Chapter 436: Digging the Foot of the Wall and the Annual Awards Ceremony (8000 Words Chapter)
On June 16, 2017, Amerika's sports media not only reviewed the Clippers' championship history, but also began to hype up this year's draft.
Unlike previous years, this year's big-mouthed Lavar Bauer has been blowing about his son in recent months, and his outrageous statements have frequently attracted the attention of the sports media.
"In my prime, I could have beaten Michael Jordan!"
"Lonzo Bauer can surpass Kayce-Li in the future! In the future, he will definitely be able to cash in on his talent! โ
"My son is better than losers Stephen Curry and LeBron James, he's an MVP-caliber player!"
"Big Baller debuts, 495 US dollars are too expensive? Not being able to afford sneakers is your problem! โ
In order to hype his son, Rabar Ball has been jumping up and down since March Madness, using his big-mouth traits, constantly giving media interviews, and frequently speaking out on social media.
Lonzo Bauer has benefited from Daddy's performance, and the attention is getting higher and higher, and black and red are also red!
Although everyone treats "Ball Daddy" as a joke, there are always fans who can't turn their brains around and believe that Ball is really talented
On the 17th, the Clippers returned to Los Angeles, and after throwing money wildly in Las Vegas, they naturally had to prepare for a championship parade and fan symposium.
Shortly after getting off the plane, in addition to the warm reception from the fans, Amerika's sports media also asked about Lonzo Ball.
"Kayce, are you optimistic about Bauer? Laval says his son can surpass you, do you think that will happen in the future? โ
Li Ze was a little surprised, the current UCLA newcomers are so fierce?
"This year's UCLA results didn't live up to expectations, basketball is five people, Lonzo is really talented, but his performance still disappoints me."
"I think everyone is looking forward to the team winning the 12th championship, I don't like Laval's opinion, as for the future, just leave it to time!"
The surrounding sports media heard Li Ze's answer and felt that the big mouth of the "ball father" would definitely not let go of such an opportunity, and when the draft was approaching, everyone was looking forward to the big mouth responding.
Back in Los Angeles, Li Ze still has a lot of work to do, and the Clippers are about to move, this time with the training hall and office area in Inglewood.
As a superstar in the team, it is natural to cooperate with the publicity work of the operation department.
For the Clippers in the new season, the first thing is to ensure that they are seated, and the Lakers fans cannot be ignored in Los Angeles.
Although the distance from Staples Arena to the Clippers' new arena is very close, many fans are destined not to choose to watch two teams play at the same time after the ticket price increase.
Although the historic Lakers are still eating their old books, in terms of the number of fans, the Clippers still suffer a little, and their ancestors are too poor.
For many old fans, watching the Lakers' ball can make them look high, and such fans are destined not to buy for the Clippers.
Gary Sachs, the team's general manager, also has a lot of work to do this year, and the natural priority is to keep the role players on the championship squad.
This job is not destined to be easy, and compared to other teams, although the Clippers are a championship team, they are too involuted.
It is very difficult to rush to the starting lineup, and even if you are in the 12-man active list, you will not be guaranteed to play time.
In the case of contracts that are not much different, role players will naturally gravitate towards a more relaxed environment, and most importantly can play as a starter, and who wants to play on the bench
Back in Los Angeles, the team announced a day off, the No. 19 team will have a championship parade, and everyone will visit the city of Inglewood.
If the Clippers continue to win championships in the future, the championship parade route from Staples to USC will also be history.
On the 19th, the Celtics, who hold this year's No. 1 pick, unexpectedly chose to trade downward, getting the No. 3 pick and the 2019 first-round pick from Philadelphia.
The deal has just happened, and teams across the league know that the Celtics already have a choice.
"Ball Daddy" has been jumping up and down for the past two days, but he has not responded to Li Ze's remarks.
UCLA's most recent championship was won by Li Ze in 09, the 11th championship in team history, and it has always been a matter of pride for the school.
Although Coach Ben is no longer coaching the team because of his age, it is normal for Li Ze, as a celebrity, to express his disappointment.
