Champions Creed

Chapter 239 Chapter 238: Tribute to Shaq, the best second-in-command in the basketball world (asking for monthly tickets!)

December is the busiest time of year in Los Angeles.

The start of a 16-game winning streak.

The possibility of 17 consecutive wins.

The mortal enemy Eagle.

Los Angeles fans are crazy about these keywords.

The Los Angeles Lakers have once again become the hottest team in the league.

In sports magazines, long articles analyze the reasons why the Lakers were successful this season.

On sports shows, one host after another speculated on the Lakers' chances of winning the championship this season.

The most amazing thing about this matter is that the Lakers did not make any major signings after the arrival of the Zen Master.

They basically used the same team as last season, but played much better than last season.

According to the control variable method, the person who changed everything must be the Zen master.

Indeed, Jackson brings something to the Lakers that they have lacked for the past two seasons: a strict hierarchy.

Many years ago, when Phil Jackson just became the head coach of the Bulls, on the first day of training, he walked into the training hall carrying a ladder.

Just when everyone was wondering what he was going to do, he pointed to the top of the ladder and said, "Michael is here."

Then he pointed to the bottom of the ladder: "The others are here, maybe even lower."

Phil Jackson's basketball creed follows the principle of "strict hierarchy". He wants everyone to understand that everyone has his or her own role.

If you can only get 8 points in a game, then you should stay at the bottom of the ladder and support the people at the top.

On the first day of the Lakers' training, he also made it clear: "Shaq is the core. Every offensive ball should go through his hands."

So how did the Zen Master deal with Kobe?

Because he also said: "Shaq is the team's first choice, but not the only choice. At the critical moment, we need someone to take over the game. Kobe Bryant, no one is more suitable for this role than you."

The Zen Master's philosophy is completely consistent with the settlement that Kobe and Shaq reached after being beaten up last season.

The Sharks took care of the first three quarters, and Kobe took care of the fourth quarter. The consistency of the three parties on this matter made them all feel that they had met too late.

Phil Jackson finally solved a problem that everyone knew but couldn't solve - getting Shaq and Kobe to unite.

Silver Fox Harris is too partial to Kobe, and Kurt Rambis does not have the prestige.

Only the Zen Master can make Kobe and the Shaq obey.

Maybe this is just temporary harmony, but for the Lakers, 16 consecutive wins are enough to prove the ability of the Zen Master.

That's why Jerry West needs Phil Jackson.

Of course, Phil Jackson is not the only reason for the Lakers' success.

If Shaq and Kobe themselves are unwilling to reconcile, even Jesus cannot control the locker room.

After Shaq and Kobe were beaten by the Hawks both in basketball and physics last season, the two really learned their lesson and decided to do better.

The Shaq had an incredibly hard offseason, losing excess fat and even spending three hours a day practicing free throws.

The Sharks can count their serious seasons on one hand, and this is undoubtedly one of them.

He longed to break the hearts of Roger and Eagle, and for the first time in his life he was willing to go head to head with eating, drinking, having fun and gambling.

As for Kobe, he really grew up in his fourth grade.

His excellent defense has been widely recognized. He honestly abides by the rules of the game in cooperation with the Sharks, no longer indulges in fighting alone, and tries to throw all his enthusiasm into the fourth quarter.

This is undoubtedly a season of transformation for the Los Angeles Lakers.

They must break the eagle's wings!

The day before the game, Pierce arrived in Los Angeles with the team.

After getting off the plane, he was completely nervous, looking around with a strong sense of stealing.

He is afraid.

According to media reports, Paul Pierce is a brave man. He resolutely returned to the court after being stabbed 13 times and performed quite well.

But in reality, no one can survive such a terrible injury and remain unscathed.

For a long time after being stabbed, Pierce rarely went out except for training and games. Even if he went out, he had to wear a bulletproof vest and bring a lot of bodyguards with him.

The only thing I need is someone to help me pee.

Pierce chose to return to the team quickly, on the one hand because he hoped not to hold the team back.

On the other hand, he also wants to spend more time with his teammates, train more and play more games, so that he can feel a little peace.

As the season progresses, Pierce's mental condition is gradually improving.

But today, returning to Los Angeles where the nightmare happened, he looked like a paranoid patient again.

After getting on the bus, Roger looked at the nervous Pierce and patted him on the shoulder: "Tell me, you don't want to be stomped on the head by Kobe Bryant again."

"Of course Roger, of course, I'm different now, you'll see tomorrow." Pierce tried to calm himself down, he had not forgotten the humiliation at the Staples Center last season.

