Champion Creed
Chapter 339 - 339 140 Indeed simpler than imagined but what is simple is the SuperSonics Seeking monthly passes!

339: 140: Indeed simpler than imagined, but what is simple is the SuperSonics (Seeking monthly passes!) 339: 140: Indeed simpler than imagined, but what is simple is the SuperSonics (Seeking monthly passes!) Three days before the Finals started, holding the Eastern Conference championship trophy, O’Neal accepted an interview in the locker room.

A reporter from the “Orlando Sentinel” came forward, “Shaq, what do you think about George Karl’s comments yesterday?”

Shaq glanced at the reporter, pressed his lips tightly together, and showed no intent to answer the question.

Ever since the “voting incident” at the beginning of the season, O’Neal had refused to give any interviews to the Sentinel.

Roger did the same, sticking to his word and likewise not giving any interviews to the Sentinel.

Soon, a reporter from another newspaper asked the same question, and that’s when O’Neal finally spoke up:

“Listen, George Karl is an extremely cunning guy.

He knows his team can’t match us in sheer strength, so he wants to use those comments to throw us off.

It’s laughable that he’s pinning his hopes on something like that.

Hey George, let me tell you the key to winning a championship.

Everything’s going to be fine with just two things, me and Roger, that’s enough.

You all won’t get any of the results you’re hoping for from us, none of your fantasies will come to pass.

Me and Roger are going to kick your butts, mark my words, George, remember them!”

O’Neal didn’t avoid the question, the days had allowed his emotions to settle.

He knew well that there was no discord between him and Roger.

He remembered who defended him when he was injured and absent.

He remembered who declined interviews with the Sentinel to stand by him.

He remembered who was with him when he lost a loved one.

So, he wouldn’t feel jealous of the achievements Roger had made.

The real conflict was between him and the outside world, with everyone thinking he was just a supporting role, so he would prove he wasn’t!

Shaq was determined to win this year’s Finals MVP, just one FMVP, and he could shut everyone up!

He believed he could do it, although the SuperSonics had already buried Olajuwon, proving their ability to deal with superstar centers.

But Shaq didn’t feel that he would share Olajuwon’s fate, because he had Roger to help draw away the defense.

You couldn’t compare Roger’s drawing power to Drexler’s; the SuperSonics’ defense, no matter how strong, couldn’t suppress two top-play players at the same time.

Roger also hit back in front of the media, “Coach George Karl has never won a championship, so he imagines that a championship team is as fragile as his.

Go ahead and talk, those comments can’t beat us.

We just defeated the Chicago Bulls, and George Karl thinks we’ll collapse because of a sentence?

That’s the most illogical thing I’ve heard.”

Roger and Shaq were both confident they could easily take down the SuperSonics, even if they had a great 64-win season, but if the legendary 72-win Bulls couldn’t stop the Magic, other teams stood even less of a chance.

George Karl was also confident, even though Shaq and Roger appeared calm, he didn’t believe these were just appearances.

The complexity of human nature lies in the fact that you can never fully know what the other person is thinking.

Roger and O’Neal co-existing was impossible; their falling apart was only a matter of time.

Why are there so few repeat champions in NBA history?

Because everyone feels they deserve more after winning a championship, but it’s hard to resolve everyone’s issues.

Why did the Chicago Bulls win three in a row?

Because Michael Jordan was incredibly tenacious as a shooting guard, and Pippen received a contract during that three-peat period that satisfied him, stabilizing his mood and resolving his issues.

Why were the Detroit Pistons able to win back-to-back?

Because in the ’88-89 season, they decisively traded away their leading scorer, Adrian Dantley— who had repeatedly complained in the media about Rodman getting too much playtime.

The Pistons directly eliminated the source of problems from within, acquiring a very healthy team environment, which laid the foundation for their consecutive championships.

The two most recent repeat champions both found ways to solve their issues which led to their opportunities for back-to-back titles.

But what about Roger and Shaq?

Shaq hadn’t even gotten the contract he desired, nor the individual honors, his issues remained unresolved.

Therefore, George Karl believed that Shaq and Roger would inevitably explode.

He was just gambling on whether Roger and Shaq would blow up at the exact time he needed them to.

June 5, 1996, Orlando, Florida.

The Magic had brought the Finals to their home court for the second consecutive year.

Gary Payton was excited; he had been waiting a long time for this game.

As the Defensive Player of the Year, he had long wanted to prove himself by taking down a top-league guard.

In fact, Payton had already accomplished this during the Western Conference Finals, limiting Stockton to just 9.9 points and 7.6 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 39.7% over seven games.

This was a brutally telling round of play that left future Stockton fans speechless.

It’s hard to associate this Stockton with the one who, in the ’97 Western Conference Finals, scored 9 points in the closing moments, hitting a three-pointer over Barkley, and making the winning shot against the trio of Dream, Admiral, and Clyde the Glide.

It’s also hard to connect this Stockton with the one who, in the last 44 seconds of the ’98 Finals, hit a crucial three-pointer that nearly toppled the Bulls dynasty.

Actually, this was a more horrendous basketball massacre than the “Dream-Admiral” one, leaving Stockton only one 58-point defeat away from being called a point guard god.