warrior godfather

April 10, Oakland.

From [-]:[-] p.m., the outside of the Oracle Center gradually became noisy. This arena was like a whirlpool. The flow of cars and people continued to gather here, and the atmosphere that had been deserted for three or four days became hot again.

Today is the opening game of the NBA 2012-2013 season. As the defending champion, the Warriors naturally did their part and came out on top.

At eight o'clock in the evening Bay Area time, the Warriors will face the Lakers at home and receive the championship ring before the game.

This also makes today the third carnival day for fans after G6 of the finals of last season and the championship parade day.

After the Warriors opened the ticket sales for this game, the fanatical Warriors fans swept away the tickets. No one wanted to miss witnessing the team at home to receive the championship ring, as well as a contest between the Warriors and the Lakers.

This also caused the price of tickets for this game to soar in the secondary market, and many fans wanted a ticket but couldn't get it.

Like the previous two seasons, the season tickets for this season at the Oracle Center have been sold out before the start of the season, and the number of temporary tickets sold before each game is limited, and many impromptu fans can only spend high prices on the secondary market buy tickets.

In the past two years, the Warriors' performance has been getting better and better, the offense is pleasing to the eye, the stars are strong, the ball market has become more and more popular, and ticket prices have continued to rise in the secondary market, but these incomes have not reached the Warriors' pockets.

This is why Zhang Yu is stepping up to urge Rick Wertz to promote the construction of the new arena. Only by owning a modern arena that is completely his own can the Warriors increase ticket prices, rent out the surrounding facilities of the arena, and greatly increase the team’s income.

……

As time passed, the time for the start of the game was getting closer and closer. The auditorium in the arena was full of fans, and the Warriors players walked into the stadium amidst the cheers of the audience.

Before that, the Lakers had completed the entrance ceremony in the perfunctory voice of the DJ on the scene, stood in front of the visiting team's bench, and silently watched the opponent who received the championship ring.

Gasol, Artest and other Lakers veterans are better, they all have their own championship rings, but Nash, Jamison and other veterans who have just joined the Lakers are envious.

They gave up their status in the original team and came to the Lakers just for the championship.

Jamison scored 17+6 in the Cavaliers last season, but for the sake of the championship, he is willing to join the Lakers with a one-year veteran's basic salary contract.

For the sake of the championship, Nash gave up his position as the star of the Suns, cut his salary to join the Lakers, gave up the ball, willing to do the puzzle of the team, and worked hard to integrate into Mike Brown's Princeton system.

They sacrificed so much for the rings that the young people on the court had already worn on their hands, representing the championship rings.

Witnessing this scene on the spot made their fighting spirit even more high. Nash and Jamison looked at each other. These two veterans who knew each other best saw perseverance and determination in each other's eyes.

For the championship, they are willing to sacrifice everything!
Beside the two, Howard looked at the Warriors players on the field with a smile and applauded. He seemed to be in a good mood, which made people look sideways.

He missed the entire preseason due to a back injury, and in the opener, he was finally available.

But the Lakers players all know that Howard's back injury has not fully recovered, and his condition has not yet returned to the best, but the eight-game losing streak in the preseason has cast a haze on the Lakers from top to bottom. A victory eased the pressure on public opinion, and Howard couldn't wait to return to the team after he initially recovered from his injury.

Kobe also noticed Howard with a smile on his face. He curled his lips, his eyes were a little dissatisfied, but he didn't say anything. He just stared at Howard for a while, and then looked away.

Kobe is a very serious person who takes the game very seriously, and he is incompatible with Howard's concept of "happy basketball".

In the past few days of training, he was a little dissatisfied with Howard's always laughing and joking, but Howard is an important signing for the Lakers and a very important helper for Kobe. It is impossible for him not to play a game. Blame Howard for his casual attitude on the court.

The current Lakers are not the former Lakers. Although Kobe is still the absolute core, he is 35 years old this year and has only a few years at his peak. Howard is at his peak. If nothing happens, he will take over the scepter from Kobe and become The new generation of the Lakers.

