221: 104: At 19, he’s already a ruler (Voting for monthly tickets!) 221: 104: At 19, he’s already a ruler (Voting for monthly tickets!) Well, Lu An was crying not for that reason.
He got emotional too, recalling many things from the past.
The little boy who practiced shooting alone, the little boy whose room was plastered with various tactics, the boy whose pair of sneakers had worn thin at the soles.
Now, he was an NBA champion!
While people were moved to tears by “Forrest Gump” in cinemas, Lu An had lived through an even more incredible story in reality.
Lu An tried to control his emotions, wiping away his tears.
Alright, alright, think of something happy.
Roger’s big moment had arrived, next, shouldn’t I also sort out the big event in my life?
As a champion player…
Continuing as a bachelor wouldn’t be quite proper.
At the game site, not just Shaq, but many Magic players shed tears.
Ron Harper’s greatest achievement before had been the “Had he guarded Jordan, there might not have been ‘The Shot'” award.
Derrick McKey’s highest honor was being part of the “1993 SuperSonics frontline that stopped the Dream.”
Horace Grant was notoriously the whistleblower, the least welcomed and most overlooked person in the Bulls Dynasty.
They had all lived in the shadows of great players, but after today, they had only one identity—true champions!
O’Neal got up again, his eyes red.
He looked at Roger embracing his teammates one by one and remembered the afternoon he first met Roger.
At that time, Shaq never would have thought a high school student would dare to challenge an NBA draft number one pick one-on-one.
Nor could he have imagined that three years later, he would be holding the championship trophy with him.
After embracing everyone, Roger stood alone, raising his arms.
O’Neal walked towards Roger, who had his back to him; wanting to embrace him.
Just as Roger lowered his arms, as if sensing something, he turned around and saw Shaq.
They looked at each other and smiled, hugging tightly.
That was their unspoken understanding.
Afterwards, the whole Magic team ascended the podium.
David Stern was pleased with this outcome because the Magic’s championship proved that small-market teams and foreign players could succeed in the NBA.
Although it was the Magic’s award ceremony, considering it was in the home court of others, in order not to have any “shot in the back 20 times” incidents happen in the rugged lands of Texas, Stern still said some kind words before the award.
“Thank you to the Houston Rockets, a team that has made it to the finals two years in a row—this is a testament to their excellence.
To the fans of Houston, thank you for supporting the team day in and day out for 24 years.
Now, let’s congratulate the Orlando Magic for winning the 1995 NBA championship!”
The crowd erupted in boos; Stern’s previous kind words had no effect.
But the jeers of Houstonians couldn’t change anything; the Magic were the champions, that’s a fact!
When Rich DeVos took the trophy from Stern’s hands, Stern patted his shoulder: “You’ve set a great example for new teams, Rich, keep it up.”
The elated Rich DeVos just wanted to lift the championship trophy above his head without paying attention to Stern’s advice to “keep it up.”
Maybe in a year or two, he would understand the meaning of those words.
After that, every person who took the championship trophy gave their own speech.
Roger, a great player—if you have someone who can drop 40 points three games in a row in the finals, you can’t lose the championship.
Of course, Shaq is amazing too; his potential in the paint caused huge trouble for the Rockets’ defense.
We have two young top players, plus a bunch of experienced and capable veterans.
Our success is no accident, and I believe it’s not our last!
Don’t mourn the old times; everyone can look forward to the infinite possibilities of the new generation!—DeVos remarks on Magic’s first championship.
This is an epic of greatness!
I bet, a year ago when Michael said “I’m back,” ninety percent of the fans believed the East would be ruled by him again.
I bet you all thought the Chicago Bulls would return to the finals.
But we have shown the world, basketball is a game spoken by strength, not past reputation!—Brian Hill on this year’s championship.
I didn’t think too much at the time; I just saw Roger standing there, so I passed the ball.
What I thought was, damn, if anyone could end the Rockets’ crazy comeback, it had to be Roger!
The moment he shot the ball, I just knew it would go in, I just knew!—Horace Grant discussing the final pass to Roger.
I’ve never seen a leader like Roger; he’s like a vet in his thirties, playing with him you would think he’s already in his thirties, such a young yet excellent leader.
I’m not just talking about performance on the court, not just the last shot.
The belief he brought to us on a spiritual level is just as important.
The last timeout, it was him shouting “Let’s hit back, hit back!” That moment awakened our whole team!—Ron Harper on Roger’s leadership.
Me and Roger, our offense is as flawless as the Pythagorean theorem.
You all say Michael is the best player, Hakeem is the best player.
But the facts show, the best players couldn’t stop us at all!
So now, we are the best players in the league!
Hey Rich, Roger’s three-pointer is definitely worth an eight-figure salary, hurry up and lock this guy down!—Shaq excitedly put his arm around Roger’s shoulder.