281: Chapter 122: The Possibility of Surpassing Michael (Seeking Monthly Votes!) 281: Chapter 122: The Possibility of Surpassing Michael (Seeking Monthly Votes!) —
Michael Jordan walked off the court in peace.
He had thought that after going to great lengths to wear Harper down, he would be able to turn the tide in the fourth quarter.
But who could have imagined that Roger would take the initiative to attack, thoroughly breaking through that barrier?
Now, between him and Roger, not even the slightest private space remained!
Since Roger began defending Jordan, Jordan had scored only one field goal in the rest of the game.
For Roger, it was his first time realizing how exhilarating it was to pick off low-health targets!
An utterly exhausted Michael Jordan was the most amusing toy Roger had ever played with.
You could simultaneously torment him and admire his captivating expression of frustration after a missed shot.
If you then whispered in his ear, “Michael, you’re playing as terribly as Scott,” he’d bite his lip, making it impossible for you to stop.
Truth be told, Jordan could tolerate all the trash talk from Roger before.
But that comment, “You’re playing as terribly as Scott,” was like Kyle Anderson trash-talking Doncic in the playoffs, comparing him to his teammate Wang Zhelin—absolutely filthy!
If Anderson had said that, the Timberwolves might be the ones advancing to the finals!
Because that was truly humiliating!
Pippen indeed played terribly today, managing to capitalize on open opportunities in the first half.
Yet as his stamina waned in the fourth quarter, even wide open shots turned into consecutive misses.
That was precisely the aim of leaving Pippen unguarded.
You didn’t honestly expect him to be effective on offense, did you?
With Jordan locked down and Pippen misfiring, the Chicago Bulls ultimately suffered an 87-99 defeat to a Magic team that had lost Shaq.
They swallowed their second loss of the season!
Jordan ended the game with 22 points but with a shooting percentage of only 34%.
Roger had 31 points with a 43% shooting percentage.
Neither’s score was particularly high.
Everyone had expected a high-scoring duel for the scoring title between Roger and Jordan today, but both champions ended up delivering a “pond game”—Jordan being the fish, with Roger frying it.
At the moment the game ended, Jordan stormed off the court.
According to his philosophy from last season, the regular season’s end is just one part of the battle; it doesn’t signify the entire campaign’s end, hence he refused to shake hands with Magic before the campaign’s conclusion.
But tonight, even Jordan himself had to admit that he made a swift exit not only because the battle was ongoing but also because it was downright embarrassing!
Jordan never imagined he would shoot so poorly today.
And even less did he anticipate being completely shut down by Roger towards the end!
Although the successful defense on Jordan by Magic today wasn’t solely Roger’s achievement, people will only remember the last person who contained Jordan in the game.
People will only remember that Roger dominated the fourth quarter through and through.
People will only remember the once invincible Michael Jordan being completely overpowered by Roger today!
With a record of 20 wins and 1 loss, Michael Jordan had finally seemed on track to get back in form this season.
But now, he had once again become a stepping stone for Roger!
In the post-game interview, Roger was almost praised to the heavens.
On the Bulls side, there was Scottie, Dennis, and Michael; Roger’s side was without Shaq.
Three against one ended in a counter-kill; do you even know how to play?—a certain Orlando fan yelled at the camera.
What kind of player can score 31 points, grab 5 rebounds, dish out 6 assists, and also get 3 steals and 3 blocks?
You all say he’s a scorer, but in fact, he can dominate in every aspect of the game.
Calling him just a scorer is an understatement.—Brian Hill spoke of Roger’s all-around stats that day.
Michael has been overhyped; Roger is the real basketball God.
Although Roger only has one championship so far, given his age, I think there’s no problem with my saying this.—Saru proposed the significant theory of modern basketball “surpassing Jordan with one championship” in front of the media for the first time.
Of course, there were also many who defended themselves.
Without me, Roger might handle a Bulls team that’s an Eastern runner-up.
But with me, we are the real championship team.
I know 99% of Magic fans miss me; don’t worry, the Big Aristotle will be back soon.—O’Neal responded to the feelings of Roger taking down the Bulls on his own.
Of course, leaving me open was a mistake by the Magic team; everyone can see that!
My shooting touch did have some problems in the last quarter, but there were many reasons for our loss today, not just scoring!—Scottie Pippen discussed his 1 in 5 shooting in the fourth quarter.
I don’t want to talk separately about what happened in the fourth quarter because the Magic team’s defense against me was strong all game long, not just in the fourth quarter.
Don’t make it sound like Roger took me down all by himself!—Jordan emphatically stressed that he wasn’t solely taken down by Roger, not wanting reporters to get that impression.
However, Roger himself didn’t intend to hog all the credit.
During the interview, he also mentioned his teammates’ contributions.
“Roger, your defense against Michael today was very successful, showing the world your defensive strength.
How did you manage to keep his shooting percentage below 40%?
I believe that’s a question the whole league wants to know,”
“It’s not me, it’s us.
You must point this out in the news.
It was us who contained Michael Jordan.
The entire team contributed to the defense against Michael, and I was just a part of it.”