Champions Creed

Chapter 184 183: Blood, I haven’t drunk enough (ask for monthly ticket!)
Once again, Roger dances on his opponent's grave.

Climb to the top of the world in the opponent's home court.

Jumping onto the technical table is Roger's signature celebration.

After jumping onto the technical table, the height difference between him and other players will give Roger a sense of dominance.

He enjoyed this moment and the expressions of frustration, pain and fear on the opposing fans' faces in the stands.

He enjoyed the feeling of opening his arms and having countless colorful confetti fall down at the same time, as if he were in a dream theater and he was the only protagonist.

Karl Malone left directly after the game and swore that he would never shake hands or hug Roger in his life.

After all, he not only lost the game, but also lost his dignity. After this round of series, he became the league's number one softie.

Jerry Sloan sat on the bench expressionlessly, looking at the beautiful streamers and the wildly celebrating Magic players, and sighed secretly.

John Stockton did not shake hands with the Magic players as he was helped into the locker room by his teammates after the game.

After being hit by Roger's elbow, the pain in his ribs has not eased. The team doctor has reason to believe that Stockton may have a fractured rib.

Of course, the worst one was Hornacek.

He watched his baby daughter walk onto the court after the game and give Roger a hug.

Roger picked her up, put a championship cap on her, and took a photo in front of the camera: "Tell your dad that he is an excellent player."

Is this a photo shoot? No, this is Hornacek's death!

The leaky black cotton jacket made Hornacek feel cold.

This is worse than losing the game.

This round of the finals was extremely cruel for everyone on the Jazz.

They finally made it past the Western Conference Finals and into the dream destination of the Finals.

But I found that I was so far behind.

However, which team that has reached the finals in the past three years is not like this?
In 94, the Rockets suffered a 1-4 sweep, and in 95, the Supersonics fought hard but failed to win a single game in the finals.

In three finals, the Magic lost only two games.

This is the dominance of the Magic dynasty.

Steve Jones said a cruel but realistic thing: "The best teams in the West during the same period were no match for Shaq and Roger. They were just consumables for the two to build a dynasty."

From this moment on, Roger and Shark will be ranked among the greatest duos in history.

They will forever leave an indelible mark in history.

On the court, the Magic players began to celebrate wildly.

There is no scene crazier than this. Even the scene in the sixth episode of the fourth season of "The Boys" where Homelander was sprayed with milk in the face was not as crazier as this scene.

After the game, Dominique Wilkins took off his vest and ran around the court three times. At that moment, his physical energy seemed to be unlimited.

Ron Harper came out of the locker room with a set of wine glasses. He had been salivating over the fine wine next to the bench.

Brian Hill knelt on the ground with his hands pointing to the sky.

Saroo couldn't stop crying and couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

Derek McKay lay in the middle of the field, covering his face and crying.

Michael Cage chased his teammates with a whole bucket of Gatorade and splashed it on them.

O'Neal held a cigar in his mouth and put on a ball cap. Although he had been "unhappy" for a season, he still grinned at this moment.

The Magic players may have remembered the fire burning in the conference room at this time, so let's make it burn even more fiercely!

The reactions of the Magic and the Jazz after the game fully demonstrated that people's joys and sorrows are not the same.

Most of the Magic players didn't rush to drink the wine in the decanter, but attended the award ceremony first.

To prevent anyone from getting drunk and talking nonsense on the stage.

But this year's awards ceremony was slightly different from the previous two. When Magic owner Rich DeVos and general manager John Gabriel walked onto the stage, no player shook hands or hugged them.

The differentiation between the two groups is visible to the naked eye.

In the eyes of the players, it was these two men in suits that brought the team's fate to an end.

That's why they won't shake hands with the two men who broke up the team.

DeVos and Gabriel seemed to have anticipated this situation and therefore remained basically calm.

Who cares what these players think?
They just need to pay attention to the Magic's financial report this year.

Everything is business.

At the award ceremony, David Stern thanked the losers as usual, claiming that without them there would not be such a wonderful finals.

Of course, this is a lie.

Because in the past three years, the finals have not been very exciting.

To be honest, the three most exciting series for the Magic in the past three years were the 95 Eastern Conference semifinals vs. the Knicks, the 96 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Bulls and the 97 Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Knicks.

Even Jordan could only appear twice, because the Bulls were swept in the 95 Eastern Conference Finals, and there was really nothing exciting about it.

The Finals have never been the highlight of the Magic's dynasty.

However, such a result is also a symbol of the Magic's absolute dominance.

After David Stern's nonsense speech, he finally handed the championship trophy to Rich DeVos.

This is a successful model for a small market, and Stern is satisfied with the result.

This was also the most embarrassing moment in the NBA championship award ceremony, because after DeVos raised the trophy, no players around him responded.

He was like a big fool, holding up the trophy by himself and no one cared.

In the locker room, no one thought the championship had anything to do with DeVos.

How can a person who tries to tear down the team be qualified to hold up the trophy that everyone fought so hard for?
Harper's legs were almost broken.

