524: 192: This is the fun of playing ball with Roger (asking for monthly votes!) 524: 192: This is the fun of playing ball with Roger (asking for monthly votes!) October 31 was a day worth celebrating for the fans in Los Angeles.
When they saw Shaq O’Neal wreak havoc on the basket during warm-ups, the basketball hoop swaying for more than ten seconds before it finally stabilized, they all believed that another glorious era had begun for Los Angeles.
The visual impact of O’Neal playing was indeed very strong.
And this kind of destructive power instilled confidence in both teammates and fans.
You just have to browse through the comments on various basketball forums from 2024 to know what kind of a boost a visual impact can give to a player.
“Of all the centers I’ve seen, none can compare to Shaq.
He’s just too overpowering.”
“I watched a lot of games back then, and even at his peak, Duncan couldn’t match peak Shaq.”
“Faster than a guard, can jump over the rim, can dazzle Jordan with fancy dribbling and back body sways, and his power is unbeatable.
O’Neal is like a character straight out of a 2K game.”
If you’re a young fan seeing these comments, you’d definitely have a lot of questions.
So why did Olajuwon barber O’Neal in the finals?
So why has O’Neal never blown Duncan away in the playoffs, was it because he didn’t want to?
Was it because he was very considerate in giving Kobe, the kid brother, a chance to shine?
He must be a great leader then.
There’s no helping it, people are visual creatures.
Good-looking people get liked more easily, and the same goes for those who play beautifully.
The people of Los Angeles might be a bit overconfident about their new savior.
At this moment, the Hawks also arrived at the Great Western Forum arena.
Roger really disliked playing here because the Great Western Forum was just too outdated.
The locker rooms were cramped and uncomfortable.
This home court was not at all befitting a prestigious team like the Lakers.
However, this arena was never short on popularity.
Right as he got off the team bus, Roger was surrounded by reporters.
“Roger, is it true that Stevie Smith requested a trade?”
“What do you think about the trade rumors involving your team?”
“Are you and Stevie still okay?”
Roger didn’t answer these questions; his style was consistent, not liking to make locker room conflicts public without good reason.
Unless things were completely out of control.
Moreover, this issue had already been solved.
Stevie Smith did indeed request a trade, and Pete Babcock was Roger’s guy; such a thing couldn’t happen without notifying Roger first.
So yesterday, Roger spoke with Stevie Smith for the first time.
“If you think that’s a personal grudge, then you are stupider than I thought.
Everything I’ve done is just to get the team on the right track faster.
And as it turns out, our efforts have been effective; we had the best performance of the pre-season.
Of course, I don’t expect you to understand these things because you’ve never played victorious basketball before.
Maybe you have your standard for training, but I have my own too.
As the leader of this team, I want you to follow my standard first and foremost.
After all, your standards can’t even get us into the playoffs, let alone a championship.
It’s exactly your type of ‘friendliness’ that keeps the team out of the playoffs.
I am here to change all of that!
So if you’re not doing well, you deserve to be scolded; if you can’t score against my defense, you deserve to be criticized.
If you really can’t stand it, then when you’re able to deflect me on the training court, you can also criticize me; basketball is just that fair.
Whether you stay or leave is up to you, Stevie; I’m telling you straight, I hope you stay, but I won’t stop you if you want to go.
But before you leave, I must clarify that this is not a personal grudge; don’t think of me as so narrow-minded.
After this conversation, Stevie Smith withdrew his trade request this morning.
Stevie Smith still feels that Roger cannot use championships and victories as an excuse to insult teammates whenever he pleases.
But he wants to give it another try.
“When you’re skilled enough to deflect me on the training court, you can also criticize me”, Stevie Smith is very much looking forward to that day!
Seeing that Roger did not answer the question, the reporters then turned to Stevie Smith himself.
Stevie Smith answered only one sentence: “I’m not going anywhere.”
That settled the matter.
The reporters from Los Angeles were incredibly disappointed; they had hoped to stir up a good story, and if possible, sow some discord.
But Stevie Smith and Roger didn’t give them a chance.
Nevertheless, once on the court, the Hawks would still be crushed by the Lakers; that was enough.
As both teams warmed up on the court, O’Neal deliberately walked over to the Hawks’ half and gestured at their height.
“Eddie, I feel like I’m at a high school basketball game.” Shaq said loud enough to ensure every Hawks player heard him.
Eddie Jones, well-liked by Shaq for being a good sport on the Lakers, joked: “Yeah Shaq, they might just be trying to guess how many points they’ll lose by today.”
“Don’t worry Eddie, I won’t be playing solo in the paint all the time, I’m a team player, unlike some scoring demons.
Hey Scott, remember how you went an entire season without receiving a single assist from Roger?
That was awkward, huh?” O’Neal said, steering the topic towards Pippen.
“Looks like he trained you pretty well.
Watching Pippen get furious, Shaq and Eddie Jones laughed heartily, clapping their thighs as if watching a clown.