Champions Creed

Chapter 193 192: This is the fun of playing with Roger (ask for monthly tickets!)
October 10st is a day worth celebrating for Los Angeles fans.

When they saw Shaquille O'Neal madly attacking the basket during warm-up, and the basketball stand shook for more than ten seconds before it stabilized again, they all firmly believed that another glorious era for Los Angeles had arrived.

The visual impact of O'Neal's playing is indeed quite strong.

And this destructive power will give teammates and fans confidence.

If you just take a look at the comments on various basketball forums in 2024, you will know how much of a bonus visual impact can bring to a player.

"I've never seen a center who can compare to Shark. It's amazing."

"I watched a lot of basketball in those years. Even peak Duncan couldn't compare to peak Shaq."

"He's faster than a guard, can jump past the basket, can dribble with his back to the basket and shake off Jordan, and his strength is unmatched. O'Neal looks like a character from a 2K game."

If you are a young fan and see these comments, you will definitely have a lot of doubts.

If that’s the case, then why did Olajuwon shave O’Neal’s head in the finals?
If that's the case, then why did O'Neal never beat Duncan in the playoffs? Was it because he didn't want to? Was it because he was very considerate and gave all the performance opportunities to Kobe, his younger brother? Then he is really a good leader.

There is no way, people are visual animals. People who are good-looking are more likely to win favor, and the same goes for people who play basketball well.

The people of Los Angeles were a little too confident in their new savior.

At this time, the Eagles also arrived at the Great Western Forum.

Roger really didn't like coming here to play because the Great Western Forum was so old.

The locker room is crowded, cramped and uncomfortably furnished.

This home court is really not suitable for a top team like the Lakers.

However, this stadium is never short of popularity.

As soon as he got off the team bus, Roger was surrounded by reporters.

"Roger, is it true that Steve Smith requested a trade?"

"What do you think of the team's trade rumors?"

"Are you and Steve okay?"

Roger did not answer these questions. As always, he did not like to make the conflicts in the locker room public.

Unless things get completely out of control.

What's more, this problem has been solved.

Steve Smith did request a trade, and Pete Babcock is Roger's man, so there is no way he would not inform Roger about this.

So yesterday, Roger spoke to Steve Smith for the first time.

"If you think it's personal, you're more stupid than I thought. Everything I did was just to get the team on track faster. Facts have proved that our efforts have paid off and we are the best team in the pre-season.

Of course, I don't expect you to understand this, after all, you have never played winning basketball.

You may have your own standards for training, but I also have mine. As the leader of this team, I hope you will follow my standards.

After all, by your standards you can't even make the playoffs, let alone the championship.

It's your kind of 'friendship' that prevents the team from even making the playoffs.

What am I here for? I'm here to change this!

So if you don’t do well, you will be scolded. If you can’t make a shot under my defense, you deserve to be criticized.

If you are really unhappy, then when you have the ability to beat me on the training ground, you can also criticize me. Basketball is fair.

It's your freedom to leave or not, Steve. Let me tell you the truth. I hope you stay, but I won't stop you from leaving.

Just before you go I have to make it clear that it's not personal, don't think of me as such a petty person, that's all."

After this conversation, Steve Smith withdrew his trade request this morning.

Steve Smith still feels that Roger cannot use championships and victories as an excuse to humiliate his teammates.

But he wanted to try again.

"When you are able to beat me on the training ground, you can also criticize me." Steve Smith is looking forward to such a day!

When the reporters saw that Roger did not answer the question, they went to find Steve Smith himself.

Steve Smith responded with just one sentence: "I'm not going anywhere."

End of topic.

The Los Angeles reporters were extremely disappointed; they had wanted to use this incident to hype it up and sow discord if possible.

But Steve Smith and Roger didn't give them a chance.

But it doesn’t matter, when they get on the court, the Hawks will still be defeated by the Lakers, and that’s enough.

When the two teams were warming up on the court, O'Neal deliberately walked to the Hawks' half and gestured to the Hawks' height.

"Eddie, I feel like I'm playing in a high school basketball game," Shark said loudly, making sure every Eagles player could hear him.

Eddie Jones is very popular with the Lakers because he is very good at making jokes: "Yeah Shaq, they are probably counting how many points they will lose today."

"Don't worry Eddie, I won't play one-on-one all the time in the interior. I'm a team player, unlike some scoring maniacs. Hey Scott, remember the embarrassment of not receiving a single assist from Roger in the entire season?" O'Neal said, turning the topic to Pippen.

"Get lost, Shaq!"

"It seems like you have been trained well by him. Is Larsa okay?"

"Get the hell out of here!"

Looking at Pippen's frustrated look, Shark and Eddie Jones clapped their legs and laughed contentedly, as if they were watching a clown.

Then, they turned their attention to Steve Smith: "Steve, I'm surprised you only applied now. I understand you very well. It must be hard to be with that kind of jerk. Don't envy the good atmosphere in our team. I can only say that you are unlucky."

