Champions Creed

Chapter 190 189: The Supreme God of One and Only (ask for monthly ticket!)

It is very difficult to change the mind of an old-school coach.

Lenny Wilkens entered the league in 60 and began to be both a coach and a player in 69, thus beginning his coaching career.

You can't get more old school than a guy who's been playing professional basketball since the '60s.

Lenny Wilkens' only championship as a coach came in 1979.

However, the finals in 78 and 79 had very little presence, because the finals for those two consecutive years were the Supersonics vs. the Bullets, which was a rare occurrence in the history of the NBA Finals as there were no superstars involved in the finals for two consecutive years.

The only memorable thing about the finals in the past two years was that after the 78 finals, a CBS reporter asked Wes Unseld, the Bullets player who won the Finals MVP and a car, the worst and most stupid question in the history of sports journalism: "Wes, can I borrow your new car and commit suicide in it?"

Apart from this stupid interview, almost everything else about these two finals has been forgotten.

For example, people simply can't remember why the Supersonics, after losing in 78, were able to defeat the Bullets in 79, and the victory was 4-1.

But Lenny Wilkens remembered all the details. The key point for him leading the Supersonics to defeat the Bullets in 79 was that the team's 211-centimeter Illinois giant Jack Sikma grew up in the 78-79 season.

In the 79 Finals, he averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 blocks and 14.8 rebounds per game.

In comparison, in the 78 Finals, he averaged only 13.7 points, 0.7 blocks and 8 rebounds per game.

Only when the inside line has defensive pillars and rebounds are guaranteed can the team be invincible.

Once a person achieves success once, he will take that successful experience as the standard of success and become complacent about it.

Haven’t you seen that even A Jiao has transformed into a life coach and talked about his success experiences?
And in Lenny Wilkens's criteria for success, big players are essential.

This is why Lenny Wilkens in the original history needed the mountains of Africa.

In his concept, defense must be based on the inside.

Without a good inside line, it is impossible to build a good defense.

Without good defense, it is impossible to become a strong team.

The configuration of two offensive guards + one defensive center forward is Wilkens' favorite.

Such a lineup can do a lot in positional warfare, both on offense and defense.

But Roger's train of thought interrupted the habit he had developed since 1969.

No center forward?
Still not fighting a positional war?

Wake up, there is no magician in Atlanta!
Lenny Wilkens knew what Roger wanted to do. Today's Seattle Supersonics use the method of stockpiling forwards, relying on mobility to make up for the lack of height, making opponents struggle in the muddy double-teaming and rotation.

In their best year, the Sonics' defense ranked second in the league.

It has to be said that this is indeed a team-building idea, but what is the result of this team building? The result is that the SuperSonics entered the finals but could not win a single game.

It was Roger and the Shark who destroyed them themselves.

It turns out that this defensive approach is unlikely to achieve ultimate success.

Lenny Wilkens didn't know whether he should be happy or sad. He was fortunate to coach a superstar, but this superstar seemed to be far from his ideas.

But Pete Babcock didn't have time to wait for them to argue about which type of basketball was right.

The number of people in the transfer market is decreasing every day, so be quick.

Those who love music and often take music classes know that if you go too late, the good teachers will have been picked up by others.

According to Roger's needs, Babcock narrowed his recruitment targets to a smaller range, that is, to find a forward who can play multiple positions and loves defense.

This summer, the player who best meets this requirement is "Rain Man" Kemp.

But that's not something the Eagles can get in exchange.

Pete Babcock has to find some more cost-effective players.

He first wanted to get Clifford Robinson, who played for the Trail Blazers last season. The best sixth man in the 92-93 season and an All-Star reserve in the 93-94 season, was a 208-cm forward who could play three frontcourt positions. He had a good shooting range that could extend beyond the three-point line and had a positive defensive attitude.

It stands to reason that a player with this kind of resume wouldn't be cheap, and the Hawks simply can't afford it with their current salary structure.

But Clifford Robinson's market this year is like that of fuel cars in 2024, it collapsed directly.

What happened to Clifford Robinson this summer fully demonstrates how important it is to improve stats in a contract year.

Last season, the 31-year-old Clifford Robinson's statistics plummeted. Although there are many reasons for this, such as the addition of Rasheed Wallace and Kenny Anderson, which squeezed his shooting times and tactical position.

But in any case, the fact is that the data has plummeted.

In addition, he is already 31 years old, and it is generally believed that this is a sign that he is beginning to decline and his condition will get worse in the future.

