462: 175: No Ga 7 this year!
(Requesting monthly passes!) 462: 175: No Ga 7 this year!
(Requesting monthly passes!) 1997, before the Eastern Conference Finals that Phil Jackson nad “The Last Dance” began, Michael said he hadn’t forgotten:
“Of course, I rember what the Orlando Magic did in the past two years, they knocked us out of the Eastern Conference Finals twice in a row, dancing on our graves, and I haven’t forgotten.
If you’re a fighter, you don’t forget these things.”
On this occasion, Magic was pretty much the sa team, more or less, with Roger and Shaq anyway.
I thought, this was God giving a chance for revenge.
I still vividly rember the feeling of defeat from the past two years, and that drove toward success.”
From this passage, it’s not hard to see how different this series of gas was in Michael Jordan’s heart.
In other matches, he would walk into the opponents’ locker room, chewing gum, hold his head high, and arrogantly ask, “Who’s guarding tonight?”
He would look at his rivals, hold up five fingers, and say, “Tonight, 50 points.”
But against Magic, before the ga started, he was quite serious.
Roger didn’t say much as he entered, he just quickly changed into his uniform and took to the court, warming up with focus.
Roger certainly knew that if he could crush Michael Jordan this ti, it would truly be the start of his own era!
It wasn’t just about defeating Jordan, it was about dominating him!
If Roger let Jordan steal one or two championships during the latter’s second three-peat, that wouldn’t be domination, that would be a rivalry of equals.
But if Roger kept Jordan out of the Finals for three straight years, that would be a completely different concept.
Reebok could proudly claim: Michael could only beco the best player because Roger wasn’t there.
Think about it, if Magic had prevented Bird from winning even a single championship, could it still be called a Bird supremacy?
You need wins and losses, that’s what rivalry is about.
But as things stood, Jordan only had losses against Roger.
And in competitive sports, losers are like those people in the subtitles of skipped movie scenes in A scams—no one rembers them.
Roger had to continue this streak, not giving Jordan a chance to turn things around.
Before the ga started, when Roger took to the court, the entire crowd of fans was chanting MVP.
This ti, Roger was genuinely the MVP.
Earlier, before the second ga of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, David Stern presented Roger with the MVP trophy at Orlando Arena.
Although it was an inevitable thing from the mont the regular season ended, the atmosphere at the trophy presentation was still incredibly charged.
After all, this could be considered as one of the most significant individual honors in basketball, weighty enough to define a season.
This award would tell fans many years later about this season, this year, naming the regular season after the winner.
Even with towering greats like Michael Jordan and Karl Malone, Roger still beca the ultimate recipient of the award.
Of course, at the ti of the award presentation, as all of Orlando cheered for their hero, the Shark, lurking in the shadows, furrowed his brows even deeper.
In any case, Roger was now the true MVP.
As he entered the court, Orlando fans welcod the king of Magic World with MVP chants.
He deserved the title “King of Magic World” because this year Roger not only earned the MVP but for the third consecutive season made the First Team All-NBA.
Moreover, Roger also achieved a historic breakthrough: he was selected for the All-Defensive Second Team!
A player who was considered a defensive liability for his team early in his career shed the stereotype through four seasons of hard work, entering the All-Defensive Second Team with a tenacious heart and improved skills, making him one of the best defenders in the league.
That’s probably why Roger is so formidable; he’s already among the top players in the league, but his career is actually just beginning, and he still has great potential to improve.
On the other hand, due to attendance issues this season, Shaq could only make the Third Team.
Until now, O’Neal’s best achievent was only the Second Team.
Compared with a player who had won an MVP, an FMVP, scoring titles, made the First Team three years in a row and even the All-Defensive Second Team, Shaq, in terms of individual honors, really did look like a second-in-command.
And this was everything Shaq wanted to get rid of!
The first step was, after getting the third championship.
First deal with Jordan, then take on any team from the West.
Then, O’Neal would be in an endless struggle with Roger for the rest of his life!
The heavily anticipated round of gas did not disappoint, and in the first ga, Roger showcased the prowess of an MVP.
Today, right from the first possession, Roger nailed a three-pointer.
In the first few possessions of each night’s ga, Roger would definitely attempt a three-pointer, testing his hand for the night.
In this ga, his first attempt at a three-pointer smoothly went through the net.
Initially, no one took that three-pointer seriously.
Roger hitting a three in the ga was normal.
In the following first quarter, Roger tried two more three-point shots, both hitting the mark.
For the first quarter, Roger was three for three from beyond the arc.
Knicks fans seed to see so dark clouds gathering, but didn’t pay much attention yet.
But nobody expected that the second quarter would bring a sudden onslaught of thunder and heavy rain!
The second quarter started with Roger curling off a screen outside the left side of the three-point line, receiving the ball, shooting, and scoring.
The fourth three-pointer.
A minute later, Shaq forcefully attempted a layup against Ewing and Oakley down low and missed, but he quickly jumped again, slapping the rebounded ball to the periter.
At that mont, Roger had retreated several steps preparing for defense.
Catching the ball, he was two steps away from the three-point line.
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