76: 056: Michael_2 No Longer Revolves Around the World 76: 056: Michael_2 No Longer Revolves Around the World Roger looked up confusedly at Abunassar, who hurriedly walked toward the door, “I assure you, Roger, I’ve already informed all the staff not to disturb you.”
“Relax, Joe, I’m not blaming you, nor will I dock your pay this month.
Just see who it is and tell them to leave.”
Roger watched as Abunassar reached the gym’s main door, pulled it open, and then froze.
“I’m not sure, Roger.
This girl seems like she’s lost,” Abunassar said, stepping aside so Roger could see the young woman standing at the gym door.
The girl at the door was equally puzzled, “Um…
sorry, I’m a member of the Illinois State cheerleading team.
Today, our team came to visit the Berto Center.
Bill said today they would pick a lucky spectator to watch Roger train, and I’m that lucky spectator, so here I am.”
Roger sighed, Bill Cartwright loved pulling these pointless pranks.
Last time, he had stuffed Kukoc’s locker with socks that hadn’t been washed in a week.
Kukoc thought a dead mouse had gotten into the locker after training.
Roger waved his hand at Abunassar, signaling for him to send the girl back.
Abunassar blocked the door with his body again, “Sorry, young lady, go back please.
Bill was just joking with you.
Our training isn’t open to the public.
But don’t be sad, you’ll still get a signed jersey from Roger.”
Roger really hadn’t expected his own branded merchandise would solve so many problems.
The young woman looked around, “Bill said Roger would drive the lucky spectator back.
I told my team they didn’t need to wait for me.
Now, if I go out alone, I can’t even get a taxi.”
That was true; the Berto Center was located in the suburbs of Chicago, making it nearly impossible to get around without a car.
Right then and there, Roger swore to himself that he would also stuff a week’s worth of socks in Cartwright’s locker.
“Joe, have the girl wait at the door, don’t let her wander around, and we’ll continue training.
After we finish, you take her back.”
An hour later, Roger, done with training, walked out of the locker room in fresh clothes.
Of course, he didn’t take that box left by Cartwright.
Who would be so heartless as to fool a female college student?
But upon seeing the girl’s face, Roger realized Scottie Pippen was really heartless.
It was none other than Larsa Younan, who would become extremely famous in the world of celebrity aunts.
How could Scottie have the heart to let a college girl take such a heavy societal beating?
Even though Larsa made the sons of Pippen and Jordan keep coming back for more, honestly, Roger always felt Larsa wasn’t his type.
I won’t even mention “Cougar Auntie” version of Larsa; surgery had transformed her into something abstract.
Especially those lips, akin to sausage skins – kissing her probably felt no different than kissing two bicycle tires for Jordan’s son.
And even this 18-year-old Larsa didn’t appeal to Roger.
Her skin was especially rough, and she didn’t look that good bare-faced.
Roger had no interest in this woman, and maybe Cartwright was trying to do a good deed, but he clearly didn’t understand Roger’s taste.
So, Roger didn’t steal Pippen’s girl.
In the end, Abunassar drove Roger home first, then took Larsa back to school alone.
Yet the next day, the news that Roger’s car took a college girl back to school still made the front page of every major Chicago newspaper.
Although people didn’t capture who the driver was, since it was Roger’s car, the driver was naturally assumed to be Roger himself.
This incident didn’t stir much further buzz because from March 23 to April 15, the Bulls, in spectacular form, played their longest winning streak of the season, 12 consecutive wins!
Ever since his last failed game-winner, Roger had been unstoppable, scoring over 30 points in six of those 12 games.
This outstanding performance and the approaching playoffs soon made the event of Roger’s car appearing at a university campus fade from memory.
People were still unaware that this temporarily forgotten news would later lead to a famous saying in the basketball world, forever making Scottie Pippen the butt of jokes.
In the last season game, the Bulls met their old rivals, the Knicks, again.
This time, the Bulls defeated their opponent 98 to 86, winning against the Knicks for the first time that season, and finished with a record of 57 wins and 25 losses, ranking second in the East, miraculously matching last season’s performance despite losing MJ.
At least based on the regular season’s performance, Jordan’s departure seemed to have no real impact on the team.
But considering Riley only allowed his starters to play for 20 minutes, this victory wasn’t very convincing.
After the game, Riley indeed didn’t take the loss to heart, “I welcome that kid to come look for revenge if he can make it to the Eastern Finals.
Folks, I think we should talk about Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley instead.”
Riley, with his eyes on the championship, didn’t consider a rookie a threat; his focus was already on those in the West who might compete with him for the title.
Roger returned home, looked at the room full of darts on a Riley poster, silently walked over to it, and took down the darts one by one.
He no longer needed such childish ways to vent his anger.