Champions Creed

Chapter 266 Chapter 265: Everyone, I feel that we are terribly strong! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
This was the first time that people realized that scoring 40 points in a single basketball game was so insignificant.

Ray Allen's performance was good enough. You can't blame a player who scored 43 points in a single game.

Well, unless your head coach is George Karl.

George Karl kept humiliating Ray Allen in the post-game press conference.

"Performed well? What did he perform well? So well that we lost by 11 points? Ray Allen is the number one wimp!"

"There is no doubt that the second quarter was the turning point of the whole game. Roger played too tough, and that's what we lacked. You can't just think about being cool, you have to be fierce enough and have a killer instinct. Basketball should be like this!"

"Milwaukee fans don't have to worry. Although we lost the game, at least we have a beautiful boy like a Barbie doll. Cheer up."

George Karl just said during the game that he would never call Ray Allen "Barbie" again, but he repeated it seven or eight times in the press conference alone.

Roger even felt a little sympathy for Ray Allen. Who would be willing to play under such an old pervert who likes to crush the players' self-esteem?

The degree of any matter can be divided into mild, moderate, severe, extreme, and India, and George Karl's madness has undoubtedly reached the India level. He does not regard the people he forces to fry as human beings at all.

It's a good thing Roger doesn't have to work with George Karl, otherwise he might have done the same thing as Sprewell.

Maybe this is one of the reasons why George Karl has never won a championship in his life. The entire Celtics team is willing to fight for Auerbach, Jordan and Pippen are willing to fight for Zen Master, Duncan and David Robinson are willing to fight for Popovich, the New York mafia is willing to fight for Pat Riley, the Bad Boys will do anything for Chuck Daly on the basketball court, and the Utah duo are willing to play for Jerry Sloan throughout their careers.

But what about George Karl?
He started coaching in the NBA in 1984, and has been doing so for 16 years, working with countless players.

But no player would ever say, "I'd play for George."

Anyway, that's the Milwaukee Bucks' own problem.

Roger proved one thing with his actual actions of scoring 55 points in the first game - he is the protagonist of this dream season!
When the protagonist is absent, any chaos can happen on the stage.

But now that the protagonist is back, everyone has to step down from the stage and make way.

Don't want to? Roger will kick you out one by one.

Ray Allen was just the first person to be kicked off the stage.

After the game, not only Roger received praise, but also the Hawks' new player Jeff Hornacek.

He scored 11 points and 4 assists in the game, and made 4 of 3 three-pointers, which was extremely efficient.

But the data is secondary. The tactical effect brought by Jeff Hornacek is very obvious. He allows people to see the wonderful use of the semi-circle tactics on the outside core.

Lenny Wilkens' inspiration came from the 2000 All-Star Game. When Roger ended the Western Conference All-Stars team in the last quarter of that game, the team had almost a one-star lineup on the court.

At that time, the Eastern Conference, which had a huge advantage in the interior, thought it had won the game, and O'Neal also thought that the AMVP was within reach. However, Roger's efficient singles in the fourth quarter against the backdrop of a star-studded team destroyed the Western Conference's interior advantage.

Although it was just an All-Star Game, the quality of that All-Star Game was recognized to be very high. The first three quarters were as intense as the regular season, and the fourth quarter was even close to the playoffs, so that victory was very convincing.

Since then, Lenny Wilkens has been thinking how great it would be if he could bring this strategy to official competitions.

Today, he finally turned this idea into reality.

The only flaw is that Hornacek cannot play for too long, which causes the Eagles' semi-circle tactics to have a time limit like the ultimate move in the game. It can only last for a short period of time before the skill cooldown starts.

Although Roger scored 55 points in this game, the team actually did not stretch the lineup much to give him a comfortable one-on-one opportunity.

Hornacek only played for 22 minutes, and during these 22 minutes, he was on the court with Pierce, Marion or Bowen to create space for Roger for only about ten minutes.

It can only be said that the Bucks' perimeter defense is really bad, and the three Musketeers are not excellent defensive players, so Roger was able to score points crazily in such a short singles time and lay the foundation for the Hawks' victory.

