186: 093: Ignoring the specifically arranged players, dad, I’ve wasted my learning!
(Ask for monthly tickets!)_2 186: 093: Ignoring the specifically arranged players, dad, I’ve wasted my learning!
(Ask for monthly tickets!)_2 Since the “Freeze” incident at the All-Star game, Michael’s career had been on the decline.
Trust me, Michael will become the next one after the highlights of film and Pat Riley.
Jerry Krause looked at these reports, feeling like he wanted to strangle Jordan.
If the Bulls didn’t trade away Roger, this season they would have three first-team caliber players, and they could easily clinch the championship with a flick of their fingers!
If Roger wasn’t traded, one couldn’t imagine any team in the world being able to stop the perimeter of Jordan + Roger + Pippen.
But all of this, because of Jordan’s personal grudge, would forever only live in “ifs”!
Krause was in a hurry because if the Bulls really lost to the Magic, he would become the number one fool in history as a general manager.
More anxious than Krause was Nike, whose most badass spokesperson in brand history was visibly falling from grace.
This round of the series was Michael Jordan’s last lifeline.
Although the Bulls were trampled not once or twice, but four whole times by the Magic during the regular season.
But the regular season is after all the regular season, even the most die-hard Roger fans have to admit, the playoffs are different from the regular season.
A team with a better regular season record does not necessarily win in the playoffs either, and there are countless examples in history to prove this.
The ’93 Bulls had a regular-season record of 1 win and 3 losses against the Knicks, but in the end, it wasn’t Ewing standing in front of the “Flying Pig” Jazz.
Similarly, the ’93 SuperSonics won against the Suns three times in the regular season, but in the end, it was the Flying Pig who battled Jordan.
Therefore, even if they were beaten 4 times in the regular season, Nike still held out hope for Jordan.
They launched their own media machine, trying to make fans believe in Jordan’s dominance.
They also tried to instill a fear in the Magic players: “Damn, we’re facing the great Michael Jordan, that guy who hasn’t lost a playoff series in five years.”
Sometimes, the more the outside world drones on about your opponent’s strength, the more likely you are to be crushed by pressure.
Nike believed in Jordan’s deterrence, after all, his deterrence was still strong during the regular season.
This season, Jordan caused an unprecedented phenomenon in the league: in a league where everyone was the king of trash talk, eager to humiliate opponents with the nastiest words, many actually dared not speak to Jordan.
There was even the reverse trash-talk master like Byron Scott, who tried to prevent Jordan from getting angry by saying, “Michael, that shot was so cool.”
So, they believed that such media effects could cause the Magic to crumble on their own.
But this time, Nike’s strategy was dramatically wrong.
Roger was not only unafraid, he was even excited by it.
If someone in history really could defeat Michael Jordan at his peak and win the championship, how explosive would his commercial value be?
In the original history, O’Neal and Penny won against Jordan, but they failed to win the championship.
And what they won against was a Jordan who had only played 17 regular-season games.
In short, in original history, no one was able to reap the massive traffic bonus of “defeating Jordan.”
But now it’s not so certain.
Taking down a fully fit Jordan and ultimately winning the championship would bring a historical status boost far more exaggerated than what Nowitzki got for defeating the Big Three.
So, Roger felt Nike was completely boosting him.
The harder they promoted Jordan, the greater the boost he would get after defeating Jordan.
What really annoyed Roger was the media close to Jordan, who kept harping on one thing:
“Roger is just a runner-up.”
“Roger can impress everyone, but he’ll always be beneath Michael.
Because with Michael, the Bulls won three consecutive championships, and without Michael, the Bulls are nothing.
That’s a gap Roger will never be able to erase in his lifetime.”
“Who was it that said in the locker room that we don’t need Michael, and then lost the championship in the finals?
No, the Bulls can do without Roger, but need Michael too much.”
“Michael can lead Pippen to the championship, Roger can’t, I’ll just leave it at that.
Even if the Magic win against the Bulls 100 times in the regular season, this fact won’t change.”
Roger knew these voices made no sense, but like flies, they might not have a substantial impact on your life, but they are a nuisance nonetheless.
Luckily, he now had the chance to slap the flies dead with a single swat.
Roger also admitted that the playoffs and the regular season couldn’t be treated equally.
If the regular season determined the champions, then the league should just hand out the championship trophy in April.
When facing media interviews, Roger also mentioned this point: “Indeed, it’s different.
The playoffs and the regular season are not the same.
But one thing won’t change, we’re going to thrash the Chicago Bulls!”
Finally, it was time for Michael Jordan and Roger to settle all their issues.
Whether it’s the Bulls who can only win a championship with Jordan, not Roger.
Or if switching Roger for Jordan means the Bulls can’t even make it to the finals.
Whichever side loses will suffer a colossal humiliation.
For Jordan and Roger, it’s not just about the loss of a playoff series.
This is a series that will decide their historical stature!
May 23rd, Orlando Arena.
Kobe Bryant and his father showed up here.