Chapter 1054 - 339: Michael, One Last Bet

Words : 931 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

The renowned ESPN writer, Bill Simmons, was overwhelmingly shocked when he saw the eerily similar scenes of Roger and Michael Jordan being interviewed. As a true sports fan, Bill Simmons witnessed the era of Michael Jordan and Roger’s rivalry through the eyes of a fan. Obviously, Michael Jordan was the loser. Even if he could win against Roger once in the playoffs, he wouldn’t lose so completely. Under Roger’s strong dominance, over time, people forgot Michael Jordan’s magic before 1994, and they forgot that he also briefly ruled this league. In competitive sports, there are certainly winners and losers, and the fact that Michael Jordan is a loser cannot be changed. But yesterday’s game gave Bill Simmons a profound feeling: Michael is still great. Players like Roger and Michael Jordan, whether at their peak or at 40 years old, whether their goal is to win a championship or make it to the playoffs, have certain qualities that will never change and can always inspire fans. No man can refuse the top talent at 18, nor refuse a truly great player, whether he’s 28 or 40. As for why some players’ age of 40 is not respected, it must be because they are not great enough yet pretend to be great. In the end, Bill Simmons still wrote something: "The 03-04 season is special, we were able to see in this season Michael Jordan who entered in 1984, Roger who entered in 1993, and LeBron James who entered in 2003, this is definitely an extraordinary spectacle. And this is probably, no, this is definitely the last season where Michael Jordan and Roger, the two people who truly brought the NBA to the world, played together in a significant sense. Many people think that Michael and Roger are no longer related, after all, they can hardly be considered rivals now. No, in fact, they still have a strong connection. They represent what a great player looks like at their peak and at the end of their career, they are two sides of the same kind of people, they explain to the fans the entire meaning of a great player. Treasure this, it’s hard for us to see two such great players again, in the same season, offering us passion, passion, and passionate victories!" This article got a lot of views and resonated with fans. Because yesterday’s interview really made people feel that Roger and Michael Jordan are like each other in different time spaces. Now, whether Roger can win the championship and whether Michael Jordan can make it to the playoffs have almost become the top two hot topics in the basketball world. And the third hot topic? Whether LeBron James can make it to the playoffs. The first game of cooperation between Michael Reed and LeBron James was perfect, the Cavaliers easily took down the Philadelphia 76ers. LeBron James had 23 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, with Michael Reed spreading the floor, the 76ers almost had to guard James one-on-one on the perimeter. And Reed himself also scored 17 points, you should know, during this period, Michael Reed was a scorer who averaged 21.7 points per game with a 35% three-point shooting percentage. 21.7 points may not sound like much, but this was the "Dark Defense Era," not the small ball style of later when stats inflated to be insignificant. Reed’s 21.7 points could rank 11th in the league! Originally on this timeline, LeBron James didn’t have such strong teammates around him. After the game, the Cavaliers moved one step closer to the playoffs, the battle for the last two spots in the Eastern playoffs this year will definitely be very fierce. January’s schedule went by quickly, and almost every game of Roger and Michael Jordan was highly anticipated. Although the goals of the two were vastly different, people tirelessly watched the reversal journey of these two legends. People like to see great players in their prime sweeping across and regaining their throne. They also like to see great players at 40 persevering and playing out their last values. But before Roger and Michael Jordan can achieve their comebacks, Roger’s good friend Tom Brady has to reverse his fate first. On February 1, 2004, the 38th Super Bowl took place at the Houston Reliant Stadium. The stadium, completed in 2002, can accommodate 72,000 spectators and is the first NFL facility to feature a retractable roof. The high-tech luxury stadium made this Super Bowl appear grand even before it began. The NBA scheduled only three not-so-significant games on this day because David Stern understood well that trying to compete with the Super Bowl for ratings is akin to jumping off the top of the Empire State Building—it’s suicide. This year’s Super Bowl was extremely popular, not to mention the NBA, it was predicted that even the past Super Bowls couldn’t compete with this year’s in terms of ratings. On one side was the popular Tom Brady leading the 01 Champion New England Patriots back to the finals, on the other, the Carolina Panthers, who created a reversal myth as the first third-seed to win the NFC championship since the playoffs expansion in 1990. People were eager to know whether it would be Tom Brady, the guy who broke the team’s 30-year championship drought, continuing his legend, or the Carolina Panthers pulling off a dark horse till the end. Before the game started, Tom Brady met with Roger. His face adorned with football’s signature camouflage, he smiled: "I’m off to open my treasure chest of reversing fate, brother."

Chapter 1054 - 339: Michael, One Last Bet

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