Champion Creed-Chapter 546 - 197: The expressionless superstar killer reorganizes the workplace (Ask for monthly tickets!)_4
Chapter 546: 197: The expressionless superstar killer reorganizes the workplace (Ask for monthly tickets!)_4
But in reality, these two games had some things in common.
First, the opponents had players who exploded.
Against the Jazz, Hornacek finally toughened up, scoring 24 points in the game and even bringing his daughter to tears.
Against the King, the standout was Rauf.
Second, in both games, Stevie Smith struggled significantly.
In both matches, he failed to score in double digits.
In fact, it was him who was defending both Rauf and Hornacek.
This was a player who averaged 20.1 points per game last season, nearly making the All-Star team.
No one knew what he was going through.
Roger didn’t know what was up with Stevie Smith, but he knew that Stevie had been having a tough time recently.
After the battle with the Trail Blazers, Stevie Smith and Pippen became aligned with each other, and in that camp, it was just the two of them.
When Coach Wilkens directly confronted them during the game against the Trail Blazers with the question, "Do you want to be pushovers?" it sparked problems with their teammates.
In that game, everyone was clashing with the Trail Blazers, all helping Roger, except for Pippen and Stevie Smith, who stood by doing nothing.
And in a team, if someone is unwilling to sacrifice for the others and gets labeled as "selfish," they are quickly cast out from the group.
These past few days of training and games, almost nobody would talk to Pippen or Stevie Smith voluntarily; they were like strangers in the locker room.
In this locker room, Stevie Smith and Pippen were disrespected.
They were isolated from the group.
Pippen didn’t care; his goal had always been clear: to play his game and sign a big contract elsewhere next year.
So, he didn’t care about fitting in; Atlanta was just a stepping stone for him.
But Stevie Smith couldn’t take it.
He had served the Hawks for three seasons, always working hard. He had built good relationships with various communities in Atlanta and considered it his home.
Then one day, Roger came in with a group of strangers, and overnight, he was excluded from the team.
Stevie Smith found it very hard to accept.
His three years of effort meant less than Roger’s three months.
However, Roger wasn’t sure if this was affecting Stevie’s performance.
He didn’t have the time to speculate on every teammate’s mental state; Roger had already talked to Stevie Smith once before. He was here to play basketball, not to be a psychologist.
The only thing Roger could do was not to lead the exclusion of him.
During the Celtics "Big Three" era, the beginning of Ray Allen’s complete fallout with the team was his conflict with Rondo. At that time, no one stood by him, not even Pierce and Garnett, the team leaders, who led the charge against Ray Allen, resulting in a final split.
Roger didn’t want such a thing to happen to the Hawks; he didn’t want the team to split or an assistant averaging double-digit points to become useless.
Stevie Smith was never expected to make shots for him. Just look at the awards he has received so far: the NBA Sportsmanship Award, the William Beckham Community Service Award, the James Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award.
This type of person, let alone for a teammate he dislikes, wouldn’t even step in if his preferred teammates were attacked; instead, he would wait for the referee to administer justice.
So, Roger wouldn’t exclude him over this.
However, Roger wouldn’t seek him out for further direct talks either.
Giving him operational support was already quite generous.
If he can’t overcome even this small difficulty, then talking to him any further would be pointless.
Pushovers just don’t survive in championship teams.
Moreover, Roger was really busy.
Next, amidst the team’s two consecutive losses, he was about to face that expressionless star killer!
That guy, who had humiliated several stars already, was coming to shake things up in Atlanta.
Roger couldn’t afford a third consecutive loss; he had no interest in becoming a name on "Duncan’s hit list."
And before that, Roger also had to accommodate an interview with Sofia Vergara.
In the midst of a crisis with the team, he had to handle an interview with an extremely tempting MILF.
Being a star player was truly a busy job.
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Shaquille O’Neal, a pile of crap worth one hundred and twenty million dollars. — "Los Angeles Times"
Lol, did you really think Roger would easily handle Tim? Don’t mock me! Tim will destroy him too! — O’Neal in an interview with the "Los Angeles Chronicle." freёwebnoѵel.com
How much longer will Stevie Smith’s slump last? Why has he become the only player who performed worse after teaming up with Roger? Will his form affect the outcome against the Spurs? — "Atlanta Journal-Constitution."
Is it possible that the Hawk’s game against the Spurs is actually a preview of the finals? Tim Duncan is historically one of the most dominating rookies, and Roger is currently the most dominating player; it’s hard to say who will win. Don’t miss it; this is definitely the most anticipated matchup of the season. — "Slam."
Will the Hawks use dirty tricks to stop us? It seems to be their only way to stop Tim Duncan. They are just such a team, a team that wins without honor. — "San Antonio Express-News."
It must be admitted that the San Antonio Spurs’ lineup on paper very much restrains the Hawks. Faced with the Spurs soaring twin towers, the Hawks’ frontline mobile troops will struggle to perform. However, I won’t foolishly claim that the Spurs hold the winning ticket because you never know what kind of miracle Roger can create. Trust me, any paper-based advantage can be nullified in front of Roger. — "SportsCenter" Keith Olbermann.
