warrior godfather

Chapter 192 Everything is back!
Los Angeles, Staples Center.

If you want to say which team in the NBA is the worst, I am afraid many people will blurt out the name of the Clippers.

Many small teams have a small market and no superstars, but they always have the support of local fans and have a certain foundation. Even the Bobcats have many local fans in Charlotte.

Although the Clippers are in a metropolis like Los Angeles and use a well-known stadium in the United States, the Staples Center, they are too close to the Lakers and too far from heaven. There are not many Los Angeles people who support the Clippers. It is the eternal purple and gold giants in the minds of Californians.

Beside a super team with constant superstars and won more than a dozen championship trophies, the life of the Clippers is very difficult, but they also encountered such a wonderful stingy owner like Sterling, and Elgin Baylor, a blatant undercover who may have been sent by his rivals in the same city, can be said to be unmatched by anyone.

Under the leadership of such a wise and mighty management team, the Clippers will naturally miss the playoffs. They hang out in the lottery all the year round.

It was only in the 2005-2006 season that it re-entered the playoffs after a lapse of nine years. It unexpectedly reached the second round of the Western Conference, and lost to the Suns with a big score of 3:4, which surprised the entire league.

But the next season, the Clippers missed the playoffs with the ninth ranking in the Western Conference. In the 2007-2008 season, with the reimbursement of captain Elton Brand for the season, the Clippers' ranking quickly fell to the bottom of the league.

This season is almost over, the Clippers captain changed from Elton Brand to Baron Davis, but the record is still not the slightest look, currently ranked third from the bottom in the West, booked a high pick this year picks.

It stands to reason that such a miserable team won't get much attention, and there won't be too many fans in the home game, but the attendance at the Staples Center tonight is very high, almost [-]% of the seats are full , but many spectators were wearing Warriors blue, white or gold cheering T-shirts.

This is actually not surprising. The distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco is only 600 kilometers, and this game is a key battle for the Warriors. It also coincides with the weekend. Many Warriors fans came to Los Angeles to cheer for the Warriors.

Golden State fans still remember the miracle of the Black Eight two seasons ago. After two years of sinking, they saw the hope of the team entering the playoffs again, and immediately broke out with the most fanatical emotions, and they did not hesitate to drive for several hours , to support the Warriors.

At this time, it was only half an hour before the start of the game. The Warriors and Clippers players came to the court to warm up. Curry looked around the sidelines for a while and found Ayesha sitting in the front row.

Ayesha waved towards Curry, and Curry smiled. He looked at Ayesha who was smiling like a flower, and thought of the game where the Warriors played the Lakers before the All-Star break.

He still remembers the wonderful feeling of scoring 50+ and hitting the game-winning shot. That is what happened on this field. The difference is that today the logo was returned and the opponent was changed.

Curry looked back at Ayesha, dribbled the ball twice, raised his hand and threw a three-pointer.

brush!
The basketball was hollowed into the net, and Curry showed a smile at the corner of his mouth. He felt that he was no longer as tired as before, and his whole body seemed to be much lighter.

brush!
He took the pass from the trainer and hit another hollow three-pointer, the smile on his face even wider.

Brush, brush, brush!
Curry made consecutive three-pointers, and every time he made a shot, he took a step back, getting farther and farther away from the three-point line, but the basketball slipped into the basket smoothly every time.

brush!
He stepped on the logo of the Clippers and made an ultra-long three-pointer. After causing a burst of exclamation from the fans, he ended the shooting warm-up before the game.

"Oh, did you see, Charles, Curry hit a logo three-pointer!" Kenny Smith smiled and said to Barkley beside him in the commentary seat on the sidelines.

This game was broadcast live across the United States, and TNT sent a combination of Barkley and Kenny Smith. This was not a temporary adjustment, but an arrangement before the start of the season.

Buckley said:
"Be quiet, Kenny, I saw it, but this is just a warm-up before the game. If I want to, I can also make such a three-pointer." Barkley said while gnawing on a hamburger.

"Really? I don't believe it. You haven't made a few three-pointers in your career." Kenny Smith said.