It's just that as the draft is approaching, the big-mouthed "ball daddy" began to encourage the Lakers in the same city to choose his son!
This year, the Lakers have the No. 2 pick in the first round, and they are in the big ball market, which is simply the dream team of newcomers.
The Clippers are still the 30th pick in the first round this year, and the Thunder have the first-round swap right, but Presti has no brains and naturally will not change draft picks.
Whatever the focus, it's all about Los Angeles fans that attending the Clippers' championship parade at 10 a.m. is all that matters.
The whole city was cheering for the Clippers' five-game winning streak, perhaps because they didn't have to go to work, and there were more and more fans as the team drove to Southern State.
Li Ze, who was wearing a white championship T-shirt, was still smiling, sitting at the front of the team, and simply waving to the fans around him.
Paul George and Eric Gordon are different, these two are extraordinarily engaged and loudly interacting with the fans, which is truly a novel experience for a player who won a championship for the first time.
Fox Sports and ESPN live-streamed the Clippers' championship parade as Durant at home in Oakland possessed him.
Since losing the Western Conference Finals, Durant has not even read his beloved Twitter and joined the 73-win Warriors, but his record has not improved, and his playoff results have not improved.
"Hell idea, why would the league want to hold a celebration like this, wouldn't it be nice to give the award directly as in previous years? Shet! The players' union actually agreed to this decision! โ
Kleiman, the agent, looked a little strange when he saw that the big employer had become irritable again.
If he's not mistaken, Durant was looking forward to the post-Finals celebrations in the middle of the season
After joining the Warriors, Durant bought the mansion in the San Francisco Bay area of California for $21 million.
Spanning 9,100 square feet, the fully modern style villa is very livable and has a full range of amenities, and Durant, who loves basketball, has even converted a private basketball court.
Adu also wants to follow Li Ze's example and end his career with the Big Ball City Warriors.
The reason why Durant's attitude has come to a 180-degree reversal is mainly because at this year's awards ceremony, the Warriors must be the object of ridicule.
As the boss of the Warriors, Durant has to take the blame, and for Adu, this is a public scandal!
"Don't care about the subsequent award ceremony, just accompany Ms. Wanda.
"Kevin, the Warriors' championship window is also shrinking, and next season, we need to win a championship, which will help us get our next shoe contract."
After coming to the Bay Area, Durant has been vigorously developing in business, and it is backed by Silicon Valley and has more opportunities than in Russia.
But Kleiman has always been thinking about Nike's big contract, which has been 17 years, and in just over a year, this contract will expire.
If you want to become the top name of Nike, a championship is indispensable, and the reason why LeBron James was squeezed out of position by Durant is because the opponent has lost the championship for many years in a row.
For the agent's words, Durant will naturally take it to heart, although James keeps failing, but at least he has reached the Finals.
If he can't even make it past the Western Conference Finals, the future is not clear
"I know, but at the moment the Warriors are in the top five in terms of salaries, and how to strengthen the team, I don't think even general manager Myers knows very well."
Thinking of the team's lineup for next season, Durant took a depressed puff of cigarette, he really didn't expect the Warriors to fall in the Western Conference Finals.
Kleiman also felt that this was outrageous, according to his previous expectations, coming to the Warriors Durant to harvest FMVP, and then shorten the gap with Li Ze, but now it has become a stepping stone.
"Maybe we can give Miles a little advice, you know, Kevin, as a superstar, you have such a privilege!"
"Joining the Warriors is to win a championship, and I'm sure the team will respect your wishes!"
Hearing the agent's reminder, Durant remembered that he should become Manager Du, and it was time to think about recruiting players.
Kleiman saw that the big employer was interested in this matter, and couldn't help but nod secretly in his heart, it was best to sign his players, so that he could earn an extra commission.
The Clippers' championship celebration also reached a climax, and after Li Ze assured fans that he would continue to win the championship next season, Paul George also replied firmly in the face of a question from a Fox sports reporter:
"I'm going to stay with the Clippers, Los Angeles is my hometown, and it's a great feeling to play for my hometown team!"
