Champions Creed

Chapter 158 Chapter 157: The way of killing rookies is always at the forefront of the league (please give me a monthly ticket!)
There is often an insurmountable gap between fantasy and reality.

Every little girl has dreamed of becoming a princess when she was young, but if she really becomes a princess when she grows up, she will find that this profession is completely different from what she imagined.

Kobe fantasized about having a one-on-one duel with Roger, but after actually having the duel with Roger, he found that things were completely different from what he had imagined.

In Roger's defense, there were no beautiful goals, no exciting one-on-ones, and no satisfaction in defeating the strongest player in the world.

All Kobe left behind was the "humiliating" moment of three consecutive misses.

No matter how successful he becomes in the future, this will become an unavoidable shameful moment in his entire career, just like "Nick Young celebrated early but the ball missed" and "Stephen Curry made a tackle on an empty basket."

Many years later, when people look back on Kobe's career, the first thing they will think of is definitely the three misses he made in his first match against Roger.

After three consecutive misses, Del Harris decided to completely eliminate Kobe from the game.

He didn't intend to give Kobe even one minute of playing time.

He really couldn't stand a rookie making random shots continuously in a game.

Kobe is indeed very talented, but this kid also needs training!
Del Harris must not tolerate such indisciplined behavior!

Kobe, who has always been undisciplined, did not refute the head coach's "house arrest".

At this moment, he was surprisingly obedient.

He was only 18 years old, and even if he had the heart of an eagle, he needed some time to digest what had just happened.

He had never been so humiliated, nor had he ever been so defeated.

He has dominated on the basketball court since high school.

His reputation reached its peak after defeating Stackhouse. Everyone, whether the media, celebrities or fans, thought he would be the next Roger or MJ.

Even after entering the NBA, he played smoothly.

Just two days ago, he scored his first 20-point game in his career against the Kings.

Kobe didn't think it was that difficult. Scoring 20 points in the NBA seemed as easy as it was in high school.

He has always been praised, always won, and always been held in the palm of everyone's hand.

But tonight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he suffered the biggest setback in his basketball career.

It was almost fatal for an 18-year-old boy to be embarrassed in front of so many people.

He felt as if Roger had grabbed his throat with his hands. He couldn't even breathe, let alone play basketball.

Kobe is also a human being, and he also needs time to digest this huge sense of disappointment.

So the coach didn't let him play, and he chose to accept it silently. He really needed to take it easy on the bench.

Kobe and Roger's war came to an abrupt end.

The young No. 8 could only sit on the sidelines and watch Roger perform.

But... Kobe just felt that the war came to an abrupt end.

He is too naive.

In fact, it's not over yet.

As long as Roger is on the field, it will never be over.

Kobe would soon learn that.

In the subsequent games, it was still obvious that Roger was not in good shape today.

The fever did take its toll on Roger.

But even this Roger, who was running a fever and in poor form, performed better than most ordinary players.

He was still able to score despite the Lakers' weak perimeter defense.

Not long after Kobe left the court, Roger scored. In this offensive round, Roger faced Eddie Jones' defense and performed a genuine turnaround jump shot.

The basketball was shot a little short, but it still fell into the net after bouncing off the rim.

After scoring the goal, Roger looked at the pitiful Kobe and said, "Did you see that? Open your eyes and learn well, rookie!"

One round later, Roger quickly made up for the defense and blocked Van Exel's mid-range shot.

The basketball flew directly to the Lakers bench, and Roger approached the bench again: "This is called defense, not the soft touch you just gave me."

Del Harris knew Roger's character, and he would definitely continue to make sarcastic remarks about Kobe, even though Kobe was no longer on the court.

That's the kind of person he is!

"That's enough, Roger," Harris wanted to stop it. He didn't want to see a young genius fall because of psychological problems. "That's enough. The competition between you is over."

"End?" Roger laughed. "He decided the start, so I decide when it ends!"

The game continued, the Magic team was on offense, and Roger called Derek McKay out to cover for him.

