Champions Creed

Chapter 91 090: The Moment of Quenching (asking for monthly tickets!)

Before the fourth quarter, Pat Riley was in high spirits.

Just think about it, if he could lead the Knicks to defeat the championship favorites Magic and Bulls at the same time, and finally win the championship, how would his historical status change?
He will prove that speculators like Phil Jackson who can only coach superstars are not worthy of being compared with himself!
When James Dolan used Phil Jackson as an example to suppress Riley, Riley felt extremely humiliated.

Even Auerbach said bluntly, "If Phil Jackson wins the Best Coach Award one day, I will refuse to be there to present him with the trophy." How could I, Pat Riley, lose to that kind of person?
Phil Jackson never built a team of his own. He always picked up ready-made ones and then rigidly implanted his own technical and tactical systems into the team.

The funniest thing is that that tactical system was not invented by him!

He never cared about the development of the players. If someone was not doing well enough, he would just say to the manager: I need a certain player.

The only thing he can do is to deceive people and play the game of locker room struggle.

Riley felt so angry when he thought about the fact that this kind of person was now in a higher position than himself.

However, this misunderstanding will soon be resolved, and the Knicks management will soon see the difference between a coach like Phil Jackson and a trader like themselves.

At that time, they will obediently offer the $5000 million contract and the equity.

And I will turn the New York Knicks into the former Boston Celtics!

Riley was dreaming about a bright future and didn't think he would lose at all. The New York Knicks' defensive ability made him feel at ease with the 17-point lead.

What team can erase a 17-point deficit against the Knicks' defense in one quarter?
Less, too little.

At this point, NBC commentator Mike Fratello remembered the article by the USA Today writer, which said that Roger and Shaq were just two great individuals playing together, but not a whole.

From this, Fratello had his own understanding: "The way the Magic wins is that the Knicks have to worry about eight or nine people on the Magic, not two. This is their way to win. This is the way to win when this sport was invented."

The fourth quarter begins and the Knicks have the ball.

Starks was in great form today. The pick-and-roll between him and gorilla Ewing was the most dangerous weapon for the Knicks today.

Looking at Roger who came to defend him, Starks opened fire first: "Don't worry, I will let you taste the pain I tasted last season."

"Shut up John, you haven't even played in the finals, you don't know anything." Roger responded.

John Starks was not angry, but he swore that after the Knicks won the series, he would dance in front of a crying Roger!
Starks waved his hand, and Patrick Ewing, who was ready to give everything for the Knicks, stepped forward to provide cover.

Roger's speed around screens is not very fast, which is his current weakness on the defensive end.

But relying on his size advantage, Roger quickly covered Starks.

But just like in the previous three quarters, Starks did not force a shot or break through, but instead promptly passed the ball to Ewing who bounced out after a pick-and-roll.

The gorilla took a mid-range shot, and he had to admit that he was not used to this David Robinson-style style of play.

After roaming without the ball, he would catch the ball and make a mid-range jump shot. Among the four major centers, only the Admiral likes such a floating offensive method.

But tonight, this trick really worked. As long as it worked, the gorilla would not reject it.

Seeing Ewing shooting, Riley felt that the Knicks' equity was getting closer and closer to him.

Starks was already imagining dancing in front of Roger. He wanted to severely humiliate this ignorant brat!

Only this time, a shield finally opened behind Roger. Shaquille O'Neal rushed out like a wild horse, instantly blocking Ewing's entire sight.

Then, in front of everyone's astonished eyes, O'Neal blocked Ewing's mid-range jump shot!
It was a powerful volleyball match that set the entire Orlando Arena on fire.

Ron Harper reacted quickly. He immediately caught up and picked up the basketball that was blown to the other half of the court. After taking two steps, he threw the ball directly into the air.

Roger quickly got in, caught the basketball thrown into the air by Harper, and scored a two-handed alley-oop dunk!

The score difference became 15 points, and some Orlando fans began to cheer, but DeVos in the private room was still playing flying chess with his family.

It was a beautiful attack, but also a trivial one. It was far from enough to turn the game around.

Roger pointed at Harper and thanked him for the pass. Then he retreated to half court and high-fived O'Neal: "Just play it, Shaq!"

O'Neal nodded and continued to defend seriously. At least tonight, he would put 100% of his energy into the defensive end.

In this round, Starks still played a pick-and-roll with Ewing.

He thought that O'Neal's defense just now might have been just a spur of the moment, and if he had come out, Grant would have been alone facing Charles Smith under the basket.

Grant is a very good help defender, but he is definitely not a one-on-one defender. When O'Neal comes out, the Magic's basket will become very empty.

After Starks and Ewing played a pick-and-roll, O'Neal chased out again.

