Chapter 188: Doing What Others Can't
Arrived at the Toyota Center, where the Lakers had a community party in the evening.
Lakers holiday party, a festival event for the Lakers, invites young fans from the community to visit, eat, drink and have fun at the Toyota Sports Training Center, meet the stars, and take photos.
I have to say that the NBA's promotion activities are really good, not only on the court, but also off the court.
Many of their activities start with dolls, and when a child has not yet formed his own unique hobbies, he pulls them over.
When they grow up, they will grow into hardcore Lakers fans, which is different from the average winning honey and cloud fans.
The history of the team has accompanied their upbringing, which cannot be erased in any way.
They will surely rise and fall with the team and become the most basic and staunch supporters of a team.
In the past, the Lakers' most popular player was definitely Kobe Bryant, and every time the young fans rushed to Kobe Bryant, asking for autographs and group photos.
Tonight was different, Li Liang became the children's favorite player, the children are so direct, whoever plays well likes whom.
They "abandoned" Kobe Bryant one after another, shouting "Bruce Lee", and wanted to take photos and sign autographs with Li Liang.
Li Liang's painting style is different from other players.
Nash is a gentle elder who sits at the table and has dinner with the children.
Howard is a tease, playing games with children, wah-wah, wow-wow, and the kids roll their eyes at him.
Kobe Bryant is a mascot and takes pictures with people everywhere.
Ci Shiping is a foodie, and the buffet ate plate after plate.
Li Liang, Li Liang is 'my grandmother', where she tells stories to the children sitting around!
What story to tell? Tell a short story of traditional Chinese culture.
Three monks!
"There used to be a temple in China, and there was a little monk in the temple, and the little monk lived alone and carried water to drink. A strong monk came together, the two carried water to drink, and then a thin monk came, the three of them refused to pick, and they couldn't carry it, no one wanted to go, so there was no water to drink. It's like a team, at the beginning, one star takes the lead, two stars turn two, three stars, four stars...... No one wants to be responsible, and in the end, they keep losing. It shows that people must rely on themselves, believe in themselves, and cannot rely on others......"
After talking about this story, Li Liang told the story of "grinding the iron pestle into a needle", saying that as long as the kung fu is deep, the basket can be squared for you from the round.
American children were fooled by these "traditional Chinese stories", and felt that Chinese stories were different from those of the United States.
But it's quite interesting, and it's fascinating to listen to. One by one, Li Liang poured out all the things in his stomach that looked like he looked at the comic books.
The event lasted until more than 8 p.m., which was more tiring than the game and training to participate in the team's community activities.
For two or three hours, the sound of chirping in my ears was clear, and it was a lot clearer after it was over.
Exhaustion, exhaustion from the depths of the soul, children are really terrible.
But that doesn't mean the players can rest.
Go home and tidy up a little, pack up, fly in the early morning, and go straight to the Denver Plateau to play back-to-back!
NBA officials really don't pity the Lakers' veterans at all.
This Christmas war has just ended, and I haven't had a good time with my family, so I'm going to play again.
This game was obviously bad for the Lakers because they were too tired.
The battle with the Knicks consumed a lot of physical energy from the veterans, and a party was arranged in the evening, followed by a trip to the plateau.
When I arrived at the Denver airport, it was already past two o'clock in the morning, and the whole team hurried to the hotel, and they all fell asleep on the way.
Li Liang did tasks on Christmas Eve, played games on Christmas, took big tonic pills, and told stories at night, and his iron body was a little unbearable.
On December 26, at 7 p.m., the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets began.
Mike Brown said in the locker room before the game that he hoped the players would do their best and play if they could...... Anyway, so be it, it's best not to get hurt.
In the game with the Knicks, the two sides played very intensely, and there were minor injuries to players on both sides.
Facton snapped his finger and Anthony was knocked in the calf.
On the Lakers' side, Howard's lumbar spine was not very comfortable, and Kobe Bryant's left wrist was slightly injured.
Everyone went into battle with injuries, big injuries and small injuries.
The current Lakers, it's okay to lose a game, but it's not worth it to hurt a big general.
With a record to build upon, the Lakers can afford to lose now.
But even though Brown said so, the Lakers players didn't let it go.
Led by Kobe, he still played very the court.
As soon as the game started, Bryant broke through with the ball and rushed inside, causing a foul on the free throw line.
This makes Brown tremble, old Ke, you take it easy, back to back, don't hurt.
But Kobe Bryant didn't, and he threw himself into the game.
In fact, with his qualifications and age, as well as injuries all over his body, he can take turns off during the season.
But Kobe Bryant never rests, and as long as he can play, he will never sit underneath.
As long as he's on the pitch, he's going to give it his all – we're only talking about offense, not defence.
He's the same as Jordan in that the fans paid for tickets to watch me play, and I can't let them down, especially away games.
