Champions Creed
Chapter 357 Chapter 356: It’s okay even if I meet LeBron 15
Chapter 357 Chapter 356: It’s okay even if I meet LeBron 15 (ask for monthly votes!)
Gary Payton took one last look back at the Spurs locker room, wondering if he would return next season.
Ultimately, his first year with the San Antonio Spurs was a failure.
A complete failure.
Tim Duncan didn't win a championship, but he still has a future. He is less than 30 years old, and as the most dominant inside player in the league, he can continue to be competitive even in the 21s.
The Admiral didn't win the championship either, but he was respected by everyone.
Just now, look at how the fans in the SBC Center cried heartbreakingly and begged to let the Admirals play for another year.
The Admiral has been an iconic figure for the Spurs since he officially arrived in the NBA in 1989.
Even though David Robinson has not been considered a star in the past few seasons, it is difficult for San Antonio people to get used to life without him.
Some players are like this. No matter how badly they play, you still hope they will continue to play in the league. Such players are already a source of happiness for fans, not just athletes.
Although they lost the game, David Robinson got the respect he deserved at the SBC Center.
Duncan still has a future, and the general will win respect.
But what about Gary Payton himself?
He really achieved absolutely nothing this season with the Spurs.
Gary Payton envied the Admiral very much. Although he only won one ring in his career and could only play a minor supporting role under the brutal rule of Michael Jordan and Roger, he was lucky enough. He was able to spend his whole life in one city, win the championship in this city, and become the eternal flag of this team.
Payton left Seattle for the championship, gave up the glory of one man and one city, and gave up the dignity of a superstar. But in the end, the championship was still not won.
Payton had been nervous before the series began, fearing that he would suffer the same tragedy as Karl Malone.
And now, he and Karl Malone have become synonymous with tragedy.
Payton closed the locker room door and prepared to leave. In his heart, he knew very well that the chances of him staying in San Antonio next season were slim.
In the Spurs, tractor king Pete Holt doesn't manage the team much, that damn agent Craig Popovich controls everything.
And Payton confronted him in the finals.
Although he still believed that he was right, Craig Popovich would definitely not tolerate this unstable factor.
He is already 36 years old, with nothing in his hands, and has to wander around the league like a beggar.
Payton really didn't know when things became like this.
Payton was walking through the player tunnel while thinking, when he suddenly saw someone walking towards him.
When did things become like this? This person is the answer! It started with him! Otherwise, I would have at least won a ring in 1996!
"Hey Gary," Roger waved at Payton, "Still reminiscing about this season?"
"You bastard won again. I really don't want to say congratulations." Payton replied unhappily.
"It's okay. I don't need your congratulations. So, where are you planning to try your luck next season?"
This problem stumped Payton. Unlike Karl Malone who was determined to retire, Glove did not want to leave the league in such disgrace.
People with a competitive spirit cannot accept themselves as role players competing for the championship.
But equally, people with a competitive spirit can’t opt out without a ring.
Driven by a strong desire to win, a player is most likely to make these two choices. And Payton's choice is the same as Chris Paul's choice 20 years later, who was in a similar predicament, and he was more inclined to the latter.
They were holding their breath in their hearts. As the best point guards in the league, they just couldn't believe that they couldn't get a ring.
How long can Roger dominate this league? He has already won seven championships. It is impossible for him to win 11 like Bill Russell. In the modern basketball environment, this is an impossible task.
Gary Payton doesn't believe that he can't win the championship in Roger's era, and he doesn't want to accept his fate!
"I don't know where the next stop is, but sooner or later, I will let you watch me wear the ring. That day will come, in the near future." Gary Payton twisted his mouth, and his stubbornness was exactly the same as in 1996.
The stars of the 90s did have a different temperament.
First, Karl Malone refused to join the Warriors.
It's Gary Payton again who is determined to fight to the end.
Why don’t they understand that there is no basketball without brothers?
"Oh, that's a surprising answer. Good luck to you Gary." Roger said, smiled and waved as he left.
