Champion Creed
Chapter 429 - 429 165 Now the cake is no longer exclusive to Orlando request for monthly tickets!_3

429: 165: Now, the cake is no longer exclusive to Orlando (request for monthly tickets!)_3 429: 165: Now, the cake is no longer exclusive to Orlando (request for monthly tickets!)_3 Roger and Shaq’s achievements can already be said to be leading their peers by a landslide, yet they were still not satisfied.

They both craved the league’s top record and the MVP trophy, the highest personal honor.

The first game after the All-Star break, Magic encountered the Los Angeles Lakers again.

This time, Kobe was unexpectedly subdued and didn’t yell or shout at Roger.

So, Roger merely scored 35 points as a form of respect, “That kid is indeed fairly good, only scoring 20 points less than me.

The most important thing is, he’s polite.”

After the game, O’Neal took a particular interest in observing Kobe, who wasn’t downhearted but full of unwillingness to accept defeat.

Can he become my little brother?

Shaq didn’t know the answer.

Perhaps out of defiance, O’Neal had not avoided suspicion after being investigated last time and was planning to invite Jerry West for a meal in Orlando as well.

At the dinner, O’Neal had a lengthy conversation with the Logo.

But Logo was only concerned about one thing: “Shaq, I see that your playtime has almost reached 40 minutes recently.”

“Yeah, it’s all for the MVP.

Moreover, Michael Cage is already too old to take on much playtime.”

“You shouldn’t be playing that much, and you need to control your weight.

A smart athlete never gambles with his health.”

As he said this, Logo eyed Shaq’s completely uncontrolled physique.

This year, because of the falling out with Roger, Roger couldn’t be bothered to supervise whether O’Neal was disciplined, nor did he join him in eating healthily anymore.

Roger’s only reminder was to ask his teammates in the locker room, “How many doughnuts has that bastard Shaq eaten this time?”

However, O’Neal turned a deaf ear to Roger’s reminders.

Thus, Shaq’s body swelled up rapidly like a bread about to burst, his weight gaining as quickly as Kevin Garnett’s height.

(Garnett grew 6 centimeters in his first year in the league, but KG insisted that the team list him as only 211cm because he didn’t want to play center)

Logo didn’t know O’Neal’s exact weight now, but without a doubt, his knees must be under several times more stress than others.

The impact, jump, and landing at that weight…

each action was like walking a tightrope!

For a player of O’Neal’s size, load management was very necessary.

But Shaq didn’t see it that way: “I am only 23 years old, as healthy as a new car that’s barely traveled 100 kilometers!

The only injury I had in my career was due to a malicious foul by a Heat player.

So, I’m definitely fine.

If I reduce my playing time, I might as well hand the MVP to Roger.

I don’t want to be his sidekick anymore, sir.”

“Besides,” O’Neal chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Logo, “don’t people like a little chubbiness?

I look sexier this way!”

Logo: …

Well, West thought he’d better get used to Shaq’s way of speaking sooner rather than later to lay the groundwork for their future interactions.

O’Neal was still chuckling, mainly because he was very confident in his body, and he indeed had reason to be.

Shaq’s greatest talent might indeed be his iron knees, which, given his weight and style of play, made the length of his career almost inconceivable.

Just look at Zion’s attendance in the 21st century to know how terrifying Shaq was.

But no matter how extraordinarily gifted, O’Neal was not, after all, RoboCop.

His long career was not only due to his own terrifying physical talent but also thanks to the Lakers’ excellent load management and the miracle work of the Suns Team Doctor.

But the current Shaq was oblivious to all these.

Logo still intended to advise: “You will have many opportunities to get MVP, Shaq, but can your knees endure the strain again and again?

Look at Patrick, he is very outstanding, but the height of his career was severely limited by his knees.

You’d better heed my advice, there is no other center of your size playing nearly 40 minutes a game, this madness needs to stop.

Believe me, this is a piece of sincere advice.”

“Okay, sir, okay, I got it,” O’Neal nodded, dismissing it.

But in his heart, he had absolutely no intention of reducing his playing time.

If Roger averaged 4 more minutes of playing time than him, Roger’s stats would naturally be better, bringing him closer to MVP.

Shaq could not agree to that.

If this had been the past two years, O’Neal could have laughed as he watched Roger lift the MVP trophy, even preparing the victory celebration in advance for him.

But this year, Shaq would not let that happen.

It was he who, in partnership with Roger, had elevated the team’s record, so why should he give up the competition for MVP?

After the All-Star break, Magic Team’s win count continued to surge at a mad pace, still without a losing streak, and they remained undefeated at home in even a single game.

On February 19, when Magic effortlessly defeated the San Antonio Spurs, their record was 45 wins and 6 losses.

The New York Knicks were at 40 wins, and Utah Jazz had 39 wins at the same time.

Roger and O’Neal’s wild performances had gradually widened their lead in wins.

If this continued, no one else would even have the chance to have a piece of the MVP cake.

At this moment, Shaq was completely immersed in the joy of victory and fantasies about winning MVP.

If he could get the MVP trophy, it would be the perfect ending to his time at Magic.

He could tell everyone that this was his dynasty team!

In the midst of joy, Shaq completely cast aside Jerry West’s earnest advice.

On February 21, Magic faced the Rockets’ Big Three once again.

The game was intense from the beginning, as Houston didn’t want to be swept by Magic in the regular season, so they resisted with all their might.