Champions Creed

Chapter 152 Chapter 151: Do you want to share the cake? Or just smash the cake (monthly ticket requested!)
Dominique Wilkins was depressed after returning to the locker room. As a veteran and a once-powerful superstar, he is highly respected wherever he is.

Especially last season in Europe, he was like the jewel in the Queen's crown, held carefully in the palms of everyone's hands.

It is not difficult for you to imagine the feeling of loss. A master who wins the game every day under the attention of the public and enjoys the cheers, and goes home to watch a whole team of maids bowing to him, is now grabbed by the collar of his jersey and scolded by a young man.

In other words, suddenly no one was licking him anymore.

It would be strange if Wilkins was in a good mood.

Roger returned to the locker room after practicing shooting. He glanced at Wilkins but didn't say much.

It was as if nothing had just happened on the training ground.

Wilkins thought Roger would say something to save their relationship, like, "Dom, I'm sorry, I was impulsive just now," "Hey, you know, I did this just to win, I didn't mean any harm," or something like that.

But Roger said nothing. He just took off his jersey, asked the masseur to prepare, and then went to take a shower.

He is unapologetic!
On the side, Derek McKay tried to enlighten Wilkins: "Don't take it personally. Roger is not targeting you. He is like this to everyone. He is a good teammate, but he is very strict when it comes to basketball."

McKay's words did not make Dominique Wilkins feel any better. A good teammate? Would a good teammate grab his collar in public?

He finally discovered that there was not a single true word in the newspaper's comments about Roger. You can never truly understand a person from the media!

Wilkins slammed the locker door shut and made a decision in his heart: he had to leave this damn place!
There is no way he would play next to someone who doesn't respect him!

After returning home, Wilkins immediately called his manager Kaufman:
"Tell Orlando to cut me off! I know that the contract states that I have to play at least 60 games to get the guaranteed amount, but I don't give a damn. I accepted the ridiculous $60 a year, not to come here and suffer!"

Steve Kaufman was not surprised by the call. With Wilkins's arrogant personality, he could guess what happened without even asking:

"Of course we can ignore the $60, but we can't ignore our reputation as a superstar. If we leave now, what do you think the media will say about us? This coward deserves to never win a championship in his life. He can't accept the training of a championship team. Besides, this is really our last chance to win a championship. You have to think about it carefully, Dom."

"So I'm going to have to put up with that bastard shitting on my head? You have no idea what he did to me!"

Steve Kaufman really didn't know what Roger did to him, but that didn't matter: "I told you, Dom, we are next to a dangerous lion. Why don't you treat him as air? Then do what you should do in training and games? We didn't come to Orlando to make friends."

"Damn it, damn it! I really don't know why I have to endure this! The championship, is it really worth it?" Dominique Wilkins was devastated. His agent was right, this was his last chance to win the championship.

If he quits now, no NBA championship team will want him. After all, championship teams hate instability the most. Who would be willing to take the risk of signing a role player who can come and go as he pleases?
A player who is 37 years old and still has nothing is like a woman who has not been married for years. Few people are willing to take him over.

If Wilkins is not competing for the NBA championship, where can he go? Go back to Europe and deceive himself? Tell himself "I am still a superstar" and live in a dream?

Whether the championship is worth it for him to endure all this, only Wilkins himself can answer the question.

He hung up the phone without complaining to his agent.

Before the new season begins, he will think carefully about whether the championship is worth it.

The news that Roger and Dominique Wilkins had a conflict during training quickly spread throughout the media. In the NBA, everything that happens in training and games is almost impossible to digest internally.

Of course, Roger did not look for "traitors" everywhere like Jordan did.

Because the team's trainer, masseur and even the cleaner collecting towels on the sidelines may expose the matter for a few hundred dollars.

Team honor is not as real to them as a few hundred dollars.

As one of the most watched teams in the league, a conflict between the star player and his teammates is bound to be a hot topic.

After the news that O'Neal refused to return to the team, Roger and Wilkins did this bad thing again. The continuous negative information made the Magic management very upset.

