Of course, he hoped that Gary Payton would be luckier than himself.
He wished that after Tim Duncan saved the Admiral, he could also save the Glove.
At this moment, Gary Payton looked at the Lakers' fate on the newspaper, feeling restless.
This season, Roger seemed to be settling scores with all those "old friends" from the '90s.
Michael Jordan in the regular season couldn't escape, and Karl Malone in the playoffs couldn't escape.
Gary Payton didn't know what else Karl Malone could do; he had given up his tactical position, his possession of the ball, and even the dignity of a superstar to support someone like Kobe.
And the result? All he got was dragging Roger into a Game 7 in the series.
But who cares in which game a loser loses?
Losing in the fourth game or the seventh game essentially makes no difference; you won't be praised for holding out for a few more games. In the eyes of the fans, there are only winners and losers, no in-between.