Also, the Hawks' three-point shooting was very good today, and Roger's singles time was not wasted. But what if one of the players has a bad shooting when playing the semi-circle tactics one day? Do they just watch the window of widening the score close?

When it comes to beautiful things, we naturally hope to hold on to them for a while longer, the longer the better.

What Lenny Wilkens needs to do most now is to find a golden and lasting method to shorten the "skill cooling time" of the one-star four-shooting tactics.

Fuck Hornacek? The black coach let the white players play a farm game to turn the tables?

In that case, Lenny Wilkens might become the second greatest black leader born in Georgia after Martin Luther King.

But obviously he won't do that. It's only been a month and a half since the start of preseason training camp, and Hornacek has already undergone two knee fluid extractions.

His physical condition is not optimistic. 25 minutes per game is the limit and it cannot be increased. If Hornacek is disabled, the semi-circle tactics will disappear directly.

The only solution for Lenny Wilkens is to find another shooter to fill in when Hornacek is resting, so that there will be an extra option when someone is not feeling well.

Wilkens hopes to find another reliable player from the free agent market.

Alternatively, you can identify talent from within.

The second-round pick selected this year seems to be a malleable talent——
After the game with the Bucks, the Hawks returned to Atlanta.

Because the game was just yesterday, Wilkens gave everyone a day off today and did not arrange any training. The players could go home after getting off the plane.

Of course, Emory Health will remain open, and those who need additional training can use the venue, coaches and equipment.

The players are on vacation, but the coaching staff still has to work.

Lenny Wilkens and his coaching staff were in the health center's film room studying their next game against the Sacramento Kings.

The Kings have had a magical season. With their gorgeous style of play, they have become the team with the highest attendance in the league.

All this is because of the perfect combination of Chris Webber and Princeton.

Before moving to Sacramento, Chris Webber was definitely one of the top five most disappointing players in history.

Unlike the sugar man who has no skills at all and relies on exaggerating his body to become a fake, the sugar man becomes fake because he has obvious defects.

But Chris Webber has no major flaws. He has everything you could hope for: extraordinary athleticism, top-notch skills, soft touch, excellent rebounding and guard-like passing.

Even his family background is very good. He is one of the few black players in the NBA with both parents. He is middle class and has been away from crime and drug abuse since childhood. This kind of player generally does not cause any trouble off the court when he grows up.

So in the 1993 draft, he almost unsurprisingly beat Penny, Roger and Sean Bradley to become the No. pick.

Then, you can't imagine a guy with such terrible talent working with top players like Shaq and Jordan but still coming up empty-handed, not even playing in the finals.

You can't imagine such a kid from a wealthy family taking drugs, speeding, and getting into trouble off the court.

Fortunately, Chris Webber did not continue to be a clown. He was reborn in Sacramento.

Although Webber's Kings lost the first round of the playoffs last season, forcing the Lakers into a game five still helped Webber regain some reputation.

This season, Chris Webber continues to shine under the Princeton system, and the rise of Peja Stojkovic directly raises the ceiling of the entire team.

After the entire team appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, this gorgeous Kings team began to attract attention across the United States.

The Hawks take the Kings very seriously. After analyzing the Kings' game, Lenny Wilkens looked at the coaching staff seriously, sweating nervously: "Everyone, I feel like we are incredibly strong!"

Lenny Wilkens felt that either his judgment was wrong or the Hawks were really too strong.

Because he doesn't think the Sacramento Kings are anything outstanding, and even thinks the Kings are terrible!
He doesn't understand why this team is one of the best in the West.

The Kings are not as difficult to deal with as the Milwaukee Bucks!

The Bucks at least have a tougher Ray Allen this season, but what about the Kings? Do they have anyone who can fight tough games?

Their system, their fancy passes, their clever cuts and counter-runs, everything they do is in pursuit of one thing - to open up the inside lane and get an easy shot.

The game is all about the time difference of switching defenses.

