Champions Creed

Chapter 67 066: There is no possibility of coexistence between them

In 1982, the hottest topics in American college basketball were just two names: Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon.

They all come from overseas, they all have terrifying bodies, they all started playing basketball late, and they all have terrifying dominance in the restricted area.

Despite their different styles, it was believed that these two giants would dominate basketball.

This is true.

In 1984, the two big men met for the first time in the NCAA finals. In the same year, Olajuwon became the No. pick. A year later, Patrick Ewing was also selected with the No. pick.

As one might expect, these two big men have left their names in the basketball world.

Ten years later, Michael Jordan is no longer around, and this would have been the best stage for them to continue their legendary story.

Olajuwon dressed up and moved forward firmly even though there were flying pigs blocking his way, and arrived at the appointment on time.

When they got there, who was standing in front of Olajuwon?
Roger is a freshman guard who is only 198 years old and is 18 cm tall with shoes on. He is not very strong, his defense is just barely passable, his assist data is terrible.

It was he who kicked out Pat Riley, the angry King Kong who was as determined as a mountain and the general director of the magnificent theater.

Going back to a year ago, Olajuwon heard the name Roger for the first time.

He scored 58 points in the nationally televised state finals, eclipsing the nation's top high school student, Randy Livingston.

He scored 40 points in the McDonald's All-Star Game, humiliating Oak Hill High School's talented guard Jerry Stackhouse.

Olajuwon's reaction at the time was similar to that of ordinary people: "Well, this kid is good. Really good. But he's only playing in high school, right?"

As a result, a year later, he met this guy on the stage of the NBA Finals.

Magical, Olajuwon thinks this is the most magical story in the basketball world.

A year ago, Roger's dominance was limited to high school, and people were even discussing whether he could adapt to the college game.

Now, he is standing on the court where most players will never reach in their lifetime.

His ascent was like a rocket.

Roger interrupted Olajuwon and Ewing's "date" and barged into their confrontation without permission.

The championship is just around the corner, but the Zen Master was very pragmatic in an interview before the game: "The result of the last round of games was gratifying. We played a great series. But the Rockets and the Knicks are different. Now we have to win one game at a time."

Phil Jackson is right, the Rockets are different from the Knicks.

In the first game of the finals, Olajuwon made all five shots in the first quarter.

In the third quarter, the Bulls were once again in the "no one except Roger can make that damn shot" dilemma.

This moment has occurred many times in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Bulls have come through it every time.

But in the finals, the Rockets didn't give the Bulls a chance.

The guys from Space City scored 26 to 16 in the third quarter, widening the gap.

There is no other reason, just because the big man on the Rockets side is Olajuwon. On the offensive end, he is much more dangerous than a violent gorilla!

Roger still remembers a set of data comparisons. In the original history, in the 94 Finals between the Rockets and the Knicks, Dream averaged 50 points with a 26.9% hit rate, and Ewing averaged 36 points with a 18.9% hit rate.

There is no need for too much analysis, that is too redundant, this set of data is enough to illustrate their difference on the offensive end.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, when the Bulls were constipated on offense, the Zen Master would turn his head and look at Riley next to him, and often laugh: "Hey, old man, you can't poop either."

But now, when the Bulls' offense was constipated, the Zen Master turned his head and looked at Tomjanovich, only to find that he was extremely unobstructed.

As usual, Roger supported the team's offense in the third quarter, scoring 9 points in a single quarter, but he could not withstand the Dream Team's free will in the interior.

92:85.

The Rockets defeated the Bulls at home and won the first game.

After this game, Phil Jackson was already well aware of the gap between the two sides.

The Bulls' weak inside line was difficult for even Ewing to control, let alone Dream who could beat the other three of the four centers.

While the Rockets' offense is stronger than the Knicks, their defense is no worse than the Knicks.

Tomjanovich's defensive philosophy is not the Knicks' overly intense muscular confrontation.

He likes strict man-to-man defense, not too aggressive, not too relaxed. In short, just stick to your own people.

If you get busted, that's okay. See number 34 behind you? That guy can help you out.

So the second game was almost a replica of G1.

The difference is that it's not just Olajuwon who can score today.

In the second game, the Zen Master decided to retreat madly, trying to use the human wave tactic to drag down the Dream.

He was constantly shouting on the sidelines: "Double-team, double-team! That bastard has at least three people defending him!"

Olajuwon was in a tough battle, but such defense also gave other Rockets players opportunities.

The response ability of the Rockets' role players is obviously not on the same level as that of the Knicks' role players.

Robert Horry scored 16 points, Vernon Maxwell scored 12 points, and Sam Cassell, the best basketball player, scored 15 points.

Although Olajuwon's passing was not as abnormal as Nikola Jokic's later, it was still strong enough. He could often find his teammates in a double team situation.

Almost every role player on the Rockets can shoot a basketball.

