Champions Creed

Chapter 411 410: Like chasing a Ferrari on a bicycle (asking for monthly tickets!)

Finally, the Golden State Warriors won a resounding victory.

For the first time this season, they played like the defending champions.

But for McGrady, the game was cruel.

He has Dwight Howard and Baron Davis, while Roger is missing Amar'e Stoudemire.

As a result, even under such circumstances, his team still lost by more than 20 points.

Following LeBron James, another person's romantic American dream was destroyed by Roger.

One sentence even became a popular Internet phrase on the Simplified Chinese Internet: "It's as easy to abuse you as Roger abuses James."

This sentence was originally used by Chinese fans to mock McGrady, but because of its great influence, it has even been used by many online game players as a common phrase to mock opponents in the chat box.

On the English Internet, the most popular comment was Gary Payton's post-match comment: "The biggest mistake was to think of myself as Roger's opponent."

This statement caused great controversy.

As Roger's former opponent in the finals, Gary Payton's remarks sounded like a surrender.

It also seems to be a warning to other teams that want to compete for the championship not to have such messy hopes.

Countless stars have been asked questions related to this passage, and LBJ's response was the strongest: "I respect Gary. You know, Gary is an extremely good player. I grew up watching his games. But even a great player like him must understand one thing: never think of others as weak as yourself."

Gary Payton, who has always done his own thing, did not think there was anything wrong with this statement. After returning to the Bay Area, he also responded to LeBron James when facing the camera.

"If we were all racing on bicycles, that would be considered competition. But if you ride a bicycle to chase a Ferrari, that's a mistake. I wouldn't say that everyone who competes with Roger is riding a bicycle, but whether it's me, LBJ or T-Mac, we all made this mistake, that is, we think we can be Roger's opponent, which is ridiculous. Jealousy and hatred blinded their eyes, this is the only explanation. When they get in the passenger seat of a Ferrari, they will naturally understand."

LBJ was even more furious because Payton specifically pointed out that Cleveland's chosen one was not qualified to compete with Roger.

This is what Gary Payton really thought after becoming teammates with Roger. He realized that it was simply a fantasy for him to defeat and shoot down Roger.

Many things require going deep inside to truly understand.

Previously, Peyton thought he understood Roger, but that was not the case. If you only watched from a distance, you would only see the milky red powder head, which was an easy illusion to dazzle your eyes.

Becoming Roger's teammate and watching what he did, Gary Payton finally understood why he could dominate the league.

That No. 14 not only possesses outstanding personal abilities, but also possesses unparalleled leadership qualities and personal charm.

Payton didn't want to admit it, but the fact was that his mentality had also changed because of Roger.

Roger knew all the secrets of basketball and was more than willing to share them with his teammates, and once you accepted what he said and started winning, it was hard not to be his friend.

Under his leadership, the atmosphere and fighting spirit of the Warriors shocked Gary Payton. The Sonics only made it to the finals, and the team began to fall apart. He had never seen a team that had won two consecutive championships and was still so tenacious and united.

This good atmosphere and mental outlook made everyone burst out with stronger fighting power.

When everyone on a team is willing to work towards a goal, what is impossible to achieve?

So throughout history, there are only a handful of people who are truly qualified to say that they are competing with Roger.

Michael Jordan during his time with the Bulls and the Knicks counts as one, the former OK combination counts as one, Kobe Bryant of the current Lakers counts as one, and the three young men on the Knicks can barely be considered Roger's opponents.

They were still racing with Ferrari.

But LBJ?

What a delusional bastard.

The Golden State Warriors returned triumphantly from Orlando with a 9-6 record and Gary Payton's controversial remarks.

Although he put in a good enough performance in the game against the Magic, Gary Payton was still not close to others on the training ground. He still behaved like a superstar and still did not attend any team dinners.

The last bit of pride left in his heart made him still put on airs, as if saying "A superstar like me doesn't want to talk too much with a bunch of little brats like you."

But it doesn't matter, there are always one or two characters who are not so sociable in every locker room.

As long as he can play his due role on the court, then how he gets along with his teammates will not be a problem.

Whether you can gain the trust of your teammates depends more on your actions on the field.

There is a guy in Cleveland who is very good at talking and is on good terms with everyone in the locker room, but he did not use this to help the team move forward. In the final analysis, a man cannot rely on just his mouth.

After defeating the Magic, the Warriors, who are back on track, are ready to achieve their next goal - defeating a serious championship contender.

The situations of the Magic and the Cavaliers are actually very similar. They are indeed strong teams, but few people think they can really win the championship.

In the Eastern Conference, the only teams that can be considered championship contenders are still the Detroit Pistons and the New York Knicks.

As the defending champions, the Warriors had lost almost all of their previous games against championship contenders.

Only by competing with top opponents can you know what level you are at.

In the next game, the Warriors' opponent is the Dallas Mavericks - although the Mavericks' tactics and lineup are very strange, you can never put a team with Shaq, Dirk, UFO and Jason Terry out of the championship race.

Gary Payton knew his task. In the last game, he only had to deal with Byron Davis, and in the next game his opponent would be Jason Terry.

Payton is still working on his physical fitness and trying to improve his cruising ability.

At noon, the training came to an end, and the lonely Payton sat on the sidelines to drink water and rest.

At this time, a man walked up to him holding a basketball.

It was Monta Ellis who was demoted to the Development League to play but trained with the first team.

Payton twisted his mouth: "Kid, what's wrong?"

“They said, you can teach me defense.”

"who are they?"

After asking, Payton looked past Monta Ellis and saw Stephen Jackson and the others who were grinning. This was a complete prank, they deliberately let Monta Ellis provoke this lonely and bad-tempered old man, and then waited to see the fun.

