Champion Creed
Chapter 376 - 376 151 Want to share the cake

376: 151: Want to share the cake?

Or just smash the cake (asking for monthly tickets!)_3 376: 151: Want to share the cake?

Or just smash the cake (asking for monthly tickets!)_3 But O’Neal didn’t care about the team’s lenient handling of him; in front of reporters, he casually said, “If I could take a vacation by paying money, I would hand John a check and just rest for half a season.”

Well, as it stands, the return of Shaq doesn’t seem to be entirely good news.

The Magic Team appears to be more chaotic than before.

Before, it was just conflicts between players.

But now, there’s an added layer of conflict between players and management.

For the other teams, this drama is simply fascinating.

It seems they hardly need to exert themselves; the defending champions are on the verge of knocking themselves out.

Time quickly reached the days when the pre-season was about to begin, and the Magic Team, reversing their dominant performance in the pre-seasons of the past two years, only managed to achieve a record of 3 wins and 2 losses.

These results are not great, but they’re not too bad either.

However, people still saw some not-so-good signs on the court within the Magic Team.

Dominique Wilkins was willing to pass the ball, but on defense, he still looked like he was sleepwalking.

O’Neal complained every day to the media about the management, his mind wasn’t focused on basketball at all, often making inexplicable mistakes.

Entering his 30s, Derrick McKey’s performance had significantly declined; his mid-range shots were no longer reliable, and his free-throw percentage throughout five games was less than 60%.

His defensive attitude was there, but his speed was obviously not as fast as before.

The forward line he formed with Dominique Wilkins completely lacked the luster and toughness of the previous two seasons’ “twin tower” forward line; the Magic Team’s wings were no longer that solid.

Each player begins to decline at a different time, and Derrick McKey, no doubt, was one of those who started to decline earlier.

This was even more evident in 34-year-old Michael Cage; during rotation time, his rebounding and defense were no longer as robust.

In transition, the defense level of the Magic Team’s interior line had clearly dropped a notch.

The Magic Team had many issues, giving Houston fans a glimpse of hope for victory.

This year’s season opener, one of the matchups, was the Rockets’ Big Three VS Magic duo.

Although the Big Three’s average age was on the higher side, they showed a very good form in the pre-season.

This was thanks to Sir Charles’ sacrifice.

Defensively, Barkley’s rebounding rate was the highest in the Rockets, the second-best in his career.

Although his scoring decreased, his defensive efficiency was also the second-best in his career.

More protection on the backcourt rebounds and more physical investment on the defensive end made up the hard work Barkley put in for the Rockets.

Offensively, Flying Pig cut down on driving to the basket from the face-up position, opting for more mid-range and three-point jump shots, leaving the area under the basket for Olajuwon.

Although Flying Pig always prided himself on a haughty image, he was actually very willing to step back during his time with the Rockets.

It wasn’t just about sacrificing stats and changing his playing style; in the original history, he didn’t hesitate to take a pay cut to help the team bring in Pippen.

Although reporters with ulterior motives would occasionally throw out questions like, “How does it feel to join the team that defeated you in the playoffs?” to embarrass Barkley, he never shied away, just self-deprecatingly said, “What can I do?

If you can’t beat them, join them.”

That’s Barkley’s current attitude; for the championship, he doesn’t care about anything, even his own pride is dispensable.

Charles Barkley was never truly a gentleman in the strictest sense; he actively asked the Suns for a trade, becoming “the pioneer of teaming up”.

He frequently ignored training and diet, talking big and causing trouble everywhere.

It could be said that as a professional player, Barkley was never perfect.

But he never tried to hide his imperfections.

He could admit directly after losing to Jordan, “If there has to be one person I must lose to, then Michael is the only one I am willing to lose to.”

He could face his choice to “take shortcuts,” using self-deprecation to alleviate any embarrassment.

Instead of saying things like, “I’ve never played for a super team” to have it both ways.

With such an attitude, he was willing to make sacrifices, without worrying about the consequences.

So, Flying Pig integrated into the Rockets faster than people imagined.

Of course, Olajuwon also made concessions; he increased the proportion of his mid-range shots and would occasionally pull out to create space for Flying Pig to drive in.

Drexler gave up his ball-handling privileges on offense, acting more as a facilitator, and most of his scoring came from finishing off his teammates’ assists.

In summary, the entire Rockets played very much as a unit; the Big Three did not fight over the distribution of ball-handling rights, but rather showed mutual concession.

This made the outside world very optimistic about the Rockets’ performance this season.

Indeed, the 96-97 Rockets were not weak at all.

In their original history, they secured 57 wins in a single season—even with Barkley playing only about 50 games and Drexler just over 60.

They finally overcame their nemesis, the SuperSonics, but because the grueling seven-game series against the SuperSonics left the three veterans out of breath, they lost to the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.

With a full roster, full of energy, and united, the Rockets’ Big Three were incredibly strong.

Roger did not want to lose the opening game; he didn’t want to suffer a defeat on the night the championship rings were presented.

But with the team’s current disarray, it was likely that the opening game would turn into a night where the Rockets’ Big Three established their dominance.

Roger decided to resolve all issues before the start of the regular season.

He refused to be anyone’s backdrop.

Two days before the start of the regular season, Roger invited Shaq and Wilkins over to his house as guests.