Champions Creed

Chapter 232 Chapter 231: Can this be misdirected? (Please give me a monthly ticket!)

The conflict between Roger and Sprewell caused a lot of controversy. Although the two did not fight directly on the spot, the chaotic scene of their face-to-face combat was explosive enough.

After all, there are very few examples of conflicts breaking out between NBA players off the court.

The most famous incident was probably the one in which Barnes and Fisher almost got into a fight off the court because they didn't want to be in the same boat.

So this conflict between Roger and the madman is very special.

The Heat eliminated the Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, which has already created a feud with the Hawks.

With this happening again, the meeting between the two teams next season has attracted even more attention.

Faced with this not-so-positive hot news, David Stern didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

On the one hand, he doesn't want the players in his league to act like a group of hooligans and cause trouble during the offseason.

If you really have nothing to do, why not go listen to a symphony, play the piano, or see an art exhibition or talent show?
Why is it that every off-season there are people getting caught at prostitution parlors, driving dangerously, possessing guns, and hiding marijuana in their cars?
Gentlemen, you are all decent people!

But on the other hand, the conflict between Roger and Sprewell also brought real heat to the NBA.

Last season, due to the shortened season, the league's ratings hit a huge low.

In addition, Roger did not play in the finals, so the ratings of the finals hit a new low in 17 years!
It’s even lower than the finals in 94 after Jordan retired for the first time!
Although Roger saved the 98-99 season and prevented the entire season from being cancelled.

But the 98-99 season was still not a success for the league, it could only be considered a slight compensation for the losses.

Therefore, the league desperately needs some hot spots to sweep away the gloom of the shortened season and make a good start for the NBA's operations in the millennium.

The off-field conflict between Roger and Sprewell was undoubtedly such a flashpoint.

Now fans across the United States are eager to know what will happen when the Hawks and the Heat meet again.

In addition, fans also want to see which team is stronger between the Hawks and the Spurs. After all, they did not play against each other once last season due to the shortened season.

Then, after the Lakers signed the Zen Master, will OK become a problem for the Hawks? Will he meet Roger in the finals?
All these most exciting highlights of next season are related to Roger!
This is probably the value of the league's top player.

Roger was not upset by the conflict with Sprewell. He continued to appear frequently in the Boston Summer League, bringing enough traffic to the event.

Marion also performed quite well, averaging 22.6 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game in the summer league.

This is almost equivalent to the data Marion produced in his peak season in the NBA.

Compared to Alan Henderson in the championship season, Marion is almost an all-round enhanced version of him.

Of course, Roger didn't expect Marion to perform at his peak in his rookie season.

His defense is still a little immature and his shooting is not stable enough.

But in any case, the team will definitely have more options at the four position in the new season than last season.

Marion's performance put Roger in such a good mood that he smiled brightly when shooting the cover of VOGUE magazine.

Perhaps because she was so dazzling, Brazilian model Gisele Bang-cheng, who was also participating in the photo shoot that day, took the initiative to ask for Roger's phone number.

In the evening, she couldn't wait to call Roger: "Hey, would you like to invite me to watch your game in the new season?"

Faced with this question, Roger sighed.

He was helpless, really helpless.

As a public figure, a role model for young people, and a good person who actively does community service, Roger has always been very concerned about his words, deeds and image.

He never touches drugs and rarely gambles.

He is also one of the few people in the NBA who can pat his chest and say, "I never use the money I earn to spend at those messy fruit stalls."

He tries his best to distance himself from all these miscellaneous things and be a high-quality idol.

What's the result now?
Roger discovered that Victoria's Secret had become his own princess selection site!

In the end, he couldn't escape from this tacky vicious circle of shouting for the next batch.

Damn, this is really damn bad!

Alas! All the efforts were in vain!

But seriously, would anyone break the heart of a 19-year-old girl with long legs and good looks?
That's just too cruel.

"Of course I can invite you to watch the game. If you are interested, I can arrange season tickets for you. The Atlanta Hawks welcomes all fans who support the team."

