265: 117: Voting (Requesting monthly votes!)_2 265: 117: Voting (Requesting monthly votes!)_2 “Common ground?
Damn it, how would I know about the gap from being a high school star to an NBA substitute?
I freaking played as a substitute in only one game when I was with the Bulls!
You have no idea how hard it is to comfort him!”
I can’t tell at all that you’re bragging, really.”
“Being a big brother is tough, Joe.”
“Not everyone can adapt to the NBA as quickly as you did, did you encourage him?
You should give him some encouragement.”
“Of course, I encouraged him, I told him to shoot more in his own style, just like I did.”
Abunassar didn’t speak again, Roger’s method certainly wasn’t suitable for everyone.
Indeed, with Roger’s encouragement, Garnett scored only 2 points in the next game after making 1 out of 7 shots.
“Don’t just look at the stats, he’s actually finding his way back,” Roger commented on Garnett after the game.
On the 25th, the Washington Bullets were no match for the defending champions, even back-to-back.
On the 27th, the young and potential-filled Pistons met the Magic, they were the first team to slightly trouble the Magic since Roger’s comeback.
Grant Hill attacked the basket crazily with his terrifying first-step speed, scoring 23 points.
Allan Houston contributed 19 points, making 4 out of 7 three-pointers.
Webber’s performance was also delightful, scoring 21 points with 6 assists for the game, he seemed to have truly rejuvenated in Detroit.
But all of that was ruined by Saru’s pass and Roger’s shot at the last moment.
In the final 1.7 seconds, the Magic were still a point behind.
What was worse, Brian Hill was out of timeouts, so the Magic had to inbound from the backcourt.
For the Pistons, victory was almost in the bag.
Brian Hill arranged for Saru to make the inbound, while Roger and his teammates positioned near the mid-court line, appearing to catch and shoot from mid-court.
But the moment Saru threw the ball, Roger suddenly sprinted toward the opponent’s three-point line.
From the beginning, the Magic’s strategy was to pass the ball directly near the opponent’s three-point line!
Webber saw the trajectory of the ball and leaped high to intercept, but he was just a bit too short.
Last time Saru passed an alley-oop to Roger, Danny Ferry was also just a bit too short.
Roger successfully caught the ball one step inside the three-point line, turned around immediately after landing, virtually without aiming time, and released the shot under Grant Hill’s pressure.
The basketball had just left Roger’s fingertips when the backboard light instantly lit up.
The ball went through the net!
From the backcourt inbound, relying on Roger’s unaimed turnaround shot, the Magic triumphantly defeated the Pistons!
It was undoubtedly the most spectacular shot of November, bar none!
But Roger was calm, simply pointing at Saru who passed him the ball: “Spot on.”
“To be honest, I just chucked it,” Saru said with a laugh.
At the end of the game, Grant Hill stood hands on hips, shaking his head in resignation.
It wouldn’t be long before he might turn into Roger’s Successor instead.
96 to 95, the Orlando Magic crushed the Pistons on their court.
After the game, Pistons Coach Doug Collins didn’t feel pressured by the interview.
Losing games, he always had a well-rehearsed excuse: “You know, we have a bunch of extremely talented young players, and every defeat is a learning experience for them.
They played well today, just the result was not great.”
But after speaking, Collins himself paused for a second.
No, something was totally off.
He could use that excuse in any game, but it just didn’t work against the Magic!
Grant Hill was 23, Allan Houston 24, Chris Webber 22, they were young.
Roger was freaking 20!
In front of Roger, youth could not be an excuse!
So, Doug Collins found himself chuckling: “Okay, damn, today we can’t find any excuse for losing.
He’s 20 and yet already playing like a megastar, that’s why Roger is worth 120 million.”
Since his comeback, Roger had already led his team to a six-game winning streak.
Their record instantly became an impressive 11 wins and 3 losses!
However, after a winning streak, the Magic were still only second in the East.
Because the Chicago Bulls had an incredible record of 13 wins and 1 loss in the first 14 games of the season!
Since the beginning of the season, except for the Seattle SuperSonics, the Bulls hadn’t lost to any team!
The people of Chicago this season were crushing victory after victory, continuously narrating one conquest story after another.
Even when Rodman was suspended for five games, the Bulls safely came through.
With Rodman’s return, they were even more invincible.
Several times in the third quarter, with a mere flick of the wrist, the Chicago Bulls swept across, garnering victories.
Michael Jordan had once again become the most revered and watched athlete.
It seemed he had finally returned to being the three-time championship winner.
Just when the Bulls were relishing their rampages, they encountered the toughest stone on their path of conquest.
The Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls were about to meet for the second time.
To say they were about to meet wasn’t quite accurate; there was still half a month before the second game.
But the media and fans couldn’t wait, having started the hype early.
This time, the Chicago Bulls were more confident.
Though still playing away, they nearly choked the Magic in the third quarter during their last meet.