Champions Creed

Chapter 281 280: I forgot to tell you, three people are not enough (please give me a monthly ticket!)
Generally speaking, if a player sets a half-time three-point record in the playoffs, the game will eventually lose suspense.

Game 1992 of the 1 Finals was the night Drexler would never look back on.

Because from that night on, he officially started to compete with Michael Jordan.

Portlanders feel good about themselves and think that Michael Jordan is on the same level as Drexler. The local media even wrote an article mockingly: "Michael's three-point shooting is very 'powerful'. We have to be careful not to be killed by his shooting."

So Jordan made 6 three-pointers in the first half and scored 19 points in 35 minutes, satisfying the wishes of the Portland media and making the game lose suspense at halftime.

There is also the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals Game 1, Jordan + Ewing's Knicks VS the strongest duo in history.

Roger made 8 three-pointers in the first half, breaking the record set by Michael Jordan and also making the game lose suspense at halftime.

Now, Vince Carter seems to have also embarked on this great path.

Following Michael Jordan's 6 three-pointers in the first half and Roger's 8 three-pointers in the first half, Carter broke the record again, raising the number to 9!

A 17-point lead at halftime did not make the entire second half suspenseful, but what was certain was that the Toronto Raptors had their hands on the door handle of victory.

They just need to give it one more gentle pull to embrace victory.

The morale of the entire Raptors team was boosted. Vince Carter had already scored 39 points in the first half, and it was certain that he would score over 40 points today.

There is even a high probability of getting 50 points!
If Carter really does it, it will undoubtedly be the most powerful response to Roger's 43 points in the last game.

All signs indicate that tonight is Vince Carter's career night.

Fans did not expect this round of games to be so exciting, Carter scored 42 points in the first game and Roger scored 43 points in the second game. Today, Carter responded to Roger with another mythical performance.

The most exciting game is a back-and-forth confrontation. In terms of excitement, the Hawks' second round game is definitely more exciting than the Lakers' second round game.

However, many people are thinking something else - the Hawks' dominance seems to be much worse than that of the Lakers.

It is impossible for the Lakers to fall behind any opponent by double digits at halftime, and it is impossible for them to be repeatedly forced into trouble in the first two rounds.

After losing to the Magic in the last round, Roger immediately vented his anger with a 51-point massacre, and then won the next two games by 20 points each.

What about today?

How can Roger prevent the Hawks from potentially losing to a 40-win team again?
In fact, losing in the playoffs is as normal as being in awe of a good movie.

The only example of a team winning the NBA playoffs without a single loss is the Hawks last season.

It's just that Kobe's statement that "the Atlanta Hawks always dawdle with some 40-win teams" magnified it all.

And because the Lakers' dominance is so terrifying, it seems that the Hawks will find it difficult to compete with the Lakers this season unless they show the same dominance.

In fact, this also affected Roger.

He believes that if the Raptors win one game, this series will no longer be perfect.

So after Lenny Wilkens arranged the tactics, Roger told everyone in a low voice: "Keep doing your job in the second half. I won't lose to anyone by double digits, and I won't let anyone score 50 points on me without any reaction. When we come back here, we will celebrate the victory."

No one doubted what Roger said, even though no team had ever won a game when the opponent broke the halftime three-point record before.

On the other hand, the Raptors players had no doubt that Carter would lead them to victory.

Charles Oakley was an eyewitness to Roger's miracle of 1997 three-pointers in the first half in 8. Even though four years have passed, Oakley can't forget how he felt at that time.

The feeling where you can breathe but you feel suffocated.

It seemed like Roger could score as long as he shot, and this suffocating feeling plagued the Knicks until the second half.

It's like Roger is strangling you and fucking you wildly, and you can't even scream!

And today, the man who made consecutive three-pointers in the first half was next to him.

Oakley walked onto the court and pressed Carter's shoulder: "Vince."

"Charles?"

"I know this may sound bullshit, but...beat that bastard and you'll be one of the best players in the league!"

Vince Carter put his headband back on and took a breath of the hot air: "We're going to win, Charles. We're going to win."

The entire Raptors team and fans across Canada are full of expectations at this moment, hoping that the team can win this crucial victory.

The second half started quickly, and Carter tried his three-point shooting first. Raptors fans stood up early like before, wanting to celebrate Carter's 40th point.

