The Road to Stardom: Start as a Slam Dunk Master.

Chapter 311 Home court and newcomers

It turns out that Payton is obviously not a very good leader.

At least the level of speech is not high.

Although carefully prepared, his passionate speech last night may only have some feelings for a few older players who have been in the NBA for some years.

After all, they have experienced displacement, the danger of being abandoned by the team at any time, and the personal pain of having no other skills and having trouble eating once they are abandoned.

And if you have a championship ring, not to mention more, the championship experience alone is enough for you to continue to be in the NBA for five or six years. Even if your data is terrible, there will still be teams that need your championship experience. …

But that's only for a few old people. For the new players, Payton's words have no feeling.

champion?
For newcomers, this is just like what every pair of parents in the Long Kingdom would say in your ears when you were young: "Study hard and get admitted to Qinghua Peking University. Only by getting admitted to Qinghua Peking University can you find a good job and have a good life for the rest of your life." The protection is the same, there is no difference at all.

It sounds like you are ambitious and have clear ideas.

But in fact, what is buried in your heart is just a sigh like "that Qinghua Peking University sounds very NB".

Wen Baker and a group of seniors were leaning against the wall chatting idly. Chandler and a few second- and third-year students chatted with each other. In comparison, the three first-year newcomers, It seems a bit silent.

How could the NSAA scene in high school be compared to the roaring and tsunami-like sound coming from outside the tunnel at this time, and the vibration that made them feel that the entire tunnel was vibrating with the outside sound?

Los Angeles, Staples Center.

Playing in front of 20,000 people...

I must learn from Payton, but don’t learn everything...

But after all, it’s the first game of the new season, and no one wants to lose, right?

The deafening sound and the noise of the whole stadium were transmitted directly to the inside through the long player tunnel.

There is a bird for it.

Staples Arena, which can accommodate 2 people, was packed tonight.

As the visiting team, the SuperSonics will be the first to appear, and they are already waiting in the tunnel for the voice announcement from outside.

Although the team's expectations for him this year are not high, they focus on training, so Iguodala has no pressure on him. In addition, some aspects of his personality are actually quite similar to Sakuragi Hanamichi, smiling all day long, humorous and kind-hearted. , as well as being born in an ordinary middle-class family and developing a naturally optimistic temperament, all of which allowed him to perform well in various psychological tests of the team, but after all, this was his first NBA game...

Not only was Iguodala silent, but he kept tipping his toes and shaking his legs. He clasped his hands and looked outside the player tunnel, then turned to look at the staff hurriedly passing by. He scratched his head from time to time. The words 'I'm so nervous' were engraved on my forehead.

October 10, 13:8 pm.

Payton and McMillan were discussing tactical issues at night. Although the opponent was last year's championship, the invincible OK combination, no one outside was optimistic that this young Sonics could win. Even if most people recognized Lin Dong and Pei Dun's strength, but it is estimated that there is a high probability that they will start the season with a losing streak, and then slowly train through the game to let the new players adapt, and they should not start to exert their strength until the middle of the schedule.

This is the home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, and can accommodate 2 spectators. Especially after the Lakers completed three consecutive championships last year, this arena has become the most popular arena in the minds of many fans. It can be called a holy place.

Thinking of Sakuragi's expression at that time, Lin Dong couldn't help but want to laugh.

What does it have to do with you? For a child who is only a few years old, does he really understand? Will it really motivate and inspire him to take action?
It's nothing more than bragging with my friends, putting my hands on my hips and saying, "I will be admitted to Tsinghua University and Peking University" to show that I know these two very naughty terms, and then dig out the bird's nest when it's time to dig out the bird's nest. Nest, should we fight, should we not do our homework, should we not do our homework...

What is the use?

…………

Payton is undoubtedly the most considerate leader, but he is not a psychological expert. Everyone's experience and growth process are different, especially these young people who have not experienced the NBA. If you want to inspire them to fight, That can never be achieved by Payton's pre-war mobilization with a few words.

I thought of a group of young people who pretended to think deeply for a long time after listening to Payton's speech last night. Especially Sakuragi Hanamichi kept a serious face for at least ten minutes, as if he was thinking deeply, but in the end he suddenly He turned Lin Dong's arm and asked, "Brother Gao Ren, what time will our flight arrive tomorrow?"