Wilkins had to use oxygen for every game in Salt Lake City.

Michael Cage was covered in wounds.

Saroo undergoes electrotherapy before every game.

Even the most excluded shark paid the price with his health.

What about Rich DeVos?

You're sitting in the office with the air conditioner on, your girlfriend in your arms, counting money, and yet you want to come and steal the fruits of victory?

Go to hell!

Of course, DeVos doesn’t think so.

Does this championship have nothing to do with me? Of course it does.

He believed that he had spent the most realistic and important thing - money.

If he hadn't generously given Roger the biggest contract in history at $1.2 million, and if he hadn't generously renewed Shark's contract at $2000 million a year, would you rubbish be worthy of winning the championship? My contribution is the greatest!

Look, this is the root cause of the irreconcilability between labor and management.

This contradiction is just like the contradiction of "If you code, what should I code?" and there is no solution.

DeVos didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the TV, so he quickly handed the championship trophy to the players.

The championship celebration truly begins at this moment.

When Roger took the trophy, every player gathered towards the trophy and placed their hands on it.

Everyone who received the trophy shed two lines of tears.

If you are bored enough to do a statistics, this is definitely the time when the most people shed tears after the Magic won their three consecutive championships.

After all, everyone knows that this will be the last championship they win together.

This was their most glorious moment, but also the end of their glory.

After the Magic players lifted the trophy, Steve Jones and Marvin Albert inevitably talked about Roger's historical status.

When talking about Roger's historical status, we have to mention the most special player in the 90s, and also the most special player in Roger's career, Michael Jordan. After completing three consecutive championships in 93, American media reporters and commentators have said countless times that Jordan is the first person in history. When Chicago erected a statue of Jordan in 93, the slogan below was: Unprecedented.

Jordan's three consecutive championships have established his god-like status, although his total number of championships did not exceed that of Magic Johnson, let alone Bill Russell's 11 championships.

But in modern basketball, his achievements of three consecutive championships + 7 scoring titles + 3 MVPs + three consecutive FMVPs, as well as his unparalleled personal performance, still put Jordan in the discussion of the best in history.

His seven scoring titles tied Chamberlain for first place in history, his three regular season MVPs tied Bird and Magic, and his three consecutive championships were the only one since The Lord of the Rings. His 1993 points per game in the 41 Finals is an unprecedented record.

At this time, the 97 FMVP has not yet been announced, and Jordan is still the only person in NBA history to win three consecutive FMVPs.

Many NBA legends also recognize Jordan's status as the best player.

Willis Reed, the No. 1 player in the history of the New York Knicks, commented on Jordan: "I think it's okay to say that Michael is the best. Bill Russell won all the championships, you can't deny that. But if you only talk about the game itself, you have to say that Michael is the best. This guy can win countless scoring titles, but he is also one of the best defensive players in history, that's it."

Bob Cousy, a teammate of the King of the Rings, also praised Jordan: "Michael's talent is above everyone else. Bill is the most efficient center I have ever seen. He makes up for everything our team needs. But you can still say that his shooting is not good. But what about Michael? You can't find any shortcomings in him."

Therefore, the fact that Roger was able to win the championship for three consecutive years by stepping on the man recognized by most people as the number one player is a great boost to his historical status.

Although Roger also abused Jordan in the previous two years, he has fewer championships than Jordan and does not have enough personal honors, so Jordan's diehard fans can boldly say that Roger is not even close to the top ten in history.

But now, as Roger has won his third championship at the age of less than 22, tying Jordan. He won the MVP this season and has been the scoring champion for two consecutive years. Roger's historical status has risen.

He has already shown a quality that, given enough time, he will definitely surpass Michael Jordan.

Of course, this is not the end.

After all, there has never been such a rapid replacement of top players in history.

When Bird and Magic became popular, Russell and Chamberlain had already retired for a long time.

When Jordan became popular, Magic and Bird were already at the end of their careers. In addition, Jordan was also suppressed by Magic and Bird in the early stages of his career.

Roger's rise was so fast that he did not experience the process of being "suppressed by Jordan" and simply overturned the table.

It is still difficult for people to accept the arrival of another era so quickly.

Therefore, the argument about Roger's historical status and whether he can surpass Jordan will inevitably last for a long time.

No player can maintain his so-called historical status in just four years. If Roger wants to truly become a Mount Rushmore-level player, he needs to go through long-term competition.

However, as long as Roger can maintain this momentum and work hard to gain titles and reputation instead of relying on media hype to crown himself, the end of the dispute is only a matter of time.

Now, he has gained a very good reputation.

"I think Roger is the best player alive today. He stepped on Michael to get to this point. As for the No. 1 in history, Roger still has a lot of time to create." This is Marvin Albert's opinion.

"Roger is undoubtedly one of the top five players in history. He just lacks some honors, which is not a problem for Roger, who is only 22 years old. Don't forget, this year's Finals MVP has not yet been announced. If he can become another player after Michael to win three consecutive FMVPs, his historical status will continue to climb." Steve Jones is looking forward to the FMVP award.