They met the demands of Roger and Shark, and they would have to pay $4000 million per year just for the two of them - the salary cap this season was only $2400 million.

How did Shark and Roger give back to the team? One publicly refused to return to the team, and the other did whatever he wanted on the training ground.

John Gabriel even wants to join Jerry Krause in the "General Managers Persecuted by Superstars Mutual Aid Group".

Gabriel felt that he and Klaus must have a lot in common.

The Magic are in a mess, but what about their opponents? What about the newly formed teams?
The opposite is true, as those teams have shown positive momentum during training camp.

Jordan and Ewing were like a model couple. They always appeared in public together, went to concerts together, and went to Atlanta for charity together. The only thing missing was them hugging each other's waists and kissing in front of the camera.

As for Larry Johnson, he voluntarily gave up his previous star status and was willing to be a blue-collar player beside Jordan and Ewing, and did not have any unpleasantness with them.

After Barkley went to Houston, he promised, "I want to be the rebounding champion." Yes, he said the rebounding champion, not the scoring champion. He was very clear that his position next season would only be the team's third player, and he quickly accepted this fact.

Dikembe Mutombo seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth in Salt Lake City. The Jazz were as low-key as ever, with no negative news coming out.

The only one who had some complaints about his new teammate was probably Alonzo Mourning: "That guy never showers after practice and goes straight to the nightclub. The girls he finds in the nightclub are probably the worst I've ever seen in my life. And then the next day in the practice game, he can continue to grab 15 to 20 rebounds for you. Dennis, really, he is the coolest player I have ever seen, hahahahaha."

But Mourning's words were more like praising Rodman for his strong personality than complaining.

In other words, the locker rooms of these teams that have undergone major lineup changes are actually more stable than those of the defending champions!

The season hasn't even started yet and the defending champions seem to be at a disadvantage in the competition.

The Sports Center program also talked about the Magic that night: "Sports Illustrated ranked the defending champions first in the battle power rankings. From the perspective of the pure paper lineup, yes, even if we lose Grant, we can still believe in Shark and Roger. But this year, Roger obviously has more difficulties to overcome."

However, Orlando fans finally received good news on the seventh day of training camp - O'Neal returned to the team.

Shark returns in board shorts and flip-flops and, predictably, with a belly bigger than Roger's pregnant pit bull next door.

He brought gifts for everyone, all of which were Olympic souvenirs.

Then he boasted about his various romantic encounters this summer.

Finally, he looked at Dominique Wilkins, who was unhappy and completely out of place in the locker room:

"Hey man, I know you must have wanted to leave, after all, my brother Roger has always been a stinky and hard rock. But now that I'm back, you know how happy the Orlando locker room is. My dad has always wanted your autograph, can you sign one for me later?"

O'Neal's return did ease the tense atmosphere in the locker room. Roger was a tough pressure-applying player, and Shark was the perfect seasoning to relieve the pressure.

If there is only Roger, the locker room will be too tight. If there is only Shark, the locker room will lack discipline.

When they are both there at the same time, the locker room ecology is the healthiest.

The whole world knows their role on the court, but it is easy to overlook their role in the locker room.

Roger kept letting O'Neal play freely until everyone else went to the training ground and they were the only two left in the locker room. Roger finally asked, "Shaq, why do you do this?"

"Ah? Don't worry, man. I definitely support you. Can't you see? My gesture of goodwill just now was just to ease his mood. If Dom really dares to go against you, I will definitely be the first to rush up and beat him up. I heard that European teams give him maids? Damn, NBA teams really should learn from their advanced team management culture."

"Stop that bullshit Shaq, you know that's not what I'm talking about, training camp's already started a week ago man."

"You didn't play in the Olympics, so you don't understand how tired I am. I just rested for an extra week, not that I won't come. Okay, Roger, stop nagging like those reporters. I'm here, right?"

"You can ask for leave first."

