Champions Creed

Chapter 364 Chapter 363: Shut up, you don’t even have to take a shower after the game (ask for a monthly ticket!)

Preparations for the Olympics, quarrels between teammates, and things coming to light.

Even among the dream teams, this was definitely international news that attracted much attention.

What’s more, the quarrel took place within the more conservative Chinese team.

In the original timeline, Yao Ming was just angry and smashed a water bottle on the bench, which caused a sensation. You can imagine how much this incident caused both at home and abroad.

The script that Americans had been waiting for came sooner than they thought.

It is absolutely true that "American reporters know Roger better than Chinese players."

They know Roger better than Chinese journalists, Chinese fans and Chinese players.

Everything that happened between 1993 and 2004 made them clearly understand what kind of person Roger was.

He is a stingy person.

He is a good leader.

He is the source of happiness for Victoria's Secret supermodels.

He was also a cruel ruler.

Steve Levy, the new host of ESPN's SportsCenter, hit the nail on the head with his comment: "SportsCenter has had three hosts since Roger entered the league. We have been with Roger for too long. You can imagine if you put Michael Jordan in 1992 on a team of college students and asked them to play in the Olympics, the Dream Team would definitely have quarrels every few days. Putting Roger on the Chinese team is almost the same."

For a player like Roger who is used to being at the top, his requirements for his teammates are gradually increasing.

Although the Warriors won the championship this season and the whole team was happy, it was not all smooth sailing at the beginning. The fact is that if Dikembe Mutombo had not acted as a peacemaker, Marcus Camby might have been traded by the Warriors at the beginning of the season because of a conflict with Roger.

Why did Roger have a conflict with him? Because his attitude and performance at the beginning of the season were terrible.

Even Nikola Jokic would tear off his jersey on the spot when he was angry with MVP player Westbrook, let alone Roger who is more persistent in winning. Great players must have higher requirements for their teammates.

Therefore, the idea of ​​secretly running to the physiotherapy room to rest in the middle of training was so absurd that Roger found it incomprehensible.

Perhaps for the national team, Battelle is a star center and the second Chinese player after Roger to win a championship ring in the NBA.

But in Roger's eyes, he is just a guy who can't even get rotation time in the NBA.

Last year and this year, when Roger and the Spurs played in the playoffs, when Chinese fans were looking forward to the China Derby in the playoffs, Battelle was not even qualified to play because he did not appear on the playoff roster at all.

If it weren't for Roger's presence, which greatly increased the influence of Chinese players and expanded the size of the Chinese market, the Spurs wouldn't have even renewed his contract for two years last summer. He would have flowed into the free agent market as in the original timeline, signed with the Toronto Raptors, and then gradually faded out of the league.

In Roger's opinion, how could such a person have the nerve to have privileges?

How can he have the nerve to rest?

He is about to meet his teammate Tim Duncan in the first game. Doesn't he know how big the gap between them is?

If Battelle doesn't want to play, Roger won't force him. He doesn't have the time to go to great lengths to change a Chinese player. He is the symbol of Chinese basketball, not its servant.

But what Battelle did would affect the atmosphere of the entire team, which Roger could not tolerate.

Although he has only been in the training camp for two days, Roger can feel a significant difference between this national team and the waste team 20 years later, that is the spirit of the players.

This team has aspirations and a desire to win.

Twenty years later, that useless team might not have thought they could win on the day they set out.

But in this national team, everyone is determined to make a breakthrough.

Chinese basketball players may not have high education, but they are not mentally retarded. The lineup of this Chinese team is unprecedented. Looking around the world, except for the Dream Team, you can't find another team that is composed of an NBA superstar and an NBA All-Star at the same time.

This is the first time in many years that the Chinese team has fought such a rich battle.

This is a team that is destined to go down in history, and everyone has the opportunity to become a hero.

Therefore, everyone works very hard and no one wants to leave any regrets.

But Bartel's laziness ruined this atmosphere. Laziness is like a virus, once it appears, it will spread immediately among the crowd.

Battelle has stopped playing, so can Wang Zhizhi stop playing? Can Yao Ming stop playing? What will the others who are working hard to create history think?
Roger fought for more rest time for all players playing in the NBA, because he didn't want them to enjoy privileges in training camp.

So Roger, who could no longer bear it, chose to solve the problem in the most drastic way.