This is undoubtedly the aspect that O'Neal is most concerned about.

Because the Jazz's defense was extremely extreme in this year's finals, Roger and Shark's finals scoring data were the worst in three years.

鲨鱼场均22分11.6个篮板2.2次助攻0.4次抢断和2.0次盖帽。

罗杰场均30分7.2次助攻4.2个篮板2.6次抢断和1.6次盖帽。

Compared with the previous two years' finals, the Sharks' statistics have declined in almost all aspects.

Although Roger's points decreased, his assists were 7.2 times, the highest in the three finals.

The Shark admitted that his scoring data was not as good as Roger's. He also wanted to improve his scoring data in G1, but failed. As a result, he only scored 17 points in the whole game. That game seriously lowered his average score.

But this is at least an average of 22+11 per game.

And Shark believes that his contribution and Roger's are almost equal.

The Magic are a dual-core team, and Roger has won the FMVP for two years. It should be my turn this time, right?
Scott Pippen couldn't take the FMVP away from Jordan because the gap between his contribution and Jordan's was indeed too big.

93年总决赛皮蓬场均21分9.2个篮板7.7次助攻已经够厉害了，但架不住乔丹场均居然还比他高了20分！
But when the gap is not too big, such as in 88, James Worthy was able to take the FMVP from Magic Johnson.

Magic's stats in the finals that year were not bad, averaging 21+13 per game.

But the media believed that Worthy's contribution to the game was no less than that of Magic, so they gave him the FMVP.

This is how sharks see themselves.

This time, those damn media should remember themselves.

David Stern also knew that the whole world was waiting for this, so he didn't waste any more words.

"No matter what standard you use, this guy is the undisputed MVP. He can put up great individual numbers and also motivate his teammates and influence the team in the locker room. He is already a perfect leader at a young age. Let us congratulate him, Roger!"

His teammates pushed Roger forward, and Shark realized that all the members of the Magic team had gathered behind Roger, waiting to push him the moment Stern announced the result.

And behind him? No one.

O'Neal immediately felt ridiculous, but fortunately, he would no longer associate with this group of ridiculous people.

Well, now he can finally carry out his next plan - tear Roger into pieces and take back his honor!

Roger took the trophy and became the second player after Michael Jordan to win three consecutive Finals MVPs. Now, no one can laugh at Roger's personal honors, as he has surpassed many famous people.

In the 90s, Roger and Jordan shared six Finals MVPs, which is a remarkable achievement. Moreover, this number is likely to rise.

David Stern smiled happily. It turned out that his decision to let the entertainment department follow the Magic to make a documentary at the beginning of the season was the right one.

Michael Jordan was once the face of the league, but that's in the past.

Now, the league needs a new face.

It would be best if this person could also assist his global development strategy.

So, why not help give Roger a push from behind?

For this next documentary, Stern will definitely produce and promote it to the highest standards.

Edit out all the parts that are not good for Roger and show the charming parts of him.

This is not a documentary, exactly.

This is a promotional video for the new generation of NBA faces!
Roger, who received the FMVP trophy, took the microphone and shrugged: "The only regret is that I have never won the championship at home. But there is no way, my strength really does not allow me to do so!"

This is Roger, the rebellious 18-year-old boy who has made it to where he is today. The league did not give him a beating from an adult to make him lose his original edge, but he beat the entire league severely.

Therefore, he will continue to laugh arrogantly to the end.

After the award ceremony, the magicians walked to the decanter and drank the wine directly from their cups.

Under Roger's "storytelling marketing", the scene of everyone drinking the blood of their opponents became the most unique scenery in the history of NBA championship night.

Shark and Roger also walked over to the glass container and scooped a glass of wine each.

The documentary photographer from NBA Entertainment immediately went over to film the scene. Everyone knew that this might be the final conversation between the strongest duo.

Shark took a sip, savored it slowly, and finally smiled innocently: "The wine is really good."

This was probably the most peaceful tone O'Neal and Roger had spoken to each other since their falling out.

"Of course it's good. I only use the best grapes to make this wine. Enjoy this dynasty feast, Shaq." Roger shook his wine glass and answered in the same calm tone.

They seemed to have let go of their hatred and became friends who could chat calmly again.

Are the two about to have a great reconciliation? If it were put in a documentary, it would undoubtedly be a very interesting story.

But then, the plot took a turn.

"Your idea of ​​champion blood and dynasty feast is quite good. You know, agent, I can't wait to drown you in your champion blood." Shark said the coldest and most ruthless words in the softest words.

Moreover, his name is Agent Roger, which is taken from Roger's other less popular nickname, Agent Zero.

He didn't want to call Roger by the nickname he had given him anymore.

He is no longer his truth.

Roger's expression did not change. He still kept smiling and shook his glass: "Blood, I haven't had enough of it yet, Shark."

Even the photographers in charge of the shooting could feel the biting cold.

These two guys who just won the championship still have no signs of losing their murderous aura.

This is not some grand reconciliation of the century.

This is an advance preview of another battle of the century!

(End of this chapter)