Champions Creed

Chapter 349 348: The man who claimed that he would never bend over again, immediately bent over the next second after he said this
This is undoubtedly the most exciting game in the history of the NBA Western Conference semifinals.

Roger and Kobe, 55 points in a single game VS 53 points in a single game.

It is difficult for a player to score 50 points in the playoffs, so the probability of two people scoring 50 points in the same playoff game is even smaller.

And tonight, Kobe and Roger turned this tiny probability into a 100% reality.

It was a brilliant scoring feast. Roger and Kobe gave their all, and the fans at the scene also enjoyed a wonderful performance.

But no one expected that the game would end like this.

The Zen Master didn't know how Roger saw through his plan. When he arranged the finishing lineup of Steve Nash, Derek Fisher, Kobe, Karl Malone and Rick Fox in the final moments, excluding Fox who was responsible for serving the sideline ball, Derek Fisher was the person least likely to receive the ball.

Given his form this season, he might not be able to lure people into the trap even if he were used as bait.

The most important attribute of bait is that it must be tempting enough. Compared with the others, Derek Fisher's hit rate and form this season make him look like a cleaning lady sneaking into the room with a princess. He has no temptation at all.

Even the defensive master Jeff Van Gundy never expected the ball to be given to Derek Fisher.

If he were coaching the Warriors, there is no doubt that Phil Jackson's tactics would have been implemented.

Not only him, if any other team was to defend the attack just now, the Lakers would have gotten what they wanted.

But Roger's order for Tyshawn Prince to defend the air ruined everything.

That's right, no one can guarantee that Derek Fisher will be able to make the shot once he receives the ball in the last 0.4 seconds.

But no one can guarantee that the shot will not go in.

Considering that Phil Jackson's team always surprises at critical moments, many Warriors fans were scared about that round.

If it weren't for Roger's wise command, would the outcome of the game be different?
0.4 seconds, and a buzzer-beater from a guy like Derek Fisher? This is simply too unacceptable.

Fortunately, none of this happened. Fortunately, Roger's rich experience allowed the Warriors to firmly grasp the victory.

Looking at Roger yelling at Kobe and declaring victory, all the fans in Oakland burst into shouts of MVP.

They all believed that Roger would never be eliminated from the second round again this season.

The Savior forcefully drove Satan back to hell, ending this nightmare.

But some people are still afraid. They know that Satan will come back, and they are not ready to fight Satan again.

Eric Spoelstra was out of tune with the Warriors players around him who were celebrating their victory. As the team's acting head coach in the final moments, although he won the victory, he was well aware of how stupid his performance was.

In Spoelstra's view, Roger's temporary command of Tayshaun Prince in the last round successfully defended the Lakers, which was precisely a manifestation of his own incompetence.

Pat Riley never needed his players to make decisions for him, and neither did Hubie Brown.

This is what Jeff Van Gundy thinks: "Roger saved the Golden State Warriors and saved Eric Spoelstra's coaching debut. If Roger's behavior of directing Prince's defense at the last moment was temporary, it means that Eric did not arrange any effective defensive strategy during the timeout. Warriors fans had better pray that Hubie will come back, otherwise their disadvantage in the head coach position will be infinitely magnified."

Spoelstra sat on the bench with his head in his hands, as if the Lakers had made a buzzer-beater.

Jeff Hornacek patted the young man on the shoulder and said, "Don't be discouraged, Eric. At least the result is good."

"I didn't help at all," Spo shook his head. "It was all Roger's fault."

"At least you didn't lose your first game as a head coach."

"Good luck won't always be on my side."

Spoelstra was very disappointed and all he wanted now was for Hubie Brown to come back soon.

That's right, whether it's Spoelstra or Jeff Hornacek, their ultimate dream is to become a head coach who can stand on their own.

Spoelstra's desire for this must be even stronger. Although he is very young, he has been in the industry for many years. He has been an assistant coach for a long time. He just lacks an opportunity.

But after experiencing those few minutes, Spoelstra knew he was not ready yet.

He would rather wait until later than mess up like an idiot.

At this point, Roger finished the interview and walked off the stage.

Roger stopped and looked at the worried Spoelstra. "Did someone beat you up, Eric? You look so sad."

"What? No, of course not."

"In that case, why do you look so grim? We won the game, be happy."

"This is your victory, not mine." After saying that, Spoelstra walked away with his head down.

Roger was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Jeff Hornacek: "Did anyone accuse him?"

Jeff Hornacek shrugged. "I think he blames himself."

After returning to the locker room, Spoelstra remained silent.

He just kept calling and asking about Hubie Brown's health. On the one hand, it was because he really cared about Hubie, and on the other hand, it was because he couldn't imagine how he could lead the team to the playoffs alone.

Roger was also concerned about the old coach's health, so he sat next to Spoelstra: "How is Hubie?"

"No one knows, they are still checking!"

