Champion Creed
Chapter 247 - 247 112 Then I will satisfy you well!

247: 112: Then I will satisfy you well!

(Asking for monthly tickets!) 247: 112: Then I will satisfy you well!

(Asking for monthly tickets!) The opening game of the 95-96 season saw Roger’s near perfect performance.

With a dominant 48 points in a single game, he preserved the defending champions’ pride on the night of the championship ring ceremony.

It turned out that the journalists had reasons for not favoring the SuperSonics.

What serious coach would sideline Payton and have Schrempf guard Roger for an entire game?

George Karl trusted his front line too much, but for a scorer like Roger, relying on the front line alone was futile.

Only with both Payton and the front line could they effectively limit him.

Not using the best defensive player against the opponent’s best scorer might sound foolish; indeed, in the ’96 Finals, George Karl made the same decision.

The Bulls, early on in the ’96 Finals with a 3-0 lead, mysteriously lost two consecutive games, even giving rise to conspiracy theories suggesting the Bulls intentionally lost to allow Jordan to win the championship on Father’s Day.

But in reality, during the first three games of the Finals, George Karl employed Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins, Vincent Askew, and the relatively unknown David Wingate to defend Jordan, but scarcely used Payton.

He hoped to keep Payton energetic on the offense.

Only when trailing 0-3 with no way back did George Karl pit Payton against Jordan.

Payton’s relentless close guarding, combined with the robust support of the front line, finally contained Jordan and allowed the SuperSonics to claw back two games.

Of course, Jordan himself never admitted to this.

Later, when Payton proudly spoke on camera about how he defended Jordan, watching the video on his tablet, Jordan laughed, creating a well-known meme.

In summary, George Karl’s wrongful tactics in the first three games of the Finals nearly led to his team being swept.

Now you know why people always say George Karl diminishes the stature of a thousand-win coach.

The opening game was the same, thanks to George Karl’s mistaken strategy, Roger scored 48 points with ease.

Roger didn’t forget to mock him after the game, “The best thing Coach George Karl does is yell at his own players.

Other than that, he’s not good at anything.”

However, Roger’s 48 points in the opener didn’t monopolize the headlines alone.

Because Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls shone just as brightly in their opener.

In their first game of the season against the Hornets, Michael Jordan effortlessly rolled up 42 points, Joe Dumars added 15 points, and Dennis Rodman snatched 11 rebounds in just 27 minutes.

105-91, the Bulls took the victory without drawing a blade.

If you just look at the data, many fans would surely think the Bulls led the whole way.

But actually, at halftime, the Bulls were down by eight points.

The key change came in the third quarter when the Bulls unleashed an exaggerated 40-18 offensive wave, decisively claiming victory.

During the third quarter, the Hornets seemed to suddenly forget how to play, with a plethora of errors in their offense.

Larry Johnson, who committed 6 turnovers in the game, 4 of which happened in the third quarter, candidly said, “I really had no idea what happened.

It felt as if the Bulls were just toying with us in the first half and then suddenly, like a lion, they went for the throat in the third quarter.”

The Bulls’ second game continued this trend, with Michael Jordan’s shooting off, netting only 15 points at a 41% field goal percentage.

Scottie Pippen had the chance to prove himself but once again powerfully demonstrated his lack of leadership, scoring 21 points with an even worse field goal percentage than Jordan’s 38%.

Joe Dumars shot an impressive 60% from the field but only scored 12 points.

Dennis Rodman didn’t even take a shot in 22 minutes.

By last season’s standards, the Bulls’ performance in this game was undoubtedly more dire than auspicious.

The result?

They beat the Celtics by a full 22 points with their extremely poor shooting percentage!

The turning point was once again in the third quarter, with the Bulls unleashing a 35-19 offensive wave.

This is the difference between the Bulls and their performance in the previous season; their defense had improved more than twofold.

Joe Dumars completely abandoned his scoring, transforming into a role player focused solely on organization and defense.

The integration of Dennis Rodman with the triangle offense was close to perfection.

He even said, “This isn’t much harder than unhooking a woman’s bra with one hand.” Most importantly, he played a crucial role on the defensive end.

The additions of Rodman and Dumars made the Bulls’ pressing defense smooth sailing.

Of course, this Bulls team was getting older.

Jordan was 33, Rodman 34, Pippen 30, and Dumars 32.

Apart from Longley, all the starters were over 30.

Therefore, the Bulls wouldn’t go all out from the start.

The experienced team knew the importance of a gradual approach, teasing in the first half, and then coming out strong in the second half for the win!

This Bulls team, after two trades in the offseason, finally got on the right track.

Subsequently, the Bulls destroyed their next three opponents, starting the season with a five-game winning streak.

Then, the game Chicago was most looking forward to arrived.

In their past five games, the Orlando Magic also secured a five-game winning streak.

The reason this Shaq-less Magic team could continue their victorious ways was one man — Roger.

In the second game against the Atlanta Hawks, facing Stevie Smith’s magical 8-for-7 from the three-point line, Roger led the team with 42 points, securing a comeback in the final moments.