Champions Creed

Chapter 155 Chapter 154: Roger's must-do activities every season (ask for monthly tickets!)
The Orlando Magic defeated their first opponent of the new season.

After the interview, Barkley and Roger met in the player tunnel.

Barkley greeted Roger generously, and then he realized that Roger was wearing the championship ring he had just received.

Feizhu asked Roger if he could see it. Roger agreed and took off his championship ring and handed it to Feizhu.

This scene was captured by reporters, and the expressions of the two were exactly like the 2024 "Do you want the FMVP trophy, Tutu" emoticon package.

Feizhu is extremely eager for a ring, and he may still fantasize about winning a championship this year. But after just one game, public opinion is no longer on the Rockets' side.

Not to mention that the Magic beat the Rockets by 10 points in the first game, the New York Knicks also performed incredibly well in the opening game.

It will be really difficult for the aging Rockets to win the championship against these two teams.

The Knicks' opponent tonight is last season's Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics.

The result was shocking. The Knicks defeated their opponent in just three quarters, or two and a half quarters to be exact. Halfway through the third quarter, the Knicks were already leading by more than 20 points.

Ewing and Jordan are like a tornado that leveled everything, just like they did in 1984.

The Zen Master brought the triangle offense and baseline defensive trap to New York, and they are still as powerful as ever.

Even stronger.

During his time with the Bulls, Jordan never worked with great inside players, and rim protection has always been the Bulls' weakness.

But now, the team does not need to invest too much manpower to protect the basket. Just one gorilla is enough to achieve a strong rim protection effect.

This means that the Knicks can more unscrupulously double-team and strangle the team from the outside.

Previously in the Bulls, Jordan and Pippen had to share the task of protecting the rim, just like Wade and James during the Heat's Big Three era.

But now Jordan doesn't need to do that, he just needs to focus on dealing with outside players.

After the game, "Auntie" Larry Johnson never thought that playing in the NBA was so easy. The opponent was the Western Conference champion, but he felt like he was playing in the Olympics: "As long as we play our own basketball and wait for the buzzer to sound, we will win."

Spike Lee, a die-hard Knicks fan, even said in an interview: "I think the New York Knicks can win 82 games in the regular season and repeat 82 nights like this."

The world is talking about topics like "What sparks will the Magic vs. Knicks create?", but the answer will not be revealed until Christmas.

This is the cleverness of David Stern, who deliberately avoided the encounter between New York and Orlando before the Christmas game.

This year's Christmas War is destined to create a new ratings record again!
In fact, Stern has already started promoting it.

Almost two months in advance, he was promoting the Christmas War!

Sufficient resources must be invested in this epic war.

Because this game is equivalent to the "Muhammad Ali VS Joe Frazier" in the basketball world, it will be a historic battle that will go viral.

In this NBA 50th anniversary season, such a big battle is really needed.

Jordan, Roger, Madison Square Garden. It's hard to imagine how much profit such a combination can bring.

The problem is that the Knicks and Magic must maintain the fans' expectations.

How do you maintain your anticipation? By winning.

If one of the Magic and the Knicks has a poor record, fans will no longer look forward to that game.

Because in competitive sports, only the confrontation between the strong ones attracts the most attention.

Just like now, the topic of Knicks vs. Rockets is no longer popular because the Rockets lost to the Magic, which makes fans feel that the Big Three are not that powerful.

But it turned out that David Stern's worries were completely unnecessary.

In the 10 days since the start of the new NBA season, the Magic and the Knicks are the only two teams that have not lost a game.

The Knicks defeated the SuperSonics, 76ers, Celtics, Heat and Pistons.

The Magic defeated the Rockets, Pacers, Cavaliers, SuperSonics and Warriors.

As the game progressed, as the Magic and the Knicks continued to slaughter other teams, the debate about "who will win the championship between the Magic and the Knicks" never stopped, and this is exactly what David Stern wanted.

The 96-97 season will surely push the NBA to a new height!
But that wasn't Roger's concern, he only cared about his three consecutive championships.

After the first game, Roger's "Victory Club" was officially formed.

Victory makes everyone voluntarily follow the rules.

O'Neal no longer argues with management.