As a result, no one was interested in him in the free agent market.

The teams were unwilling to give him the contract he wanted.

The teams willing to give him a contract don't offer high prices.

The only team interested in Clifford Robinson was the Phoenix Suns, but they only wanted Robinson to sign a one-year, $100 million contract to test the waters.

What it means is: If your condition is good, we will renew your contract.

Clifford Robinson was very hesitant. He was already 31 years old, and what he needed most now was the guarantee of a long-term contract.

A one-year contract is really not suitable for him.

If he doesn't play well next season, his income may continue to decline given his age.

At this time, Pete Babcock came to the door.

The Hawks don't have the salary cap space to sign Robinson, and can't even afford $100 million.

However, he proposed a plan: a low-price sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers, so that Clifford Robinson can keep his bird rights. Although Robinson gets less this season, the Hawks will use the bird rights to renew Clifford Robinson's contract next season, giving him a contract of at least four years, which will allow him to play until he is 36 years old.

"The captain never skimps on anybody who's done a good job for the team," Babcock told Robinson.

The choice is Robinson's. If he signs with the Suns as a free agent and loses his Bird rights, although he can get a 100 million contract, he will be in a passive position in contract renewal negotiations regardless of his performance next season.

If the Bird rights are retained and the team is signed and then traded to the Hawks, the upper limit of the contract extension can be higher.

After weighing the pros and cons, he accepted the Eagles' sign-and-trade offer. He must fight for a higher ceiling for his retirement contract.

So Clifford Robinson renewed his contract with the Trail Blazers with an annual salary of $80, and the Hawks traded Robinson to Atlanta with Eldridge Recasner, a shooter with a 41.4-point shooting percentage of % last season, and Anthony Miller.

Many media outlets gave the deal an A rating.

No matter how his stats and status drop, Clifford Robinson still had 15+4+3 last season. The Hawks were able to get him for $80, even though it was only for one year, but it was no different from getting him for free.

But then Pete Babcock made another deal that was rated only C.

He sent this year's No. 27 pick Ed Gray and veteran blue-collar Chuckie Brown to the Mavericks in exchange for Kurt Thomas, who played only 18 games last season due to injury.

The Mavericks want to scratch the lottery ticket of Ed Gray, who averaged 24.8 points, 2.2 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game for the UC Berkeley Golden Bears last season and was the Pac- Player of the Year.

It was only because he was too short for the No. 190 position at cm that he fell to the end of the first round.

As for Kurt Thomas, his performance in college was explosive, averaging 29+14 in his senior season.

But after entering the NBA, Kurt Thomas, who is only 206 cm tall, lost his magic. He played center in college, but his height is too short to play power forward in the NBA, let alone center. So he struggled in the past two seasons.

So the Mavericks decisively gave up Thomas and got the Ed Gray scratch-off ticket.

The media was not optimistic about the deal, and people also noticed something:
"The Hawks have signed two swingmen who are less than 210 cm tall. With Alan Henderson already on their roster, they already have three swingmen. What about the center? There is no player taller than 210 cm on the current Atlanta Hawks roster!"

The good news is that Pete Babcock finally brought in a player with height advantage after two trades.

The bad news is that this guy only has a height advantage at the number one position.

The Hawks traded Greg Anderson, a veteran extra, and a 98 second-round pick to the Seattle SuperSonics for Eric Snow.

With a height of 191 cm and a weight of 93 kg, he looks like a tank at the number one position.

But beyond his height and weight, Eric Snow lacks talent.

He is an old pedantic point guard whose playing style is so boring that it can make people sleep. His playing style is roughly like this: dribbling to the frontcourt, observing the movement of teammates, thinking, passing, and occasionally breaking into the inside for a civilian layup. Jump shot? His free throw shooting percentage in his rookie season was only 50%, and it was only 71% last season.

That was his game, foolproof but dull.

In the words of his high school coach: "Eric is so mature, he is like another coach on the field, he always makes sure the team is going in the right direction."

90% of the reason why Snow can gain a foothold in the NBA is because of his defense. His height and weight allow him to defend both the first and second positions. He makes up for his lack of talent with fierce confrontation and positive defensive attitude. He will keep a straight face throughout the game and stick to you like a ghost.

Finally, Pete Babcock signed Bruce Bowen, who had played in Europe for many years, and then traded for Ben Wallace, who no one knew who he was. Then he stopped his moves in the transfer market and disappeared.