"Partnering with Kayce was the best choice I've made in my career, you know, we're the best forward in the league and the Clippers will rule for the next 10 years!"
The excited Paul George got more and more excited, and when he thought that he could win the championship again in the future, Paul George only felt that he was going to heaven.
The promise was naturally cheered loudly by the Clippers fans, and everyone was looking forward to the new season when the Clippers continued to crush the former league and abuse the game, which is really good-looking!
The Clippers have won consecutive championships, which naturally makes other teams in the league crazy, but when I think of the Clippers' salary this season just past the poor line, I will feel powerless again.
The annual draft meeting is naturally a good opportunity to scratch the lottery ticket, and everyone wants to scratch out the next Li Ze, but from 09 to the present, there is no one close.
On June 22, the 2017 NBA Draft was held at the Barclays Center in New York.
The 76ers, who received the No. 1 pick, chose the talented Markelle Fultz;
The Lakers, who were the second pick, may have believed in the talent of "Ball Daddy" and chose Lonzo Ball;
The Celtics, who were the third pick, drafted Jayson Tatum of Duke University.
The top three picks all looked very happy when they took the stage, especially Lonzo Ball, who secretly threw his fist in excitement when he learned that he had been drafted by the Lakers.
Being able to play for a big team is the pursuit of many new players.
The dust settled on the first-round pick when President Adam Silva announced that the Clippers had selected Josh Hart from Villanova University for the 30th place.
Some people are happy and some are sad, Josh Hart, who was not at the scene, cheered at home, and the budding newcomer didn't see the sad face of the agent behind him.
The Clippers are notoriously involuted, with too many new players, and Josh Hart is likely to sit on the bench for two years when he enters the Clippers.
By the second round, the sports media was missing by half, and the Clippers selected Isaiah Hartenstein with the 43rd pick, adding another member of the Water Cooler Guardians.
The draft is over, and new players who want to report to the team still have to wait for the final trade situation.
The Nets opted to send newly drafted Kyle Kuzma and Brook Lopez to the Lakers, ultimately trading Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell;
The Nuggets opted to trade Donovan Mitchell to the Jazz in exchange for Tyler Lyden and Tre Lyles;
The Bulls rebuilt from the ground up, trading Jimmy Butler and Justin Barton to the Timberwolves in exchange for Chris Dern, Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen.
Rookies may represent the future of the league, but for teams that pursue the present, that is, power is what everyone is after.
The Clippers have a lot of quality role players, agents are running around, and they don't have to wait for the free agency market to open, and the digging is already underway.
Chris Paul, who returned to Los Angeles in the offseason, has recently started asking Tucker out frequently.
The two have been old acquaintances, and they have experienced three consecutive championships together, so they naturally have something to say.
Paul had just dropped his son off for school in the morning, and at lunchtime Paul seemed in a good mood:
"PJ, how about playing in Houston? You're going to be in the starting line-up here, and the minutes are not a problem, and we can win the title in Houston! โ
'I think there's only one player missing in the squad at the moment who can inject toughness into the squad and we have a chance to be the new champions.'
The Cannon chairman was not polite, straight to the point, and directly extended the invitation, Tucker actually likes life in Los Angeles, but he is really not satisfied with the rotation of the Clippers.
"I've lived in Los Angeles for five years now, and honestly, I love the city."
Tucker was also very happy to receive an invitation, but he was still a little reluctant to leave the city where he had lived for 5 years and leave the Clippers.
Paul naturally saw Tucker's hesitation, seemed to guess what the other party was thinking, and persuaded with a smile:
"PJ, the Clippers belong to the young, and we're not young anymore, this is not our future, trust me, come to Houston and you'll get more."
Tucker naturally knows the internal situation of the Clippers very well, Jaylen Brown is the future of the team, and next season, this new player is likely to rush to the starting position.
On the bench, Norman Powell and Kevon Rooney are also growing, plus Brock Gordon, who has already secured the vacancy of the bench, the bench is also overcrowded.
As a veteran, Tucker isn't afraid of competition, but he does need playing time to get better stats.
