431: 166: Others just take a look (asking for monthly votes!) 431: 166: Others just take a look (asking for monthly votes!) “Sergeant” Phillip Harrison rebuked sternly, marking the first time Roger had seen such a tough military demeanor from him.
“Damn it, the education I’ve given you doesn’t allow for this kind of behavior!
I’m giving you three seconds, you better get out of your room and give your friend a hug!
If you don’t, don’t force me to break down your door and barge in!
You’ll regret it, you fool!”
As he spoke, Phillip Harrison actually picked up a chair.
Roger was about to intervene when O’Neal opened the door to his room and shuffled out with the help of a cane.
Seeing Roger, O’Neal was not pleased: “What are you doing at my house?”
That was the first thing O’Neal said to Roger since the “Bloody Vote” incident.
“No need, I’ll be back, MVP or not.”
Phillip Harrison was very dissatisfied with his son’s attitude.
To him, it didn’t matter what conflicts existed between Roger and O’Neal before; Roger’s visit today was at least well-intentioned.
In the face of other’s goodwill, he shouldn’t be so rude.
“Your behavior is shameful, Roger is your brother, you need to respect the people around you, and you must apologize to him.”
“My brother wouldn’t wait in the locker room wanting to kill me, my brother wouldn’t speak to me with such arrogance!
My brother wouldn’t mock me after I was abandoned by the whole team!
He treats me , just because I spoke some truth on a TV show?”
“Goodbye Shaq, I’m glad to see you’re alright.” Roger didn’t waste further words with Shaq, there was no need, and he turned to leave.
After all, Roger hadn’t come to make peace; he just wanted to make sure O’Neal was alright, nothing more.
“Wait, Roger, at least stay for dinner before you go.” Phillip Harrison chased after him.
“Thank you for the invitation, Sergeant Harrison, but I already have plans tonight, sorry, goodbye.”
The roar of the Ferrari V12 engine echoed through the neighborhood as it gradually grew distant.
As O’Neal went back to his room, Shaq’s mother, Lucille, looked at her husband and shrugged: “He’s a good kid.
I remember when Odessa passed away, he stayed with Shaq for a long time.
During that rough patch, he was one of the few willing to stand up for Shaq.
Why would things become between them?”
“Remember the All-Star weekend in ’95?
We had dinner with that kid’s uncle, right?”
“Of course, I remember, look, back then they were close as brothers.
I mean, Shaq and his uncle were just like brothers; he even talked about setting him up with a girlfriend.”
“You asked me then if they always played together, how many championships could they win,” Phillip Harrison continued, ignoring his wife’s joke, “I told you that people’s ambitions expand, especially young people; they were all too young.
That’s the answer, dear, what led to this situation?
They were all just too young.”
Harrison watched as Roger drove away, sighing.
Yes, they were still too young, they were all too sharp.
That meant it was impossible for them to mend their relationship now, no matter who came along.
It wasn’t just irreparable; soon enough, they might even become each other’s biggest rivals.
Sports are just like that, one buzzer-beater gets buried by another, one legend ends another, and someone intended to be a hero is replaced by another hero.
No capable young man wants to be just a sidekick to a hero; they all want to be the hero themselves.
None of them are wrong; they…
When Roger drove home, Spoelstra was there delivering a videotape to him.
Roger greeted him: “Thanks for the effort, Eric.”
“It’s what I should do, and by the way, Roger, there’s something.”
Seeing Roger’s lack of enthusiasm, Spoelstra waved it off: “It’s nothing, just keep pushing on; we’ve all seen what you can do leading the team solo.”
Saying that, Spoelstra waved goodbye.
Roger felt that the guy definitely had something to tell him, but since he didn’t want to talk now, maybe next time.
Right now, Roger really wasn’t in the mood to guess what Spoelstra was thinking.
All his thoughts were on the Utah Jazz.
This was the first opponent Magic had to face after Shaq’s injury.
It was also the first MVP contender Roger had to confront directly after Shaq’s injury.
During the original history in the ’96-’97 and ’97-’98 seasons, the Jazz reached their pinnacle, achieving consecutive second-place finishes, with over 60 wins each season, proving their formidable strength.
In this history, the addition of Mount Mutombo, Mutombo, took the Jazz’s strength to a new level.
Karl Malone certainly needed this robust center to provide cover because if he could avoid direct confrontations with the fifth position, Karl Malone could focus more on offensive attacks and defensive assists.
So, Karl Malone needed Mutombo, just as LeBron James needed excellent perimeter defenders, top-tier three-point shooters, at least one teammate with scoring abilities not inferior to his own, a center focused on rebounds and defense, an ace who could stand out in clutch situations, and a scrappy fighter.
There’s no need for a lengthy narrative about how strong this season’s Utah Jazz is, and for Roger to win against them certainly won’t be easy.
But to just give up on the MVP race?
Moreover, Roger did not want the streak of no consecutive losses to be ruined on his watch.