Champion Creed-Chapter 520 - 191: The first Triple Crown city? (Requesting monthly tickets!)

Chapter 520: 191: The first Triple Crown city? (Requesting monthly tickets!)

The 1997-98 season was destined to become a historical dividing line.

For the past three years, people had actually regarded Michael Jordan as the king of the league, with Roger fighting in the role of the challenger.

And now, the crown had been placed on Roger’s head.

Who could be the next one to snatch away the crown?

The media couldn’t predict who would be the next to snatch away the crown, but most of them believed that the next season would likely be the year of the West.

With Jordan’s retirement and the Magic’s disbandment, the Eastern teams’ domination over the league began to waver.

The Seattle SuperSonics, the Utah Jazz, the Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs...

The Western teams seemed to have a more championship-like presence.

They either maintained their luxurious lineups without change, or new forces were emerging.

John Anderson of "SportsCenter" wasn’t wrong when he said that the summer of ’97 changed the league’s landscape even more than ’96.

In contrast, the East, at least on paper, didn’t look as dazzling as the West.

The Miami Heat had a balanced roster, but the problem was the same as last season—they were all second-in-command without a clear leader.

As for the Hawks, Roger thought the team’s lineup was quite decent because he knew his teammates had the potential to develop well.

But in the eyes of the media, the Hawks roster looked like this:

Alan Henderson, a slim forward who was neither here nor there and whose previous season had been curtailed by injury.

Kurt Thomas, a short big man whose height advantage was lost, making him feel as awkward as a toothpick stirred in a pot in the NBA.

Clifford Robinson, an old guard who still had some use.

Eric Snow, a substitute who was useless except for his defense.

Bruce Bowen, never heard of him.

Ben Wallace, never heard of him.

Pippen and Steve Smith? Both were indeed good assistants, but how could you ensure that Roger wouldn’t start a fight with them right on the court?

Even, how could you ensure that Pippen and Roger wouldn’t start fighting over Larsa’s bed?

Of course, the media believed in Roger’s individual abilities.

The previous two seasons when Shaq was injured, the record of Roger leading the team alone was solid.

So, it was certain that the Hawks’ results wouldn’t be too bad, and it was no problem to be within the top three of their division. You could still say that the Hawks were a championship-contending team.

But for Roger, was finishing in the top three of the division considered a success?

Did they really have a considerable chance to compete for the championship?

The overall public opinion still seemed to favor the Western teams’ chances a bit more.

And not winning the championship next season wasn’t even the worst-case scenario that Roger would have to face.

After all, the Hawks’ lineup wasn’t luxurious, and no one would blame Roger if they didn’t win the championship. As long as the results weren’t too horrendous, Roger would have maintained his status.

The worst-case scenario for Roger would be if Shaq managed to win a championship first.

This would absolutely have a massive impact on Roger’s public image and status.

What does Shaq winning a championship first mean? It would be akin to Wade and Bosh winning another championship after the disbandment of the Heat’s Big Three.

If that happened, even the shameless Nike would find it awkward to position James next to the GOAT.

Look at how Durant’s position became particularly awkward after the Warriors won another championship without him, closing the loop on the Green formula. The nickname "Death" was barely mentioned anymore.

This was what Roger now had to face.

The competition between Shaq and Roger was also the part that fans were most excited about.

Since neither of you acknowledged the other, let’s see who could better lead their team.

Once the news of O’Neal insulting Roger in a song was reported, their conflict practically sustained all sports media.

David Stern seized the business opportunity and arranged for the Hawks to play against the Lakers in the opening game.

With Michael Jordan’s retirement, the league needed a spectacular opening game to attract the attention of all fans.

When Pete Babcock got his hands on the schedule, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

When had the Hawks ever played in the opening game? There wasn’t a last time!

Moreover, next season, the Hawks were the team with the most nationally televised games across the entire league, also unprecedented.

All of this indicated that the next season would be the most profitable season in Hawks’ franchise history.

But when Babcock shared this good news with Ted Turner, the captain’s reaction wasn’t all that great.

"Is that so? That’s nice," Turner said.

Ted Turner certainly knew that Roger could bring in a lot of money for the Hawks, and he wouldn’t say something hypocritical like "I’m not interested in money."

But making money wasn’t his ultimate goal.

Next season, Atlanta’s sports fans were in for a treat.

Because the local baseball team, football team, and basketball team were all championship-level contenders.

The World Series was in November, the Super Bowl in January, and the NBA Finals in June. If all went well, Atlanta would gradually claim three championships!

No city in North American sports history had ever swept the championships of these three events in the same year.

If achieved, it would be the most extraordinary feat.

So, Ted Turner, like countless Atlanta sports fans, cared only about victory.

To promote this potentially great season, the entire city of Atlanta had put up slogans about the "Triple Crown."

Last year was the Olympics, and this year could be the miraculous year of the Triple Crown—Atlanta’s sports market was unprecedentedly huge.

But this also put pressure on the players of the three teams.

After all, no one wanted to be on the team that broke down and missed the chance to make history for the city.