Frowning slightly, as if thinking of something, Tucker finally changed the subject and said:
"I need to talk to my agent about this, and I'll take your suggestion into account!"
"Let's talk about James Harden first, this year's match, it always feels like he's far from Kayce."
Paul heard Tucker's inquiry, and smiled slightly, he dug this corner!
The Clippers have very few veterans, but there are also contradictions in the team, playing in the NBA, after all, it still depends on talent, and role players work hard and can't squeeze into the starting lineup, which does happen.
Li Ze understands the contradictions of the team, but he can't do anything about the selection of the head coach, the data can be divided into one point, but the coaching staff always has preferred players.
After the end of the draft, it was natural to usher in the big event of the year, and the league decided to reform this season, leaving the suspense of the results of each award until after the finals.
In the 14~15 season, the players' union put forward the concept of the award ceremony, in addition to the awards selected by the league, the players' union will also vote for other awards through the players themselves.
The host of the inaugural annual NBA Awards ceremony will be Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham), a well-known rapper.
The TNT quartet will also be the host of the show, and in general, this awards ceremony is a bit like the Oscars of the sports world, but the coffee position is a big difference
The awards ceremony was held at the Berkeley Center in New York City, a large banquet venue in the retro style of the early 20th century with lavish interiors, and it really fits the spirit of the NBA league.
Since the dinner venue was in Lower Manhattan, Li Ze naturally had to fly to New York to prepare, and start his vacation life by the way.
Britney's high-rise apartment is a small gift, which is a gift from his cheap dad, but after several years of continuous renovation, the interior is particularly luxurious.
On the morning of the 24th, Li Ze, who had been fighting all night, was preparing breakfast in high spirits.
Seeing that the time had come to 10 o'clock, Li Ze could only reluctantly return to the bedroom and wake up the two lazy chicks.
Maybe it was because there were too many positions unlocked last night, Taylor and Britney were hugging each other, and the two were still asleep.
"Ladies, it's 10 o'clock in the morning, are you going to sleep until noon?"
Casually lifting the quilt, Li Ze patted the money printing machine chick who had disappeared in her pajamas.
Without a trace of shyness, everyone has unlocked more poses in recent years, Taylor turned his head and leaned into Li Ze's arms again, and said in a daze:
"Just bring breakfast in, I want you to feed it"
As soon as he was halfway through the words, he slapped Li Ze on the buttocks, exclaimed, and the money printing machine chick who had completely come to his senses immediately twisted to Li Ze, and said unrelentingly:
"You promised me to stay with me in the offseason!"
Britney also woke up completely at this time, leaned sideways and said something cool with a smile on the side:
"Serve our little rich woman well, this is really a walking money printing machine, my dear, work hard tonight!"
"Ahh
Seeing that the two of them twisted into a ball again, Wow Wow screamed, Li Ze rubbed his eyebrows helplessly.
The money printing machine chick has made a lot of money in 16 years, and the main income comes from his 1989 concert tour, plus record sales, endorsements, royalties and other bonuses, and the annual income has reached a terrifying 170 million US dollars.
This kind of performance has also made the big machine record company completely profitable, Chapman can't wait for Li Ze to retire quickly, serve the money printing machine well, and the American knife is dripping!
Of course, Li Ze doesn't hold concerts, and he has made a lot of money through streaming media by relying on "created" albums, and the physical record is sluggish, but in a year, there are nearly 50 million US dollars.
This is the long-tail effect of hit singles, and since 09, Li Ze's "created" songs have been popular on streaming channels.
Coupled with the producer's share, Li Ze's income has also begun to rise in recent years.
However, for his own people, the blonde sister and Taylor, Li Ze did not settle the account, and the two of them also knew in their hearts that this confused account was everyone's tacit understanding.
There are only these two girls in New York, and this is their home base.
The two have not squandered to buy a house in recent years, and after Britney's cheap dad entered the white house, he has a new channel to make money, and he is currently the most deeply bound interest
By the time the three of them had breakfast together, it had come to 11:30, and Taylor, who was a little weak, was completely comfortable after eating it violently.
