Chapter 1171: Chapter 372: The Biggest Mistake I Made Since Becoming NBA Commissioner in 1984
This seems to be the epitome of his career after leaving Roger. For this once good brother, now enemy, he has no choice but to look up.
The referee blew the whistle, giving Shaq a foul.
This means Roger, who has already scored 71 points, is going to the line for free throws.
Shaq sat on the ground, unwilling to get up for a long time.
Finally, Roger walked up to him with a sympathetic smile.
"How about this, you pay me back the money for the Ferrari rims, and I won’t blame you. I can guarantee this is the last time I’ll score 70 points on you."
After saying that, Shaq was substituted out, Roger went on to make his free throws, scoring a career-high 72 points in the first game of the 04-05 season — the third highest single-game score in NBA history after Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points and 78 points.
Finally, the Warriors won the season opener at home 127-116.
Dirk Nowitzki’s 42 points became a futile effort, Shaquille O’Neal scored 28, and the new rule was fair to everyone, at least Dirk scoring 40 wasn’t that difficult.
But it’s clear this rule will make Roger’s scoring become even more uncontrollable.
On-site, David Stern turned to his assistant Adam Silver: "This is the worst mistake I’ve ever made since becoming NBA commissioner in 1984!"
He was, of course, referring to the implementation of the No HandCheck rule.
After the game, Shaquille O’Neal attended the press conference and talked about Roger’s current status.
"Do you think Roger already has the qualifications to be called the GOAT?"
In the past, Shaq’s response would have been very predictable.
"He’s just a lousy excuse for a GOAT."
"Shaq is the real GOAT."
"Roger is just a feeble goat but not the greatest of all time."
But this time, Shaquille O’Neal, who was almost enemies with Roger six years ago, showed a surprisingly gentle attitude.
"You know, Roger and I, we had all kinds of conflicts when we were young. But looking back at all my criticisms of Roger, never once did I say he couldn’t play basketball. The conflict between us was never about personal skill. Roger has always been a very skilled player. I wouldn’t say he’s already the greatest of all time, but he is indeed the closest to that position."
After Shaquille O’Neal said this, the reporters below were all shocked.
Wait... Is Shaq actually praising Roger!?
O’Neal leaned on his chair and recalled the question that had troubled him for years — How many championships could they have won if they hadn’t parted ways with Roger?
No answer, there’s never an answer.
Roger’s explosive performance of 73 points in a single game kicked off the Warriors’ defending season, and the day after the game, fans and players keenly noticed that the League had made some adjustments to the No HandCheck rule.
According to the literal rule, the defending player cannot use their hands to touch the offensive player’s body when the offensive player is outside the restricted area.
But on the second day of the game, the enforcement was noticeably relaxed. As long as you weren’t actively pushing against the players’ torso fronts, the referees would mostly turn a blind eye.
Defensive intensity remained looser compared to before, but not too loose.
So much so that AI, ready for a big offensive, only scored 18 points in the first game of the new season.
After the game, AI shrugged: "Because of Roger, No HandCheck has practically become nonexistent, I think this is perhaps the shortest-lived rule in NBA history."
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I suggest the League modify the rules to limit Roger: Non-American players cannot play in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. If Roger applies for US nationality because of this, then the Dream Team will be saved, either way it’s a winning rule without losing. — "Slam."
This is the first time I’ve seen the NBA change game rules between two days, and they did it just to limit one player. Although in the official documents, the No HandCheck rule still exists, we can all see the difference, that rule is as ridiculous as some states’ laws banning marijuana. Roger’s greatness can no longer be measured by championships, he is even the standard for the League’s rule-making! — "San Francisco Chronicle."
Thanks to the League’s timely correction, otherwise we would have seen Roger play out a season averaging 40 points! — "The New York Times."
As for what Shaq said at the press conference, I’m not surprised. Yes, for six years, this is almost the first time Shaq has publicly praised Roger. This means the 34-year-old Shaq virtually admits that he has lost to Roger in their competition. Believe me, more people will admit this in the future. Because they will realize, losing to the greatest in history is not something particularly shameful. — Bill Simmons’ column.