But will this work for the Eagles who are highly mobile and have a full front line starting?
The Hawks' defense and rotation are the fastest in the league, and their defensive flexibility is the best in the league.

Not afraid of the impact of the Princeton system at all.

Lenny Wilkens was a little unconfident and disappointed.

He couldn't believe that the king, who looked so plump on the surface, was so shriveled after being stripped off.

He tried hard to find the Kings' strengths from the game videos. He was afraid that he had underestimated the Kings. Underestimating the enemy is the last mistake a championship coach should make. The Kings' record is so good, there must be a reason, right?
He used all his skills and all he had learned in his life, and finally came to a conclusion: Yes, the Kings are just terrible!

No matter how much the media hypes it up, no matter how good the Kings' regular season record is, Lenny Wilkens is confident that he can easily defeat the Kings.

After the tactical meeting, Lenny Wilkens' expectation for the next game was "absolutely not accepting the result of losing."

After finishing his work, he and former Wizards coach Jared Hart, who joined the Hawks coaching staff this year, walked out of the video screening room. When they passed the training ground of the Emory Health Center, they heard the sound of a basketball going through the net.

Lenny Wilkens stopped and said, "Let me bet you, who is doing the extra practice?"

Jared waved his hand: "Come on, do we still need to gamble? It can only be that guy."

Lenny Wilkens pushed open the door, and sure enough, the person who was practicing was Michael Reed, just as they had expected.

Since Roger came to the Eagles, he has led the team in selecting many players.

Although Roger has the privilege of controlling the team's draft, his priority in this regard even exceeds that of head coach Lenny Wilkens. But Wilkens has never expressed dissatisfaction with this.

It's not just because of Roger's prestige, but also because Wilkens agrees with Roger's vision.

Roger thought that the players were good, so was Lenny Wilkens. Paul Pierce and Shawn Marion were both the results of Roger's successful drafts.

But Michael Reed was the first person Wilkens thought Roger had misjudged.

If Reed had entered the draft in 1998 or 1999, his stock would have been very different. He would have definitely been a lottery pick, or even a top-five pick.

But he chose to participate in the 2000 draft after his junior year, which made him fall directly to the second round.

The reason for this is that Reed's scoring, rebounding, assists and steals statistics have been steadily declining every year during his three years in college.

In his sophomore season, he had a 46% field goal percentage and a 34% three-point shooting percentage, which made people believe that he had mastered his shooting.

As a result, in his junior season, Reed's shooting percentage dropped to 43%, and his three-point shooting percentage dropped to 31%, and he still achieved the lowest shooting percentage despite having the fewest three-point shots in history.

This means that his shooting is not up to NBA standards at all and he is just a breakthrough player.

But the embarrassing thing is that Reid's athletic ability is not that outstanding, and his ability to finish at the basket is also very average.

During his three years in the NCAA, everyone would give Reed two steps on defense because they had figured out his tactics, causing his scoring statistics and shooting percentage to become more and more embarrassing every year.

Such a breakthrough player with average athletic ability and average finishing at the basket is basically useless in the NBA.

Look at how fast Grant Hill's first step is, how agile AI's dribbling is, and how strong Paul Pierce is. Only these people can be qualified breakthrough players in the NBA.

Therefore, after his junior season, Reed's potential was basically revealed and his market value declined rapidly.

Even Lenny Wilkens was not optimistic about Reed. During team training, he couldn't break through anyone - except Jeff Hornacek.

But it was normal for Roger to make a mistake. The only person who could be accurate in drafting was Elgin Baylor. Besides, it was just a second-round lottery ticket. It was no loss if he didn't win the jackpot.

But after Michael Reed joined the team, Wilkens still discovered his shining point, which was diligence.

He was extremely hardworking. He would practice extra classes every day without fail, honing his shot almost like crazy. Whenever he had a break, he would study the game videos of various off-ball shooters.

Watching game videos is something that is easily overlooked by players. Whether it is Jordan or Roger, they not only hone their physical fitness, but also learn a lot from the videos.