"Why does the NBA league also have such an award ceremony, I remember that in the past, didn't your MVP always receive the trophy in early May?"
The event in New York Taylor naturally knew that he just thought of the scattered awards and looked a little strange.
"Of course, there must be a sense of ceremony, I signed a large broadcast contract, the league will definitely continue to expand its influence, is there anyone to accompany me to the award ceremony?"
Li Ze asked the two casually, and Britney, who was immersed in eating, responded without raising her head:
"It's too boring, the performers are not good-looking, you should pay more attention to the NCAA, this year's UCLA results are too disappointing."
The guest performer is black rap female singer Nicki Minaj, and this kind of music is basically not to the taste of the trio.
Taylor also shook his head on the side, the money printing machine chick disliked that such an award ceremony was not in line with her coffee position:
"It's not as interesting as the Golden Globes that Lily took us to before, and this year's All-Star Festival guests are not bad, and it's hard to understand why the league always likes to invite rappers."
Li Ze pouted, of course the black brothers like it, the buff has become heavier and heavier in the past two years, of course, this is also related to the one in the white house, and the contradiction has been deepened
"After the awards ceremony, we'll fly straight to the UK and then go on vacation to Spain!"
This set of itinerary planning has long been clear to the two, mainly for Anne to relax, as if thinking of new fun, Britney suddenly joked:
"Won't our little canary play with everyone?"
Candace also has blonde hair, so everyone likes to laugh at this stupid girl who is broken and honest
Looking at Taylor, who pricked up his ears and pretended not to care, Li Ze said helplessly:
"We're just good friends, and I've never asked her to live like you."
The money printing machine chick was in a good mood at this time, and took the initiative to come to Li Ze's side, hugged her from behind and said with a smile:
"Isn't this a bad life? We made a lot of money and achieved our dreams again! โ
โ.โ
On June 26, at 8:30 p.m., at the Berkeley Center in New York, there were a lot of bigwigs in the NBA circle.
Before the start of the dinner, there was naturally a red carpet ceremony and a photo session, Li Ze Harden and Harden did not bring their families, and when they walked the red carpet, they took a group photo together.
The bearded golfer is in a good mood, and there is nightlife after dinner, and New York is Li Ze's home base, and high-quality nightclubs have always been Harden's favorite.
Li Ze is still wearing a dark blue formal suit, with small snake earrings on his ears, and as for Harden next to him, he is wearing a leopard print suit.
The turtle didn't take Nina with him tonight, and at the end of May, he just gave birth to a son, so he naturally couldn't attend tonight's celebration.
However, there are a lot of family members, and at such an important moment, it is natural to share the joy with them.
"Congratulations, Bro! The award is well deserved! โ
After the three of them completed the group photo, Li Ze immediately said hello to the turtle next to him, the MVP of the regular season, the turtle turtle with 30+ triple-pairs should win the award steadily.
Harden looked at the turtle with some envy, he also performed very well this season, but the presence of Paul made him not rank high in the MVP list.
"It's really cool that the Thunder team gave birth to three MVP players back then!"
Harden was also chattering and shouting on the side, if Li Ze, Durant, and Turtle all won the MVP, Russian City fans are estimated to break the defense again
"It's just that everyone doesn't want to see Kayce win three consecutive MVPs for the second time, and if she wins the award, it's all luck!"
"Kayce, 7 in a row, you did it, I'm so happy for you!"
During the finals, Guigui was busy watching his son with his wife at home, and he didn't congratulate Li Ze in time, so he naturally had to make up for it at this time.
Li Ze laughed and hugged the turtle, and the three of them entered the Berkeley Center dinner together.
In addition to the active star candidates, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Grant Hill, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pearce, Bill Russell and others were all on the field.
The new players all came to greet Li Ze cordially, and the old guys also took the initiative to shake hands.
7 consecutive championships have indeed brought Li Ze's influence to the peak, although he is not yet 27 years old, he has already shown the demeanor of a big man.
In the end, all the old stars around Li Ze were around, and this invisible circle can be regarded as everyone's respect for Li Ze.