Dominique Wilkins works hard in both training and competition.

The recent series of victories also seem to prove that the team is still the same.

No, it's not exactly the same, there are some changes.

After defeating the Warriors, Roger teased the Shark who scored 46 points: "Come on, Shaq, you are only 8 points away from my highest score record."

In the past, O'Neal would probably have spanked Roger with his shoe, or laughed and called Roger a bastard at a press conference.

But this time, O'Neal just smiled and said: "I know you are good."

Roger didn't know how to describe this feeling. He found that there seemed to be something wrong between him and the shark.

The problem is not on the basketball court, they still cooperate well and they still sweep away the opponents.

The problem lies beyond the basketball court.

Roger didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that the shark was much colder towards him.

No more joking around, no more intimate greetings.

The day before yesterday, Roger suggested going to the movies together in the evening, but Shark refused. In the past, Shark would never refuse such an offer of eating, drinking and having fun.

Of course, the two will still talk to each other and still call each other brothers.

However, it is like wearing sports protective gear while exercising. No matter what brand of ultra-thin protective gear you wear, you can still feel a vague gap.

The shark got up and went to take a shower. Roger curled his lips and didn't think about it any further.

Maybe it's my own illusion.

After all, what reason would a shark have to hate itself?

He got a big contract for Shark and made him a championship center during his time with the Magic.

Maybe the Sharks never changed, they just became more focused and mature.

Roger felt that he knew the shark well enough, but the shark was definitely not someone like Penny.

In the sixth game of the season, the Magic faced an interesting opponent - the Chicago Bulls.

In terms of strength, the current Chicago Bulls are like an old and ugly woman. They have long lost the collagen in their bodies and have lost their appeal.

Since the start of the season, the Chicago Bulls have 3 wins and 2 losses. It's not a complete collapse, but the whole world knows that they have changed.

How high can the ceiling be for a team supported by Kukoc and Pippen?

The strength gap between the Magic and the Bulls is already very large, but considering the personal grudges between Roger and Pippen, and the personal grudges between Roger and the Bulls, this game is full of stories.

On the day of the game, Roger came to Chicago again.

Where his career began.

At the time, people were not satisfied with Roger's performance of merely leading the Chicago Bulls to the finals.

The result? Who would have thought that this would be the best result the Chicago Bulls had in recent years.

Now, Chicago fans are talking about Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady, and they are looking forward to the arrival of the next savior.

But once upon a time, they had a savior of their own.

In the eyes of many people, the Chicago Bulls have become a bad team, but Scott Pippen is unwilling to accept such a fate.

He is the boss of the team and he wants to prove that he can survive without Jordan.

He wouldn't say something stupid like "our goal is still the championship," but he felt he could at least drag the team into the playoffs.

It's not only to prove himself, but also to make that bastard Jerry Krause's plan fail!
He doesn't need to tank, he doesn't need rookies.

He just needs some strong teammates, and let that bastard Klaus get him some decent teammates!

However, he was the only one who recognized this. The whole world could see that Scott Pippen was not suitable to be a leader.

Just the day before yesterday after losing to the Jazz, Pippen flew into a rage at a press conference: "I don't understand why we have to play badly. I can lead this team well! Damn, give me eight teammates who want to win, it's that simple!"

In other words, he attributed all the problems of losing to his teammates.

But in fact, Pippen himself made 15 of 5 shots and scored only 17 points in the game against the Jazz.

Pippen felt unwilling to accept the result. He had given so much to the Bulls, but the Bulls were unwilling to give him a chance.

As soon as Jordan left, the whole team was thinking about rebuilding.

Today, Pippen continued to go crazy on a local radio station in Chicago: "I will prove that I am qualified to lead the team. We may not win against the Magic, but I will prevent Roger from getting 25 points!"

Roger found that he liked Pippen more and more. That guy's sense of humor was seriously underestimated.

On the day of the game, before the fight began, Roger hugged Kukoc as usual.

This season, Kukoc has been given more opportunities and shots, averaging 18.8 points, 7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, with his statistics soaring.

"Congratulations, brother. You have squeezed out Michael Jordan with your strength and achieved what I failed to accomplish."