"Do you think that idiot John will grant me leave? Besides, why should I ask for leave? Just because they gave me a humiliating 6900 million contract in the first place? Fuck it, I will do whatever I want and I will not ask any instructions from the management."

Roger didn't want to talk to O'Neill about management matters, it would only make things more confusing: "Do you remember our agreement?"

"Of course, I remember not to go out and fool around the night before the game, and I'll abide by it. Hey, I really just want to get some more rest."

"That's good Shaq, I just wanted to make sure you were still hungry for that third championship."

"Of course I'm eager to do so!" O'Neal stared at his fist. In fact, he longed for more than just three consecutive championships.

O'Neal got through with Roger, but it was not so easy to get through with management.

O'Neal was fined $5000 for missing practice without reason. John Gabriel even wanted to suspend O'Neal for 10 games: "What does it matter? Last season has already proved that it doesn't matter whether Shaq is in the regular season or not."

But Brian Hill stopped this crazy behavior. This was his last bit of rationality: "As the head coach, I won't allow it. We will face many key opponents at the beginning of the season. We need to win these games to consolidate the players' confidence!"

But O'Neal didn't care about the team's lenient sentence. He said indifferently in front of reporters: "If you can pay to take a vacation, then I will hand John a check and let him take a half-season off first."

Well, as it stands, the Shark's return doesn't seem to be entirely good news.

The Magic seem to be getting more confused.

Before, it was just a conflict between players, but now, there is also a conflict between players and management.

For other teams, this was a great show.

It seemed like the defending champion didn't need to exert any effort at all and knocked himself down.

Time quickly came to the day when the preseason began. The Magic changed their dominance in the preseason in the previous two seasons and only achieved a record of 3 wins and 2 losses.

This result is not good, but it is not bad either.

However, people still saw some not-so-good signs from the Magic on the court.

Dominique Wilkins is willing to pass the ball, but he is still like a sleepwalker on the defensive end.

O'Neal complained about the management in front of the media every day. His mind was not on playing at all and he often made inexplicable mistakes.

Derek McKay, who is entering his 30s, has seriously declined in form. His mid-range shots are no longer reliable, and his free throw percentage is less than 60% in five games.

His defensive attitude is still there, but his speed is obviously not as fast as before. The front line formed by him and Dominique Wilkins has completely lost the style and toughness of the "double two defensive front line" in the previous two seasons. The Magic's wings are no longer so solid.

Every player starts to decline at a different time, and Derek McKay is undoubtedly one of the ones who declined earlier.

This is even more evident in the 34-year-old Michael Cage. During the rotation period, his rebounding and defense are no longer so stable. In the transition period, the Magic's interior defense level has obviously declined to a lower level.

The Magic have a lot of problems, which gives Houston fans hope of victory.

One of the opening games of this year is between the Rockets' Big Three and the Magic's duo.

Although the average age of the Big Three is already relatively old, they have shown excellent form in the preseason.

This is thanks to Barkley's sacrifice. On the defensive end, Barkley's rebounding rate ranks first in the Rockets and second best in his career. Although the score has decreased, the defensive efficiency is the second best in his career. More backcourt rebounding protection and more physical investment on the defensive end constitute the content of Barkley's efforts in the Rockets.

On offense, Feizhu reduced face-to-face attacks and made more mid-range and three-point jump shots, freeing up space under the basket for Olajuwon.

Although Feizhu has always regarded himself as arrogant, he was really willing to make concessions when he was with the Rockets.

Not only did he sacrifice data to change his playing style, in the original history, he also chose to take a pay cut without hesitation in order to allow the team to bring in Pippen.

Although reporters with ulterior motives would occasionally embarrass Barkley by asking him questions like "How does it feel to join a team that once beat you in the playoffs?", Barkley never avoided the question and only laughed at himself: "What can I do? If I can't beat them, I can only join them."

This is Barkley's current mentality. For the championship, he doesn't care about anything, even his face.

