Champion Creed

Payton was furious. Since the 1996 Finals when he was crushed by Roger, the SuperSonics had been unable to recover. Forget about the championship, they hadn’t even made it to the Finals again.

Seeing himself already 35 years old, Payton didn’t want to end his career like this, not wanting to be a player without a championship.

For the championship, he was willing to sacrifice the contract amount and his standing in the team, as long as he could win the championship, he didn’t care.

But what he couldn’t endure was being humiliated by others!

At this stage, Payton still had some pride of a superstar. Originally positioned in the Lakers, he was adamantly unwilling to execute the Triangle Offense. You know, even Karl Malone obediently became a piece in the Triangle Offense, but Gary Payton refused to execute it.

This was one of the reasons why the Lakers’ Fab Four were destined to fail.

Seeing Payton increasingly losing control, the 38-year-old David Robinson patted Payton’s shoulder: "Calm down, buddy."

Payton closed his eyes, took a couple of deep breaths, and stopped arguing with Roger.

The game was about to start, the Spurs’ starting five were Parker, Payton, Bowen, and the Twin Towers. On paper, the strength was still quite strong.

After the tip-off, Duncan fought for possession for the Spurs. Although he had gone through serious injuries, Duncan’s athletic ability hadn’t entirely declined yet.

As a defensive team, the Spurs’ offensive plays weren’t too complicated. Duncan set a screen for Parker and then moved down low. Seeing no breakthrough opportunity, Parker passed the ball to Duncan.

Then David Robinson stepped out, Payton and Bowen took positions at the two corners, and the stage was set for the poker face.