"Ha ha ha, that's not funny at all, man!"

"Don't be angry, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

"If you can't get 25 points, are you still in the mood to treat me to a meal?"

Roger looked past Kukoc to Pippen: "That's not happening, man."

Admittedly, the battle with Pippen was not easy.

Pippen was like a mad dog today. He did nothing but bite Roger.

One thing you can't deny is that Scott Pippen is always passionate on the defensive end.

This was true even at the end of his career. He would never use age as an excuse to be the lone hero who stayed behind in half the court.

Roger's shooting percentage was once very low, and it was not until the third quarter when he finally recovered.

But another problem arises - the game is about to enter garbage time.

Midway through the third quarter, the Magic were already leading by 18 points.

Generally speaking, it is time to call it a day after winning by about 25 points.

Roger is just stupid. He doesn't know the importance of traveling during off-peak hours. His playing time almost completely overlaps with Pippen, and he's always colliding with the toughest player on the opposite side.

If there was only a slight mistake, Roger would have already scored 25 points without even having to sweat.

Pippen's defense was still tight and was not affected by the score difference. However, after Roger regained his touch in the third quarter, he still made a lot of difficult jump shots.

Finally, in the tenth minute of the third quarter, Roger scored 24 points.

The Bulls also fell behind by 23 points.

The Magic attacked, and Roger opened up to execute Pippen.

Looking at No. 33 who looked like he refused to admit defeat, Roger felt a little sympathetic towards this bastard.

"Scott, I have to make one thing clear, I didn't do it to Larsa."

"roll!"

"You can just refuse to play, why bother?"

"Fuck, I'm going to kill you!"

There are so many stories about Pippen that Roger can come up with a lot of trash talk material without having to use his brain to think.

This is a man full of memes.

However, Roger's trash talk did not upset Pippen. Pippen was still motivated. In fact, after Jordan left the Bulls, Pippen's fighting spirit was even higher than before.

He was too eager to prove himself.

Roger took a step forward and tried to make a quick stop jump shot, but this overly simple attack did not defeat Pippen's defense. Pippen did not attack when Roger broke through, as that was too risky. He waited for the moment when Roger passed the ball, and suddenly attacked and cut the ball off.

This is Pippen's elite defense, he is indeed not useless.

But embarrassingly, Pippen's defense ultimately failed.

As he cut away and prepared to go for the out-of-control ball, Roger stepped sideways and knocked Pippen away.

This is why Roger has insisted on gaining weight over the years, because in basketball, the ability to compete can help you gain an advantage in any scenario.

No matter how accurate your shooting is, it will be useless when defending.

No matter how good you are at stealing, there are only a few opportunities in a game to completely steal the ball.

As for things like speed and explosive power, they are something you are born with or without, and it is difficult to achieve qualitative changes through acquired training.

Only in confrontation can you achieve greater improvement through acquired efforts. And, you are playing a role all the time on the court.

If Roger still had the stick-like figure when he first entered the league, he would definitely not be able to defeat Pippen in the confrontation and would definitely not be able to grab the ball.

But the 98-kilogram Roger was able to push Pippen away, pick up the basketball, and then turn around and shoot without making any adjustments.

Pippen reacted quickly and blocked the ball immediately. In this round, Pippen first made Roger drop the ball, and then interfered in time. His defensive performance was completely worthy of 100 points.

But the scariest thing about super scorers is that 100 points of defense is still not enough for them.

brush.

The basketball still went into the net despite the tight defense. Scott Pippen threw away all his weight because he tried so hard to jump, so he fell forward after landing. His mental activity could be accurately described in one word: Damn, there is no way!
How else could he defend? He let Roger lose the ball, he got in Roger's face, but Roger still scored his 26th point of the game and extended the lead to 25 points.

After this goal, Roger made Pippen a laughing stock again.

But this time, Roger did not mock Pippen.

In other words, the sarcasm is of a more advanced level.

He bent down, walked up to Pippen, and held out his hand: "Seriously, Scott, do you miss being my teammate? At least you could still play in the Finals back then."

Roger stretched out his hand to pull Pippen, which was a king's mercy to a loser, and it was the greatest insult to the loser.

