Champions Creed

Chapter 38: Are you counting on him, Charles?
When Roger arrived at the training base today, he met the team's equipment manager John Rigmanowski in the parking lot.

This guy has been with the Bulls since 83 and witnessed Jordan's entire peak period. In the past, when he met Roger, he would just nod his head. But when he saw Roger today, he actually reached out and fist-bumped Roger: "Don't care what the media says, we all know how strong you are. Kick Barkley's fat ass tonight, OK?"

It wasn't just Rigmanovsky. Almost every team employee Roger met after that said, "Come on Roger, kill that bastard Charles!"

The pre-match atmosphere of this game was different from any other game.

No one wants to lose to the team that lost to them in last season's finals, just like the Nuggets fans in 2024 don't want to let the Lakers get away with it.

Walking into the massage room on the second floor of the training base, Roger saw Pippen lying on one of the beds.

Roger lay down next to Pippen naturally, and did not deliberately avoid him because of the previous unpleasantness.

But during the entire massage, neither of them said a single word.

The Zen Master's mediation only stopped them from arguing temporarily, but it did not make them truly open their hearts to each other.

Just as Pippen finished the massage and was about to leave, he looked back at Roger and hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke:

"You'd better play the role of the second star today, rookie. It doesn't matter if we lost the last game, but this game is about dignity."

Roger was laughing in his heart. A guy who was beaten up by a rookie in a pre-season training camp and lost miserably in the locker room struggle, now he is talking to me about dignity?

It's like a KTV princess talking to you about chastity.

But since Pippen even took the initiative to talk to him, it seems that tonight's game is indeed extraordinary.

"I will, Scott, I have no problem here."

"That's the best."

At 4 p.m., the entire team took a bus from the Beto Center to the United Center.

In the locker room, the equipment manager had already prepared the jerseys and shoes. In his locker, Roger also found a small card:

"Thunder Dan is nothing compared to you! Come on! - John Rigmanovsky."

Roger put the card back with a smile. Originally, Roger thought there was nothing special about this game. After all, he was not with the Bulls last season and had no prejudice against the Suns.

But now, Roger was also affected by the fighting atmosphere that filled the entire team, and he was eager to go on the court and beat up the Suns.

All of Chicago is looking forward to Roger's performance, but countless people are also looking forward to Dan Majerle humiliating Roger. This guard, who was selected to the All-Defensive Team twice, is considered Roger's biggest test so far.

Roger wouldn't let them have their way.

After warming up, the starting players of both sides took their positions.

The Phoenix Suns retained almost all of their main players from last season, including Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Ceballos, Fliggy and Mark West.

This team has strong athletic ability and plays a fast-paced basketball. With 90's defense, the Suns averaged 113.4 points per game last season, ranking first in the league.

Barkley looked at Pippen and Roger who continued to start, and smiled happily: "Scott, you can't chew Michael's toes, so you start chewing the rookie's toes? This kid can still start after you expressed your dissatisfaction. It seems that your words are not effective."

Pippen's expression was gloomy: "Charles, how good are you? You just keep kissing Michael's ass."

"But I don't kiss rookies' butts. After we lost the finals last season, I didn't blame the rookie. The rookie was right. If you can't afford to lose, you can hide behind him, hahahaha. Sorry, you can't hide today, because Roger will also be destroyed by Thunder Pill."

Barkley teased Pippen crazily. In his mind, he and Pippen were never at the same level. What level are you, and how can you be compared with me?

The reason why a guy of this level can beat me is entirely because of Jordan.

Today, he will let the world see the gap between himself and Pippen.

Pippen didn't say anything else. Although he once became famous with the phrase "The postman doesn't work on Sundays", most of the time, Pippen was actually quite stupid with his words.

Just when Barkley thought he had won, the rookie spoke up: "Charles, the Thunder Dan you are talking about is the one who allowed Michael to score 40 points in four consecutive games in the Finals last season? That's true. There is no other person in the history of the Finals who can play such a defense."

"You have none of your business here, rookie." Barkley glared at Roger.

"It's none of my business? Then please don't mention my name when you spit trash words. Otherwise, it will be my business."

Feizhu was a little angry: "Scott, didn't you teach this kid court etiquette?"

Pippen laughed: "I taught him, so he will kick your ass very politely."

