537: 195: That guy looks gentle and refined (asking for monthly votes!) 537: 195: That guy looks gentle and refined (asking for monthly votes!) The Portland Trail Blazers were indeed a team with a peculiar composition of players.
Rarely does a team manage to gather so many troublemakers at once.
Last season, the Portland Trail Blazers acquired Rasheed Wallace, notorious for his bad temper.
True to expectations, in the first two months after joining the Trail Blazers, he was accused of assault twice.
Logically, one locker room poison would already be a headache, but the Trail Blazers did the opposite and used one poison to counteract another.
Soon after, they traded for Isaiah Rider, who was constantly in trouble off the court, from the Timberwolves.
This guy was heavy-duty: before joining the Trail Blazers, he had been arrested three times in two months.
After arriving in Portland, he remained true to his roots, getting arrested twice more before the season even started, to get acquainted with Portland’s police officers.
One time, it was because he shouted at airline staff at the airport, smashed someone’s phone, and spat at them.
After doing all this, Rider didn’t forget his big move: “It’s because they’re racially discriminating against me!”
With this guy, there’s no need to look at ability; his style fits perfectly with the corporate culture of the Trail Blazers.
However, the Trail Blazers, already possessing two such deities, were still not satisfied.
Soon, they brought in Kenny Anderson, the top second pick of ’91.
Although Kenny’s record off the court wasn’t as flashy as the Yelling Maestro and Rider’s, he was serious enough on the court.
Last season, Kenny Anderson emerged as the king of technical fouls within this team of deities, even the Yelling Maestro conceded to him.
Thus, the nickname “Portland Jail Blazers” started to appear in the media and became increasingly popular.
It wasn’t only because there were many players on the Trail Blazers who had done time; it was also because of their prison-style basketball.
They would use dirty tricks, brutal defense, swinging elbows, and fists to strike at the opposition.
They would attack their opponents with trash talk that had more motherly content than technical.
Their style of play had nothing to do with the romantic name of their home court, the “Rose Garden.”
Step into the Rose Garden, and you’d feel like you were in prison.
You’d be greeted by infamous thugs.
This was the Portland Trail Blazers this season; this was why they managed to win battles one after another and strike fear into people’s hearts.
They were more than enthusiastic about the Hawks’ arrival.
These overly vigorous guys loved nothing more than to take down stars.
They were all rubbing their hands together, hoping to make a name for themselves in one battle.
As Roger stepped onto the court, he felt as if he had entered a jungle, surrounded by hunters with a predatory gaze.
Clifford Robinson greeted his old teammates, and though he wasn’t the same kind of person as those jailhouse bigshots, he didn’t have any conflicts with them.
After hugging Robinson, Isaiah Rider pointed at Roger: “Keep that guy low-key, be careful, this is Portland.”
“Hey, we’re just here to play the game, not looking for trouble.”
“Do we look like the kind of people who cause trouble?
But we all know Roger’s style; if his mouth isn’t clean, we’re gonna get really mad.
After Isaiah Rider said that, he glanced at Rasheed Wallace, who was shooting hoops nearby.
“You guys aren’t taking home the victory today, Clifford,” Rasheed Wallace said as he continued to take jump shots.
Clifford Robinson returned to his own half of the court, noticing that they were all not too friendly towards Roger.
Clifford Robinson didn’t want to ponder that question at all.
Do these troubled youths need a reason to be unfriendly to you?
They might dislike you for earning so much money, they might dislike your spotlight, they might dislike you for dominating their sport with your unique color.
If you’ve seen how WNBA’s most commercially valuable player “female-version Curry,” Caitlin Clark, was targeted in the WNBA by those black girls, you’d understand Roger’s situation.
Apart from her own teammates, people from other teams would take their shots at her whenever possible, treating her like a public enemy.
Probably because in a WNBA where the average annual salary is less than $100,000, Caitlin Clark’s endorsement contracts alone were worth $40 million.
In the NBA, it’s a bit better, after all, everyone earns a decent amount, and the gap isn’t as startling as $40 million to $100,000.
But the jealousy still exists.
And in Portland, facing this group of natural rebels who especially enjoyed taking down stars, this targeting clearly became much stronger.
They were enemies with everyone, filled with hostility towards all.
If they were polite, the Trail Blazers wouldn’t have gotten the nickname “Jail Blazers.”
Clifford Robinson reminded Roger again, to be careful today: “Those guys are not too friendly toward you.”
But Roger didn’t take it seriously: “Funny, I wasn’t planning on being friendly to them either.”
The game was about to begin, and the Trail Blazers’ starting lineup was Kenny Anderson, Isaiah Rider, Brian Grant, Rasheed Wallace, and Sabonis.
The Hawks won the tip-off, and right from the first possession, the Portland Trail Blazers immediately showcased their powerful muscular defense.
Roger and Pippen executed a give-and-go, and then Pippen immediately cut in, receiving the basketball from Roger.
But as Pippen slashed into the paint, he was tightly surrounded by three tall Trail Blazers players.