Champions Creed

Chapter 398 397: How much is there between you and me? I want you to tell me in person (please give me a monthly ticket!)

Spike Lee is the embodiment of tragedy. In more than a decade, he has never seen his favorite team defeat the player he hates the most.

Although he was mentally prepared, when Roger killed the match, his heart still felt a sharp pain, as if someone had shot him with a pistol.

The moment Toni Kukoc patted his shoulder, he seemed to feel that Satan was knocking on the door of his heart. It was a feeling he would never forget.

But watching Roger struggling to climb up the stands and raise his arms, Spike Lee cursed and applauded the player he hated the most: "Congratulations, you damned bastard. Go get your championship, damn it!"

Toni Kukoc smiled. Spike Lee was really critical of Roger.

In fact, Spike Lee is not a brainless hater.

He would exchange insults with Reggie Miller, but he would also hug him.

He would boo Kobe, but he also loved to fantasize about Kobe wearing a Knicks jersey.

He wished Roger would die, but he acknowledged that Roger was an outstanding athlete and that witnessing his miracles was both a blessing and a misfortune.

He just supports his own team, but does not deny the greatness of his opponents.

Watching Roger win in this way, Spike Lee had nothing to say. He respected the man he hated so much.

Respect comes from the game. Roger rarely wins by special care from the referee, and rarely wins by taking shortcuts in his steps. He never makes excuses for his losses, and never forgets his teammates when he wins. He is a villain, but you will find that his victory is never flawed.

It's not just Spike Lee. Now, when Roger stands on the technical table again with injured ribs and fingers, no one will probably question Roger's historical status, and no one will question whether it is reasonable for Roger to have a statue now.

As the number one player in the basketball world, it would be truly unreasonable if Roger didn't have his own statue.

The sound of "Fuck Roger" was deafening, but Roger enjoyed it very much. This was the first time he lifted the championship trophy in "his own city".

The mayor of New York City waved happily to the stands, and this wave caused half of the people in New York to suffer from high blood pressure.

After pampering his fans, Roger sat on the technical table and placed his legs vertically on the edge of the table.

He was exhausted and in great pain.

The Warriors players all surrounded Roger and tried to help him off the technical table.

Mikhail Prokhorov also squeezed into the crowd and walked up to Roger. He was tall and strong, like a full-time bodyguard. "How do you feel?"

Roger did not answer, nor did he jump off the technical table. Instead, he asked the Russian: "Poki, do you have any cigars?"

Mikhail Prokhorov took out a cigar box, cut the cigar for Roger, and then lit it.

It was a Golden State Gangster-style championship celebration.

Roger raised his hand slightly and put the cigar into his mouth. Sparks flashed and passionate smoke burst out of his mouth.

He felt much calmer and the pain in his injured area eased a lot.

Roger just puffed on the cigar greedily and looked at everything in front of him with an indifferent expression, as if the "ruins of New York" around him had nothing to do with him.

In the eyes of New Yorkers, the cigar in Roger's hand is like a scepter, making Roger exude unique nobility and majesty.

Mike Breen sat behind Roger, and what he enjoyed most every year in the finals was seeing Roger celebrate in front of him.

"Roger and Leonardo DiCaprio may be the two most dedicated men in the world," said Mike Breen. "One insisted on shooting all the sex scenes himself, and the other insisted on winning all the championships."

This commentary made many fans laugh, but LeBron James did not laugh. He was still thinking about a problem.

Transfer, hype, customization.

March, fight, conquer.

Which is the right path to becoming a great player?
At present, the two GOATs recognized by the mainstream media are Roger and Jordan.

Michael Jordan conquered the Bad Boys, Drexler, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson.

Roger conquered Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Kobe, Shark, Duncan, and Payton. It's too many to count.

Their success seems to have nothing to do with transfers, hype or customization.

Is Rich Paul really right?

