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MTL - Healing Basketball-Chapter 1057 roses bloom again
Chapter 1057 Chapter 1057. Roses bloom again
"The big dog is throwing money again..."
Liu Xiu complained in pain.
The vice president smiled and said: "Haha, the boss likes you to call him a big dog, he likes others to say he is rich, but Jess, you are the one who asks for the most votes!"
"Ahem, that's another story..."
April 18, tonight, the Trail Blazers will play the regular season finale against the Lakers.
Back to Portland the afternoon before yesterday, when Liu Xiu asked John Nash for tickets, he heard that Paul Allen was delivering tickets everywhere.
Tickets in the first three rows are not for sale. Except for season ticket holders’ tickets, all other tickets are used to give away.
The people from the state assembly came today, and Paul Allen came to deliver the last pile of tickets in person.
The regular season ticket share is much higher than that of the playoffs. It is said that the Clippers made a net profit of 12 million dollars in a game the day before yesterday.
Although the Clippers' ticket prices are too outrageous, they have a curtain call + 73 wins, and there is still room for ticket prices to rise. If you operate well, it is estimated that they can earn 50% more than the Clippers.
If you do this, you will definitely not make as much money as the Clippers.
Although the money has nothing to do with him, it just makes him feel ashamed.
However, it gave the scalpers a knowing blow. The premium for the front row tickets is much higher than that of the third row. In the retirement game when Jordan decided not to return, a ticket for the first row was fired by the scalpers to 25. The Wanmei Knife was actually sold.
Scalpers sell one front row ticket worth dozens or even hundreds of other tickets.
I heard that Paul Allen also invited everyone from the Bulls' 72-win season to watch the game. Liu Xiu thought it was a good job.
But unfortunately, the other party is unwilling to come. The only one who must come is the Bulls head coach Phil Jackson.
If he is not coaching the Lakers, it is estimated that Zen Master would not want to come.
Just after taking a nap, Liu Xiu and the vice president followed Paul Allen to receive the people from the state assembly. He came to the stands on the top floor. There were still a few hours before the game, but the square outside the arena was already full of people. crowded.
In the past two days, basketball fans from all over the United States and even the world have flocked to the show. Most of them did not buy tickets, but the local bars basically bought commercial broadcast rights. To make money, but to allow fans to get together to watch the game, as a result, every bar can make a lot of money on match day.
Liu Xiu's aunt and Anne Hathaway also bought several bars in the past few years. During the financial crisis in the past two years, the price was very suitable.
In fact, during the subprime mortgage crisis, these bars also made money, but the owners of the bars ran to follow the real estate speculation, the kind of crazily increased leverage. When the subprime mortgage crisis broke out, almost all of them went bankrupt. Paul A. Both Lun and Liu Xiu have cash to pay the full amount, and they almost always get those bars with a 50% discount.
Liu Xiu has to admire, the big dog seems to be throwing money all the time, but the more money the more the money!
The news only reported where the big dog invested and lost money, but they didn't see how much attention and traffic he brought to Microsoft with his title of "Microsoft Tycoon" when he was throwing money outside.
In some money-losing businesses, there are actually ways to make money around... Gou Dahu doesn’t care whether he makes money or not, but his team has been making money around his money-spreading operations.
Liu Xiu ate some meat again.
Looking at the crowds of people on the square, he was in a great mood. He liked to see his fans cheering instead of being depressed after losing.
But if he wants to see it all the time, he has to keep improving and become stronger!
Go back to the lounge and eat something with Randolph and the others, rest for a while, and start warming up.
During the warm-up, Liu Xiu saw that his teammates were very excited, but they all patiently prepared for the warm-up with the help of training, knowing that there is no need to worry about the competitive state of his teammates tonight.
The preparations are also very full. They have adjusted to the best condition to face the game with 73 wins!
…
At 7:40 p.m., the Lakers players enter the Rose Garden Arena first.
