Champions Creed

Chapter 274 Chapter 273: Michael's Cleveland Revival Plan? This is the secret of their consecutive victories (asking for monthly tickets!)
The Hawks finally defeated the Toronto Raptors easily. Under Roger's main defense, the Canadian Flyers suffered a Waterloo at home.

He failed to complete a dunk over Roger's head, and even his shooting was very bad, being defended to 20 of 8.

Carter himself did not provoke Roger, but the Toronto media caused trouble. They praised Carter too much, so Roger let the Toronto fans see a tragedy.

The Raptors' on-site commentator joked: "Today's lesson is: Be low-key in front of the God of Basketball, even if you are an alien in a UFO."

Roger actually only scored 21 points in the whole game. Compared with the 55 points in the previous game, today's performance can only be described as lackluster.

But 21 points were enough to defeat the Raptors, and the strength gap between the two sides was obvious.

It is worth mentioning that Michael Reed made 4 of 2 three-pointers in this game and scored 6 points in total.

Reed's performance didn't have much impact on the victory, but it was a good start.

His ugly left-handed shot is starting to feel right, and that's more important than those six points.

After the game, Vince Carter hugged Roger: "Really, Roger? Can't you just let me dunk? You're so cruel."

"I am very happy to do so. I also love watching your dunks. It's all because of that low EQ bastard Ben. Every time you break through, that guy is the most aggressive in defending you!"

Carter shook his head and said, "If I hadn't actually played the game, I would have believed you!"
Roger's defense just now was so intense that he almost wanted to blast a hole in the UFO!
Don’t you know who defends most aggressively?

Sure enough, real top players will pass the buck, this is an essential skill.

The Eagles defeated another team with overwhelming force, and their current record is 23 wins and 5 losses.

Considering that 4 of the losses were suffered during Roger's recovery period, Roger's actual record after his return was 19 wins and 1 loss!
At the press conference, when the reporter asked Roger if he was satisfied with the current record, Roger just muttered nonchalantly: "Well, not bad."

This is a very perfunctory answer. If you use this answer when your girlfriend asks you "How do you like my clothes?", it will definitely lead to a breakup on the spot.

Roger was indeed perfunctory because he didn't care about the regular season record numbers now.

Roger has gotten everything he deserved in the regular season, including MVP, scoring champion, historic regular season record, historic regular season home undefeated record, etc.

In the regular season, Roger had nothing left to chase.

But the only difference between Roger and Shark is that Roger doesn't want to lose easily, so he won't give up completely and slack off in the regular season.

No matter how good the results are in the regular season, Roger will not be too excited.

For Roger, winning the regular season is as common as changing his supermodel girlfriend.

He won't lose interest in changing girlfriends, but he won't be too excited about changing to a bigger one. Bigger, of course, refers to the other person's fame.

However, not everyone has the same gift as Roger. For most ordinary players, the regular season is not so easy.

In the locker room after the game, Jeff Hornacek had the fluid in his knee drained again.

Roger was also receiving a massage in the therapy room at the time, so he saw this shocking scene.

After the slender needle was inserted into the knee, a blood-red liquid was immediately drawn out of the syringe. This time, a total of 52 ml of fluid was drawn out of Hornacek's knee.

Roger had never had fluid in his knee, so he didn't know how painful it was.

But according to people who have experienced this, it is absolutely hellish torture.

But facing the "hellish torture", Hornacek, who seemed to be weak and frail, did not shout or scream. He just closed his eyes and let the sweat drip from his forehead.

After the massage, Roger sat next to Jeff Hornacek and said, "You should take a break for a few games. Your knee is terrible."

"No Roger, I'm fine. Don't worry, I often do this when I'm in Salt Lake City. How should I put it? It's actually almost the same as drawing blood." Hornacek answered with a relaxed smile.

After finishing the massage, Roger was the first to walk out of the therapy room. After he left, the smile on Jeff Hornacek's face gradually disappeared.

The smile he just showed was all forced because he was in so much pain.

After resting for a while, Jeff Hornacek limped away in pain and prepared to leave.

Because it was an away game, the whole team had to take the bus back to the hotel, so he didn't want to rest too long and waste other people's time.

Before leaving, Hornacek turned around and asked the team doctor: "I'm not going to play basketball with my daughter in a wheelchair, am I?"

"Not yet Jeff, but you're in a lot of pain for this. Maybe you should listen to Roger and take some time off."

