The Spurs lack players on the outside who are especially strong at confrontation, which is a great opportunity for Roger to drive to the basket!
"Yes sir," O'Neal readily agreed.
The Magic Team inbounded the ball, and Roger caught it steadily.
Rodman had heard the exchange between Roger and O'Neal just before, so he was eyeing Roger like a tiger stalking its prey.
Drive to the basket?
I'm gonna make sure you regret it!
Roger looked at Elliott, the veteran Spurs player who was earnest and hardworking, but defensively mediocre.
With a back dribble, Roger easily shook off a bit of space for a breakthrough. Facing Elliott's defense, Roger didn't choose to stop and pop a jumper to test his touch, but continued to drive hard toward the basket, bumping Elliott to open up a sliver of space before leaping up for a layup.
Elliott was too thin, and the bulked-up Roger, now with a weight advantage, not only didn't come off worse but even had a slight edge.