Although the game ended with a brawl victory, Pierce was ultimately beaten by Kobe in terms of basketball.

That was the beginning of his decision to change.

He must not repeat the same mistake again.

Kobe is very strong this season, averaging 24.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.

Although he had been selected as an All-Star before, Kobe was truly a star player this season.

He is more dangerous than he has been in the previous three years.

If Kobe gets the better of them again, they will suffer a more miserable death than last season.

You can't fight with Kobe again, right?

Seriously, beating Kobe in a fight is like beating a shark in length. There's not even a hint of accomplishment.

But Roger was very skeptical, could Pierce really concentrate on playing?
When he got off the bus at the hotel, Pierce was sweating profusely from nervousness.

All 13 of his knife wounds seemed to ache, reminding him of what happened that night in Los Angeles.

After entering the hotel lobby, Pierce's heartbeat eased a little.

Roger could see that Pierce was eager to perform in the next game.

But fear held his soul hostage.

If he continues in this state in Los Angeles, wouldn't Kobe be taking advantage of him?
Although his excellent performance over the past month has proven that Pierce will have no distractions once he returns to the court.

But God knows whether Los Angeles will be an exception.

After dinner, Roger felt a little worried, so he went to Pierce's room to see what he was doing.

Roger pressed the doorbell of his room. After a long time, Roger heard the sound of the door lock.

Pierce opened the door a crack and saw that it was indeed Roger. He breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly pulled Roger into the room and locked the door again.

After entering Pierce's room, Roger couldn't tie him up anymore.

He blocked off the entryway with a sofa, piled chairs around the bed, and placed a baseball bat under his pillow.

Pierce himself was wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet and holding a knife.

"A zombie crisis broke out in Los Angeles?" Roger joked.

"Don't laugh at me, I'm just being cautious! You know, Los Angeles has always been a place with a high crime rate!"

"Paul, relax. No one can hurt you anymore. The bastards who stabbed you are now in prison enjoying the beatings from their fellow inmates."

"I'm very relaxed. Do I look nervous?" said Pierce, holding the knife tightly in both hands.

Roger shook his head. Are you sure you can compete in this state?
He began to really worry about Pierce's condition. Well, maybe Pierce will become a very quiet person tomorrow.

Maybe he will never dare to speak without restraint in Los Angeles again.

The next day, competition day.

Kobe arrived on the court early to practice his mid-range jump shot.

He didn't sleep well last night, and thinking about today's game, Kobe became excited.

The 16-game winning streak brought Kobe unparalleled confidence, tying the opening winning streak record set by Roger and Shaq in the past, and made Kobe give himself a crazy psychological hint: I am really no worse than Roger!

Just one game left and the magnificent record set by Roger and the Shark will be broken.

Of course Kobe would not miss this opportunity.

Shark is right, 16 consecutive wins is just a number.

The real key is that they have to surpass Roger.

At the same time, the Hawks team bus arrived at the Staples Center.

Paul Pierce wore headphones and didn't talk to anyone while in the car.

After getting out of the car, Pierce walked quickly to the locker room.

He was still a little nervous, but that nervousness seemed to disappear completely the moment he put on the jersey.

When he came on the court to warm up, Pierce's jump shot accuracy was very impressive.

He was calm, relaxed, yet focused.

For a moment, Roger almost forgot how funny Pierce was in the room yesterday.

The basketball court really seemed to be his best safe haven.

Soon, a sideline reporter interviewed Pierce on the sidelines.

Hannah's question was simple: "You've been playing well this season and are a reliable ball handler. What do you think is your biggest change compared to last season?"

Pierce stared at the camera seriously: "The biggest change is that I was not ready last season. Both mentally and physically, I was far from ready. And this season, if Roger tells me, 'Hey Paul, I don't want to play alone, can you help me?', I will confidently say, I'm ready, I'll help you!"

Roger listened to Pierce's answer and suddenly realized that he had underestimated that guy.

Roger has been worried about Pierce's condition, worried that he would perform poorly in Los Angeles because of the last incident.

But after hearing Pierce's answer, Roger felt that he had nothing to worry about.

Paul Pierce has really grown up.

Even in Los Angeles, as long as Pierce steps onto the basketball court, he will enter fighting mode.

He will temporarily forget his fear and become the best helper.

After Pierce finished speaking, he turned around and found Roger staring at him, so he blinked: "I'm ready, Roger!"

Roger nodded and fist-bumped with Pierce.