"Will that help my injury?"

"No way. It can only make you feel better for a few days. Your knee, please forgive me Jeff, is like a piece of rotten wood. No matter how much you rest, it will never be restored to its original state."

"Really? Then there's no need to rest. Thanks, doctor."

Hornacek pushed open the door of the physiotherapy room, and after seeing his teammates, he regained his good-natured smile and tried hard to hide his limping gait.

Every time the fluid in his knee was drained, Jeff Hornacek would ask the team doctor if he would have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, as if that was the only thing he cared about.

As for the pain?

He doesn't care at all, not at all.

Hornacek boarded the bus and the team set off back to the hotel.

On the bus's onboard TV, ESPN was playing a program that would surely have given David Stern a headache: the top ten fights in the NBA in the past decade.

The show immediately piqued everyone's interest because Roger's team appeared so frequently.

During his time with the Magic, he fought with the Bulls and elbowed Karl Malone. His time with the Hawks was even more exciting, with the scenes of Pierce and Roger beating up Kobe and O'Neal respectively becoming classics.

Roger became the object of everyone's ridicule: "If your things are missing, they must be in the British Museum. If a team often fights, Roger must be in the team."

"When I die one day, I will have one word engraved on my tombstone: misunderstanding." Roger smiled and answered his teammates using AI's famous saying.

"I have to add one more word: dedicated."

Da Ben's words made everyone laugh, and the atmosphere on the whole bus was very cheerful.

But soon, everyone's smiles stopped.

Because the car TV showed Jeff Hornacek being beaten up by Jerry Stackhouse.

That was indeed one of the top ten fights in the past decade. To be more precise, it was the worst beating in the past decade. Because of his lack of fighting ability, Jeff Hornacek was beaten the whole time. Not to mention fighting back, Hornacek didn't even have a chance to throw a punch.

After the game, the media said that Hornacek was a tougher Rudy Tomjanovich. Stackhouse hit Hornacek hard and almost every punch hit Hornacek's head. Every punch caused Hornacek's head to be obviously displaced. The referee was really afraid that something salty would appear on his face.

Seeing that everyone in the car fell silent, Jeff Hornacek tried to cover up the embarrassment with laughter: "It's okay guys, I don't care at all."

Don't care? Is it possible? He is also a man.

For Hornacek, it was the most undignified night of his entire NBA career.

He wanted to fight back, but after being hit by the first punch, he felt dizzy.

The most disappointing thing was that no one from the Jazz rushed to help him.

Karl Malone would elbow Stockton and leave him with 50 stitches just to help him out.

But he won't do Hornacek that much either.

Hornacek was utterly humiliated and still feels extremely embarrassed whenever he thinks back on that night.

Jerry Stackhouse often brags about this, as if it proves that he is a real man.

Hornacek is now very embarrassed because his most undignified moment is being watched by the whole team.

"Hey Jeff," Roger, who was sitting in the first row of the bus, stood up and looked at Hornacek who was sitting in the back. "In the Atlanta Hawks, no matter who encounters a similar situation, we will not allow such a thing to happen."

Everyone immediately nodded in agreement.

"That's right Jeff, if that bastard Jerry does it again, he's going to regret it."

"No one can bully anyone on this team. That's the bottom line of this team."

What shocked Hornacek was that even head coach Lenny Wilkens supported Roger: "If any of you guys let your teammates be treated like this and do nothing about it, I would be very, very disappointed."

"Roger, are you going to bring your MVP trophy next time we play against the Pistons?" Andre Patterson raised his hand and asked.

"Why bring that?"

"It's convenient to knock Jerry Stackhouse's head off from behind."

Everyone started laughing again, but not at Hornacek.

Jeff Hornacek also smiled. Now he knew why Roger's team was always the team with the most fights.

This kind of team may seem bad to outsiders, but who wouldn't want to play for this team?

Jeff Hornacek suddenly felt that it was all worth it.

He is willing to give everything for this team!
And at this moment, is Jeff Hornacek the only one who feels this way?
Everyone knows that their teammates will stand up for them. Everyone contributes, and everyone gains.

That night, on this bus, the Eagles' already excellent locker room atmosphere was elevated.

What happened next? A series of great victories!
After defeating the Raptors, the Hawks defeated the Knicks and Cavaliers in the last days of 2000, perfectly ending the 2000 schedule.