"That's just because I don't need it. I'm actually very accurate on three-pointers, um...much more accurate than Michael, haha." Barkley chewed his hamburger, and gave two strange laughs.

"Just brag..."

The audience in front of the TV laughed. Of course they wouldn’t believe Barkley’s big mouth, but they liked Barkley’s bragging, and by the way, he slandered Jordan. Those commentators were too serious. Eating hamburgers, drinking Coke, and bragging at the banquet is what fans love to watch.

And Barkley's status is there. He is one of the top [-] power forwards in history, the top five power forwards in history, and holds a top hard MVP. The "have to tell" stories between Schiller catered to the curiosity-seeking psychology of fans and were very popular among fans.

While the two were talking nonsense, Barkley finished eating the hamburger and drinking the Coke. He reached for the French fries, but found nothing.

He turned his head and saw that Zhang Yu was standing in front of the technical table, holding his French fries in his hand, stuffing them into his mouth one by one.

"Hey Charles, I'm a little hungry, don't you mind?"

Zhang Yu smiled at Barkley, but his hands kept moving. In a blink of an eye, a bag of French fries was almost empty.

Barkley opened his mouth, but didn't say anything. He seemed a little surprised by Zhang Yu's appearance, and then he reacted, pretending to be angry:

"Hey, I'm not full yet! Everyone saw it, he ate my share, so don't blame me if I don't have the strength to comment later."

He spread his hands, pointed at Zhang Yu, and made an angry look. The broadcast camera was also aimed at Zhang Yu in a timely manner, making the audience watching the game laugh.

But Zhang Yu remained unmoved, stuffed French fries into his mouth, and said with a smile:
"Don't be like this, I'm just a little hungry. If you are very angry, I will treat you to dinner after the game."

Barkley also laughed:

"Okay, I remember your words, you owe me a meal."

When the two were talking, Zhang Yu finished eating the French fries and asked with a smile:

"Charles, what do you think of our bet now?"

Barkley rolled his eyes:

"Well, I must admit that Curry will definitely be the best rookie of the year, even if his condition is not very good... But the Warriors haven't made the playoffs yet, are you so confident?"

Zhang Yu smiled and said:
"Nine games to go, let's wait and see."

When Curry was selected as the All-Star starter, he performed very well, and the Warriors were firmly in the playoffs. Barkley sent a tweet expressing his appreciation for Curry. His attitude is no longer the same as it was at the beginning of the season So tough.

Some fans left a message on his Twitter, asking him why he changed his view on Curry, and Barkley replied:

"Stephen Curry, like Yao Ming, slapped me in the face. I must admit, I was wrong. Regardless of whether the Warriors make the playoffs this season, Curry has reached the All-Star level. I want to apologize to him. He's a good player."

Seeing Barkley's remarks, some people questioned him on Twitter:

"You don't dare to target him because of Curry's popularity?" Barkley said.
Barkley's reply was brief:
"Man, you're talking to the top 1992 players in the NBA and the MVP of the 1993-[-] season. I didn't have any other ideas. I just did what a man should do-like me kissing the ass of a donkey."

In this way, the tense atmosphere between him and Zhang Yu also disappeared, and Zhang Yu also sent a tweet:
"Charles, you're a man, tell me your address, I'll send you Stephen's jersey - don't worry, it's a big size."

Barkley replied:

"Let's wait until the Warriors make the playoffs."

And TNT is indeed professional in terms of traffic. They asked the guests to choose a jersey from this year's All-Star player on the All-Star special program. Barkley naturally "picked" Curry's jersey. He also made a serious evaluation of the appearance and comfort of the Warriors jersey, and then took out the retro version of the 76ers, Suns, and Rockets jerseys he had worn. In comparison, the others voted in the end-the Warriors jersey is the best looking.

This coquettish operation directly boosted the ratings of this episode. Many people went to Barkley to leave messages on Twitter, urging him to start wearing Warriors jerseys as soon as possible. Anyway, the Warriors have such a high probability of entering the playoffs. Nothing at all.