Roger scored 31 points tonight, but the team only scored 79 points.

91 to 79, the Rockets lead 2 to 0.

The Rockets' lineup is too restraining for the Bulls. Facing the Knicks, because they can't attack, as long as you have a point that can break the game, you have a chance to win.

But on the Rockets side, they achieved a true balance between offense and defense.

After returning to Chicago, Roger had only one thought: "I really want to improve!"

He has had many incredible moments this season, but he still needs to improve.

His offense is strong, but the playoffs are more targeted. As scoring becomes more and more difficult, Roger always has to have other means to solve the problem.

His defense cannot affect the game yet, at most he can only ensure that he is not beaten.

His passing ability in double-team situations needs to be improved, and he must be able to lead the entire team.

But Roger cannot be blamed for these shortcomings, he has trained hard enough and improvement takes time.

You can't expect everyone to start the game with a triple-double like the protagonist in a novel.

At 18, Roger still has a long way to go.

However, the Rockets, who were leading 2-0, did not lose their sense of crisis. The lesson from Pat Riley was enough to make them alert.

The Houston Chronicle even reminded the Rockets: "Roger never surrenders to any opponent. He already has enough superstar specimens in his trophy collection. Hakeem should be careful not to let himself become the next one."

Indeed, in Game 3 back in Chicago, Roger said in front of the camera before the game: "Now, I'm going to leave some scars on Hakeem, too."

In this game, Roger attacked the basket like crazy. This sudden change made Olajuwon unable to defend and fell into foul trouble. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, he had already committed his fifth foul.

This resulted in Tomjanovich not daring to put Olajuwon back on the court until the last four minutes of the fourth quarter.

After Dream came back, he chased the points like crazy, and narrowed the gap to just 27 points in the last 3 seconds of the game.

At this time, the Bulls had the ball. If the Rockets could successfully defend this attack, they would have a chance to tie the score. Roger controlled the ball at the top of the arc outside the three-point line. Facing Kenny Smith's defense, he called a screen with 5 seconds left on the shot clock.

The young Bull showed his sharp, bloody horns, moved to the left with the help of the screen, and took a three-pointer while being blocked.

But Olajuwon jumped out like a ghost, and this super Spider-Man extended his tentacles beyond the three-point line.

He had already figured out Roger's habits. He did not feel a trace of pride in his heart, only vigilance, because he did not want to become Roger's trophy.

Facing Olajuwon's block, Roger tried to stay calm, adjusted the arc of his shot and then shot the ball.

Olajuwon could feel the basketball passing through his fingertips like a gust of wind, which meant that he was only a millimeter away from the basketball.

Olajuwon landed and was about to look back when he heard the death echo played by the rolling sound of the nets.

With a shot straight to the throat, Roger personally widened the gap to 3 points on Olajuwon's head 6 seconds before the end of the game, and the outcome was decided.

1 to 2, Olajuwon was unable to avoid being injured by the bull's horns.

At the press conference after the game, the Rockets center kept shaking his head when he mentioned that shot: "That was a really bloody blow, but this is Roger. He is the most dangerous shooting guard in active service."

Roger successfully left a scar on Olajuwon. When interviewed, he was very calm: "I will never miss any opportunity to win."

It is worth mentioning that at the end of the game that night, Scott Pippen and Larsa Younan met for the first time in their lives.

But the encounter was quite embarrassing.

Larsa was in the stands next to the player's tunnel when he yelled at Pippen: "Hey Scott, can you get the Bulls' star player to sign for me? Please~"

When Pippen saw that Larsa had a good figure and good looks, he wanted to be a good person and help this weak young girl solve the problem of unclogging the sewer for free.

No, it was to help this girl fulfill her wish for free. As the most helpful star player of the Bulls, how could he bear to reject such a little girl?

Pippen took the pen with a smile and prepared to sign the jersey that Larsa handed over. But when he took the jersey and looked at it, he found that it was Roger's No. 14 jersey.

Larsa also smiled and said, "Scott, you are so nice. I didn't expect you would really help me get Roger's autograph."

Well, the star player that people are talking about is not him at all.

This heart-breaking signature made Pippen extremely frustrated.

This fatal three-pointer made Roger's fame and reputation continue to soar.

But the gap in strength between the two sides cannot be bridged by a three-pointer.

Starting from Game 4, Tomjanovich changed his personnel strategy in time. He reduced Olajuwon's usage rate in the first three quarters of the game, allowing him to play at full power in the fourth quarter. At the same time, it also allowed Olajuwon to avoid the trouble of committing too many fouls.

这一招是奏效的，G4奥拉朱旺拿下32分8个篮板5个盖帽的数据，罗杰34分但公牛落败。

In Game 5, Pippen finally showed some toughness on the offensive end and teamed up with Roger to stifle the Rockets.

But back in Houston in Game 6, nothing could stop the Rockets from winning the championship.

