434: 167: You Will Have Nothing (Vote for monthly tickets!) 434: 167: You Will Have Nothing (Vote for monthly tickets!) Every year around this time, the topic of who will become the MVP is always hotly debated among fans.
The All-Star is over, and the regular season has entered a period of aesthetic fatigue for fans.
Only the ownership of the MVP can continue to draw their attention to the regular season.
For fans, the MVP is just casual conversation after meals, a tool for the league to maintain discussion.
But for players, the fight for MVP has never been easy.
This isn’t something that Ben Simmons, who posts a “revenge season is coming” training video during the offseason only to flop once the games start, could understand; to snatch the MVP, you have to battle, you have to be strong, you have to truly commit yourself to the long season.
Role players might receive praise for an explosion in a few games, but to compete for the MVP, if not 82 games, you at least need to maintain a high performance level for about 70 games.
Plus, your team’s record must be among the very best.
So, Jim Gray was not optimistic about Roger.
Without Shaq, how could the Magic’s record be among the very best?
Jim Gray certainly didn’t want Roger to get the MVP, but not just because Roger had publicly insulted him.
It was also because if Roger became the MVP, then Jim Gray would not be able to conduct an exclusive interview with the season’s MVP.
This would undoubtedly bring great trouble to his work.
After all, he was in a contract year.
He wanted to ask ESPN for a big contract, and he needed more heavyweight shows.
The previous interview with Shaq was indeed heavyweight, but it’s commonly believed that the high ratings were because Shaq opened fire on Roger during the interview; Roger himself was the draw.
This viewpoint is not without reason.
A few days ago, when “Sports Marketing Newsletter” unveiled the list of the top ten highest-earning stars of the 96-97 season, Shaq was nowhere to be found, while Roger was unsurprisingly on the list.
When it comes to commercial value, Shaq and Roger have never been on the same level.
Although both are with Reebok, Reebok is already preparing to offer Roger a lifetime contract with equity, while they only want to give Shaq a 5-year, $15 million extension.
You read that right, 5 years, $15 million.
Roger’s first sneaker contract was worth more than that.
Besides, the disparity between the two in other commercial endorsements is also significant.
In the end, times have changed.
Penny, that backstabbing guy, might be a jerk, but what he said was spot on: Nowadays, it’s the guards’ era.
As a fan, would you rather imitate Roger’s moves or Shaq’s?
Would you prefer a tall, handsome guy, or a giant that scares you on the street?
So, just Shaq’s show isn’t quite heavyweight enough.
In the eyes of ESPN, unless Jim Gray can do an even more impactful interview, they won’t meet his lofty contract renewal demands.
And nothing is more influential and traffic-generating than the current season’s MVP, but given Roger’s current attitude towards Jim Gray, he definitely won’t accept the invitation.
Therefore, only if someone else gets the MVP would Jim Gray have a chance to invite the MVP to his show.
So, Jim Gray might be the person in the world who least wants Roger to get the MVP.
He wishes this arrogant asshole would drop dead, even more than he hopes his own future won’t be affected.
When you truly like or hate a player from the bottom of your heart, the games affect your emotions.
That’s why Jim Gray is a bit worried about the way Magic Team has started the game.
The Roger of now is basically not the same player as the one from his rookie season.
In his rookie season, Roger influenced the game only on offense, but now, his impact is all-around.
He can lock down Jeff Hornacek, race back to the paint to block Mutombo, and assist his teammates in scoring.
Of course, his individual scoring hasn’t been affected at all.
He can affect the game in all sorts of ways, and his control over the game is getting better and better.
Even Jim Gray has to admit, Roger is playing like a real MVP!
Can Karl Malone handle this guy?
Karl Malone soon responded by trying to take control of the game.
This time on the Jazz offense, Stockton finally didn’t pass to Hornacek but lobbed the ball to Malone.
Without adjusting, Malone quickly used a turnaround jump shot to score before the double team got to him.
Derrick McKey’s interference was almost ineffective against Malone.
A turn later, Malone intercepted a pass from Harper to Roger.
Don’t think that because Karl Malone is muscle-bound, he’s got a simple mind.
He’s honest, robust, and aggressive but also cunning.
He’s always been like a hunter with a shotgun hidden in the jungle, quietly gauging the prey’s direction.
After assessing Harper’s intentions, Malone immediately used his strong body to charge out and intercept the pass mid-way.
Then on offense, Karl Malone assisted Stockton in scoring a mid-range shot.
This is the confrontation between MVPs, they can affect the game at every level.
They can change the course of the game on their own.
Why wouldn’t Malone want an MVP too?
He has toiled away in Salt Lake City for over a decade, without any significant accomplishments, like an ordinary farmer silently working the land.
Malone’s stats have always been good, even stunningly so.
From the 87-88 season to now, he has almost always put up MVP-worthy individual performances every season.
The biggest chasm between him and the MVP is his team’s record.
In his career so far, Karl Malone has only had one season with 60 wins.