Payton looked at Roger's receding back and clenched his fists in anger.
That bastard No. 14 looked so relaxed, as if he had heard a little girl say dreamily, "I want to be a princess when I grow up," and he didn't take it seriously at all.
But Payton is serious, he will never compromise. As long as there is a championship-level team willing to take him, no matter what role he plays, he will keep playing and wear that ring!
After getting on the team bus, Roger just sat down and Mutombo asked, "Why are you here so late?"
"I ran into Gary in the tunnel."
"Oh, I thought you were learning magic and fighting outside the court. Our new female press officer is interested in you. I can see that the way she looks at you is exactly the same as the way a lion on the African savannah looks at an antelope."
"Hey Dekembe, you should know I'm pretty strict about this kind of thing. And if I'm fighting, I promise, none of you will be able to get back to the hotel until after midnight."
"Yes, yes, you are very demanding about everything. What did Gary say to you?"
"Nothing." Roger looked out the window and saw the Spurs staff removing Gary Payton's poster. "That old guy said some romantic but unrealistic nonsense for men."
"Romance is unrealistic," Mutombo muttered.
"Do you think it's realistic that 41-year-old Michael Jordan led 39-year-old Scottie Pippen into the playoffs by stepping on LeBron James' head? Do you think it's realistic that Tom Brady reached his peak in his sophomore year, fell into a trough in his junior year, and then made a dramatic comeback in his senior year?
Do you think it's realistic to bring two second-year players, a problem youth (Camby), a rookie coach who took over the game temporarily, and an old center to leave a trophy for a city that hasn't seen a championship in almost 30 years? But you still led us to do it. And our whole team believed that you could do it.
Come on, Roger, take us to the next stop and give the world a romantic ending.
There are always people who want to turn men’s romance into reality.”
After Mutombo finished speaking, he closed his eyes and rested.
Roger looked out the window again. The posters of Payton outside the stadium had been removed completely, as if he had never been there.
He had failed to turn his manly romance into reality, and Roger had to do it.
The bus pulled away from the SBC Center, and the Warriors left the Lone Star State and headed for their next stop.
-
The next day, the news that the Warriors swept the Spurs 4-0 became a hot topic across the United States.
This is a satisfying revenge, without any drag.
If Tim Duncan and his Spurs drag the Warriors into a seventh game like the Lakers did, Duncan might still be able to keep the title of "Roger Star".
But 4-0 means that Roger told the world with practical actions: Don't compare Tim Duncan with me.
This sweep boosted the morale of the Warriors, and everyone was eager to show their talents in the finals. However, because the Eastern Conference Finals were still in progress, the Warriors could not immediately participate in the finals.
But the finals should be coming soon. The Pistons are currently leading the Indiana Pacers 3-1. This is why at yesterday's press conference, Roger and all reporters tacitly regarded the Pistons as imaginary enemies.
They don't mean to disrespect the Pacers, but to be honest, the Pistons do have a better chance of winning.
While waiting for the finals to be confirmed, the popularity of Olympic basketball began to gradually increase.
TNT TV station launched an exclusive interview program during the break between NBA games tonight.
The interviewee is the current Dream Team coach Larry Brown.
They talked about the Dream Team's preparations and the three young players of the 03 generation he selected for the team.
Of course, we also talked about the unavoidable topic, the most anticipated team this summer, the Chinese national team with Roger joining.
"Coach, do you know what the fans are saying about Roger's decision to finally play in the Olympics?"
"How do you rate it?"
"They said the best basketball player in the world was out! People thought Roger's participation in the Olympics would be as exaggerated as Michael's participation in the Olympics in 1992. At that time, all opponents would ask Roger for his autograph before the game and take pictures with him after the game."
"Ha." Larry Brown sneered.
Larry Brown doesn't like to talk about the Chinese team because it breaks his perfect script.
As we all know, basketball, which Americans are so proud of, lost face in the 2002 World Cup. If you think the Chinese team in the 2023 World Cup is embarrassing enough, then the 2002 Dream Team was probably ten times more embarrassing than the Chinese team.
