Champion Creed
Chapter 203 - 203 098 4+4 sweeps sweeping away all doubts_2

203: 098: 4+4 sweeps, sweeping away all doubts_2 203: 098: 4+4 sweeps, sweeping away all doubts_2 Michael said before the game that this was his home court, declaring his sovereignty here.

But you know, “This is my house too.” So it’s only natural for me to win at the imposing United Center.

I’ve always been able to win here, it’s just a pity that this year the team brought into the finals isn’t the Bulls.

Look, now who can’t do without whom?

—— Roger spread his hands in front of the camera, shrugging.

Roger’s “This is my house,” had planted the seed of swagger in the heart of a certain Chicago boy with cheeks as big as his fists.

“This is my horse,” deeply imprinted in the boy’s mind.

Someday, he’d make it to the NBA, and on Roger’s home court, he’d return that phrase in full!

In the end, Hannah asked O’Neal and Roger, “Although the result of the Western Conference Finals isn’t out yet, do you guys have any expectations for the finals?”

O’Neal grabbed the mic, “Who goes to Burger King and doesn’t eat anything?

Going to the finals, of course you’d want to take the championship home!

Right, buddy?”

“I agree with Shaq,” Roger nodded.

At the end of the night, David Stern presented the Eastern Conference championship trophy to the Magic Team.

DeVos received the trophy with a brilliant smile.

He wasn’t happy because he got the Eastern Conference championship; he was happy because he knew that the Orlando Magic were soon to become one of the most profitable teams in the league!

At that moment, the fans and media who had come for Jordan all turned their attention to Roger and O’Neal.

They were both enveloped by the world in this globally watched battle.

Everything around them became so noisy, so excited, so crazy.

But this wasn’t the craziest moment yet.

They hadn’t gotten the treasure yet; they’d just obtained the treasure map.

The moment they actually dig out the treasure, that’s when they’d experience the ultimate joy of the basketball world.

Everyone believed that these two young men were about to usher in a new era for the NBA.

As the award ceremony ended, the Magic, who had previously been made to cry by Jordan’s 12-0 defeat, now gave a helpless smile.

Two young kids, with the same prideful gestures they had back then, stepped onto their own stage.

This is the NBA.

This is basketball.

At that moment, Magic remembered his evaluation of Roger and Shaq from last year’s All-Star game.

The next Magic and Skyhook?

Well, who knows?

—————–

The Bulls’ assistant coach Tex Winter, with moist eyes during an interview with reporters: “Maybe Roger is right, Michael isn’t the same as he used to be.”

That really hurt Jordan, because Winter was one of his own.

He hadn’t expected that even his own people had lost confidence.

After everyone had left United Center, Jordan in the locker room made a call to Grover, “Can you sit with me for a while?”

After calling Grover over, he just sat in the stands of the United Center, staring blankly at the three championship banners hanging from the dome, without saying a word all night.

God knows how long it had been, Grover, head aching from staying up all night, yawned and glanced at his watch.

It was three o’clock in the morning.

“Damn it,” he muttered, standing up to stretch his body and trying to break the silence that was longer than the night itself.

“Michael.”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you shake hands with the whole Magic Team after the game today?

In the previous seven face-offs, you guys never shook hands, right?” Grover was also curious about this.

Jordan let out a long sigh, leaning back in his chair, “We didn’t shake hands the previous seven times because the war wasn’t over yet.

Have you ever seen soldiers shaking hands with the enemy on the battlefield?

I shook hands tonight because they deserved the victory, they truly won, and I wanted them to enjoy that moment.

Why?

Was I supposed to storm off the court angrily?

I’m not a sore loser, Tim.”

Grover was surprised that Jordan actually felt that way, but soon, his hard-boiled egg-like gaze turned fierce again, “But this is the last time!”

Silence, yet another stretch of silence that was so long it made one restless.

Grover glanced at his watch, four o’clock in the morning.

In Philadelphia, unbeknownst to them, a young man was already getting up to head to the training gym because of the goal to “challenge me after you burst Starkhouse.”

That is to say, someone had already gotten up, while Grover and Jordan hadn’t even gone to bed yet.

Grover admitted that Jordan was a freak, staying up all night wasn’t the slightest burden for him.

He’d bet, at this very moment if you asked Jordan to play a game against some NBA team, he could easily score 20 points.

But Grover was just an ordinary person, he couldn’t keep up anymore.

He felt chest tightness and short of breath, his head as if it was about to explode, worried he might drop dead right there in the United Center.

He really wanted to stay with Jordan, but for the sake of his own life, Grover had to stand up: “Michael, I really have to go now.”

“OK.” Jordan didn’t stop him.

He had asked Grover to keep him company, maybe simply because he didn’t want to be alone in facing this painful defeat, nothing more.

Grover knew that after such a painful loss, Jordan would definitely cut his vacation short and start training as soon as possible.

So before he left, he told Jordan, “Let me know whenever you want to meet, no matter how early, I can start working at any time.”

Jordan looked up, staring at Grover seriously, “Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Grover smiled and nodded.

He wasn’t like Tex Winter in front of the reporters, all dejected as if it was the end of the world; with Jordan, Grover wasn’t that pessimistic.

He was still himself, not changed a bit.

Being knocked down is normal, although being knocked down meant elimination.

But don’t forget, this is also a filter for the strong!

The best way to test if a strong person is genuinely strong is to see how they face adversity.

Do they choose to run, or do they choose to challenge?

This decision determined what kind of player they are.

Grover believed in Michael Jordan.

He knew that man too well.

He wouldn’t be completely knocked down, his fierce war with Roger was far from over.

Just…

At least for this season, it indeed became showtime for Roger and Shaq.

Jordan was out, eliminated with eight defeats, with no more words to speak of.

Grover was now quite curious how far those two young people, Roger and Shaq, could go.

They were too young, so young it was hard to believe they could win the championship.

Defeating the Bulls didn’t mean they’d won the ultimate victory, they had at least one more hurdle to clear.

The Admiral who won the MVP and led the West to the best record?

No, no, no.

The hurdle they had to clear was much tougher than the Admiral.

Although the current score in the Western Conference Finals was tied at 2-2, Tim Grover believed that the group with the heart of champions would surely secure the last ticket to the finals.

They were a big trouble.