Champions Creed

Chapter 341 340: 25 minutes is enough (ask for a monthly ticket!)

"Roger, if you win the championship this season, and if you have your own statue in the future, do you really plan to leave Michael's words on the base of the statue?"

"Why not? I'll admit defeat if I lose."

"So do you think Michael can make it to the playoffs this season?"

"I can only say that it is difficult and he can only try his best to fight for it."

On the other side, reporters asked Jordan almost the same question.

"Michael, if Roger wins his eighth crown, will you really attend his future statue unveiling ceremony?"

"Of course I'll do what I say, but don't make it sound like the Warriors are going to win the championship."

"The loss of this game puts the Eagles two wins behind the Cavaliers and one win behind the Philadelphia 76ers. Do you feel the pressure?"

"Pressure? You mean, I feel pressure because of AI and LeBron? I don't want to answer such a stupid question."

At the press conference, reporters were asking about the bet between Roger and Jordan.

This bet brought the two people closer together again.

And the answer that fans are eager to know is getting closer and closer to being revealed.

In April, the Warriors maintained a good winning rate. Although they had wins and losses, they have always firmly held the top spot in the Western Conference.

Nowadays, Roger has only one concern in his mind, and that is the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the original timeline, the failure of the Lakers F4 was definitely the most shocking failure in NBA history.

To the extent that fans always subconsciously think that Gary Payton and Karl Malone are no longer useful this season.

But this is not the case. Gary Payton's poor performance lies in the fact that he is incompatible with the triangle offense and his relationship with the Zen Master has broken down.

As for Karl Malone, he has been performing well this season, but the injury in the finals caused his competitive state to drop significantly, and he happens to be a very important part of the triangle offense.

Coupled with internal conflicts within the team, the Lakers F4 had little determination left to compete for the championship when they reached the finals.

But the Lakers today are different. The team's main point guard is Steve Nash, and he can play in any system.

Yes, his defense is almost nonexistent, but his offense is really sharp. And the Lakers' lineup this season is enough to help him cover up his defensive problems to a certain extent by relying on the power of the system.

Because the Shark left early, the atmosphere on the Lakers team was not so suffocating.

And until now, Roger has not heard any media reports that Karl Malone said "I'm hunting young Mexican girls."

Roger doesn't know whether this stupidest nonsense in the world will come out again, but at least for now, everything is fine for the Los Angeles Lakers except that Kobe needs to go to court and may face imprisonment.

Therefore, the Lakers' fighting power is very strong, and the facts prove that the Lakers management's operations in the summer were very correct.

Even if the Warriors can beat the Lakers in the last regular season matchup, the head-to-head record between the Warriors and the Lakers will be tied at 2-2.

So, the Lakers are definitely in more trouble than Roger imagined.

But with the playoffs just around the corner, Roger needs to make a major decision outside of the NBA.

When the Basketball Association personally sent someone to San Francisco to meet Roger, Roger knew that things were not simple.

Sure enough, they wanted Roger to wear the Chinese team's jersey in 2004!

Because the current Basketball Association is relatively conservative, Roger's appearance in FIBA ​​has not been possible.

But now, as Roger's status in the world is getting higher and higher, the clichés of "definitely next time" between Roger and the Basketball Association can no longer calm the emotions of the fans.

Why can Roger appear in the Super Bowl, the NBA, and any other big event, but can't appear in the Olympics wearing the Chinese team's jersey?

They could no longer tolerate the fact that the best basketball players in China could not participate in the Olympics.

And as the 2004 Olympics approached, such calls reached a peak.

Under pressure, the Basketball Association came with sincerity this time.

They agreed to all of Roger's conditions - only play in the Olympics, freely decide when to join the team, bring their own training team, no meetings in the middle of the night, etc.

And an additional new requirement: to get Wang Zhizhi back on the team.

Why did the Basketball Association suddenly relent? The pressure from the fans is only secondary. The real reason is that the Chinese team is no longer the same as it used to be.

