Champions Creed

Chapter 59: Another big trouble after Michael

After Michael Jordan retired, the New York Knicks became the most popular team in the league.

Because the whole world knows that their chance has come.

In the three years when the Bulls were at their peak, the New York Knicks were the team that came closest to defeating the Bulls. Now that Jordan is gone, the Knicks have naturally become the biggest favorite to win the championship.

Pat Riley himself thinks so too. Last summer, he asked the entire team to officially assemble at 00:01 on the opening day of training camp. Riley explained his behavior this way: The Knicks will be the first team to step onto the court and the last team to leave the court this season.

This season, as the most likely champion team, the Knicks' ticket prices have been rising. Even the son of John Kennedy, the "king of imagination", wanted two Knicks season tickets, but he could only be arranged in a relatively remote position.

Even so, he had no choice because there were a lot of people waiting behind him to swipe their cards to buy seats.

Even when the Knicks are in a bad state, they can still be one of the highest-revenue teams in the league.

So when they compete for the championship, you will know what a real big market is.

And now, another high-traffic team stands opposite the New York Knicks.

Knicks vs. Bulls, even without Michael Jordan, this is still the most anticipated series of the season.

Riley admitted that he didn't expect to meet the Bulls again this season.

Not only are the Bulls without Jordan, only two of their starters from last season are still on the roster.

But they still made it to the Eastern Conference Finals and set foot in New York again.

No one will deny the role played by Scott Pippen in this, but everyone knows that the key to the Bulls getting here is No. 14.

Last summer, when Roger became famous across the United States with the words "I will bring my talents to the NBA", Pat Riley could never have imagined that the kid would become a problem for him.

When he arrived at Madison Square Garden today, Riley had a frown on his face.

He is in a bad mood.

As the players were warming up, NBC sideline reporter Hannah approached Riley: "Coach, do you want to talk about what Roger said to you?"

"No, I don't want to!" Riley replied, suppressing his anger.

This is why Riley was in a bad mood. He didn't expect that an 18-year-old kid would dare to be so disrespectful to him.

Before Riley came to New York, he already had four championship rings in his pocket.

His achievements are no less than those of Chuck Daly and Phil Jackson of the same period.

As one of the most successful coaches in the league, everyone respected him, even the fierce and rough "gangsters" under him had to be respectful to him.

That little brat Roger, how dare he!
The fans were not surprised by this. If you think Roger was disrespectful to Riley, then take a look at Roger's attitude towards Jordan.

Riley should be thankful that he won't be alone with Roger on the training ground.

It's not just Riley who hates Roger, it's also New York fans.

They couldn't stand a rookie speaking out against the championship-seeking Knicks.

So when the rebellious and unruly 18-year-old boy appeared in Madison Square Garden, the boos from the audience seemed to spread throughout New York.

Toni Kukoc had been in the professional basketball world for many years before entering the NBA, played in the Champions League and the Olympics, and had seen big scenes. But even he couldn't stay calm in the current atmosphere.

Moreover, Kukoc became very nervous when he saw the muscular men in the other half of the court.

Horace Grant, who was once unilaterally criticized by Jordan as a traitor in the locker room, once said: "Every time I walked into Madison Square Garden to play against the Knicks, I didn't know if we would win, but I knew we would definitely bleed a lot. Playing with them was like having a lobotomy. By the end of the game, my head was buzzing."

The New York Knicks have the same spirit as the Bad Boys. Kukoc feels like he has lost half his life every time he plays against the Knicks this season.

"The hardest training, the toughest attitude, the most desperate defense" is the most distinctive label attached to the Knicks.

The Knicks are so brutal in the regular season, how will they perform in the playoffs?
Kukoc didn't dare to think about it, and he didn't dare to think about what Roger would go through if he angered the Knicks.

Before the game started, Kukoc walked up to Roger tremblingly and said, "The referee won't let those bastards go too far, right?"

Roger smiled and said, "Don't worry, Tony. If you are knocked down by an elbow, the referee will kindly drag you out of the ring while you are unconscious, and then let the game continue."

"That's not funny, bro."

"I'm not joking, I'm just stating the facts. There's another fact, the Knicks are eager to shock the other team with their rough confrontation and bring psychological pressure to the other team. So the more afraid you are, the more excessive they will be. Your only way, Tony, is to raise your elbow and fight back fiercely!"

Kukoc swallowed, but he patted Roger on the shoulder: "Whatever happens, if they do anything to you, I'll fight them."

The game was about to begin, and the scene of the missed buzzer-beater replayed in Roger's mind over and over again in slow motion.

Can this Bulls team beat the Knicks without Michael Jordan?

Everyone will know soon!
On the other side, Riley, who was very dissatisfied with Roger, called Derek Harper, who was responsible for defending Roger today, aside and said, "I want you to let that kid know what team he is playing against as soon as he comes on the court! If he is knocked to the ground, good, it means you have completed an excellent defensive round!"

Riley firmly believed that if he gave Roger a few tough confrontations, he would be completely lost.

He is just a rookie after all.

That kind of ant will pay the price for what he said!
Harper nodded confidently. "I know how to make a rookie lose in the playoffs. You don't need to remind me of that, Pat."

The starting lineups of the Bulls and the Knicks remained unchanged, with the Knicks still fielding the Big Five of Derek Harper, John Starks, Charles Smith, Charles Oakley and Ewing.

As the game started, Derek Harper, who joined the Knicks in the middle of this season, approached Roger and said, "Chinaman, the Knicks never let go of those who offend the team."

"Derrick, Pat assigned you to guard me?"

"Surprised?"

"I'm surprised. I didn't expect Pat to be so disrespectful to me."

"You" Derek Harper felt Roger's extreme boosting effect for the first time. As I said before, everyone who has played against Roger can understand Pippen.

