Champion Creed
Chapter 303 - 303 130 I won't let you fight alone anymore asking for monthly tickets

303: 130: I won’t let you fight alone anymore (asking for monthly tickets) 303: 130: I won’t let you fight alone anymore (asking for monthly tickets) Both parties had made their positions clear and established their respective bottom lines.

As long as that line wasn’t crossed, Roger, Shaq, and the management could coexist peacefully for the time being.

In Roger’s view, this was the basic condition for the team to make a run at back-to-back championships.

Now, everyone could focus on basketball.

The first loss after Roger and Shaq joined forces came sooner than expected.

On January 5th, after entering 1996, Shaq’s fourth game after his return, the Orlando Magic were defeated on the road by the Seattle SuperSonics.

The SuperSonics didn’t win with their prideful defense, but with three-pointers.

Sam Perkins went 4 for 4 from downtown, Hersey Hawkins 5 for 7, Nate McMillan 2 for 3, Vincent Askew 3 for 4.

In their home court, the SuperSonics inherited Seattle’s perennially dreary weather and rained down threes.

The miraculous touch from beyond the arc, along with hitting Shaq repeatedly in the final moments, is what allowed them to secure the victory by a 5-point margin.

However, in the post-game interview, Payton boasted about his defense: “The change today from the season opener is, the coach had me guard Roger from the start of the game.

I was on him the whole time, and I succeeded.

If there’s anyone in the world who can guard Roger, that’s me!

Only me, unafraid to compete against him!”

Payton proudly said, after letting Roger score 31 points with a 51% shooting rate.

Now Roger knew why Jordan would later become the subject of the “old man, couch, flatscreen” meme.

Payton’s audacity, just like someone who’s plainly average yet insists on asking “baby, is it big enough?”, was really likely to make people laugh.

Genius knows where Payton’s confidence came from, but in competitive sports, the winner can boast however they like.

Roger didn’t refute Payton, he simply responded calmly, “I wish you good health until the finals, I hope to see you there.”

This response pleased Payton.

Look, even Roger admits we’re a finals-caliber team!

Payton, who had never won a championship, did not realize that being acknowledged as having the strength to make it to the finals was not something to be happy about.

Because losing in the finals is what really makes you the number one loser.

In 1994, when Roger was defeated by the Rockets in the finals, more people criticized him than Shaq.

In fact, Shaq was eliminated in the first round, but Roger, who made it to the finals, was criticized severely.

This is the consequence of losing in the finals.

People won’t remember those who fail in the first round, but they will remember those who fail in the finals for a long time.

Only by winning the championship can one gain true respect, merely making it to the finals is no honor.

Payton was happy about what Roger had said, but someone else was angry about it.

The next day, on January 6th, the Chicago Bulls easily defeated the Milwaukee Bucks at home.

After this victory, the Bulls’ terrifying record was 28 wins and 3 losses!

The Bulls had firmly held the title of the league’s best team since the start of the season.

Discussions about reaching 70 wins were becoming more frequent.

Michael Jordan wasn’t excited: “If we can achieve the unprecedented 70 wins, I will be very satisfied.

But if we don’t, it’s okay, I don’t care about history, I just want the championship.

The season has only been going on for two months, and some people already think they can make it to the finals.

They seem to have forgotten who’s the best team in the East.”

Whether Jordan truly doesn’t care about reaching 70 wins is unknown, but he definitely cares about Roger.

He had lost to the Pistons three times in a row before, but that didn’t affect his legendary status, it rather became a celebrated chapter in his rise to greatness.

But the current Michael Jordan could absolutely not afford to continuously lose in the playoffs to the same opponent, because post-three-peat, he had a different status without having made it to the finals.

The past him, as a challenger, was allowed to fail repeatedly.

But now, as the dominator, consecutive failures would mean destruction.

After losing to the Magic last season, Jordan’s influence and commercial value had already begun to slide.

The Michael Jordan who announced his comeback in 1994 and the Michael Jordan who was embarrassingly swept in 1995, there was a difference in influence and commercial value as big as Shaquille O’Neal.

If he loses again this season, it’s hard to imagine what will happen.

Maybe it would be as bad as two Shaquille O’Neals!

What does it mean for the Bulls to not make it to the finals for two consecutive years after losing Roger?

What kind of blame would Jordan bear?

For Jordan, this season was truly a fight with his back against the wall.

So he cared very much about Roger, and he would respond to every word Roger said.

Roger was certainly not to be outdone: “Who remembers who was first in the regular season?

People only remember the champions.

And, the one who forced the team to send away the Finals MVP.”

The struggle between Roger and Jordan kept the Magic and Bulls perpetually smoldering with tension.

Under such a rhythm, the other East teams were particularly unlucky.

Many people have probably heard this saying: when first and second compete, it’s often the third that suffers the most.

Now, with the Bulls and Magic competing, it’s the rest of the league’s teams that are suffering.

The Bulls and Magic, nearly invincible, were conquering city after city with overwhelming force.

The Bulls were still unstoppable, and the newly united Roger and Shaq were also sweeping through their adversaries.

Most teams became just another number in Magic and Bulls’ tally of victories.