24: 017: The Truth Beyond Question_2 24: 017: The Truth Beyond Question_2 Roger also patted Andrae on the back, “Nice pass, buddy, but don’t pass it next time.”
Having said that, Roger moved past Starkhouse and continued to fall back.
He didn’t even spare Starkhouse a glance, as if he had never considered him a competitor.
Starkhouse’s mentality began to shift, and he became agitated.
He began to feel that patiently moving the ball was simply a waste of time.
Those idiots couldn’t even manage a 5-on-4!
So the next round, Starkhouse decided to take matters into his own hands.
He dribbled and went solo, no longer sharing the ball with anyone else.
At the sidelines, the old Mr.
John Wooden shook his head; he had heard that UCLA was quite interested in this kid, but after the game, he would immediately call the school to recommend they drop their recruitment.
It was a simple principle.
When you lose patience and start going solo, you completely lose your 5-on-4 advantage.
Someone with such low basketball IQ would definitely be a big tumor on the court if he went to UCLA.
You see, Roger, how high his basketball IQ is, always knowing to get the ball into the basket.
In the end, under the dual interference of Roger and Andrae, Starkhouse missed from mid-range, although his style of play didn’t differ much from Roger’s this round.
The only difference was that Roger could score under the defense of two players, while Starkhouse couldn’t.
This difference made Roger’s offense look sensible, whereas Starkhouse’s offense seemed foolish in John Wooden’s eyes.
After the ball bounced off the rim, Andrae immediately jumped up and slapped the ball towards the frontcourt.
Jacque Vaughn got the ball and ran ahead, but, facing the chase of three men behind him, he didn’t have much confidence in his attack at the basket.
So, he tossed the ball to O’Bannon who was following from behind, hoping for an alley-oop play with him.
But O’Bannon wasn’t ready; he thought Vaughn was going up himself.
His hurried jump failed to secure the ball, and in the chaos, he pushed the ball towards the backboard.
The Eastern Conference All-Stars let out a sigh of relief; thankfully, the score had not been widened.
But a fast-moving figure entering the paint made the Eastern Conference All-Stars’ hearts rise to their throats again.
Because of the fumbled catch pushed toward the backboard, the ball was just caught by that shadowy figure.
Roger firmly grabbed the rebounding ball and slammed it down hard.
O’Bannon’s mistake turned into a backboard assist!
Roger didn’t understand assists, but he made sure his teammates did!
Roger not only managed to turn a misplaced pass into a score, but he also turned a messed-up alley-oop into a score!
My God, I feel like as long as the ball is on the opponent’s half, Roger just finds a way to put it in!”
This time, Roger showcased his athletic ability.
This stunning backboard slam dunk also pushed the atmosphere to its zenith.
The fans realized that a marvelous miracle was unfolding at the Mid-South Coliseum.
If initially, Jacque Vaughn and O’Bannon harbored doubts about winning 4 against 5, by now, they had no doubts whatsoever.
If they followed in the footsteps of player number 14, they were sure to create magic!
In the subsequent game, the four warriors of the West were like injected with adrenaline, maintaining a high-speed operation on defense, never slowing down their pace.
The other three were all very aware; they just needed to slow down the East’s scoring pace—Roger would handle the offense.
Therefore, they could dedicate all their energy to playing defense.
And so, a spectacle emerged: the high school geniuses of the West willingly became blue-collar workers, defending fiercly, scrambling, and yielding every shooting opportunity to number 14.
Number 14 did not let them down, weaving through the crowd, managing to toss the ball into the basket despite being off-balance and challenged by two defenders.
He shook off two players with a screen, facing another two retreating under the basket, he scored with a European step layup.
He darted past two defenders with a quick change of direction, then faced another two defenders and pulled up for a long-range shot that also scored.
Roger’s scoring run was unstoppable, and the number of defenders before him truly meant nothing.
High school-level defense had no practical significance before him.
Meanwhile, Starkhouse made mistakes, missed shots, and furiously berated his teammates.
The West team became more formidable with each of Roger’s forays, while the East team crumbled even more under Starkhouse’s constant complaints.
John Wooden and Bob Geoghan sat motionless in their seats.
Previously, they had hosted 15 editions of the McDonald’s All-American Game where they had witnessed legends like Magic, Assassin, Jordan, and Shaq dominate the court.
But none had ever performed more outrageously than Roger!
In the final 23 seconds of the game, Roger grabbed a rebound and charged furiously.
At that moment, all players from the East converged on Roger.
But after crossing the mid-court line, only Starkhouse and McKinney from the Oak Hill backcourt could keep up with Roger.
Positioned on each side of Roger, as they closed in, Roger attacked the basket.
Two large hands immediately swatted at the ball.
In mid-air, Roger elegantly switched hands and spun 180°, back to the basket, dodging both defenders.
Then he casually tossed the ball over his shoulder with his left hand, scoring easily!
The 180° spin and hand-switch layup brought Roger to 40 points for the night!
In the last 10 minutes of the game, with a 4-on-5 situation, Roger scored a staggering 25 points with zero assists, leading his team to a 12-point lead!
CBS commentator Tom McCarthy shivered, “In Memphis’s Mid-South Coliseum, a miracle is happening!
The greatest night in the history of the McDonald’s All-American Game is tonight!”
After scoring, Roger pounded his chest while moving toward the baseline camera, “Even at 4 against 5, the truth is indisputable!”
The whole stadium was captivated by Roger, while Starkhouse, who had only scored 27 points, looked on.
27 points wasn’t bad.
Even Jordan only scored three points more in his time.
But compared to Roger’s 4-on-5 performance leading his team to victory, 27 points meant nothing.
Starkhouse was right; after this game, no one would ever compare him and Roger again.
At that moment, John Wooden, who hadn’t moved in a while, adjusted his glasses and tapped the equally petrified Bob Geoghan, “This kid…
might become one of the greatest players.”
“Yes, yes, without a doubt, he will be one of the greatest players in the history of the McDonald’s All-American Game!” Bob Geoghan nodded.
“One of the greatest players in the McDonald’s All-American Game?” Wooden laughed, “I’m talking about the NBA, my friend.”
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