But Roger did not go to the pick-and-roll side, but suddenly jumped up and shot. This was a completely fake screen, and Eddie Jones, who was responsible for defending Roger, was fooled.

Once again, Roger used the exact same offensive tactics as Kobe.

But the result was completely different. Roger's three-point shot went into the net steadily, making a pleasant sound: "Teach me Kobe, teach me how you missed such a simple shot?"

Roger did not stop his violence, and Dominique Wilkins on the side even began to feel a little sorry for Kobe.

He suddenly felt that Kobe did not deserve this.

He's still just a kid!

Roger demonstrated to Kobe the turnaround jump shot and fake pick-and-roll three-pointer that he had just failed to make.

Which action is next?
As expected, after a few rounds, Roger broke through to the middle distance, stopped suddenly, faked a shot, and then jumped up and shot.

In this shot, Roger's strength when jumping was not sufficient and his body was still a little weak.

But Roger adjusted the strength of his shot in the air in time, and the basketball finally flew into the basket.

The ball went in, and Roger turned his head to look at Kobe again.

"What right do you have to say that about Dom? Your highlights aren't even as good as his. You're not talking now? Del, why don't you let him play? If the kid doesn't go to college, he should at least get some other education, right?"

Roger even started to speak up for Dominic Wilkins.

Yes, Roger never considered the essence of movies as a friend.

But teammates are like your own children. You can complain and scold them as much as you want, but it is not the turn of outsiders to point fingers.

The camera captured these scenes and recorded Roger's atrocities.

In fact, fans who know Roger will not be surprised by such a scene.

Pence, Stackhouse, Pat Riley, and Peyton Rogers have countless victims of their brutality, and he has always been an abuser.

Kobe is just one of them.

Los Angeles fans just didn't expect Roger to treat Kobe like this. Don't he and Kobe have a very good relationship?
Isn’t Roger a good big brother to all high school rookies?
Why didn't Roger treat Kobe like he treated Garnett?

There is no reason, this is the diversity of personality.

Roger might become a different person when facing different people.

Roger couldn't stand up to the timid Garnett, but it was another matter facing Kobe who didn't know his position.

Roger didn't want to fall out with Kobe, but since Kobe wanted to compete, this was the consequence of competing with himself!

At this point, Kobe has also realized that this is the person he will face for many years to come.

This is the real Roger!
Just like that, accompanied by roars at the Lakers bench, Roger easily scored 17 points in the second half of the game.

During this period, Lakers fans thought countless times: How great it would be if Kobe didn't provoke Roger, then Roger wouldn't even play!
Roger's hit rate is not as high as before, and his speed is not as fast as before. But he still managed the Lakers' defense. Even a low-health Roger is still not something that a lottery team like the Lakers can limit.

In the end, because the score difference was too big and the game entered garbage time, Roger finally stopped the violence.

At the end of the game, the score was fixed at 104 to 87.

The Orlando Magic narrowly defeated the Lakers in Los Angeles, winning eight consecutive games and continuing their undefeated streak.

A distraught Kobe did not just leave when the game ended.

He walked out onto the field and gave Roger a hug.

"Do you feel my 38-degree sharpness? Do you regret letting me play?" Roger asked deliberately.

"To be honest, I regret it. But I will deal with you, sooner or later." Kobe was not discouraged and his eyes were still sharp.

"Yes, when I reach Michael Cooper's age, you will be able to handle me. Oh, not necessarily, after all, you will be 37 years old by then."

Well, the scariest thing about Roger is that he’s not actually that much older than Garnett and Kobe!
In other words, if Kobe wants to win, he cannot choose the method of "making Roger old".

By the time he outlives Roger, he will be old too. Roger is like Tim Duncan who is about to enter the league. In front of them, being the longest river is useless.

If Kobe wants to win, he must try to beat Roger at his peak!
Roger still refused to give in in the conversation and did not comfort Kobe. Just when everyone thought Kobe was going to punch Roger in the face, he took the initiative to make a joke.

