117: 071: Michael, You’ve Changed!
(Vote for Monthly Ticket!)_2 117: 071: Michael, You’ve Changed!
(Vote for Monthly Ticket!)_2 The last time McKey beat Jordan dates back to November of ’89!
There’s no doubt this only made Jordan more arrogant.
He didn’t like Jordan, never did.
The thing he said most often in the locker room was, “If anyone in this world can punish Michael, it’s definitely Roger and Shaq!
So, brothers, we’ve come to the right place!”
It seems the world has had its fill of Jordan-Pippen for a long time.
Everyone wanted to send Jordan to hell, which filled the entire training camp with energy.
Roger had never experienced this feeling with the Bulls, this feeling of everyone rushing towards the same goal.
No need for mutual suspicion, no worries about a teammate suddenly badmouthing you in an interview, no fear of some retired Magic Team star mocking you.
All anyone needed to do was train peacefully, striving towards a common goal.
This sense of unity made everyone feel comfortable.
Such an atmosphere quickly resolved a concern that had troubled Pat Williams—the newly overhauled team gelled very quickly!
So, in the preseason, the Magic Team joyously achieved an undefeated record.
Roger and O’Neal only played 20 minutes per game, yet still, the Magic rolled over their opponents one by one.
What about the Chicago Bulls?
Problems began to surface.
In the third preseason game against the Suns, the Bulls were down by one point with 3 seconds to go, and Chris Webber had two free-throw opportunities.
Then, predictably, the overly tense Webber missed both crucial free throws.
Fun fact: Webber’s free-throw percentage had never been over 60% before he went to King.
In his first season with King, Webber’s free throw percentage was a mere 45.4%, comparable to Ben Wallace’s level.
Ultimately, because of those missed free throws, the Bulls lost to the Suns.
Charles Barkley laughed wantonly on the court, teasing his old pal Jordan, “Even though it’s just preseason, why do I feel like the Bulls still haven’t improved from last season?
Didn’t you guys beat us in last season’s opener?
Michael, if it doesn’t work out, just go back to playing baseball.”
Michael Jordan sat at courtside, silently watching everything.
Someone was about to have a bad time.
After the game ended, the Bulls players were changing clothes in the locker room.
The atmosphere wasn’t too serious; after all, it was just a preseason game.
Webber was irritated about missing the two free throws at the end, but otherwise, he had a decent overall performance: 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks.
He was increasingly integrating into the triangle offense; he liked playing in this system.
Michael Jordan returned to the locker room, looking unhappy.
He walked up to Webber and slapped the water bottle out of his hand, “Trash, you don’t deserve to drink water!
If I were you, I’d start practicing 100 free throws right this moment!
We all lost this damn game because of your incompetence!
Get out, go to the practice court, and don’t drink until you’re done!”
Before, Jordan had always been polite to him, heaping praise on him in front of the media; Webber thought he and Jordan would get along very well.
why was he now more ferocious than Shaq?
Are all men so pragmatic?
Forgetting to cherish what they’ve obtained!
Before obtaining it, they treat it with tenderness, but after getting it, they stand up and ride it, right!?
Michael, you’ve changed!
“Shut up, I don’t want to hear your excuses!
You incompetent bastard, now you know why you needed to be tossed in with so many chips to be traded, right?
Because you’re so incompetent, you can’t even manage to do the simplest thing like shooting free throws!
Before the regular season, you’d better bring up that damn free-throw percentage, you hear me?!”
Too bad Webber wasn’t Roger; otherwise, Jordan would now possess a pair of titanium dog eyes.
Jordan thought his tough guidance would make his teammates better, but he might have overlooked Webber’s already fragile psyche.
Last season, Webber’s free-throw percentage was 53%, with psychological factors playing a significant part.
Shooting free throws, unguarded, while everyone watched, made Webber incredibly nervous.
This season, with Jordan’s excellent tutelage, the already tense Webber’s free-throw percentage was bound to see dramatic changes.
On one hand, there was the quickly gelled team with a unified goal.
On the other, an oppressive atmosphere under high pressure.
From the beginning, a gap had already appeared between the Magic and the Bulls.
I’ve said before, trading Roger was the world’s dumbest decision.
Look, we lost three preseason games.
And what’s more tragic is that the Orlando people won all of their preseason games!
Michael is still Michael, aside from changing from number 23 to 45, not much else is different.
But the Bulls are no longer the Bulls.
When Michael looks back, the only one left from the three-peat era fighting alongside him is Scottie Pippen.
In such circumstances, can Michael still succeed?
— “Sports Illustrated.”
Michael said, if you switch him with Roger, the team could win the championship.
But as it stands now, the team’s goal should probably be the East finals.
— “The New York Times.”
ESPN magazine also released a new season power ranking.
The defending champion Rockets were at the top, followed by the Orlando Magic in second.
The Bulls did not come in third; they were sitting below the New York Knicks at fourth.
All this was because the Bulls’ defense had declined, and Chris Webber’s presence had not solved the Bulls’ most pressing need to address the power forward defense issue.
Jordan thought that with his return, he could take control of the world again.