Well, there is one thing that can stop it.

When fans across the United States were watching Game 6 of the Finals on NBC, NBC suddenly cut the live broadcast to the Los Angeles freeway, with the camera focusing on a white Ford SUV.

The person driving the car is NFL Hall of Fame player OJ Simpson, who is on the run for allegedly murdering his wife and is staging a real-life GTA chase on the highway with the Los Angeles Police Department.

NBC knew that the live broadcast of the finals could not be interrupted, but it was reluctant to let down the spectators across the United States.

So they reduced the size of the game screen and moved it to the lower right corner, while the main screen broadcast the live car chase between the police and Simpson.

The reason why this incident affected the game was because the players at the scene also wanted to watch the show!
When Tomjanovich paused the game and found out that the players were discussing the case, he got furious:
"This is the finals, and we are facing a tough opponent. We are only leading by 4 points with five minutes left in the game! Get serious!"

Tomjanovich scolded the players to wake them up, but after the timeout he walked to the broadcast booth and asked, "Hey, did you catch him?"

This little episode did not change the outcome of the game. Roger used all his strength today to score a finals-high 37 points.

But the Rockets still won 95-89 and won the 1994 NBA championship.

Roger put his hands on his hips, looking a little disappointed.

But he really did his best.

Moreover, this is only the first year of his professional career.

He still has time to realize his ambitions!
Losing in the finals means you will never surpass Jordan? Roger doesn't worry about this. He doesn't know how this "not playing = not losing" logic became popular. If you move the 1986 Chicago Bulls to the finals of that year, they will still lose. However, Michael Jordan didn't even have the qualification to lose that finals because he was swept in the first round.

If Jordan had played in the finals every year of his career and won every year, he would have never lost.

But it’s a bit too much to equate not being able to play with never losing.

Christian Laettner, the only college player in the Dream Team, has never lost a Finals game, while most of his national team teammates have, so can he surpass everyone else in the Dream Team and be on par with Jordan? Of course not.

The point is, Jordan also won six Finals, while Laettner never won one.

See, the real difference is here. The reason why you can't surpass Jordan is often not because you have lost the finals, but because you have to force yourself to be the GOAT even though you haven't won as many finals as Jordan.

Olajuwon won the championship, MVP, FMVP, DPOY, first team, and first defense, and had an unprecedented grand slam season.

But after the game, Roger, who averaged 29.3 points, 2.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in the finals, won praise.

He was X-rayed by the Houston Rockets, but he still managed to do this. On such a stage and in such an environment, people must realize that Roger is an incredible fighter and a great player who played a brilliant rookie season. I am proud of my players, and even more proud of Roger. If last year's championship was a honeymoon, this year's is an epic journey like "Odyssey". - Zen Master talks about this not-so-peaceful season.

Roger is a true leader. He is younger than me, but he is indeed a true leader. When we were in a difficult situation in the Eastern Conference Finals, he encouraged us to continue fighting in the locker room. He led us to victory with practical actions. We did lose in the finals, but Roger did not make Olajuwon feel good. I just hate that I am not strong enough and cannot help him more. This summer, I have a lot to do. - Toni Kukoc talks about Roger.

Yes, he is a tough guy, and I can understand why he was able to defeat Patrick's Knicks. I know Patrick as a tough guy, but so is Roger. Roger can be cut and destroyed, but never conquered. The most troublesome thing is that he is only 18 years old. Man, maybe when he is 22 years old, there will be no opponents in the entire league. - Hakeem Olajuwon commented on Roger.

They are both very good players, and they do have a lot of similarities. But I don't think Roger replaced MJ, everyone is a different individual. I get along well with Roger, we are very close. - Scott Pippen on the difference between Roger and Jordan

Roger naturally became the protagonist and was very popular at the press conference.

But the most eye-catching question was from the Chicago Sun-Times:

"Roger, if Michael returns one day, will you happily work with him?"

"I don't want to answer that question." Roger had no good feelings towards The Sun, let alone Jordan.

But the Sun's question has undoubtedly aroused the interest of other media in this topic.

"If Michael returns, how many championships can you win together?"

"I would rather win as many championships as possible without Michael."

"Can I ask you one more question about Michael?"

"I really want to say no, but if it really is the last one, go ahead."

"Someone broke the news that you once said in the locker room that the Bulls don't need Michael now, they only need you. Is this true?"

Roger frowned. The emergence of this question indicated that there was a leaker in the locker room.

The Bulls are really good at this stuff.

It doesn’t matter who the leaker is. There’s nothing shameful about it. “Yes, I did say that.”

That’s enough, the reporters stopped asking questions.

Because Roger's attitude towards Jordan is clear.

There is no possibility of coexistence between them!

At this time, all the media reporters were fantasizing about what would happen if Michael Jordan really came back one day.
Oh, that's going to be a really good show.

(End of this chapter)