In the game against the Cavaliers, Michael Jordan sat on the sidelines.

As a minority owner of the Cavaliers, Jordan still brings a certain amount of buzz to the Cavaliers. The more he shows up, the more exposure the Cavaliers get. So this season, Jordan often appears at Gund Gymnasium.

In fact, since Jordan acquired a stake in the Cavaliers, he has been personally involved in many things and even appeared in the team's daily training.

However, Jordan's participation in training was quickly stopped by Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund. After all, no one wanted to see their players unable to beat a 37-year-old middle-aged man.

In short, Jordan and the Cavaliers are very close. But after all, he can't take off the No. 23 jersey at the United Center and put it on, and he can't directly win for the team.

In this game, Jordan could only watch Roger slaughter the Cavaliers effortlessly.

There were countless moments when Michael Jordan really wanted to play. He knew that the Cavaliers and the Hawks were not on the same level, and his mentality was the same as that of most Cleveland fans: winning or not was another matter, but at least he had to play with attitude, spirit, and level.

As a result, the Cavaliers failed to do anything in this game.

And during the game, the Cavaliers players always did things that Michael Jordan couldn't understand.

Some balls are obviously great opportunities, why pass them?
He still didn't understand why the Cavaliers' players couldn't even do some basic skills. For example, when facing multiple double-teams, why didn't Andre Miller, the Cavaliers' current top scorer, just fade away?

When the game was over, Jordan forced a smile and shook hands with Roger.

Not only did the two look very close, but they also greeted each other in a friendly manner.

If they are not friends, who would greet each other's mother when hugging each other?
"You should be thankful that the NBA doesn't allow players to own shares in their teams, or I would have kicked your ass tonight!"

"Yeah, yeah, just like in your fucking dreams. You couldn't kick my ass in Chicago and New York, but you can in Cleveland? Michael, when did you become delusional?"

Look, how intimate.

Michael Jordan returned to the player tunnel. This game seemed to bring him back to the days many years ago when he was competing head-on with Roger.

Michael Jordan's heart, which had been calm for a long time, began to stir again.

He still wanted to beat Roger, even as a boss.

The Cavaliers' best chance to turn things around is LeBron James.

In 2003, will Cleveland's chosen one enter the draft?
Considering LeBron James' already terrifying commercial value, Jordan thinks he will.

Although high school players cannot sign commercial contracts, many sports brands have already been flirting with James.

Adidas was unable to sign James personally, so it directly sponsored the entire St. Vincent-St. Mary High School basketball team just to allow James to wear Adidas jerseys in the game.

Brands such as Reebok and AJ also regularly give James free sneakers so that he can wear them during the game.

There has never been such a high school player in the history of North American basketball. Even Roger, his commercial value in high school could not be compared with LeBron James.

Roger pioneered the high school rookie in modern basketball, and LeBron James will push high school rookies to a whole new level.

Therefore, Michael Jordan believed that there was no need for James to play college basketball and he would definitely participate in the draft in 2003.

Going to college means James will lose tens of millions of dollars.

Besides, what can LeBron James learn in college? It would be better for me to teach him in person after he enters the NBA!

Where in college can you find a better teacher than me, Michael Jordan?

Jordan is very confident about coaching rookies, just as he is about drafting the players.

As long as I can choose LeBron James and train him myself, in a few years, I can build a team that will end Roger's rule!

To kill Roger, you have to do it yourself!
At this time, Jordan was stopped by a reporter while walking in the player's tunnel. The bodyguard wanted to separate the reporter, but Jordan waved his hand and said, "Let him ask. I can answer a few questions."

Jordan is not against the media now. Instead, he needs the media to make himself and the Cavaliers appear in the fans' field of vision frequently.

"Michael, you said before that there is a 99.9% chance that you will not return. Although you are now one of the owners of the Cavaliers, can we still see that 0.1% possibility?"

Jordan smiled and said something that made people imagine: "Stay tuned."

Michael Jordan is now seriously considering the possibility of returning to play. If he can stay in good shape in 2003, he and LeBron James can play the father and son game, or rather, the new and old kings can play on the same stage.

At that time, as long as he can lead the team into the playoffs, he can create huge commercial value for the Cleveland market!
Moreover, it is also easier to train James.

There is still a chance to beat Roger a few more times as a player!

