Champions Creed

Chapter 318 317: I didn’t expect he was also Agent Zero (asking for monthly votes!)
The Oakland Coliseum has never been busier.

The audience lineup here is no less than that of the Staples Center.

NFL super rookie Tom Brady sat on the sidelines and waved to the camera.

His experience was very similar to Roger's.

He was not well-known in the United States during college and was not selected until the 199th pick.

But in his sophomore year, he led his team to win the Super Bowl and was named Super Bowl MVP, becoming the most popular football star.

When he did this, the commentator exclaimed: "What Tom just did gave me goose bumps. He is simply Roger of the NFL!"

Then Reebok signed the young superstar, hoping that he would further solidify the Reebok brand. If Reebok had the best players in both football and basketball, the brand would be unshakable for a long time to come.

So tonight he came to support Reebok's biggest spokesperson, but Brady was just one of the stars in this bright night.

Eva Green was sitting on the sidelines wearing a black dress. She was Roger's number one rumored girlfriend.

Anne Hathaway, who has become extremely popular recently for her role in "The Princess Diaries", also sat in the first row. She is Roger's second rumored girlfriend.

Scarlett Johansson, who debuted as a child star, also appeared at the Oakland Arena. She is Roger's third rumored girlfriend.

They had all had some contact with Roger over the past summer.

Some of them shot commercials together, and some of them attended the same charity dinner.

As a superstar, any single female star who appears in the same frame with Roger will be labeled as "rumored girlfriend".

The fact that they were all here at the same time tonight made their relationship with Roger even more interesting.

Maybe they all want to take off the hat of "rumored girlfriend" and become the only real girlfriend. But when I came here, I found that I was not the only one who thought so.

Mike Breen, who was only a substitute commentator during his time at NBC but has become a national commentator for ESPN since this season, joked, "It looks like the competition off the court is just as fierce tonight!"

Mike Breen was right. When Roger said hello to Eva Green, the other two looked like they wanted to eat someone. When he said hello to Anne Hathaway, the other two did the same thing. Abby Hornacek in the front row wanted to scratch all of their faces.

For a moment, this place seemed to have turned into a huge Shura field.

Finally, Roger, under tremendous pressure, walked up to Tom Brady, only to find that Tom Brady was also gritting his teeth.

Roger couldn't stand it anymore: "WTF!? What's that expression on your face, Tom? Don't tell me you're jealous too!"

Roger and Tom Brady had filmed several commercials together and were quite familiar with each other, so they were not too restrained when talking.

Tom Brady clenched his fists: "Why not? I'm so jealous, Roger. Look at this pomp and the respect the Warriors give you. This is the ultimate dream of all professional athletes! If I can have all of this, it would be worth dying for!"

"At least you have a chance to have one of my ex-girlfriends." Roger muttered in his heart. In the original timeline, Tom Brady would marry Gisele Bundchen in 2009.

Tom Brady really envies Roger. Tonight, Roger's opening game at the Oakland Arena not only has many stars come, but the Warriors have also prepared a special ceremony for Roger.

The center position on the sidelines was converted into six huge chairs, each with a jersey covered on the back.

Soon, five men in suits and leather shoes came out to cheers. They were all famous Warriors players whose jerseys had been retired: Tom Mechery, Al Attles, Chris Mullin, Rick Barry, and Nate Thurmond. Except for the late coach who left only a legendary number, all the others were present and sat on the chairs with their jerseys.

Roger walked up to the five legends with six gold corsages and helped them put them on. Finally, he placed one on the spot that belonged to Wilt Chamberlain.

Don’t ask why a corsage is made of gold. The reason is that the boss is rich.

He had only one request for the ceremony: "Don't let the Americans think I can't do it!"

Afterwards, five legends picked up a No. 14 retro jersey and helped Roger put it on, representing inheritance.

It is worth mentioning that the Warriors' No. 14 has actually been retired and belongs to Tom Mechery.

