Champions Creed

Chapter 299 298: The Era Will Not End Yet (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!)

Ron Artest is a player who fits the temperament of the Detroit Pistons very well.

If he were allowed to travel back to the Bad Boys era, he would definitely get along well with those old seniors in every sense of the word.

In fact, a big part of the reason why the Bulls gave up Artest was that they thought he caused too much trouble.

In Chicago, he took two days off each week. His purpose? To work at a grocery store.

That's right, I went to work in a grocery store.

No one knows why Ron Artest did this. He could earn millions of dollars from Chicago every year and he didn't need to work to supplement his family income.

But he insisted on going to work, and even took leave and missed training to work.

He didn't have a good relationship with his teammates and rarely ate or played with them. But he was clearly a real black man from the lower class, unlike Ray Allen, Kobe and other "black pearls" who had difficulty getting along with their teammates because they had a completely different living environment from their teammates.

Artest gives people the feeling that you have no idea what he is thinking.

Why did he go to work? Why was there a gap between him and his teammates?
No one on the team knew what kind of person Ron Artest was, and he didn't want his teammates to know.

All everyone knows is that he's a powder keg that could explode at any time, so you'd better stay away from him.

Now, Ben didn't know why Artest had just contradicted Roger. He seemed to have no reason to do anything out of the ordinary. He was like the Joker in Batman. No one could really figure out his purpose.

But before, no matter who Artest contradicted, Ben would not intervene, and would even support him.

After all, that lunatic is his teammate, and Ben cannot turn his elbow outward.

But if Artest wanted to go crazy on Roger, Ben would never allow it.

Even though the two sides are now truly each other's biggest rivals, Big Ben's respect for Roger will not change.

His relationship with Roger is more than just that of former teammates. When Roger did not force him to stay for the three consecutive championships, but let him pursue the maximum salary for six years, Ben will consider Roger a friend for the rest of his life.

At first glance, not letting down your teammates seems like a very normal thing and nothing to sing about.

But only when you are in this place where interests are paramount will you know how precious it is to be able to not let down your teammates.

So in the locker room, Ben gave Artest a lecture. This time, his elbow was turned outward.

"I don't know what you want to do. Let's win the game and leave here. It's that simple. There's no need for you to do that because Roger never provoked us!"

"Oh, great leader, of course, of course, I will listen to you. Don't worry, I won't affect the relationship between Roger and his lovely dog, absolutely not." Artest said sarcastically while changing his jersey.

"Hey Ron, I don't have time for a fucking joke with you!"

Seeing Ben get angry, the locker room immediately became quiet.

Artest clenched his fists. Others couldn't figure him out, and he also felt that he couldn't figure others out.

He didn't know why this usually wild and afro-haired guy became like a wimp when he met Roger.

As a New Yorker, Artest, like Carmelo Anthony, has witnessed Roger's legendary massacres of the Knicks since he was a child.

But unlike Anthony, Anthony has since regarded Roger as his idol. What about Artest? He has since hated Roger and has become his loyal anti-fan.

This is normal, just like most Los Angeles fans hate Bird, and most Boston fans don't like Magic.

You know, these days, the players people hate aren't that unified.

As a superstar, if you are not hated, then you are not a superstar, because if you are not hated, it means that you have never posed a threat to others.

Ron Artest, a native Queens guy who started selling fans at the age of eight, has the biggest dream of being selected by New York and then leading the Knicks to beat Roger's team.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. The Knicks, who had the 15th pick at the time, gave up Artest, and the team that finally chose him was the Chicago Bulls, Roger's first team.

Now, he has been traded to Detroit.

His career seemed to be destined for New York.

Gradually, the dream of leading the Knicks to victory became a complete dream, but his resistance to Roger did not change.

In the past few years, the Chicago Bulls were not even Roger's rival. Except for some fans who are still speculating "what would have happened if we had both MJ and Roger back then", Chicago has almost no trace of Roger.

Roger's game against the Bulls is no longer attracting much attention, and Ron Artest, like the Bulls, has no sense of existence in front of Roger.

But now, Artest experienced the thrill of winning for the first time in his career and found for the first time that he could easily win in the NBA.

At this moment, he was like a poor child who became rich overnight, and his first wish was to buy some things that he could only dream of before.

For Artest, his most pressing wish after getting on the winning track is to beat Roger. That has been his ultimate fantasy since he was a teenager!

Artest had already achieved his goal the last time the two teams met, but the feeling of victory is more addictive than extreme sex, and he hopes to do it again after the first time.

This time, the team added Rasheed Wallace, and Artest felt that Roger was just so-so.

It would be great to beat Roger again on his home turf.

This bastard who ruled New York back then was nothing special.

So Artest was furious from the beginning, and he wanted to express his fearlessness towards Roger by causing a conflict in the player tunnel.

At the same time, he also needs to bring this anger to the basketball court to urge himself to stay focused.

No matter what Big Ben said, Artest would not change his attitude.

He wants to use the most radical struggle to kill Roger!