Although being a player requires selling shares, Jordan could negotiate with Gordon Gund to sell the shares back first, and then buy them back at the original price after retiring for the third time.

With two and a half years left before the 2003 draft, Michael Jordan decided to get in shape.

Come back and train that kid for a year, create commercial value by the way, and then build a team around LeBron as the boss. Michael Jordan seems to have seen the grand blueprint for the Cavaliers' future.

As a player, Michael Jordan lost to Roger.

But as long as he can take down LeBron James, he believes he can always get a point back from Roger!
Michael Jordan decided to win in the future, and the Hawks continued to win more and more driven by a good locker room atmosphere.

In January 2001, the Atlanta Hawks almost swept the entire Western Conference.

Especially when facing the Texas duo that are considered to be championship-level teams, the Eagles' performance was impressive.

On January 1, the Hawks traveled to play against the San Antonio Spurs.

This is a nationally televised game. Although the Spurs failed to defend their title last season and were eliminated early in the first round, they became the fourth defending champion in NBA history to be eliminated in the first round.

But everyone knows that's because Duncan was out for the season.

So after Duncan's successful return this season, the Spurs are still one of the favorites to win the championship.

In the previous two months, the Spurs had an excellent record, ranking second in the Western Conference after the Lakers.

Popovich is looking forward to the team's performance. He thinks it will be a tense game. He told everyone before the game: "We will fight to the last second today for victory."

As a result, after the game started, the Spurs were completely beaten by the Hawks!

The Spurs are the third-best defensive team this season, but their offense is incredibly bad. David Robinson has lost most of his athletic ability, and now even Kevin Garnett can laugh at him for being a mid-range shooter.

Young General Johnson is no longer as good as he used to be, both in terms of personal ability and prestige in the locker room.

Sean Elliot is no longer young and has a transplanted kidney.

This Spurs team is too old.

One of the few young players is Derek Anderson, the second-highest scorer on the Spurs. However, many Spurs fans didn't even know who Derek Anderson was before last summer. The 97th pick in 13 averaged 99 points per game with the Clippers in the 00-16.9 season. After joining the Spurs this season, he averaged 15 points per game with a 39% three-point shooting percentage. In addition, he is not good at controlling the ball or defending.

He's a decent role player, but as the No. 2 on a championship-contending team? That's a bit too low.

Popovich knows that the team is old, but he wants to take advantage of the veterans' mentality of "I no longer care about salary and tactical position, and I am willing to sacrifice everything to win the championship."

In his opinion, the Spurs only need to surround Duncan with some capable veterans, and they will be invincible.

But the perseverance and experience of these veterans were ultimately no match for the eagle’s extremely fast flight.

The Hawks focused on defensive counterattacks in this game. The Spurs couldn't find a second stable main attacking point except Duncan, so they missed shots frequently.

Once the Hawks grab the rebound, the counterattack will begin immediately.

None of the old guys on the Spurs are fast, and the only one with speed, Derek Anderson, is unable to fight against many opponents alone.

The Hawks didn't give the Spurs any chance to defend their positions, and they were able to beat them every time, making the league's third-best defense useless.

The fast offense prevented the Spurs from taking advantage of their defense, and the poor offense gave the Hawks opportunities to counterattack, creating a vicious cycle.

In the few positional defense rounds, the Hawks' three-pointers left the Spurs helpless.

Jeff Hornacek had a last-ditch effort today and scored 22 points, making 6 of 5 three-pointers.

On the Spurs bench, one of Popovich's assistant coaches, Mike Budenholzer, sighed: "If it weren't for the Hawks, this guy should have retired!"

This sentence made Popovich feel heartbroken. He made a guy who should have retired feel so upset.

In the end, the Hawks defeated the Spurs 112-90 on the road
Tim Duncan scored 28 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks. Even after suffering a horrific meniscus injury, he is still the superstar who reached the peak as soon as he debuted.

But apart from Duncan, there is no one else on the Spurs who can stand out.

Roger once again ended a championship contender. With just this one game, people can conclude: "If they meet in the playoffs, the Spurs have no chance of winning."

After the Spurs, the Hawks defeated the Dallas Mavericks, another Western Conference favorite.

After the 3J farce, the Dallas Mavericks finally got their reward and ushered in the most brilliant lineup in team history.

27-year-old Steve Nash and Michael Finley and 22-year-old Dirk Nowitzki, three players in the prime of their careers, put the Mavericks on the right track.

