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

Chapter 335 The playoffs begin!
Oak Hills, townhouse…

My wife and daughter have already taken a special car to the arena first. For veteran players like Payton, the team has special arrangements for their family members every year, so there is no need to go with him.

Payton reached out and checked the knee brace on his knee. It was wrapped with a bandage to tighten it. He squeezed it and kicked his legs to test the tightness of the bandage.

There's no problem, it's just... you're a little nervous?

He has been in the league for 12 years, and he has never seen any games. It was just against the Trail Blazers, but Payton felt as if he had returned to the same mood as the 96 Finals series with the Bulls.

The opponent in this round of the series is not the Trail Blazers for him...but to defeat himself and take the first step to break his championship-less curse!
Payton took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and looked up at the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in front of him.

Wearing a dark green jersey, he still looks as tall and handsome as when he was young.

He has a capable, slender head and a beard that has been carefully groomed by his wife into a complete square shape, making him look energetic.

Payton bared his teeth, and his white teeth stood out in sharp contrast to his dark skin.

Huh?
He frowned because he found a bit of flesh between his teeth.

Yes, the dark green uniforms of the massage parlor are the same color as the SuperSonics jerseys, and the massage parlor's newly designed logo, a Tai Chi-like pattern, is printed on the back.

A lot of advertising costs were saved, and the name of the store has been finalized: WWF.

"Should we wait for Yangping later? Or should we go directly there first?"

"Hello? Hello? Haruko? What did you just say? Oh, they are so noisy!"

The turkey this morning was too bad...

He applauded himself proudly: "MD, you are still so handsome at the age of 34! I really can't do anything to you!"

The Sakuragi Legion also put on uniforms.

The left side is a burning flame base with a Q version of Lin Dong printed in the flames, and the right side is a huge water drop base with a Q version of Payton printed on it.

Anyway, of these two spokespersons, Lin Dong is his own shareholder, and Payton volunteered to be a free spokesperson because Mito Yohei gave him free conditioning during this period that was detailed and effective enough.

The beautiful teeth suddenly returned to cleanliness, just as the only stain in life had been washed away. A satisfied smile finally appeared on Payton's face, and the slight nervousness that had appeared earlier had also disappeared.

"What time is it? I definitely can't wait for him!"

Translated, it is a name that seems to be quite average to Lin Dong: The Way of Water and Fire, the Way of Water and Fire.

Payton's tongue quickly rolled and swallowed.

Advertising needs to be everywhere, and it needs to be displayed even in the audience. There is also a very beautiful blonde girlfriend that Yohei has just made, who is sitting on the sofa and looking at them cautiously.

...............

"Hey, why can't Yohei's phone call go through? I don't know if he has heard from Coach Anzai."

The combination of water and fire, Tai Chi yin and yang, symbolize their new massage therapy concept combining Chinese and Western...

Carey Apartments.

It was completely different from the tranquility in Payton's place. There was so much chatter and noise in the living room that Sakuragi couldn't even hear what Haruko was saying on the phone. The main reason was that Haruko's voice suddenly became very quiet just now, as if she was very shy. The look made Sakuragi feel that Haruko must have said something very serious, but unfortunately he didn't hear it clearly. When he asked again, Haruko didn't say anything, but just smiled and wished him all the best, which made Sakuragi feel like a cat in his heart, and he was so depressed. One horse.

"Auntie, this outfit looks good, even better than the one just now! It's grand!"

"set off!"

It's not that she's introverted. Although her boyfriend Yohei went to pick them up at the airport, she was already familiar with the Sakuragi Legion, but she just couldn't understand their Japanese.

Today, her little girlfriend also has a mission.

Lin Dongdu has made an agreement with the arena to have the on-site director give a close-up shot of the two of them, and they will inevitably have to perform a scene of confessing their feelings and then say "boo"...

Anyway, this kind of love scene has always been a live show in the NBA. It can be acted by anyone, and the Q versions of Lin Dong and Payton recruited by Yangping and their uniform store are quite unique. They will definitely win over at the SuperSonics home court. If you don't want to pay attention, you should just let this new store become familiar to the people of Seattle.

beep~~
There was a faint sound of the motorcade's horn downstairs, and then another call came in. Gao Gongwang helped answer the call and replied in broken English: "OK! OK!"

"Auntie, the car is here!"

"Let's go! Let's go! Hey, Hanamichi, you're still on the phone, but the car is here! Let's go, let's go!"

"Urgent, urgent, it's all your fault!" Haruko had just hung up the phone, and Sakuragi Hanamichi was so depressed that she was furious: "It's so noisy! I didn't even hear the most important words! Can't you just be quiet when you're on the phone?"