"If I had invited you to dinner yesterday, would the result have been different?"

"That depends on what you treat me to."

"You can eat whatever you want, as long as you let me train with you next summer."

"you sure?"

"I'm sure I can adapt to any intensity of training." Kobe answered firmly.

"Well, I wish you all the best in your upcoming rookie season."

They both smiled, hugged each other, and went back to their homes.

This is Kobe, he is willing to absorb any essence, whether you are an enemy or not.

Wade said the coolest moment in his career was when the already successful Kobe called him during the finals and asked him how to break the Celtics' defense.

It's hard to imagine Roger calling Jordan one day to ask how to train or how to beat an opponent.

But this kind of thing will happen to Kobe, and that's the difference between Kobe and the other two.

Roger beat him badly and even humiliated him.

But he would not break up with Roger from then on.

He will only think about how to win it back next time.

He really believed that he could do it.

Regardless, Roger created another classic moment.

He had a fever of 38 degrees. Faced with the provocation of his junior, he, who was not supposed to play, stood up and kicked the man's butt hard.

He solidified his alliance and showed the world that he could be a good big brother or a complete jerk.

In an interview with reporters on the sidelines, Roger didn't say much: "There's nothing to say, it's just an ordinary victory. The Lakers and Kobe may have many possibilities in the future, but now they can only do this much. OK, I have to go back and measure my temperature to see if it continues to rise."

After the interview, Steve Jones looked at Roger's shooting distribution chart, smiled and shook his head: "Bill, remember last season? Jerry Stackhouse, who was also a rookie, made Roger unhappy. As a result, Roger used his left hand throughout the game, scored 42 points in three quarters, and tore Jerry into pitiful pieces."

"Of course I remember it. It was also a classic moment of embarrassment, similar to Kobe's today. But what does it have to do with this game?"

"Today, although Roger didn't use his left hand throughout the game, he didn't enter the three-second zone once. His 17 points in the second half were all scored by jump shots outside the restricted area!"

After hearing what Steve Jones said, Bill Walton took Roger's shot distribution chart and took a look: "What else can I say? This is Roger. This also explains why he chose to drift and shoot when he had a chance to post up. He simply didn't bother to use his body to deal with Kobe! When it comes to killing rookies, Roger's methods are always at the forefront of the league!"

The most pretentious thing about this matter is that Roger did not mention this himself. In the interview just now, he even said that this was an ordinary victory.
He had a fever, didn't enter the restricted area, didn't let Kobe's shot touch the basket once, and then scored 17 points in the first half. You call this mediocre?

Well, maybe this is the standard of superstars. In Roger's view, beating Kobe in any way is a mediocre thing.

As I said, people will find out whether you are awesome or not.

Bragging will only end up shooting yourself in the foot.
-
When everyone was amazed at Roger's 17 points in the first half without entering the penalty area, O'Neal, who scored 33 points and 14 rebounds, returned to the locker room early.

He didn't understand why he had made a greater contribution in this game.

But what happens after the game?

Everyone still gathered around Roger.

This is his current situation.

Not just the outside world, the entire team is revolving around Roger.

Look at that idiot Brian Hill, he's yelling at everybody and being demanding.

But he was submissive to Roger.

When Roger said he was going to go on stage, he didn't dare to say a word!
O'Neal quickly returned to the locker room to take a shower, then told assistant coach Spoelstra: "I will not attend the press conference tonight, and I will not take the team bus back to the hotel. I have plans next, please let me tell the coach."

After saying that, the shark left alone.

O'Neal drove to a restaurant where Jerry West was waiting for him.

The NBA does not have an explicit rule prohibiting players from having meals with other team management, and the regulations regarding illegal recruiting do not include a clause prohibiting players from having any contact with other team management personnel.

Zhang Shanyang, who would later become an NBA star, would have dinner with the management of each team every few days.

