479: 179: This is really too bad (asking for monthly tickets!)_2 479: 179: This is really too bad (asking for monthly tickets!)_2 The sideline ball was inbounded, Hornacek pulled Drexler to the corner, and Karl Malone set a screen for Stockton.
Mario Elie, who was responsible for guarding Stockton, got solidly blocked.
Flying Pig hesitated, unsure whether he should rush Stockton or stay by Karl Malone’s side.
He feared Malone might suddenly cut in, while Mario Elie had absolutely no chance of stopping him.
This mont of hesitation would beco a lifelong regret for Barkley.
Stockton received the basketball, ran beyond the three-point line, and shot.
Barkley raised his arms high, charging toward Stockton in a desperate bid to save his championship hopes, to no avail.
After sinking a buzzer-beater over Jordan’s head in 1989, facing another Hall of Far from the 1984 draft, Charles Barkley, John Stockton once again hit the ga-winner!
In the Utah Jazz, Karl Malone was the ultimate weapon for breaching defenses.
Yet, Stockton’s tally of ga-winning shots far exceeded Karl Malone’s.
He was always dangerous.
As the basketball netted, the ga ended.
Stockton’s heart-piercing three-pointer sent the Utah Jazz to the Finals for the first ti in history.
The whole Jazz team bounced into the court like rabbits, hugging Stockton tightly.
Even Jerry Sloan leaped up, punching the air in celebration.
Bob Costas joked, “I never knew Jerry could jump that high.”
The disheartened Rockets’ trio stood on the court, glancing at each other with blank expressions.
They couldn’t believe that such a star-studded team would be ousted by a white veteran guard.
But this marked the end of the Rockets’ era of glory.
Finally, the Orlando Magic’s Finals matchup was confird.
The East’s number one versus the West’s number one, this would be the third opponent the Magic encountered on their three-year journey to the Finals.
Before, both the Rockets and the SuperSonics had faced defeat.
Together, those two teams only managed one win against the Magic.
No one knew whether the Utah Jazz had the ability to break the strong dominance of the Magic’s dynasty.
Karl Malone was quite excited about this round of matchups, at last, he had a chance to redeem himself on the Finals stage!
He certainly didn’t forget that elbow from Roger during the regular season that knocked him out on the spot.
He had sworn to make that damn guy pay.
This wasn’t just about honor; it was also a personal grudge.
He wasn’t just fighting for the championship; he was fighting to bring Roger down from his pedestal completely.
After the Western Conference Championship award ceremony, during an interview, Karl Malone also said, “We’re fortunate to have the chance to stop the Magic’s three-peat.”
The next day, after the Magic’s regular practice, reporters as usual entered the locker room to interview the Magic players.
Although public opinion considered Jordan the only obstacle in Roger’s path to a championship, the Jazz’s 4-2 victory over the Rockets was still a surprise to most.
The reporters all hoped this Jazz team could give the Magic so trouble, at least making the Finals not as dull as last year’s.
One reporter, seemingly to highlight how tough the Jazz were, incessantly recounted the Jazz’s strengths to Roger:
“Do you know the cost of guarding the Rockets’ trio?
You have to limit Hakeem’s receptions, prevent Charles from easily storming the basket.
At the sa ti, you have to have sobody cling to Clyde.
The Jazz did well; they…”
Roger shook his head, cutting off the reporter, “I don’t care about these things; I’m not the Rockets’ trio.”
His implication was clear: I’m not as easy to handle as they are.
Roger’s arrogant attitude remained, just as unassailable as Jordan.
In fact, it wasn’t just Roger who was unassailable.
“How to deal with the Defensive Player of the Year?
Ha, did you forget last season’s Gary Payton?”
O’Neal was dismissive of Mutombo, who had won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second ti in his career.
To Shaq, a large part of the reason why Roger won the FMVP last season was because he exploded against the DPOY.
And this season, it seed like it was his turn for that “benefit”!
Shaq was being a little too presumptuous.
Of course, he didn’t know that without Roger, he’d be handily defeated by the Utah Jazz for two consecutive years.
In 1998, even with three All-Star teammates, he was directly swept by the Jazz.
You think it’s over?
No, in 1999, O’Neal would be shafully dominated by sophomore Duncan, getting swept 4-0 again.
It’s a good thing these events all happened in the ’90s, so they didn’t stop the dia from calling O’Neal “the most dominant individual of the 21st century.”
But Shaq was unaware of all this, thinking he could be as successful as Roger.
And so, in the first ga of the Finals, O’Neal tanked.
“Shaq can’t keep this up; he’s destroying the ga!” Magic Johnson couldn’t believe it as O’Neal only made 3 out of 9 shots in the first half.
For a big man attacking near the basket, O’Neal’s performance was a war cri.
Yes, if it were one-on-one, Mutombo would beco a toy in O’Neal’s hands, just as in the tragic 2001 Finals.
But with the Utah Jazz, Mutombo had a teammate in Karl Malone, a mber of the All-Defensive team.
The defensive duo of Mount Mutombo and the Mailman provided insurmountable defense for O’Neal.
Mutombo was tasked with holding down O’Neal’s lower body while Karl Malone took his chances bashing Shaq from above.
Together they seed to puml O’Neal with a combo, jabbing left and striking right, leaving Shaq struggling to cope.
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