Everyone knows that the Chinese men's basketball team in 2004 was strong, with Yao Ming, who was already outstanding, and Battelle, who played in the NBA. If they added Roger, who was world-class, and Wang Zhizhi, who also played in the NBA, no one knew what this team could create, and perhaps the results they created would exceed everyone's expectations.

The only thing that is certain is that if Roger can be involved, everyone's career will be bright.

In the face of that bright career path, some conditions are not conditions at all!
So this time, after careful study, the Basketball Association decided to let go, agree to all the conditions proposed by Roger, and give him certain rights.

Roger has never been averse to participating in FIBA. What he has always been averse to are the rules and regulations.

Now that the restrictions have been lifted, he has no reason to refuse.

In this way, a piece of news that shocked the sports world was born under Reebok's publicity.

In early April, Reebok, the equipment sponsor of the men's basketball team, released an advertisement that was only a few seconds long but excited fans all over the world.

The advertisement probably shows Roger walking out of the darkness, taking off the jerseys of the teams he had played for one by one, and then the narration starts speaking.

"He's fought for the people of Chicago, he's fought for the people of Orlando, he's fought for the fans in Atlanta, he's fought for the fans in the Bay Area. Now, he's decided to fight for his true hometown fans."

After finishing his lines, Roger put on the national team's uniform and stood on the basketball court with his arms folded across his chest.

As soon as this short advertisement was released, fans all over China cheered. The day they had been waiting for finally came true in 2004!
In fact, as a true international superstar, Roger's announcement of participating in the Olympics not only shocked Chinese fans, but also excited basketball fans all over the world.

Even American fans are worried about one thing: "Will we lose to the Chinese team?"

Due to a series of humiliating performances in previous international competitions, the US men's basketball team was full of confidence and announced early on that it would invite two superstars, Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, to join the team to compete in Athens.

Superstars such as Stephen Marbury and Jermaine O'Neal have also joined.

Although many big names withdrew from the game due to the shadow of the terrorist attacks, the Dream Team 6 still had an excellent lineup. Almost all fans in the United States believed that this Dream Team 6 could remind the world who the ultimate overlord of basketball is.

But now, things have changed.

A basketball player who is at his prime, the best in the world, and has created countless shadows for American fans, joins a team that originally posed no threat, ready to create new shadows for them.

Yes, before this, the Chinese team was almost invisible in FIBA ​​competitions and had no brilliant achievements in the world championships. But everyone knows that in basketball games, the change of a superstar is enough to change the situation of the entire event.

Basketball is not a one-person game, but it is a game where one person is enough to change the outcome.

Basketball is a team game, but it is also the game that best reflects personal heroism.

No one knows how to influence the outcome of a game better than Roger, and no one understands personal heroism better than Roger.

So after Roger officially announced that he would join the national team, the media around the world were not discussing whether the Chinese team would qualify from the group stage and create history. They were discussing whether the Chinese team could win a medal in Athens and whether Asians could make history in the Olympic basketball event!
Tim Duncan and AI have recently heard a new question: "Are you worried about losing to Roger in Athens after losing to Roger in the NBA?"

Unconsciously, the popularity of the entire Olympic basketball event has become high, and Roger has fully demonstrated the influence of the world's top stars.

But that was a summer thing after all, and Roger had other things to do before his FIBA ​​debut.

On April 4, the Golden State Warriors met the Los Angeles Lakers for the fourth and final time this season.

The game was as intense as ever. In the final moments, Karl Malone made Amar'e Stoudemire feel the rough iron elbow from the 90s when fighting for a rebound.

Stoudemire covered his face in pain and stepped aside, but before Karl Malone had the chance to argue with the referee, Stephen Jackson jumped up and kicked him directly into the crowd.

Roger's team and the Lakers fought, which seemed to have become a classic show in the NBA. But before, it was the Sharks who got beaten, but now it's Malone.

The fight was not a big one as the two men were quickly persuaded to leave.

In the end, Karl Malone and Stephen Jackson were both ejected, and the Warriors won by 12 points.

The regular season record became a 2-2 tie.

After the game, Kobe Bryant was not convinced.

"Roger, you and I both know that if Carl hadn't been sent off, the final outcome wouldn't have been like this."