In addition, after the trade with the Hawks fell through, the Wizards accepted the Mavericks' five-for-two deal, sending Juwan Howard to Dallas.

In Cuban's view, his lineup couldn't be more brilliant.

Nowitzki and Finley averaged 20+ points per game, Juwan Howard was close to averaging 20+ points per game, and although Steve Nash scored a little lower, he was able to organize the offense.

They destroyed one opponent after another with their gorgeous offense averaging 100.5 points per game and made rapid progress in the Western Conference.

The Hawks and the Mavericks are considered to be another strong dialogue. In fact, if Wang Zhizhi had not waited until the CBA finals to be allowed to report to the Mavericks, this would have become the first Chinese derby in NBA history.

Dallas people are also looking forward to the arrival of a second Chinese player besides Roger who can easily complete a 360-degree turnaround dunk.

But there was no choice but to wait.

Well, now these various weird regulations are the reason why Roger has not participated in international competitions.

Can you imagine that you are playing in the finals, but they force you to go back to prepare for some fake cup competition? What kind of experience would that be?
However, 20 years later, the Chinese men's basketball team perfectly solved the problem of players going to the NBA to play and not being able to come back, because no one could go.

The new Mavericks owner Mark Cuban personally attended the game. Even though there was no China Derby, he was very much looking forward to the outcome of the game.

Because this game will test whether his team really has a chance to win the championship.

Just a few days ago, the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers' big three all played in that game, but in the end the Mavericks only lost by 3 point.

In the final moments, the Mavericks allowed Horry to grab a key offensive rebound. Although his strong attack under the basket was blocked by a foul, Horry still managed to kill the game with two free throws.

The Lakers' victory was thrilling and even had a certain amount of luck involved.

Because Horry was trapped behind Nowitzki at that time, and he had no idea that the ball was a long backboard that bounced very far, so Nowitzki, who was in an advantageous position, couldn't get the ball.

If that rebound hadn't been so weird, the winner would have been the Dallas Mavericks.

Although they lost, Cuban was still very excited about the game.

It turns out that his team is fully capable of competing with the championship team, so Cuban is looking forward to the Mavericks being able to deal with the Hawks in this game.

Besides, Nash, Dirk, Juwan Howard and Michael Finley against Roger and Pierce.

Three and a half against two, the advantage is on me!
But once the game started, Cuban's fantasy was immediately and cruelly torn apart.

He found that his team, which had an extremely strong offense, was completely useless against the Hawks.

They couldn't grab rebounds, couldn't play quality defense, and even their most proud offense looked as constipated.

At the end of the third quarter, the Hawks had already taken a 22-point lead!

Mark Cuban found it unbelievable and he really wanted to ask old Neil what had happened on the spot.

I have gathered together all the people with the highest scores, why did I still lose so badly?
The Mavericks failed to create a miracle in the fourth quarter. The Hawks easily defeated the Mavericks with a 28-point advantage, and the Texas duo was wiped out.

Michael Finley was the only one who had a normal performance tonight, scoring 47 points on 25% shooting.

Then the rest is disaster.

史蒂夫.纳什6中1，命中率16%。朱万.霍华德17中6，命中率35%。德克.诺维茨基16中5，命中率31%。

The Mavericks lost 15 rebounds, allowing Ben to get a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds.

After the game, Lenny Wilkens pointed out the Mavericks' problem in front of the camera: "The Dallas Mavericks are great, but you can't have a team full of Mohammed Abdul-Rauf!"

"Moonlight Pistol" Mohammed Abdul-Rauf, one of the most famous shooters in the 90s, was later called the Stephen Curry before Stephen Curry by fans.

Of course, all his achievements combined are not as good as Curry's amazing slide, but his playing style is indeed similar to Curry.

In an era where the best shooters bounce off screens to the 3-point line or catch the ball from a spot and shoot from distance, Rauf is so different that he can dribble like Allen Iverson, create his own shot and shoot from distance.

In today's league, only he and Roger like to shoot with the ball.

The reason why Lenny Wilkens used him as an example is mainly because he has several characteristics: his offense relies heavily on his touch and is not stable, he plays too loosely and too far to the outside, and he has no defense.

And this is a common problem for almost everyone on the Mavericks.

