405: 160: Basketball, sometimes it’s not that complicated (Requesting monthly passes!) 405: 160: Basketball, sometimes it’s not that complicated (Requesting monthly passes!) “No team can escape the championship curse.
Will Shaq be willing to watch Roger lift several FMVP trophies?
Will Roger be willing to put up with Shaq’s childish temperament for several years?”
After your fingers touch the trophy, the physical and mental exhaustion will weigh down your legs and magnify your desires.
How many are willing to live a monk-like life after tasting the sweet wine of championship?
There are no eternal champions.”
After the SuperSonics were swept 4-0 in last season’s Finals, George Karl had said these words during a locker room interview to predict the future of the Magic Team.
In just half a year, his prophecy seemed to have already come true.
Some things are indeed foreseeable.
When a talent like O’Neal can only be Roger’s sidekick, you know danger is approaching the Magic.
When the 24-year-old new Lakers coach J.J.
Redick said he wanted James to play more off the ball, you know danger is approaching him too.
As it stands, it seems no team can escape the curse of winning championships, and George Karl can now open a bottle of wine to celebrate the collapse of his enemies.
After today’s practice, every member of the Magic Team faced the media without dodging any tough questions.
This was beyond all reporters’ expectations.
When the news about Shaq’s possible connections with the Lakers first broke, all Magic players chose to respond by refusing to answer questions.
But now, faced with a greater crisis, the Magic players stopped hiding.
However, the reporters didn’t manage to dig out any particularly explosive information from the players.
All they knew was that Roger and O’Neal had indeed had a conflict, but it had been properly resolved.
This unimpressive outcome was not what the reporters were after.
They had imagined that Roger, who had beaten up Pippen and Jordan during his rookie season, would at least leave some mark on O’Neal, right?
Shouldn’t that be Roger’s style?
However, although no overly intense conflict had erupted, the reporters still spotted some changes in Shaq and Roger.
During interviews, neither of them mentioned the other.
They didn’t praise each other as usual, but they didn’t bad-mouth each other either.
They were like two strangers who didn’t know each other at all.
When reporters asked Roger about O’Neal, he would refuse to answer: “Go ask him yourself.”
When reporters asked O’Neal about Roger, they got a similar response: “I don’t know anything about Roger, you ask him yourself.”
The indifference between the two was precisely the best proof of their relationship’s rupture!
But at least publicly, Roger and Shaq didn’t let the conflict escalate any further.
You see, the Dallas 3J started not passing to each other on the court over a woman and publicly insulting each other’s character in front of the media.
The result of their actions was clear to all – the 3J was about to break up because they were unwilling to be allies and conquer a dungeon together.
But Roger and O’Neal hadn’t gotten as vicious as the Dallas 3J.
Does this mean that the Magic Team will not fall apart?
Does it mean O’Neal and Roger could temporarily set aside their personal grievances for victory?
Whether O’Neal will indeed leave, and whether the Magic Team still has a chance at a three-peat, have become the hottest topics of late.
But soon, Orlando fans learned some rather disheartening news: O’Neal announced that he was taking leave from the team for personal reasons, with the date of his return undecided.
This kind of situation generally has only one possibility – O’Neal is going to be traded!
Many players take a leave from the team before being traded, because they no longer need to play for that team.
O’Neal said nothing about his sudden leave, and the whole team was angry, as O’Neal seemed to lack any team spirit!
But Roger told everyone, “I allowed him to take the leave.
He needs a few days to adjust, and he has promised that he will come back.”
After this incident, Roger also had a talk with team owner Rich DeVos.
DeVos agreed, for this season, that what happens in the locker room is up to Roger.
DeVos now had only one request – as long as they could secure the three-peat and hang the dynasty team plaque, Roger could do whatever he wanted!
He gave Roger the biggest contract in NBA history.
The media calculated that if Roger’s money were converted into one-dollar bills, it would stretch out to a length of 19,494.5 kilometers, enough to wrap around the earth’s circumference by half!
Since he had taken so much money, he had the responsibility to clinch the three-peat!
Since O’Neal’s leave was a locker room matter, as long as Roger agreed, the management had no right to interfere.
Roger calmed his teammates’ dissatisfaction, but in truth, he himself didn’t know if O’Neal would return.
After all this, if O’Neal wanted to leave, Roger would fully understand.
After all, O’Neal hadn’t made him take a pay cut before leaving, nor said anything like “If I had the FMVP I wouldn’t leave.” They were even.
As the king building a dynasty, Roger had no time to dwell on his past with Shaq.
After the “bloody vote” incident, the burden on Roger’s shoulders actually became heavier.
Because the whole team had expressed their willingness to follow him, and he absolutely could not let down those who believed in him.
He must endure the pain, bandage the wounds, and lead those willing to follow him, continuing on this journey of no return.
During the time O’Neal was absent, Roger led the team to a record of 4 wins and 1 loss.