As the two sides were engaged in a heated verbal exchange, the referee tossed the ball up.

Cartwright got the ball and passed it to Kerr, and the game began.

After crossing half court, Kerr passed the ball to Pippen at the top of the arc. Pippen challenged Ceballos and scored without any surprise.

But the Suns' counterattack was very sharp. The moment Kevin Johnson received the serve from the baseline, he went straight into full speed and passed the ball to Ceballos who was in the front.

Pippen chased him relentlessly, but Ceballos passed the ball back after getting to the basket.

The flying pig took off from the ground and wreaked havoc on the basket at the United Center.

This is how the Suns play. The pace is so fast that you don't even have a chance to breathe. As soon as you score a goal, they've already started their counterattack.

Pippen was not willing to be outdone, and in the next attack he once again forced his way past Ceballos, preparing to attack the basket directly.

But the active Kevin Johnson slid to Pippen's side and poked the ball away.

Pippen's singles failed on his second try!
Although in some groups, Pippen was so strong that he was lawless, and Jordan was able to win six championships only because of Pippen's support.

But Pippen actually has many shortcomings, and ball control is one of them.

He can pass the ball from the top of the arc and can be a post-up pivot to give the ball to open cuts, but if you really let him control the ball in his hands all the time to feed shooters and dribble inside like a ball-handling core, or use him as the core to hold the ball and play one-on-one, it will be a disaster.

Pippen was a good distributor, but not a good distributor.

Kevin Johnson knew this all too well, so the steal was timed perfectly.

Fortunately, the ball was picked up by Kerr, so Pippen did not make a mistake.

But the Bulls' offense was still interrupted.

Barkley smiled. Without Jordan who averaged 41 points per game, the Bulls' firepower was not enough to compete with the Suns!

Kevin Johnson immediately stuck close to Kerr. He knew that the best way to deal with this white shooter was to press directly.

Pippen still wanted the ball, but Kerr had already subconsciously passed the ball to the first person in his sight, Roger, under pressure.

Roger was on the wing, finally facing Dan Malibu!
Mali's defensive position was perfect, and he closely watched this young man who was only 18 years old but had scored more than 20 points in two consecutive games.

He didn't want to be a background figure for this young man.

Everyone in the stadium was watching this matchup intently. Could Roger really handle a defensive opponent? Roger didn't hesitate. The ball passed under his left crotch and then accelerated directly.

The reason why Mali couldn't defend Jordan last season is simple. No normal wing player in the world can keep up with Jordan's first step. Therefore, the players who have been good at defending Jordan in history are small players, such as Moncrief and Payton, who are 193 cm tall.

Roger's explosive power was not as abnormal as Jordan's, but it was still very difficult for Mali to catch up. Mali chased him with all his strength, but Roger turned around and got away from Mali and made a jump shot to score!

The cheers in the United Center were like a volcanic eruption, because Chicago fans were very happy to see Barkley's hopes shattered. Mali failed to destroy Roger, and Roger was still able to score calmly in front of opponents with the same defensive level!

Well, in fact, this season's Mali is different from last season's Mali. He is slower. The 92-93 season was the last time Mali was selected for the defensive team, and it was also his last peak.

Since then, Marley has been on a steady decline.

Since then, he has relied more on his experience on the defensive end.

However, no matter how rich your experience is, it will be difficult to be of any use in front of someone who is twice as fast as you.

No matter how experienced you are, it is difficult to resist a fast and powerful young man.

The Suns originally thought that with Mali in the game today, Roger would not have any chance, so as long as they could deal with Pippen, they could deal with the game.

But unfortunately, their hopes have begun to be dashed.

After Roger scored the goal, he looked at Feizhu and said, "At least I can count on Scott. What about you? Are you counting on this kind of defense?"

Buckley was furious: "Dan!"

Marley waved his hands helplessly: "I'll try my best!"

One round later, Kevin Johnson made a layup to tie the score again. The entire team quickly retreated to force the Bulls to fight a positional battle.

This time, Pippen turned his back to the basket and asked for the ball at the free throw line. He wanted to play one-on-one against Ceballos.

But Pippen noticed that Flying Pig was eager to try, and once he turned over, he would definitely rush up to interfere.

If it was Jordan, he would certainly choose to turn around and jump shot resolutely. After all, it didn't make much difference to him whether there was one person or two people interfering.