The Mavericks' lineup is extremely distorted, with a bunch of players who are strong on offense but weak on defense. Logically, the team already has Finley, Nowitzki and Nash, so the correct reinforcement should be to recruit some dedicated defensive players and tough blue-collar players.

But Mark Cuban is like an NBA2K player. He just opens the data sheet and tries to recruit all those who score high.

As a result, the Mavericks, from the main players to the role players, are all a bunch of players with soft playing style, poor defense, and floating shots.

Specifically in the game, no one on the Mavericks could protect the rebounds, and no one could stand up to solve the defense.

The offense he is proud of? For Nowitzki, who can only face the basket and not post up, he can only attack from the high post. Once his touch is exhausted, his influence on the offensive end will be greatly reduced.

Juwan Howard has never been able to fight tough battles since entering the NBA.

Steve Nash, a late bloomer, has not yet fully emerged.

When they encounter high-intensity defense that causes unstable shots, they have no other way to solve the problem.

So in front of the Hawks, the Dallas Mavericks are worthless.

After Lenny Wilkens finished his interview on the sidelines, the camera gave a close-up of Mark Cuban.

His expression was as if he had seen his most beloved thing being brutally destroyed by another man.

These two games basically confirmed one thing - except the Lakers, no team in the Western Conference can compare with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Spurs, Mavericks and previously the Sacramento Kings, these three top four teams in the Western Conference, all suffered heavy defeats against the Hawks.

Only the Lakers can truly fight the Hawks until the last minute.

If the team that made it to the finals from the Western Conference was not the Lakers, the finals would be a foregone conclusion.

Invisibly, the sense of fate between the Lakers and the Hawks has strengthened.

This seems to be the season for these two teams, their battle.

It seemed like they were destined to meet in the finals, and then it would be a life-and-death battle.

The good locker room atmosphere makes the Hawks invincible, and in this good situation, what reporters are most keen to do is to create trouble for the Hawks.

At the press conference that defeated the Mavericks, a reporter asked Ben: "Your contract is about to expire this summer. In your mind, what kind of contract should you get?"

Big Ben was excited about this. He approached the microphone and told reporters in a joking tone: "I think I deserve a maximum salary contract. After all, I scored a full 10 points in this game!"

Although it was a joke, it still made Eagles fans nervous.

If someone really offers Ben Wallace a maximum salary this summer, will the Hawks follow suit or just watch him leave?

In recent seasons, as an important figure of the championship team, Ben's defensive ability has been increasingly recognized.

Many teams began to take interest in this undrafted player who was once ignored.

Joe Dumars has publicly praised Ben more than once, saying, "It's a shame for a player like him not to wear the Pistons' blue, which represents courage!"

Therefore, it is not unbelievable for Ben to get a maximum salary. If he really enters the free agent market, there will definitely be a team willing to spend money to buy him.

In the original timeline, after Ben won the championship with the Pistons, he also signed the first and last maximum salary contract of his life with the Bulls.

For many players, this is the only chance in their lifetime to pursue a top salary, so Ben will definitely not miss this opportunity.
However, Steve Belkin quickly gave an answer, which instantly put Atlanta fans at ease: "Of course, we will keep Ben at all costs. This is why we are here. We have always been committed to keeping the Hawks' championship lineup."

Steve Belkin's straightforwardness made the entire Hawks locker room feel more at ease. Ben was undoubtedly very excited after receiving the promise, which further improved the atmosphere in the locker room.

But it made shareholders feel uneasy.

As a consortium, if we make money, everyone shares it, but if we spend money, everyone has to spend it together.

Steve Belkin can't just bypass everyone and promise Ben Wallace a max salary.

Does that guy really want to pay a player like Ben Wallace, who can hardly score in double digits per game, tens of millions of dollars a year?
Steve Belkin thinks this is no problem, after all, he currently has the support of the majority of the board of directors.

Since there is no suspense in the vote, of course I can say whatever I want.

The Hawks' second winning streak finally came to an end when they lost to the Philadelphia 1ers on January 9.

In that game, the 76ers locked down the Hawks' role players as usual, and AI also played well, scoring 46 points.

In the end, Roger's tying three-pointer missed, and the 76ers won by 3 points.

If there is a team that can really cause some trouble for the Hawks in the Eastern Conference playoffs, it is probably the Philadelphia 76ers.

But this defeat still couldn't stop the Hawks from taking the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 28 wins and 6 losses, and still couldn't keep the Philadelphia 76ers in first place.