No one knew why the Sharks, who had always been lazy in defending pick-and-rolls, suddenly became so active in the fourth quarter. Ewing didn't want to find out the reason. Seeing O'Neal rushing out, the gorilla fed the ball to Charles Smith under the basket.

Charles Smith pushed Grant away, then turned around and shot the ball, but Grant, who was pushed away, was unable to catch up.

The Knicks seemed to be widening the gap to 17 points again.

As a result, the next second, the whole audience heard a muffled "bang".

Roger pressed the ball on the backboard with one hand!
The moment Ewing passed the ball to Charles Smith, Roger started running towards the basket to help defend.

As it turned out, his judgment was correct.

Charles Smith really took action and defeated Grant, but failed to defeat Roger.

After completing the block, Roger quickly passed the ball to Harper, who counterattacked, broke through and passed the ball to Derek McKay who followed up and scored a layup.

The difference is still 13 points.

Brian Hill punched hard to celebrate. Right now, it is very difficult to fight a positional battle with the Knicks, so he needs the team to suppress the opponent on the defensive end, seek counterattack opportunities, and try not to fight a positional battle with the Knicks.

From the moment Roger asked O'Neal to seriously defend Ewing's pick-and-roll, everyone's defensive enthusiasm was aroused, so the Magic's defense was quite successful.

Pat Riley had a gloomy face, but did not call a timeout immediately.

Calling a timeout can disrupt the opponent's rhythm, but it may also boost the opponent's morale.

Calling a timeout at this time is equivalent to telling the Magic that they are hurt, and then the entire Magic team will be excited.

The more difficult it is for the other party to cope with, the more excited the other party will be. This is a common psychology.

So Riley did not suspend the game, and he believed that the Magic would not be able to continue to close the score so easily.

Because Roger and O'Neal's defense is not good enough, even if there are three role players with good defense protecting them, they will still be vulnerable.

The Knicks attacked, Starks was pressed by Roger, and he passed the ball to Derek Harper on the left.

Harper passed the ball to Ewing, and Grant immediately came in to assist and double-teamed the gorilla with O'Neal.

Seeing this, the gorilla passed the ball to Charles Smith, but as soon as he received the ball, he was blocked by McKay who came to defend.

Charles Smith had no choice but to look for Oakley, but when Oakley received the ball, Roger quickly made his way over.

Oakley didn't have much singles ability, and even when playing against smaller opponents he was unstable, so he passed the ball to Starks who was let go by Roger.

Starks took a three-pointer directly after receiving the ball, but he did not get a chance for a pure open shot.

Because at the moment he shot, Derek McKay arrived in time and interfered, and Starks' shot missed!

In this round, all the players on the Magic team ran actively, trusted each other, and selflessly filled every gap. Their defensive rotation was perfect!
As NBC commentator Mike Fratello said before the fourth quarter, the Knicks have to worry about eight or nine Magic players, not two. That's how the Magic win.

The Magic couldn't do it on offense, but they did it on defense!

The Knicks now have to worry about the defense of every Magic player when they attack!
O'Neal grabbed the rebound, passed the ball, and immediately ran forward to participate in the counterattack.

Ron Harper was the one who held the knife to divide the cake. This time he broke through and passed the ball to the Shark who was following up from the middle.

Three Knicks players immediately blocked the free throw line, almost forming a human wall to defend O'Neal.

O'Neal jumped up after catching the ball, but
He didn't attack the basket directly. With his huge body, he made a pass in the air like a guard would do, and passed the ball to Roger who cut to the basket! Roger jumped up and dunked with a windmill. The loud "boom" was the horn of the Magic's counterattack!

With a score difference of 11 points, Orlando fans stood up with their arms raised, and Riley suspended the game!
When the game was called off, Riley only saw No. 14 and No. 32 standing on the court with their hands on their hips, one tall and one short, staring at the scoreboard on the big screen with serious expressions. This scene actually made Riley feel a very strong sense of oppression!
NBC commentator Mike Fratello felt the same way. After the timeout just now, these two powerful individuals may really begin to become a whole.

A good sword must be forged at high temperatures.

Roger and Shark, the two young men, had been too smooth before, winning 62 games in the regular season and 5 consecutive wins in the playoffs. They are excellent raw materials, but they have not been refined into a sharp edge by high temperature.

The fourth quarter of today's game was a high-temperature refining for Roger and the Sharks.

If they can't survive this kind of refining, then this combination may completely fall apart.

But once you get past it.
Then this is most likely the night when the strongest duo in history is born!
The key to everything lies in the fourth quarter.

If Roger and O'Neal's Magic were to become great, if the temperament of a champion needed a certain moment to be sublimated, then the fourth quarter of the decisive battle in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals was the moment when the Magic's championship temperament was tempered.

(End of this chapter)