Champion Creed
Chapter 60 - 60 044 Passing is too difficult so I with my lack of skills choose to score directly

60: 044: Passing is too difficult, so I, with my lack of skills, choose to score directly.

60: 044: Passing is too difficult, so I, with my lack of skills, choose to score directly.

Roger scored all of the Bulls’ first 7 points, coming out with intense aggressiveness from the start.

Without Pippen, Penny seemed even more embarrassed.

He sat on the ground and angrily slapped the floor.

This was the first time people saw Penny get angry on the court.

Though Penny had a height and wingspan advantage over Roger, and was faster, his defensive skills weren’t much better than Roger’s.

Moreover, he was too eager to guard Roger, hence constantly throwing off his balance.

Roger perfectly grasped Hardaway’s mentality and effortlessly pulled off a highly spectacular finish.

Boos filled the Oakland Arena as they scorned Roger, the madman on court.

Pippen’s expression was equally grave as he realized that he’d need to work harder when he returned.

With Roger’s performance being so stellar in the recent games, Pippen was genuinely worried that the co-leadership might turn into a solo act once he was back!

The longer he sat out, the stronger his unease grew.

Penny was in a very awkward position and needed a successful offense to extricate himself.

The battle continued, and this time Penny used a beautiful, wide arc to change direction in front of his body and get past Roger, driving straight to the basket.

Roger stuck to Hardaway’s side and didn’t get completely shaken off.

So, using Roger as the pivot, Hardaway spun around, seemingly to shake off his defender, when actually, during the spin, he stealthily passed the ball to Alexander cutting to the basket.

Nobody knew how Hardaway managed to deliver such a precise pass during the spin – its flair could not be concealed even with a sprinkle of cooking wine.

Alexander caught the ball under the basket and easily scored, Hardaway helping his team close the gap.

Hardaway delivered a beautiful assist, but Roger’s trash talk still unsettled him, “Another pass?

Where’s your aggression gone?

Without Scott today, why don’t you attack yourself?

You say I only rely on Scott, what about you?

You’re even more dependent on your teammates!”

Annoyed, Hardaway, then reacted impulsively during the next defense, attempting to steal from Roger and ending up committing a foul.

That just gave Roger more room to perform, “Great job Anfernee, you finally found a way to guard me.

That’s right, you excuse-laden waste can only stop me with fouls.

Too bad you can only use that method five more times.”

Hardaway admitted he had never disliked someone so much on the basketball court.

How did Pippen manage to not pull out a gun and confront Roger in the locker room?

That’s hilarious, Pippen did pull out, he just didn’t win.

Seeing Hardaway get heated on defense, Old Nelson quickly yelled from the sidelines, “Anfernee, calm down, don’t get distracted by his dumb talks!

Latrell, you go defend that jerk!”

Spree nodded and moved next to Hardaway, “The coach is right, let me handle him, you don’t get tangled up with him.”

Hardaway tried to calm himself and then moved towards Kukoc, leaving Spree to guard Roger.

But Roger still relentlessly taunted Penny, “No way Anfernee, hiding again?

Weren’t you picked third because you won a game of hide-and-seek against Donnie in the tryouts?

In that case, I’m indeed no match for you.”

“Shut up, rookie, you talk too much,” Spree tried to intervene for Hardaway.

As a result, he got hit himself.

Roger, using Kukoc’s screen this time, forced Spree and Billy Owens to switch on defense, and facing Owens, Roger faked a drive but suddenly pulled back for a mid-range jumper, catching Billy Owens completely off guard.

Considering Billy Owens’s poor attention to defense, Roger’s fake move was actually superfluous.

You don’t need to use any fakes in front of Owens, just like you don’t have to talk about feelings with a woman involved in import-export trade—you can be more direct.

Roger scored 9 points in a row, and Spree’s defense also failed.

Although the Warriors had Spree, a tough defender, he was after all a guard.

If you gave these Warriors an Olajuwon and kept the rest of the team the same, their defense might jump a level, and Roger would have a much harder time.

But with just Spree, the Warriors’ overall defense remained the same.

Guards and centers have very different impacts on defense, and it’s hard to build a defensive system around a guard, which is why there are the fewest guards among DPOY winners.

Old Nelson let Penny stay away from Roger, but Roger’s immortal performance continued.

In this fast-paced shootout, Roger constantly attacked Spree’s defensive line.

It was as if he deliberately went against the whole world, completely ignoring the option of passing, and attacked the basket furiously whenever he got the ball.

You say Penny is mature?

Then I’ll beat him with the most “immature” means!

Spree tried to break Roger down with physical confrontation, but it was of little effect.

Whenever Roger encountered strong opposition, he would immediately pass the ball to Kukoc, then look for opportunities to score off the ball.

No matter how Roger moved, Kukoc could always find him and complete the pass, which left Spree running ragged on defense.

In just the first quarter, Spree let Roger score 14 points!

In the first quarter, the Bulls led 32 to 28 for the time being.

The score showed how spirited and unrestrained the head-to-head battle was.

Penny fought back with 8 points and 3 assists in a single quarter.

But since Roger was more forceful and always actively defending Penny, it gave the impression that Penny was dodging Roger.

NBC commentator Steve Jones commented, “I know Anfernee has his considerations, but Roger is always actively matching up with him!

On defense, Roger always seeks out Penny.

But when Penny is on defense, he seems to purposely avoid Roger.

Indeed, basketball is not a street one-on-one.

But last time we lost, it was Penny himself who said he hadn’t really faced Roger, so he didn’t count it as a loss.

