Champions Creed

Chapter 205 Chapter 204: Great plot, masterpiece of destiny (asking for monthly ticket!)
Roger became a hero throughout Atlanta.

When the Warriors lost the series and Reggie Miller declared that he wanted to be the San Diego Padres of the NBA, Roger shut him up completely.

Right now, no one in Atlanta has more influence than Roger.

On the streets, more and more people are wearing the No. 14 Eagles jersey.

People's topic is no longer focused on the Warriors or the Falcons, but on the Hawks.

Even Ben Wallace changing his hairstyle to an afro would make the newspapers.

You know, Big Ben is just a backup center in the Hawks who averages about 20 minutes per game.

This speaks volumes about the attention the Eagles are getting right now.

Since Roger came to Atlanta, the Eagles have gone from a team with less attention than the Atlanta United Football Team to a signature team of Georgia.

Before this, the Eagles' fans may only be the few hundred thousand people in the city.

But now, millions of people throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area have become fans of the Eagles.

The clues can be seen from the Eagles' financial report. This season, the Eagles' peripheral product revenue has increased by 310% compared with the same period last year.

And this number will continue to rise.

At first, everyone thought that Roger needed at least one championship to get the Eagles back on their feet in Atlanta.

As a result, Roger only took 11 games.

What is even more unexpected is that it only took Roger 11 games to change Scott Pippen's attitude towards him.

During the training session the day after the game against the Pacers, when Pippen invited Roger to his house for dinner in the evening, Roger suspected that there was something wrong with his ears.

"what?"

Is there anything more outrageous in the world than Pippen inviting himself to his house for dinner?
Perhaps the only thing more outrageous than this is the scene in the later part of the "Beyblade" comic where the mold sends planes and tanks to capture Beyblade just to get the chip.

"Roger, why are you so surprised? We were teammates in 1993, so we've known each other for four years, so we can be considered old friends. Is there anything wrong with an old friend inviting you to dinner at his home?"

Roger could understand every English word Pippen said, but when they were put together, Roger didn't understand.

Yes, Roger did something very intimate with Pippen in the locker room in 1993 - he beat up Pippen.

They have known each other for a long time, but have never been friends.

They can even be considered enemies.

When Roger persuaded Pippen to have ankle surgery this summer, his attitude was still very tough.

And now you suddenly invite me to your home for dinner?

"Will you poison my dinner?" Roger had no doubt that Pippen would do so.

"God, my hometown is not in Salt Lake City!" Pippen joked about the Jazz fans who poisoned Roger's midnight snack during last season's finals.

"Thanks for asking Scott, but I have a date tonight."

"I thought you'd at least come up with a better excuse."

"No, it's true. CNN sports reporter Sofia Vergara wanted to ask me some basketball questions and asked me out for dinner. Moreover, it was arranged a long time ago."

"That's easy. Just come to my house with her. Tell her that I am available for an interview with her. Roger, this is the first time I invite you, so don't refuse me."

Roger looked at Pippen's serious expression and finally nodded.

He was really curious about what was wrong with Pippen.

In the afternoon, Roger drove Vergara to Pippen's residence.

Vergara was very excited. She never expected that she could really enter the athlete circle. This was undoubtedly a breakthrough for her work.

"You mean, can I ask any questions?"

"Yes, Scott agreed to let you do an exclusive interview with him."

"Scott? No. Can I have an exclusive interview with Larsa?"

"Why Larsa?"

"I want to ask her," Vergara said with a smirk.

"Oh my God, no, no way! I repeat, I didn't do it!"

"Roger, my brother, you are finally here. Ah, Sofia, welcome." Pippen opened his arms and hugged Roger. "What were you talking about just now? What didn't you do?"

"We were talking about Roger's community service and whether he had ever done door-to-door pipe unclogging work." The carefree Vergara drove like a man.

"He must have done it. Who doesn't know that Roger is a good man who loves charity and community service?" Pippen nodded affirmatively.

Hearing Pippen say this, Vergara smiled even more happily.

Roger looked at Vergara speechlessly, and Vergara blinked mischievously.

When we arrived at Pippen's house, dinner was already ready.

Roger deliberately kept his distance from Larsa. To be honest, who doesn't have a hobby of Cao Cao? But it's really too tasteless to cheat on a teammate's woman.

Pippen sat down and several of his children gathered around.

Pippen inherited the physiological characteristics of black people, that is, the ability to give birth, and to give birth to children with different women.