But Harper quickly suppressed his anger. He loved to deal with rebellious teenagers who were stubborn and stubborn.

These rebellious youngsters will calm down after a few harsh collisions, regardless of whether they are men or women.

At the start of the game, as soon as Roger ran across half the court, Derek Harper, as Riley had instructed, directly confronted Roger.

There was not a single easy second in the game against the Knicks.

Pippen controlled the ball at 45 degrees on the right side, and Roger pulled to the bottom corner. Harper followed Roger closely, and Roger had no chance to catch the ball.

At the same time, Cartwright came forward and played a pick-and-roll with Pippen. Pippen seemed to give up the idea of ​​passing the ball to Roger and wanted to attack by himself.

Just as Pippen broke through with the help of the screen, Roger suddenly cut in along the baseline.

But Derek Harper's defense was unshakable. The moment Roger cut in, he pushed Roger hard and pushed him out of the baseline roughly.

Just when Harper thought his defense was successful, Roger suddenly braked, turned around and ran back. When he turned around, he also hit Harper in the chest with an elbow.

He used a Knicks-style rough getaway and successfully created an opportunity!
Roger returned to the corner again, and Pippen, who broke through, passed the ball to Roger. Roger took the ball and shot directly.

Harper, who was hit by Roger's elbow, was a step slower, but he still pounced on him fiercely and knocked Roger directly out of bounds.

He did not forget what Riley had said to him, that he would let Roger know what kind of team he was facing at the beginning of the game.

But the ball that was thrown before the confrontation went into the net!

The basketball rolled, the referee blew the whistle, and Roger got a chance to score four points.

After the referee blew the whistle, Roger immediately stood up, dusted himself off calmly, and muttered to himself: "Pat is so disrespectful to me that he actually sent this kind of trash to defend me!"

Derek Harper gritted his teeth. He didn't expect Roger to get rid of him in such a rough way, and he didn't expect Roger to be so relaxed in the face of such a fierce foul.

Roger stood at the free throw line and made four points amid the crazy boos of Knicks fans.

Pat Riley immediately yelled, "How could you let him get the starting space so easily? Fucking rubbish!"

He really didn't expect that Roger would perform a four-pointer in the first round. Riley felt his face burning with pain.

The Knicks attacked, and Derek Harper, who had just been scolded, was in charge of organizing the game.

As soon as he crossed the three-point line, Roger pressed him closely!
Derek Harper is not a defender who is particularly good at breaking through, so Roger is not worried about being passed by him if he gets too close.

Under the fierce confrontation, Harper had to hold the ball with his back to the basket and then pass the ball to Starks hastily.

However, Pippen had already blocked the passing route on this side.

He rushed out the moment Harper was forced to pass the ball and poked the ball away.

When Roger and Harper saw the basketball out of control, they both ran over and fought for the floor ball.

Roger roughly shoulder-butted Harper a second before falling to the ground, gaining the upper hand, then ignored the pain and threw himself to the ground, hugged the ball and threw it to Cole who was running up.

Riley originally wanted Harper to teach Roger a lesson with tough defense, but now it was Harper who was forced into a mistake by Roger's active defense!
After Roger passed the ball, he stood up quickly and immediately participated in the attack.

He ran to the top of the arc outside the three-point line, stopped, opened his arms, and seemed to be preparing to catch the ball and play one-on-one.

But when Harper rushed up and tried to cut off the passing route, Roger suddenly cut inside and shook Harper off again!

In the last round against the Hawks, Roger showed some of his training results in off-ball offense.

Today, he put into use all the skills he had worked so hard to learn and the videos he had watched.

The sudden changes in rhythm and the timely switching between holding the ball and without the ball make Roger's off-ball running more difficult to capture than in the regular season.

Pippen passed the ball to Roger who was cutting in with a ground ball, but the Knicks' restricted area was now guarded by Ewing and Oakley.

One is a vicious and violent center who always plays with resentment.

One is the most notorious villain and ruffian in the NBA. If this Knicks team is Ewing's main inside player and Starks's main outside player, then Oakley's main player is a main "hit".

Most players would choose to pass the ball in a panic when they see these two people.

But Roger resolutely attacked the basket. Harper's foul just now did not make Roger retreat, but made him more courageous.

He first turned around and passed Oakley, who was standing in front, and then jumped up and made a layup. Ewing rushed towards Roger without reservation, and the fierce confrontation made Roger fall down again. But with a "swish", Ewing turned his head in surprise and saw only the net floating. Roger, toughly ended the attack!
NBC commentator Bob Costa shouted excitedly: "It was a tough finish, and the ball went in! Agent 0 moved freely in the muscle jungle of the New Yorkers!"

Phil Jackson also ran to the sidelines excitedly: "That was a fucking 2+1! Do you have to wait until someone bleeds before you blow that damn whistle?"

It is the head coach's job to put pressure on the referee. Roger did not complain. He quickly got up again and expressed his disdain for the Knicks' confrontation.

Then he retreated, punching and roaring.

6 to 0, looking at the No. 14 guy in the red jersey, Knicks fans understood that the guy was here to fight us!

The Knicks' muscular defense was completely unable to stop him!
NBC commentator Steve Jones already had goosebumps all over his body: "With tough offense and equally tough defense, Roger tried to make one thing clear to the Knicks and Pat Riley after the opening - he is just like them, and is not afraid of tough competition!"

Riley, who was dressed exquisitely, had a look of gnashing teeth on her face.

During the regular season, Riley was quite disdainful of Roger.

But now he had to admit it.

Roger will be another huge trouble after Michael!
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Thanks to the rewards from big guys like Western Dingguang Happy Buddha, An'an Jingjing's Ugly Man, etc. Thank you everyone!

(End of this chapter)