This man has close ties with China. His parents fled Russia in 1917 and gave birth to Mecheri in Harbin, the then puppet Manchukuo, in 1938. He also spent some of his childhood in China.

And now, he has given his No. 14 jersey to a Chinese player.

The league did not have any clear rules on retired jerseys, so Michael Jordan could take off No. 23. After Roger arrived, Tom Mechery took the initiative to express his willingness to let Roger continue to wear No. 14.

Generally speaking, no one would do this, because retiring a jersey is the greatest respect a team can show to a player, and it is also an honor for a player, and no one would be willing to take off their own honor.

Jordan wore No. 23 again because it would return to his body after he took it off, so it didn't matter.

But because of Roger's special status, and Tom Mechery was an informed and sensible intellectual (he became a well-known writer and teacher after retiring), he made the first decision in NBA history to give up a retired jersey.

While Roger is playing for the Warriors, Mechery's No. 14 jersey will be temporarily removed. When Roger finishes his career, both No. 14 jerseys will be hung up at the same time.

That's right, before Roger played a single official game for the Warriors, Prokhorov had already decided to retire Roger's jersey from the Warriors.

Reebok paid the old man a bribe of one million US dollars for this. After all, the idea of ​​inheriting jerseys is unprecedented and it is a topic that can be hyped up.

But Tom Mechery refused the US dollars because Prokhorov had already paid all the celebrities who came to the event.

This guy, nicknamed "Russian Madman" when he was young, had only one request: "Chinese boy, I allow you to use the number 14, but you have to kick all your opponents' asses hard and don't let this number lose face!"

At this time, after the jersey handover ceremony was completed, Roger patted Mecheri on the shoulder and said, "You will get what you want tonight and see a wonderful massacre."

By the time the ceremony was over, Tom Brady was already crying with envy.

He is a star, a legend, and a jersey inheritor. The ceremony held by the Warriors for Roger tonight was even more grand than the championship ring awarding ceremony.

What professional athlete wouldn’t be moved by this?

In the darkness, Gilbert Arenas had already become impatient.

"Hey, what's the point of all this ritual? The Warriors act like he's going to win for sure."

On the side, Steve Francis reminded his new teammate: "If I were you, I wouldn't provoke him again. Just play the game well. We still have a chance to win if we don't provoke him."

"I'm not afraid of him. If Roger had been afraid of Michael Jordan, do you think he would have been successful?"

Gilbert Arenas really felt that he had got Roger's script.

The game started soon, and Hubie Brown's starting lineup was just as Roger expected.

Roger, Alan Houston, Tayshaun Prince, Stephen Jackson and Amar'e Stoudemire.

This starting lineup can be said to be a continuation of the style of the Hawks era, with no pure point guard.

At least Roger had Harper by his side during his time with the Magic, but since his time with Atlanta, Roger has been accustomed to playing basketball without a point guard.

Because Roger himself has grown into a point guard who is more inclined to score, he does not want a second player who controls the ball a lot.

And in Roger's opinion, traditional point guards can easily become weaknesses on the defensive end, unless you are as good at defense as Jason Kidd.

So all along, Roger just needed some smart teammates who could pass the ball, not a full-time point guard.

So Hubie Brown tried to merge his style with Roger's and fielded this starting lineup without a point guard.

Gilbert Arenas is ready to fight. To be honest, although there are many conflicts, this is actually the first time Roger and Arenas have met in half a year.

But this made Arenas even angrier. Roger traded him away without even meeting him, which represented a huge contempt.

"Roger, are you ready to face the consequences of your decision?"

"Gilbert, I don't want any misunderstanding. Trading you away is not disrespectful to you, nor is it because I am afraid that you will threaten my position."

"I'm listening." Arenas listened to Roger's explanation with pride. He thought it was a gesture of goodwill.

However, Roger replied: "I traded you because I simply think you are a rubbish player."