Charles Barkley has never been a true gentleman. He took the initiative to ask the Suns for a trade and became the "founder of a team". He often ignored training and diet, and opened his big mouth to stir up trouble everywhere. It can be said that as a professional player, Barkley has never been perfect.

However, he never hides his imperfections.

He could admit directly after losing to Jordan: "If there has to be someone I have to lose to, then Michael is the only person I am willing to lose to."

He can face up to his choice of "taking shortcuts" and resolve the embarrassment by using self-deprecating humor.

Instead of saying something like "I've never played for a super team."

This kind of mentality makes him willing to make sacrifices without any worries.

So, Feizhu is integrating into Rocket faster than people think.

Of course, Olajuwon also made concessions. He increased the proportion of his mid-range shots and occasionally created space for Feizhu to attack.

Drexler gave up the right to hold the ball and attack. He became more of an organizer, and most of his points came from assists from his teammates.

In short, the entire Rockets team played very unitedly. The Big Three did not quarrel over the distribution of the ball, but instead were humble to each other.

This makes the outside world extremely optimistic about the Rockets' performance this season.

In fact, the 96-97 Rockets were indeed not weak.

In the original history, they won 57 games in a single season - when Barkley only played more than 50 games and Drexler only played more than 60 games.

They finally defeated their nemesis, the Supersonics, but because the seven-game series with the Supersonics left the three old men out of breath, they lost to the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.

The Rockets' Big Three are well-organized, energetic and united, and are very powerful.

Roger didn't want to lose the opening game, and he didn't want to lose on championship ring presentation night.

But given the team's current disorganized state, the opening game will most likely become a night for the Rockets' Big Three to establish their prestige.

Roger decided to resolve all issues before the regular season began.

He refused to be anyone's background.

Two days before the start of the regular season, Roger invited Shark and Wilkins to his home.

Because tonight, NBA Commissioner David Stern will announce the list of the top 50 NBA superstars in the conference hall of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.

"This is our moment to celebrate, isn't it? We should watch David Stern call our names together and then have a drink together," Roger told Shark and Wilkins with a smile.

Although Roger and O'Neal are both very young, given their influence, most media feel that they can be selected into the top 50.

Needless to say, Dominique Wilkins, as one of the iconic figures in the NBA, is also likely to be selected.

O'Neill was of course very interested in this kind of thing, but Wilkins was a little surprised. He didn't expect Roger to invite him because they had not spoken more than five sentences to each other since the conflict broke out.

Wilkins wanted to wave his hand to refuse, but O'Neal put his arm around his shoulders and said, "Don't say no, Dom. Roger is right. This is our glorious moment."

Wilkins didn't like Roger, but had a good impression of the shark.

Seeing Shark's enthusiastic invitation, Movie Highlight nodded.

So, after training, the three of them took a car to Roger's house.

Roger took out a bottle of wine and poured it into a decanter, and also brought out a cake with a big "50" written on it.

The celebratory atmosphere instantly became intense.

"I have both wine and cake, but as for the beauty, I'm sorry, we can only try to appreciate each other's beauty tonight."

Wilkins smiled. He began to realize that Roger was not such a cruel warlord.

Movie Highlights and Shark sat on the couch, looking forward to the start of the live broadcast.

Roger did not sit with them, but sat alone on a single sofa, lit a cigar, crossed his legs and puffed out smoke.

The live broadcast began and David Stern began to read out the list of the top 50 superstars.

Every time a name is announced, a ten-second clip of that player’s game highlights will be inserted.

The order is read out one by one according to the positions of center, guard, and forward.

Unsurprisingly, among centers, O'Neal's name was called after Olajuwon.

O'Neal raised his hands happily: "We should have a drink for this great moment!"

"Don't worry Shaq," Roger waved his hand, holding a cigar in his mouth, "After our three names are called, we can raise a toast and cut the cake together."

When it came to the guard position, Roger's name appeared after George Gervin.

Roger seemed very calm, he knew he would be selected for sure, he had the confidence.

But while Roger was happy, Drexler must have been very depressed. Because of Roger's existence, Drexler was not selected into the top 50.

