Champion Creed
Chapter 709 - 709 244 No there's a battle tonight!

709: 244: No, there’s a battle tonight!

(Requesting monthly votes!)_4 709: 244: No, there’s a battle tonight!

(Requesting monthly votes!)_4 After all, he was stating the facts.

Just as Bill Simmons had anticipated, Shaq, in an interview after training ended the next day, was asked about his issue with Bill Simmons and spared no criticism in his response.

“These writers are so stupid, they’ve never played professional basketball, they might not even know how to play at all, yet they always pretend to be basketball experts.

The ’86 Celtics were great because they won the championship, which the ’00 Hawks haven’t done.

And they wouldn’t be able to, because the 2000 champions are the Los Angeles Lakers.

I’m going to win everything, MVP and the championship, I won’t even leave out the AMVP!

I’ll make sure Roger gets nothing, and I’ll have these writers rolled out of the industry!”

Bill Simmons’s preemptive response was indeed very wise: We’ll see.

Unfortunately for Shaq, just after he made his declaration, the Hawks lost to the Sacramento Kings led by Webber in a back-to-back game.

Webber found new life in Sacramento, and Adelman’s Princeton system made him thrive, putting the Kings on the right track.

Last season, the Kings had already achieved their best winning percentage since ’83.

In that game, the Kings put up a collective effort, with six players scoring in double figures and hitting 41.7% from the three-point line.

However, the loss didn’t affect the Hawks’ overall rhythm; in the remaining six games of January, the Hawks went on another six-game winning streak.

They ended January’s schedule with a record of 36 wins and 6 losses.

The Lakers had the same record of 36 wins and 6 losses.

Up to now, Shaq was averaging 28.8 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.5 steals, and 3.2 blocks per game.

Roger was averaging 35.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks.

Both men had impressive statistics, and the records they set made them unattainable for other teams.

So far, their competition was incredibly fierce, but more and more people began to believe that Shaq’s brilliance would only serve as a magnificent backdrop for Roger.

In February, the tension of the intense competition eased a bit because All-Star weekend was the highlight of February.

The shortened season last year led to the cancellation of the All-Star weekend, so this year’s All-Star was highly anticipated.

Many fans used to complain, “An All-Star game that’s all an act isn’t as good as cheerleaders playing basketball in bikinis,” but after a year without it, they became expectant of the very event they complained about every day.

The league also valued this year’s All-Star weekend highly, hoping to win back the fans’ attention with a thrilling All-Star game.

This made this year’s All-Star ambiance completely different from the past, everyone wanted to shine under the spotlight.

Roger has never been fond of exerting himself in the All-Star game, except for the times he rebelled against Jordan’s freeze-out and “you holding the AMVP trophy is disgusting, but Kobe holding the AMVP trophy is even more nauseating.” Every other All-Star, Roger performed his own NBA version of “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

However, Shaq’s earlier declaration to deny Roger any victories this season gave Roger an idea.

Yeah, why not?

That’s a great idea.

After the last game of January against the Trail Blazers, a reporter asked Roger, “Shaq has already said he’ll take the AMVP.

Will this All-Star weekend be quiet for you?”

“No,” Roger shook his head, “tonight there will be a battle!”

—————–

Time Warner completed a historic merger with America Online, and Ted Turner, owner of the Atlanta Hawks, continued to expand his assets, making it one of the wealthiest franchises in the NBA.

But I must say, there’s no such thing as a surefire business deal.

Mergers increase opportunities as well as risks.

— “Atlanta Economic Journal”.

Steve Kaplan, the owner of the Gold Club, embroiled in a scandal, cooperated with the investigation and provided a list of clients.

The names included Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, along with Hawks owner Ted Turner, and even King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

NBA players?

Too many to count.

Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Reggie Miller, Dikembe Mutombo…

But to everyone’s surprise, the list did not include Roger.

I guess Gisele Bundchen is the happiest person at this moment.

— “Atlanta Journal-Constitution”.

Hey, don’t make it sound like Roger is a paragon of virtue.

If you’re a successful person who can treat the Victoria’s Secret show as your selection event, you don’t need to seek fun at the Gold Club!

— “Los Angeles Times”.

The NBA All-Star starting lineups are out, with the West starters being Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Shaq, and the East starters being Allen Iverson, Roger, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, and Alonzo Mourning.

Look at this list, young players occupy most of the slots.

This year’s All-Star weekend could be twilight of the gods or it could herald a resurgence of their might.

— “Hoop”.

Considering this year’s All-Star game is filled with youngsters eager to prove themselves, along with the competition between Shaq and Roger, we can look forward to the stars showing the fans some real basketball.

Hey, who doesn’t want the All-Star to be as competitive as the playoffs?

— “Sports Illustrated”

There’s only been one 70-win team in NBA history, but they lost in the playoffs.

Only two players have ever averaged 35+5+5 in a single season, but neither of them had 70 wins nor did they win the championship that year.

If I told you there’s a guy who could potentially sweep 70 wins, average 35+5+5, and the championship all in one season, would you think I’m dreaming?

No, that guy is Roger!

I must add one more thing, the ’00 Hawks are the strongest team I’ve seen this season, and ’00 Roger is a player who can compete for a spot among the top five icons in history!

AMVP is going to be his first accolade this season!

Someone will come out of this competition with nothing, but that someone isn’t Roger!

— Yahoo Sports Bill Simmons column.