047: The First Close Encounter with the Demon

Anfernee Hardaway was thoroughly defeated this time.

By defeat, it means that Nike found they couldn't even spin the loss in a positive light afterward.

Play with pride despite defeat, the spirit of a moral victory? Roger has been chasing Penny all over the court, while Penny has been dodging Roger. Clearly, Roger's mental game was stronger.

Reasonable comparison? Roger's 40 points and 0 assists may indeed be unreasonable, but using Hardaway's rule-abiding 20 points and 10 assists to challenge the youngest ever to score 40 just seems foolish.

Continue marketing Penny as the sunny, good-guy image? He kicked over a trash can after the game and at the press conference said only, "Yeah, Roger always makes those damn shots," before angrily tossing the microphone and storming out. None of this fits with his original image.