He really doesn't care whether Battelle plays or not, he just hopes that his team won't be contaminated by such laziness.

After the conflict broke out, the team was full of uncertainty.

The next day, not only did the fans not know what would happen to the Chinese team, but even the coaching staff did not know how things would turn out.

After yesterday's altercation, the Chinese coach suggested to Del Harris that he end the training early, which he did.

So, no one knows yet what consequences this quarrel will have.

Looking at the series of news in the newspaper, Del Harris was a little worried about today's training.

"Will there be a problem? If Roger yells at Bartell again, do you think that guy will kill Roger? Don't confuse him with those NBA idiots who want to challenge Roger. Have you seen how Bartell flipped the shark with one hand? He is definitely a dangerous monster!

You know Jeff, I coached in the Puerto Rico League in 1969, served as a consultant for the Canadian national team in 1994, and now I have become the first foreign coach in the history of the Chinese team. I know more about international basketball than most coaches in the NBA and NCAA.

And I can guarantee that no matter which country you are in, internal conflicts are the worst thing that can happen to a team."

Jeff Hornacek was also very nervous. He and Roger had been teammates and he knew Roger's character. Roger was used to handling things as a "ruler" in a team and he would automatically regard himself as the leader of everyone.

This is no problem in the NBA team. Since breaking up with the Sharks during his time with the Orlando Magic, Roger has been the undisputed absolute ruler wherever he goes.

But in the national team, he is an absolute rookie and he has only been here for two days.

Most of the players on this Chinese team have played together for a long time, while Roger is just an outsider.

Battelle was selected for the Chinese national team in 1992 and played in the Olympics with the team in 1996. This was his third Olympic Games wearing the national team uniform. However, he was scolded by a person who joined the team for the first time.

Can he accept such criticism?
Can Roger successfully become the ruler of this team?

Jeff Hornacek had no answer in his mind, just as he couldn't predict who his daughter would marry in the future.

There are too many uncertainties in the current Chinese team.

Del Harris and Jeff Hornacek walked into the training ground with uneasy mood. They both hoped that today's training could go smoothly and nothing bigger would happen.

At this time, there are still 10 minutes before the training starts.

Most of the people were already there, but the two main characters, Roger and Bartel, were missing.

Five minutes later, Roger appeared on the training ground, but Bartel was still late.

The coaches started to get nervous, but two minutes later, Battelle pushed the door open.

He didn't say anything, but immediately started warming up with the help of the trainer.

Roger didn't even look at him and continued stretching with the help of Joe Abunassar.

It seemed as if everything that happened yesterday had never happened.

In the subsequent training, Roger and Battelle had almost no communication throughout the entire process.

They didn't say a word, not even once looking at each other.

Fortunately, there were no more conflicts between them.

Roger did not continue to embarrass Bartel, and Bartel did not cause trouble for Roger because of the scolding he received yesterday.

For his part, Bartel would never want to talk to Roger again.

Because Roger made him lose face and embarrassed in front of everyone.

A person who has never made any contribution to the Chinese team before, was used as an example to scare others on his first day. He would never pretend that nothing happened.

But Roger's strength, Roger's achievements, Roger's status, and the aura of confidence that he could control the entire team from the beginning made Battelle hesitate to confront Roger head-on.

Battelle knew clearly that if Roger insisted, Del Harris would not let him play, and he might even be temporarily removed from the 12-man roster.

Chinese basketball and NBA teams are different, but they also have similarities - whoever can help the team has the final say.

The Warriors mainly rely on Roger to make money and expand their influence, so Mikhail Prokhorov listens to Roger.

If the Chinese team wants to break through history, Roger is the foundation. In order to stabilize the foundation, it doesn't matter if some other things are sacrificed.

Battelle didn't want to leave in disgrace like a deserter before the Olympics began.

In Mongolian, Mengke means eternity and Bater means hero. The meaning of Mengke Bater is self-evident.

Who doesn’t want to be a hero who makes history?

Who wouldn’t want to play with this team that is destined to make history?
So he and Roger did not escalate the conflict, but also refused to express friendship to each other. As for Roger, as long as Bartel was not lazy, he did not want to have much contact with him. He only dealt with the matter, not the person.

They are all very mature professionals who know what to do and what not to do.

For Del Harris, this was a relatively good result for today's training.

It would be best if everyone on a professional sports team was as close as brothers, but this is not a necessary condition for success, but rather something that would be nice to have.