Steve Smith didn't react much, but Shark's words really hit him hard.

Pippen and Steve Smith were both very frustrated. They had never had a peaceful life since Roger came into being.

Steve Smith gets scolded every day.

Pippen did not have any friction with Roger after the conversation with him during the offseason. But he was teased by reporters and opponents every day, just like the shark teased him just now, which made him lose all his dignity.

They had had enough, and they didn't know why God was so unfair as to send Roger to Atlanta to torture them.

What exactly do you get from being teammates with Roger?
With this frustrated feeling, the two men moved towards the center circle, ready to start the game.

For the fans, the starting lineups of both teams are fresh.

The Lakers' starting five this year are Van Exel, Kobe, Eddie Jones, Rick Fox and Shark.

The Hawks' starting lineup was Pippen, Steve Smith, Roger, Alan Henderson and Kurt Thomas.

O'Neal continued to taunt the Hawks: "Roger, how short is your team's center?"

Prior to this, Roger did not say anything in the face of O'Neal's series of provocations.

But now that he was on stage, Roger could start his performance: "How dare you say that? Everyone here is taller than you when they are lying down."

O'Neill was so anxious that he jumped up and down: "You have never seen my height!"

"Oh, yes, yes, we've taken a shower together for three years, but I've never seen him once because he shrunk so much that I can't even see him. Scott, this guy is not even a third of your size. Steve, if you don't believe me, you can go to the Lakers locker room later and take a look. I guarantee you'll be amazed. Do you know why the atmosphere in the Lakers is so good? Because they have a full-time clown in their locker room." Roger spoke up for Pippen and Steve Smith.

"Fuck you"

"Okay, shut up and play basketball!" The referee stopped the increasingly vulgar quarrel between the two sides.

Pippen laughed. It felt really great to go from being scolded by Roger to listening to Roger scolding others.

Steve Smith thought Roger was terribly vulgar, but it was really satisfying to see that arrogant guy O'Neal looking so embarrassed.

What exactly do you get from being teammates with Roger?
They seemed to be beginning to understand a little.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the referee tossed the ball up.

The Shark took advantage of his height to get the ball first. He quickly sank to the inside, got into position, raised his hand and shouted, "Give me the ball!"

Kurt Thomas is a pretty tough guy, but he couldn't stop the Sharks from getting in position.

O'Neal was very confident that once he received the ball, he could easily finish the game. But the problem was that O'Neal found that the ball could not be passed in for a long time.

The Hawks used Pippen at the point guard position, which was quite a foul on the defensive end.

Van Exel was entangled by Pippen and couldn't feed the ball to the Shark at all.

Finally, he wanted to use those fancy dribbling moves to get past Pippen.

But those moves were nothing but trifles in front of Pippen. The moment Van Exel passed the ball and prepared to break through, Pippen lowered his center of gravity, stretched out his hand lightly, and accurately knocked the ball away!

Van Exel immediately went to pick up the ball, but as soon as he picked it up, Steve Smith double-teamed him.

Pippen is 203 cm tall and Steve Smith is 201 cm tall.

The petite 185cm Van Exel was even more miserable than those female artists who filmed with multiple black men under the pressure of these two men.

People joke that the Hawks are too short, but in fact, the Hawks are absolutely the tallest team on the perimeter.

At 198cm tall, Roger is even the shortest among the starters.

This is actually a very "science fiction" lineup for the Hawks, just as Pat Riley said: the future basketball lineup will be composed of five players who are about 206 cm tall, have comprehensive skills, outstanding physical fitness, and are not limited to positions.

As Van Exel was lost in the front and back pressure of two big men, he heard the referee's whistle.

"Lakers No. 34 commits a three-second violation on offense, the Hawks have the ball!"

"Damn, what are you doing?" Del Harris was very dissatisfied with this offensive round. He didn't know why O'Neal was standing in the penalty area.

He was only thinking about playing one-on-one in the paint, but how could it be that simple?
After being scolded by the head coach, O'Neal took his anger out on the referee and yelled at him, "Enough! Kurt Thomas committed at least five or six fouls on me. He kneed me from behind, hit me with his elbow, and even pinched my butt! And then, you whistled for three seconds?"

Roger appeared at this time and began to applaud: "Look, this is the best leader in history~"

"Ah!!! Shut up! Shut up! When will you learn to shut up, you idiot!" O'Neal yelled like a madman. In the first attack of the first game of the new season, his mentality was almost broken by Roger.

But Roger ignored O'Neal. He turned his head to look at Pippen and Steve Smith and made the same emoji action as "Donnie Yen, pointing at people, laughing": "I told you, the Lakers have a clown."

It felt great. Pippen and Steve Smith's frustrated feeling was instantly swept away.

They felt really good watching O'Neal, who had provoked them before the game, being played like a donkey.