The Clippers were the most crowded, with Brogdon, Eric Gordon, De Nagro head coach and general manager Gary Sachs also on the floor.
If nothing else, the Clippers will also have the most winners tonight.
At 21 o'clock in the evening, after the end of the commercial blowing session, everyone sat in a row, and the annual awards ceremony officially began.
There are many rappers in the audience tonight, and when Drake came to the stage in a white suit, there was a round of applause.
"Hey! Where's LeBron? โ
"Oh! It's a shame I didn't get to see LeBron tonight, I've been looking around and it wasn't until this moment that I remembered that LeBrons didn't get any nominations. โ
"KD, are you on site? Stephen, where have you been again? It's hard to imagine the Warriors not making it out of the West, you're the weakest duo I've ever witnessed! โ
"Of course, I still want to give you the highest respect for making the playoffs more exciting, and you making the league star-studded!"
The crowd at the scene began to coax and see others unlucky, which will always be everyone's favorite.
There was no Cavaliers at the award ceremony, and only Klay, Green, and Iguodala sat silently on the Warriors' side.
The witty American jokes on stage didn't make the two smile, and it was clear that they hadn't fully recovered from the Western Conference Finals loss.
The bearded golfer didn't care about losing, and sat next to D'Antoni and laughed.
It wasn't until the TNT foursome began to host that the award ceremony officially began.
The first award was the Best Rookie Award, and Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett, walked to the front of the stage with Grant Hill in her arms.
After a brief speech, the big screen began to show the wonderful performances of the three candidates during the regular season.
Brogdon, Embiid, and Saric all looked expectant.
As Grant Hill read Brogdon's name with a smile on his face, Li Zeah on the side immediately chirped, which was also the first award won by the Clippers player!
The next award ceremony was not much different from the result predicted by Amelika's judges.
The Most Improved Player of the Year award went to Giannis Antetokounmpo;
Sixth Man of the Year, Eric Gordon Lea won the award ahead of the Warriors' Andreas Iguodala and the Rockets' Louis Williams;
The three nominees for Coach of the Year are D'Antoni, Popovich and De Nagro;
In the end, Coach De Nagro won the best coach award again with a record of 74 wins;
General Manager of the Year, Gary Sachs of the Clippers took the stage to accept the award with a smile;
When it was the turn of the best defensive player, the big screen began to play the defensive rounds of Li Ze, Green, and Leonard.
In the end, O'Neill opened the envelope, and after seeing the answer, he pretended to be shocked, and then immediately said loudly:
"Congratulations to Kayce-Li, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second time in her career!"
Li Ze was a little surprised at first, and then quickly stood up with a smile and hugged a few people from the Clippers around him.
Greenmond Green's face was unusually ugly, and he had great expectations for the DPOY award, and the result
Looking at Li Ze, who thanked him for a while after taking the stage, Iguodala on the side patted Green covertly, and couldn't show weak emotions at this time.
At this point in the award ceremony, the Clippers have already received too many awards
The other players on the scene naturally just got lemon, good guys, this turned into a celebration for the Clippers?
The regular season MVP award was presented by President Adam Silva himself, and the crowd in the audience cheered loudly when they heard the name Russell Westbrook.
Seeing that Li Ze did not complete his second three-time MVP, the players present were completely comfortable!
Looking at the Clippers who were talking and laughing, on the Warriors' side, Draymond Green was completely broken.
When it came to the awards selected by the fans, Green almost turned around and left.
The winner of the Best Style Award is still Li Ze;
The best performance award of the year, the winner is Li Ze;
The award for the best winning ball of the year is also Li Ze's;
At the best moment of the playoffs, Li Ze blocked Curry in G3, and with this shot, Li Ze appeared on the court and won the award again.
As soon as the music on the scene sounded, Li Ze took the stage to accept the award, and at the end of the thank-you speech, he said that he was gone!
When Draymond Green saw Li Ze receiving awards in a row, his eyes were a little straight for a while, and there was only one thought in his heart:
"Just give the award and destroy it completely."
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