210: 101: Even if you score 40, I’ll stick with you to the end!
(Asking for monthly passes!)_2 210: 101: Even if you score 40, I’ll stick with you to the end!
(Asking for monthly passes!)_2 Tomjanovich still remembered how in this season’s regular-season opener, Roger and Shaq had combined for 61 points, due to the Rockets’ “wanting both…
and…” defensive strategy, which ended up guarding neither of them effectively.
Now, what Tomjanovich needed to do was to make sure neither Roger nor Shaq could get their offense going simultaneously.
So, Olajuwon absolutely could not go out to help defend Roger.
Currently, the Rockets only had Dream as a true inside player.
Without him guarding the paint, it wouldn’t be surprising for O’Neal to shoot 80% from the field.
Therefore, Dream had to stick close to Shaq, unable to move even a step away.
It was better to let Roger score than to have both Roger and Shaq scoring.
From the beginning, Dream and Roger set the tone for the game.
Today, it was a face-off between two sharp swords!
Today, was the brutal contest of fencing!
After scoring, Roger didn’t forget to provoke his old friend Drexler, “Clyde, I’m truly sorry for sending you back to your hometown.
I didn’t expect you to be so fragile, nor did I expect to make you run away.”
Roger was talking about the incident where Drexler requested a trade after losing to him in the regular season.
Although Clyde the Glide had previously spoken disrespectfully to Roger, Roger had actually gotten over it long ago.
He was now trash-talking only wanting to make Drexler feel miserable, aiming to break him down mentally as well.
That way, his defense would get progressively worse.
In the next possession, Olajuwon didn’t go for a solo play but instead led a pass, trying to assist a cutting Robert Horry to attack the basket.
But Horace Grant quickly kept up and stole the ball—the Magic Team’s greatest feature was that everyone had above-average defensive capabilities.
When the Magic Team resolutely stuck to man-to-man defense, the Rockets could hardly get any easy scoring opportunities.
That possession also made Dream realize something—forget the mess, just go for one-on-one!
After the steal by Grant, Harper quickly counterattacked to score.
4 to 2, Magic leading.
Olajuwon really didn’t dawdle this time.
Receiving the ball in the low post, he faked a shoulder move, then spun towards the baseline for a hook shot, and the basketball went in again.
O’Neal wasn’t out of position, but he was helpless to do anything about it.
However, Magic coach Brian Hill’s face was very calm.
If this were likened to a boxing match, the Magic came today to exchange punches!
Getting punched once doesn’t matter, as long as you can punch back!
Roger quickly punched back.
In this round, Drexler was shaken off by Roger’s off-ball movement, Clyde tried his best, but could only watch as Roger sank a mid-range shot.
Tonight, O’Neal and Drexler might just be the ones who understood each other the most.
Everyone could see that Game 3 was being played more fiercely than Game 2, as Roger and Dream immediately went into dueling mode from the start.
Tomjanovich was still waiting, certain that Roger would slip up before Dream!
The efficiency and consistency of outside shooting could never compare with inside play!
This time, Olajuwon held the ball at mid-range.
Seeing O’Neal give him a step, he faked a jab step but then suddenly pulled up for a jump shot, scoring easily once more.
You could hardly imagine that this was a player over 210 centimeters tall, whose every move was incredibly smooth.
Antetokounmpo has impressive static Talent and explosive physical attributes, but his technique has never been delicate, even a bit clumsy at times.
Kevin Durant is a historic scorer, yet he doesn’t have the outstanding body that allows him to play inside as comfortably.
As Bill Walton said, Olajuwon truly was unique.
Bill Walton indeed boasted again, “Do you see?
This is Hakeem’s ability!
From 1987 to 1993, for six full years, the teammates the Rockets found for Hakeem were like…
forgive me for saying this, like egg tarts made of crap.
Had he been given a great team earlier, he would not have only won his first ring last year.”
6 to 6, the game was a tug-of-war from the beginning.
Every time the Magic took the lead, Dream immediately evened it out, stable like a machine.
O’Neal was starting to get frustrated.
Of course, he knew that defending Dream was no easy task, but he hadn’t expected to be utterly unable to guard him since the beginning of the game.
Did he really want to make the Admiral laugh out his prostatic fluid in bed?
Brian Hill sensed something wasn’t right; Shaq was a player who could easily be affected emotionally.
Consecutive failures could potentially make the guy lose focus in his defense.
So, to get Shaq back in the game, Hill stood up and shouted, “Don’t relax, Shaq!”
The words didn’t have much effect; Brian Hill had always been more of an academic-style coach, struggling to bond with his players.
There was always a certain distance between him and the players—not that they were at odds, but their relationship had never been close, only about cooperation.
This meant their emotions could never resonate, they never did.
So Brian Hill’s rather ordinary shout held no motivational power for Shaq, who had already suffered three defensive breakdowns.
Dream could see that O’Neal was disheartened, but he didn’t take the opportunity to trash-talk—that wasn’t his style.
He remained expressionless, with no trash talk, quietly retreating on defense.
To him, taking down the other three of the four great centers was just part of the routine, nothing to talk about.
Alright, Dream once again brought the score level in a stable manner.
Now it was the Magic’s turn again, more precisely, Roger’s turn.