For Chinese fans, you can't expect a group of players who are not good at playing and don't like to practice to perform well. But for Americans, their self-proclaimed invincible NBA players only got sixth place, which is too shameful.
You have to know that this is a country that once sent college students to participate in international competitions and brought back a lot of championships.
It was Larry Brown who saved the American team that had fallen into the abyss and led them to win the America's Cup in 2003 with a record of 10 wins and 0 losses.
And in the final, they defeated Argentina, which was hated by all American fans, 106-73 - Argentina became the first team in history to defeat the Dream Team in the 2002 World Championships.
For Americans, this was undoubtedly a satisfying battle of revenge, and it was Larry Brown who helped the United States regain its face.
Larry Brown became popular again because of this. Although he was frustrated in Philadelphia, he saved the Dream Team from the trough in international competitions, which earned him great reputation.
The upcoming Athens was supposed to be the climax of his script. After all, the America's Cup was just a small-scale event, but if he could lead the Dream Team back to the top of the world, he believed that he would be more favored in the NBA and would be able to get a bigger contract and more respect.
Finally, when the climax was about to come, Roger appeared.
He immediately attracted everyone's attention and made the Chinese team a real strong opponent.
Ernie Johnson, the host of the interview, also mentioned this.
"We all know that this season, Yao Ming, who is in his second year, and Dwyane Wade, who is in his first year, have brought the Knicks, who have been frustrated for many years, to the conference semifinals. If Yao Ming made the All-Star team in his first year because of the large number of Chinese fans, then this year, he is already a well-deserved All-Star center. The best player in the world, paired with an NBA All-Star-level center, do you think this is enough to move the FIBA sector?"
"Basketball is not a one-man sport, nor is it a two-man sport. Yao and Roger are both very good players, but they don't necessarily make a good team together. No offense, but the Dream Team led by George Karl in 2002 had more stars, but what was the result?"
"You mean, you have the confidence to handle the Chinese team and Roger? We all know that due to terrorist attacks and other reasons, nine of the players who participated in the America's Cup last year have confirmed that they will not participate in this year's Olympics. It's like you are leading a completely new team. Even so, are you confident?"
"If we had to step over Roger to get the gold medal and let the Star-Spangled Banner fly in Athens, yes, I would have stepped over them. Roger was the greatest basketball player in the world, but great athletes have fallen, and more than once."
Larry Brown's eyes were as firm as a soldier who was about to sacrifice his life for his country. He would not let anyone disrupt his great script of becoming a god. If he was beaten up by you in the NBA and in the Olympics, then wouldn't it be a waste of time for him to be the coach of the Dream Team?
This kind of thing must never happen!
Larry Brown's inspiring interview excited American fans and LeBron James' team.
This is the Chosen One's best chance to save his failed rookie season.
When most of the league's stars refused to play for Larry Brown, LeBron James agreed very readily.
The Nike team hyped up his patriotic persona and believed it would add luster to James' career.
He needed some wins to shake off the loss to Michael Jordan and the two beatings by Roger.
Larry Brown's confidence gave LeBron James a sense of certainty of victory.
The next day, riding on the momentum of this exclusive interview program, Nike quickly released more news about James, and many media suddenly began reporting that James was actively training for the Olympics.
As a player who took a vacation early in April, he managed to steal some attention in June, the most watched month in the NBA.
Sometimes, you have to admire the business sense of James' team. The advertisements and news always keep up with current events.
The behavior of LeBron James and Nike actually made Roger feel that there was some shadow of Ben Simmons.
When interviewed by reporters, Roger also smiled and said: "LeBron is training very hard, but let's talk about the rest after he can play on the court."
Meanwhile, the results in the East have come out.
If Karl Malone, Gary Payton and the Admirals were the tragic figures of the 90s in the West, then Reggie Miller was the tragic figure of the 90s in the East.
Once again, his Pacers had the potential to win the championship. But once again, his team fell short of the finals.