"Yeah, if Carl hadn't been fouled, we should have won by a few more points."

"Heh, I didn't expect that the so-called greatest player would also like to comfort himself."

"I don't want to waste my time talking to you. If you really have the guts, just beat me in the playoffs. It's only next month anyway."

"I will. Excluding your rookie season, the Miami Heat were the first team to beat you in the playoffs. Tim Duncan was the second. You are not invincible. And I will be the third."

"Sweet dreams, Kobe, you can still dream for a month."

After defeating the Lakers, Roger basically lost interest in the rest of the regular season.

Of course, he still takes it seriously, but he focuses all his attention on the playoffs.

It has been almost three months since Tom Brady won the Super Bowl, and Roger can't wait any longer.

With three games left in the season, Roger, who had lost interest in the regular season, suddenly felt itchy again, as if sage time had passed.

"You mean, if LeBron James wins just one of the last three games, Michael Jordan will have no chance at all?" Roger looked at Spoelstra with a slight smile on his face.

"Yes, and Michael Jordan needs to win all of the last three games, and the Cleveland Cavaliers don't win any of them, so they can make it to the playoffs."

"Poor Michael, so poor."

"So, do you accept the proposal to continue to reduce playing time tomorrow? I know you don't want the Cleveland Cavaliers to win, but I think we still have to focus on the playoffs."

That's right, the Warriors' next opponent is the Cleveland Cavaliers. If the Cavaliers win the game, the fight for a playoff spot will be over.

However, in order to prepare for the playoffs, the Warriors have controlled the playing time of their main players in two consecutive games.

After all, the Warriors have already secured first place in the Western Conference, so Hubie Brown does not intend to let the team continue to exert its strength in the final moments of the season.

Because of the rest, the Warriors lost to Anthony's Nuggets in the last game, which undoubtedly gave James unlimited fantasy.

If Carmelo Anthony can do it, why can't I?
Roger certainly wouldn't let James win, but he nodded anyway: "I accept your plan to reduce my playing time before the playoffs. How long do you plan to let me play tomorrow?"

"Just like the previous two games, no more than 30 minutes. It's not just you, all the main players are like this, so tomorrow's game"

"Oh, 25 minutes is enough to beat LeBron James."

After that, Roger looked at the Cavaliers' last three game schedule, against the Warriors, Hawks and Pistons.

As long as James wins one game, he can safely enter the playoffs, which doesn't seem to be difficult.

But is it really stable?
I'm afraid it's not that stable.

If the Warriors who are resting and the Hawks who want to enter the playoffs both beat the Cavaliers, James will only have to face Artest and Ben Wallace.

Guess what they're going to do with LeBron James? They're totally LeBron.

In other words, James can only fight hard in the first two games, either defeating the Warriors who are resting, or defeating his direct competitor Jordan.

The Warriors and the Hawks directly determine whether LeBron James will make the playoffs.

Join forces with Michael Jordan to fight back?

Roger shook his head, this damn bond.
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The true king of the basketball world is finally going to FIBA ​​to reap the honors. What else can I say? The Chinese team will definitely win the gold medal, and Roger's name is already on the gold medal. Who do you expect the Dream Team to be able to defend Roger? Stephen Marbury? Or Richard Jefferson? If the Dream Team invites me to come back, there may be a glimmer of hope for winning. I can use my mouth that has kissed a donkey's ass to stink Roger to death. ——Charles Barkley predicts the Olympic basketball game on the show.

Michael Jordan and Roger, will they join forces in the last three games to kill LeBron James' chances of making the playoffs? - "Slam Dunk".

Whether Roger rests or not, whether the Cleveland Cavaliers win against the Warriors or not, I'm going to do my best against him! - Michael Jordan on the end-of-season game against the Cleveland Cavaliers

Although we only need one win to enter the playoffs, and although the Warriors and Pistons are very strong, I will give 100% of my effort in every game and will not let any victory slip away easily. - LeBron James' affirmative answer in an interview.

LeBron James can't beat Roger or Michael Jordan, not just now, but also 20 years from now, I'm sure. -- Scott Pippen on Cleveland's Chosen One

(End of this chapter)