Currently, the Hawks have gathered Roger, Pippen, Steve Smith, Alan Henderson, Kurt Thomas, Eric Snow, Bruce Bowen, Clifford Robinson and Ben Wallace.

This is undoubtedly a major change. The Eagles' main rotation last season now only has Steve Smith and Alan Henderson.

The current Hawks are completely different from the Hawks that failed to make the playoffs last season.

On paper, Roger believes this is already a good nine-man main rotation lineup.

Although the players introduced are different, the players selected by the Eagles have some common features - cheap, able to play multiple positions. The most important common point is that they are all players who are extremely willing to defend and have a tough style.

This graceful team, which ranked second in the league in three-point shots last season, instantly turned into a terrifying iron army wearing black armor.

I don’t know if the Eagles will play well next season, but they will definitely be dark and hard.

The style of the entire team has undergone a 180-degree change.

Lenny Wilkens looked at the Giants' main rotation without any players and felt a little amused.

Okay, he can tolerate Kurt Thomas, but what the hell is Ben Wallace?

Last season, this kid played center for the Washington Bullets and was said to be 206 cm tall.

But... forget it. Based on Lenny Wilkens' experience, the kid is at most 203 cm tall, and this is the boldest guess!
What is this? NBA Atlanta Dwarf Country? Does that bastard Pete Babcock have a dwarfism fetish?
However, Kenny Wilkens did not give up.

If you don't have the right to choose the lineup, then make the best use of the current lineup.

Isn’t this the job of the head coach?
He has already started working on building an offensive and defensive system for this new Hawks team. In any case, at least he now has a superstar.

He is still full of expectations for next season.

The same is true for the fans, who are all looking forward to next season.

This time, Roger had no sharks or a championship team around him.

How far can he lead the Eagles?
This has become the biggest suspense for next season.

After the team's lineup was almost set up, it was already August.

During this period, Roger has been training with Garnett, Kobe, and Andre Patterson, keeping a low profile.

But even so, Roger's popularity has shown no signs of declining since the trade.

Because while Roger was training, the original historical "Jordan's Legacy" remake movie "Play Like Truth" he filmed last summer was also released this summer.

The movie's box office performance was very good. Compared to "Space Jam" which played basketball with cartoon characters, this movie's creative approach of directly sending children into the NBA made many child fans clamor for their parents to take them to see the movie.

This means that you have to buy at least two movie tickets for each viewing.

Regardless of whether adults like to watch it or not, you still have to buy tickets to go in and accompany your children, right?

As the box office was booming, Roger's sneaker sales also steadily increased.

Because of the influence of the movie, many children dream of owning a pair of Roger's basketball shoes and look forward to magical things happening to them.

This cooperation is a win-win situation for Reebok, Roger and Universal Pictures.

Under the influence of the movie and the three consecutive championships, by the summer of 1997, Roger's name and portrait were flying all over the streets.

In addition to movies, he also appears in various advertisements. He is the god of Atlanta, or it can be said that he is the most famous basketball player on the planet.

So where was the previous most famous basketball player in the world?

Michael Jordan's influence has suffered a fatal blow, which was particularly evident this summer.

Roger's three consecutive championships, Roger's transfer, Roger's movie, the Atlanta Hawks' signings, all of these occupied the front page headlines of the news.

There is less and less attention paid to Michael Jordan.

For Jordan, this was the worst possible outcome.

Once you fail, all people will remember for a short time is how you looked when you failed.

In the past, Jordan was a god high above.

But now, criticism of Jordan is starting to grow, criticism of that trade is starting to grow.

This king who was used to ruling everything had failed for three consecutive years. This super idol who was always held in the palm of the hand by the whole world was now being neglected.

The cruelest thing for Jordan was that the basketball world that originally belonged to him was snatched away by Roger!
This is different from 93, when Jordan voluntarily withdrew, leaving behind an unsurpassed figure.

But now, he was knocked to the ground and looked at the referee counting ten seconds in embarrassment.

Jordan's competitive spirit made him want to continue fighting, but his declining influence and commercial value tied his hands and feet.

The media is good at portraying Michael Jordan as a basketball fanatic who only cares about winning or losing, but the real Jordan is definitely not that simple-minded.

He is competitive, but he also has to consider many other things.

The business empire he had spent so much effort to build must not collapse.

Michael Jordan was very conflicted.

Both Nike and Falk advised Jordan to retire, but Ewing hoped that Jordan would stay and continue playing.

