519: 190: The King’s Mercy (Vote for Monthly Tickets!)_3 519: 190: The King’s Mercy (Vote for Monthly Tickets!)_3 Finally, Pippen gave himself an out, “I can have the surgery earlier, but there are a few conditions.”
Roger smirked disdainfully, but he didn’t interrupt, allowing Pippen to continue:
“The first condition, and it’s the most fucking important, is that you aren’t allowed within ten meters of Larsa!
If you break this condition, I’ll fight you to the death, I swear!
The second condition is that next season, the locker room will have co-captains, me and you, and I must also have a say in the locker room.
You better stop bossing me around.
The third, I want to share the ball with you equally, I’m not your fucking blue-collar!
The fourth, you better show me some goddamn respect when you speak to me, better not be like today.”
After Pippen had finished, Roger took a calm sip of tea and shook his head: “Scott, you still don’t understand.”
“Next season, you’ll be begging me to help you win a few more games, begging me to save you from embarrassment.
What right do you have to set conditions with me?
If you’re not willing, then you can damn well leave and then watch as I win accolades.
Yes, just like you watched from the bench in 1994 as I led the team to victory.”
At that moment, Pippen’s pride was completely shattered.
Bad memories surged instantly into his mind.
He found that he had no strength whatsoever to contend with Roger!
In front of Roger, he was terrifyingly insignificant!
Using surgery to threaten the team and Roger?
Ha, Pippen found it laughably absurd himself!
He couldn’t threaten anyone.
He thought he could still compete with Roger in the locker room, no, the situation had changed.
Roger was Atlanta’s emperor, and Pippen was just an attendant.
He remembered what Ben Osborne, a reporter for “Slam” magazine, had said: “Scottie Pippen will forever live in the shadow of Roger.”
After several minutes of silence, Pippen finally spoke up, “Anyway, I will have the team arrange the surgery as soon as possible, but it is not because of you, it is because I wanted to do this myself.”
Pippen had to ensure he wouldn’t be DNP’ed next season, not be kept on the bench, and he had to perform exceptionally well.
Just endure Roger for one year, then immediately sign a huge contract with another team as soon as his contract expires, and leave right away!
Seeing Pippen relent, Roger also gave him a way to save face.
After all, a person still needs to maintain face:
“Congratulations Scott, you’ve just made a very, very wise decision.
Maybe you don’t realize it yet, but this is the closest you’ve come to being a winner.”
After this conversation, Roger had essentially solved all of his problems for the summer.
Next, it was time to let the actual performance do the talking.
At that moment, a roaring sound suddenly erupted in Roger’s backyard, and then, unbelievably, it began to snow!
Pippen sat stunned on the bench, unable to believe his own eyes.
Because he had previously told Roger with great assurance, “Unless it snows in Georgia during summer, I won’t agree.”
Now he had agreed, and it was actually snowing in Georgia during summer.
What kind of magical plot was this?
Pippen looked at Roger in astonishment; at that moment, he doubted whether Roger was truly a god.
Roger caught the falling snowflakes in his hand, smiling with satisfaction.
“Look, Scott, who says it can’t snow in Georgia during summer?
All you need is the latest high-temperature snowmaking machine.
It’s cheap, doesn’t even cost a tenth of Pip.”
Georgia summers were just too hot, and Roger wanted something to cool off, so he bought a high-temperature snow machine for the yard and would play in the snow whenever he could.
As a result, the moment Pippen walked in, he just happened to make a bet about the snow.
Look, Roger and Pippen, they do have some chemistry after all.
Time flew by and half a month before the new season training camp began, Roger accepted an ESPN interview and did a preseason preview program.
“Hello Roger, how do you feel about Atlanta?”
“It’s great, I love the fans here and the climate.”
“The new season is about to start, and this is a new beginning for you, how are you feeling right now?”
“I’m excited, I can’t wait for the new season to start quickly.”
“Scott ultimately went ahead with the surgery early and will be ready for the opening game of the new season, what do you think changed his mind?”
“He’s a player with a sense of honor, of course he would do that.”
“But the outside world is not optimistic about your second collaboration with Scott, what is your own perspective?”
“We can work together very happily, at least Scott wouldn’t just disappear for no reason and then miss training camp.”
“Alright, do you want to talk about Shaq?”
“A few weeks ago, he performed a rap song specifically dissing you at a nightclub in Los Angeles, with some controversial lyrics, um…
you don’t mind if I read it to you, do you?”
Roger shook his head.
The host took a deep breath, mustering up the courage, “Without me you’re nothing, with or without me, it’s the difference between first place and last.
Roger, you this XX, next season come taste the big XX of Daddy.”
After the host finished, he looked at Roger.
Roger was still smiling, but his teeth were clenched.
It was clear he was very angry, yet he maintained the most basic level of reason, “He really sang that?”
“I have the video, that’s just part of the lyrics.”
“Great”, without losing composure, he just repeated, “Great.”
After the program ended, Roger encountered someone outside the recording venue.
Last season, Jim Gray intentionally lured Shaq, leading to a complete fallout between Shaq and Roger, and he publicly stated he “wanted to see the proud Roger’s face when he fails”.
Roger, now the player with the most commercial value, had one of the conditions for his ESPN interview be that ESPN couldn’t include Jim Gray.
Jim Gray, once America’s most celebrated sports reporter, was out, just like Jordan.
However splendid he was before, that’s how abject he is now.
But unlike Jordan, who accepted his fate, Jim Gray wasn’t ready to be out yet, so he approached Roger with a servile tone, “Roger, you’ve got to help me!
ESPN doesn’t want to renew my contract, and other networks are afraid to sign me because they don’t want to offend.
You and I actually have no beef, right?”
Roger looked coldly at the jerk, “What do you want from me, can’t you find Shaq’s number?”
A true king must learn to show mercy.
Michael Jordan and Jim Gray had already paid a painful price for their offense.
Now, it was another jerk’s turn who dared to insult the king without knowing his place.