But Pippen can't do that. He has to think carefully about his offensive options.

Scott Pippen's offense can be said to be a jack of all trades, but he is not good at anything.

His turnaround jump shot is usable, but not to the point where he can just ignore the interference of two people.

Just as Pippen hesitated, Roger in the corner moved.

He was originally moving at 45 degrees, but suddenly he ran back and cut in along the baseline.

Pippen saw this opportunity. Deep down, he didn't want to pass the ball to Roger, but his instinct did not allow him to miss this opportunity.

Pippen pushed the ball with one hand and sent it to Roger at the right time.

Barkley didn't expect Pippen to pass the ball to Roger. Didn't these two guys have a falling out?

It was indeed a breakup. Roger and Pippen disliked each other almost from the first day they met.

But the Zen Master is right: "As a basketball player, the most important thing is to win."

"After Roger cut in, he directly challenged Suns center Mark West. He evaded the defense in the air, glided under the basket, and made a layup! Thunder Dan was defeated again, and Roger could easily beat him without the ball!" Dan Maalley cursed inwardly under the shouting of NBC commentator Bill Walton.

This was a typical triangle offense, with Pippen as the axis in the low post and Roger cutting into the basket.

But, is Pippen really willing to be inferior to that rookie?
The camera turned to the Zen Master, and people were wondering what method this hippie used to make the two people who were still playing yin and yang with each other at the end of the previous game start to cooperate.

The Zen Master had a blank expression on his face. He actually did nothing. He just knew the nature of the locker room and let his players accept it - not everyone in a locker room has to be a friend.

In subsequent games, Roger and Pippen complemented each other.

Pippen's passing and through passes made it extremely easy for Roger to cut into the basket.

After Roger's threat attracted the defense, Pippen also got some singles opportunities.

The cheers in the United Center were getting louder and louder. After the first quarter, Roger and Pippen each scored 8 points, and the Bulls led 24-21!

Considering that the Bulls were missing three starters from last season, the Suns had the original Finals lineup.

So, the Bulls at least proved that they still have a chance to beat the Suns without Michael!

During the intermission, Kevin Johnson was very unhappy with Mali's defense: "If you can't handle an 18-year-old kid, leave it to me!"

"Mind your own business, Kevin!" Lei Tingdan replied unhappily.

The team atmosphere seemed tense, but Suns coach Paul Westphal looked relaxed.

He knew that Phil Jackson was a master at manipulating the locker room, and maybe he could use some kind of magic to reconcile Pippen and Roger. But no matter what he did, he couldn't change the fact that this team was missing MJ after all.

The impact of this will soon be reflected in the game.

The first three minutes of the second quarter were no different from the previous game. The cooperation between Pippen and Roger made the Bulls' positional offense flourish.

Bill Walton couldn't help but complain: "Mali is experiencing the most humiliating night of his career. He is being beaten up by an 18-year-old boy!"

However, after three minutes of the second quarter, Pippen was substituted out for rest.

Paul Westphal smiled slightly. This would be the beginning of the Bulls' collapse!
Pippen is the only effective passing point in the triangle offense. Once he leaves the court, the Bulls' offense will fall into Roger's unlimited one-on-ones.

Even though Roger's singles efficiency is very high, it cannot change the Bulls' overall decline on the offensive end.

That’s how the Bulls lost to the Heat in the last game. When Pippen left the court in the second and third quarters, the Bulls’ offensive tactics were reduced to “give Roger the damn ball.”

And today, as long as we slightly reduce Roger's singles efficiency, we can widen the score in this period!

Paul Westphal called Kevin Johnson: "Want to win? I'll leave that kid to you."

After receiving the order, Kevin Johnson looked at Mali triumphantly: "Even if Roger has two thousand offensive moves, I can still handle him!"

At this time, Pippen walked off the court, but the person he replaced was not Meyers, but the European Kukoc.

Paul Westphal frowned. What's going on? Are the Bulls going to play three inside players?

Phil is crazy. Using Kukoc to play the three position, isn't this a waste of defense?
Tex Winter, who was beside the Zen Master, took a deep breath and said, "I hope we are not committing suicide, Phil!"

Jackson didn't answer, he still sat calmly on the bench.

suicide?

What a joke, this rotation arrangement can maximize the effect of Roger's sword!
(End of this chapter)