This means that Roger no longer regards Pippen as an opponent. In Roger's eyes, Pippen is just a pitiful person.

In the summer of 1993, Jordan retired, and Pippen thought his time had finally come. What happened? The team picked No. 14. He just wanted to show off his boss style, but he encountered an iron fist from the East in the locker room.

In the summer of 1994, No. 14 was taken away. Pippen thought he had avenged himself and could teach Jordan a lesson to the young No. 14 and show him who was the boss. But what happened? Jordan was beaten up twice!

Looking back now, Scott Pippen's attempt to be Roger's big brother was simply clownish behavior.

He had no idea how big the gap was between himself and Roger.

Whether Pippen is willing to admit it or not, Roger does have the capital to sympathize with him.

"Pah!" Pippen certainly wouldn't pull Roger's hand up. He rejected this mercy and slapped Roger's hand away: "You know what, Roger? I would rather rot in the dirt in Chicago than be your teammate for another second!"

"Fate is a strange thing, Scott."

"Go away!"

Roger enjoyed Pippen's frustrated expression. Scott Pippen was almost a must-play item for Roger every season and he never got tired of it.

Roger will not let go of all these remnants of the Bulls.

It’s a pity that I can’t play him and Jordan at the same time this season and experience the joy of playing with three people.

Roger did not play in the subsequent games, and Pippen was also replaced after scoring 26 points in the fifth minute of the fourth quarter. The Chicago Bulls lost 84-107 and have 3 wins and 3 losses this season.

At the post-game press conference, Pippen was treated like a star player because all the reporters were targeting him.

"Scott, what do you think of your and Roger's performance today?"

"We performed similarly. I tied him because we both scored 26 points. I still say that I have the ability to lead a team. I can do what Roger can do, as long as I have 8 teammates who want to win!"

"But you said before that you would limit Roger's score to no more than 25 points."

"Did I say that?"

The reporters all wanted to applaud. Has Pippen become so shameless?

"Scott, if you were given the choice again, would you rather be teammates with Roger or with Michael?"

"I won't be teammates with any of them, they're all complete assholes!" Pippen originally wanted to say "I won't choose between two pieces of shit," but after thinking about it, he used a more euphemistic statement.

"What if I had to choose one?"

Scott Pippen said almost the same thing as Steve Smith: "There are no ifs. If there is one thing that is certain in my career, it is that this will never happen!"

Teammates with Roger? Indeed, it seemed impossible for this to happen.

Roger only teased Pippen during the game and didn't really think about being teammates with him again.

But no matter how powerful Roger is, he can only control the present.

No one can control the future.
-
Kevin Garnett, who has performed well this season, is seeking an early contract extension worth over 94 million. The salary of NBA players has increased several times in just a few years. Who dares to believe that the highest salary in the league was only 95 million in the 730- season? Will the Timberwolves agree to renew the contract? - Minneapolis Star

The league intends to add luxury tax rules to the next labor agreement. How much impact will this have on the league? In any case, the labor negotiations in 1998 look like they will become quite difficult. - "NBA Time and Space".

Although it is too early, I really want to know where Scott Pippen will go after his contract expires in the summer of 1998, because we can no longer see any possibility of him and the Bulls continuing to work together, and he will definitely leave the city where he has been for more than a decade. - Chicago Sun-Times

The defending champions have won six straight games, and the New York Knicks just won their sixth game. So, what will happen if we put these two teams together for a game? This may be the first time in many years that fans are so excited about Christmas. - "Slam Dunk".

Why should we rule out the possibility of Roger and Scott being teammates again? As long as Scott wants to win the championship, he has the chance to be teammates with Roger. If Scott and Roger are teammates again, there will definitely be many interesting stories. In that case, we can also know the answer to an unsolved mystery: whether Roger did it or not about Larsa. - "Florida Record"

Many media outlets believe that if they lose again this season, it will be the end of Michael Jordan's career. Roger has already forced Jordan out of Chicago, will he completely force the previous generation's overlord out of the league? Is it true that Michael couldn't even win a championship during Roger's era? All the suspense of this season lies in these two teams. -- USA Today.

(End of this chapter)