Champion Creed
Chapter 706 - 706 244 No there's a battle tonight!

706: 244: No, there’s a battle tonight!

(Requesting monthly votes!) 706: 244: No, there’s a battle tonight!

(Requesting monthly votes!) Pat Riley looked at the stat sheet during the post-game press conference and felt it was all dull.

45 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks—these were undoubtedly impressive all-around stats, worthy of high praise from every coach and player involved in the game.

But Riley couldn’t get excited because the stats belonged to Roger.

Just as the victim in an Indian news report could be any species, Roger’s name could follow any statistic without surprising Pat Riley.

A fact remained, to this day, very few media outlets celebrated Roger’s versatility.

He had evolved from a pure scorer early in his career to a true all-around warrior, impacting every aspect of the game.

However, the media didn’t hype up Roger’s versatility because his scoring skills were too dazzling, and his charisma too outstanding.

Such players often don’t need their versatility hailed by the media, as they have many other praiseworthy traits.

Isn’t Michael Jordan versatile?

Isn’t Tim Duncan versatile?

Jordan had six seasons averaging 30+5+5.

Did you see the media hyping his versatility every day?

The term “versatile” is only used by the media as compensation for players who essentially lack distinct features, who can do everything but excel at nothing.

Who was the player most celebrated for his versatility in the 90s?

Scottie Pippen.

Who has been the most celebrated for versatility in the 21st century?

Another Scottie Pippen with even greater talent.

Riley knew Roger had long been versatile, so such all-around stats for him were hardly worth mentioning.

Looking at Roger’s stats, Riley merely felt like the summer of 1999 was a dream.

Or perhaps it was a joke played by God on Pat Riley, to make him think he had grasped another chance at a championship.

Now, God’s joke had ended.

Pat Riley wasn’t one to give up, but as he told Spoelstra, he found it difficult to see how anyone could take the championship from this Hawks team.

During an interview, Riley candidly said, “They (Atlanta Hawks) are the best team in the league.”

“Roger’s competitive spirit, tough stance, and leadership remind me of Bird, Magic, MJ, and the assassin during the championship seasons.

No matter what, you know a team led by Roger will never be crushed.

But that’s not all.

The depth of the Hawks team is unbelievably strong.

Their starting lineup is solid, but their reserves are also impressive.

Considering their salary cap had long been maxed out, building such a team is no small feat.

So, I literally believe they are the best team in the league, yes, better than the Los Angeles Lakers, better than the San Antonio Spurs, better than…”

Riley intended to add “better than the Miami Heat,” but he stopped short, even if he truly believed it.

Riley had imagined countless times what the Heat’s final dance would look like.

Maybe like Magic’s last dance, succeeded in an almost tragic manner?

Or like the ’97 Bulls, met with the cruelest fate?

Now Pat Riley understood, the Heat’s last dance was a different sort altogether—ending prematurely.

Although Riley hated to admit it, this season, he simply couldn’t see much potential for winning the competition.

Unless the Heat could make a mid-season trade drastic enough to change the team’s bloodline, it was indeed very difficult.

Pat Riley spoke highly of the current Hawks at the press conference, and everyone knew he wasn’t the type to gratuitously praise his opponents.

Thus, the headline “Hawks are the best team” exploded across all American newspapers the next day.

Some thought Pat Riley was overstating things, Shaquille thought so.

“Only a season champion deserves the title of the strongest team.

With just two months of regular season played, I don’t see how the Hawks can be called the strongest.

Pat is just looking for an excuse for his own loss, saying the Hawks are the best in the league makes his loss seem justified, just like those men who always complain that women in their thirties are hard to deal with are just making excuses!”

No one was more qualified to question Pat Riley than Shaquille O’Neal.

His Los Angeles Lakers were currently first in the league, having achieved an incredible 23-3 record after winning the Christmas battle against the Spurs!

Even though their 16-game winning streak had been interrupted by the Hawks, it hadn’t stopped the Lakers from continuing to kick other teams’ asses.

In contrast, the Hawks were at 21-5.

They didn’t have as many victories as the Lakers, nor such a dramatic winning streak.

Hence, Shaquille felt if there really was something called “the strongest team at mid-season,” that team should be the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shaquille felt deeply aggrieved, as he had performed even better than Roger this time, yet some still favored that bastard.

“I live in an unfair world, but I’ll shut everyone up with a championship and an MVP!” Shaquille added.

For all those closely following the rivalry between Roger and Shaquille, this kind of verbal sparring was commonplace.

Yet, it also brought forth an intriguing suspense—between Roger and Shaquille, who would finish with a better regular season record?

As it stood, both teams’ regular-season records were fiercely strong.