038: Are you counting on him, Charles?

Today, upon arriving at the training base, Roger met the team's equipment manager John Ligmanowski in the parking lot.

John had been working for the Bulls since 1983 and had witnessed Jordan's entire peak career. Normally, he would just nod at Roger, but today he stretched out his hand to fist bump Roger, "Don't mind what the media says, we all know how strong you are. Annihilate Barkley's fat ass tonight, OK?"

It wasn't just John Ligmanowski. Every team staff member Roger encountered afterward said something similar, "Go for it, Roger, take down that jerk Charles!"

The pre-game atmosphere of this match was different from before.

No one wanted to lose to the team they were defeated by in last season's finals, much like how in 2024, Nuggets fans didn't want the Lakers to advance.

When Roger entered the massage room on the second floor of the training base, he saw Pippen lying on one of the beds.