"Hahaha... Isn't it Haruko who confessed her love to you?"

When this was mentioned, Sakuragi became even more angry: "You still said that!"

"I don't know what's wrong! Yohei told me that you are extremely nervous and asked us to relax you, but I see that you are not nervous at all." Noma Chuichiro laughed and hooked his shoulder: "You are in good condition! It’s not like he’s playing in the playoffs for the first time.”

"Uh……"

In fact, Sakuragi has always been quite nervous from last night to just now. The change only occurred after receiving Haruko's call.

At this time, I came back to my senses and realized that I really didn't feel nervous anymore. I was secretly glad in my heart, but of course I couldn't admit it on my lips. "Nervous? Am I nervous? We're just playing against the Blazers, and we've beaten them three times!" Hanamichi Sakuragi said proudly, "I'm a genius!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

………………

Mansha Peninsula Villa.

Blah blah blah...

The hot water sprayed from the nozzle emits a large amount of steam, covering the huge bathroom in a white mist.

And in the white mist, a strong body was looming in the white mist.

Lin Dong supported the wall with one hand, raised his head and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of water hitting his face and covering his whole body. This always made him feel clear-headed and relaxed.

I didn't perform at my full strength throughout the regular season, and all the energy I saved was dedicated to building my current perfect body as quickly as possible.

At this time, when the water hits the tight muscles on the exposed back, it seems to splash a flood of light, like the muscles carved from marble and as tight as strings, filled with the perfect combination of strength and beauty in the white mist.

He just weighed himself yesterday, weighing 100.5 kilograms, with a body fat rate of 7% according to NBA calculations, a full 5kg of weight gain, and more streamlined muscle groups, making him much stronger than when he first entered the league.

Strength, stamina, confrontation, etc., all improvements are for this playoffs, to cope with the so-called intensity of the playoffs, and to cope with teams with a tough style of play like the Pistons!

37.8?

That's obviously not my limit, maybe it's 80% of my current limit? Or even 70%? Lin Dong is not sure either.

But he understands that he is fully prepared for the so-called intensity of the playoffs!

Who says it's impossible for a rookie to lead a team to win a championship?

There are two people in NBA history who have won championships as rookies, King of the Rings Russell and Magic Johnson. The latter even won the FMVP in his rookie season.

If the predecessors can do it, you can definitely do it. Even if your predecessors can't do it, you must do it!
Who said Jordan and Kobe must be the protagonists of this era?
From the time he realized at the Nike Summit that he had exceeded his limits, his only goal in this world was to break all the perceptions of basketball people.

Treat every round of this playoff series as a step towards becoming a god. I am the protagonist!

Snapped.

Lin Dong turned off the shower, shook the water stains on his head, and when he opened his tiger eyes, he was already shining brightly.

Don't give the Trail Blazers the slightest chance and resolve the battle within 4 games!

…………

9 p.m., Key Arena.

After all, it was the first playoff game this year, and the arena held a lot of lengthy prelude activities, and the lively arena was buzzing with people.

But apparently no one on the field paid attention to the fiery atmosphere.

For the Sonics, no matter how weak their opponent is, they are still a playoff team. If they want to win well and get more rest and recovery time for the second round of the series, that is not something that can be done carelessly and self-righteously. You have to show no less concentration than when you play against a strong team.

For the Trail Blazers, the lack of optimism from all parties has already aroused their bloodshed.

No one has ever done black eight, let alone third versus sixth?
Everyone is a playoff team, who is shorter and who is half the size! I have to fight tooth and nail to pass the first round first!
"Hi!"

A 'horse face' walked up to Lin Dong and stood in the opposite position.

Scottie Pippen.

The two sides have played against each other four times this season. Except for the first time when the Sonics were not in the state, the Blazers lost in the other three games.

In the three losing games, the same player was in the No. 3 position. Regardless of his specific performance during the matchup or the final data presentation, this Asian rookie named Lin Dong completely defeated him.

but……

Pippen looked at Lin Dong with a burning fighting spirit hidden in his eyes.

As they get older, the regular season has a tight and long schedule, and it would be too tiring for them to persevere with high-level performance. When the team can ensure qualifying, they can save their energy for the playoffs, because this is the only place. It is the best stage to do your best to prove yourself.

Just like another old guy who chose to be invisible throughout the regular season this season.

After being invisible for a season, it is time for me to stand up. This may also be my last chance to prove that I can still hold on to a future after leaving Jordan.

"BOY, today will not be as easy as the previous games." Pippen said to Lin Dong: "You will have a good experience of what a true superstar is!"

Lin Dong grinned.

beep!
With the fans cheering excitedly, the referee blew the whistle and threw the ball high into the air.

Game start!
(End of this chapter)