Champions Creed

Chapter 35: With Pippen's "assistance", it's fast to rise to the top
In the end, the Charlotte Hornets became the victims of the Bulls.

96 to 89, the Bulls got off to a good start in the opening game with a 7-point advantage.

Pippen scored a big double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds. He worked diligently on the defensive end. As the theoretical number one star, he was even very active in the dirty work of grabbing rebounds.

From this we can see how much Scott Pippen wants to be a good leader. He wants to handle everything by himself and carry the team on his shoulders.

But his shooting percentage was only 30% after all, which resulted in the Bulls still failing to widen the score to the point where they could win the game in the final moments.

So the sword that really pierced the Wasp's heart today was actually Roger.

Roger made 18 of 11 shots and scored 61.1 points with a hit rate of 25%.

And in the last two minutes of the game, when the Hornets had trapped Pippen so hard that he couldn't even dribble the ball and almost vomited, Roger used his strong one-on-one ability to essentially take over the game.

Hornets coach Bristow never believed that an 18-year-old rookie could be the winner in an NBA-level game, so his defensive focus was still on Pippen in the final moments.

When Pippen was in dire straits, Roger made the Charlotte team desperate and scored those key goals again and again. In the words of Fratello, "He was so ruthless that he didn't look like an 18-year-old rookie!"

When Dr. Naismith invented basketball at McGill University in Canada in 1891, he imagined the game to be like this: the ball was passed quickly between players, and after passing it to the basket, it was thrown into the basket with a gentle movement. Considering that dribbling was not possible when basketball was first invented, this picture is indeed in line with common sense.

But the way Roger just defeated the Hornets was something Dr. Naismith could never have imagined: two tall giants bent over and stared at each other, looking at each other like wild animals about to fight to the death. One dribbled, swayed, and cruelly pierced the other's defense, just like a matador stabbing a spear cruelly into the spine of a bull. Finally, the offensive team used a precise jump shot or a beautiful finish to pierce the heart of the defensive team, accepting the cheers of the people and the groans of the opponent.

This is roughly how Roger finally killed the game.

Watching the TV screen, O'Neal was completely silenced.

The most painful thing in this world is not not being able to have something, but having the opportunity to have it but regretfully missing it.

At the same critical moment, what did Chris Webber do?
Why would we use the top pick on such a cowardly idiot!

Since last season, O'Neal has often nagged the outside world, "If we had Roger."

But at this point, this is still just an if!
The Sharks were really upset because the Magic clearly had a chance to get Roger!

They should have won together and become the biggest winners in the post-Jordan era!
Pat Williams just now had the nerve to say that this was only Webber's first game and it was normal for him to not play well.

O'Neal got angry when he thought of this, so he used a new communication method called "text message" which had only been available for less than a year to tell Williams: "Hey, look at Roger's performance in the first game. This is the real No. 1 pick!"

At this time, on the court, the Bulls players rushed onto the court to hug Roger and congratulate the 18-year-old teammate on such a perfect debut performance.

Cartwright looked incredulous: "Weren't you nervous at all in the last two minutes? Hawkins looked like a rookie in front of you!"

Roger shook his head. He was not pretending to be calm; he was really not nervous at all.

Although Hawkins is an All-Star guard, he is not a defensive gate. Playing one-on-one with him will not put too much pressure on Roger.

One-on-one attack is what Roger is best at at the moment. Therefore, he is very confident in this aspect.

The result of the game proved that Roger's confidence was not blind.

Amid the celebrating crowd, Pippen stood alone.

He won, his first game after leaving Michael Jordan, he won.

But he always felt awkward because Roger's performance in the last two minutes was so dazzling that it overshadowed him.

Moreover, Roger only had 1 assist in the whole game!
What player can fire continuously at critical moments without passing the ball and not worry about being scolded by the coach?

What player can ignore his teammates even when being double-teamed?
Pippen was not very happy. The result of the game was what he wanted, but the process was not.

However, no one cared whether Pippen was happy or not at this time.

The media and fans only have Roger in their eyes now. In the preseason, Roger was already the most anticipated rookie. Today, Roger successfully satisfied all the fantasies and expectations of people about him. His shooting was very soft and accurate, his finishing in the restricted area was elegant and graceful, and his occasional dunks were extremely tough. This performance that met the expectations of the fans allowed him to firmly catch this wave of popularity. Even in terms of passing, Roger satisfied people's fantasies about him. What he was like in high school is still the same now.

What, you said Roger alone? Open up the pattern, this is clearly called a single-game pass with 0 turnovers!

"Roger, it was a nearly perfect debut. Your performance in the last two minutes was simply amazing. How do you feel now?" Hannah Storm, a well-known NBC sideline reporter, floated past Pippen and found Roger.

"I don't have any special mood, I'm just here to do this." Roger replied with a smile.

"Do you mean wins or points?"

“Both.”

"You hardly passed the ball today. I hope your teammates won't blame you?" Hannah made a little joke.

Roger shrugged, "I guess the Bulls didn't pick me to pass the ball."

Roger admitted that he did lack some awareness when it came to passing the ball, and whenever he had the chance he always wanted to go straight into the hole.

But because Roger mostly serves as the finishing point in the triangle offense, even though he passes the ball less, he doesn't do much harm to the team.

Because Roger wouldn't feel guilty about it at all.

He just took the responsibility he should take.

Roger's performance today was impeccable, but at the subsequent press conference, a reporter still asked the Zen Master this question:

"Roger scored 25 points tonight, but also allowed Hawkins to score 58.3 points with a hit rate of 20%. Phil, do you really think Roger can afford such a long playing time? When he is on the court, he will become the opponent's main target of attack. Do you consider reducing his playing time to ensure defense?"

Pippen on the side looked at the Zen Master. This was also a question he was concerned about.

How high is the status of this kid in your plan?

The Zen Master nodded first: "Roger's defensive attitude is quite good, but his technical details and awareness do need to be improved. He was very brave in the fight with Hawkins today, but he couldn't catch up with Hawkins's old-fashioned steps."

Although the Zen Master admitted that Roger's defense had problems, Pippen could tell from his tone that he was not here to criticize Roger.

Sure enough, the Zen Master changed the subject: "But we won in the end. As long as Roger scores more points than he loses, we can win. But I do have to adjust his playing time. Starting from the next game, I will let him start."

"Wait. Coach, what did you just say?"

The reporter who asked the question and Pippen on the side were both shocked.

The Zen Master is going to start Roger right after he played just one game! ?

Pippen played more than 100 games as a substitute in two seasons with the Bulls before he finally got a starting position. So this high school student will become a starter after only playing one game?

The Zen Master approached the microphone with a serious expression: "I am talking about the starting lineup. Without Roger, our offense today will be a disaster. So Roger's substitute career ends from today. Our offense needs him very much."

Roger himself was a little surprised. He thought that as a high school student, he would have to play a few more games as a substitute.

I thought I would have to go through a series of intrigues and deliberate suppression before I could finally make my debut.

can only say.
With Pippen's assistance, he was able to rise to the top quickly!
If Pippen's shooting percentage today was not 30% but 50%, if Pippen could score a goal against two people without asking for help at a critical moment, if Pippen led the Bulls to easily beat the Hornets who were only eliminated in the first round last season, would Roger still start? Definitely not.

What more could a man ask for than to have such a powerful assistant?
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Thanks to the fathers who gave me tips such as "Years Are Safe and Sound", "Black Cat Loves Candy", "Pudge's Old Father", and "Here for the Old Dog". Thank you all! I beg for monthly tickets, follow-up reading, and tips during the new book period. I kneel down to show my respect to you all!

(End of this chapter)