"LeBron," Rich Paul said, as if he knew what James was thinking. "That's just a comment."

"Ok, I know."

LeBron James no longer dwelled on this question: If he stayed in Cleveland, who would he fight? Who would he conquer?
He has made up his mind that the final outcome of the Cavaliers' recruitment of Andrei Kirilenko will directly determine his relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But for some reason, LBJ thought of Grant Hill a few years ago.

As the successor of Jordan who was watched by the whole United States, he had extremely high popularity when he just entered the league. He was one of the few people who defeated Roger to win the All-Star vote.

He was originally a popular player, but everything changed after that transfer.

In the early 21st century, when Grant Hill decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, this extremely popular guy was criticized and his commercial value plummeted.

Because people don't want to see a star take the easiest path when he should be fighting hard.

If F1 races were just simple straight-line races, would the sport still be so appealing?
At the time, Grant Hill was considered a coward, a softie, a deserter, and a bastard who betrayed the spirit of competitive sports.

Even though he is a nice guy, his popularity is no longer what it used to be.

Look at it now, Grant Hill has faded out of people's sight, and Fila, who bet on him, has completely disappeared from the basketball market.

LeBron felt a chill down his spine, and in the end he could only find one excuse: I am different from him.

The root cause of Grant Hill's failure was that he failed to win the championship with the Lakers.

As long as you win the championship, no one cares about anything else.

I'm not like Grant Hill. I'm totally different from him.
On the court, after Roger took a few puffs of his cigar, his wandering mind seemed to finally return to his body.

"Pokey."

"what happened?"

“We’re almost there.”

"One more championship and we'll be eternal."

"One? Well, maybe. Regardless, thank you for your support and for the privilege."

"Thank you for your efforts, those are your rights."

After saying that, Roger opened his arms, and his teammates and the Russian boss helped Roger down from the technical table.

At this time, the three stars of the Knicks team walked to Roger's side one by one. Although Kevin Garnett said that he was tired of Roger's younger brother during the season, although Yao Ming exchanged trash talk with Roger for the first time, and although Wade turned into the sharp knife of the New Yorkers and almost killed the game today, Roger became their common nightmare.

But when the competition was over, their personal friendship was not greatly affected.

Roger knows the difference between an opponent and an enemy, and that's different.

The three of them hugged Roger one by one, and Wade was the last one. He didn't know what expression to put on when facing his former idol, because tonight, he was the most frustrated person.

The chance to kill the game had been in his hands, as had the chance to stop Roger's killer game.

He had the opportunity to hold up a torch like the Statue of Liberty and light up the entire New York.

In fact, he had just been a hero just before those two bad rounds.

He pushed Roger away in the confrontation and made a tough layup, allowing the Knicks to overtake the score at a critical moment.

If this momentum continues and the Knicks win Game 7, Wade will become a legend in New York because he has successfully replicated the path Roger took - winning the championship and getting the FMVP in his sophomore year.

But he wasted this great opportunity with his own hands.

Wade kept thinking about the moment when he passed Matt Barnes and then faced Tayshaun Prince's backup defense.

He chose to pass the ball, and that pass ended up being a turnover.

If he had chosen to jump shot at that time, the ball at least had a chance of going in.

Looking back now, Wade believes he was cowardly at the critical moment.

He thought too much and was worried that he might not make the shot and end up failing, so he chose to pass the ball.

He missed his chance to be a hero.

Roger guessed Wade's thoughts like a magician, and patted him on the back during the hug: "Use this pain as motivation and nourishment. That's what I did back then anyway."

"Thank you Roger, congratulations."

"You did a great job Dwayne, you know I never compliment people."

After seeing off his three younger brothers, Sean Battier also came forward to congratulate Roger on his championship. Among the Knicks starters, only Gary Payton did not say hello to Roger.

But Roger just wanted to see the bastard's expression right now, the arrogant guy who thought he could win the championship in his era, but he failed again.

