Champion Creed-Chapter 525 - 192: This is the fun of playing ball with Roger (Vote for monthly ticket!)_2

Chapter 525: 192: This is the fun of playing ball with Roger (Vote for monthly ticket!)_2

Following that, they shifted their target to Stevie Smith, "Steve, I’m surprised it took you so long to request a trade. I totally get it; it must be tough hanging with that asshole. Don’t be envious of the great atmosphere on our team; I can only say you’re unlucky."

Stevie Smith didn’t react much, but Shaq’s words really hit him where it hurt.

Pippen and Stevie Smith both felt stifled. Ever since Roger arrived, they hadn’t had a single peaceful day.

Stevie Smith was cursed out every day.

Since the offseason conversation with Roger, Pippen hadn’t had any more friction with Roger, but every day he was mocked by journalists and opponents alike, just as Shaq had mocked him, and it made him lose all his dignity.

They were both fed up; they didn’t understand why fate was so unfair as to send Roger to torment them in Atlanta.

What could they possibly gain from being teammates with Roger?

With their frustration, the two moved toward the center circle, ready to start the game.

For the fans, the starting lineups of both teams were quite fresh.

The Lakers’ starting five this year were Van Exel, Kobe, Eddie Jones, Rick Fox, and Shaq.

The Hawks’ starters were Pippen, Stevie Smith, Roger, Alan Henderson, and Kurt Thomas.

O’Neal continued to mock the Hawks, "Hey Roger, how short is your team’s center?"

Previously, Roger had kept quiet in the face of O’Neal’s provocations.

But now that he was on the court, it was showtime for Roger, "You have the nerve to say that? Everyone here lying down is taller than you."

Shaq instantly got so angry he started jumping, "You’ve never seen my height!"

"Ah right, right, we showered together for three years, and I never saw it, because it’s so shriveled I can’t see it. Scott, this guy isn’t even a third of what you are. Steve, if you don’t believe me, you can go check out the Lakers’ locker room later; I guarantee you’ll be in for an eye-opener. You know why the atmosphere is so good in the Lakers’ camp? Because they’ve got a full-time clown in their dressing room." Roger also took this opportunity to stand up for Pippen and Stevie Smith.

"You motherfucker..."

"Enough, shut up, let’s play ball!" The referee stopped the increasingly vulgar argument.

Pippen started laughing. It felt great going from being sprayed by Roger to hearing Roger spray others.

Stevie Smith thought Roger was vulgar beyond belief, but... seeing that arrogant O’Neal embarrassed was indeed satisfying.

What could they possibly gain from being teammates with Roger?

It seemed they were beginning to understand.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands, the referee tossed up the ball.

Shaq used his height advantage to get possession of the ball first; he quickly sank into the post, established his position, and raised his hand shouting, "Give me the ball!"

Kurt Thomas was a tough guy, but even he couldn’t prevent Shaq from getting his spot.

O’Neal was confident. Once he got the ball, he could finish easily.

But there was a problem; O’Neal realized the ball wasn’t coming his way.

The Hawks positioned Pippen at point guard, which was totally stealing on defense.

Van Exel was tied down by Pippen and couldn’t feed the ball to Shaq.

In the end, he tried to get past Pippen with some fancy dribbling moves.

But those moves were nothing but child’s play in front of Pippen. As Van Exel was preparing to break through, Pippen lowered his center of gravity and with a quick hand swipe, precisely knocked the ball away!

Van Exel immediately went to pick up the ball, but as soon as he got it, Stevie Smith joined in for a trap.

Pippen was 203 centimeters, Stevie Smith 201 centimeters.

The tiny 185-centimeter Van Exel looked even more miserable sandwiched between these two men than those female artists in films with multiple black actors.

People joked about the Hawks’ lack of height, but actually, the Hawks’ height on the perimeter was absolutely supreme.

The 198-centimeter Roger was even the shortest of the starting lineup.

In reality, the Hawks had a line-up full of "sci-fi" vibes, just like what Pat Riley said: The future basketball lineup will consist of five players around 206 centimeters tall, versatile in skills, outstanding in physical fitness, not confined to particular positions.

When Van Exel got lost between the two giants, he heard the referee’s whistle.

"Lakers’ number 34, three-second violation on offense. Hawks’ ball!"

"Damn it, what are you doing?" Del Harris was very dissatisfied with this offensive possession; he didn’t know why O’Neal was lingering in the key.

He was solely focused on the post-up, but was it that simple?

After being scolded by the coach, O’Neal took his anger out on the referee, shouting, "Enough! Kurt Thomas committed at least five or six fouls against me. He kneed me from behind, elbowed me, and even pinched my ass! And then, you call a three-second violation on me?"

At that moment, Roger appeared, clapping, "Look at that, this is the greatest leader ever~"

"Argh!!! Shut up! Just shut up! When will you ever learn to shut up, you idiot!" O’Neal roared like a madman; the first offense of the new season, and Roger nearly broke his composure.

But Roger didn’t care about O’Neal at all; he turned to Pippen and Stevie Smith, mimicking the "Donnie Yen pointing and laughing" expression meme, "I told you, the Lakers have a clown."

Cool, Pippen and Stevie Smith’s frustration vanished in an instant.

Seeing O’Neal, who had provoked them before the game, now being played like a dumb donkey, they truly felt awesome.