Gilbert Arenas' expression was twitching, and he really wanted to go somewhere to find a gun!
At the beginning of the game, Amar'e Stoudemire showed off his excellent jumping ability and snatched the ball over the taller Kevin Cato.

The ball was in Roger's hands and James Posey was responsible for defense.

But Roger didn't attack, but casually threw the ball into the penalty area. The next second, Amar'e Stoudemire jumped up, grabbed Roger's extremely casual pass with both hands, and then smashed the rim! The Warriors' first offense of the new season was extremely spectacular, and this will become the norm in the future.

Arenas looked at his teammate Kevin Cato in disbelief. After all, he had played in the NBA for six years. How could he be easily defeated by a rookie?
Cato had a hard time saying what he was doing. Just now, Stoudemire ran out to set an off-ball screen for Alan Houston, so Cato followed him out.

As a result, after the pick-and-roll, Stoudemire quickly turned around and cut into the basket. His speed was just like that of a small forward, and Cato, who was at the center position, couldn't catch up at all!

Arenas cursed: "I knew I couldn't count on you bunch of rubbish!"

The game continued. Francis controlled the ball and wanted to attack Alan Houston after crossing half court, but the Warriors used Tayshaun Prince to defend him.

He called for a pick-and-roll, but ended up breaking through in the opposite direction of the pick-and-roll. The young Tayshaun Prince was fooled, and Francis made a quick stop and jump shot.

But in the air, a long arm appeared and interfered with Francis's shot. Francis looked and saw that it was the rookie who had just been thrown away!
Prince was indeed out of position just now, but his Spider-Man-like size allowed him to still interfere with Francis' shot even when he was out of position.

Francis changed his shot into a pass and handed the ball to Arenas.

Then, all the fans stood up.

Because it was Roger who was responsible for defending Arenas!

These two people full of grudges faced off directly in the first round!
Arenas did not make any unnecessary moves. He accelerated after changing hands under his crotch, leaning on Roger to prepare for a breakthrough.

But halfway through the breakthrough, Arenas felt that it was difficult for him to get close to the basket, so he prepared to make an emergency stop and shoot.

But Roger didn't give him any space and blocked the ball the moment Arenas jumped!

Mike Breen shrugged. "It was too easy. There was no suspense in this round. If Gilbert keeps playing like this, he might not get any points."

Arenas was actually a tank guard in his prime. As a 191 cm guard, he weighed more than Wade in his prime.

He relies on his large changes of direction and strong upper limbs to create space, making it easier for him to break through or shoot.

But now, the sophomore Arenas is not that strong yet, and he seems too weak to compete with Roger, so his advantages cannot be brought into play at all.

The Warriors counterattacked, and Stephen Jackson, who had a seven-second offensive foundation, ran forward the moment Roger completed the block, and finally scored a dunk easily.

The fast break was so fast that he had mastered the secret of becoming a great player.

One round later, Francis missed a three-pointer and it bounced off a long rebound.

Arenas actively ran to the rebounding point and prepared to fight for the ball. Although he is only 191 cm tall, Arenas has great passion for rebounding.

But as the basketball was falling, Arenas was pushed away by Roger. Roger then jumped up quickly and grabbed the rebound, leaving Arenas no chance to grab the rebound.

Arenas ran to the backcourt angrily and stood beside Alan Houston, but his attention was all on Roger.

Seeing Roger breaking through James Posey, Arenas immediately went up to block Roger's breakthrough route, and then tried to steal the ball.

Arenas swore that his fingertips had touched the ball, but Roger's hands were like two giant mechanical pliers, tightly controlling the ball, and then he raised the ball and shot it directly!
"brush!"

"Thank you for coming here to let me face Gilbert, but go away, I don't like your style." After scoring the goal, Roger began to humiliate the guy who had been barking all summer.

Hubie Brown was sitting on the sidelines and heard everything Roger said clearly.