Payton satisfied them: "Get lost you ugly bastard, why should I waste my time teaching an idiot like you? I'm here to play basketball, not to be a babysitter."

Stephen Jackson and other pranksters were already laughing. Normally, the prank would have ended there. They had angered the grumpy old man and fooled the rookie, and everyone was happy.

But Monta Ellis told Gary Payton: "They said your defense is better than Jason Kidd's, so I came to you. Don't be ungrateful."

Everyone was stunned. No one expected this rookie to be so brave.

Sure enough, those who are chosen by the Golden State Gang are not normal people.

Payton is indeed a better defender than Jason Kidd.

What level is Payton? The team arranged him to defend Michael Jordan and Roger. What about Kidd? His career defensive masterpiece is just defending James in the next few years, but what's the value of that? It's just the same level as JJ Barea.

Gary Payton stared at the little brat and said, "Do you know that Jason Kidd was only fit to be my little follower on the basketball court?"

"So what? I was my brother's lackey, but I defeated him in the end. Gary, you can't keep bringing up the past."

"Who is your brother?"

“The best high school player in the state of Mississippi.”

"Listen, I don't know your brother, that ugly bastard, and I don't know you either. If you can beat me in a one-on-one, I'll teach you, otherwise get out of here and never bother me again."

After saying that, Gary Payton angrily threw the ball to Monta Ellis.

Monta Ellis was stunned for a moment, and Gloves thought the kid was scared.

Ellis then said: "If I can beat you, what else can you teach me?"

"Damn it, damn it! You're done for, little brat. I promise, you're done for!"

In the next few minutes, the entire Warriors team saw how Gary Payton beat Monta Ellis so badly that he couldn't even score a single goal.

Monta Ellis is very talented, but as a high school rookie with a small frame and little muscle, he is completely crossing over to play a game that is not suitable for his level.

Once Gary Payton puts pressure on him, all his technical moves will be deformed and he will not be able to perform them.

speed?

In the face of Gary Payton's exquisite distance control, Monta Ellis's speed is of no use at all.

His shooting also lost touch due to the intense confrontation.

His defense against Gary Payton was even more disastrous. He was one of the few point guards who was good at post-ups. So, he only needed to stick his butt up like an experienced MILF and attack the young Monta Ellis fiercely to disarm the young man.

In the end, The Glove defeated Monta Ellis 10-0.

While Monta Ellis was defeated, he also received a package of trash talk.

"Get lost! Go back and tell your ugly brother that you played basketball with Gary Payton! And you guys, stop making fun of me, or I'll stuff this puppy's (Ellis) head into your dermatitis!"

Stephen Jackson and others pretended nothing happened and walked away.

Monta Ellis picked up the basketball and wiped the sweat off his face.

Gary Payton looked at him with disdain and sat back on the bench to continue resting.

Jeff Hornacek walked over to Roger who was watching the fun and said, "You were the one who nominated Monta. Are you sure you don't want to interfere? His confidence will be destroyed by that cruel old bastard Gary Payton."

Roger just smiled and waved his hand: "Confidence destroyed? If he can be knocked down so easily, I won't choose him. This is the lair of the Golden State Gang. Let them get along like gangsters."

Sure enough, Monta Ellis did not leave in disgrace. Instead, he told Payton: "I will come to challenge you again tomorrow."

Gary Payton was stunned for a moment, but soon his face turned fierce: "Get lost!!!"

"Oh." Monta Ellis left calmly.

Roger didn't know what kind of strange chemical reaction these two people would produce, but he could see that Gary Payton didn't really hate Monta Ellis, otherwise he would never challenge him one-on-one.

The face-saving gloves are just to maintain their cool personality.

In any case, if the Warriors want to win the championship this season in the absence of their big man and with tactics that require high physical fitness and health, the more people who can play, the better.

Maybe gloves can really accelerate Monta Ellis' growth?

The next day, the Warriors faced the Mavericks at Oracle Arena.

All the fans in the stadium held up signs that read "We believe". The warm atmosphere at the home court reminded the Sharks of their glorious days in Orlando.

The Warriors' three-point shooting was still average today, but they maintained their level on the defensive end.

The Warriors strangled Vince Carter and Jason Terry with pressure, and Dirk had a hard time facing powerful and agile forwards like Stephen Jackson and Boris Dio.

The aging Shark became a key player, scoring 24+14.

Roger took on the scoring responsibility when his teammates were not in good three-point shooting form, scoring a season-high 62 points in a single game - the Mavericks' weak defense was always a paradise for Roger to score points. Last season, Roger's career-high 71 points in a single game were also scored against the Mavericks.

In the end, Roger set a record of 110 points in back-to-back games and led the Warriors to continue winning.

The defending champions really found the feeling of winning.
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Gary defended Jason Terry. Well, it was not worth mentioning a few years ago. But now, this is the embodiment of Gary's value. He only needs to do this to win. His choice is correct. Only Roger can lead him to win the championship. - Charles Barkley jokes about the gloves.

Gary is right, LBJ is chasing Ferrari on a bicycle. Shaq? He is better than LeBron, he is chasing Ferrari in an eight-handed Buick. --Bill Simmons mocked Shaq in his column.

The two games combined for 110 points. I don't know who can break this abnormal record. The Warriors' ranking will rise rapidly in the future, I'm sure. - San Francisco Chronicle.

The defending champions are not flawless. Their strategy makes them extremely dependent on long rotations, and as long as one of them is injured or has an accident, the perfect rotation will be broken. Their tolerance for error is too low, which is why the Knicks will eventually become champions, this time for real! - The New York Times

Monta Ellis scored 33 points in a single game in the Development League. How far is this second-best high school student in the United States from contributing to the Warriors? - "Slam Dunk".

(End of this chapter)