It is predictable that the Knicks will most likely not renew Payton's contract next season, even though he made two very crucial three-pointers in G4.

He is too old, and it is really difficult for him to be the starter of a championship team. Roger is really curious about what choice Gary Payton will make.

Will he continue to work hard to win a championship in his own era? Or has he made up his mind and retired completely?
He looked forward to the bastard's next stop.

Jeff Hornacek then handed over a championship cap and a thick rib protector.

It is called protective gear, but it is actually just a soft pad that is wrapped around the injured ribs with a bandage to provide a certain degree of protection.

"Put it on, or you come to the hospital with me now."

"I thought the only person you cared about in the world was your daughter," Roger laughed.

"You are wrong, Roger. I will still care about my daughter's boyfriend in the future. Stop talking and wear it. The award ceremony will be crowded later. I don't want a superstar rolling on the ground in pain during the award ceremony."

Roger took the ball cap, but did not intend to take the protective gear: "Put that ugly thing away."

"Then come directly to the hospital with me."

"Ridiculous, have you ever seen a coronation ceremony without a king? I'm not going to the hospital, and I don't need protective gear. Come on guys, let's go to the podium!"

Excited Matt Barnes hugged Roger and wanted to rush to the podium. Because he was too excited, his hand happened to hug Roger's injured left rib.

"Wait Matt," Roger suddenly yelled, "I remembered something very important!"

After saying that, Roger turned his head and looked at Jeff Hornacek: "Give me the damn protective gear."

Wearing ugly protective gear, Roger walked up to the podium.

Bill Russell pointed at the cushion on Roger's chest: "So, your bones are really broken?"

"Maybe. I don't know."

Bill Russell didn't say anything else, just gave Roger a thumbs up.

Fake Roger's shout made David Stern a little embarrassed. If possible, he didn't want to see Roger reach the top in New York again in his life.

So he rarely said any more nonsense and quickly moved on to the step of presenting the trophy.

The Russians lifted the trophy for the second time in two years.

When this Russian oligarch entered the NBA, he told everyone: "Don't be nervous. Are you afraid that a Russian will conquer American basketball?"

It turns out that you should never believe any Russian lies. He not only wants to conquer American basketball, but also wants to make all the dollars.

The alliance between China and Russia is the biggest nightmare of the beacon of freedom.

Roger did not lift the O'Brien Cup this year. He can't even lift his left hand and can't hold it steadily with one hand.

So, in the end, Roger only lifted the small FMVP trophy.

After the award ceremony, Bill Russell made a good-natured joke: "This trophy may be named after you in the future, but unfortunately, you still can't surpass me in the championship ring."

"Bill, tell me how far we are from each other. I want you to tell me. The last time we talked about this, you said we were still a full literal Karim away."

Bill Russell did some calculations in his head, and the smile on his face suddenly disappeared.

In fact, he is not afraid of being surpassed by others. At his age, he has already taken things that happened on the basketball court lightly.

He just likes to joke, but that doesn't mean he really cares whether he is the person with the most championships in NBA history.

The reason Bill Russell's smile disappeared was that he couldn't believe that someone could achieve such an achievement in the modern basketball environment, in a league with 30 teams.

"Only two more to go, Roger. You'll catch up with me in two more." After saying this in person, Bill Russell himself couldn't believe it.

Roger has won 9 championships, and was the FMVP 9 times!

The words on the statue outside Oracle Arena are right, and there will never be another like it!
"I'm glad you can still figure it out, Bill. It means you're not old yet."

Roger reminded the Lord of the Rings in this way - being unable to surpass you is a thing of the past.

Before, no one thought that Bill Russell's record of 11 rings would be surpassed. But now people realize that it was only because the players in the past were not strong enough.

Since Bill Russell announced his retirement in 1969, Roger is the only non-Celtic player who can come close to him in terms of total championships.

He is the only player who has had the opportunity to wear both hands full of rings in the modern basketball environment.

