Champion Creed
Chapter 579 - 579 208 The God Slayers are here!

579: 208: The God Slayers are here!

(Vote for monthly ticket please!)_2 579: 208: The God Slayers are here!

(Vote for monthly ticket please!)_2 Drexler was already 36 years old, and he was no longer that carefree youth flying across the Houston skies.

In fact, many media outlets were already leaking news of Drexler’s upcoming retirement.

It seemed Houston’s skies would no longer witness the figure of “Clyde the Glide.”

The Rockets’ other giant, Charles Barkley, was tormented by back injuries.

He was no longer the magic heavy-weight who could draw out the best in Michael Jordan.

Time began to assault his historically talented body.

In Madison Square Garden, Patrick Ewing could only wear a suit and hold his chin as a spectator.

Just a year ago, people were discussing how many championships Ewing could win.

He and Michael Jordan had swept America in 1984, and everyone believed they could do the same in 1997, including himself.

But now, in 1998, he hadn’t played a single game.

And in the spring of 1998, Michael Jordan wasn’t on the basketball court fighting anymore.

A year earlier, in the summer, he had lost the most important playoff series of his career, which completely toppled him from his throne and ended his career.

You never know in which moment you will witness history.

Looking back now, Jordan’s defeat in last season’s Eastern Conference finals to Roger seems to mark the beginning of the twilight for these old guys and the start of Roger’s era.

The spring of 1998 held no signs of life for this cohort of stars, only the melancholy of twilight.

The old guard was no longer effective, and AI, Grant Hill, and Kobe, as newcomers, couldn’t compete with Roger in commercial value.

Thus, Roger was currently the greatest and most commercially valuable star of the era.

Moreover, Roger was doing something unprecedented in NBA history—aiming for a four-peat with a different team.

Before Michael Jordan, you would have to go back to the 60s to find a three-peat.

The Boston Celtics’ eight consecutive championships is the longest streak in NBA history, but in the modern environment, people hardly use this as a standard for greatness.

Because you can’t deny the fact that the Celtics and Bill Russell were competing in a league that barely had ten teams.

Especially in the East, there were only four teams.

Moreover, back then, there was a rule that gave a first-round bye to the division winners.

What did this mean?

It meant that the Celtics started directly in the division finals and only needed to win two playoff series to claim the championship.

You can see how many teams from the 90s failed to win a championship despite winning two playoff series.

But they had nothing to do with the championship.

This is the difference in the competitive environment.

In the modern basketball environment, a three-peat is already considered a miracle.

From 1966 to 1993, a full 27 years passed without anyone achieving this feat, until Michael Jordan appeared.

This is also why Jordan ascended to the pantheon.

He had to accomplish what others could only dream of, so he could be called great.

Would Jordan still be considered unreachable if he only had four championships?

Later, Roger and Shaq created similar marvels, but at best, they only replicated Jordan’s miracle, not surpassed it.

Now, Roger has an opportunity to complete a four-peat with different teams, an occurrence never before seen in NBA history.

This is yet another instance of an unreachable feat.

If Roger succeeds in a four-peat after changing teams, he will create an unprecedented “personal dynasty.”

And this time, no one can say Roger can only succeed by teaming up with top three MVP level players.

This is the crucial step for Roger to definitively surpass Jordan.

And it is the crucial step for Reebok to definitively surpass Nike.

Look at it now, Reebok has already made a fortune just by marketing a “savior” concept.

If Roger personally wins four consecutive championships, the level of hype will only be more exaggerated.

The highest commercial value and an unmatched “personal dynasty”: this is what Roger is about to create.

Thus, Paul Fireman personally nodded on the spot, agreeing to the profit-sharing model, as he didn’t want Roger to have any contact with other manufacturers:

“Of course, only this model is worthy of Roger’s status.

We’ll discuss the specific percentage of profit-sharing later,”

After speaking, Paul Fireman raised his glass.

If he were to let go of Roger over reluctance to share profits, he would be even more foolish than Nike had been in the past.

After the All-Star game, Roger had essentially finalized his next endorsement contract, while others felt uncertain about their future.

The countdown on Scottie Pippen’s contract had begun.

The next 33 regular season and playoff games were his last chance to showcase himself.

But as if misfortune loved company, after the All-Star game, Pippen’s back muscles always became very tense.

In the past in Chicago, Pippen had already worn his body out terribly.

Now, his interactions with Larsa at least four times a day further multiplied his strain.

But Pippen didn’t want to miss any games because of it, so he gritted his teeth and played through the last 33 games of the regular season without missing a single one.

In the end, the Hawks finished the season with a franchise-record 62 wins, improving by a full 23 games from the previous season.

Scottie Pippen played all 82 games, averaging 17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 block per game.

He wasn’t sure if those stats were enough for a big contract, but he knew a championship would definitely secure one.