It's just a pity that under the full defense of Paul Pierce, Carter's first shot in the second half bounced out of the rim.

The three-point shooting touch is hard to predict. You don't know when you will suddenly be able to shoot smoothly or when you will suddenly lose the basket.

This is also the reason why most coaches of this era reject three-pointers, because this thing has too much uncertainty.

You arrange a lot of three-point tactics, but if the players don't have a good touch, all your efforts will be wasted.

Compared to three-pointers or even the entire offense, defense is obviously the most controllable.

So most coaches in the league today emphasize defense.

And this is exactly what the Raptors focused on in the second half. With a 17-point lead, as long as they maintained a solid defense, victory would be closer and closer.

Roger immediately ran forward, just keeping pace with Carter who was retreating quickly.

It was rare for them to be so close, so Roger certainly would not remain silent: "Vince, didn't you want to dunk on me? Why are you obsessed with betting on three-pointers today?"

"It wasn't a bet, and I wanted to win the game more than dunk one."

"You can think about something more practical, like getting a good night's sleep tonight."

"Roger, Michael never talks trash when he's behind." Carter said this deliberately to remind Roger that he was still 17 points behind.

But such taunting was too naive for Roger: "So fucking Michael. Coward. Jordan never beat me once, not once!"

Carter was speechless. You can use Michael Jordan to suppress 99% of the people in this league.

But he couldn't suppress Roger.

Jordan never beat Roger in the playoffs, and Roger's record is so convincing.

The entire Raptors team retreats quickly. They will do their best to force the Hawks' offense into the territory and not give them any easy scoring opportunities.

However, their plan broke down in the first round of defense, as Roger started the third quarter by playing pick-and-roll with Ben and attacking the basket.

Roger's touch today was just average, not bad, but not outstanding either.

So attacking the basket is Roger's best option right now.

Chris Childs was about to bypass the screen, but Big Ben secretly took a small step and caught the highly motivated Chris Childs.

Oakley shook his head. Ben has learned the basic skills so well!
But there is a problem in attacking the basket, which is that you have to face the iron wall formed by the two inside players of the Raptors.

Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley are not tall, but they are definitely tough. The Raptors followed the Hawks' path, stockpiling fast and tough guys, and it really worked.

Currently, the only inside players who can be considered to have real low-post destructive power are Shaq and Duncan, and both of these teams are in the Western Conference.

Therefore, it is very popular in the East to form shorter inside players with better mobility.

Because Antonio Davis has super mobility, if Roger breaks through and passes the ball, he can quickly block Marion.

Marion can only shoot three-pointers in open space now, and his hit rate will be very poor if he encounters interference.

Roger could have given the ball to Marion, because theoretically, Marion did have a chance. In the end, even if they lost, it was just Roger's best effort. Marion CBA.

But this self-deception was meaningless. Roger entered the restricted area and went straight to the basket. Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley immediately flew into the air to block him.

Roger bumped into Antonio Davis, a guy with muscular lines as beautiful as David Robinson, who was simply a piece of steel.

The next second, Roger hit Oakley again.

Even though Roger had improved his confrontational abilities a few years ago, he still leaned in the air when faced with such an obstruction, and had no space to shoot under Antonio Davis' raised arms.

Roger's body began to fall crookedly, and just as his toes were about to touch the ground, Roger finally got the angle and threw the ball into the basket.

Antonio Davis turned around to protect the rebound, but the basketball hit the backboard and went into the net accurately.

The inside barrier formed by Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley was forcibly broken by Roger!
Roger, who had fallen, stood up immediately and deliberately muttered loudly: "Two people are too few!"

The score difference was 15 points, but the Raptors still had the advantage.

The Raptors then attacked and Carter wanted to go in, but Pierce stopped him at the edge of the three-second zone.

Pierce is not the kind of person who is obsessed with points. When the team needs it, he is very willing to reduce his shots and focus on defense.

Carter didn't get a chance, so he passed the ball to Antonio Davis in the mid-range, whose mid-range shot is a powerful and efficient weapon.

But Roger went around Antonio Davis and stole the ball!

After getting the basketball, Roger turned around and pushed forward quickly, with Carter and Chris Charles chasing him. Facing a 1v2 situation again, Roger was not panicked.