In Game 5 of the series, the Pistons fully demonstrated their terrifying defensive capabilities.
The Pacers only scored 65 points in the entire game!
Mike Breen said bluntly: "I thought I was watching a 40-minute college game!"
Since the league added the 1954-second rule in 24, 65 points in a single game has been rare in any era.
Paul Pierce was blocked to 15 of 4 shots, Reggie Miller was blocked to only 5 shots in the whole game, and O'Neal only took 10 shots, and although he made 5 of them, his hit rate was not bad, but the output was too low.
It’s not that the Pacers don’t want to score, but that the Pistons’ defense is too tight.
Artest put Paul Pierce in a tough fight, and O'Neal Jr. had a hard time facing the two Wallaces.
Richard Hamilton, the essence of human vomiting, almost caused Reggie Miller, who is also known for his running, to vomit, resulting in him having no extra energy to continue running on the offensive end.
The last five minutes of the game were torturous for Pacers fans, as the team only scored two goals in five minutes and only scored 4 points!
The Detroit Pistons, in an era and rules that best suit them, crushed the Eastern Conference for the second consecutive year.
Their defense has begun to scare David Stern.
I’m afraid the ratings of the finals will be lowered again.
If Roger couldn't save the ratings against the Pistons, no one could.
The Pistons won the Eastern Conference championship trophy as they wished. However, during the interview, the host asked a question that made all the Pistons players' smiles disappear instantly.
"As we all know, Roger defeated you in the summer of 2002. Although you won the championship last season, you didn't defeat Roger. This year Roger returns again, and he is determined to regain the throne. People say that the Pistons can only win the championship when they don't meet Roger in the playoffs. Roger's return will make the false ruler abdicate immediately. What do you think of this?"
Ron Artest tried to take the microphone, swearing, but Big Ben slapped his hand and snatched the microphone away.
"No one knows Roger's greatness better than me, and I have no doubt that he will return. In fact, I am very excited about it. It felt great to win the championship last year, but it would be an incomparable and wonderful feeling to beat Roger!"
Back in the player tunnel, Artest caught up with Ben and said, "You afro, can you respect me a little? I am also a candidate for this year's MVP! Can't I say something? What are you trying to steal?"
"Hate to remind you, but you only got a third-place vote. You're still an MVP candidate?"
"Why doesn't it count? I'm only 121 votes away from Roger. Is that a lot?!" Artest's eyes widened in anger.
"But there are only 121 first-place votes! Forget it, if you have the ability, go get a Finals MVP. I'm not interested in that. I'll just do my best to defend. Ron, if you have the ability, beat Roger and get a Finals MVP. I will pay for a grand party with peaches in the room. I will let you speak first and hold the trophy first! If you have the ability, you bastard, let us win and win the championship!"
"Of course I will! Just watch me win the Finals MVP, you damn bastard!"
The two quarreled in the player tunnel, which would be big news in any team. But in the Pistons, people were used to it and almost no one cared about their quarrel.
Because this is how Big Ben and Artest get along. They hardly ever talk to each other properly, but there has never been any conflict in the locker room.
They all know that they are each other's most reliable partners. They also know that they will give everything for victory.
In the end, the Detroit Pistons met the Golden State Warriors.
For Roger, who was determined to restore the dynasty, this was an extremely bad opponent.
Sometimes Roger felt that he was not really lucky.
In the 90s, he had to be an enemy of Michael Jordan, and even forced out the perverted combination of Ewing + Jordan.
In the early 21st century, he struggled with the OK combination, and even forced out the OK + Grant Hill combination. If Grant Hill had not been ruled out for the season due to an ankle injury this season, the Lakers would have been even more difficult.
Now, he has to face the most terrifying defensive team in NBA history.
These are the opponents Roger has faced in his career, simply terrifying.
Sometimes Roger would complain about the unfairness of the universe. Why can't he face an opponent like LeBron in 07 or 11? Or even LeBron in 15?
Why is my career at such a difficult level?
It turns out that the Detroit Pistons were indeed a terrible opponent.
