461: 174: The Last Dance of Fate (Request for Monthly Tickets!)_3 461: 174: The Last Dance of Fate (Request for Monthly Tickets!)_3 Jordan said his piece and turned to leave the Zen Master’s office.
Once outside, Jordan clenched his fist.
From now on, he would treat every ga as if it were his last!
For the Magic, this was the final dance, but wasn’t it the sa for himself?
In the office, Phil Jackson smiled.
99.9%?
Well, at least Michael Jordan hadn’t spoken in absolutes.
The East semifinal didn’t keep the Magic and Bulls waiting too long.
After four hard-fought battles, the Miami Heat narrowly took out the Cavaliers.
The Pistons, through a tough Ga 5, got past the Hornets.
Thus, the Heat vs.
Knicks, Magic vs.
Pistons semifinal matchups were set.
There was no suspense in the outcos; the Magic and Knicks both advanced with a 4-0 series sweep.
Right from the start, no one favored the Pistons against the Magic.
The series was torture for Chris Webber.
Because of O’Neal’s presence, he seed as soft as a piece of candy.
Grant Hill maintained his usual standard, proving himself to be a player capable of tough battles.
But the key was, if even Michael Jordan couldn’t manage it, with Chris Webber being swept 8-0 by the Magic in a single season, how was Grant Hill supposed to achieve it?
In the playoffs, Chris Webber wasn’t soone just anyone could carry.
Other than Ga 3, where the Pistons’ hot three-point shooting gave the Magic so trouble, the Magic won the other three gas with no suspense.
4-0, the Pistons were eliminated by the Magic in the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
The highly anticipated Grant Hill couldn’t even be considered Roger’s match.
Like the previous season, the Magic strode into the East finals for the third consecutive year with a seven-ga winning streak.
On the Knicks side, the expectations for this round were completely different from the Magic vs.
Pistons.
Most fans and dia thought it would be a fierce battle.
“The Miami Daily News” claid before the ga: Our defense is strong enough to take down the Knicks!
Considering Ewing’s offense was not as good as Shaq’s, and Jordan was the only weak point of the Knicks’ offense, the confidence of the Miami dia was understandable.
“Unreasonable” Jamal Mashburn also thought so: “Michael has to face 48 minutes of intense, all-around defense.
The mont he loses focus, our defense will taste blood!”
But the outco was far too surprising.
Tim Hardaway, who managed to maintain his form in the regular season, shot a re 35.1% across the whole series against the Knicks’ oppressive defense.
Alonzo Mourning, entangled by big brother Ewing and the Oak Tree, Oakley, saw his average drop to just 15 points per ga.
Jamal Mashburn, with an average of 12 points per ga, was neither here nor there.
Allan Houston, with an average of 19.3 points per ga, was the Heat’s only hope.
But his shooting percentage of just 38.7% was not enough to kill the Knicks.
By Ga 3, Steve Jones had already identified the reason the Heat couldn’t beat the Knicks in the playoffs during the comntary: “The problem with Miami is that they are all strong, but they lack a true star to carry the team.”
aning: All five starters are second in command, without a true leader!
Yes, the Heat’s defense was strong; they even managed to keep Jordan’s shooting below 40% in two gas.
But they forgot, the Knicks’ defense was stronger.
Facing the Knicks’ defense, the Heat’s diocre offensive talent was stretched thin.
They lacked a superstar to stand out, and the playoffs are precisely the stage for superstars.
At least, most of the ti.
4-0, the Heat not only failed to win, but they also lost convincingly.
As expected, the two most frightening teams in the league, the two most fearso n, t again in the East finals.
The Knicks and Magic’s rivalry.
Jordan and Roger’s personal feud.
All these monts intertwined, heading toward the ultimate reckoning.
After the ga, reporters asked Phil Jackson: “Another year, another East final against the Orlando Magic.
For the past two years, your team has lost to Roger.
So, if you were to na this special series, what would you call it?”
“The Last Dance.”
Phil Jackson revealed an enigmatic smile, knowing that regardless of who won or lost, the outco would fittingly match the the.
Michael Jordan and Roger’s long, mutual animosity.
It was ti to draw a bloody full stop to that destiny in the sumr of 1997.
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