The Lakers players are indeed tired, most noticeable defensively, and their footwork and concentration cannot keep up.
The Nuggets are in good form this year and are strong overall.
With Iguodala, Faried, and Gallinari as the base of the team, there are also light cavalry such as Brewer and Jordan Hamilton on the bench.
The guard line is paired with point guards like Ty Lawson and Miller, and the team takes the sky-high route.
George Karl has been very good at leading such teams since the supersonic back then.
Gloves - Rain Man, Three Musketeers, and then the Nuggets Track and Field Brigade.
In the summer, the Nuggets were involved in the Lakers' four-way trade to get Howard, and got Iguodala, and the team went to the next level.
Facing a tired Lakers tonight, the Nuggets made the most of their strengths.
Fast break, counterattack, three-point shot.
Especially the three-point shot.
The most significant negative effect of the Lakers' defensive slump in movement is letting opponents open up three-pointers.
This is how the previous loss to the Magic was, and in the last game against the Nuggets, the Nuggets controlled the three points very well.
This time, the Nuggets who returned to their home court fired wildly outside the three-point line.
On the bench, Corey Brewer shot 6-of-7 from three-point range, and the smile on his face was warm and innocent.
The Lakers were overwhelmed by the Nuggets' three-point drive.
But they resisted and kept the difference at about 5 points, and were stretched to 9 points at most, and never went into double digits.
In the first three quarters, the Nuggets shot 12-of-20 from three-point range, which was a bit crazy.
In the fourth quarter, Mike Brown pressed Kobe Bryant to the bench and rested for more than three minutes.
Li Liang and Gasol were on the court with substitutes, and they forcibly erased the 5-point difference, and then overtook them by 2 points!
Gasol made a wall for Li Liang on the outside, and Li Liang hit a three-point shot directly to stop the Nuggets.
This was Li Liang's third three-pointer of the game, and the Lakers showed the tenacity of a strong team.
Coming back from the timeout, the Nuggets waited for Kobe.
Bryant, who was full of energy, took over the game again in the fourth quarter.
The left and right waist positions became Kobe's killing field, receiving various singles with his back to show Denver fans his low-post offensive skills.
Li Liang gave Kobe Bryant a drop ball and a pass at the top of the arc, and then went back to defend well.
The Nuggets, who had led the whole game, were finally knocked over and couldn't get up all of a sudden.
The three-point shot shot in front of him missed one in the fourth quarter, and the gap was stretched to 8 points by the Lakers.
George Carr's timeout was for nothing.
This game is playing well, and it is really uncomfortable to enter the rhythm of Kobe Bryant again.
At 128:120, the Lakers struggled to walk away with a win in the Denver Plateau, with both sides scoring highly.
Although Nuggets fans feel uncomfortable losing, a high-score battle is still very enjoyable to watch.
Kobe Bryant made 13 of 21 shots from the field and scored 40 points efficiently!
Let him sit more firmly in the first position of the scoring champion.
Li Liang scored 15 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists, and was on a quasi-triple-double night.
Now, his playful passing at the top of the arc has re-emerged as an important tactical point for the Lakers.
As for how he learned this thing, when he learned it, and why the university didn't show this ability at all, no one cares.
The reporter asked Mike Brown, and he didn't say anything, just raised his eyebrows, looking mysterious, as if he had cultivated it.
After playing the Nuggets, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles and got 1 day to recuperate.
Li Liang went home to sleep and eat and drink to replenish his physical strength.
The task should be postponed for a while, and it can't be done in this way.
Young people, with great health, can't afford to lose so much.
On the 28th, the Lakers are at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.
After some trimming, the regained Lakers took the Trail Blazers at home.
Because today at halftime, there was an important ceremony.
That's former Lakers star, Jamal Wilkes' No. 52 jersey retirement ceremony.
Wilkes was an important member of the Lakers in the late '70s and early '80s, winning three championships with the team and being a scoring weapon at the forward position.
He earned the nickname Silk because of his soft shooting touch.
For the sake of the celebrities to watch the game, don't play badly and be embarrassed, the Lakers are working hard as a team.
They went straight to halftime with a 64-48 lead of 16 points heading into halftime.
Every fan who arrives tonight with the Lakers gets a No. 52 jersey from Wilkes.
Team legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, West, Worthy, and Dr. J Owen were all on hand to attend the jersey retirement ceremony.
Wilkes couldn't hide his excitement during the ceremony, and he was already choked up when he spoke, thanking the Lakers, thanking the fans, and thanking the country.
The Lakers players watched the ceremony from the sidelines, and Kobe Bryant whispered to Li Liang next to him: "Come on, one day you will stand there." ”
Li Liang glanced at Kobe Bryant and didn't speak, and said in his heart, Lao Ko, you also underestimate me, what kind of achievement can the jersey be considered when the Lakers retire?
I'm going to do something that no other player has ever done before, and that's what I'm really aiming for.