unfinished glory

Chapter 295 Three Fields Three States

The return of star players to their old clubs is an enduring drama in the Christmas game.This season is even more exciting. There are several pairs of such plots staged. George returned to the Pacers, Durant made his first game against the Thunder, and Li Chongxiao returned to the Grizzlies.

The least attention here is naturally the game between George and the Pacers.After George's rookie contract ended, he played well for two seasons, but the team hadn't made a breakthrough, so he started to get emotional and wanted to go to his hometown of Los Angeles.His goal is naturally the Lakers, and he is aiming at the vacant period of Kobe's retirement, so that he can succeed smoothly.

The Pacers contacted the Lakers and asked for Paul, but the Lakers refused without hesitation.But the Clippers were full of sincerity and gave away chips to impress the Pacers.So the team didn't care about George's attitude and sent him to the Clippers.Anyway, he was talking about going back to his hometown to play, and the Clippers are also in Los Angeles.

Amid booing, George completed his debut against his old club, but it was a pity that the performance was smashed, scoring 20 points on 6 of 18 shots.Julius Randle sent by the Clippers performed well, with 30 points and 15 rebounds to help the team defend the home court.

……

Durant's return to the Thunder is the most watched game.The Thunder drove away the leading star, and then sent away Ibaka's showmanship, which made people dazzled.Their record fell to the point where they would not be able to enter the playoffs, which was indeed expected by everyone, but what was unexpected was Westbrook's outbreak.

Westbrook has achieved an unfathomable triple-double per game. This is the reappearance of an ancient miracle, and it immediately caught the attention of many fans.Although the Thunder's record is always hovering between seventh and eighth in the Western Conference, this gimmick alone puts him at the forefront of the MVP rankings.

On this season's MVP list, apart from Li Chongxiao who ranked first, the Thunder's third young master stole the limelight.Westbrook ranked second with statistics, Durant ranked third with an excellent team record, and Harden also scored 30 points and 11 assists, ranking fourth.

Even James' 27+8+8 data can only fall in fifth, followed by Curry, Thomas Jr., Leonard, Antetokounmpo, Paul and others.

The "strength" of the Thunder's management suddenly surpassed that of the Magic, ranking first in the "brain-dead management" list.If they hadn't spared such a little money and maintained the lineup at that time, they might be the ones who rule the league now.After the Lakers fell, but did not wait until the Heat were extinguished and the Grizzlies were defeated, they only needed to persist for one or two seasons, and that was the time to reap the rewards.

From the time Curry was selected, the Warriors waited patiently, and then built a team around him for six or seven years before they had a chance to reach the top with external assists.The Thunder are still not satisfied with all their self-sufficiency, so it's no wonder that they will be tossing until the chickens fly.

This kind of drama added a lot of attention to Durant's first game back in Oklahoma.Before the game, Durant was more or less worried about gains and losses. After counting and counting, only Li Chongxiao and James had this kind of experience, so he called these two friends and asked how to deal with this "relationship".

James said a lot, and the summed up is not to be disturbed by others, but to be yourself.Li Chongxiao was more straightforward, saying that there is no second way in this situation, and it's over after convincing.

The first game he returned to San Antonio, all the Spurs fans hated him, and after he hit his opponent three times, the emotion became very subtle, hating and loving.This time Li Chongxiao was about to leave the Grizzlies, so many Spurs fans left messages on his social account, begging him to go back.

Although Li Chongxiao reminded Durant not to take chances, thinking that the Thunder fans would be considerate, but Durant was able to face the boos of the home fans, but he did not expect that Westbrook, who was like a brother, had such a cold attitude and took the initiative to say hello. I don't care about it.

After all, Durant is a sensitive person, so he couldn't help but listen to Li Chongxiao's words, went up and attacked fiercely, scored a career-high 61 points and led the team to a big victory, letting out a sigh of relief.

……

When Li Chongxiao was warming up, he heard the uproar at the scene.Looking up, the audience who was sitting full looked at him with complicated eyes.

When it came time to introduce the players, the actual situation was different from what he expected.Li Chongxiao originally thought he would hear boos, but what greeted him was the applause of more than three minutes from the audience.

Li Chongxiao was very moved and stood on the sidelines waving to the fans.The applause was not over until the announcer at the scene reminded that the players of the home team were about to come out.

Counting the three teams that Li Chongxiao belongs to, he is a bit of an icing on the cake for the Spurs, so the fans "don't care too much".And the Lakers have too much background, not to mention only being eliminated in the first round, even if they don't make the playoffs for six years, they still have the confidence to say that they will definitely come back.

Only the Grizzlies, the team was built for a short period of time, without a brilliant experience.There wasn't even an All-Star player before Li Chongxiao.What Li Chongxiao brought them was four championships, already much more than most teams in the league.

As fans who have witnessed all this, of course they will be very grateful to him.What's more, he didn't feel sorry for the Grizzlies.Everyone has seen what Ellison has done since he bought the team.As a player, there is nothing wrong with pursuing more honors in a limited career without being sorry for the team.

The two teams had wins and losses in the playoffs in the past few years, but they were just opponents, not enemies.The only one with some resentment may be Paul.From the super-first-tier big city Los Angeles to the third-tier Memphis, of course I am a little unhappy.

But after all, the Lakers not only helped him touch the floor of the Western Conference Finals, but also won the coveted championship.The honor is there, now only the money remains.The chances of getting the maximum salary with the Lakers in the next contract are not great, so I have to try other teams.

Sure enough, Ellison is very interesting, seeing the strong players in the West.Paul can still get 20+10, leading the Grizzlies to fifth, and just dropped a five-year maximum salary. Paul happily renewed his contract until 2022.In addition, his resentment towards the Lakers has eased a lot.

Since there is no enmity or grudge, the two sides fought peacefully.The Lakers are the team with the most offensive firepower in the league, averaging 118.4 points per game, an increase of 11 point from November.The Grizzlies are the league's best defensive team, averaging only 1 points per game.

Drummond, Green, Butler, Paul, and Tony Allen in exchange, this lineup made the rest of the league suffer.If it weren't for the weak offense and the lack of continuity in the bench lineup, they might have a seat in the top four.

Even so, other teams don't want to meet the Grizzlies.Winning or losing is secondary, mainly after a hand-to-hand battle, you have to rest for a long time.

In the opening stage, the spear of the Lakers failed to pierce the shield of the Grizzlies. When the interior was blocked, the team only took a 3-point lead with Li Chongxiao's scoring.

The score of the two teams in the first quarter was 23:20, and in the first half, it was only 48:41.On the bench, although the Lakers have older players, the Grizzlies are even worse. Only one Louis Williams can do it.

In the second half, the two sides still maintained a stable trend, and neither of them broke out suddenly, and the point difference has been hovering within ten points.

In the opening stage of the last quarter, the Grizzlies almost turned the madness over.Butler played extremely hard and continued to force, and Jabari Parker scored a wave of 6:0.After the main force came on the field, Paul made another three-pointer to tie the game.

At the critical moment, Li Chongxiao stood up. He blocked Butler, and made two consecutive three-pointers to open the score again.Seeing that the team could turn around, but was suppressed by Li Chongxiao, the audience sighed.

The strength of the superstar was reflected in the end. Faced with the double-teaming of Green, Butler and Tony Allen, only Li Chongxiao could make the ball steadily.

But Butler and Paul got lost in the Lakers' defense, ruining the chance of a comeback.

97:92, Li Chongxiao continued his victory over his old club.

(End of this chapter)