Thinking of the stadium with 20,000 people, the countless spotlights, my parents, my brother, and even the countless friends, alumni, and even teachers and fans I grew up with in Illinois...

At this moment, these people are all sitting in front of the TV waiting to watch their own game, and the opponent in the game is an extremely powerful OK combination. What if they don't perform well? What if you don’t score? What should I do if I don't even get to play, and those people who are looking forward to it and paying attention to me feel lonely?
A series of question marks made Iguodala swallow again and take a deep breath.

It’s weird if you’re not nervous! Who wouldn’t be nervous about this kind of thing for the first time?

He couldn't help but turned to look at Lin Dong and Sakuragi Hanamichi.

Lin Dong...well, there's nothing interesting about this...

Even if Lin Dong seemed as silent as himself at this moment, neither Iguodala nor anyone else on the team, nor any fan on the planet, would probably regard this guy who dared to single out Jordan as The word 'nervous' is an equal sign.

Don’t mention the equal sign, you can’t even think about it! Even thinking about it is a crime! Thinking about it is blasphemy against the future Jordan!

Although this guy is silent, he is just leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and concentrating. From him, he can only see a kind of silent leisure, which is completely different from his own silent tension!
Tsk, really I am still too useless...

Iguodala took a deep breath, and then turned to look at Hanamichi Sakuragi, who was also a first-year student.

I saw Sakuragi Hanamichi clenching his teeth and frowning. His nervous and worried look was exactly the same as his own!
Iguodala's psychology suddenly became much more balanced. It turned out that he was not useless.

Well, not everyone can compare with Lin Dong. It is inevitable for anyone to be nervous when playing in the NBA game for the first time. This is definitely not cowardice!

Even for a guy like Sakuragi Hanamichi who usually looks like a tough guy, he is more nervous than himself now!
He couldn't help but stretched out his fist towards Sakuragi Hanamichi in emotion, and then said with a slightly trembling voice: "Hey, man, come on, don't, don't be nervous."

"That's easy for you to say!" Sakuragi bumped fists with him, and then lowered his voice in great annoyance and said, "I forgot to bring my pen! It's over, it's over..."

Iguodala was stunned: "What did you forget to bring?"

"A pen."

Iguodala was shocked: "What are you doing with a pen?"

"Shh..." Sakuragi Hanamichi looked at the teammates around him warily, and then lowered his voice and said, "Haruko asked me to get Kobe's autograph for her after the game. I agreed, but I actually forgot to bring a pen..."

Iguodala's mouth has opened into an 'O' shape.

Is this guy serious? Was this why he was nervous just now?

The more Sakuragi Hanamichi talked, the more worried she became: "This is the first time Haruko asked me to help her carry something. I actually forgot this most important thing. Oh my God! I can't wait to chop myself into pieces now..."

Iguodala was so shocked that his outlook was shattered. At this moment, he felt like an idiot. It took him a while to realize that this guy was so nervous that he was making excuses incoherently, right?

Yes, it must be so!
"What the hell..." he couldn't help but say, "Can't you just ask the on-site staff for one?" Sakuragi Hanamichi's ears suddenly stood up: "Do they have one?"

"certainly……"

Sakuragi turned to look at Lin Dong suspiciously, as if asking him if this was true.

"They do." Lin Dong smiled and affirmed, then looked in the direction of McMillan: "If that doesn't work, you can also grab the pen that McMillan used to draw the tactical board..."

Sakuragi Hanamichi's eyes lit up, he slapped his thigh, and then squinted his eyes and looked at McMillan, while Iguodala opened his mouth wide.

This... am I really the only one who is nervous? I am actually worse than an old virgin...

Snapped!
A big hand rested on Iguodala's shoulder.

Iguodala was shocked when he saw it was Lin Dong.

Lin Dong, who had been silent before, suddenly asked: "When was the first time you met your girlfriend?"

This inexplicable question caught Iguodala off guard.

"Xu...it was two or three years ago..."

"Were you nervous at the time?"

Iguodala blushed, what are you asking? I am not an old virgin like Sakuragi Hanamichi: "Well, how can I not be nervous about this kind of thing for the first time..."

"Me too, but I felt really good after it was over, and then I started to get used to it." Lin Dong smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "It's just like this stadium. I'm nervous before entering, but after a while I will change after winning." It’s very refreshing...hahaha, it’s the same.”

