Champion Creed

Three points swished through the net, Allan Houston's scoring looked effortless.

Don Chaney couldn't help but applaud, in Allan Houston, you could see the shadows of those intelligent players.

His cuts and backdoor runs were so on point, his shooting was steadier than the foundations of the World Trade Center.

Lindsey Hunter and Allan Houston could make a fine backcourt pairing, if it were up to him, he'd pick the two of them right away.

Of course, the decision wasn't Don Chaney's to make, but after the game, he felt General Manager McKinney would share his mindset.

The game continued, and Roger's offensive approach was completely different from Allan Houston's.

He didn't engage in complex movements, instead, he just raised his hand, signaling Bobby Hurley for the ball.

After receiving the ball, Roger dribbled between his legs, changed direction, then pulled the ball dramatically in front of him. The opponent hesitated, perplexed, and in a daze, was already shaken off by Roger.

Roger didn't have a historical first-step burst, his crossovers were mostly due to his excellent ball-handling rhythm.

After breaking into mid-range, Roger hit the shot with the same perfection as Houston's.

Attack, attack, attack, that seemed to be Roger's basketball principle.

Once he had the ball, he hardly entertained any other thoughts but how to get the ball through the hoop.

Don Chaney disdained this style of play, this kid really thinks he's a superstar.

In high school, this kind of play might work, but did he really think it would be so simple in NBA-level competition? Did he truly believe he could make it to the NBA with such rudimentary skills?

For some reason, Don Chaney felt an urge to educate the youngster.

He wanted to tell Roger, the prodigy hyped by the media, that basketball wasn't as simple as he thought.

So he clapped his hands and shouted to the court, "Hunter, next round you defend Roger."

He believed the key to restraining Roger was keeping up with his speed. As long as there was continuous disruption in front of him, Roger wouldn't score easily. Therefore, using the shorter but faster Lindsey Hunter to guard Roger could be more effective.

Pistons General Manager Billy McKinney frowned, "You shouldn't do that, we should remain neutral, you're not coaching any of these teams."

Don Chaney disagreed, "I think we should indeed test a player like that, putting him through tough conditions to struggle in the trial makes sense."

"Then why don't you test Allan as well?"

Don Chaney replied without hesitation, "Allan is on another level, testing him is pointless, we all know he can handle any defense."

But soon, Don Chaney was proven wrong.

This time on offense, Allan Houston took the ball to break through. Houston also had ball-handling skills and wanted to showcase them to the Pistons.

But just as he was about to take a shot with both hands on the ball, Roger came up with outstretched arms for a double team.

Roger's one-on-one defense still lacked, but through training and studying game footage, his help defense awareness had greatly improved.

Allan Houston hesitated to shoot or not, and that hesitation made him miss the best moment to pass the ball.

By the time he passed it out, Roger had already reached out and touched it, disrupting the pass and aggressively following up.

Roger's pressure caused Allan Houston, whom Don Chaney claimed could "solve any defense," to make a mistake!

Billy McKinney stared at Roger, walking over to Don Chaney, "Looks like you were wrong, Allan isn't an all-cure pill either."

Don Chaney did not respond; he just hoped that Lindsey Hunter would show some spine in the next defensive play and expose the high schooler's true level.

After the steal, Roger moved the ball to the three-point line, saw the 188 cm tall Hunter defending him, and deliberately slowed down his pace.

He didn't try fancy dribbling to break through; instead, he directly posted up!

Billy McKinney laughed, "This kid is smart! He knows you want to use a speed-type player against him, so he chose to use his height advantage for a post-up play!"

Don Chaney also laughed, "He has no post-up game, it's just a desperate choice!"

But immediately after, Roger easily backed down Hunter to a mid-range spot, then turned around for a beautiful bank shot to score.

Don Chaney got slapped in the face again!

Roger indeed didn't post up much in high school because he was too thin, and the physicality was too much of a disadvantage for him.

But now at 87 kilograms, Roger had no trouble handling someone like Lindsey Hunter who was a full 10 kilograms lighter than him.

Roger's post moves and footwork weren't as flashy as Jordan's, but when it came to the turnaround jumper, Roger was very confident.

In fact, before Duncan, the Spurs' first generation star Iceman was a master at bank shooting.

You could say that anything to do with touch, Iceman was a master of, and everything related to Iceman, Roger excelled at.

Roger kept scoring; he was at ease playing among the top college players.

Billy McKinney clapped happily, "The kid's offense is already quite mature, and his defense is sufficiently active. If we miss out on Roger at the draft, the fans might smash the Palace of Auburn Hills."

Don Chaney didn't respond; he was feeling quite humiliated!

He turned his attention to Allan Houston, hoping he would do something.