You have your talented Kobe Bryant, and I have my full-body Paul Pierce!
Half an hour later, both sides' starting lineups were in place.

Near the center circle, the smell of gunpowder is as strong as ever.

"Roger, I'm about to break my previous record."

"Right away? I'm already wearing my fourth ring."

"Yes, you have four rings, but you can only have four rings. I will have a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth."

"Does the FMVP have the same ring as Kobe? I didn't expect you to enjoy winning the runner-up title so much."

Every time O'Neal talked to Roger, he felt like he was talking to the devil!
O'Neal clenched his fists, and Ben stared at the Shark. On the bench, Andre Patterson also stood up.

The referees were on high alert, and you could feel the heat in the eyes of the players from both teams.

But after a few seconds, the shark unclenched its fist.

The Lakers players controlled their behavior this time, and it turned out that a beating was indeed effective.

Even an animal like a shark will behave itself if you beat it up.

The game started and the Sharks fought for the ball.

The Lakers' triangle offense was immediately deployed, a strategy that had not been seen for a long time.

O'Neal held the ball in the low post, and AC Green and Glen Rice began to find their sweet spots.

After Shark received the ball, Pippen immediately began to double-team him, and Shark immediately passed the ball to Kobe on the outside.
Pippen's defense was quick, but Kobe's three-pointer still made a steady hit.

3-0, the cheers at the Staples Center represented their trust and love for the OK combination.

After scoring the goal, Kobe did not miss the opportunity to insult Pippen: "Go away, Scott, you know who I'm targeting, you're like an ATM to me."

The Eagles counterattacked, and Roger passed the ball to Marion who was invading the penalty area with a back-run.

But the Shark was guarding the basket, and Marion had no chance to attack the basket, so he had to pass the ball out again.

The ball was given to Pippen, but his three-point shot bounced off the rim.

The Shark grabbed the rebound and tried to go straight to Kobe.

But after the basketball flew out, it was intercepted by Pierce who suddenly jumped out!
Pierce has now corrected his habit of making random steals, but that doesn't mean he will miss those sure-fire steal opportunities.

Last summer, in order to improve his ability to read the game, Pierce watched a lot of game videos.

So he knew very well that there was no point guard position in the triangle offense system.

After grabbing the rebound, O'Neal will not look for the point guard with a very low presence first, but will definitely look for Kobe first!
Pierce successfully predicted this and intercepted O'Neal's pass to Kobe.

The moment he got the ball, Pierce threw it directly into the penalty area.

The shark subconsciously looked at the basketball flying over his head. Before he could jump, Roger had already caught the ball and smashed it into the basket over the shark's head!
3 is better than 2!

"The steal and assist from Paul Pierce were great! We can all see that he is really ready!"

After the ball went in, Roger deliberately muttered: "This second-in-command will ruin all of Kobe's efforts."

The shark gritted his teeth and swore that he would fight back in the next round!
But in the next attack, the Shark missed the hook shot under the basket.

Marion grabbed the rebound and then pushed forward himself.

This is a major feature that distinguishes Marion from other power forwards. Although he is not good at holding the ball, he can still push the ball across half court quickly.

The only thing to worry about is that there is a high chance that he will run in the wrong direction.

After Marion crossed the midfield line, he passed the ball to Roger, but Roger was immediately entangled by Kobe.

Roger was forced to pause outside the three-point line, and the Sharks took the opportunity to rush back to the penalty area, preventing the Hawks from making a counterattack.

Roger looked into Kobe's eyes but immediately passed the ball to Pierce who cut in from the side.

Pierce took the ball and went straight to the basket, beat O'Neal to a steady footing, and successfully scored a layup by relying on him!
The referee blew the whistle and the basketball went into the net.

Pierce got a chance to shoot a three-pointer!

"What a wonderful teamwork. Just now, Paul Pierce assisted Roger in an aerial relay dunk. In this round, Roger assisted Pierce in cutting into the basket and making a successful shot. Perhaps people have not yet realized that Atlanta's duo is also very scary! The agent now has a sharp blade in his hand!"

Pierce lay on the ground, roaring excitedly.

Maybe he still has some psychological trauma off the court.

But on the court, he will never let down again!

After making the free throw, Pierce also looked at the Shark: "One day someone will hand Shaquille O'Neal a trophy with the following words engraved on it: Salute to Shaq - the best second-in-command in the basketball world."

Well, there was one more thing Roger got wrong.

Even after being stabbed 13 times, Paul Pierce couldn't learn to shut up.

(End of this chapter)