"It'll be fine. Hubie's weekly checkup results are all good."

"I hope so! Damn if he doesn't come back."

“Don’t make any assumptions and don’t create unnecessary worries.”

"Yes, yes, you are right Roger."

Spoelstra was restless, he didn't want to be the team's weakness.

Only Spoelstra attended the subsequent press conference on behalf of Hubie Brown. Thankfully, most reporters were more concerned about the game between Roger and Kobe in which they both scored 50 points, so few people asked Spoelstra questions.

Spoelstra thought he could get away with it easily, but when most of the questions about Roger were asked, he still couldn't escape the reporters' pursuit.

"Eric, can you share an update on Coach Hubie Brown?"

"He is currently undergoing examination in the hospital and the team will announce the latest news on the official website."

"How would you rate your debut as an NBA head coach?"

"There's nothing much to comment on. I only coached the team for a few minutes. The head coach was Hubie, not me."

"No Eric, you are still a head coach even if you coach for a few minutes. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself?"

“I never rate myself.”

"We all hope Hubie is OK, but if Hubie can't come back, will you continue to teach?"

“I don’t make that assumption.”

"Eric, it seems that Roger was the one who solved the Warriors' offense and defense in the final moments. As the head coach, do you only have one tactic, which is to throw the problem to Roger?"

After the reporter asked this question, everyone at the scene burst into laughter.

"That's enough!" Roger rudely interrupted the reporters' laughter and increasingly sharp questions. The scene suddenly became quiet, but Spoelstra felt that the pressure he was under had reached a threshold that he could hardly bear, and he couldn't stand up straight, and he was dejected like a child who had done something wrong.

Roger looked at Spoelstra, who was no longer able to answer any questions, and shook his head: "Today's press conference ends here."

The press conference ended in this unpleasant atmosphere, and Roger and Spoma drove to the hospital without stopping.

In the car, Spoelstra was silent and worried.

"Eric, what are you worried about?"

"I can't handle Phil Jackson, I can't handle him! After Phil, it's Philip Saunders or Gregg Popovich, and then it's Rick Carlisle or someone else! I don't know how I can compete with them if the worst happens! Roger, I can't let you call the shots on the court every second!"

"Does Phil Jackson have six arms or does that old bastard Gregg Popovich have three thighs? What the hell are you talking about? If you didn't think about becoming a head coach, why did you accept my invitation to join this industry? Adjust your mood, Hubie doesn't want to see you look like a lost dog!"

Roger was very angry. He really couldn't connect the cowardly Spoelstra of the present with the iron-blooded coach who would become the first head coach with an annual salary of over 1000 million in the future.

He was just a little overwhelmed in the last few minutes, how could that be considered a setback?
20 years later, a young man named Bronny James ranked last in plus-minus value among all 494 players who played in the NBA preseason, but this did not affect his and his father's morale, nor did it affect the Lakers' courage to let him continue to play.

So, what is the little setback that Spoelstra encountered?
As his career has been extended, Roger now hates people with weak abilities less and less, but he hates people with weak hearts.

Roger felt like he didn't know the current Spoelstra at all.

After that, the two of them didn't say a word until they entered Hubie Brown's ward.

The old coach was lying on the hospital bed, but he looked energetic. His family members were also around, nodding to Roger and Spoelstra.

Hubie Brown waved his hand: "I want to talk to them alone."

After that, Hubie Brown's family members walked out of the ward, leaving the three "warriors" enough private space.

Hubie struggled to stand up and glanced at his hospital gown. "Two hours ago, I was a majestic NBA coach, but now I'm a sick old man. Anyway, congratulations. This is a great first victory. We have the upper hand."

"Can you come back, Hubie? How is your health?" Roger went straight to the point.

"I think I can come back, but the doctors and my family don't think so. This is just an ordinary hypertensive heart disease. My wife accused me of always forgetting to take medicine on time, which caused my blood pressure to get out of control. Hahaha, Eric knows that I take a bunch of colorful pills on time every day. Those colors are richer than Vincent Van Gogh's imagination. But in a basketball game, who can guarantee that their blood pressure will not suddenly rise? So."

Hubie Brown paused, and Roger found that his hands were tightly grasping the white sheets of the hospital bed: "So, my coaching career probably ends here. Sorry, I can't go to the end with you. I told them, I told them this is the Warriors' best chance to win the championship since 1975, I told them this is the beginning of Roger's new dynasty, but damn it!"

As he got excited, Hubie Brown's ECG monitor started to alarm again. The ECG waves were as unstable as a storm, and his blood pressure numbers soared wildly.

When his wife heard the alarm, she immediately opened the door: "Hubi!"

"Okay, okay, I know, I will control it. Please, give me some space to talk with my players and disciples!"

The door was closed again, and Spoelstra handed Hubie Brown a glass of water. He seemed to be calmer.

"You can see that this is who I am now. When I get excited, my blood pressure goes out of control and my heart goes into overdrive. Ultimately, I still can't win a ring in the modern basketball environment.