But unfortunately, the Warriors fell into a decline after the All-Star, and the rankings were not as stable as before. Curry's performance was no longer as dazzling as before, but Barkley did not have any yin and yang. Instead, he played for Curry. An argument is surprising.

The conversation between the two naturally spread to the ears of audiences across the United States along with the broadcast signal, and their interest in the bet between the two also increased again.

……

The final preparation time before the game passed quickly in a restless atmosphere. Players from both sides stood on the field and the game was about to start.

The Warriors' starters are Curry, Butler, Chandler, Azubuike and Anthony Tolliver. Varejao's leg injury has basically healed, but he still needs another week of training before he can withstand high-intensity training. The game, and Azubuike returned to the team three days ago, which made Zhang Yu also heave a sigh of relief.

The decline of the Warriors this month after the All-Star is not only because Curry and Butler hit the rookie wall, but also because of the injuries of Varejao and Azubuike.

This year the Warriors seem to have a lot of people who can play, but their strengths are between the starting lineup and the rotation, and each has its own flaws. There are more 3D players, like Azubuike who can shoot and hold the ball. There are almost no secondary attackers. His return makes the Warriors' offensive resources more abundant and the situation for the playoffs is more favorable.

The Clippers' starters are Eric Gordon, Rasu Butler, Baron Davis, Drew Gooden and Chris Kaman.

Needless to say, the strength of Baron Davis, the Warriors fans are all too familiar with him. The most brilliant deed of his career so far is leading the Warriors to overthrow the Mavericks and create a black eight miracle.

Chris Kaman is this year's All-Star backup center in the Western Conference. His footwork is tricky in the low post, he is accurate in mid-range shots, and he is good at rebounding. This year is his peak season. He averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in a quasi-double-double. Traditional centers are fading. The era is a heterogeneous.

With these two, the strength of the Clippers should not be underestimated. Although Baron Davis has dropped to an average of 15.3 points and 8 assists per game due to his age, he will explode from time to time, reappearing the style of his peak, So this game must not be taken lightly for the Warriors. They are entangled with the Thunder and Trail Blazers. Every game is very important. became precarious.

Before the game, Zhang Yu gave instructions to win. He gave a speech in the locker room:

"The playoffs are one step ahead of us, each of us is underrated, Steph is like this, Jimmy is like this, Tyson is like this, Wesley is like Reggie, Anthony is like this, Kay Lanna is like this. Also undrafted... Oh, yes, no one thinks I will be a qualified head coach. But now, we are ranked eighth in the west! And this is not our limit, we once sat in the fourth place in the west There are still 9 games left, and you want those who look down on us to point at our noses again and say disdainfully—look, those group draft picks, second-round picks, and those who can only shoot three-pointers The team formed by the guys is really not good, do they all go home and go fishing?"

"No!" the Warriors player yelled.

"Since you don't want to, then go and blow them up! Use your actual actions to tell the world that the new era of the Warriors has arrived, starting from this game, starting from your hands, and starting from returning to the playoffs! Don't forget , we have won the first championship since the official establishment of the NBA, and we are the first giants in the NBA!"

Zhang Yu's words inspired all the fighting spirit of the Warriors players. They may not have much sense of belonging to the team, but Zhang Yu is right. They are undrafted, second-round picks or players that other teams don't want. Zhang Yu Given the chance to play, they have to prove that they are not useless and that they can gain a foothold in this league!

The most important thing is that the value of players in the playoff teams and the lottery team is completely different. If they can prove their level under the intensity of the playoffs, even if they lose in the first round, their value will increase significantly.

Therefore, the Warriors players who appeared opposite the Clippers all had a strong desire to win.

"Di-"

The referee whistled, and Chandler won the jump ball cleanly, handing the basketball to Curry.

After Curry took the ball, he glanced at Ayesha who was cheering on the sidelines, turned to look at the Clippers player opposite, and licked his lips with his tongue.

His body was trembling slightly with excitement, and he had an illusory but real feeling that he had found himself, the self before the All-Star game!
(End of this chapter)