553: 199: He still has to wait a bit longer (asking for monthly passes!)_4 553: 199: He still has to wait a bit longer (asking for monthly passes!)_4 He hadn’t expected Roger to charge at the hoop so fearlessly.
As he heard the whistle for the tiout, Roger first supported his knees with his hands and rested while gasping for breath, and then quickly called out with an upbeat voice, “We’re just a bit short of taking them down!”
Stevie Smith hung his head completely, feeling that his previous statents were utterly foolish.
He thought it was only natural for Roger to replace him in just three months.
If he were in the sa situation, he would just shoot more crazily from the periter.
This had always been the criticism Stevie Smith faced.
But Roger, he truly had thrown caution to the wind for victory.
He was convinced by Roger.
He felt that he had no right to complain in front of Roger.
The ga’s ratings had skyrocketed, as no one around the world expected the first matchup between Roger and Duncan to be so intense.
Of course, no one was hyping up Duncan anymore.
Roger’s 50-point performance showed who was the strongest active player in the league.
Maybe Duncan could take down other stars, but he couldn’t take down Roger.
The ga was paused, and Popovich was already frantically upset.
First, he arranged the next offensive play, then grabbed Avery Johnson’s jersey, “Play defense even more ferociously!”
As everyone knew, because David Robinson was a nice guy, in the Spurs’ locker room, Avery Johnson was the real leader.
Small in stature, but he was a cruel and tough person, never allowing his teammates to relax even for a second.
He was always screaming at his teammates on the court, his loud voice the complete opposite of his small fra.
He was ticulous and harsh, constantly berating anything he didn’t like.
Like a farm owner’s “black sheepdog” with a whip, driving his teammates forward.
With the tacit consent of David Robinson and Popovich, his authority in the locker room was built.
He was quite willing to play the role of the villain and leader, commanding his soldiers in battle after battle like a general.
The nickna “Little General” ca from this.
Of course, to quote Sean Elliott, “If you knew his brutality, you’d probably prefer to call him ‘little Nazi’.”
And now, Popovich needed the leader he had nurtured to stand up.
He told Avery Johnson to play defense even more harshly.
Avery Johnson nodded; he knew what Popovich ant.
His toughness wasn’t just in his personality; it was in his style as well.
He was going to give Roger a tough response.
The tiout ended, and on the Spurs’ first offense, Duncan, backing up two n in the low post, turned around and banked the shot in.
Calculating the distance, observing the opponent, finding the angle for the bank shot, flicking the perfect spin with his fingers, all this was done in an instant.
This was Tim Duncan’s style.
34 points, Duncan had achieved the highest score of his career.
After scoring, he roared and waved his fist; just 3 points short!
But the Hawks fans believed that Roger could imdiately strike back.
However, in the next offense, as Roger drove to the basket and glided through the air, the pursuing Avery Johnson subtly pushed him.
Pushing soone in mid-air is a favorite trick of clever players.
Because it’s extrely secretive and can be quite damaging at the sa ti.
In mid-air, it’s generally hard for referees to tell with the naked eye whether it’s normal physical contact or whether there’s a pushing action.
Being pushed in mid-air and losing balance can result in a nasty fall.
So, it’s a move with a very high cost-to-benefit ratio.
Roger lost his balance in the air, and both Duncan and the Admiral had their arms raised high to cover the basket, so Roger had no choice but to switch from scoring to passing, giving the ball to Kurt Thomas.
Then he landed hard on his back.
Kurt Thomas took the shot, but he was too nervous at the critical mont.
The mid-range shot ultimately bounced off the rim.
The Spurs successfully defended this vital possession.
They still had a chance for a miraculous turnaround!
Roger knew that he couldn’t rely on passing anymore.
Alan Henderson and Kurt Thomas were not the types to take clutch shots.
Even if they were wide open, passing the ball to them would be irresponsible.
He had to score on his own.
Roger imdiately got up and participated in the defense.
Revenge?
Of course, there was going to be revenge.
But he didn’t need to do it himself.
“Damn, that bastard!” Lenny Wilkens glanced at Popovich, who had been sarcastic about the Hawks’ playing style during the halfti break.
And what happened?
Instead, he was the one who played dirty first against the Hawks!
“Bruce!
I feel like eating so fish!” Lenny Wilkens bellowed, unyielding.
Bowen heard the coach’s command and nodded.
Of course, he knew what to do.
This ti, Duncan popped out after a screen, then took a mid-range shot.
But as soon as Duncan jumped, Bowen, like a semi-truck with failed brakes, ruthlessly knocked Duncan, who was in the air, to the ground.
“Shit, that asshole should be locked up!” Popovich scread while clutching his head, and that ant he was genuinely in pain.
Indeed, Bowen hadn’t retaliated against Avery Johnson but went straight for Duncan.
You hurt my star player, I hurt your star player, that’s what you call an equivalent response, and that’s how you make a deterrent.
Of course, this was just a warning from the Hawks.
Otherwise, Bowen wouldn’t have just knocked Duncan down; he would have been very considerate about where to place his foot under Duncan’s.
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