187: 093: Ignoring the specifically arranged players, dad, I’ve wasted my learning!
(Ask for monthly tickets!)_3 187: 093: Ignoring the specifically arranged players, dad, I’ve wasted my learning!
(Ask for monthly tickets!)_3 Roger gave Kobe several Eastern Conference Finals tickets; in exchange, Kobe promised to “explode” Jerry Stackhouse for Roger.
The Philadelphia 76ers, having acquired the third draft pick, would soon be trialing Stackhouse, so Starks would be visiting Philadelphia and find time to meet with Kobe.
Jerry Stackhouse had already made his declaration, “I will blow up that high school kid with my left hand and force that coward Roger out.”
With that, Kobe showed up at the Orlando Arena.
“You’re going to win against Michael tonight,” Kobe said after greeting Roger.
“Aren’t you his fan?”
“Not anymore, your 40 points at halftime during the regular season changed my perception of you, I like your style of play.”
“Never imitate my playing style after you enter the NBA; take this as advice,” Roger couldn’t even imagine how many years earlier that typical poor performance of 17 out of 47 shots would come if Kobe imitated his reckless shooting.
After chatting briefly with Kobe, Roger started to warm up for the match.
This was Shaquille O’Neal’s first time seeing Kobe: “Is this the talented kid you talked about?
The one planning to join the draft right after high school?”
Roger nodded, “Yes, he is very likely to be the second guard drafted from high school in the lottery section of the ’90s.”
O’Neal laughed: “Look at him, he doesn’t look like a super genius.”
“Shaq, you might not know yet, but that guy might surpass Wilt Chamberlain total high school score next season,” Roger said.
Do you care who holds the NBA record for most career points?”
“It’s different, Shaq.
NBA players’ careers vary in length, so nobody makes a big deal of total points.
You can’t dismiss Jordan’s scoring ability just because he isn’t high on the list of total historical points.
But everyone has the same four years in high school, so being the top scorer means a lot.”
“Hmm, that says the kid has some potential.
But whatever, it’s not like I’m going to be his teammate,” Shaquille muttered.
The entrance of Michael Jordan and the Bulls interrupted their conversation.
Last season, the sight of that red jersey in the Orlando Arena always irritated O’Neal.
Because he couldn’t believe the management actually let Roger go to the Bulls and left such trash as Chris Webber behind with him.
But this season, seeing that red excited him.
Because it signified a chance to make a name for himself.
Michael Jordan’s eyes were fiery; this was the fourth time Jordan didn’t greet any Magic Team members before the game.
In the future, NBA players would act too much like “good friends,” being amiable to each other, greeting each other on social media, and warmly interacting before the game as if they were college roommates reuniting.
But in the ’90s, aside from the genuine friends, stars generally weren’t too “polite” to each other before games.
And between the Magic and Bulls, that was completely non-existent.
Jordan even forbade Kukoc from greeting Roger:”I don’t give a damn how many chicks you guys screwed during the off-season; now you are enemies!”
The cold relationship between the two teams made the atmosphere of the match severely tense from the start.
When journalists interviewed Jordan before the game, he only said, “I can do more than Roger, and that’s why we lead the same team, but he can only get the runner-up.”
Roger had grown tired of Jordan and his spokespeople always using the old cliché of the runner-up to make a point.
There was only one way to rid himself of all that—make Jordan be lesser than even a runner-up.
The game started quickly, and amidst the pungent smell of gunpowder, the referee tossed the ball.
In that moment, there was no turning back for Jordan or Roger; their historical standing would change based on this playoff series.
In Magic Team’s first possession, O’Neal was knocked down by Pippen and Luc Longley.
To combat O’Neal, Phil Jackson was willing to bench Kukoc.
Against the Magic, the Bulls needed toughness in the paint, not points of organization.
The one defending O’Neal had to be able to commit fouls without worry, even if excessive fouling took him out of the game, it wouldn’t affect the team’s overall strategy.
And Phil also found that Kukoc was better suited as a sixth man.
In the swing positions, he could play both the small forward and power forward, allowing more flexible rotations.
So, the Zen Master threw the Australian giant into the starting lineup.
Therefore, O’Neal’s presence directly boosted the tactical status of these slow, clumsy center players, solving their employment issues.
Shaquille O’Neal: Chief Officer of Meat Shield Center Poverty Alleviation.
In the first round, Longley indeed demonstrated his value.
O’Neal, who was fouled, made one of the two free throws; his free throw attempts had skyrocketed in the playoffs—this was the specificity of the playoffs.
All teams were willing to let O’Neal shoot more free throws.
Indeed, he had moments of accuracy like his 9 out of 9 in the Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 1.
With free throws, O’Neal could occasionally win one or two games for the team.
But in a seven-game series, O’Neal’s free throws definitely couldn’t kill the game.
Shaq’s free throws were like Al Pacino’s height of 5 feet 6 inches, a single rat dropping in fine wine.
After the Bulls’ offense started, Jordan made the first move.
After a simple block and screen with Webber, he broke past Harper and scored with a reverse layup behind the backboard among O’Neal and Grant—a move easy as breathing for Jordan, reminiscent of Dr.