Jordan sat on the balcony of the villa, playing with his cigar cutter and thinking.

Suddenly, Juanita heard a scream.

When she arrived, Jordan's pants were covered in blood.

Juanita was shocked at the time: "He actually cut himself?"

In the evening, David Falk rushed to the hospital in New York.

In the hospital ward, he saw Jordan with his finger bandaged: "Michael, you are dead!?"

Jordan's mouth twitched: "I just cut my finger!"

"Huh? Didn't Juanita say on the phone..."

On the side, Juanita smiled sheepishly.

When she saw Jordan's bloody crotch at the scene, she was really scared, so she called Falk to inform him of the wrong information.

"How about it?"

"No bones were broken."

"That's good."

"But severed the tendon in my right index finger."

Falk, who had been feeling relaxed, raised his head in astonishment. He didn't know much about sports medicine, but after being in the NBA for so many years, he knew that if the injury involved the word "tendon", it would generally not end well.

"How bad?"

"Don't worry, it won't be amputated. But from now on, your right index finger will never be able to bend."

Jordan looked at his legendary right hand, the right hand that created billions, and smiled bitterly.

It was like a sign from God.

"David."

"Ok?"

"Inform the Knicks that I will not return next season. In a few days, help me hold a press conference."

"伱"

"It's time to end this. I'm fucking tired."

A week later, Jordan, Falk, Juanita and David Stern attended a press conference together in New York.

This was Michael Jordan's first public appearance since losing in the Eastern Conference Finals.

All news television stations across the United States are broadcasting the press conference live at this time.

Jordan didn't exchange pleasantries with the reporters; he got straight to the point.

"It's hard to give up something you love in your life. My love for basketball is so strong that it's not easy to decide to give it up. But in the rest of my life, I hope to spend more time with my family. I have failed them for many years. I want to return to my family, and now is the best time for me to leave basketball.

I think the game itself is far more important than Michael Jordan. And going forward, the NBA as a league will continue to move forward with or without me.

Thanks to David Stern for giving me the opportunity to play basketball. Thanks to Kareem, Jerry, Dr. J and other superstars for their inspiration.

Thank you Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

I have had a fantastic career thanks to everyone who has supported me, thank you all.”

After saying that, Jordan wiped away his tears.

His tears were not because of reluctance.

But because of unwillingness!

This would actually be my ending!

In the audience, a reporter immediately asked: "Michael, will you come back this time?"

"It's 99.99% I won't play in the NBA again, but it's important to never say never."

"Michael, is your retirement related to your consecutive losses to Roger?"

Jordan looked at the reporter who asked the question, and a huge sense of frustration ran through his body.

Is it relevant?
Are you saying it’s related?
This was directly caused by Roger!
But what can Jordan say? Admit that he was beaten into retirement by Roger?

He had a complicated expression, he seemed very angry but trying to control himself.

Finally, Jordan leaned into the microphone and said, "This is my personal decision."

But the reporter didn't intend to let him go.

"Then let's change the question. Do you think Roger can become the best player in history?"

“He hasn’t done enough!”

After saying this, Jordan's uninjured hand clenched into a fist.

Because he knew that no matter how he denied it, it would be useless.

His era was completely ended by Roger!
Roger, the only opponent that Michael Jordan failed to defeat. ——"Slam Dunk".

Although Michael vehemently denied it, the whole world knew that Roger had completely eliminated Michael. For Michael and his team, they could not afford the risk of losing again. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the cruel professional basketball. - The New York Times

Michael Jordan, one of the greatest players of the 90s, ended his career with humiliating results. - USA Today.

Can we say that if Roger had succeeded in Atlanta, he would be the greatest player of this era? The one without a second choice. - Atlanta Policeman.

Michael is going to return to his family? Well, this is the worst excuse, just like "I just went to sing", and I don't think many people really believe this excuse. Not only Michael, Nike is now declining with the naked eye. Roger ended Michael's basketball empire, he defeated the last greatest player, and is about to become the greatest player of the moment. - Sports Illustrated.

The war between Roger and Michael is over, with Roger's complete victory. He killed a god, and joined the ranks of gods, standing on the top of Mount Olympus. But this is not Roger's final destination. He does not want to be on an equal footing with other gods, he needs to surpass them. Believe me, he will eventually become the supreme god in the basketball world. The great Michael is just one of those great names that have been destroyed. ——The beginning of the trailer for Roger's documentary "Conquest".

(End of this chapter)