834: 279: He is about to respond to Vince Carter (asking for monthly tickets!)_2 834: 279: He is about to respond to Vince Carter (asking for monthly tickets!)_2 After checking into the hotel, the exhausted Roger habitually turned on the TV.
He didn’t like the room being too quiet; even when he wasn’t watching TV, he preferred some sound in the room.
ESPN’s “SportsCenter” program was on, a comprehensive sports show, not specifically focused on basketball.
But since the Super Bowl had ended and the World Series hadn’t started, the NBA playoffs were now the most watched sporting event in North America.
So during this period, the “SportsCenter” program mostly discussed the NBA playoffs.
Among the coverage, the Lakers occupied the most segments.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are displaying the most dominant playoff performance since last season’s Atlanta Hawks; so far they have remained undefeated in the playoffs, winning each game by double digits.
The advantage of the big three is being fully showcased in the playoffs, and even the powerful Sacramento Kings have lost three consecutive games by double digits.
To be specific, the Kings have only lost one game by less than 20 points.
In the first game, Shaq scored a stunning 44 points with 17 rebounds and 7 blocks, winning by 23 points.
In the second matchup, Shaq continued his rampage, achieving 43+20+3, winning by 12 points.
In the just-concluded third match, Kobe once again served as a silencer at the away game, scoring 36 points.
Grant Hill quietly compiled a 21+5+8 stat line, leading the Lakers to a 22-point victory.
Again, emphasizing, this is a strong Sacramento Kings team, boasting 55 wins, just three fewer than San Antonio.
But facing the Lakers, the Kings looked more like a team with only 35 wins.
The Lakers are approaching the Finals in a terrifying manner; I think this year, the Finals won’t have an uneventful 4-0 sweep again.
In fact, Kobe Bryant is eagerly awaiting the Finals; let’s hear from him in the post-game interview after game 3.”
The television screen then cut to footage of Kobe from yesterday’s interview, where this guy, who averaged 8.5 more points on the road than at home, pointed at the camera.
“These victories mean nothing; I play for the championship, not for breaking records or anything.
I just want to get to the Finals quickly, and rest assured, we won’t drag on against teams with 40 wins like the Atlanta Hawks.”
As Roger packed his luggage, he wished he could fly to Los Angeles right now and start the Finals with the Lakers.
Roger admitted that these new-generation players were full of energy.
T-Mac could grind out a game in the first round, Vince Carter could score 42 points in a single game in the second round.
Their talent and skill weren’t enough for their teams to win the series, but they were enough to trouble the Hawks.
Therefore, the Hawks’ dominance in this year’s playoffs didn’t seem as exaggerated as last season.
But the Hawks were still consistently winning, and since when did that number 8 get to call the shots?
Roger was also eager to get to the Finals; this Lakers team might be the strongest Finals opponent Roger had faced in his career.
Previously, Roger’s toughest playoff opponents appeared in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Finals felt more like a ceremony celebrating Roger’s rise to the top.
But this year, Roger would face a challenge in the Finals.
He couldn’t wait; he was excited about facing stronger opponents.
Not everyone is like Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki, always encountering their destined benefactor, LeBron James.
Roger didn’t mind that his Finals opponent was strong; in fact, he would be glad to win the championship by defeating a strong opponent.
Since Kobe was so eager to be a backdrop in the Finals, let’s fulfill his wish!
Roger no longer wanted to waste time on any other opponents.
The East semifinals Game 3 took place at the Air Canada Centre, with Vince Carter stepping out of the player tunnel, looking toward the stands.
His number 15 jersey floated like a flag amidst the purple sea.
With a 2-0 score, in most people’s eyes, the Toronto Raptors seemed unlikely to change anything.
In the previous game, Roger’s 42 points seemed to be a warning to Carter: don’t take risks.
However, the fans here hadn’t lost their passion for the game, and when Carter appeared, many erupted in near-frenzied cheers: “Vince, we believe in you!
Take them down, drive them out of Toronto!”
Although Carter was an American, his influence on Canadian basketball was immense.
While the Vancouver Grizzlies were still a punching bag, it was Vince Carter who gave Canadian fans the right to taste victory in the NBA.
The people here loved him, worshipped him unconditionally.
Seeing this scene, Carter was covered in goosebumps.
Which boy hadn’t dreamed of proudly stepping onto the court as a hero?
Carter began his shooting warm-up amid the overwhelming cheers, and next to him, Dell Curry’s eldest son, Stephen, was also shooting.
He would always practice his shooting with NBA players before games, but recently, Curry was having major troubles with his shooting.
Previously, because he was too slim, Stephen Curry’s shots were released from his waist.
Although awkward, they were somewhat accurate.
But now, Stephen Curry was changing his shooting technique.
His father had told him that without changing his shooting form, he could never play college basketball.
Changing the shooting technique was an extremely painful process, requiring you to overturn all previous experiences and muscle memory, akin to relearning how to walk.
Originally quite accurate, Stephen Curry was now almost unable to hit shots beyond the three-second area; this situation had persisted for a long time.