That's what you get when you're teammates with Roger.

Yes, Roger might let you down.

But he will never let you suffer in front of your opponent!

Then it was the Hawks' turn to attack. Although Lenny Wilkens is old-school, he has one very avant-garde point, that is, he does not reject jump shots, especially long shots. This is why the Hawks became the second team in the league in terms of the number of three-point shots last season.

Therefore, the Hawks' offense does not have to go deep, and even the inside players can make a lot of jump shots. Kurt Thomas came out to set a screen for Roger, and O'Neal retreated as usual, so Roger quickly passed the ball to Kurt Thomas who was in the mid-range after the screen.

The latter made a steady mid-range shot, leaving O'Neal embarrassed.

"Kurt, did I ever tell you that scoring a goal over Shaq is easier than eating pizza on the couch?"

"Yes Roger, yes!"

"Who wants to score next time? Scott, you coming?"

"Of course!"

The game continued, and this time Van Exel gave the ball to Kobe first.

O'Neal blocked Kurt Thomas again and raised his hand to ask for the ball.

As a result, Kobe started to duel with Roger.

O'Neal was so angry that he almost fainted on the spot: "Boy, pass it!"

Kobe didn't listen. He wanted to prove himself on the first night of the new season.

After a series of butterfly steps, Kobe took a quick step forward and made a jump shot.

But Roger never lost his position from beginning to end. If we say that last season, Roger's biggest improvement was in assisting defense.

This year, in his fifth season of his professional career, Roger's biggest improvement was in one-on-one defense.

He spent a lot of time training his defense this summer, and his steps on defense are now fragmented and quick, allowing him to hold on to his opponents.

Kobe knows Roger spends a lot of time working on defense, and he has been working out with Roger this summer.

But he is just stubborn, what can you do?

The basketball missed the target, Kurt Thomas blocked O'Neal, and Alan Henderson grabbed the rebound.

Roger got the ball and quickly passed it to Pippen who had already run forward.

The latter vented the frustration of the past few months with a powerful slam dunk.

Roger continued to talk: "Shaq, this is the new partner you said is destined to surpass me? Good, he is awesome."

"Damn, just pass the ball to me, it's that simple!" O'Neal began to be dissatisfied. He didn't know what was so difficult about it. Couldn't he just pass the ball to me?

Of course, this is not that simple. The Lakers have no real point guard at all. In addition, the Hawks' perimeter defense is extremely strong and each player is tall, so it is not easy for the Lakers guards to feed the ball to the inside.

Anyone who has seen Yao Ming play for the Rockets knows how difficult it is for him to catch the ball.

However, in the third round, Eddie Jones successfully passed the ball to the shark.

O'Neal finally got excited. He leaned back hard, pushed Kurt Thomas away, and then turned around to attack the basket.

But as soon as he turned around, Pippen, Alan Henderson and Roger appeared beside him.

The Hawks' mobility and pseudo-zone defense strategy allowed them to double-team O'Neal the moment he caught the ball.

Of course, even so, the Hawks still don't have enough height in the interior, and O'Neal can still use his height and confrontation advantages to force his way into the basket.

But it is not certain whether the Sharks can hold the ball firmly under such a double-team situation.

In the chaos, Roger took action and caused O'Neal to make a mistake.

Roger quickly advanced with the ball through the crowd. This season, the Eagles will not miss any opportunity to counterattack.

Roger rushed into the penalty area under the siege of Lakers players, but after jumping up, he passed the ball to Steve Smith who ran to the 45° three-point line on the right.

In the opening few rounds, Roger looked more and more like a point guard, and his skills in dividing the cake became more and more precise.

Seeing this, Eddie Jones immediately rushed out and made strange noises to interfere with Steve Smith's shot.

But these things were no longer a distraction to him.

What is this compared to Roger's trash talk?
He shot steadily and the three-pointer went into the net.

7-0, the Atlanta Hawks completely controlled the game at the beginning!
Roger led the team forward with defense, conduction and inspiring trash talk!
Steve Jones shook his head: "The teams led by Roger and Shaq have completely different temperaments. Although in the Lakers, everyone says Shaq is the best leader in history, while in the Hawks, people hear more complaints. But who is the better leader? It's obvious at a glance."

O'Neal had just run across half the court when he turned back.

Not only him, every Lakers player felt frustrated.

At this time, Roger's voice sounded again at an inopportune time: "Now, is the atmosphere still joyful?"

O'Neal gritted his teeth.

Van Exel and Eddie Jones were crestfallen.

Del Harris's face turned red with anxiety.

These reactions from the opponents made the Eagles players feel a sense of accomplishment.

Pippen and Steve Smith finally found the fun of playing with Roger.

In competitive sports, no part is more fun than winning.

With Roger around, no opponent can make them feel suffocated on the court.

Roger tortured us.

We torture our opponents to vent our anger.

closed loop!

(End of this chapter)