Hawks owner Ted Turner was present at the game, as there were two players on the Magic he greatly admired.
By 1988, Ted Turner had already become a big fan of Marciulionis.
For that reason, he invited Marciulionis and other Soviet players to their training camp and arranged a friendly match between the Hawks and the Soviet Union team. Ultimately, Ted's sincerity touched Marciulionis, and the day after he won the Olympic gold medal in Seoul, he signed a contract with the Hawks.
However, the signing fell through because the Soviets wouldn't allow their player to leave, delaying Marciulionis' NBA debut until 1989.
The second player Turner admired was Roger, as he loved watching the kid play; it was like watching a beautiful hunting show.
So when Roger, with Stevie Smith's nearly unstoppable touch that night, tenaciously led his team to victory, the Hawks owner nearly jumped out of his seat to applaud Roger.