249: 112: I’ll satisfy you well!
(Vote for monthly ticket!)_3 249: 112: I’ll satisfy you well!
(Vote for monthly ticket!)_3 He caught the ball on the mid-range right side and raised it with one hand, making Harper subconsciously think Jordan was going to shoot.
After deceiving Harper into raising his center of gravity, Jordan immediately pulled the ball back with one hand, his large hand controlling the ball as if it were at his command.
After retrieving the ball, Jordan immediately accelerated, causing Harper, who forcibly tried to shift his weight backward, to slip and fall.
23 used a simple one-handed fake to knock over Harper and then drove straight into the lane, forcefully slamming over Horace Grant who had come up to defend and knocking him flat on the ground.
Jordan pointed at Grant and Harper, then shrugged his shoulders, “You’re only fit to lie on the ground and look up at me!”
Roger intentionally walked up and bumped into Jordan with his shoulder, helping Grant and Harper up, then taunted, “Like how you looked up at me last season when I shook you off?”
As the team leader, Roger had to stand up for his people at times , letting everyone know “I stand with you.”
Upon seeing Roger’s face, Jordan became very angry and pushed back.
Roger immediately turned around, pressing his forehead against Jordan’s head, “Want to feel what it’s like to be reinforced with titanium again, old dog?”
Jordan hadn’t even replied when someone else pushed Roger away.
It was Dennis Rodman, who had previously spoken rudely on the show.
Roger didn’t get angry; instead, he provoked Rodman, “Is that Michael’s new Rottweiler?
Rodman purposely moved closer to Roger, trying to ignite Roger’s anger, “Ah, I seem to have bumped into something soft.”
Worm had issues with Roger last season with the Spurs, and he had wanted to beat Roger up.
If it hadn’t been for McKey stepping in for Roger, the Worm and Roger would have already fought.
Rodman had harbored resentment about this, so today the moment he got the chance, he came up immediately to pick a fight, “You just dare to talk big; you don’t dare to touch me.
And I can make you experience a pain you’ve never felt anytime.”
“Indeed,” facing the aggressive Worm, Roger didn’t back down, “I’ve yet to experience the pain of being a dog.
Tell me, Dennis, which tastes stronger, Madonna’s Pomeranian or Michael’s terrier?
Haven’t you licked both?
You just like those kinds of things.”
The referee blew the whistle frantically, and the other players quickly pulled Roger and the Worm apart.
The game had just begun, and the tension escalated once again.
Although the conflict was subdued, there were continuous minor skirmishes between both sides during the game.
Afterwards, Roger responded to the Bulls with score after score.
Roger scored smoothly, the only trouble being that today, Rodman and Pippen repeatedly committed rough fouls against him, continuously disrupting Roger’s rhythm.
The Magic were not to be outdone, Michael Cage and Grant were no pushovers either; they made Jordan experience the same.
The mutual rough fouling led to several arguments between the players, with the game being constantly interrupted by the sharp whistles.
NBC commentator Bob Costas felt that both teams were testing each other’s limits, and if not controlled, this testing would eventually escalate into full-blown conflict.
By halftime, Roger had scored 18 points, and the Magic were only trailing by three points.
To Orlando fans, the Bulls seemed no different from last season; they still couldn’t stop Roger.
But the moment the third quarter started, the Bulls’ defense completely changed.
This time, as soon as Roger crossed half-court with the ball, Pippen immediately pressured him, forcing him to the sideline.
Roger broke into the narrow sideline, and Rodman instantly came up to double-team him, swinging his arms.
The speed and timing of Rodman’s double-team were something Chris Webber could never learn in his lifetime.
Seeing this, Roger immediately passed back to Horace Grant, who typically executed his open mid-jump basket.
Last season, by relying on this move, he had managed to average 18 points per game against the Bulls in the playoff series.
But this season wasn’t so simple; the moment Horace Grant made his shot, Rodman rushed in front of him and blocked the shot.
Grant’s shot missed, and the Magic’s offense failed.
Pippen had already slipped under the basket, securing the rebound.
The Bulls’ counterattack began immediately, and after grabbing the rebound, Pippen took a couple of steps and then passed powerfully to Jordan running forward.
Jordan flew down the court with the ball, shouldering Harper who tried to block him and completing the slam with a one-handed dunk.
Right at the start of the third quarter, the Magic team clearly felt the change in the pace of the game.
It was like a noose around the neck, not feeling much when loose, but now tightening suddenly, giving them an intense feeling of suffocation.
The game continued, Roger and Grant executed a pick and roll.
In last season’s playoffs, Roger almost single-handedly took down the Bulls with this move.
But the Worm didn’t let Roger succeed; his ability to defend the pick and roll was on a completely different level compared to Webber, Kukoc.
Rodman blocked Roger immediately, not giving him space to shoot or to break through directly.
Then Pippen quickly came back to position, joining Rodman in a forceful double-team.
Roger immediately passed the ball to Harper, who had moved to the outside right three-point line; his targeted passing practice over the holiday had not been in vain.
Harper took the three-point shot before Dumars could catch up but unfortunately missed.
“Bambi, are you lost?” Rodman mockingly taunted Roger, forced to pass the ball.
Luckily, the Magic’s defense was quick this time, not letting the Bulls easily execute another counterattack.