Champions Creed

Chapter 55: Tell that kid, I'm really sorry

After the All-Star Game, Shaquille O'Neal felt as if he had had a very real dream.

Playing wildly with Roger in the All-Star Game was the most exciting game he had ever played since entering the NBA.

The Sharks don't understand why the media always criticizes Roger for not passing the ball. Roger passed him a lot of balls in the All-Star Game, including ground balls, dunks, and lobs.

Roger's passing talent was only hindered by those rubbish centers of the Bulls!
When the center you partner with is an old bone like Bill Cartwright who can't even move smoothly, or a big white soft guy like Bill Wennington who can't jump more than 20 centimeters from the ground, would you want to pass the ball?
Can't those reporters think about it? If they were faced with a woman with a sallow complexion and a strong body odor, they would not be able to get hard.

For some problems, you have to look for the reasons from others.

While the Sharks were still immersed in the brief joy of the All-Star Game, Roger had already returned to reality and continued his training.

His off-ball offensive level has improved a lot during this period, and his rhythm of catching and shooting is getting better and better.

After returning from the All-Star Game, people found that Roger could already lead Pippen to win.

In the first game after the All-Star Game, the Bulls went to Miami to challenge the Heat.

Scott Pippen's condition was not right during the warm-up. He originally wanted to perform a dunk after throwing the ball off the backboard. The difficulty of this move lies in accurately grasping the angle and strength of the ball hitting the backboard so that the basketball bounces just right.

As a result, his hand slipped when he threw the ball, and the basketball was thrown directly behind the backboard. People have seen countless examples of failed dunks, but this is the first time they have seen such a failure!

I guess only Jaylen Brown's stupid blindfolded dunk in the dunk contest can be compared to it in terms of embarrassment.

In the subsequent official games, Scott Pippen's performance was just like this dunk, he was completely lost.

He made 24 of 7 shots in the game. He hesitated to shoot when there was a wide open space, and had to rush in to shoot. When he was tightly guarded, he shot inexplicably.

Although he had 10 assists, he also made 5 turnovers, which caused the value of Pippen's assists to plummet.

Roger's 35 points in a single game saved the team from disaster. The Heat replaced three players, Steve Smith, Glen Rice and Brian Shaw, to defend Roger, but all of them failed.

In the end, the Bulls won by 4 points thanks to Roger's performance.

After the game, Roger said calmly at the press conference: "Scott entered the league earlier than me, so he doesn't need anyone to teach him what is a good opportunity and what is not a good opportunity. All he needs to do is adjust as quickly as possible."

Pippen laughed awkwardly on the side, he felt like a failure.

Now he has to rely on a rookie to excuse himself.

Two days later, at home against the Nuggets, Pippen still hadn't woken up.

He shot 19 of 5, with a hit rate of less than 30% for two consecutive games. He alone allowed Mutombo to get 3 blocks.

But what’s embarrassing is not Pippen’s bad performance, but the fact that when Pippen was struggling, the team won again!
Roger led the team to win the Nuggets with 36 points. Of course, this was inseparable from the help of Kukoc. The European magician scored 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists today, the first triple-double in his career. This triple-double was a bit of luck, until 1 second before the end of the game, Kukoc unexpectedly got the 10th rebound.

In the post-match interview, Kukoc and Roger became the focus.

"Well, this is the most forced triple-double I have ever seen. I almost reached out to grab the ball under the basket, but luckily I reacted quickly and pulled my hand back. Tony really should treat me to a big meal. This triple-double should be worth a big meal, right? Okay, I'm kidding. Congratulations to Tony, he's great, I always knew he could do it." - Roger talked about Kukoc's triple-double.

"I'm very excited. It's my greatest luck to play on the same team with Roger in my rookie season. Partnering with him, I don't even know what the rookie wall is. Big meal? No problem, but I have to think about what Roger likes to eat. God, if you see the nutritious meals he eats every day, you will go crazy." - Toni Kukoc answered reporters about triple-doubles with a smile.

During the entire press conference, reporters were almost all looking for Roger and Kukoc, and Pippen, who was sitting in the middle, was ignored.

He picked up the microphone several times when reporters raised their hands, but in the end the reporters' questions were not directed to him.

He doesn't play well, and the team can win.

He was at a press conference and no one paid any attention to him.

So, what is the meaning of his existence?
At that moment, Pippen was wondering: Should I be under the table? Am I getting in the way by being between Roger and Kukoc?
God knows how much energy Pippen put into shooting practice during the All-Star Weekend, because he hadn't recovered until the third game.

However, it was this game that temporarily eased Pippen's embarrassment.

Because of his poor performance this time, the team lost the game.

The Knicks beat them again!
On February 2, live broadcast across the United States, the New York Knicks met the Bulls for the third time this season.

Chicago fans have not forgotten that the team lost humiliatingly by 20 points in the last match, so today, all of Chicago is eager for the team to take revenge.

So does Roger.
But in the first quarter, when Pippen made 4 of 0 shots, Chicago fans were desperate.

Sure enough, the Knicks quickly chose to let go of Pippen and tried their best to block Roger.

Roger had a very difficult time playing in the Knicks' iron stranglehold, but his hit rate was still higher than Pippen's.

And fortunately, the Knicks' own offense was also very bad today.

The game went on in a tense manner until the last moment of the fourth quarter. As Ewing's rabbit-hop shot bounced off the rim, Cartwright struggled to protect the rebound from three iron elbows that came from nowhere. The score on the field remained at 74-73, with the Knicks leading by 1 point.