"Los Angeles Lakers, 68 wins and 13 losses, averaging 105.8 points per game, limiting opponents to 98.3 points per game, shooting 47.9%, limiting opponents to shooting 43.9%, averaging 44.1 rebounds per game, limiting opponents to 41.8 rebounds per game, averaging 25.1 Assists, 22.6 assists per game, 8.8 steals per game, 7.9 steals per game, 5.1 blocks per game, 4.9 blocks per game..."
Liu Xiu looked at the opposite team and reported, a super strong team with an all-round advantage!
Only three teams have played this way this season, and the other two are their Trail Blazers and Spurs.
The Cavaliers are almost as good in assists, and the Bulls are not as good in blocks.
After the All-Star weekend, the Lakers achieved a record of 25 wins and 4 losses, which is comparable to the Cavaliers and second in the league.
However, when the Trail Blazers played against the other four teams in the league's top five, the Lakers had the greatest advantage, winning all the first three games!
But at the same time, this opponent is the most difficult to fight, and it is becoming more and more difficult to fight.
The opening game was okay, their ferocious offense caught the Lakers by surprise.
But the 2nd game and the 3rd game were narrow victories, especially the 3rd match, it seemed that they were suppressed all the way, and it was very cool to win, but after the analysis, if there was one quarter that did not suppress the Lakers, they would definitely be defeated by the gorgeous triangle. It's hard to say how the offense will end.
However, Liu Xiu would only talk about this idea in private discussions with the coaches. When talking about the third game with his teammates, he would use one word to describe it—hanging.
After Kobe was the last to run out of the player tunnel, the spotlights on the visiting team went out, and wild cheers erupted from the scene!
The spotlight came on and hit Liu Xiu at the entrance of the player tunnel.
Liu Xiu had a great sense of the camera. He glanced at the big screen and took the lead to run into the stadium. His teammates passed the spotlight one by one. The last one to run out was still the butcher. The fans on the scene once again gave crazy cheers.
After the player entrance ceremony was over, Liu Xiu and Kobe came to the center circle. The two stood at the farthest positions in the center circle, looked at each other for a while, did not speak, and turned their heads to their respective benches.
Listening to the bursting cheers and screams at the scene, the two were very happy, but they both scolded each other in their hearts—pretending to be a criminal.
After returning to the bench, Liu Xiu looked around the scene. There were many local celebrities on the sidelines. The middle position directly opposite the technical platform was Paul Allen and his latest girlfriend who came to watch the game. A very famous model in the early 1990s, although she looks young, she is definitely over 40 years old.
Liu Xiu slandered a bit, because the taste of the big dog has not changed from the beginning to the end.
He was very curious, do big dogs in their teens also like this?
Sure enough, a man is a teenager until he dies.
The second row behind Paul Allen is Liu Xiu's family, and the in-laws and uncle's in-laws also came to suppress a group of people.
Originally, he was somewhat embarrassed to ask for so many tickets, but the big dog gave away so many tickets in the first three rows, so it didn't matter.
His eldest son and eldest daughter also came to the sidelines to watch the game this time. They did not sit in the box with his mother, so they chose the second row for safety.
Liu Xiu waved to Anne Hathaway, Qing Er, and the eldest daughter who were jumping and screaming, and then began to have the final communication with the starting teammates before the game.
The preparation time before the game is over soon, and the game is about to start.
Liu Xiu copied Ray Allen's full blood 'quick shot', Kobe Bryant's 'stamina gallop' and 'reasonable', and made his debut with Ray Allen, Hill, Randolph, and Kwame Brown.
Standing a little behind the free throw line, Liu Xiu felt that his luck was really good this season. Although there was a wave of injuries in the middle of the season, the major teams at that time were somewhat affected by physical strength and injuries. He played hard and won 20 consecutive victories, laying the foundation for the impact in the second half of the season.
After the All-Star weekend, their injuries improved. Except for Gasol Jr., Dragic, and Korver who suffered injuries that required them to be absent, everyone else was in excellent health.
