Champion Creed
Chapter 385 - 385 154 Roger's must-play items each season Ask for monthly tickets!

385: 154: Roger’s must-play items each season (Ask for monthly tickets!) 385: 154: Roger’s must-play items each season (Ask for monthly tickets!) Orlando Magic took down their first opponent of the new season.

After the interview, Barkley and Roger met in the players’ tunnel.

Barkley greeted Roger generously and then noticed the championship ring that Roger had just received on his hand.

Flying Pig asked Roger if he could take a look, and Roger agreed, taking off the championship ring and handing it to Flying Pig.

This scene was captured by the reporters, and their expressions resembled the 2024 meme “You want the FMVP trophy?”

Flying Pig coveted the ring immensely and perhaps still fantasized about chasing a championship this year.

But after just one game, public opinion was already not on Rockets’ side.

Not to mention that Magic had beaten Rockets by 10 points in the opening game, the New York Knicks’ performance in their opener was also terrifyingly strong.

The aging Rockets would really struggle to snatch the championship from these two teams.

The Knicks’ opponent tonight was the reigning Western Conference champions, the Seattle SuperSonics.

The result was shocking, the Knicks only needed three quarters, to be precise, two and a half quarters to deal with the competition.

By midway through the third quarter, the Knicks were already leading by more than 20 points.

Ewing and Jordan were like tornadoes, leveling everything in their path as they did back in 1984.

The Zen Master brought the triangle offense and the baseline defensive trap to New York, and it was just as potent.

Even stronger, perhaps.

During his time with the Bulls, Jordan never played alongside a great center, and rim protection was always one of the Bulls’ weaknesses.

But now, the team didn’t need to commit too many players to protect the basket, having a “Gorilla” alone could create a very strong rim defense.

That meant the Knicks could be even more reckless with their double-teaming and strangling defense on the perimeter.

Back with the Bulls, Jordan and Pippen had to share the task of protecting the rim, just like Wade and James during the Big Three era of the Heat.

But now, Jordan didn’t have to do that anymore, he could just focus on dealing with perimeter players.

After the game, “Grandmama” Larry Johnson had never felt that playing in the NBA was so easy.

The opponent was the Western champions, but to him, it seemed like playing in the Olympics: “As long as we play our basketball, and when the final buzzer sounds, we can win.”

Spike Lee, the die-hard Knicks fan, even boldly claimed in an interview, “I think the New York Knicks can win 82 games in the regular season, repeating 82 nights like this.”

The world was discussing topics like “What sparks will Magic vs.

Knicks ignite?” but the answer would have to wait until Christmas.

That was the genius of David Stern; he deliberately avoided scheduling a meeting between New York and Orlando before the Christmas battle.

This year’s Christmas battle was destined to create another record-breaking viewership!

In fact, Stern had already begun promoting it.

Nearly two months in advance, he was hyping the Christmas battle!

This epic showdown needed a substantial investment of resources.

Because this game was equivalent to basketball’s “Muhammad Ali vs.

Joe Frazier,” it was going to be a historic battle that would explode beyond the sports circle.

In this NBA’s 50th Anniversary celebration season, such a monumental battle was much needed.

Jordan, Roger, Madison Square Garden…

the earnings that this combination could bring were simply unimaginable.

The problem was, the Knicks and Magic had to maintain the anticipation of the fans.

How do you maintain anticipation?

By winning.

If one of the Magic or Knicks started to falter in their records, then the fans would no longer look forward to the game.

Because in competitive sports, only a contest between the strong is the most anticipated.

Just like now, the topic of Knicks vs.

Rockets is no longer popular because Rockets lost to Magic, making the fans feel that the Big Three weren’t that formidable after all.

However, as it turned out, David Stern’s worries were completely unnecessary.

In the first ten days of the new NBA season, Magic and Knicks were the only two teams that had not lost a game.

The Knicks crushed the SuperSonics, 76ers, Celtics, Heat, and Pistons.

Magic, on the other hand, crushed the Rockets, Pacers, Knights, SuperSonics, and Warriors.

As the games continued and Magic and Knicks kept slaughtering other teams, the debate over “Who will win the championship between Magic and Knicks?” never ceased, and that was exactly what David Stern wanted.

The 96-97 season was bound to push the NBA to new heights!

But that wasn’t Roger’s concern; he was only focused on his own three-peat.

After the first game, Roger’s “Victory Club” was officially formed.

Victory made everyone voluntarily abide by the rules.

O’Neal no longer argued with the management.

Dominique Wilkins was serious and diligent in both training and matches.

The recent series of victories seemed to prove that the team was still strong as before.

No, not exactly as before, there were some changes.

After the game crushing the Warriors, Roger teased Shaq, who scored 46 points, “Go for it, Shaq, you’re only eight points shy of my highest scoring record.”

In the past, O’Neal might have grabbed a shoe to hit Roger’s butt, or laughed during a press conference calling Roger an asshole.

This time, however, O’Neal just smiled, “I know you’re tough.”

Roger didn’t know how to describe this feeling.

He felt something was a bit off between him and Shaq.

The issue wasn’t on the basketball court, they still cooperated instinctively, they still routed the opposition.

The issue was off the court.

Roger didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Shaq was much colder towards him.