But he also knew that what was coming would be difficult.

Turning 30 is a hurdle for any player.

After the celebration in the locker room, Roger did not go to the New York nightclub with the team. Instead, he went to the hospital for examination accompanied by two coaches.

The final result was a fracture of the left rib. When the doctor saw the film, he looked at Roger in disbelief: "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would really doubt that you are the incarnation of God."

Roger smiled and waved his hands: "God doesn't feel pain, but I'm in so much pain right now. By the way, in my situation, can I still celebrate my victory with my girlfriend tonight?"

Roger's question made the doctor smile and shake his head: "That's right, you are not God, you are Zeus."

"What's the difference? They're all gods."

"The latter's sexual desire is obviously stronger."

"Don't slander me, I just like to appreciate beautiful things."

"Yeah, that's about as believable as LeBron's 'I'm never leaving Cleveland.'"

"Doctor, an expert like you should be earning a lot of money, so why is your life still so unhappy?"

After Roger asked this question, they both laughed in tacit understanding.

Sometimes Roger really envied LBJ. He had never played in the playoffs, but he had a national reputation.

The day after Roger won the championship, ESPN Magazine used a photo of Roger wearing a ring on his hand and a simple and clear title as the cover - GOAT.

Of course they couldn't get the cover done and printed overnight, so the cover was prepared in advance.

While the New Yorkers were still fighting Roger, and while KG, Yao Ming and Wade were still struggling to fight against the Kings' army, the media was already writing hymns for Roger's victory.

In fact, it's not just ESPN The Magazine that does this.

Most sports magazines put Roger on their cover today.

LeBron James looked at the magazines and couldn't help but envy Roger for everything he had.

He believed that the biggest problem was that he had no help.

And in the afternoon, good news came.

Andrei Kirilenko and the Denver Nuggets failed to reach an agreement on the length of his contract, and he now prefers to join the Cleveland Cavaliers. Of course, this news did not make any splashes in the context of Roger winning his ninth championship. Only Salt Lake City fans, Nuggets fans and Cleveland fans cared.

Finally, the Cavaliers got the guy they promised.

In addition, there is another news that the Washington Wizards have preliminarily accepted the trade request for Michael Redd and Larry Hughes. According to the public opinion of Nike's mouthpiece, Michael Redd's poor defense and weak team awareness are the reasons why the Cavaliers cannot make it to the playoffs.

It was a familiar story for Roger: Michael Jordan was to blame in the first season, Michael Redd in the second. LeBron? He was just an innocent victim who had done his best.

For the Cavaliers, these are two good news that come as a complete turn of events.

It is foreseeable that the Cleveland Cavaliers' defense will be among the best in the league next season, and defense is the basic foundation for a team to achieve a breakthrough.

But LeBron James was not very excited, and was even a little worried.

That guy really did it, Daniel Gilbert really did everything LBJ wanted.

Renovate the gym, build a new training center, accept 1+1 contracts, recruit players, and give LBJ special privileges. He treats the Chosen One like the Russians treated Roger.

He did not disappoint the young superstar.

So for James, the question is, what if he still can't succeed under such circumstances?

If he fails to succeed, what excuse will he have to leave Cleveland?

LBJ shook his head and didn't think about it any further.

He felt that he could succeed, that he was the only one who could end the Roger era.

He is different from Grant Hill, completely different.
-
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the top challengers for the championship next season. ——The Cleveland Plain Dealer

People will see why LBJ can get such a big shoe contract. ——Nike Media Center.

The young king has thrown off all the shackles and is about to sweep everything away like a storm. The most dangerous person? Of course, the old king. —— Dave McMenamin column

Roger read the news on his way to Reebok headquarters and threw the newspaper aside with disdain.

When Nike's mouthpieces work together, their execution capabilities will always be strong.

But that may not be the case with their pretend king.

(End of this chapter)