Chapter 1215: Chapter 385: Don’t Let Anger Become a Cursed Mark
He only wants to focus on the playoffs.
Carmelo Anthony, who made it to the playoffs for the second consecutive season, feels the same way.
Sweet Melon feels like he’s living a dream because he has a chance to win a playoff game from his idol this year.
This has special significance for Anthony.
In 1994, Carmelo Anthony was just a ten-year-old, an ordinary child witnessing drug deals, street shootings, and gang fights, ordinary to the point of being mundane besides going to school.
That ordinary boy, on that scorching summer day, on that crazy night, at the basketball mecca of Madison Square Garden, witnessed a game that blasted his mind while holding a bucket of popcorn that seemed never-ending.
At that moment, when everyone believed the outcome was decided, Carmelo Anthony only wanted to finish the popcorn in his hand and take the opportunity to move forward to an empty seat closer to the court for a better view.
He remembers all the details; even back in 1994, Madison Square Garden was filled with shouts of "Fuck Roger," and his ears were full of those cheers.
Amidst such shouts, Anthony, like all the fans at the scene, was ready to celebrate the Knicks’ victory.
But Roger stepped up and hit a three-pointer, directly overtaking the score.
Then came a controversial scene: Roger knocked down Derek Harper, intercepted the sideline ball passed from Charles Smith, dribbled beyond the three-point line, and raised his hand for another three-pointer. Until today, fans still fiercely debate whether "Roger committed a foul during this shot."
At that time, the air in Madison Square Garden had frozen because just a few seconds ago, New Yorkers had begun celebrating the series victory. Now, they were on the verge of being eliminated.
Next came Scottie Pippen flying to catch the ball, poking it to the already sprinting Roger. Roger picked up the basketball, turned his head to stare at Pat Riley courtside, and executed a tomahawk dunk to kill the game completely.
Then came the dead silence that Carmelo Anthony had never experienced before.
Madison Square Garden, such a big place, with so many people, became quiet like a cemetery at midnight.
Then he told his mother, "I want to become a player like Roger in the future."
His mother gently told him, "You will, Melo, you definitely can."
This story has already passed a full 11 years, and he transformed from a Baltimore street punk into Oak Hill Academy’s super talent.
From Oak Hill Academy’s king to a phenomenal freshman leading Syracuse University to win the championship.
Now, he’s the symbol of Denver, standing before the man who blanked his mind 11 years ago, with the chance to defeat him.
For a young boy, that’s indeed blood-boiling.
Yes, last season Anthony already faced Roger in the playoffs. The outcome naturally doesn’t need mentioning; the Nuggets were cleanly swept.
But this year, both the Nuggets and Anthony himself have improved considerably. He doesn’t fantasize about defeating Roger in a series, but snatching a victory from Roger? Why not? After all, they’ve won against them in the regular season before.
G1, Oracle Arena, Carmelo Anthony hugged Roger tightly at mid-court.
Roger, being hugged tight, patted Iguodala on the shoulder: "Melo, did you break up?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"I thought you hugged so tight was seeking comfort."
"No, I’m just very excited, like a little boy holding a gun for the first time on the street."
Roger:...
This kind of excitement is really hard for Roger to empathize with.
If you talk about the excitement when first understanding the true essence of art, Roger might be able to empathize a bit.
"You have no idea what it’s like playing a series with a former idol. The first time I watched your game was in the Bulls versus New York Knicks playoffs. That night, I decided to become a professional player like you. In my heart, you are the engineer of the human soul. Now, I’m standing here, possibly winning a game against my idol in the playoffs; it feels like a dream."
"Melo, I advise you not to have too great expectations." Roger really didn’t know how to express it, as he hadn’t planned on letting Anthony win a playoff game.
"Hehe," Sweet Melon was probably the only one who could still laugh before facing Roger, "could my situation be worse than last season?"
Of course.
Of course, it could be worse.
In the first game of the series, the Nuggets lost by 29 points.
Tonight, Carmelo Anthony’s touch was off; he was completely lost among the Warriors’ forwards.
And because the Warriors were missing Marcus Camby, their defense wasn’t as strong, allowing the Warriors to easily keep attacking the rim.
The following three games were basically the same performance. In last season’s playoffs, at least Anthony played a single-digit margin game in G3. But this season, after four games, Carmelo Anthony didn’t avoid being slaughtered by double digits in any of them.
Roger didn’t deliberately humiliate Sweet Melon, but the gap in strength between the teams was just that wide.
Denver’s number 14 (because Roger Anthony in the book is number 14) tossed his headband onto the ground disappointedly at the end of the fourth game. He had tried hard all season, but still stood no chance against Roger.
Roger took the initiative to approach Anthony, embracing him, "I told you earlier, don’t have too great expectations."