Champion Creed
Chapter 882: 292: Don't worry, I will definitely succeed, David, definitely! (Asking for monthly tickets)_2

Chapter 882: 292: Don’t worry, I will definitely succeed, David, definitely! (Asking for monthly tickets)_2

Roger looked at the smile on this little Jewish guy’s face and found it particularly ironic.

Everything going smoothly? It would be even smoother if you allowed me to take five steps while dribbling.

On one hand, they’re introducing new rules to limit my attack power, and on the other, they’re wishing me all the best; truly worthy of the NBA commissioner.

Roger exerted a bit more force while shaking hands with Stern: “Don’t worry, David, it’ll go smoothly, for sure!”

David Stern maintained his smile, but for some reason, he felt threatened.

The game was about to start, and the Nets’ starting five were Kidd, Kerry Kittles, Kenyon Martin, Keith Van Horn, and Todd MacCulloch.

The Hawks revealed their true starting lineup for the season opener: Roger, Michael Reed, Paul Pierce, Shawn Marion, and Kurt Thomas.

This starting lineup was somewhat unexpected because the Dream and Pippen were actually benched.

Michael Reed indeed played a fantastic game in last season’s finals, but only had two good games, and no one thought he would start.

As for the center position, everyone predicted the Hawks would start the Dream to enhance their rim protection.

But now, it seems the media and fans were all wrong in their predictions.

The game began with Todd MacCulloch leveraging his height advantage to gain first possession for the Nets.

Kidd pushed past half-court and saw Kenyon Martin cutting in from behind.

Without hesitation, he bounced the ball, which rebounded perfectly off the floor, landing right into Martin’s hands.

Martin rose up without hesitation, showcasing his beast-like talent with an easy slam dunk!

In the first attack of the new season, Kidd displayed his talent to the fullest.

In terms of overall passing ability, Kidd is second only to Magic Johnson.

Compared to Nash and Stockton, Kidd’s 193 cm height gives him a better passing view.

This attack was the best demonstration of Kidd’s passing ability because he turned an original set play into a semi-fast break.

Of course, if the Hawks had Big Ben, the end of this attack wouldn’t be as glorious.

But Kurt Thomas doesn’t have Big Ben’s athletic ability, so when Kenyon Martin cut in and rose up, all he could do was look up in admiration.

“Roger, you…”

Kidd was about to trash-talk him when he saw Roger already pushing up to the half-court line. Marion and Michael Reed, without the ball, were flying down the wings, charging in from either side.

Kidd’s mind went blank. Didn’t we just score? How did these bastards get up so quickly!

Roger quickly advanced to Kidd, leaning on him to drive straight to the paint. Meanwhile, Marion was also cutting to the basket.

The Nets, in a panic, started to shrink defensively, but Roger passed the ball to the left corner.

Michael Reed, who was already lurking there, took a steady three-point shot. Why is Reed, who only played well in two games of last season’s finals, starting this season? Because after an off-season, his improvement in shooting is simply phenomenal.

Nowadays, he has a new nickname in the Hawks—Left Corner Bird.

Because his three-pointers from the left corner are criminally precise.

“Swish!”

The ball went through the net, and when the Hawks finished their offense, two Nets players were still dragging at the half-court line.

Roger started to retreat and then asked Kidd, “Jason, what were you going to say just now?”

Kidd was speechless; during the preseason, he thought the Hawks were merely faster in counterattacks, but he didn’t expect their regular pace to be this fast!

But as a fast-break expert, Kidd doesn’t think that simply speeding up the pace is useful.

Roger isn’t a traditional primary ball-handler; if the Hawks play this fast, they’ll eventually mess up themselves!

“What a beautiful counterattack. This season, the Hawks’ offense is very different from before. Roger and Paul Pierce are no longer grinding through possessions; they pursue a faster pace and easier shots.”

NBC’s new national commentator, Matt Lauer, had just finished speaking when the camera cut to the little moustache on the Hawks’ bench.

These people, not appearing under the spotlight, are silently pushing the era forward.

Kidd remained ambitious, but the Nets’ second offense immediately got stuck.

Kidd passed the ball several times, but Roger was able to help defend in time.

Once Kidd passed the ball, Roger didn’t need to worry about him at all; he could go wherever his presence was needed.

If it were in the illegal defense era, even if Kidd had no three-point ability, as long as he stood beyond the arc, Roger would have to stick to him.

But it’s different now; Roger can boldly leave him to defend others.

Zone defense is like opening the door to polygamy—those who can, do more.

Seeing that Roger wasn’t guarding him, Kidd immediately cut inside.

Kittles passed the ball to Kidd, who immediately went for a layup.

But Roger quickly returned to the basket, challenging Kidd in the air, and in doing so, disrupted Kidd’s layup.

Many laugh at Kidd for being ineffective on offense because of his poor shooting—this is the most profound conundrum.

In fact, Kidd’s inefficacy on offense is all-round; even his finishing at the basket is subpar for a team cornerstone.

Thus, after clashing with Roger in the air, Kidd’s layup instantly became unreliable.

In fact, Kidd’s true strength lies in his defense.

He is a unique defensive presence at the point guard position, and the Nets, who were a poor defensive team last season, have become a strong defensive team this season closely related to Kidd’s joining.

He is proficient in single defense and support defense, capable of guarding three outside positions, and his rebounding awareness is top-notch among point guards.

Roger has always believed Kidd’s impact on defense is greater than that of DPOY guard Gary Payton.

Payton is merely very strong in ball pressure, and this pressure is based on the SuperSonics’ terrifying forward lineup, so he wasn’t worried about being broken through.

However, Kidd’s defense truly affects every aspect of the game.

At the high level, it’s often hard for point guards to control the game, even Paul is like this.

But why does Kidd frequently win at the high level? Because his defense is still useful at the high level.

Kidd has few representative offensive performances in the playoffs, but quite a few defensive ones. Stars like Pierce and Billups have had their career-worst series defended by Kidd.

Even in the 2011 Finals, Kidd was able to showcase his defensive prowess.

He excels at pulling opponents’ offense to his level, and then beating them.

Defense is Jason Kidd’s most overlooked yet most useful weapon.

Unfortunately, Kidd’s defensive ability is completely ineffective against the Hawks’ seven seconds or less.

As soon as Kidd missed his layup, three Hawks players were already near the half-court line.

Marion grabbed the rebound and made a long pass to Roger; Roger spun around Kittles and passed the ball to Pierce while facing Kenyon Martin’s block.

Kenyon Martin turned around and, using his impressive athletic ability, closed in on Pierce.

But Pierce threw the ball in the air, and from diagonally behind, Roger caught it back to the basket and rotated 180° to slam it in!

After scoring, Roger looked down at Kidd, who seemed like a lost dog: “You won’t win a single game; you’d better get used to it from the first game of the season.”

Zone defense, losing DPOY, none of these can stop Roger from continuing to win.

His team can adapt to zone defense even after losing DPOY, and his team can score before opponents set up a zone.

The wheel of time will crush one star after another, forcing them to relinquish the crown.

But not Roger.

Because he can dominate games in any era!

David Stern sat in the stands, already losing interest in the game.

He can’t restrain Roger, and he knows it all too well.