When he was in the Heat, he had dinner with the Cavaliers management, and when he was in the Cavaliers, he had dinner with Magic.

What's wrong with being popular?
Since O'Neal had a chat with Jerry West in the summer, he felt very relaxed talking to the old man. Therefore, he often talked to Logo on the phone this season and became friends.

They had already agreed to meet in Los Angeles tonight.

O'Neal didn't think much about anything else, he just came to see his friends.

The Sharks walked into the restaurant, and Jerry West stood up to greet them: "Shaq, I want to say you were great tonight. But you guys are a disgrace to the Lakers, damn it."

Facing Jerry West's self-deprecating praise, the Shark was not in high spirits: "I'm a little tired of it, Jerry."

"What? Someone would get tired of winning?"

"No, I'm tired of playing hard every night, but at the end of the day." The Shark didn't go on.

Because he realized that his thoughts were terrible.

Am I jealous of Roger?
Am I jealous of the spotlight and privilege he has?
why?
He is my good brother.

Shouldn't I be happy for him?
But I got 33 points and 14 rebounds tonight, but the media wouldn't even mention my name!
And things like this have been happening all this season!

Roger defeated the Rockets Big Three.

Roger taught Kobe a lesson.

Roger is going to have the ultimate showdown with Jordan.

What about Shaq?
Where is Shaq?

When did I suddenly disappear from the dynasty story?

This is totally unfair!

The shark's mind was confused, and Logo observed it all silently without saying much.

It is really despicable to say "The Los Angeles Lakers are always open to you" at this time. He believes that he will not get the respect of the Sharks if he takes advantage of others' misfortune.

And, at this point, Logo felt that he didn't need to say anything, the shark would swim to the west coast on its own.

In the end, Logo even counseled O'Neal: "Your parents, this league, and the media, how do you want them to see you? A fool who does stupid things, or a championship-level player? You'd better make a choice. Focus on the championship, Shaq, now is not the time to think about these things."

O'Neill forced a smile: "You remind me of 'Sir.'

"Sir?"

“My father, myself and the kids in the community all called him Sir when we were little.”

After dinner, Logo and O'Neal did not leave the restaurant together to avoid suspicion.

Logo wanted to go home directly, but suddenly remembered that he left something in the office.

So he went back to the Great Western Forum. It was already early in the morning and there was not a single star in the night sky.

After Logo returned to the office to get his things, he heard the sound of the ball bouncing in the gym.

Curious, he walked through the player tunnel and found Kobe practicing shooting frantically by himself.

He throws the ball, picks it up himself, dribbles to the next spot, and then continues shooting.

Moreover, the three points where he shot were exactly the three points where he missed today.

Kobe's training vest was completely wet. God knows if he had been training here non-stop since the game.

Logo wanted to walk into the stadium, but after hesitating for a while, he stepped back.

Let's not disturb this moment.

If this guy can really achieve something in the future, he will definitely tell the media what happened today.

If the kid and Shaq do work together, what can they create for the Lakers?

Logo couldn't help but smile.

Maybe Roger is not the answer for this era.

At least, it’s not the only answer! ——
If Roger is a cool Lamborghini, then Kobe is a kid's electric car in a Lamborghini shell. In fact, I think the gap between them is even bigger than that. They shouldn't be put on the same track at all. - Orlando Beacon News

Why didn't he enter the restricted area? Roger's answer was: I don't want to bully a rookie with my feverish body, that's too unskilled. - Los Angeles Herald.

There is no doubt that Kobe is an excellent young player, but he still has a long way to go. He has to learn a very important point: basketball is not only about scoring to win. ——Del Harris in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

We still don't know why Shaq and Jerry were in the same restaurant after the game. Although they left the restaurant one after another, they were still photographed by reporters. Considering that Shaq has a player option next summer, I don't think they are just a simple gathering of friends. Is this suspected of illegal recruitment? Perhaps only the league can give us the answer. - Los Angeles World Journal.

(End of this chapter)