152: 082: He is a better scorer than the scoring champion, and he is a badder bad boy than Dennis!_3 152: 082: He is a better scorer than the scoring champion, and he is a badder bad boy than Dennis!_3 Irony, it’s just pure irony.
Rodman’s flopping often got opponents fouled, but this time he was genuinely pulled down and he didn’t get the call.
Frustrated, Rodman pounded the floor before getting up.
Though he blocked Roger this turn, he was anything but pleased.
This was the first time Spurs fans saw Rodman get the short end of the stick in these dirty games.
Following the Spurs’ offense, Admiral got the ball in the low post.
He tried to back down, but Horace Grant steadfastly moved his lower body.
Defending the post is all about stopping the lower body, something that Grant knew well, and Admiral’s weak point was exactly that.
Admiral attempted a backspin drive, but the space under the basket was all filled by the burly O’Neal, making it tough to score even if he got through.
So, Admiral slowly switched to face-up, then, after a triple threat move, pulled up for the shot.
Another jump shot, and he was playing like a small forward.
And just like Roger, the basketball refused to drop in.
Bob Costas of NBC commented, “Both Truth and Admiral are off their game today, they need to find ways other than shooting to threaten the hoop.”
Magic Team’s offense found O’Neal again after Roger’s two misses, and O’Neal eagerly prepared to overpower Admiral.
Although Admiral’s physique could rival a bodybuilder, he was actually the lightest among the four major centers.
O’Neal pushed Admiral aside, ready to attack the basket, but the ball was smacked away by a strong hand out of bounds.
It was still Magic ball, but Shaq’s attack was thwarted.
Without a doubt, it was Rodman.
His timely help defense kept Admiral out of the highlight reel for today.
O’Neal was annoyed to death by Rodman.
This guy might be negligible in blocks and steals, but he was a nightmare on offense.
Seeing Shaq’s frustration, Rodman leaned in with a smirk, “That’s why you’re only second on the scoring list.”
Rodman loved getting under O’Neal’s skin because, at this time, O’Neal was a ticking time bomb.
All Rodman needed was to spark a little flame to enjoy a spectacular firework display.
But as he was about to continue his antagonism with subtle tricks, Roger appeared next to Rodman, “Shaq, did you just get bitten by a mosquito?”
O’Neal immediately grinned, “Yeah, Truth, and it’s still buzzing around.”
You know, we can’t just swat a mosquito dead, not because they’re strong, but because they’re good at hiding.”
After saying that, O’Neal went to the baseline to inbound the ball, and Roger intentionally positioned himself closest to the baseline, with Rodman naturally pressing him up close.
But the moment Roger raised his hand to request the ball, he deliberately elbowed Rodman in the face.
Enraged, Rodman pushed Roger from behind, and Roger took the opportunity to rush to the referees, grabbing one and falling into the spectator seats.
Instantly, the Alamodome erupted.
The other two referees immediately blew their whistles, assigning a technical foul to Rodman.
Hit by an elbow and still getting a technical foul, Rodman wanted to charge at Roger but was held back by Admiral and Elliott, leaving him to verbally vent, “You idiot, the refs saved you!”
Roger didn’t engage directly with Rodman but looked to Shaq, “Listen, Shaq, I can still hear the mosquito buzzing, and I just got bitten too.”
Following that was a string of Rodman’s curses, which merely made him appear to be impotently furious.
Watching Rodman nearly lose control on the court, the Spurs’ General Manager Popovich covered his head, “Damn, why does this team have a player like that?
He’s not worth a Penny!
I’ll get rid of him, RC, I swear I’ll do it this summer!
Even if other teams offer me a piece of crap for him, I’ll take it!”
Popovich’s assistant RC Buford didn’t respond, as Rodman’s rampage reminded him of SportsCenter’s review of Roger the day before, “A better scorer than the scoring champion, a bigger bad boy than Dennis.”
Whether he’s a better scorer than Admiral was uncertain, but he was indeed a bad kid who could give Dennis Rodman headaches.
Roger shot the technical free throw, breaking the scoring drought, 1-0.
And the ball was still Magic’s.
After scoring, Roger continued to approach Rodman, “Defensive Player of the Year?
Rodman was about to respond when the referee warned them, “Shut up, both of you!
Play the game right and stop causing trouble.
I’ll be watching you closely today; don’t get a T unless you want to be ejected.”
The referee broke off Rodman’s comeback, leaving him to stew in his own anger.
Usually, it was Rodman messing with everyone else’s psyche, but this time Roger had him rattled.
Shaq couldn’t be happier watching Rodman being outmaneuvered by Roger.
Finally, someone could handle that bastard!
After missing two shots in a row, Roger knew he couldn’t keep shooting from the outside.
His touch wasn’t right today.
Forget it, with Rodman guarding, it wouldn’t be easy for O’Neal to score inside.
So Roger told O’Neal, “Shaq, screen Admiral for me.
I’m going inside to play, it’s time to tear up these jerks’ defense!”