Champion Creed
Chapter 411 - 411 161 The strongest duo in history!

411: 161: The strongest duo in history!

(Vote for us monthly!)_4 411: 161: The strongest duo in history!

(Vote for us monthly!)_4 After McKey sat in the middle, O’Neal and Roger finally sat down, separated by one McKey,

simply because they didn’t want to sit next to each other.

Childish, right?

It was pretty childish.

But this was how O’Neal and Roger were getting along now.

They didn’t want any communication or contact between them.

Brian Hill squatted in front of Shaq and Roger, picking up the tactical board: “Next, Roger, you’re up against Michael.

You and Shaq, you both need to work together to stop the Knicks’ pick-and-roll!

Then, on offense, we’re going to reduce the number of long shots, you two start playing more aggressive, penetrating basketball, ideally coordinating with each other, any questions?”

“It’s the Knicks’ pick-and-roll,” Spoelstra reminded, helplessly, Jordan’s Bulls’ identity was just too ingrained.

Every time he was mentioned, you would think of the Bulls, and this was not the first time today that Brian Hill had gotten the team name wrong.

“Right, damn, it’s the Knicks.

That’s not important, what’s important is, next, you two must cooperate seamlessly on both offense and defense.

There’s no turning back, we have to start the star vs.

star matchup earlier,” Brian continued.

Indeed, there was no turning back, if it were last season, Brian Hill could have employed Horace Grant to defend the pick-and-roll, letting O’Neal stay under the basket.

But that wasn’t possible now, although McKey was playing the four position this season, he was a forward who leaned towards the perimeter, and he just couldn’t counter Ewing, O’Neal had to defend aggressively against the sharpest offense.

If it were last season, Harper probably could maneuver faster around the screen, so Roger wouldn’t have to face Jordan.

But this season, Roger had to face Michael Jordan directly.

Roger-Shaq vs Jordan-Ewing, the outcome was now in the hands of four superstars!

After setting up the tactic, Roger and Shaq certainly did not fist bump or say anything like “Let’s crush them,” in fact, they didn’t talk at all or even make eye contact.

And this was exactly why Brian Hill wasn’t sure if this strategy would work.

Although the two men had cooperated in the first half, mainly because the Magic were looking for opportunities on the perimeter, Roger and Shaq didn’t need to team up on defense.

So their cooperation was just routine passing to each other, nothing complex, nor decisive in determining the outcome of the game.

But going forward, Roger and Shaq needed to operate much more like a true duo on both ends, they needed to act more like a single unit, which demanded much higher coordination from them.

As a result, the two showed no intention of any temporary reconciliation.

They stubbornly refused to be the first one to speak.

At that moment, Brian Hill felt particularly uneasy, so he asked a foolish question, “You can still work together, right?”

The moment he asked it, Brian Hill felt incredibly stupid.

He finally realized just how incompetent he was.

In locker room matters, Brian Hill had never been able to play a positive role.

Last season, the media always said Phil Jackson only knew how to coach superstars, only knew how to manipulate people, and getting Coach of the Year was undeserved, as even Auerbach refused to present him the award.

Brian Hill had been one of those who mocked Phil Jackson’s influence, but now he suddenly admired Phil Jackson’s ability to control people.

Facing the conflict between Roger and O’Neal, Brian Hill was completely at a loss.

Until the break ended, Roger and O’Neal still hadn’t spoken to each other.

Roger only said to his teammates: “I’ll handle it.”

The angry shouts of the Knicks fans tormented the ears of the Magic players, making everyone feel like they were trapped in a slaughterhouse, and their star players showed no reaction to this turmoil.

The morale of the Magic Team was somewhat scattered after this timeout because no one knew whether Roger and Shaq had reached any agreement, nor did anyone know what their fate held.

Could the team really carry a victory away from Madison Square Garden this Christmas night?

The game continued, Magic initiated the offense.

This time, Roger made his move the instant he received the ball, charging towards the hoop before Jordan could converge on him.

In the second half, Roger had to take more control of the offensive possessions.

However, even for Roger, it was difficult to penetrate the Knicks’ robust defense.

Ewing, Oakley, and Jordan all joined to block Roger’s difficult layup attempt, causing it to bounce out of the rim.

The failure of their first offense after the timeout was the most demoralizing, and Spike Lee was happy to stand up and shout at Roger: “Tonight is the day of truth’s demise!”

The New York fans were becoming more elated; they had already treated today as a celebration.

As long as they could crush the Magic, it would prove that the New York Knicks had absolutely no rivals in the league.

Jordan and Ewing did not stop attacking; they both wanted to choke the Magic in the third quarter and push the night of celebration to a climax.

This opportunity, as Jordan got the ball and realized it was Roger defending him,

he knew, coming up, it would be Roger and O’Neal teamed up on defense against him and Ewing.

That made him more excited!

“Why must you humiliate yourself?

Just let old man Ron take everything, and you can just steal all the praise, isn’t that your usual style?” Jordan teased Roger with a smile, then waved to call for Ewing’s screen.

“Not today, Michael,” Roger cocked a grin, “My usual style is to play you till you roll your eyes.”

O’Neal, hearing the exchange between Roger and Jordan, even felt a bit of schadenfreude.