I just play ball

Chapter 102
[-] p.m. on the [-]th, Staples Center.

The sound of basketball hitting the board, scratching the net, and smashing the ground came one after another. The Lakers and Clippers were warming up before the game.

The arena was opened to the media and VIP fans in advance, and there were clicks and clicks of mobile phones taking pictures on the sidelines.

Swish!Li Yue hit a super long three-pointer, raised his hand to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, walked to the sidelines, picked up Gatorade and sipped his head back.

"Can you sign me?" A crisp voice came from behind, sounding a little reserved and shy.

Li Yue turned his head sideways and found a little boy, about five or six years old, holding a notebook and a pen in his hand, looking at him with wide eyes expectantly, standing beside a middle-aged woman who looked like his mother, whispering with words of encouragement.

"Of course." Li Yue took the notebook and pen with a smile, and wrote down his name.

"My name is Jimmy." The little boy put his feet on the chair, put his hands on his face and smiled, "Can you write a message?"

"Okay." Li Yue thought for a while, and said while writing, "I wish you will always be as happy as you are now."

"Thank you very much." Jimmy's eyes lit up, "I wish you a big home victory tonight."

"Thank you." Li Yue raised his hand and touched Jimmy's head, "But we are playing away tonight."

"Yeah?" Jimmy turned around in doubt, "Mom, didn't you say that the Lakers are at home tonight?"

The middle-aged woman smiled awkwardly, bent down and hugged Jimmy, "Look at these fans who came early, they all took pictures of the Lakers players, so tonight is the Lakers' home game, and you are not wrong."

Hearing this, Jimmy bit his little hand thoughtfully, "Whoever has the most will play the home game?"

Seeing that the mother seemed to want to help the child build self-confidence, Li Yue did not continue to correct it. The key point seems to be no problem. The Clippers won the home game tonight only because of their better record in the regular season. The nature of representing a city or region alone is completely different, not to mention that the other party is here to support oneself.

Li Yue waved goodbye, got up and walked into the field to continue shooting.

Artest came over and stood side by side, "Have you found a house yet? I know a lot of good real estate agents, and I can introduce you to a few. In addition, I suggest you get a girlfriend, so that people on social networks won't guess."

Li Yue tilted his head when he heard the words, and wondered why Artest suddenly had an elder-like conversation. Could it be because he changed his name and became Buddhist?

"When you reach a certain age, you have to do what you need to do," Artest continued, "Buying a house and getting married can give people a sense of trust, improve your personal image virtually, and help you receive more high-quality endorsements. "

"There is still such a saying?" Li Yue frowned deliberately, sighing in his heart that the whole world is the same.

"Of course, otherwise, why do those running for governor always emphasize how long they have been married to their wives, and they always bring their family to attend important occasions?" Artest said, "It is to give people a very stable feeling."

"It seems to make sense." Li Yue touched his chin, "Is this what your wife said?"

"Um... Anyway, it's good if you understand." Artest became hesitant, "Look at the Clippers, because they don't have their own home court, they are always despised and disliked. You'd better buy a house early."

"Remember, thank you." Li Yue nodded, changed the subject and started talking about how to play against the Clippers.

...

The time soon came to 06:30, the pre-match warm-up was over, and Li Yue accepted the sideline interview according to the team's arrangement.

ESPN is responsible for the live broadcast of the game, and commentator Jeff Van Gundy temporarily appeared as a guest reporter to ask him questions.

"How have you been these two days? I read your Twitter records, it seems that you only rested for half a day?"

"Yes, we held a team training session yesterday, which was organized spontaneously and was quite fulfilling."

"Tonight against the Clippers, do you have any special preparations? Are you planning to respond on the court?"

Li Yue smiled lightly when he heard the words, and put his hands on his hips, "Those statements are boring, and time will prove everything."

"Lamar Odom was interviewed yesterday, and his rhetoric can lock you in all directions. What's your response?"

Li Yue shrugged, "Everyone should have self-confidence. He is still a meritorious player for the Lakers, and I play similarly to him, and I am also an all-around player, so I don't mind what he said. Just see him on the court."

...

After the interview, Li Yue returned to the locker room, and D'Antoni immediately called the whole team to hold a pre-match meeting.

The whole team sat around to watch the latest edited Clippers defensive analysis video, and assistant coach Phil was responsible for the explanation.

He emphasized that the Clippers have averaged 94.6 points per game this season, and their defensive efficiency ranks fourth in the league. The outside starter has three consecutive steals champions, Chris Paul of the best defensive team five times, and experienced FMVP Chauncey Belu Puth, on the inside, has the rising defensive star DeAndre Jordan, which can be described as balanced inside and outside, but he is not defensively strong and weak like the Grizzlies, Pacers, and Bulls. He averaged 101.1 points per game and tied for sixth in the league in offensive efficiency.

The weak point of the Clippers' defense lies in the front line. Griffin is short among power forwards, with short arms and poor defensive awareness. The moving speed is too slow.

After explaining the video, D'Antoni announced the strategy for the first battle: Li Yue and Gasol will attack.

...

At the end of the video analysis meeting, Li Yue followed the whole team to the player tunnel and waited. It was exactly seven o'clock

After waiting for a few minutes, the DJ shouted in a normal tone: "Welcome the Los Angeles Lakers."

The whole team started running after hearing the news, Li Yue took the lead and rushed out of the field, and cheers resounded in the Staples Center instantly.

Although there was no special lighting, almost all the fans at the scene gave a standing ovation, and the central big screen showed Sterling sitting on the sidelines with disdain.

Everyone stood still, and the DJ on the scene shouted loudly and emotionally: "Welcome to the players of the Los Angeles Clippers team. The first player to play is the four-time steals leader..."

Before the words were finished, there were boos from the audience, as excited as seeing an enemy, and the big central screen showed Sterling sitting on the sidelines again, with a grumpy face.

The boos continued to flow until the DJ introduced Griffin, but they still rang through the arena.

The pre-match ceremony ended in an instant, the long whistle sounded, the players of the two teams entered the field, and the fans shouted LetsGoLA in unison.

Sterling couldn't help it, jumped up and cursed, but he didn't dare to point at the fans, so he could only curse the air.

All the Clippers players showed embarrassment. Paul called the whole team together with a serious expression and shouted for the Clippers to come on.

……

ESPN commentary seats.

Brin turned to look at Van Gundy: "In this game, Lakers backup point guard Blake returned from injury. How do you think this affects the game?"

"The Lakers are more stable, and they won't lose points because of weaker substitutes like they did against the Spurs last game."

(End of this chapter)