He wants to let the wheels of the dark defensive era crush the crown of the defending champion!
He wants to put an end to this most annoying player with his own hands!
So in the silent locker room, Artest glanced at Ben and said, "I'm here to fight. Of course we're going to win the game and leave here. But how do we win the game? The process is not up to you, big guy."

Ron Artest ignored Big Ben's warning and continued to do things in his own style.

Ben knew that he had no real control over Artest. Although the conflict in the preseason training camp made Artest temporarily succumb, it was only superficial.

Artest really doesn't dare to challenge Big Ben directly, but that doesn't mean he will listen to Big Ben obediently.

Big Ben sighed. Maybe Artest couldn't listen, but he still reminded him: "I just hope you don't do anything stupid here. Believe it or not, I'm doing this for your own good. In Philips Arena, you can win, but no one can challenge Roger's authority. You'd better remember this."

"Oh."

After changing his jersey, Artest walked out of the locker room and prepared to warm up.

He really couldn't listen to a word.

Before today's game started, Hawks general manager Pete Babcock presented Big Ben with a championship ring.

This was the first time Ben Ben returned to Atlanta after leaving, so he didn't receive his championship ring until today.

When Big Ben put on the championship ring, countless fans in the stands held up signs that read "Sending Big Ben away is a crime", expressing their dissatisfaction with the stupid behavior of the Hawks' shareholder team.

Lenny Wilkens looked at the signs and couldn't help but complain to D'Antoni: "I hope they will learn a lesson from this stupid decision."

The implication is, don't get rid of Roger.

But Mike D'Antoni didn't seem to get Lenny Wilkens' point, so he responded: "The greatest lesson of mankind is never learning from it, Lenny."

Lenny Wilkens was shocked. Yes, if we talk about lessons, aren’t the lessons from the Magic team enough?

He didn't know what would happen in the future, but he really didn't want Roger to return to Philips Arena in this way next year.

Although he was very happy to receive the championship ring, the moment the ceremony ended, Ben had already entered the role. He is now the leader of the Detroit Pistons, and his goal is to beat the Atlanta Hawks!

The Pistons' starting lineup was in place, with the Big Five being Chucky Atkins, Richard Hamilton, Ron Artest, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace.

This lineup is still missing Billups, but it is already very competitive. The fear emanating from the dark defensive era comes from this.

At the start of the game, Big Ben got the ball from Kurt Thomas, and this strong defensive team attacked first.

Artest wanted to score today, and he was ready to take on Pierce right away. Pierce was quite strong for a three-pointer, but Artest carried Pierce on his shoulders and easily got into the paint.

Ron Artest's breakthrough is actually a bit like LeBron James', not relying on the speed of the first step, not relying on fancy balls. In fact, Artest doesn't even rely on footwork skills.

He would just hold you with his shoulders and then force you to the basket with terrifying force.

Because Rasheed Wallace pulled Marion to the mid-range, Artest did not encounter any help from the power forward when he broke through, and was able to move forward unimpeded.

After breaking into the basket, Artest held onto Pierce and jumped, and the basketball just went over Kurt Thomas' fingertips and hit the backboard into the net.

In the first attack of the game, Artest took the lead!
His layup in the confrontation is beyond description of brilliant, it has a GOAT beauty.

But Artest's style is like this. He never cares whether a goal looks cool or not. He only knows that it is a valid score.

Although Artest's mid-range and long-range shots are unstable, his finishing rate at the basket is very good, which is also his main means of scoring.

2-0, the Detroit Pistons maintained the momentum of a strong team.

After scoring the goal, Artest shook his green head and said, "Your era is over, your era is over! Tremble in the dark defensive era, you bastards!"

Artest is very arrogant, but everyone knows that offense is just Artest's added value.

This guy is really good at defense.

And he will soon show off this weapon.

Sure enough, the Hawks' seven-second offense was suppressed again in this round, because Roger, the main control point, was unable to increase the speed of offense in the first place under the pressure of Artest.

Ron Artest pressed forward the moment Roger received the ball. His powerful strength made it difficult for Roger to move and he couldn't speed up at all.

Moreover, Roger dared not use fancy dribbling to pass the ball, because Artest's ability to steal the ball was very good. Whether it was stealing the ball with the ball or passing the ball, Artest's ability was top-notch.

Confrontation and steals complement each other. In the confrontation with Artest, if your dribbling action is a little deformed, he will immediately take action to destroy the ball.

Of course, Artest also has excellent lateral speed at this time. He can lower his center of gravity at any time and turn into a wall that you can never get around.

All of this, coupled with his inexhaustible passion for defense, has made him the strongest perimeter defender in the early 21st century!

You can say he is a jerk, you can say he is a brainless idiot, but you can't question his defensive ability.

How long his defensive enthusiasm lasts depends on how long he plays.

Artest once again successfully forced Roger to slow down and dragged the game into a position.

And this is exactly the Pistons' favorite defensive style.

After forcing Roger into a position, Artest was smug: "Put away your proud attitude, you are nothing special. Your time to slaughter the alliance has passed. The next stage belongs to us."