This is also in line with the tradition of the Lakers. Outside stars rely on training, and inside stars rely on trading. Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, O'Neal, and Gasol are all like this. Now it seems that Howard will become the next inside legend of the Lakers.

Facing Howard, who was placed high by the Lakers and even Kobe himself, he could only use his example to slowly change Howard's attitude towards the game.

Averting his gaze from Howard, Kobe shifted his gaze to the court. At this moment, it happened that it was Zhang Yu's turn to present Curry with a championship ring. Zhang Yu did this as the team owner. When the head coach of the team received the ring, it was presented to him by team shareholder Mark Baum.

"...2012 Finals FMVP - Stephen Curry!!"

Amidst the roar of the DJ at the scene, cheers erupted from the audience. Zhang Yu and Curry hugged and put on the championship ring for him. Curry was also the last player to receive the ring. The ceremony of awarding the championship ring followed the end.

Kobe bit his lower lip lightly, watching Curry, who raised his right hand high to welcome the worship of the fans, as if he had returned to the opening game of the 2010-2011 season at Staples Center.

Before that game, like Curry, he was the last one to play and received the championship ring from the old Bass. The fans cheered for him. At that moment, he felt that he was omnipotent. Heart rises quietly.

That year, he achieved the second step, won two consecutive championships, his reputation reached its peak, and he was the undisputed No.1 in the league. No one can deny his role in the Lakers dynasty. At that moment, He is really breaking away from the identity of O'Neal's younger brother, and next, he will join hands with Gasol to create a great cause no less than the OK combination.

But good fortune is unpredictable, the Lakers, who ranked second in the Western Conference in the regular season and pointed to the championship, were swept out by the Mavericks 4:0 in the Western Conference semifinals, falling from heaven to hell.

Kobe's dynasty ambitions stayed in Dallas, and the Lakers sank. They did not touch the floor of the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive seasons, and withdrew from the championship.

But Kobe is still not reconciled. Although he has won five championships and is a top ten superstar in history, no one dares to underestimate his strength and status, but he has no intention of retiring after success and living in peace .

He wants to win, he wants to compete for the championship, as long as he can still play, Kobe will not stop fighting, and will not stop chasing the championship.

Only the wrong name, no wrong nickname, he is like a black mamba, with a bloodthirsty desire for the championship, which will never be satisfied.

Therefore, the Lakers traded for Nash and Howard, and signed Jamison. In Kobe's last peak period, he launched a desperate attack on the championship.

Therefore, Kobe changed his style of play at the end of his career. Even though he lost eight games in a row in the preseason, he surrendered the ball according to Mike Brown's request and tried to integrate into Mike Brown's Princeton system. Will it work in the end.

The failure of last season made Kobe have to admit that he is no longer the No.1 player in the league who can decide the game by himself. He needs helpers, and needs enough helpers to return to his dream on the stage.

For the championship, like Nash and Jamison, he is willing to make all sacrifices. Even if Mike Brown leaves Nash, the top point guard, and wants to play the Princeton system on a whim, he will not raise any objections.

Originally, Borby was quite dissatisfied with Mike Brown's tactics, thinking that he was whimsical. After all, the Lakers had never played Princeton.

But he is also paying attention to the Warriors' preseason games. In the new season, other teams in the West are not in Kobe's eyes. The Warriors who eliminated the Lakers are his biggest opponents in his mind.

Kobe noticed that Curry also handed over the ball and has been playing off the ball, and his offensive efficiency is extremely high. The Warriors swept the preseason with 7 wins and 1 loss, which made Kobe dissatisfied with Mike Brown weakened a lot.

Coach Z let Curry play off the ball and achieved very good results, so why can't he?

Therefore, Kobe silently accepted the Princeton tactics promoted by Mike Brown. Even though the Lakers ended in a dismal preseason record, he did not raise any objections. After all, Mike Brown was frequently experimenting with lineups and tactics, and the outcome did not seem to be too big. persuasive.