But don't stop because of me. I am already an old man who has been eliminated by the times.

Roger, you are a natural leader and you know how to face adversity. This season the team is strong under your leadership and I believe you can continue to lead them to the end. "

Hubie Brown had nothing to worry about, and he had no business worrying about a god.

So after saying this, Hubie Brown looked at Eric Spoelstra, who was the person he really needed help.

"Eric, I saw you looking down on TV. I saw you not daring to look up at the press conference. It must be difficult for you to take over the game all of a sudden, but that's how professional sports are. Things won't always go your way, and they won't always happen when you're ready. Setbacks and difficulties are inevitable. They will weaken your will and bring down a strong person."

Spoelstra listened quietly, and he felt that Hubie Brown was talking about himself.

"But as an old guy who has been a coach since the 70s, I can tell you responsibly that these are nothing, everything is the same as before, please believe me.

In fact, you have done 70% of the work of a head coach in the past two seasons. You have the talent to take up the baton on your own. You and Roger can definitely accomplish our set goals. That ring belongs to Oakland, and it also belongs to you.

Thinking back to those days of editing videos in the basement, is it harder now than it was then?

No complaints, no surrender. Go ahead, Eric, your time has come. From tonight, the baton is officially yours to wield.”

Eric Spoelstra didn't answer or react at all, he just stood there blankly.

In order to let Hubie Brown rest early, Roger and Spoelstra did not stay too long.

As they left, Spoelstra sat outside the hospital entrance and smoked a cigarette.

Roger sat quietly beside him and said nothing more.

He felt Hubie Brown had made it clear enough.

If Spoelstra remains the same, Roger can only continue to fight without a head coach.

After finishing a cigarette, Spoelstra stood up and said, "Go back."

This was the first sentence he said after attending the press conference.

"What are you going to do next?"

"I have always been the one making the training plans, and I am involved in at least half of the game tactics. The only thing I need to learn is on-the-spot command, but I happen to have an athlete with the best on-the-spot performance in the world. So what are you going to do next? In my first series as the head coach, I'm going to fucking take a stab at Phil Jackson!"

After saying that, Spoelstra handsomely threw the cigarette butt to the ground.

Watching this guy who started out as his own personal video editor grow into a head coach, Roger actually felt a sense of satisfaction as if he was watching his son grow up.

Come on, it won’t be harder than Bronny James.

Roger suddenly felt that nothing could stop the Warriors this season.

The emotional Spoelstra stepped on a chair and shouted: "I will never bend over like I did at the press conference again. No matter the Lakers, Spurs, Timberwolves, Pacers or Pistons, no one can make me bend over again!"

At this moment, a cleaning lady from the hospital stared at Roger and Spo fiercely.

Sibo quickly took his feet off the bench, but the aunt's look did not become kind.

She pointed at the cigarette butt on the ground and began to speak in a sharp voice: "Young man, how can you throw things around!? Do you know how hard it is for me to sweep the floor? How can you be so uncultured!? I just saw it all. You smashed the cigarette butt and swore that you would never bend down again. If you want to dream, go somewhere else! Young people are not doing their jobs and just dreaming every day. You are so capable, why don't you go and destroy the White House!"

"Sorry, sorry," Spoelstra apologized under the strong output of the aunt, picked up the cigarette butt on the ground and threw it into the trash can, and then waved at Roger with a strong sense of stealth, "Let's go, let's go!"

Roger smiled and shook his head. The man who claimed that he would never bend over again, bent over immediately the next second after he said this.

It's the fastest house collapse in the world.

Fortunately, no team would hire a cleaning lady as head coach.

That means Erik Spoelstra won't face the man he fears most on the court.
-
John Cage was punished for repeatedly violating the rules of the Oakland Coliseum and was not allowed to enter the stadium again for the next week. Roger believes that the stadium rules should be improved to be more humane. - San Francisco Chronicle

If the Oakland Coliseum really allows fans to be topless in the stadium in the future, believe me, there will be countless crazy female fans who will form a beautiful landscape for Roger. - Oakland Daily News.

Hubie Brown has confirmed that he will miss all the remaining games of the season. Eric Spoelstra will lead the Warriors as the interim head coach to complete the next playoff journey. Will this become an obstacle for the Warriors to win the championship? - "Slam Dunk".

We lost the first game, but this is just the beginning of a war. I will continue to resist and fight until I knock Roger down. I will not let anyone tell me what I can do or what I can't do. Who I can beat or who I can't beat. Roger told me to go back to hell, OK, I'll take him in too! - Kobe Bryant and Roger exchanged 50 points and still felt confident after losing.

Did you see the look in his eyes when he said that? He's not like Satan, he's Satan himself! I don't think he's kidding, he's going to give Roger a hell of a fight! - Charles Barkley on Kobe's comments on the show

(End of this chapter)