Roger did not confront Artest head-on, but passed the ball to Paul Pierce who ran back and went to the mid-range.

Pierce is already familiar with the series of actions: catching the ball, jumping, aiming, and shooting.

But as soon as Pierce threw the basketball, it was blocked by Ben who came to help defend!

"Paul, you've slowed down. Is it because you've played too many simple shots in the seven-second offense that you've lost your sense of attack in positional warfare?"

"Shut up Big Ben!"

For the first time, Pierce felt the defensive threat brought by Big Ben. When he was a teammate with this guy before, he only knew that he was strong in defense, but only when he became his opponent did he realize how strong he was.

With Rasheed Wallace helping him guard the basket, Big Ben can choose to attack more freely, which makes his defensive range reach a quite terrifying level.

Before you make a move, it's best to check whether you are being stared at by that afro.

The Pistons' defense is indeed very strong, and they have indeed benefited from the times.

The HandCheck rule allows violent outside defense experts like Artest to shine, and the open zone defense allows assisting defense players like Ben Wallace to show their value.

The Eagles' proud offense struggled against the Pistons' defense, which had mastered the rules.

And soon, the Pistons showed what they had beyond defense.

In this round, Pierce followed Artest closely and didn't let him catch the ball easily.

Marion was also very aggressive in the confrontation and did not give Rasheed Wallace any chance to receive the ball in the low post.

But Chucky Atkins passed the ball gently to Richard Hamilton, who had already shaken off Reed at some point.

Hamilton received the pass in the mid-range and had an extremely open shooting space.

Few people pay attention to who is the highest scorer on the Detroit Pistons' defensive team, but Richard Hamilton has been silently fulfilling his duties.

His off-ball running skills were already very advanced in college, and he could easily set screens and shoot with his eyes closed. The abnormal physical fitness inherited from his track and field family allowed him to keep running at a high frequency at any time.

Coupled with the excellent screen quality of the double Wallace, all of this makes Hamilton's off-ball offense extremely threatening.

Many people will ignore that Hamilton is now the top scorer of the best team in the Eastern Conference, but when he stabs you with a knife in his hand, you will naturally remember how dangerous he is.

Hamilton received the ball and shot, but Michael Reed was too late to interfere.

The shot had great rhythm and Hamilton felt he could definitely make it.

Artest raised his hands to celebrate in advance, he knew how stable Hamilton's shot was after running.

Artest once had a whim to go jogging in the morning with Hamilton and his dog, but he concluded that he was no better than a dog.

Long-distance running will not affect Hamilton's heart rate, and naturally will not affect his shooting.

If this goal is scored again, the lead will be 4-0, and the Pistons will suppress the Hawks from the very beginning.

Atlanta Hawks? Seems like a thing of the past.

Isn't it easy to suppress them in the game?

But all of Artest's fantasies were shattered by a block.

Richard Hamilton's shot felt really good, but as soon as he threw the ball, Roger, who came up to assist, blocked it from the side!
Zone defense not only benefits other teams, but also the Hawks themselves.

Roger is now getting more and more accustomed to the feeling of sweeping the defense. When shooting from the outside of the Eagles, you also have to always pay attention to whether No. 14 will target you.

Roger took the ball immediately after completing the block, and then subconsciously accelerated the pace.

Artest immediately pounced on Roger, hoping to continue to block him from launching a fast break.

Roger pushed his weight to the left while moving at high speed, but he suddenly pulled the ball back. This quick and smooth change of direction from behind made Artest unable to react, and Roger passed him in one step! After passing Artest, Roger slowed down, looked back at Artest, who he passed, and then casually threw the ball to Pierce who came in from the side, who easily dunked and scored!
2 to 2, Roger's block and beautiful dribble were rejected by the Pistons at the beginning. The leader of the defending champion will not allow himself to get lost in the dark defensive era!

The commentator Steve Jones took a deep breath and said, "Did you see Roger's attitude? Ladies and gentlemen, today will be a tough battle! The era of defending champions is not over yet!"

Artest stared at Roger, who deliberately looked back after passing him, and clenched his fists.

He hated Roger, and especially hated the condescending look of that bastard!
It was just a one-time pass, what's the big deal?
Roger passed by the angry Artest with an indifferent expression: "Don't think you can be complacent and announce the end of my era just because you won a game? Just because of a piece of trash like you?"

"It's only 2-2, you seem quite happy?"

"No Ron, it's not 2 to 2. Tonight, I will beat you like this countless times. I will look back at you countless times and admire the embarrassed look of you, a piece of trash."

"Fuck you!" Artest grabbed Roger by the collar, his emotions starting to get out of control.

Da Ben appeared at the first moment and separated the two.

At this time, players from both teams gathered together. Artest was very excited and wanted to break free, while Roger just looked at Big Ben.

"That's you, Big Ben. But the person who told you that he won't have another chance. This is my biggest concession to you."

Big Ben swallowed, he knew that Roger would never go back on his word.

(End of this chapter)