The opening game against the defending champion Warriors is the biggest test of the Lakers' Princeton tactical system.

Kobe took a deep breath and suppressed the strong desire to win that was aroused by the Warriors to receive the championship ring.

He can no longer attack with the ball as much as before. He must delegate power, use off-the-ball offense to score, and try new roles.

……

At eight o'clock, players from the two teams came to the field on time.

The Warriors' starting lineup is the same as last season -- Curry, Klay, Butler, Green and Chandler.

The Lakers' star-studded starting lineup includes Nash, Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Howard. Among them, there are two MVPs and two DPOYs. All five of them have been selected as All-Stars.

Not only that, the Lakers bench also sits on the old and solid Jamison. Looking at the entire league, only the Heat with Wade, James, Bosh, Ray Allen, Lewis, and Battier can barely match him. Compared, far better than the young warrior.

But the Warriors players showed no fear in the face of the Lakers' five stars.

They are the defending champions, and the Lakers are just their defeated opponents. The young man who just received the championship ring is at the happiest time. He only hopes that the game will start quickly, so that he can take the Lakers sacrifice flag and start the new season of defending the title. road.

"Di-"

The referee blew his whistle, threw the ball into the air, and the game officially began!
Chandler struggled to take off, overwhelmed Howard, who had a back injury and dared not exert force, and passed the ball to Curry.

"Warriors rush, kill the Lakers!"

"Stephen, you are the best, come on!"

"Warriors Championship!"

The moment Curry received the basketball, the Oracle Center erupted like an active volcano. Hearing the fans shouting in his ear, Curry pursed his lower lip tightly, slapped the basketball hard, and walked to the frontcourt.

Curry has a harmless and cute appearance, but his heart is tougher and tougher than anyone else. Winning the championship is just the beginning for him. As long as he stands on the field, he will attack the championship and defeat those standing in his way. Any opponent in front of you until the moment you fall.

So what if the Lakers formed a four-star team?Under the leadership of Zhang Yu, he has the confidence to defeat any opponent!
After coming to the frontcourt, Curry did not defend Nash in singles, but directly handed the ball to Green who came to the top of the arc, and then ran to the bottom corner.

Barkley, who came to the scene, wondered:
"Does Curry really want to run without the ball like in the preseason? Steve Nash is defending him! He can play singles, just like what he did in the finals."

O'Neal said:
"This is just a regular season. It seems that Curry doesn't want to play too many singles, but wants to play more tactics."

This battle of focus was arranged to be broadcast live across the United States, and TNT was in charge of broadcasting it, with Barkley, O'Neal and Kenny Smith explaining it.

Kenny Smith said:
"Okay, the Warriors are on the offensive, let's see if Curry doesn't have the ball, can they break the Lakers' defense..."

On the field, Nash followed Curry closely and came to the left corner, but Curry suddenly ran back and ran towards the top of the arc along the three-point line. Chandler raised him up to cover him, and Nash was jailed. Stay behind.

Howard just took two steps out and didn't come out. Curry got an open chance. Green passed the ball in time.

"Uh... Curry hit a three-pointer and scored the first point for the Warriors. The Lakers' defense seemed a little lax. Curry got an open opportunity with a simple run." Kenny Smith hesitated, just said.

He didn't expect that the Warriors' first point would come so easily. That was Curry, who was the MVP+FMVP+scoring leader last season!
The Lakers let Curry get an open shot so easily, what are they doing?
"nice shot!"

"Well done, Stephen!"

"Break a record, Stephen!"

The Warriors fans didn't think so much. Curry scored the Warriors' first point in the new season and the NBA's first point in the new season. In their view, this was a very perfect start, and they cheered loudly.

Curry was also a little surprised. He didn't expect the Lakers to let him shoot three-pointers, but since the opponent was so polite, he was not polite.

O'Neill widened his eyes and said in disbelief:

"What is Howard doing? He just watched Curry shoot threes? That's Stephen Curry, the best shooter in the league!"