The Zen Master immediately paused the game, with only 1.1 seconds left.

The Bulls still have a chance to turn things around.

Pippen, who only scored 18 points with 5 of 10 shots tonight, sat on the bench, sweating profusely.

Roger's shooting percentage was not good with 24 of 10 shots. Pippen failed to play a restraining role, which put Roger in a tough battle. This was the main reason why Roger had such a difficult time today.

Of course, sitting next to Pippen, who had a 27.8% shooting percentage, Roger's 41.6% shooting percentage suddenly didn't seem so embarrassing.

The Zen Master calmly held the tactical board and arranged a signature starburst tactic. This season, the Bulls encountered such a desperate moment for the first time.

Therefore, who would carry out the final attack between Pippen and Roger became a hot topic for NBC's live commentators.

Pippen believed that he should have been the one to execute the shot no matter what.

The team's star player should be in control of the team's destiny, even if his shooting percentage is less than 30%, even if he only scored 10 points.

Besides, letting an 18-year-old kid execute a buzzer-beater? Come on, he'll be scared to death.

But the Zen master didn't think so.

Phil Jackson may be one of the coaches who dares to use players most in the final moments.

Many role players under John Paxson, Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, Derek Fisher and Ron Artestfeld have performed buzzer-beaters.

So today, the bold Phil Jackson really gave the important task of the buzzer beater to Roger, who was only 18 years old.

Although Roger's hit rate today was not high, the Knicks' defense would not give role players a chance. The next person to execute the buzzer beater must have strong shooting ability.

In other words, the choice can only be made between Pippen and Roger.

That's a damn good choice.

Even with stupid Krause calling the shots, he knew who to pick.

Pippen was dissatisfied with the Zen Master's arrangement because it meant that the Zen Master had taken away something from him.

At first it was the absolute locker room status, then it was the shooting rights, and now it is the ball rights at the critical moment.

Pippen really wanted to punch the Zen Master in the face. This old hippie was like a cruel capitalist, hollowing himself out bit by bit.

But looking at his extremely poor shooting percentage, Pippen couldn't say anything. If the basketball court is a place where strength speaks, then Pippen is only worthy of being a mute today.

Back on the court, the Bulls team ran according to the tactics.

But this tactic went wrong from the beginning. Pippen, who was responsible for cutting inside, failed to attract the Knicks' defense. His shooting percentage was too poor today, and Riley didn't think that the Zen Master would give him the ball.

The Knicks' defensive focus is still on Roger.

So even though Roger successfully got the basketball, Anthony Mason Jr. still got close to him immediately.

With no time to get rid of the opponent and no time to get on the field, Roger could only carry the muscular Anthony Mason one step and force a shot on the three-point line.

Roger's shooting action was completely distorted during the confrontation, and the goddess of luck was not on the Bulls' side.

The red light flashed and the basketball bounced out of the hoop.

Jordan, who was watching the game, smiled with satisfaction. Look, Roger, that arrogant and rebellious bastard, is not me after all!
Jordan also thanked his good brother Pippen. He really didn't expect that Pippen could assist him from a distance.

Okay, I know we've lost to the Knicks three times this season, you don't have to keep reminding me! You want to see us downcast? Then let me tell you, it's impossible! We won't be tripped up by this little shit! - Phil Jackson rarely gets angry at reporters at a press conference.

Roger did a great job, we were only one goal away from victory. Maybe if the rest of us could score one more goal tonight, the game would not have ended this way. - Kukoc talked about failure, and after saying this, he looked meaningfully at Pippen who was pulling next to him.

But Pippen's shamelessness obviously exceeded Kukoc's expectations.

He is still too young, that's all. Experience sometimes works beyond imagination, I don't have much else to say. —— Scott Pippen, who scored 10 points in the game, commented with dissatisfaction on Roger's missed buzzer-beater.

Roger had a blank expression on his face at the press conference. All he wanted now was to throw 100 balls at Mason in the same position.

"I didn't make that shot tonight, but what I said still stands, and I'm going to prove that it still stands."

"You said, 'We have a chance to beat the Knicks in the playoffs without Michael.'"

"Yes, I will prove it to you in the playoffs."

After Roger finished speaking, he stood up and left. He had already informed Abu Nasa that he would work overtime tonight.

He didn't even bother to mention Pippen's three consecutive poor performances because it was meaningless and he didn't want to be a nagging woman like Pippen.

Now Roger just wants to continue to improve, continue playing, and then beat the Knicks in the playoffs himself to make up for the missed shot tonight!

On the other side, Pat Riley, wearing an Armani suit and with a slicked-back hair, smiled like an evil vampire lord.

"Tell the kid I'm really sorry that Agent Zero failed today. Look, like I said, I admit he's good, but he's just a very good rookie. He's too green to play at this level. He wants to be MJ, but he's not."

"Do you think the result of this game is too cruel for 18-year-old Roger? After all, he really tried his best." asked a reporter.

"No, this is not the cruelest moment in professional basketball. If he really meets us in the playoffs and all his efforts for the whole year are wasted, he will know what cruelty is."

Riley's smile was extremely bright. He felt that nothing could stop the Knicks from reaching the finals.

An 18-year-old rookie? Just an ant.

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Thanks to An'anjingjingdeugunnan and other big guys for the rewards, thank you everyone!
(End of this chapter)