This diligence made Lenny Wilkens think that Michael Reed might still be saved.

Although Michael Reed's shooting posture is extremely ugly, he almost carries the ball on his shoulder and then throws it out with his wrist.

But considering that Marion, who uses Picasso-style postures, can make progress in shooting, Lenny Wilkens still has some expectations for Reed.

Looking at Reed who was practicing hard, G.H.D. smiled and said, "Look, it's him. If that kid can really master long-range shooting, he can do the work for Jeff when he is resting. In this way, we can increase the duration of the semi-circle tactics and increase the time Roger can single-handedly abuse his opponents. You know what? Although he is a small figure, his improvement will affect many things and can solve our big problems."

"No way, Gadi," Lenny Wilkens waved his hands. "If he could learn to shoot, he would have done it in college. Why wait until the NBA?"

"That's different. He always shot with his right hand in college and practiced with his right hand, but now he's practicing with his left hand. Maybe he can really practice with his left hand? Although he can use both hands, as far as I know he's more left-handed. If you let Chris Mourning use his right hand, he still can't shoot accurately. Besides, if you think he can't practice, why do you care so much about him?"

"Care? No, no, no, I don't care at all. I made a bet with Roger that he would not be able to play. For $5000, I have to keep track of his training progress."

Although Lenny Wilkens does not insult his players as extremely as the perverted George Karl, as a stubborn old-school coach, he also does not like to say good things about his players easily.

After saying that, Lenny Wilkens and Jared closed the door of the training hall and prepared to leave Emory Health Center.

Although Michael Reed did not stop training, he heard the entire conversation between the two coaches.

So, he decided to do two more sets tonight!

I can't possibly learn to shoot?

Reed remembered what his father once told him: "Don't let anyone tell you you can't do it, including me. You have to believe that you are the best. You have to believe it yourself."

Just wait and see, Lanny, just wait and see!
On the other side, after entering the parking lot, Jared couldn't help but ask Lanny Wilkens before getting into the car: "You know Michael could actually hear our conversation just now, right?"

Lenny Wilkens stopped and looked back at the muscular man who had created the "Gar Hart moment" during his playing career, and shook his head: "How do I know if he can hear our conversation?"

"Admit it, you deliberately said that he couldn't practice it, and you deliberately let him hear it. Why? If you want to motivate him, you can use a less hurtful way. Aren't you worried that he will completely lose confidence by saying it like you just did?"

"It was Roger's job to be the locker room leader and my job was to be the strict bad old man. That's how he and I have been doing our respective jobs over the years."

"Oh, I knew it! You really did say that in front of him on purpose. You and Roger played the good cop and the bad cop respectively, and you both believed that the kid could accomplish something."

"To be honest, I don't really trust him, but I trust Roger's judgment. Okay, Gadi, go home. The day after tomorrow, we still have to face the 'super tough' Sacramento Kings."

Lenny Wilkens was already wondering how the world would react when the Sacramento Kings, who were highly praised by the media and fans, were defeated in Atlanta.
I really can't wait.

Two days after the battle with the Bucks, the Hawks welcomed the Sacramento Kings, who were hailed as "the greatest show on the basketball court" by Sports Illustrated, at home.

It turned out that Lenny Wilkens' judgment was correct. He did not underestimate the enemy, and it was really easy to deal with the Kings.

Before the game started, everyone thought it would be a fierce battle.

Chris Webber thinks so too.

Although he still lost to the Sharks last season, he could feel that his career had turned a corner.

Weber wanted to take revenge for all the humiliation he had suffered in the past. He imagined himself as an avenger, out to take revenge on the alliance that had once mocked him.

Webber was furious and yelled at Roger before the game: "Tonight you will understand why I was the top pick in 93. You will never beat me so easily again. I will fight you to the last second!"

Then the game took three quarters.

The core of Princeton is to use the inside players who can pass and shoot to pull the opponent's center to a high position, weaken the rim protection effect, and then others can easily attack the basket with passes and cuts.