Looking at Deron, Kobe, Trevor Ariza, David West, and Wang Zhizhi who were playing opposite, Liu Xiu took a deep breath and let it out heavily.
Tonight's game must be won!
He didn’t say he was sorry for the efforts of his teammates. He felt that he was sorry for not achieving that goal.
At 8 o'clock in the evening, the game began.
Kwame Brown beat Wang Zhizhi once to win the jump ball, and the Trail Blazers went first!
Liu Xiu received the ball, and he really wanted to say something to Brother Big Zhi—why not let Ariza jump the ball.
Wang Zhizhi and David West jumped the ball equally. They both lost 8 games in 10 games. It is better to let the small forward jump.
Quickly advanced to the frontcourt, Liu Xiu chose singles for the first ball!
A little too excited, Liu Xiu retreated and made an iron shot when he failed to get rid of Ariza's defense.
But looking back, the Lakers created a chance for David West to single Randolph. David West's turnaround jumper was blocked by Kwame Brown!
Very fast rotation defense!
Liu Xiu, who shrank from the flanks, grabbed the ball and failed to counterattack. However, after falling into the position, the Blazers still played a brisk and smooth offense. Randolph caught the ball from the baseline and made a second pass. Standing up, facing Ariza who rushed in, he smashed the ball into the basket with both hands.
Kwame Brown took the lead on both offense and defense at the start!
When it came time for the Lakers to attack, the feeling of the last round came again—the defense on the opposite side was extremely strong!
This was beyond the expectations of the Lakers, who thought the Trail Blazers would play offense.
Because of the first three matches, the Trail Blazers dominated the offensive end.
But the Trail Blazers have been playing defense since they played against the Grizzlies. The game against the Cavaliers forced them to play defense. King did not expect that their high-intensity defensive game would become A key point in the progress of the Trail Blazers.
In the early and mid-season, although the Trail Blazers also emphasized defense, but because they were mainly developing the offensive system, the defensive end had to be adjusted with the offense, and it was not particularly perfect.
But in the game against the Cavaliers, under the pressure from the opponent, the coach temporarily thought of a lot of defensive adjustments, and the team's entire defense has improved significantly after that game.
In the past 5 games, the Trail Blazers averaged terribly low points per game!
Defense against the Lakers is definitely not as good as the previous opponents, but the Blazers' sudden improvement in defense still caught the Lakers off guard in the first quarter.
In the first quarter, although Kobe Bryant scored 8 points on 4 of 9 shots, the team only scored 16 points!
As for the Trail Blazers, Liu Xiu made 5 of 8 shots after the start, including 1 of 1 three-pointers. Without free throws, he scored 11 points in a single quarter!
Adding Kwame Brown's 4 points, Randolph's 2 points, Hill's 2 points, Korver and Ray Allen each scored a three-pointer, the Blazers scored 25 points in the first quarter, leading the Lakers Team 9 points!
The Lakers had a problem on the offensive end, and they have been trying to improve their offense, which is why Liu Xiu made 5 of 9 shots in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the situation of the Lakers was still bad. Zen Master couldn't figure out a solution for a while. Deron and Kobe were forced to take turns in singles in the second quarter, and their performance could only be said to be mediocre.
The Trail Blazers made adjustments in time, and the second quarter soared!
Liu Xiu had 8 points, the outlaws had 7 points, Ray Allen had 10 points, Randolph had 2 points, Dior had 2 points, Gasol scored 4 points in two mid-range shots, Lian Hill's corner three Scored all the points... 36 points in a single quarter and limited the Lakers to 22 points.
After halftime, the Trail Blazers led the Lakers by 23 points 61 to 38!
The fans are all crazy!
TV commentators are screaming and roaring.
This gap is as big as the NCAA finals, beyond everyone's expectations!
Even the Trail Blazers fans who have won 14 consecutive victories did not expect the game to be played like this. They are ready for the team to fight until the last minute, and they will cheer or boo until the last minute.
As a result, the game was ruined at halftime!
But in the third quarter, the situation suddenly reversed.