At present, Pippen, a single man who has not married for the first time, has a total of four children with three different women. One of the children unfortunately died a few days after birth, so Pippen now has one boy and two girls.

Although these children were not born to Larsa, she did take good care of them, feeding them patiently and playing with them, the radiance of motherhood was shining.

Pippen looked at Larsa with a happy smile on his face: "This is why I love her. She treats my children like her own children. Larsa is very kind. She has always been good to children. Michael's son Marcus also likes her very much."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Roger, who was drinking water, suddenly choked.

"What's wrong?" Vergara, who was sitting next to Roger, immediately wiped Roger's mouth.

"Nothing, I just drank too much."

After dinner, Larsa helped clear the table while Vergara and the kids played chess. Finally, Roger had some time alone with Pippen.

"Tell me, Scott, what do you want from me tonight?"

"I think there was a misunderstanding between us."

"No, there is no misunderstanding between us. You don't like me, I don't like you, and we have always understood each other."

"Whatever you say, I won't be a problem for you after tonight. I want to stay in Atlanta as long as possible, and I think I like living here. So, my previous plan of playing for one year and leaving has changed now. No matter what, I will try my best to push you from behind. I hope you know this so that we can work together."

In just one month, what changed Pippen?

The most important thing is of course money.

If Pippen wanted to get a big enough contract with the Hawks, he needed Roger's support.

Before, the whole world saw how Roger supported the Sharks in their contracts.

Although they eventually broke up, if O'Neal had not opted out of the contract, he would still be a player with an annual salary of 2000 million.

Roger may reduce your shooting rights and may lower your status.

But he never makes a fuss about his teammates' contracts.

So, Pippen needs to express his ideas to avoid any misunderstandings.

The second reason is that he found that Roger and Jordan were becoming more and more alike, and he believed that Roger could create the same greatness in Atlanta.

So following Roger is the best choice.

Look at how embarrassed the shark who is eager to prove himself is now. Only when people get older will they understand that it is better to hold on to a good leg than to prove themselves.

Roger finally understood that Pippen came here today to show his loyalty.

When Roger heard the words "I want to play in Atlanta as long as possible", he roughly knew what Pippen was thinking.

Theoretically, he can sign a max contract if he has Bird rights with the Hawks.

Before, Pippen would rather not have the biggest contract than play with Roger.

But now, he seemed to be able to stand himself.

Roger accepted Pippen's act of loyalty.

He really needs a more stable assistant than the Sharks in order to build glory in Atlanta. Not long after the meal, Roger and Vergara were ready to leave.

Before leaving, Vega made an appointment with Pippen for an exclusive interview.

Of course, she promised Roger not to ask any questions about Larsa.
-
The Eagles won all of their remaining five games in November.

As Bob Costa said, the Eagle is now complete.

Their condition and coordination are getting better and better.

In December, the Eagles lost several games and exposed some problems.

For example, the rebounding protection is not good enough.

For example, when facing a team with many shooters who happen to be in hot form that day, the Hawks' double-team defense strategy can be easily penetrated.

However, at the end of 1997, the Eagles still won three consecutive games, bringing the year to a perfect end.

After December, the Hawks had a record of 12 wins and 22 losses. Although not as good as the Magic in the same period last season, and not as good as some Western teams, it is still the first in the East.

This is a position that the Atlanta Hawks have never reached in many years.

However, at this point in time, most Atlanta fans' attention is focused on the Falcons.

Because January is the season for the Super Bowl.

The Super Bowl is known as the American Spring Festival Gala, which shows its popularity and status.

Even though the Super Bowl hasn’t even started yet, the Atlanta Falcons are already having their greatest season yet.

The team entered the playoffs with a 14-2 regular season record and NFC West Division champions, and easily defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the first round.

It seems that what happened to the Warriors will never happen to the more dominant Falcons.

The Atlantans are ready to win their first championship trophy of the year.

During this period when the NFL temporarily took away the attention, the Eagles suffered their biggest loss of the season.

On January 1, the Hawks, playing at home, lost 6-91 to last season's Western Conference champion Utah Jazz.

This is also the second time the Hawks have lost to the Jazz this season.

The Jazz are currently the team with the best record in the league and are considered the team with the best chance of reaching the finals in the Western Conference.

In fact, the Western Conference is very competitive this season, and there will probably be three teams with 60 wins.

But why did Roger subconsciously think that there were no strong Western Conference teams in the 90s? The reason is simple: the strong make their opponents look weak, and the weak make their opponents look strong.

