Champion Creed
Chapter 737 - 737 252 Kobe Bryant Has Really Grown Vote for Monthly Tickets!

737: Chapter 252: Kobe Bryant Has Really Grown (Vote for Monthly Tickets!) 737: Chapter 252: Kobe Bryant Has Really Grown (Vote for Monthly Tickets!) An image like this had never appeared in NBA history before.

Drexler could be humiliated by Michael Jordan, but he would not kneel before Jordan on the spot.

The Admiral might be made a fool by Olajuwon, but he would not kneel to the Dream on the spot.

This was the first time a star was utterly defeated by another star and then knelt on the court to beg for mercy.

Perhaps there would be a second time—who knows?

But the first time was definitely the most shocking.

The image of Sprewell kneeling on both knees and holding Roger’s thighs was simply the most humiliating moment in NBA history.

62 to 7, Roger staged the bloodiest one-on-one slaughter in NBA playoff history.

Even without Shaq, Roger was still the league’s most dangerous entity.

Pat Riley stood stunned in place, thinking that the image of him being slapped by Roger until his soul scattered was embarrassing enough.

But, as it turned out, Sprewell far exceeded him in this regard.

Roger indifferently walked away from Sprewell, pulling his leg out of his hands.

Sprewell fell to the ground like a puppet with no one to control him, having lost his support.

The scene was truly like a knight’s duel.

Roger raised his arms high, while Sprewell lay prone on the ground, becoming the backdrop of this victorious moment.

Soon, the Heat’s team doctor rushed onto the court.

The referee blew the whistle, and the game was interrupted.

“Wait, what happened?” Steve Jones looked at the anxious team doctor, his brow furrowed.

After briefly checking Sprewell’s condition, the team doctor immediately called for the stretcher team to carry him off the court.

However, this also became a great footnote to Roger’s 62-point night.

Who else could annihilate an opponent so severely that they had to be carried off the court on a stretcher?

This was a game worthy of being recorded in history books, a game that truly showed what a superstar was.

Watching Sprewell being carried away, Paul Pierce came up to Roger, “What’s the situation?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.”

“He didn’t have a heart attack like Reggie Lewis, did he?”

“As far as I know, that bastard Latrell doesn’t have a history of heart disease, so you can eliminate that hypothesis first.

Don’t worry, whatever happens, he’s not going to die.”

No one knew what had happened, but people only needed to know that on this night, Sprewell had suffered the ultimate divine punishment.

That was enough.

After Sprewell was taken off, Roger also put away his bloody lance.

In the following minutes, the already stunned Miami Heat couldn’t mount a significant counterattack.

So, 121 to 101, the Atlanta Hawks crushed the Miami Heat by 20 points at home.

Roger’s 62 points in a single game were the third occurrence of 60 points in an NBA playoff game.

The first was Elgin Baylor’s 61 points in 1962 and the second was Michael Jordan’s 63 points in 1986.

Now, in the year 2000, Roger added another 62-point game.

Is Michael Jordan special because he scored the most?

No, at 60 points, who would care about a difference of one or two points?

Jordan is special because he is the only one among these three who scored 60 points but lost the game.

Steve Jones looked at Roger, finding it hard to believe the honors he had achieved in this season.

72 wins, 35+5+5, 62 points.

In addition, this was the Hawks’ eighth consecutive win in the playoffs by double digits.

And so far, the Hawks hadn’t lost a single game in the playoffs.

In NBA history, even the most dominant teams lose at least two games in the playoffs.

The brutally ferocious ’89 Pistons had a playoff record of 15 wins and 2 losses, the best playoff record among all championship teams.

You might say the ’83 Philadelphia did it with a 12-1 record, but considering back then the playoffs had a rule where division winners had a first-round bye, the 76ers played fewer games, so that record isn’t very convincing today.

Generally, the ’89 Pistons’ 15-2 playoff record is considered the best performance of modern basketball.

But the Atlanta Hawks haven’t lost a game yet, which certainly makes one fantasize about their ultimate achievement.

Look at today’s Miami Heat, do they really have the ability to stop the Hawks?

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Hawks swept through the third round as well.

So, could Roger lead the Hawks to an even more fearsome record than 15-2?

With 62 points already, what else is impossible?

After the Hawks failed to defend their title last season, Steve Jones thought three consecutive championships were already the limit for Roger.

But this year, Roger told everyone that his miracles were still ongoing.

Until he becomes the undisputed GOAT, he won’t stop.

After the game, Storm Hannah, wearing high heels, rushed to Roger, eager to conduct a firsthand interview for the fans, “Roger, 62 points in a playoff game!

Do you have anything you want to share?”

“Honestly, nothing much to share.

Facing an opponent like Sprewell, if I could only score 30 points, then I wouldn’t deserve to be MVP.”

“Winning by double digits for the eighth consecutive playoff game, how long will this record continue?”

“That’s not why I play basketball.

It’s just a result that happens in the process.

I am not going to deliberately maintain this record, it’s meaningless, I just want to win the championship.”

“One last question, have you forgiven Latrell?”

“I don’t need to forgive him.

He’s not my opponent anymore, and he never will be.”

Roger was just as nonchalant as ever in the face of all this.

Destroying Sprewell still couldn’t excite Roger more.

He was that cold-blooded, so much so that Steve Jones concluded with these words, “If Michael’s 63 points was God wearing the jersey number 23, then today, it was Satan wearing number 14!”

Is Roger a god?

He possesses divine power, but utterly lacks divine mercy and compassion.

He toys with his opponents until they have to be carried off the court on a stretcher.

The next day, the impact of the 62-point night was overwhelming.

Every newspaper you could find, every news broadcast you could see, they all reported on this 62-point night.