He first took the initiative to confront and pushed Chris Childs away. After jumping, he made a big loop in the air to avoid Carter who was blocking him in the air, and finally gently picked the ball in!

The score difference was 13 points, and Roger yelled at Carter: "Two people are too few!"

Carter gritted his teeth. He could feel that the momentum of the game was being taken away by Roger bit by bit.

Bob Costa, who was commentating the game, glanced at the score and said, "Before this, no one has ever been able to beat an opponent who broke the three-point record in the second half. But don't forget, Roger specializes in doing things that no one else can do!"

Bill Walton joked, "Vince is about to do something no one else can do. He's going to be the first person to make nine three-pointers in a half and still lose."

In the following games, Carter encountered trouble on the offensive end. Not only did he lose his three-point touch, but he also missed many mid-range shots.

第三节的他8投仅仅3中，其中三分球4投1中，只以37%的命中率拿了7分。

Although he scored 46 points in the game, his performance in the third quarter was definitely not good.

It was Charles Oakley and Antonio Davis who continued the Raptors' lead. Not only were they extremely active on the defensive end, they also unexpectedly carried the Raptors' offense with mid-range jump shots.

But with Roger's repeated tough attacks, the score difference was narrowed down to only 8 points!
Toronto fans began to panic; their lead looked unsafe.

Before the start of the fourth quarter, Butch Carter directly ordered UFO: "Stop shooting three-pointers!"

He believed that Carter's 25% three-point shooting percentage in the third quarter caused the team to waste too many offensive opportunities.

Who would have thought that the Raptors had a fantastic first half relying on three-pointers, but the coach did not allow his players to shoot three-pointers.

Carter accepted this suggestion. After he gave up long shots in the fourth quarter, his offensive efficiency did become higher again, and he began to pass the ball to his teammates.

The one who stood out in this quarter was Chris Childs, who helped the Raptors maintain their lead with four consecutive mid-range catch-and-shoot shots.

But when there were only 90 seconds left in the game, the Hawks finally narrowed the gap to 1 point!
Carter scored 6 points in this quarter with 4 of 9 shots and 55 points in the whole game.

But he couldn't withstand Roger's efficient 13 points in a single quarter!
So far in the second half, Roger has scored 26 points and 49 points for the whole game!
When Carter scored 39 points in the first half, no one would have thought that Roger would catch up with his personal score in the second half!

In fact, Roger only scored 3 points less in the first half than in the second half so far.

His performance in the first half was already very good, but it was overshadowed by Carter's even more abnormal three-point shooting percentage.

In the second half, Carter was unable to continue his magic, but Roger was still able to perform in the same way as in the first half.

This is the difference.

Vince Carter may be able to compete with Roger for a period of time, but when the scale is expanded to the entire game, his ability will be stretched.

Bob Costa's summary is very accurate: "For Vince, his performance in the first half was magical. But for Roger, his performance in the first half was just normal. Magic doesn't appear all the time, but Roger can keep his normal performance until the end of the world!"

With Chris Charles missing the next mid-range shot, the Hawks finally got a chance to overtake.

Stephen Curry couldn't believe what he saw. Now, Roger was actually going to lead the team to overtake!
Even making nine three-pointers in the first half can’t beat this guy?
Instead of advancing with the ball, Roger ran to the right corner.

He was trying to conserve his energy as much as possible. After all, Roger had only rested for one minute in the second half.

After taking a few breaths, Roger was about to step up to catch the ball, and Pippen passed the ball, but Chris Charles grabbed Roger's jersey and pulled him back, then reached out to steal the ball.

The referee didn't call a foul, but Chris Charles couldn't get the ball. He disrupted the pass and pushed the ball out of bounds.

Roger looked at today's referee and shrugged: "David asked you to do this? To create suspense for the series?"

"Don't say that Roger, I'm going to have to give you a technical foul if you do that again."

"Whatever, blow it if you want. No one can save the Raptors tonight anyway."

Roger is so confident that he would never flatter a mere referee.

Pippen was about to serve the ball from the baseline, but Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley guarded the basket and did not allow anyone to cut in and steal points.

Chris Charles held Roger with both hands and never let go. He tried his best to prevent Roger from catching the ball.

There are only a few dozen seconds left in the game. If the Raptors can defend for one round, they will have one more chance of winning!