Iguodala was stunned and thought about it for a full two or three seconds before he realized what Lin Dong meant.

"Ha!" He opened his mouth in confusion.

But...it seems like I'm not so nervous anymore!

At this time, McMillan was already shouting from the front: "Come out, gentlemen! Come out with some energy and show the bitches in Los Angeles, we are here to win!"

"OH! OH! OH!"

"Win! Win! Win!"

Under the din and background sounds of the stadium, Supersonic Speed, as the away team, appeared first.

The gorgeous searchlights in the arena were flying, and the host's introduction was mellow and full of tension. But obviously, when the names of these Sonics people were read, whether it was Calami Jr. and the newcomers, or Payton and Lin Dong, the scene was full of excitement. Apart from the background music and the buzzing noise of the entire arena, there was almost no other reaction.

There is no such thing in American culture as saying that you have to be polite to someone who is a guest from afar. Frankly speaking, if you don't boo you, it means that everyone has no grudges and is treating you well.

Several large screens above the main stadium, in between hurriedly showing images of the SuperSonics running out and teammates high-fiving, they wereted no time in cutting shots from the sidelines.

Most of them were a lot of Lakers celebrity fans sitting in the VIP area, including Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio and other Hollywood stars, as well as singing stars such as Snoop Dogg, and even David Beckham Sports stars like Mu.

The Lakers may be the team with the most celebrity fans in the NBA, and as the opening game of this year's new season, the audience on the sidelines is naturally star-studded.

And when the home team came out, not to mention the OK combination of O'Neal and Kobe, even if they were just a role player, they received full applause.

Countless voices, countless popularity, and countless spotlights all prove that the Los Angeles Lakers are the owners of this place, and the more than 20,000 people present are their solid backing!

The SuperSonics, including the coaching staff, only had about 20 people. In the overwhelming arena of more than people, they were like prisoners about to be tried...

The NBA's home court culture, even veterans who have experienced enough, will be affected to some extent. Home results are better than away results. This is a universal law for any team, which can be seen.

As for young players, they have to adapt slowly and endure it.

Payton has been secretly paying attention to Lin Dong's expression. Although he is very aware of Lin Dong's strong mentality, he still feels a little shaken when he comes to the championship home court in such a huge market for the first time.

Except for Lin Dong's two words about teasing Iguodala, Lin Dong looked calm the whole time, but he seemed a little too calm, which made Payton confused about what this guy was thinking.

It wasn't until the host finally announced the start of the game that the lights in the arena returned to normal, allowing both sides to take their seats.

Payton suddenly smiled when he saw Lin Dong's absolutely calm face from beginning to end.

Only then did Payton realize, a little dumbfounded.

calm? nervous?
How could I have such an idea?
This guy is no ordinary rookie. He probably just thinks the business shenanigans the Lakers engage in at home are too long and boring.

Kobe Bryant walked to the position opposite Lin Dong. He put his hands on his legs and said hello to Lin Dong: "Hey, how does it feel to almost kill Michael?"

"Not bad." Lin Dong responded with a smile: "If there is no word 'almost'."

"So what are your plans for today?"

"Kill you?"

Kobe was startled, then laughed.

As Jordan's most loyal fan, Kobe has complex feelings of admiration for the God of Basketball, but to be honest, Jordan is old, and today's league is already his era. Three consecutive championships are enough to explain a lot of problems!
As for this Sonics...a young team and a young No. 1 pick, the results will tell him what the real reality is.

Kobe Bryant smiled and said: "That may be harder for you than killing 39-year-old Michael."

"Huh..." Lin Dong stopped responding and turned to stare ahead at Chandler and O'Neal who were preparing to jump the ball.

In today's opening game, no one was optimistic about the Sonics. Even McMillan and Payton, who claimed to win, had actually already planned to lose.

After all, in terms of paper strength, this too-young SuperSonics is indeed far behind and needs at least half a season to fully break in.

But... thanks to the training of the old gangster, if strength on paper is useful, then it would be better to make a 2K game than the data. Why compete?
Lin Dong's blood was boiling faintly.

I have been longing for this day since my last life. This is my first NBA game...

beep!
The referee blows the whistle and the game officially begins!
(End of this chapter)