The crisis facing Roger and Battelle has come to an end. Although the outside world is still speculating about the state of the Chinese team and is still guessing that Roger cannot cooperate with this group of "rabbits", the team is making real progress.

Once the system is in place, everyone knows their responsibilities.

On the offensive end, Roger and Yao Ming took up a lot of ball rights. They did not deliberately fight for offensive rebounds. Once someone shot, the others immediately retreated to prevent fast breaks.

On the defensive end, Del Harris emphasized confrontation, having everyone stand in a 2-3 zone defense, focusing on shrinking and protecting the rim, and using integrity and enthusiasm to make up for the lack of talent.

More than half a month ago, the Warriors' championship had made the world see the importance of three-pointers. Although they are not as heavily dependent on three-pointers as in the small ball era, teams without three-pointers have proven to be outdated.

However, even if people see such a trend, they may not be able to follow the trend overnight.

In this Olympics, there are still only a handful of teams with excellent three-point shooting capabilities, and Del Harris' defensive strategy is enough to deal with most situations.

American reporters were disappointed to find that after the conflict was exposed, there seemed to be no follow-up developments on the Chinese team.

The Americans who were waiting to watch the fun had a fire in their own backyard.

In late July, as soon as the Dream Team training camp opened, some people immediately deserted.

Jermaine O'Neal temporarily withdrew from the national team due to injury.

Larry Brown scratched his head. Jermaine O'Neal was a defensive player he liked very much. After he withdrew, the Dream Team 6 was left with only four inside players: Duncan, Odom, Boozer and Emeka Okafor who was selected as a college student.

In fact, there are three. As we all know, since 1992, there is actually not much difference between the college players selected for the US national team and the cheerleaders on the field who can only be watched but not used.

Such an inside configuration is obviously not solid enough.

"Damn it, are these cowards still men?!" Larry Brown was furious in the office. In this birthplace of Greek gods, Larry Brown's summer of deification was not going well before it even began.

Not only did Kobe, McGrady, Kidd and others withdraw from the competition, but even a star like Jermaine O'Neal withdrew from the competition.

But Larry Brown knew that getting angry wouldn't solve any problems.

The most urgent task is to quickly find a replacement for Jermaine O'Neal.

This person cannot be too famous, otherwise there is a high probability that he will be rejected.

It would be best if he is a capable young person who is passionate about bringing glory to the country.

So, Larry Brown called Amar'e Stoudemire, the number two player on this year's NBA championship team.

His excellent assist defense ability complements Duncan's. At the same time, he also has the top face-to-face offense at the power forward position. He is definitely the perfect candidate to replace O'Neal.

To be honest, Stoudemire does have the passion to serve his country.

But when he thought of Roger's name, his blood instantly cooled.

If there is one thing in this world that Stoudemire would never do, it is to become an enemy of his good brother Roger.

"You know, Coach Larry, I would love to play for the Dream Team. It has always been my dream to wear the national team jersey. But any behavior that is against Roger is extremely stupid in my opinion."

Larry Brown didn't expect that even a second-year rookie like Amar'e Stoudemire would not give him face.

And his statement that "Any action that is hostile to Roger is extremely stupid in my opinion" also angered Larry Brown.

After hanging up the phone, he yelled in frustration and rage: "As long as I am the coach of the Dream Team, Amare Stoudemire will always be on the Dream Team's blacklist!"

However, it wasn't just Stoudemire who refuted his comments.

He then made several calls in succession, including Rasheed Wallace, Chris Webber, and even the out-of-date Antonio McDyess, all of whom rejected Larry Brown.

In the end, Larry Brown could only recruit Brad Miller, a white center who also served as a fireman in 1998, to join the team.

In 1998, due to a labor dispute in the NBA, players went on strike and the US national team had to select players from overseas. Brad Miller was one of them. He also entered the NBA because of his outstanding performance in the World Championships.

Therefore, international competitions are lucky events for Brad Miller, and he is not opposed to them.

Although Larry Brown successfully found the team members, the downgrade from Jermaine O'Neal to Brad Miller still made some American players feel uneasy.

Can this dream team's lineup really allow the team to maintain its dominance in the Olympics?

This makeshift team hurried to Cologne, Germany, and started a series of warm-up matches.

However, the result of the game surprised American fans.