Hubie Brown had heard many stories about how cruel and bloodthirsty Roger and Jordan were.

But any legend cannot compare to seeing them defeat their opponents with your own eyes. Only when you see it with your own eyes will you know what cruelty is.

Arenas gnashed his teeth, but he had nothing to refute, he just wanted to fight back on the offensive end.

As a result, he was blocked again.

In this round, Arenas tried to break through Roger again, but failed as expected. After retreating to the three-point line, Arenas looked away from Roger. The experienced Roger knew that the kid was going to pass the ball.

After seeing Steve Francis coming out, Arenas prepared to pass the ball.

But just as he was about to pass the ball, he felt Roger approaching like a huge shadow. The next second, the ball he was about to pass was taken away by Roger.

At the moment of passing the ball, the still young Arenas was not so focused on protecting the ball.

Roger seized the opportunity perfectly and stole the ball easily.

Basketball is so cruel. When the league's top outside defender meets a second-year rookie, he can usually be completely crushed.

Recall how miserable Kobe Bryant was when facing Roger in the first few years of his career. At that time, it was difficult for him to score 10 points in a game against Roger.

And for Arenas, who is not as tall or as talented as Kobe, things will become more difficult than difficult.

After stealing the ball, Roger quickly ran down the court and scored with a one-handed slam dunk, making it 6-0.

Steve Francis looked at the grand scene and sighed.

Is this the Colosseum?

No no no, this is a fucking slaughterhouse being broadcast live across America!
After completing the dunk and returning to defense, Roger spread his hands to the No. 0 player: "Look, a rubbish player like you, why do you think you are qualified to stay in the Warriors? Why do you think I need you to win the championship?"

Roger was trash-talking recklessly, and Tom Mechery on the sidelines smiled and said, "Warriors No. 14 is following another lunatic."

Arenas still did not refute. In fact, he began to regret it a little.

Everyone is eager to pick up the script that Roger got in the summer of 1994, being abandoned by the most prestigious person in the league, and then defeating him, winning the championship and becoming the king.

What a perfect script, as perfect as "The Tutor Falls in Love with Me", satisfying all men's fantasies.

But not everyone can grasp this script.

In the next few rounds, Arenas' expression became more and more helpless because he found that he could not do anything.

It's anything!
He couldn't score because Roger was marking him.

He couldn't assist because he couldn't break through, and also because he didn't dare to be distracted to see other people's positions. If he was distracted for a moment, his ball would be snatched away by Roger.

He couldn't get rebounds, and Roger would always isolate him from the basketball.

On the court, Roger only gave him one right, the right to make mistakes.

Halfway through the first quarter, Gilbert Arenas's stats were still 0.

0分0板0助0断0冒，除了失误，全都是0！

Looking at Arenas, who was dejected and wearing the No. 0 jersey, the scene was extremely funny, like a teacher letting a student parade through the streets with a test paper with a score of 0.

Hubie Brown shook his head. He had always thought Roger just wanted to shut Arenas out, but now
"Damn it, he's going to make sure Gilbert doesn't get any data at all!"

This is probably why Roger said "Give him a few more zeros" before the game started.

In Hubie Brown's opinion, things have not reached that point at all. Although there are some frictions between Roger and Arenas, does Roger have to be so cruel?
At that moment, Hubie Brown realized strongly that he was coaching a monster.

He is not Bernard King or Patrick Ewing.

He is a cruel monster unique in the history of basketball.

You don't have to worry about failure when coaching a guy like this, because he will tear apart all obstacles in his way!

The Rockets suspended the game, and Arenas, who had been shouting for a whole summer, was now silent.

In this half, he was just a toyed puppy. He could do nothing except make mistakes.

Arenas passed by Roger when he walked off the court. Roger smiled and pointed at the number 0 which had a string of zeros. He turned to look at his old subordinate Stephen Jackson and said loudly on purpose.

"Hey, I didn't expect he was also Agent Zero."

(End of this chapter)