Champions Creed

Chapter 161 Chapter 160: Basketball, sometimes it’s not that complicated (ask for a monthly ticket!)

"No team can escape the championship curse. How many more FMVP trophies is Shaq willing to watch Roger win? How many more years is Roger willing to put up with Shaq's childish temper?

After your fingers touch the trophy, the physical and mental fatigue will make your legs heavy and your desires magnified. After tasting the champion's wine, how many people are willing to live like an ascetic? There is no eternal champion. "

In last season's finals, after the Supersonics were swept 4-0, George Karl said the following in an interview in the locker room to predict the future of the Magic.

In just half a year, his prediction seems to have come true.

Some things are indeed predictable.

When a talent like O'Neal can only play second fiddle to Roger, you know danger is approaching the Magic.

When the 24-year-old Lakers coach JJ Redick said he wanted James to play more off the ball, you knew danger would be approaching him.

At this point, it seems that no team can escape the championship curse, and George Karl can now open a bottle of wine to celebrate the collapse of his enemies.

After today's training, everyone on the Magic team was interviewed by reporters, and no one avoided the tough questions.

This was beyond the expectations of all reporters.

When the news of Shark's relationship with the Lakers first broke out, all the Magic players chose to respond by refusing to answer questions.

But now, facing a bigger crisis, the Magic players are not hiding anymore.

However, the reporters did not dig out anything too explosive from the Magic players.

All they knew was that a conflict did break out between Roger and O'Neal, but that it was resolved properly.

This painless ending is not what the reporters want.

In the expectation of the reporters, Roger, who beat up Pippen and Jordan in his rookie season, should at least leave something in O'Neal's body, right? Isn't this Roger's style?
However, although no violent conflict broke out, reporters still noticed some changes in Shark and Roger.

During the interview, neither of them mentioned each other. They didn't say good things about each other as usual, but they didn't say bad things about each other either.

They were like two strangers. When reporters asked Roger questions about O'Neal, Roger would refuse to answer: "Go ask him yourself."

When reporters asked O'Neal about Roger, he received a similar response: "I don't know anything about Roger. Ask him yourself."

The relationship between the two has become quite cold, which is precisely the best evidence of the breakdown of their relationship!
But at least on the surface, Roger and Shark did not allow the conflict to escalate.

You know, in order to grab a woman, the Dallas 3J has already started to not pass the ball to each other on the court and insult each other's personality in front of the media. The consequence of this is that anyone with a discerning eye can see that the 3J will soon disintegrate because they are unwilling to be like-minded and unwilling to conquer a copy together.

But Roger and O'Neal haven't quarreled as fiercely as the Dallas 3J. Does this mean that the Magic will not fall apart? Does it mean that O'Neal and Roger can temporarily put aside their personal grudges for the sake of victory?
Whether O'Neal will leave and whether the Magic still have a chance to win three consecutive championships have become the hottest topics recently.

However, Orlando fans soon learned a rather frustrating news: O'Neal announced that he would take leave from the team for personal reasons, and his return date is yet to be determined.

There is generally only one possibility in this situation - O'Neal will be traded!

Many players will ask for leave before being traded because they are no longer necessary to play for this team.

O'Neal still didn't say a word about his sudden leave. The whole team was very angry about this. O'Neal simply had no team spirit at all!
But Roger told everyone: "I allowed him to take leave. He needs a few days to adjust, and he promised that he would come back."

After this incident, Roger also talked with team owner Rich DeVos.

DeVos agreed that Roger has the final say in the locker room this season.

DeVos now has only one request - as long as they can win three consecutive championships and hang up the plaque of the dynasty team, Roger can do whatever he wants!
He gave Roger the largest contract in NBA history. Some media have calculated that if the money Roger received was converted into one-dollar bills, a line 19494.5 kilometers long could be drawn, enough to circle half the earth!

Since he got so much money, he will be responsible for achieving the three consecutive championships!

O'Neal's leave is a locker room matter, so as long as Roger agrees, the management has no right to interfere.

Roger calmed down his teammates' dissatisfaction, but in fact, Roger himself didn't know whether O'Neal would come back.