Today he truly has the opportunity to match with Roger, yet he’s avoiding it.

No matter who wins in the end, Penny’s facade has been torn down.

Roger, he’s more like a warrior!”

Steve Jones voiced what most people were thinking, and this perception made Roger even more popular with neutral fans.

After all, who likes someone who always evades the opposing team’s strongest player?

In the second quarter, Penny and Roger spent most of their time resting.

But seizing the few opportunities to perform, Roger still managed to score 20 points by halftime.

20 points by halftime, this staggering number had completely flabbergasted Pippen, who wished he could return to the game today if possible.

Meanwhile, Krause, watching on television, was shouting like crazy: “Yeah!

Carry on, madman!

Just like that!

Don’t stop!”

Carrying the weight was encouragement, not stopping was recognition.

Krause really wanted to see what expression Michael Jordan had on his face right now.

Overall, Roger’s performance in the first half was perfect.

He used his insane firepower and a style of play that others despised to completely overwhelm Penny.

But Roger hadn’t achieved complete victory because, by halftime, the Bulls were only ahead by 6 points.

Roger’s offensive performance was certainly outstanding, but the Bulls’ defense couldn’t withstand the Warriors’ offense, so the gap didn’t widen.

The second half of the game almost followed the same rhythm.

Roger energetically fought Penny in defense and attacked Spree like a madman on offense.

And what about Penny?

Although he avoided Roger, he still made pass after pass that left people astonished.

The ferocious one-on-one battle and the magnificent control of the court by the masters were too close to call, bringing the game to a tense final moment.

In the 46th minute, both teams were tied.

In the three previous possessions, Roger’s shots had missed their mark.

Knowing well that Roger would definitely shoot, the Warriors put all their focus on him when defending, disregarding the other players.

This made Roger’s offensive moves a lot more difficult.

Meanwhile, Hardaway continued to play steadily, controlling the game with his passing and helping the team catch up by seizing opportunities.

It seemed Anfernee Hardaway’s proper basketball would eventually lead the team to victory.

During this critical offensive play, Hardaway, facing Roger’s defense, called for Owens to set a screen and looked for an opportunity to break through.

With his current defensive abilities, Roger naturally found it tough to squeeze past the screen in time, so Kukoc stepped in to help out a bit.

Seeing this, Hardaway immediately bounced the ball to Owens who was cutting down.

Even in such a critical play, Penny was still so methodical, and the Warriors fans were already gearing up to celebrate the basket.

However, this pass did not increase Hardaway’s assist count, but it did add to his turnover number.

Because Roger reached out across the path of the ball and snatched the pass intended for Owens straight out of the air!

His rational play had finally shown a flaw!

On the sidelines, the Zen Master nodded approvingly, “Anfernee has made five turnovers today, whereas Roger hasn’t had a single one yet.

So I really don’t understand how some people can say Roger isn’t as mature as Hardaway.

Scott, right?”

Pippen nodded with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “That’s right, Phil, yeah, he’s very mature.”

Mature my ass!

34 points, 0 assists, he doesn’t even pass the ball, of course, it’s not easy to make a mistake, that’s worth praising?

Turns out when it’s someone you like, even their feet smell sweet, huh!

After completing the steal, Roger counterattacked with the ball at high speed, with Owens, Spree, and Alexander chasing after him.

Owens and Spree were on either side of Roger, with Alexander pursuing from behind.

At that moment, Kukoc ran to the corner and had a very good opportunity.

Hardaway immediately ran towards Kukoc, trusting that after three consecutive missed shots, Roger would definitely choose to pass the ball this time.

All he needed to do was cut off the passing lane to steal the ball back.

But!

Roger resolutely jumped up for a layup among the three pursuers.

Despite having missed three times before, he didn’t hesitate for a second!

Roger and Hardaway were like two extremes!

In the air, Roger didn’t go for a high release but threaded his hand through the waist area between Spree and Owens, avoiding the block.

And despite being knocked off balance, he managed a low, underhanded layup that went in.

The graceful Finger Roll allowed Roger to elegantly take down three players in one go!

To be honest, Roger’s play wasn’t selfish at all.

He actually wanted to pass; it’s just that his skill didn’t allow it.

To securely pass the ball to Kukoc while being triple-teamed was just too difficult for Roger.

So, lacking in skill, he was forced to choose to score directly~

NBC commentator Steve Jones said in jest, “Roger still hasn’t passed the ball, but he put his team back in the lead!

The Warriors’ tight defense, once adapted to by Roger, has started to fail.

On the other hand, Penny’s magical passes are losing their charm.

Honestly, Anfernee should toughen up like Roger.

His passing routes have been figured out; he needs to take charge of the crucial offense, right?

Let’s see who will take the shot first in the clutch, Penny or Roger.”

The Warriors called a timeout.

After getting up from the floor, Roger roared triumphantly to the sky.

Roger with 36 points, 0 assists.

Hardaway with 20 points, 10 assists, and 5 turnovers.

The Warriors were down by 2 points in the clutch.

As soon as Roger stepped off the court, Cartwright excitedly stood up and embraced him, “Nearly 40 points, kid, step on it, you’re about to completely destroy Penny!”

That’s right, completely destroy.

If Roger really won the game with a high-scoring 0 assist performance against Penny’s rational play, then Penny’s myth would instantly shatter!

After all, rationality without victory is meaningless.

The Warriors fans were still fantasizing about victory, but Michael Jordan had already turned off the TV.

He could probably guess how the game would end.

Hardaway?

Definitely impressive.

But Michael Jordan had to admit, like himself, Roger was a true killer!

What a troublesome guy.