"You're so nice, Roger, thank you~"

After sending this text message, Gisele Bangcheng, who was just beginning to fall in love, put her phone on her chest and stared at the ceiling with a silly smile.

Many people say that the gorgeous summer is the best time for sweet love.

Finally, could she smell the sweetness of the summer air?

She was looking forward to it.

She was disappointed.

Because autumn has come and Roger has never asked her out once!
Gisele Bundchen is very confident and she knows why she can gain a foothold in the modeling industry.

But Roger asked her to start talking to herself in front of the mirror every day: "Am I not good enough?"

For Roger, she firmly said no to Leonardo Dicaprio, the dream lover of countless girls in the summer.

But Roger never asked her out once.

Their communication ended with the words "You are so nice, Roger, thank you."

What is he doing? Why should I care about him?
The mind of a 19-year-old girl is very complicated, but the mind of Roger, a 24-year-old boy, is very simple.

Why did he disappear?

Simply because he was busy training.

Roger has never relaxed his training. Since becoming a basketball player, Roger has been extremely obsessed with two things - winning and becoming stronger.

Last summer, Roger focused on improving his finishing and defensive abilities, the latter of which earned him a spot on the All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his career.

This summer, Roger wanted to improve his long-range shooting consistency.

The current training is more difficult than before because there is very little sense of accomplishment, which makes it difficult to persist.

In the past, Roger's training often produced obvious results.

But now that Roger's skills and abilities in all aspects have become more comprehensive, the effect of training is not so obvious.

When a player reaches his peak, his ability will enter a plateau period, which is normal.

After practicing hard this year and adjusting his posture more subtly, Roger's three-point shooting rate may only increase by two percentage points. But Roger knows very well that the improvement of two or three percentage points is not the point.

The key point is that facing the situation of falling behind by 7 points in the final moments of last season, I can have a greater chance of completing the reversal.

Roger had no complaints about the training, and his offseason was quickly coming to an end.

In mid-September, the NBA officially announced the schedule for next season.

In the highlight of the opening game, on November 11, the Atlanta Hawks will play against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs away.

This was a matchup that all fans were looking forward to, and in the eyes of most, the Spurs did not show any dominance against the former champions.

So, they need to prove themselves on the night of the championship ring presentation.

Roger was also very excited to beat the champion in the first game.

There is no better litmus test than the defending champion.

A week before the start of preseason training camp, on September 9, Roger, Pierce and Marion completed regular training as usual.

Marion only joined Roger and Pierce's training in mid-September. Roger needed Marion to improve his shooting stability.

Marion didn't refuse. He never dared to refuse Roger.

After the training, Pierce, who was already sweating all over, picked up the basketball and asked Joe Abunassar to practice shooting with him.

Roger sat on the sidelines, silently watching Pierce's jump shots one by one in his wet clothes.

He didn't know how many shots Pierce took, 300? No, definitely more than that, that was probably just his warm-up shot.

In the end, even Abunassar, who was helping to pass the ball, felt a little tired, but Pierce still did not stop shooting
Abunassar went off the court to rest, but Pierce continued to practice, even if it meant picking up the ball himself.

"Three days a week, he'll keep shooting like this until he's exhausted and can't stand up. This kid has been like this all summer, like a wild dog that never gets tired and keeps running." Sitting next to Roger, Joe Abunassar complained helplessly.

"Don't underestimate the wild dogs running on the roadside. They may also have the blood of lions flowing in their bodies." Roger admires Pierce very much. He is really getting stronger.

After training together for this period of time, Roger can already feel that Pierce has made great progress in all aspects, whether it is physical fitness, shooting stability or defensive stability.

Roger is already fantasizing about how well Pierce will perform next season.

"Roger, the new season is about to begin, how do you feel?" Abunasa turned the topic to Roger.

"Feelings? I'm so excited! I feel like it's time to start over next season! There's no excuse for a shortened season or injuries. I have no reason to lose next season."