After all this happened, even if O'Neal wanted to leave, Roger would fully understand. After all, O'Neal didn't let him take less money before he left, and he didn't say anything like "I won't leave if I get the FMVP", so they didn't owe each other anything.

As the king who built a dynasty, Roger had no time to dwell on his past with the Sharks.

After the "Bloody Vote" incident, Roger's burden actually became heavier.

Because the whole team has expressed their willingness to follow him, and he must not let down those who believe in him.

He had to endure the pain, bandage his wounds, take the people who were willing to follow him, and continue this journey from which there was no turning back.

During the time when O'Neal was away, Roger led the team to a record of 4 wins and 1 loss.

This is great. During the Shark injury last season, Roger actually proved that he has the ability to lead the team alone.

But everyone in Orlando knows that Shaq is still needed for the upcoming Christmas game!
The combination of Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing is indeed powerful, and they are waiting in New York to dismember Roger.

On Christmas Eve, the 24th, Roger and the team arrived in the Big Apple.

On the team bus, Roger recalled the first time he and Shark came to New York and watched the Saint Laurent spring show. That time was really...
Suddenly, Roger felt ridiculous.

Thinking of the Yves Saint Laurent spring fashion show, the first thing that flashed through Roger's mind was not Yasmine Gary, the first woman he had after becoming a professional player, nor those beautiful models, but Shaq's fat face.

This is ridiculous!
How could I be so inhuman?

Shaking his head, Roger didn't think much about it.

Now is not the time to reminisce about the good old days.

I never want to remember that idiot again, never again!
The team bus arrived at the hotel and Roger was surrounded by reporters as soon as he got off the bus.

All around, fans held up signs and chants of “Fuck Roger” nearly shattered the hotel glass.

The security personnel tried their best but could not clear a wide path for Roger.

Reporters extended microphones over the security line to Roger: "Roger, did Shaq say when he would return? What if Shaq doesn't come back?"

"Whether he's there or not, we're going to fight to the end."

"Michael said the Knicks will beat the Magic again and again. What do you think?"

"Oh, I wasn't the one who got swept 8-0 in that single season."

Roger's response was still tough, but this time, New York fans just thought he was just talking tough.

The Magic's 21 wins and 3 losses are already exaggerated enough, but the Knicks actually won one more game than the Magic, and now have 22 wins and 2 losses. How can the Magic beat the New York Knicks like this? If you want to perform magic well, you have to have a good assistant. You have to hire some beautiful and sexy girls to be your assistants, so that the audience's attention will be focused on the girls, not on your magic props.

But now, O'Neal doesn't want to be the assistant anymore, so how can Roger perform magic?
On the eve of the game, bored Roger was watching TV in the hotel.

On TV, ESPN interviewed many celebrities and asked them about their views on the Christmas game.

Spike Lee smiled and said, "Shouldn't the suspense now be how many points the Knicks can beat the Magic by?"

Fred Klein, the longest-tenured season ticket holder in the history of the New York Knicks and owner of a delicatessen chain who even postponed his wedding to watch the Knicks game, was grinning from ear to ear: "All of New York believes that this will be a particularly meaningful Christmas Eve. Years from now, people will recall that this Christmas Eve is the beginning of a great dynasty."

Randy Archibald, editor-in-chief of the sports department of The New York Times, also declared: "In the past few years, I have reported countless tragedies about New York basketball. Starting tomorrow, all the tragedies that happened to the Knicks will be immediately reported back to the people of Orlando! Tomorrow will be a historic night for the New York Knicks!"

This is the atmosphere right now, the whole of New York is treating Christmas tomorrow as a celebration rather than a competition.

New Yorkers hate Roger so much. Even though Roger has only played two series against the Knicks, these two series are enough to make him the most hated NBA player in New York.

They have not forgotten Roger's classic "putting failure into Pat Riley's mouth" in the 94 playoffs, nor have they forgotten that O'Neal and Roger almost broke up the Knicks in the 95 playoffs.

The two sides have a blood feud, so Roger's suffering is the happiness of Knicks fans.

Roger and the Shark's success was established in Madison Square Garden, and similarly, their collapse will also begin in Madison Square Garden!
The next day, at noon, there were already crowds of people around Madison Square Garden.

New York fans gathered outside this holy place known as the "Basketball Mecca", holding up various signs, singing to each other, insulting Roger, and wandering the streets.

