730: 250: Kobe’s Dream Playing Style (Requesting Monthly Tickets!) 730: 250: Kobe’s Dream Playing Style (Requesting Monthly Tickets!) At last, Roger had waited for the Eastern Conference Finals he’d been longing for.
This time, the Eastern Conference Finals were a showdown with an old enemy.
Since winning with the Rockets in 1995, Roger had not experienced what’s called a “revenge series.”
If he couldn’t defeat the Heat to win the championship, Roger would feel that this year’s championship was incomplete.
Fortunately, Pat Riley’s team was very impressive.
The night before the game started, Spoelstra and Roger had dinner together.
Perhaps it was fate, during the years when Pat Riley and the New York Gang blocked Jordan, Jordan had a good personal relationship with his two lieutenants, Oakley and Ewing.
While when Riley was trying to establish his own basketball empire in Miami, Roger got along well with his assistant coach.
This made Riley always feel like he was being set up.
Of course, he trusted Spoelstra’s professionalism.
There was no way the guy would reveal any Heat strategies to Roger.
Roger didn’t scorn such actions either.
Riley’s suspicion was right, Roger and Spoelstra didn’t talk about basketball at all.
They talked about the good times in Orlando, and then discussed their respective lives.
“Eric, I heard you’re mixed up with one of the Heat’s cheerleaders?
Did you learn that from being around Pat Riley?” Roger asked with a mischievous smirk, staring at the Filipino.
“What do you mean ‘mixed up’?
We call it a profound love!”
“Hah, this damn league won’t allow players to mingle with cheerleaders, yet they let the coaching staff do it.
He certainly doesn’t want a ‘cheerleader looking for her baby daddy in the locker room’ scenario playing out in the NBA.
Can you imagine if Reign Man and Patrick were on the same team, and then they were allowed to interact with the cheerleaders?
The cheerleaders might all go on maternity leave collectively.”
Roger and Spoelstra joked as the restaurant TV broadcast sports news.
The news was about the Eastern Conference Finals.
Atlanta was now the focus of the entire NBA.
The series between the Heat and the Hawks was entirely overshadowing the neighboring Western Conference Finals of the Lakers vs.
the Jazz—because Pippen was with the Atlanta Hawks, and Stevie Smith had gone to the Clippers, so that classic Portland Trail Blazers team didn’t exist in this timeline.
Thus, it was the Jazz who ended up playing the Lakers in the Western Finals.
Honestly, that matchup was hardly captivating.
The Jazz had once swept the Lakers, but no one thought they could do it again because this year during the regular season, the Jazz couldn’t manage even a single win against the Lakers.
Also, someone please save Hornacek.
The poor old white guy was 37 years old.
He had just got rid of Roger, only to be tormented by Kobe now.
Wouldn’t it be better to let him go home and take care of his daughter?
Compared to the Jazz and Lakers, which was a foregone conclusion, the Hawks vs.
the Heat was obviously more engaging.
At that moment, the TV screen showed Sprewell, and Spoelstra covered his head.
He knew what Sprewell had said in an interview earlier that day and had been praying that this segment wouldn’t be broadcast.
Clearly, his prayers had not worked.
On TV, Sprewell bluntly said, “Last year’s victory let me realize one fact: Roger without Shaq is not scary at all.”
Spoelstra knew Roger, so he knew that the following night would be tough.
Sprewell could have chosen many other words to provoke Roger, but he picked the most challenging one.
Roger watched the TV, his expression still calm: “Eric, how well do you get along with Latrell?”
Everyone on the coaching staff is merely neutral with him, no one wants to be strangled by him.”
“Oh, since he’s not your friend, then I don’t need to comfort you.
Go back, it’s time to rest.
Wish you and your cheerleader girlfriend a pleasant night, because this is your last pleasant night.”
Roger ended all of his relaxed activities before the game; up next was nothing but cutthroat slaughter.
The next day, the Eastern Conference Finals took place at Philips Arena.
Before the game, Steve Jones and Bob Costas were discussing this round of the playoffs.
“No one knows if the Hawks can extend their streak of double-digit victories against opponents into the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Heat’s defense is one of the best in the league, and they haven’t lost by double digits to the Hawks in the regular season; every game was close.
Steve, do you think that could happen?”
“I think it’s possible, and it’s all because of Latrell.
He touched the real taboo, which is mentioning Shaq.
In 1998, after Roger became Atlanta’s savior, the topic of ‘whether Roger can make it without Shaq’ was essentially over.
But Latrell, he brought that topic back up.
So tonight, Roger will do more than just dominate him.”
Half an hour later, the Hawks fans at the home stadium witnessed Roger lifting his third career MVP trophy.
This year’s MVP was a foregone conclusion—if 72 wins and averages of 35+5+5 couldn’t clinch the MVP, then the award would have lost its value before Joel Embiid entered the league.
During his speech, Roger couldn’t forget his best teammate, Shaq.
Their relationship had surpassed that of Magic and Bird, surpassed that of Jordan and Ewing.
Jordan wouldn’t mention Ewing in any public setting; such a guy unwilling to acknowledge relationships was no match for the straightforward Roger.
He just loved Shaq and never hid it.