In the original history, Jordan's dominance of the championship in the 90s gave people the feeling that "Western teams are all garbage."

After all, the toughest series Jordan played were all in the Eastern Conference. In the finals, Jordan never lost, not even in a Game 7.

In the 21st century, teams like the Spurs, Warriors, and even the Mavericks will appear particularly strong because of the presence of another person.

Now that we look at the Western Conference without the filter of Jordan, we realize that they are really terrible.

The Jazz duo is still at their peak, the OK combination is beginning to show its potential, the Spurs twin towers are aiming for the championship, and the Seattle SuperSonics are still strong.

And when the Jazz defeated the Hawks with a 20-point advantage, Atlanta fans couldn't help but worry.

The Western Conference teams are so strong, can the Hawks really win the championship?
After winning the game, Karl Malone roared to the sky.

He always believed that after Jordan retired and Shaq and Roger separated, no one in the league could stop him.

Your own time will finally come.

This game proved his point. He was very excited after the game: "John and I have been sweating on the basketball court day after day for more than ten years just to win the trophy! Now, we are closer to our dream!"

Roger didn't comment much on this game. The first time they lost to the Jazz was because Steve Smith was sleepwalking throughout the game, and this time they lost because the Jazz had a hot hand from the outside.

When the Hawks had to double-team Karl Malone, the rest of the Jazz made their chances.

Also, the Hawks' rebounds were snatched away by the Jazz.

Facing rebounding machines like Karl Malone and Mutombo, the Hawks lost too many offensive rebounds and were forced into too many second chances.

It was not unfair to lose today.

But if you say that the Hawks have no chance of winning against the Jazz in the series, Roger will definitely not agree.

At the end of the game, Roger told reporters: "I know how to play against Western teams. I have beaten three top Western teams in the past three years. No one knows how to play against Western teams better than me. So, if there is a finals, there is no need to worry about it at all."

Atlanta believes what Roger says, after all, the Hawks have had a good record so far this season.

However, the result of the Super Bowl caused panic among Atlanta fans.

The 1998 Super Bowl was held at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on the last Sunday of January.

This is a super stadium that can accommodate 6 people. To be honest, the atmosphere of NBA games will never reach this level.

Because the Atlanta team was traveling, Reebok invited Roger to watch the game in order to increase its exposure.

When Roger's real-time images appeared on the big screen, the cheers from the audience proved Roger's current influence.

Before the game started, the Falcons were very motivated.

The football field-entry ceremony is perhaps the most spectacular of all competitive sports.

Dozens of strong men were roaring wildly in this place where male hormones were exploding.

"Push the ground! Push the ground! Push the ground!"

"Well!"

"Let's go win!"

"Well!"

"Let's go fight!"

"Well!"

"Go guys, this is our stage!"

"No! No! No!"

Roger got goosebumps all over his body in the private room.

However, the more shocked I am now, the more speechless I will be later.

Because the Atlanta Falcons have been so dominant, so powerful, and so favored all the way this season.

They played the clown in the dream stage of the Super Bowl and were defeated by the Denver Broncos by a large margin.

"Atlanta, the city of three crowns, has already lost two! I think this may be the biggest joke in the history of North American sports!" The live commentator summed it up after the game.

The problems for the Warriors and Falcons are similar.

In their own division, they are dominant.

But when playing against teams from other divisions, they will lose by a large margin.

Before the award ceremony began, the camera turned to Roger again.

The language of this shot is meaningful.

Because now, he is the only Supreme God that Atlantans can count on.

At this moment, countless Atlantans were praying for Roger in front of their TVs.

If Atlanta fails to win a championship in the end, it would be a complete joke.

They had no other choice.

They could only pray that Roger would save face for the city.

However, someone mentioned the game at the beginning of the month: the Atlanta Hawks played against a Western Conference team, and it seemed like they also suffered a big defeat?
-
Roger, the only hope of Atlanta! ——Atlanta Military Police

The City of Three Crowns, the most ridiculous slogan in the history of North American sports. ——The New York Times

Roger never saved a city like Michael did, and that's why he can't be called the greatest player. He can't save Atlanta this season. Orlando? Sorry, that's also Shaq's credit. If Roger fails, he will lose his huge influence. - Chicago Tribune

Believe me, this is exactly the great plot, the masterpiece of fate! Roger got the most suitable script for him, the script to play the role of the savior! - Sports Illustrated.

(End of this chapter)