In the first warm-up game against Italy, the Dream Team lost by a big score of 78 to 95!
In the second game against the German team led by Dirk Nowitzki, the Americans narrowly defeated their opponents thanks to Allen Iverson's big three-pointer in the last moments.

Such a warm-up match result made everyone break out in a cold sweat. Although Larry Brown's purpose in the warm-up match was to adjust the lineup, the main stars did not have much playing time.

But such a result is still too bad. Unless it is a crushing victory, it will be unacceptable to American fans.

On the other hand, the Chinese team, which was the first to have a conflict, won two games in the warm-up matches, and the teams they defeated were the European powerhouse Spain and the 02 World Championship champion Serbia and Montenegro!

The Chinese team's active defense, coupled with the height of its three centers, left Spain and Serbia with no choice but to try their luck on the outside.

Unfortunately, they failed to kill the game with long shots.

The Dream Team suffered a crushing defeat in one warm-up match and narrowly won the other, but the Chinese team defeated two strong opponents in a row in the warm-up matches.

This result made it impossible for Americans to gloat over Tiangang's misfortune. They even used the term "nightmare team" to describe this Dream Team VI.

If even Italy and Germany have such a hard time playing, what will be the result of the first game against China?
It’s unimaginable!
The day before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, reporters entered the Dream Team's locker room for an interview.

Larry Brown avoided the main point in response to the reporter's question: "I hope the warm-up match can make the players more sober. We are not here for vacation, we are here to fight."

The players' responses were more radical.

AI said nonchalantly, "We are still in the process of getting used to each other. As long as we adapt, we will definitely sweep the tournament. This is what every dream team will do in the Olympics. We will definitely win the gold medal."

Stephen Marbury was also confident: "Who can stop me and AI at the same time? Roger can't split himself."

Lamar Odom was obviously infected by the confidence of the two: "I can't think of anyone who can beat us who are 100% serious in a formal game."

LeBron James smiled and said: "If I don't win the championship, I will settle in Greece."

He must have thought he was humorous.

The attitude of the American players made Bill Simmons extremely angry: "This American team lacks systematic training, they have no soul, no vision, and the team is full of contempt and arrogance. I really can't understand where their confidence comes from! Look at the performance of the Chinese team, look at them! This is why Roger is the greatest player in the world. Even if he quarrels with his teammates, he can still lead the team on the right track!"

Although Bill Simmons is a fan of Roger, he is an American after all, and he also hopes that the Dream Team can continue its glory.

But even though the warm-up match was a complete mess, those idiots still thought they could handle everything.

This attitude is bound to make the Dream Team suffer a great loss!

Just like that, at the opening ceremony on the second day, Roger made his first official appearance in front of everyone as the flag bearer of the Chinese delegation, which also aroused great expectations from the fans.

The next evening, the first group match between the Dream Team and the Chinese team officially started under the attention of the public!
This top Olympic battle attracted media and fans from all over the world. When Roger stepped into the court wearing the Chinese team jersey sponsored by Reebok, he was a little nervous despite having been playing professional basketball for 11 years.

In his previous life, Roger once watched an interview with Carmelo Anthony. The host asked him, if he could trade his three Olympic gold medals for a championship ring, would he do so?

Anthony thought very seriously for ten seconds and finally answered: "No!"

reason?

"Championship rings and Olympic gold medals have their own meanings, but the passion and pride you put into winning an Olympic gold medal is completely different. You're not just playing for a city or a state, you're playing for the whole country, and it's another level of experience."

Now, Roger experienced this feeling firsthand.

It's really a completely different experience.

He jumped twice after entering the court, and in front of him were the group of legends who had never been defeated in the Olympics.

LeBron James walked to the midcourt like an international superstar and spoke to Roger: "Hey, you guys are great, but we're going to win."

He knew how to make himself the focus. While the entire Dream Team was warming up, he was the only one who ran over to talk to Roger, which indeed earned him a close-up in the live broadcast cameras around the world.

To this day, LeBron James still feels that he will shine in the Olympics and that Larry Brown values ​​him.

Roger was too lazy to pay attention to him: "Shut up, kid, does this game have anything to do with you? Believe me, you don't even have to take a shower after the game."

Twenty years later, LeBron James' son, Bronny James, will hear the same words when he plays in the NBA for the first time.

By then, the father and son will definitely have a lot of common topics to talk about.

(End of this chapter)