At the end of the game, the AI ​​shot back at Roger: "Even gods can fail."

Roger was not angry. He certainly knew the level of Allen Iverson in 2001, and losing to him was not something too difficult to accept.

Roger opened his mouth, and AI thought he was going to be scolded, but Roger asked AI: "How is your relationship with your former teammate Jerry Stackhouse?"

"what?"

"Nothing, just asking casually. I just want to know if he is more foul-mouthed than you."

"What? Did Jerry mess with you again? That brainless bastard."

"No," Roger waved his hands, "He didn't provoke me, but he insulted my friend."

Tomorrow, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Detroit Pistons back-to-back after losing Grant Hill.

Now the only star of this Pistons team is Jerry Stackhouse, Roger's "lifelong enemy".

Stackhouse has been performing quite strongly this season. So far, he is averaging an astonishing 30.8 points per game!
After Grant Hill left, Jerry Stackhouse finally got his chance, and he started to explode from the first game of the season.

Facing his junior Vince Carter, who is also known as "Jordan's successor", he scored a career-high 44 points.

12月4日对火箭46分，10天后对开拓者41分，1月3日对凯尔特人40分，5日又在科比头上拿了47分，继续刷新纪录。

However, the most impressive game was the game against the Bulls at the end of December. I don't know if he wanted to prove at the United Center that he was the most qualified to succeed Jordan. Jerry Stackhouse made 12 of 36 shots and 21 of 13 free throws that night, scoring a career-high 11 points with extremely high efficiency!
Jerry Stackhouse is like a scoring machine this season. Recently, because of the upcoming match against the Atlanta Hawks, there are more reporters and attention around him, and there are more and more reports about him.

During the media open time after yesterday's training, a series of self-satisfactory remarks made by Jerry Stackhouse were reported.

"Cancer? Brush? Hey, I took 30 shots because the team needs me to do so. If I can get 40 points by taking the shot, what else can you say? They really need me to take 30 shots! I am not a cancer, I am a leader who carries the team!"

"My goal this season is to end Roger's dominance as the scoring champion!"

"Jeff Hornacek will definitely miss his aim, because he'll tremble when he sees me, hahahaha. That wimp only deserves to live under Roger's crotch."

The last sentence was why Roger was so angry, he didn't see what was so great about bullying an old white man.

Moreover, there is no personal grudge between Hornacek and Stackhouse. Jerry Stackhouse has been holding on to him simply because he is easy to bully and he uses him to highlight his own strength.

AI shrugged after hearing what Stackhouse said: "You don't want to beat him up, do you?"

"That depends on how he treats my friend, AI. Good night, you won well tonight. Take it seriously, because you won't be so lucky next time."

Watching Roger leave and making harsh remarks, AI did not feel sorry for himself.

He felt sorry for Jerry Stackhouse.

When will that fool realize that even if he averages 40 points per game, he is still not as good as Roger.

AI was thinking, if he were Jerry, he should pray to God now.

etc.
Roger is that god.

Will he answer Jerry's prayers?
-
Continuous victory, continuous victory, continuous victory! The Atlanta Hawks is the team with the best chemistry I have ever seen. When an Hawks player scores a goal on the court, no one will sit on the bench. When someone falls, someone will go back to help pull him up immediately. They are united, and this is the secret of their continuous victory. - Atlanta Military Police.

That certainly does not represent the final result, it is just Steve Belkin's personal statement. The specific situation will be decided after the board of directors votes. -- Michael Gillen, the third largest shareholder of the Hawks, talks about the maximum salary contract extension of Ben Wallace in an interview with reporters.

Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cohen is looking to sell the team? David Stern: We are investigating further. --NBA Time and Space.

Michael Jordan thinks: Playing with LeBron James is an exciting thing to think about. Guys, will it become a reality? - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Jerry Stackhouse is one of the most explosive scorers this season. We can look forward to a scoring war between him and Roger. But Jerry had better not mention anything about Jeff Hornacek. This is a piece of advice. Otherwise, his ending may be more tragic than losing the game. - "Slam Dunk".

(One update today, because I have reached 10,000 words. Thank you for your concern. I went to the hospital yesterday and the doctor prescribed some sleeping pills. I was not very healthy before going to bed. I slept very well last night and I am very energetic today. I hope I can keep it up.)
(End of this chapter)