"I also think there is a great chance this season, but Tim is very strong, the Lakers have hired Phil, and the Miami group, your competitive environment has not become better."

"Don't make a mistake, Old Joe. It's their environment that's bad."

Finally, after being completely exhausted from shooting, Paul Pierce finally stopped training.

He was so tired that he lay on the floor, without even the strength to stand up.

He wanted to get as accustomed as possible to the feeling of shooting while exhausted, so that he could seize the opportunity to shoot at any moment.

Roger walked up to Pierce who was lying on the ground and punched him lightly in the chest: "Well done Paul, but from today until the pre-season training camp, you are not allowed to step into the training hall."

"what?"

"I don't want you to be exhausted before the season starts. Relax these few days, play whatever you want, go wherever you want. Soon, Paul, soon we can shut those bastards up."

"Hey, I've been waiting for this moment!"

When I got home that night, the Atlanta Hawks were ranked first in the power rankings in the new season preview show of "SportsCenter".

The defending champion Spurs could only finish second.

Keith Olbermann's reason is simple:
"The Eagles are in a better position all around than they were last season.

The Hawks went through a lot last season, losing Steve Smith and Alan Henderson, and then lost Scottie Pippen in March. Yes, the 1998 champion Hawks suddenly lost three starters last season.

But Roger still dragged such a team into the Eastern Conference Finals.

This season, the Hawks added Shawn Marion, who played quite well in the Boston Summer League. In addition, Paul Pierce spent the entire summer in the training hall, and Scott Pippen's surgery went very smoothly and he has fully recovered.

Atlanta is strong and has a chance to recreate the savior myth of 1998. I think they are the team with the best chance of winning the final victory next season! "

Roger may be looking forward to the start of the new season more than the fans now. He is fed up with the days when even trash like Madman dares to yell at him.

There is still a week left before the start of training camp for the new season, and Roger has one last thing to do before the new season begins.
-
On the banks of the Tallapoosa River, the wind was as strong as ever.

Roger stood by the river with his hands in his pockets.

This city is full of Roger's marks. Although they missed the championship last season, his status in Atlanta has not been affected in the slightest.

The relationship between him and this city can no longer be measured simply by wins and losses.

Roger is the symbol of Atlanta, and Atlanta is Roger's kingdom.

His ties to the city run deep, and one of those ties is the Tallapoosa River.

"Andy, after winning the championship in 98, I made a commitment to build a dynasty in Atlanta. Unfortunately, we had some accidents last season. Of course, it was all my fault. The Miami team's double-team was really tight, and it was difficult for me to get into the paint and score. As for the outside line, I missed a lot of long shots, and in two games I was limited to a hit rate of less than 40%. This is all my fault.

But this summer, my three-point shooting consistency has improved further, and I promise I will do better in the playoffs.

Hey, it is you who gave me the courage to not fear failure. Really, facing failure, I don't have any fear in my heart.

I just want to win it back!
This time, I promise, the dynasty moment will come to Atlanta!
The Eagles are not just champions, they are the overlords who define this era!

Whether it's Tim, Shaq or those bastards in Miami, they all have to die!
Unless someone comes out and stabs me a dozen times right now, everything will be fine.”

Roger said a lot of words to the Tallapoosa River, then took out a lighter and burned a season ticket into ashes, which merged into the river and flowed away.

The conversations with Andy before the season starts every year are very important to Roger.

After finishing all this, Roger was ready to drive home.

But as soon as he got in the car, Roger received a call from Joe Abunassar.

"Old Joe? What's wrong?"

"Damn it, Roger, Paul is in the hospital now!"

"Huh? Why is he going to the hospital?"

"He was just stabbed 13 times in a bar in Los Angeles. Someone called the police and sent him to the hospital! No one knows what his condition is now. I'm buying the nearest flight to get there!"

Roger was stunned for a moment. Did I just say something like "Unless someone shows up and stabs me a dozen times right now, everything will be fine"?

No, can this thing be poked in the wrong direction?

(End of this chapter)