After returning from the intermission, the Trail Blazers players were a little bit flustered, including Liu Xiu.
Leading by 23 points at halftime, 73 wins seem to be in their hands, and anyone who changes will be affected.
They've all started thinking about how to be aggressive in post-game interviews.
For a moment, they felt like someone who had just typed a note, and just wanted to imitate the warden and yell—who else!
Then, their offensive performance declined in the third quarter. Liu Xiu and Randolph each scored 7 points, but the others only scored 8 points combined, and only scored 22 points in a single quarter!
On the Lakers side, the overall offensive performance also collapsed. Wang Zhizhi scored 4 points, Odom scored 1 point on one of two free throws, and Deron only scored 5 points. No one else scored, but Wang Zhizhi scored 1 point in a single quarter. 6 assists! 5 of them were given to Kobe!
Kobe made 7 of 11 shots in a single quarter, including 2 of 3 three-pointers, plus 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 18 points!
Relying on a single quarter score of 28 to 22, the Lakers narrowed the point difference to 17 points at the end of three quarters!
This gave the Lakers hope, and Kobe made a wide shot in the third quarter. At the end of the quarter, the Lakers scored 20 to 11 in the first half. When entering the official timeout, the Lakers narrowed the point difference to 8 points!
The Trail Blazers were beaten dizzily, and the fans at the scene were also beaten.
Just reached the peak and was suddenly **** down. This feeling is like a roller coaster.
After returning from the official timeout, Ariza steals Liu Xiu and passes back to Kobe in a counterattack. Kobe catches the ball and hits a three-pointer, raising his score in this quarter to 10 points and helping the Lakers narrow the point difference to 5 points.
It was the Trail Blazers' turn to attack, and the fans were all trying to cheer for them.
Paniced, the Trail Blazers fans really panicked!
On Liu Xiu's side, during the official suspension period, he was extremely annoyed.
Although the point difference was reduced to 17 points at the end of the three quarters, they did not have much vigilance. After all, Kobe played so well in the third quarter, and the Lakers only narrowed the difference by 6 points.
Who knew that Kobe had 7 points and 2 assists in the half quarter, and Deron teamed up with Lamar Odom and Wang Zhizhi to catch up the score.
But after the official timeout came back, he had already re-entered the game, throwing away those emotions that affected the game.
Even if he was intercepted and Kobe made a three-pointer, he is still calm now.
He knew it was useless to regret, only to throw the **** ball in!
Came to the frontcourt, Liu Xiu used the pick-and-roll to break through, facing Lamar Odom to switch defenses, Liu Xiuqiang rushed to close range, wiped the board and made a throw...hit!
And after he threw the ball, his arm was caught by Odom, and the referee blew his whistle in time. His goal is valid this time, and an additional penalty is required!
Standing on the free throw line, Liu Xiu adjusted for several seconds. The Lakers were complaining. Liu Xiucai threw the ball under the urging of the referee...hit!
The point difference came to 8 points!
Immediately after Kobe passed to the basket, Wang Zhizhi caught the ball and made a throw.
Looking back, Liu Xiu and Kwame Brown picked and rolled, took a step horizontally and hit a three-pointer half a meter away from the three-point line.
Kobe made a high mid-range shot from Deron's baseline pass, Liu Xiu made a pass from the flank, and Ray Allen made a long two-pointer after receiving the ball... After scoring two goals in a row, Liu Xiu helped the team regain their strength, and his teammates also started to score steadily up!
Didn't break the Trail Blazers, and it was useless for Kobe to bite the neckline, he could only lead the team to continue rushing!
From 9:34 to 11:30 of the final quarter, the Lakers scored another 8 points in less than two minutes, 5 of which were scored by Kobe.
But during this period, the Trail Blazers also scored 7 points, and there is still an 8-point gap! The Lakers are 101 to 109 behind!
Zen master signaled the players to start foul tactics and committed a foul on Randolph.