Finally, when it came time to move forward, Roger could clearly see the nervousness of Dominic Wilkins.

He held on to his pants the whole time, his eyes fixed on the subject.

Wilkins felt that he would definitely be selected. He had won the scoring title, scored a goal, and left countless wonderful shots.

But he was not confident enough because his best performance in the playoffs was only the divisional semifinals.

Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Larry Bird, Julius Irving, Scott Pippen, and James Worthy's names were called one after another, which meant that there were fewer and fewer opportunities left for Wilkins.

O'Neal patted the movie's highlight on the shoulder and said, "It's okay, Dom, you will definitely be selected. You are the greatest dunker."

Roger didn't say anything. He continued to smoke his cigar and watched Wilkins and the shark like a spectator.

A few minutes later, when David Stern read out Charles Barkley's name, Dominique Wilkins was shocked, as if he couldn't believe his eyes and ears.

Because Charles Barkley was the 50th name David Stern read out tonight.

Dominique Wilkins was not selected.

Wine and cake seemed redundant at this moment. Even O'Neal, who was good at livening up the atmosphere, didn't know what to say.

He gave Roger a look that said "Inviting Dom was the worst decision of the day!"
Wilkins also looked at Roger, as if he wanted to hear how Roger would comfort him. After all, he was the master of this game.

Roger crossed his legs, continued to smoke his cigar, and glanced at Wilkins and the shark with a condescending look.

"Look, Nadom, what a sad ending. It's a pity that you can't share the pie with us. Do you know why? I guess it's because you won too little. It turns out that those beautiful statistics and beautiful dunks that you thought were important are actually worthless.

So, don’t always act like a superstar. Even Scott Pippen, who has never led a team alone, is better than you!
Want to change all that? Go win, win a fucking championship, be part of a dynasty!

I know you are changing, just don’t tell me you are trying your best, because that would be like treating me like a fool and would make me very angry.”

After saying that, Roger turned his head to the shark again:

"Shaq, you're my brother, I love you and I'm so happy you're in the top 50.

But it won't be long, maybe tomorrow, someone will come out and say you are the worst of the top 50 stars except Scott, because your current performance is really unworthy, you have wasted too much energy on getting angry with the management, and your training is as lazy as a fucking 50-year-old man.

Keep going like this and you'll have a ridiculous season. The whole world wants to see us fail to defend our title and you're playing along and being a clown!
You can choose to continue playing the childish game of anger with John, or you can continue to conquer the world with me, and let the damn John hide in the dark corner and tremble and kneel down when the great giants under the spotlight are in the spotlight. The dynasty is on our hands, Shaq!

Don't you understand? There is nothing much in basketball. Winning is the only truth. Winning wins everything. "

After saying this, Roger finally leaned out of the smoke from the sofa and picked up the wine glass:

"I can't eat the cake by myself. Would you like to join my Victory Club and share the cake? Or do you want to smash the cake?"

Roger drank the wine in the glass, then cut the cake into three pieces. He leaned back on the sofa again, holding a cigar and waved his hand:

"We will play in two days, gentlemen, so you can decide for yourselves."

Roger's tone was blunt and he didn't sound like he was negotiating with them.

Roger was in the smoke, so Shark and Wilkins couldn't see his face clearly, and they felt distant from him.

But in the end, they all got their own piece of cake.

Wilkins has considered whether the championship is worth it.

The shark also figured out why he chose to stay.

None of them could refuse the offer of sharing the pie.
-
Magic basketball executive Pat Williams believes that Roger will lead the Magic to brilliant success. Although there are many difficulties, he believes that we are about to witness the birth of another great dynasty. - Orlando Waiting for Him News.

The Magic duo needs a win to prove that all the trades and signings this summer were in vain. - "Slam Dunk".

The conflict with Dom, the war between Shaq and the front office, the aging roster, the tougher opponents. Can Roger fix all these problems? We will find out soon. - Orlando Sentinel

(End of this chapter)