Champion Creed
Chapter 978: 319: Sweating a lot, right, Shaq (asking for monthly votes!)_2

Chapter 978: 319: Sweating a lot, right, Shaq (asking for monthly votes!)_2

Spoelstra shook his head, turned off the computer, and prepared to sleep.

But at that moment, his phone rang again.

Fortunately, Spoelstra was single, otherwise, his partner would definitely think he was cheating. No calls during the day, but one after another at midnight.

Picking up the phone, Spoelstra glanced at the caller ID, and this time it was Stoudemire.

“Amar’e?”

“I knew you definitely weren’t asleep yet.”

“Tell me, who on the team doesn’t know about this?”

“Hahaha, your diligence is well known throughout the team. Roger told us you’re either watching tapes at midnight or hanging out with the cheerleaders. Damn, why does the league even prohibit coaches from interacting with cheerleaders.”

“Damn Roger, his mouth wouldn’t stop even with all the delicacies. So, what’s up?”

“Reminding you to sleep early.”

“Anything else?”

“Send me a video analysis; I want to stop Shaq!”

Spoelstra laughed, does this kid even know what he’s saying?

Honestly, although Shaq seems like a trash player in front of Roger, he’s one of the hardest players to limit in the league over the past decade.

This isn’t something you can stop just by having determination.

But having determination is always a good thing.

“Alright, I’ll send you one.”

“Thanks, Erik. Next time, introduce me to the cheerleader’s friends.”

“You better spend your time practicing defense, Amar’e.”

“You don’t have to tell me; one day, I’ll be Roger’s most solid support!”

Spoelstra hung up the phone, that’s Amar’e Stoudemire for you.

No one knows what supports this high school rookie to get back up after each failure.

The entire season, Amar’e Stoudemire’s defense was being criticized.

Roger was the most spotlighted player, and the Warriors were the most spotlighted team, so every move of the other Warriors was magnified and scrutinized.

Thus, this season, almost all American media criticized Stoudemire’s defense.

TNT’s Charles Barkley even made a show called “Amar’e’s Weekly Dumb Defense Highlights.”

They ignored Stoudemire’s excellence on offense, ignored his explosive performances that frequently made the weekly top plays.

They just focused on his defense and wouldn’t stop talking.

Several times, Spoelstra thought about whether he could handle all this if he were his 19-year-old self.

But Stoudemire held on, did you hear what he just said? He wants to become Roger’s most solid support.

Even after all of this, he is still passionate about defense.

Spoelstra didn’t know where his strength came from, but he was convinced that he could succeed.

He would certainly become an excellent defensive player.

He could certainly do it.

Someday, Roger would be able to rely on his defense to get everything he wants in the Bay Area.

The next day, the Dallas Mavericks players arrived in the Bay Area.

Shaquille O’Neal was pleased with himself, just like Roger, he had long lost interest in the regular season. So, even if the Mavericks’ fifth-place record in the West wasn’t as expected and was heavily criticized, Shaq didn’t care at all.

He firmly believed that the Mavericks’ true strength was beyond the fifth place in the West.

“We should actually be first in the West. You see, I swept Tim, and he’s currently first in the West, which proves that even the first in the West means nothing to me. I only played 67 regular-season games, which is why we fell to fifth in the West. Roger should feel lucky; he and his trash team get the honor of facing the first in the West. Of course, I won’t lose again, because I’ve gotten rid of my biggest obstacle to victory, Kobe Bryant.”

O’Neal sarcastically mentioned two people in one breath; he was excited, very, very excited, even more excited than his first solo camping trip with Shaunie.

In the past three seasons, he hadn’t beaten Roger even once in the playoffs.

From 1997 to now, Shaquille O’Neal had lived in Roger’s shadow.

As a super center who had built a dynasty in the ’90s, Shaq’s career height plummeted because of that.

No matter how impressive his achievements were with the Magic, there would always be someone who said, “Shaq’s success relied on Roger.”

His career was brutally split in two starting from the summer of 1997.

The more glorious it was before, the more miserable it became after, unbearably miserable.

This year, he could finally end this series of great failures.

On game day, in the visitor’s locker room at the Oakland Arena, O’Neal entered with a relaxed expression, eating fried chicken.

Old Nelson didn’t really manage Shaq’s diet because he simply couldn’t.

But unlike Shaq, his teammates all had stern faces.

Actually, Shaq noticed yesterday that everyone but him seemed like they were facing a great enemy.

Shaq clapped his hands, “Hey guys, what’s up? We’re about to kick the fourth seed’s ass, aren’t we?”

“Better be careful, Shaq,” answered Nick Van Exel, who had been teammates with Shaq in Los Angeles.

“Careful, I can score 50 points in the paint, they can’t stop me.”

No one paid attention to Shaq; the locker room atmosphere remained stern.

O’Neal shook his head speechlessly and walked to Nowitzki’s side; their lockers were next to each other.

To continue easing the atmosphere, Shaq started chatting with Nowitzki, “Dirk, I’ve never asked you, why do you wear number 41? It’s not a common number.”

“Because of Roger.”

“What?” This was the first time Shaq had heard of this.

“Before I entered the league, Roger was the most successful international player in the NBA, and I admired him greatly. It’s not just me; many international players in the league now regard Roger as an idol. But when I joined the Mavericks, Robert Pack wore number 14, so I had to flip it to make 41. Later, even when Robert left, I couldn’t be bothered to switch back.”

“You admire Roger?” O’Neal’s eyes widened. Was there really an idiot in this world who liked that guy?

“Yeah, he’s my idol. I’ll never forget those classics he created. In the ’95 Finals, Magic vs. Rockets, Roger had three straight 40+ point games. In the ’97 Playoffs, he had 8 threes in a half, 50 points in a game, 27 points in a quarter. In the ’98 Eastern Finals, 40+10. In the 2000 Playoffs against AI, he had 62 points in a single game. In the 2001 Finals, he had four straight 40-point games…”

Dirk Nowitzki got more and more excited as he spoke, but his teammates’ faces grew darker and darker.

Yes, this was Roger in the playoffs; this was why everyone felt overwhelmed, because they were about to face that Roger!

Roger in the playoffs was the scariest weapon, the most terrifying disaster, the highest unattainable miracle in NBA history.

Listening to this, even Shaq’s expression, who was usually cheerful, turned serious.

“Enough, Dirk!”

“Huh?”

“Enough! No one wants to hear this!”

“Uh… you were the one who asked.”

“Shut up!”

Shaq wiped the sweat off his forehead; he realized he was already sweating heavily!

O’Neal took off his street clothes and changed into his jersey, then kept talking to himself.

“Nothing to fear, Shaq, those are all in the past. Yes, all in the past. I just need to destroy Amar’e Stoudemire to beat him; it’s as simple as that.”

Though he kept saying this, Shaq was still sweating.