Champion Creed
Chapter 676 - 676 236 He will never be the second Michael Jordan Vote for monthly tickets!

676: 236: He will never be the second Michael Jordan (Vote for monthly tickets!) 676: 236: He will never be the second Michael Jordan (Vote for monthly tickets!) In 1999, AI did as he pleased; he was simply synonymous with the Philadelphia 76ers.

He was like the canvas on a ship, propelling the entire team forward.

Today, right from the start, AI once again assumed the posture of a solitary hero.

Roger was still not quite used to today’s opening; the 76ers were actually leading.

In his many years as a pro, from the Bulls to the Magic and then to the Hawks, many things had changed, but one thing remained constant— the Philadelphia 76ers were a supremely lousy team.

So when facing the 76ers, Roger subconsciously thought they were easy to handle.

But upon closer inspection, this team had indeed undergone a major transformation.

The forever unlucky Philadelphia 76ers of the ’90s were no longer at the mercy of everyone else.

Larry Brown’s operations in Philadelphia over the years, with frequent trades, had molded the Philadelphia 76ers into his own vision of perfection.

He had exchanged all talent and flair, except for Iverson’s, for resoluteness and toughness.

Just look at the people around AI: Aaron McKie (previously erroneously written as Larry Hughes, which has been corrected in the text as Hughes was in the Magic partnering T-Mac), a classic old-school guard.

He could defend, pull triple-doubles, do all the dirty and tiring work but just wasn’t on the mark with scoring.

George Lynch, a Philadelphia 76ers version of Dikembe Mutombo, capable of playing defense in the two, three, or four spots, could grab rebounds and steals, excelling at glue-like defense.

Tyrone Hill, a 206 cm tall muscle-bound blue-collar worker, was one of the few blue-collar players who had made it to the All-Star.

Theo Ratliff, a robust center with a fervent passion for protecting the rim and blocking shots.

Matt Geiger, a bald tough guy, all muscle and bone, who never held back when it was time to commit a foul.

Toni Kukoc was the odd one out in this lineup.

This roster brought the toughness, defense, and order that Larry Brown desired, as if they had clad AI in full armor, allowing the Philadelphia 76ers to storm into the playoffs last season.

In fact, this approach to building a team was quite common at the time.

Don’t forget, when the Magic team was assembled, they also kept only Roger and Shaq as offensive points, and the rest were defensive stalwarts.

Even through the Mike Brown era with the 1.0 Cavaliers, he still insisted on creating a similar rugged defensive roster.

The principle behind this team-building philosophy was simple: there can be a few offensive points, but there must not be a shortage of defenders.

Now, Roger was facing such a Philadelphia 76ers side, one whose defense was tenacious to the point of excess.

As a loyal fan of the 76ers, Will Smith had great confidence in their defense.

Score 50 points to explode AI?

Ha, that would always be just trash talk!

“You can try, Roger, try right now!”

Will Smith continued to shout loudly.

At the scene, people had already noticed Roger and Will Smith trading barbs.

Whatever they said made the atmosphere even more charged.

Iverson too was watching Roger intently; though he was not guarding Roger, his gaze remained sharp.

From Duncan to Kobe and now AI, Roger felt something.

He was reliving everything Michael Jordan had experienced!

He had gone from a crown stealer to a lofty sovereign.

From a God Slayer to a deity.

Everyone wanted to challenge him, hoping to knock him off his pedestal.

Why did they feel they could take on Roger?

Because Roger had established his own dynasty.

Before that, it seemed to be the “expiration date” of all superstars.

Even the mighty Michael Jordan fell completely after establishing a dynasty.

Last season’s Hawks defeat gave off the impression that “our time had come.”

The current Kobe, AI, they were the Roger of the past.

But unfortunately, Roger would never become the next Michael Jordan!

Pippen advanced the ball beyond half-court and passed it to Pierce

Pierce tried to break through Kukoc, but Tyrone Hill quickly double-teamed him.

Pierce quickly passed the ball to Marion, who was cutting in at the right moment.

Marion took a big step and attacked the rim straight away.

But Ratliff, equally athletic and long-limbed, taught the young and energetic player a harsh lesson with a block.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ paint was inviolable.

The Hawks’ offense failed yet again.

Watching the vibrant Ratliff, Steve Jones joked, “Looks like the Gold Club’s temporary closure still had an impact on the game.”

Indeed, it did, as the Hawks had lost a bunch of top defensive players.

76ers on the counterattack, Kukoc received the ball on the three-point line’s top arc.

With his excellent passing vision, he immediately found Iverson, who was cutting to the basket.

Then, Big Ben, who was robust and incredibly strong, saw the 180 cm tall man with a mohawk hairstyle, determinedly charging at him, took off, confronted, shot, and scored.

Big Ben always thought he was brave, but at that moment, AI’s courage also earned his profound admiration.

This was why AI could create waves in the league.

Years later, there would be a bunch of data-loving people heavily criticizing Iverson’s career.

But the numbers won’t tell you that whenever AI encountered an important game, he would immediately enter a mode of “you all have to die.”

The numbers won’t tell you about the bloodthirstiness AI emanated on the court, which could make those 300-pound giants shiver.

The numbers won’t tell you about AI’s immense self-confidence that always made him believe he could win, and that he would exhaust his life trying to achieve that.