that Madison Square Garden is not a place for him to run wild. No, Roger can do whatever he wants in Madison Square Garden. He can run wild wherever he wants. That's the kind of person he is. - Louisiana State University forward Andre Patterson.

(End of this chapter)