Champion Creed
Chapter 653 - 653 228 He might need someone to back him up more asking for monthly votes!_3

653: 228: He might need someone to back him up more (asking for monthly votes!)_3 653: 228: He might need someone to back him up more (asking for monthly votes!)_3 Because the schedule was short, and there were few encounters between teams from the East and West, the gap in their records was not large.

The first-placed Heat had 39 wins, the Hawks had 36, and the third and fourth places had respectively 33 wins each.

In the West, the Spurs and Jazz both had 37 wins, the Trail Blazers had 35, and the Lakers had 31.

In the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks easily dealt with the Milwaukee Bucks.

This was Roger’s first time encountering a team led by the ’96 generation in the playoffs.

Ray Allen began to show his edge, producing a nearly perfect personal performance with an average of 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

His shooting percentage was 53.2%, and his three-point shooting percentage was 47.4%.

But surprisingly, Gentleman Ray’s free-throw shooting percentage was only 61.5%.

Playing in the playoffs for the first time, facing the boos and pressure of the entire court, even this perfectionist showed his imperfect side.

No one is born a killer, not even Ray Allen, who needed time to grow.

A sweep of 3-0, the defending champions breezed into the semi-finals.

In the second round, it was an old adversary once more, as Grant Hill encountered his nightmare again.

After losing Chris Webber, the Pistons quickly maneuvered to obtain Jerry Stackhouse.

A forward from Duke plus a guard from North Carolina?

This dreamy combination gave Detroit fans too much space for fantasy.

Yet Stackhouse’s performance was even worse than Webber’s, averaging only 14 points per game in the regular season with a mere 37% shooting percentage.

In the playoffs, it got worse, his average slipping to 10 points per game and his shooting percentage to 39%.

Thus, once again, Grant Hill was swept mercilessly.

The Pistons fans didn’t know what kind of bad karma Grant Hill had created, always encountering these damned playoff poisons, one after another.

Who says good people get good rewards?

4-0, and Roger made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth consecutive season.

And in the Eastern Conference finals, their opponent was the mighty, strongest team in the East, the Miami Heat.

Pat Riley continued his strategy, using excessive double teams to limit Roger.

Sprewell + Jamal Mashburn + Alonzo Mourning + PJ Brown, this lineup was simply Pat Riley’s ideal.

On the perimeter, Roger would first face double teams from Sprewell and Mashburn.

After breaking through, Mourning and Brown, both quick and tough, would immediately help defend.

The Heat erected an extremely hard barrier, which even Roger found difficult to pierce.

In the first game, the Heat, with their excellent defense, won 87-83.

Roger’s shooting percentage was limited to 39%, scoring only 29 points.

In the second game, Roger was on fire, making various shots even within double teams, scoring 34 points and securing the victory.

In the third battle, Paul Pierce produced his first playoff masterpiece, scoring 31 points.

The Heat’s excessive double teams on Roger allowed Pierce too many easy shooting opportunities.

2-1, the Hawks led in the Eastern Conference finals.

But in Game 4, the Heat adjusted their defensive strategy.

Pat Riley assigned defensive roles, with Sprewell, Mashburn, and Mourning mainly targeting Roger.

Allan Houston and PJ Brown were mainly responsible for Pierce.

Due to the Hawks’ weak interior attack, Mourning and PJ Brown could roam freely the entire court.

This defensive allocation was very effective, putting great pressure on both Roger and Pierce.

Roger still scored 30 points, but Pierce dropped from 31 points in the previous game to only 13 today.

The Heat evened the score, 2-2.

In Game 5, Lenny Wilkens had no choice but to start Clifford Robinson.

Whenever PJ Brown or a rotating power forward joined the double teams on Pierce, Clifford Robinson got some easy three-point shooting opportunities.

He hit 4 three-pointers this game, scoring a total of 17 points.

But the Heat grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, with 5 of them in the fourth quarter!

Only when Big Ben and Kurt Thomas were both on the court were the Hawks’ rebounds secure.

With those second-chance opportunities and a critical three-pointer by Allan Houston in the final 33 seconds, the Heat prevailed over the Hawks 87-85, winning the decisive battle!

3-2, Pat Riley’s hands were shaking after the game.

If he tried to light a cigar right now, it might end up in his nostrils.

He felt like someone who missed a lottery jackpot by just one number, with dreams and reality separated by a single digit.

At the post-game press conference, Riley remained subdued, “The series is to be played out in seven games!”

Countless people had said this in a series against Roger, but this was the first time someone said it while leading.

And indeed, it went to seven games.

In Game 6, Roger’s three-pointer was hot, scoring 42 points, and evening the total score to 3-3.

With 1 minute and 28 seconds left in Game 7, the Hawks were 3 points behind.

Roger continued his form from Game 6, maintaining efficiency even amidst physical, trapping defenses.

But he was the only Hawk who could score reliably.

Clifford Robinson was completely off in his shooting today, and everyone expected Paul Pierce to step up to support Roger.

But Pierce went 1 for 8 from the field for the whole game.

Roger was completely isolated, with no second ball-handler to share the pressure.

The Hawks’ offense today was filled with plays that essentially meant, “If the tactics fail, then just give the ball to the star to solve it.”

After seven consecutive games of bruising defense, Paul Pierce was somewhat worn out.

What was critical, when he was already panting, he found that Allan Houston was still able to move swiftly and flexibly off the ball.

Allan Houston scored 33 points tonight and still seemed at ease.