The referee passed the ball to Pippen, and Roger pushed Chris Charles away at this moment, then ran straight into the penalty area and pointed at the basket!
Pippen received the signal and threw the ball into the air before the Raptors players could react.

He passed the ball directly to Roger in the air!
"Stupid!" Stephen Curry cursed in the stands.

Oakley and Davis were both under the basket, but Pippen actually threw an alley-oop?
Pippen was also confused. Based on his experience, the basket was blocked and there was no room for attack.

But Roger's instructions are above all else, you just have to follow them and Roger will take care of the rest.

Antonio Davis and Oakley were staring at the basketball, and then saw Roger fly into the air and grab the ball with one hand!

Neither of them expected Roger to choose to attack the basket that was already guarded. Was he pretending we didn't exist?
But when they were about to stop them, they found that they were no different from non-existent.

Charles Oakley played 42 minutes today to defend Roger. Considering that he is already 38 years old, this playing time has worn him down. Seeing Roger flying towards the basket with the ball, he couldn't jump at all.

Antonio Davis played for 45 minutes. He could still jump, but he no longer had the strength to deal with Roger's attack.

So, Roger held down Oakley who couldn't jump up, pushed away the exhausted Davis, and completed this alley-oop dunk from the baseline through two people!
"Overtaking! Roger scored the 51st point in the first half. When Vince scored 50 points, who would have thought that Roger would respond that night! Great competition, wonderful game! The Toronto Raptors' advantage is gone!"

Roger landed on the ground, looked at Antonio Davis who was knocked down and Oakley who looked embarrassed, and repeated again: "Two people are not enough!"

Butch Carter felt desperate. Antonio Davis and Charles Oakley's defensive performance today was good enough.

But even at their best, they couldn't stop that guy.

Roger responded to Carter's 51 points with 55 points on the spot.

He couldn't wait any longer, not even for one game.

He is going to sprint with all his strength for Kobe!
Even if someone breaks the three-point record, Roger will make him lose!

The Raptors paused the game, and at that moment, their confidence had been shattered.

This was not a matter of being behind by 1 point. This was the despair of watching their 17-point advantage being swallowed up in the entire second half without being able to do anything. This was the despair of trying their best to defend Roger in the entire second half but still to no avail.

Charles Oakley sat on the bench and gasped for breath, but he felt like he couldn't breathe. He could only breathe in but not out, as if he was suffocating.

At that moment, he suddenly felt that this feeling was very familiar.

Yes, it was exactly the same feeling of suffocation when Roger made 1997 three-pointers in the first half of Game 1 of the 8 Eastern Conference Finals.

There are many ways that Roger can suffocate you, and it doesn't necessarily have to be through three-pointers.

Charles Oakley squeezed the towel tightly and muttered, "Maybe the time has not come yet."

Carter glanced at Oakley and knew what the old oak tree was talking about.

"Beat that bastard and you'll be one of the best players in the league."

Yes, maybe it's not time yet.

The difference is 1 point, and the last few seconds decide life or death.

Now is the undisputed superstar moment.

Vince Carter challenged Pierce, broke into the paint and threw a shot at Ben Wallace, but the basketball hit the back side of the basket.

Carter didn't get his own superstar moment, but Roger would live up to it.

This time, Roger broke through after the pick-and-roll as usual.

Carter left Pierce behind and ran towards Roger, with Oakley and Davis also on standby.

But Roger jumped up directly when he stepped half a step into the three-second zone, stretched out his arms, and gently picked the ball amid the hasty interference of Carter, Oakley and Davis.

Seeing Roger perform his signature fingertip shot, Butch Carter dropped the tactical board in his hand to the ground.

It was an elegant but deadly blow.

The basketball hit the target, Roger scored 53 points, and the Hawks led by 13 points in the last 3 seconds.

After landing, Roger looked at the three people with their mouths wide open, and smiled for the first time tonight: "Sorry, I forgot to tell you that three people are not enough~"

Jeff Hornacek was ready to play at the critical moment, whether it was to help Roger create space or to shoot the key ball, Hornacek was ready.

But now it seems that it is no longer necessary.

At least judging from the Raptors' defensive talent, Roger doesn't need help from anyone else to deal with them.

All Hornacek had to do now was prepare to celebrate the victory, as Roger said in the locker room during halftime.

"When we come back here again, we will celebrate our victory."

(End of this chapter)