They put Roger in an unprecedented predicament in the finals.
In the first game of the series, the Pistons took the lead and won 89-86.
In this game, Roger scored 42 points with a hit rate of 31%, but Roger was the only one who could watch the entire Warriors' offense.
上一轮场均25分的小斯在总决赛第一场只拿了14分,命中率33%,15投仅仅5中。
Ben Wallace's defensive ability to cover the entire half court always interferes with Stoudemire's mid-range shots, and his strong body and explosive athletic ability also limit Stoudemire's ability to attack the basket.
Even if he could get to the basket, there was still a Roaring Lord waiting for him.
Alan Houston was also completely inaccurate. Whoever defends Richard Hamilton will lose his touch in the endless running.
In fact, Roger was also restricted. A hit rate of 42% was not good for Roger, who has always been efficient.
The Pistons used an iron bucket formation to squeeze Roger's offensive space to the extreme. Artest's pressure and always tight defense forced Roger to take difficult shots.
The fact that they were able to hold the Warriors to just 86 points is enough to show how terrifying this Pistons team is.
Compared to 2002, this championship-winning Pistons team is more coordinated and more resilient. Compared to 2002, Ron Artest has made great progress in both defense and offense. Compared to 2002, this Pistons team also has a Finals MVP in Chauncey Billups.
They are stronger than they were in 2002, and much stronger.
What about Roger? In 2002, the Hawks could use Olajuwon as the axis, play a V-shaped offense, have extreme counterattacks, and have Paul Pierce as the second ball handler. You have to know that the Hawks were one of the most powerful offensive teams in NBA history and one of the best teams in providing offensive space for stars.
But the Warriors obviously don't have such resources. Camby and Mutombo are both defensive inside players, and the V-screen pick-and-roll is simply impossible to carry out.
Stoudemire has the ability to finish, but not the ability to pass the ball, and cannot serve as a fulcrum like Olajuwon in 2002.
Alan Houston can only play without the ball, and his firepower cannot be compared with Paul Pierce.
This means that it will be much more difficult for Roger to win against the Pistons in 2004.
Because of Roger's presence, the Warriors will not let the game turn into pure ugly defense like the Spurs did last season.
But the Warriors also had a hard time attacking against the Pistons.
A fact is that if Roger wasn't there, this year's DPOY would have been Ron Artest.
This means that the Pistons have a DPOY-level defensive player on both the outside and inside.
1-0, the Pistons won a home game against the Warriors.
In the second game, the Pistons maintained their defense while also playing very well on offense.
Richard Hamilton scored 24 points and Chauncey Billups scored 20. The most outrageous thing was that Ben Wallace scored 6 points with 15 offensive rebounds.
On the Warriors side, Alan Houston's shooting percentage was reduced to a shameful 29%. Stoudemire was much more efficient today, with a shooting percentage of 44%, but his output of only 14 points could not provide much help to Roger.
Roger scored 33 points with a shooting percentage of 43%, and the Warriors lost the second game 88 to 94!
When the game ended, Oakland fans put their heads in their hands.
The Warriors lost both of their home games and are about to go to Detroit to play three consecutive games with a score of 0-2 behind.
Any fool knows how unfavorable this situation is.
Mike Breen didn't expect the game to turn out like this: "Will the blue-collar miracle continue?"
Last season, the San Antonio Spurs were also considered the favorites to win the championship. After all, they got to the top by stepping on Roger.
As a result, in the finals, the Pistons surprisingly won.
This year, it seems to be the same script.
Next to Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy looked at the Pistons, who truly dominated the league with defense, and expressed his emotion.
"There has never been such a legendary event in NBA history. The only thing more incredible than this blue-collar legend is probably a father and son on the same stage."
In the stands, Dream Team coach Larry Brown, who came to observe Roger specifically, shrugged at assistant coach, current North Carolina coach Roy Williams.
"Look, I've said it before, Roger is not unbeatable. The Olympics and the finals are not going to be much different.
This is our sport, Roy, and we rule the basketball world."
(End of this chapter)
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