No one would be more satisfied than NBA Commissioner David Stern. The popularity of this game proved that his efforts were not in vain.

Michael Jordan, the Knicks, Roger, Magic, these names are enough to constitute everything great.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Magic team prepared to leave the hotel and go directly to Madison Square Garden.

Any later, the traffic pressure near the stadium will be very heavy.

When the bus was about to depart, O'Neal still hadn't returned to the team.

Roger no longer thought about those things. Even if he had to face Jordan and Ewing alone, Roger would not take a step back.

Just when everyone got on the bus and was ready to leave, a stylish Hummer off-road vehicle drove to the hotel entrance.

Under the astonished gazes of reporters and on-site staff, the tall Shaquille O'Neal got out of the car and then got directly on the Magic team bus!
He chose to return to the team at the last moment before the team set off!
From the Hummer to the team bus, O'Neal's simple steps killed countless rolls of film in the hands of reporters.

It's ironic that before O'Neal and Roger fell out, they hadn't been in the spotlight for a long time.

Not only the reporters were surprised, but even the Magic players were surprised.

Everyone originally thought that the next time they heard O'Neal's name, they would hear the news that he was traded.

No one expected that the shark would come back at the most critical moment.

Of course, no one spoke to O'Neal, and O'Neal didn't speak to anyone else.

He found a seat in a corner and sat down, putting on headphones.

In such an atmosphere, the Magic bus drove to the base camp of the most terrifying team this season.

Will they live or die? Will they collapse completely or rebuild? No one knows.

Before the game started, Magic Johnson and Bob Costa, who were in charge of commentary, talked about the Shark's last-minute return to the team.

"What's the use? The relationship between Roger and Shaq has been broken. Even if Shaq plays, he and Roger will make the game worse and worse like Dallas 3J. To be honest, if Dallas 3J weren't too weird, the relationship between Roger and Shaq would be the biggest joke in the sports world. They call each other brothers and support each other, but what's the result?" Bob Costa doesn't think O'Neal's return can change anything.

But the magician has a different opinion. If there is anyone in the world who knows best how to win the championship with a partner he doesn't like, it must be the magician.

The relationship between him and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was even more unpleasant than that between Roger and Shark.

But when it comes to competitive sports, as long as you have enough physical strength, many things don’t matter at all!
"You can't say that, Bob. Looking back at Roger and O'Neal's criticisms of each other, they never accused each other of not being able to play basketball or making mistakes on the basketball court. Their problems were never about personal strength! In other words, in terms of personal strength, they are convinced of each other. So, don't underestimate this most terrifying duo in history. As long as they want to win, they have the ability to kill all opponents."

"You are exaggerating, buddy. The whole world knows that they are no longer capable of fighting."

Magic looked at Roger and O'Neal, who were not talking to each other but were actively warming up: "You don't understand, Bob. You don't understand. Basketball is not that complicated sometimes."

At this time, Michael Jordan and his New York Knicks came on the scene.

Jordan chewed gum, raised his head slightly, walked to the half court where the Magic were warming up, and shook hands with Roger.

Being friendly? No, no, no, he was here to see Roger's joke.

"It's been tough lately, huh?"

"It's not that difficult."

"Yeah, it just means the team is basically finished."

"I'm still standing here, Michael. Unlike you, you've already run off to New York. Chicago is the end of you."

"You're going to enjoy this night, bastard!"

"Of course, you always make me very happy."

After saying that, Roger glanced at O'Neill.

The shark watched all this silently, but did not say anything, just continued to warm up.

Roger didn't know what O'Neal did during the days he took leave, but there was no news about him eating, drinking and having fun.

So he believed that the shark was probably just staying at home to calm down.

After everything he'd been through, it really took him a few days to recover.

But he must still want to play well, otherwise he wouldn't come back today.

In any case, as long as O'Neal is still willing to play well, even if they are not friends, Roger and him can burst out with tremendous fighting power.

On and off the court don't necessarily have to be tied together. As long as you are strong enough, basketball is sometimes not that complicated.

Is Madison Square Garden Magic's burial place?
No, Roger has always been good at creating bad memories for New York fans here!
(End of this chapter)