The unlucky Randolph made two free throws, but Liu Xiu squeezed into the basket from the blocking of Wang Zhizhi and Kobe. Randolph's second free throw bounced high, Liu Xiu took off on the spot and pointed the ball back to the basket !
111 to 101, the Trail Blazers lead once again came to 10 points!
The Zen Master, who had stood up at the end of the game and was directing from the sidelines, sat down in despair...and sat on the floor.
It's a little far across the bench.
Zen master was helped up by the team members and coaching staff who hurriedly surrounded him. He didn't even call a timeout, and he had nothing to do.
The warden is too hard!
After being beaten 51 to 33 in the second half and a half, that guy can still get hard!
Back then, those players should have been traded for the warden who had just been drafted with the 13th overall pick.
Bastard logo man, return my dynasty!
The Lakers' last attack, Kobe hit a single three-pointer, his single-quarter score increased to 20 points, and the Lakers' single-quarter score also reached 38 points.
However, the score displayed on the technical desk—104 to 111, still 7 points behind!
Liu Xiu pushed forward after receiving the serve, and Kobe clapped his hands in the backcourt to tell his teammates to quickly foul. The reason why he didn't go by himself was because he had committed 5 fouls after fouling Randolph just now.
But the teammates didn't react for a while... By the time Kobe exploded in anger and rushed to hug Liu Xiu, there were only 8 seconds left.
Kobe was sent off for 6 fouls, and Liu Xiu went to the free throw line!
"MVP...MVP...MVP..."
Going to the bench, Kobe, who was about to sit down and cover his head with a towel, heard the uniform shouts of 'MVP' from the scene, turned and walked towards the player tunnel.
Before entering the dim player tunnel, Kobe heard bursting cheers and screams. He looked back. After Liu Xiu scored the first free throw, he raised his hand high to enjoy the cheers of the fans.
Did not continue watching, Kobe walked into the player tunnel, he wanted to find a dark, quiet place where no one would bother him to lick his wounds.
8 points in the first quarter, 9 points in the second quarter, 18 points in the third quarter, 20 points in the fourth quarter... Kobe made 19 of 37 shots in a single game, including 5 of 12 three-pointers and 12 of 14 free throws, scoring 55 points 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, lost!
Amidst the wild cheers of the fans, Liu Xiu scored the second goal.
With a few seconds left, the Lakers rushed to the frontcourt and missed a three-pointer. After Randolph got the rebound, the Lakers stopped fouling and there were only 3.6 seconds left.
Soon, the long whistle sounded, and the 20,000 fans at the scene once again cheered wildly!
Liu Xiu scored 11 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second quarter, 6 points in the third quarter, and 16 points in the final quarter... 14 of 30 shots in a single game, including 6 of 12 three-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws. He scored 41 points in a single game. Not as many points as Kobe, but still has 10 rebounds, 13 assists, 4 steals and 2 blocks!
The tip-up that wiped out the last hope of the Lakers was his 10th rebound of the game!
The final score was 29 to 38. The Trail Blazers defended the victory and beat the Lakers 113 to 104. They won 15 consecutive victories and improved their record to 73 wins and 9 losses, breaking the historical record of 72 wins and 10 losses held by the Bulls!
The moment the final whistle sounded, reporters flooded into the court, surrounding every player of the Trail Blazers.
Some journalists who were slanting their swords ran into the visiting team's player tunnel, but the door was locked. If it weren't for the help of the staff, the Lakers players who returned to the locker room would not be able to get in.
On Liu Xiu's side, after listening to the reporters rushing to ask a lot of questions, she completely forgot how to pretend to be aggressive and how to deal with the media that she had planned.
He saw Anne Hathaway holding flowers grown by herself on the sidelines, and had... "The roses will bloom again!"
…
…
I still have to go to the hospital for two days. The doctor told me to remove the stitches and leave the hospital on weekends. Please bear with me, my friends. In the next two days, I will probably have to wait for my sister to finish dinner and run errands before going home~ I promise to keep updating every day!
(end of this chapter)