Reebok’s promotional machine wouldn’t miss this chance, and neither would David Stern.

The double-barreled publicity brought tremendous influence.

The image of Sprewell kneeling in front of Roger also became a classic among classics.

Roger still remembered a picture from the original timeline where Chris Webber cried on the court after losing a Game 7 in the 2004 Western Conference Semi-finals while Kevin Garnett cheered beside him, which had become very popular.

In this one with Roger and Sprewell, Sprewell was directly kneeling in front of Roger, even hugging Roger’s thigh.

One can imagine the explosive impact of such a scene.

After the game, Bill Simmons also posted an article again: “I Misjudged the Strength of the Atlanta Hawks.”

The focus of the article was this statement: “I wrongly thought the 00 Hawks were the most dominant team in NBA history; in fact, the 00 Hawks might be the most dominant professional sports team in North American history!

If they can keep winning in the playoffs, believe me, they will be!”

That evening, in the Western Conference, Game 1, O’Neal devastated the Jazz with 37 points and 13 rebounds.

But Kobe only scored 16 points.

The reason was the Zen Master kept emphasizing the triangle offense, telling him to pass the ball.

Kobe didn’t argue at the time because he knew someone else would refute all of this for him.

The next day, Kobe prepared a lavish dinner and invited Shaq and the Zen Master to his house.

Kobe had always felt out of place in the Lakers locker room.

He wasn’t like those street-wise Black kids; he didn’t really click with most people.

He was a complete loner.

Even after getting beaten up by Roger last season, Kobe’s attempt to collaborate with Shaq didn’t change this situation.

Thus, he rarely invited teammates to his home.

Of course, there was another reason: He did not want his girlfriend, Vanessa, to interact with any of his teammates.

Such scandals in the NBA circles were well-known, and whether Pippen and Roger were actually complicit remains a mystery to this day.

Whether Roger did anything or not, Larsa always came up in these discussions, which could be quite embarrassing for Pippen.

Kobe did not want to experience such an embarrassment.

Some things are better off, I’d rather disappoint the whole world than let the whole world disappoint me.

But tonight, Kobe, against his usual habit, invited people over to his house, and both Shaq and the Zen Master had to accept the invitation.

In fact, O’Neal didn’t want to come at all; he thought Kobe was such a dull person, and the dinner he organized would definitely be boring as well.

However, the Zen Master still advised Shaq to accept the invitation, thinking Kobe was deliberately breaking the ice.

He hoped that a dinner would improve their relationships and dispel any estrangement before the Finals.

O’Neal agreed to come only reluctantly, persuaded by the Zen Master.

But once there, Shaq realized he might have misjudged Kobe.

Kobe prepared a table full of delicious food and had also prepared gifts.

He gave the Zen Master, the old hippie, a new Harley motorcycle.

He gave Shaq a Rolex watch.

Kobe opened his arms: “Welcome to my home; I apologize for my past aloofness.”

Then, at dinner, Kobe turned on the TV.

This was his real purpose!

He wanted Shaq and Phil Jackson to see what Roger really did to win games!

Fuck the triangle offense, fuck the strong inside play!

Look, now it’s the era of guards!

“Phil, Shaq, I know Roger is our rival.

But I think we need to observe how he leads his team to victory, and we can adopt its essence!”

What did Kobe see?

Kobe saw Roger insanely assisting his teammates, insanely helping his teammates on defense, even using Mourning’s double-teaming, managing to get Big Ben to score 13 points!

When a person is willing to pass the ball to someone like Big Ben, who is offensively challenged, he definitely deserves to be called the most selfless player in history.

Yes, Roger was a total cancer last game, Roger had played the way Kobe Bryant dreamt of playing.

So today he decided to give back to his good brothers.

Hey, Kobe plays beautifully, but his actions at times were indeed harming the team.

Roger wouldn’t always play that way if he really wanted to build a dynasty in Atlanta.

Anyway, Sprewell was already a walking dead; beating him again wouldn’t make any sense.

Phil Jackson and O’Neal were absolutely thrilled, and the Zen Master even shed tears.

Is this why Kobe wanted us here to watch the game?

He’s matured.

He’s grown up!

After the game, Kobe collapsed on the sofa, utterly stunned.

The Zen Master stood up, patted Kobe’s shoulder, “I’m glad to see your growth, you’re right, we need to absorb what our opponents are good at!

Starting tomorrow, you should give up more shooting rights!”

Kobe’s mouth twitched, Roger, you outplayed me!

After the game, the Hawks led the Heat 2-0.

This game, because Roger didn’t attack much, the Heat ultimately lost by only 7 points.

The streak of defeating opponents by double digits was broken.

But the Hawks’ winning streak was still unbroken.

So far in the playoffs, they were 9-0!

The most dominant team in North American sports history?

Why not.

—————–

The 2000 Hawks just benefited from the era, it’s an era where the West was strong and the East was weak; all the strong teams were piled up in the West, the East didn’t have a single strong team.

A team like the Miami Heat wouldn’t qualify for the Eastern Conference Finals in the ’90s.

That’s why their 72 wins, their nine consecutive playoffs wins, aren’t as impressive as they seem.

Come the Finals, you’ll understand everything.

— Los Angeles Times.

Roger 23 points, 12 assists; he’s a player who can both work as a team and fight alone, and that’s why he can be MVP.

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I am disappointed in Roger’s performance!

— Kobe Bryant.

I’m very confident, Shaq is too, because Kobe has really grown.

I think they are the new era’s strongest duo.

The Utah Jazz won’t be trouble for us in the Finals; the myth of ‘supreme dominance’ will be thoroughly debunked.

After all, we’ve got the best Kobe.

— Phil Jackson confidently tells the reporters.