But the Sacramento Kings found that even if they pulled Ben to the mid-range, it was completely useless, because the Hawks were more mobile and could fill in the defense frame at any time. In addition, the Hawks also had a very advanced anti-air cutting skill: unlimited switching defense.

Whenever they encounter an off-ball screen, the Hawks will choose to switch defense directly, not giving the Kings the opportunity to play a gorgeous combination.

The Eagles played like the reverse of Princeton. Princeton required the ability to run, pass and shoot, while the Eagles required the ability to run, defend and steal.

When the Kings' Princeton didn't work, something even more embarrassing happened. The Kings' supporters found that when the tactics didn't work, the Kings didn't have anyone who could solve the offense.

Princeton placed too much emphasis on teamwork, but when the team approach failed to work, neither Webber nor Peja found it difficult to gain an advantage in one-on-one situations.

In the original timeline, the Kings' strongest year was 2002. As we all know, the Kings forced the OK Lakers into a seventh game that year.

The biggest change to the 2002 Kings was replacing the fancy white chocolate Jason Williams with the white devil Mike Bibby, who was the key to everything.

What subverts many people's perception is that Mike Bibby is the player with the strongest ability to solve problems on the Kings in the playoffs, and is a player who can truly play offensive games.

When Princeton was having trouble getting going, Mike Bibby's pick-and-roll mid-range shots were the Kings' lifeline.

Look at how many times Mike Bibby's mid-range shots kept the Kings in the game at critical moments. This was the key to the Kings getting so close to the championship in 2002.

The current Kings team lacks a player who can play offensively, so they are completely helpless against the Hawks' defense.

"The Greatest Show in Basketball" was turned into a series of mistakes and inefficient singles.

In addition to defense, the Eagles' offense was also excellent.

Against the Kings, the Hawks don't even need to use the one-star, four-shooter strategy.

Paul Pierce scored 29 points, Marion scored 13 points, and Roger was double-teamed but still delivered 25 points and 11 assists.

The Hawks were already leading the Kings by 17 points after three quarters, and the game went straight into garbage time halfway through the fourth quarter.

The gorgeous Sacramento Kings were powerless against the Hawks.

Chris Webber sat on the bench and recalled the times when he was ridiculed.

In front of Roger, his fate seemed to have never changed.

113 to 91, the Hawks won with a huge advantage of 22 points even though they did not send their main players to the court for half of the fourth quarter.

The magician commented: "No matter how gorgeous they are, they look ugly in front of the real king."

After the game, Roger and Webber hugged each other: "Thank you for not giving me the chance to fight to the last second, otherwise I would definitely lose badly."

Webber, like Ray Allen, shook off Roger's hand and turned away.

Roger was satisfied. He liked it when his opponents were helpless against him.

After Atlanta's savior returned, the Hawks immediately won two consecutive victories.

Moreover, these two opponents were teams that had performed well in the previous half month and were highly praised by fans and the media.

These fake "strong teams" are being exposed one by one by the defending champions.

Now, the fans want to see one thing the most: let Roger test the authenticity of the big3 Lakers! ——
The Sacramento Kings are really surprising! Before playing against the Hawks, I thought they were a championship-level team. But after playing against the Hawks, I even worried whether they could make the playoffs! - Sports Illustrated

The Princeton system can only prevail in college basketball. Anyone who believes that this system can win the NBA championship must be an idiot! Did I say that the Kings have the potential to win the championship? Oh, I must have been possessed by the stupid Michael Jordan at that time. After all, he was stupid enough to be the boss of Cleveland. - Charles Barkley

Chris Webber remains the same. He is still the guy who has no influence on the game in adversity. The power of the system covers up his shortcomings, but it does not mean that his shortcomings have disappeared. For Chris, you should never, ever have any expectations. - Sacramento Bee.

Michael Redd played five minutes in his first appearance for the Hawks in garbage time today, scoring three points, one rebound and one assist. Thank God, the Hawks did not draft another unexpected talent. Thank God, today is a good day, and the Los Angeles Lakers have not encountered any new threats. - Los Angeles Times.

(End of this chapter)