859: 285: True strength does not require deliberately proclaiming oneself as a mighty river (Requesting monthly votes!)_2 859: 285: True strength does not require deliberately proclaiming oneself as a mighty river (Requesting monthly votes!)_2 Reeves was almost an overnight sensation, with his agent taking calls all night last night, countless endorsement deals actively seeking him out.
This is the exposure of the finals, where you’re not afraid of no attention, only of having no strength.
And with Reeves’ rise to fame, the Lakers’ Big3’s reputation also hit rock bottom.
People questioned Kobe’s shot selection at the last moment.
People questioned Shaq’s free throw performance and his often-discussed professional attitude.
People questioned why Grant Hill chose to pass in that crucial play, leading to a steal by Roger.
Charles Barkley especially didn’t understand Grant Hill’s decision and ranted on his show.
“This is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.
The Los Angeles Lakers have a first-team star (Shaq) and two second-team stars (Kobe and Hill) on the court, but at critical moments, without being double-teamed, they’re actually looking for damn Robert Horry!
How do I explain to my grandma, who never watches basketball, that the Lakers’ number 5 is really not Wilt Chamberlain!
Every time I say that, my grandma asks: if he isn’t, then why are all these stars passing to him?”
This is the power of the media.
If Grant Hill had his own voice in the media, people would praise his selflessness and court vision.
But unfortunately, he doesn’t, so he will receive the most genuine evaluation.
The Lakers Big3 is about to become the biggest joke in basketball, yes, they gave the Hawks the biggest trouble ever, with none of the five games allowing the Hawks to win by more than double digits, pushing the Hawks to fight until the last moment in every game.
But the purpose of forming the Big3 for the Lakers wasn’t just to give the Hawks some trouble.
In Roger’s view, it seems to be a curse belonging to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the original timeline, every time the Lakers formed a multi-star lineup in the 21st century, it seemed to end poorly.
Both F4 times ended disastrously, and the 75 bunch-up failed even to make it to the play-ins.
This is a city that needs stars, but too many stars always make this city darken.
Now, the Big3’s time of death approaches.
If the Lakers lose at Philips Arena, then Shaq, Kobe, and Hill will be tied to the pillar of shame, becoming the predecessor of the 2011 Miami Heat.
Well, the Big3 isn’t actually as disgraceful as the ’11 Heat yet.
After all, the Hawks have always been one of the favorites to win the championship, and almost no one thought the Mavericks could win in ’11.
This means the Big3 will at least be bound to the pillar of shame for ten years.
If the Heat’s Big Three didn’t exist in this timeline, their shameful time would be even longer.
In fact, Shaq is already being ridiculed, and the one mocking him is his new agent Perry Rogers.
Shaq earlier this year replaced Leonard Armato, who once got him to Los Angeles, and Perry Rogers’ most frequent line is: “Shaq, I won’t be so stupid to get you into a place destined for failure.”
Since losing to Roger last year, Shaq has wondered whether leaving Orlando was a wise move, and to this day, he has no answer.
In Orlando, maybe he’d always be suppressed by Roger.
Shaq stopped pondering these things; he can only make one last stand in game six.
The series returned to Atlanta for Game 6, and before the game, some local Atlanta football fans held up “Make Roger Apologize” signs, gathering in the plaza of Philips Arena.
The reason was Roger’s comment after Game 2 of the finals, “The Hawks won’t end up with nothing like the Falcons,” which offended these die-hard football fans, prompting them to protest today.
This led to disturbances and clashes among fans.
“The Falcons won’t let any prey go, that’s the virtue of sports.
They don’t have a single championship, hahaha!”
“Shut up, did the Atlanta Hawks have many championships before?”
“Don’t mention before, haven’t you guys mocked us enough before?”
“But our players have never mocked the Hawks!”
“Get lost, don’t make trouble on the Hawks’ turf!
Roger says whatever he wants; without Roger, this city wouldn’t get a single professional sports championship in 15 years!”
“Come on, the Warriors also won a championship in 1998.
Atlanta was already a champion city before Roger!”
“Oh, right, both the Warriors and the Hawks won championships; what’s that got to do with you Falcons?”
“Damn it, say that one more time!?”
The verbal abuse escalated, eventually turning into a physical altercation.
Fortunately, no one drew a gun on the spot, or whether this game could even proceed would be uncertain.
This conflict proves one thing – victory invites jealousy.
Even some sports fans from other teams in Atlanta started to envy Roger’s success.
It’s not hard to imagine how jealous the Lakers players were at this moment.
Roger’s achievements indeed invite jealousy; he is about to secure his sixth championship, surpassing Magic, tying with Jabbar.
He’s about to take the second Finals average of 40 points per game since Michael Jordan – if the series ends in the next game, and if Roger scores over 20 in the next match, his average score in the Finals will exceed 40.
No one wants to see all this come true; if all this becomes a reality, Roger’s brilliance will be too dazzling.
So O’Neal shouted in the locker room before the game: “No matter what, I don’t want to see Roger win again!”