Side story - Leonard who counterattacked
In the 19~20 season, the Clippers formed a triumvirate of Leonard, Paul George, and Jokic.
Jokic, who just entered the best team last season, has already shown his absolute strength, coupled with Leonard, who is both offensive and defensive, and Paul George, who has returned from injury, the team's basic stability is terrifying.
At the back, Brogdon and Jaylen Brown have also grown further, and Siakam has shown talent off the bench.
The Clippers have been stronger this season, and of course the team has paid a huge luxury tax to preserve the roster with the support of Steve Ballmer's American knife.
But when the contracts of many players expire next season, the Clippers will have to make trade-offs, and the salary space is really unbearable...
After the start of the regular season on October 22, the Clippers showed their ability to crush everything.
The offensive grasp is still not comparable to that of Li Ze's period, but on the defensive end, after Vogel's adjustment, the team broke out with terrifying defensive ability.
The new players' defensive experience has increased, and the lineup of one big and four small players is fully protective of Jokic, which makes the white fat man only need to sink back and protect the basket.
After the start of the game, the Lakers in the same city closed themselves...
Despite the addition of Bradley, Quinn Cook, Markieff Morris, Galayd Dudley and others in the offseason, only James and Davis can be relied upon compared to the Clippers.
The Clippers also have Danny Green on the bench, and Powell is all squeezed out of playing time.
The Lakers have Bradley and Cardwell-Pope in the backcourt, McGee as center, and the lineup is good, with Rondo, Cook, Caruso, Morris, and Zubac on the bench.
Lakers fans thought the team would play dominant, but they were ruled by the Clippers in the same city...
Of course, although the team's results are not as good as the Clippers, the Lakers are also a salted fish, and by mid-November, they still firmly occupied the second place in the West.
The Lakers also brought in an old acquaintance of James as head coach for the new season, and Tyronn Lue came to the Lakers soon after the Cavaliers got out of class.
With the blessing of the Lakers' own family + James's old acquaintances, through a 70-page PPT passionate speech, Tyronn Lue was successfully re-employed:
"Mr. Zhan, all encounters are reunions after a long absence!"
“...”
LeBron James sometimes really wants to shout "You don't want to come here!" But the road was chosen by himself, and the Lakers already took good care of him.
Magic Johnson blew himself up and took away Jeanie Buss's favorite Luke Wharton, and although the decision was somewhat abrupt, the Lakers' infighting was also over.
Finding the Davis James wants, and there is a head coach on the coaching staff that James is familiar with, the Lakers really want to win the championship, and they can't let the Clippers win anymore.
The Warriors are the worst, Curry was injured soon after the start of the game, and with Klay, who was reimbursed for the season, the only thing left for the team to play was Draymond Green.
Reaching the Finals last season, Coach Rivers was in high spirits, but the new season ushered in a big blow, and the championship coach only had a good season and had to follow the Warriors to play a bad fishing...
The Nets have no record requirements, Durant is recovering from injuries and flying around with the team, and this season is completely for Irving.
Of course, the role players also get a lot of opportunities, and in general, the ball is not a problem, everyone can get the stats.
Joe Harris has been particularly good on the team, and in the case of Klay's injury, América's sports media have said that Joe Harris is expected to succeed Klay as the second super 3-or-D defender.
The Nets didn't have a Christmas game, and on December 28, fans saw Li Ze on Houston's home court.
Tonight is the Nets' away game against the Rockets, and the game starts at 20 o'clock in the evening, and the director of the pre-game scene frequently focuses the camera on Li Ze in the front row.
And Candace next to Li Ze is a lot more rounded, although she is 32 years old, her appearance has not changed much, and when she saw the camera, she still hugged Li Ze's arm and greeted her with a smile.
After more than a year of hard work, the man-making movement has finally paid off, and next year, Li Ze will be able to form a basketball team.
The owner of the Rockets sent Ariza and Beverley away in order to save money.
The bearded ball player and Paul had a conflict, but the two decided to fight for another year in the offseason, and Leonard parachuted into the Clippers, a result that made Rockets management despair.
The Nets' record is average, but the attendance at the Toyota Center Arena tonight is very good, and the Rockets fans are very face-saving, and many people are trying to get Li Ze's autographed photo.
The Nets, who were mediocre with average talent, didn't have a very good way to defend in the face of the Rockets' completely magic ball play, and the score was quickly pulled away.
After Irving broke through Paul's defense at the top of the arc outside the three-point line, he faced Capela who came up to help defend and threw the ball to the top right of the basket in the paint area.
Jarrett Allen under the basket immediately burst out, grabbed the ball with both hands and smashed the ball into the basket fiercely!
"Shhhhh
Despite the fact that the Rockets were able to respond with such an attack, there were huge boos in the Toyota Arena.
Li Ze clapped his hands with a smile, and Owen, who was concentrating on playing, did show good strength.
Noticing that some fans were already wearing masks at the scene, Li Ze clenched Candace's hand and whispered to his ear:
"Remember to start going out less next year, or just move to Los Angeles or New York!"
Candace's face was slightly red, and although she had opened a silver party many times, she was still a little uncomfortable with that kind of absurd life, so she quietly twisted Li Ze and complained in a low voice:
"It's not been three months before I move in!"
Li Ze scratched Candace's palm and replied helplessly:
"I'm talking about the flu, and we have to protect ourselves at this time, and we have to be more careful."
Realizing that she wanted to be crooked, Candace gave Li Ze a blank look, and then continued to whisper:
"I'm trying to stay at home and stay out, and if you behave well and come with me to a few parties, I'll move to New York!"
Li Ze just smiled, and sighed in his heart that Amelica was getting more and more chaotic.
Maybe there is no championship, LeBron James likes to keep up with current events very much, and he has been speaking out frequently on social media for a while.
"If I win the championship, I will never go to the White House!"
"This is the worst 4 years for Amerika, we have to fight for freedom!"
James can often see these comments on Twitter, and there are many teams in the league who are also actively speaking, but for these voices, the one in the white house also responded strongly on Twitter:
"Losing to Kayce-Li in a row, the biggest loser in the NBA, maybe James can only really show dominance if he joins my team!"
This is the owner of the WNBA team...
The mutual tweeting caused a huge response from the fans, and everyone wished that the two of them would have a war of words on Twitter every day.
The NBA league has always advocated neutrality and objectivity, but most players can't do it, and the Clippers have been accepting the invitation of the White House for the first two years, and there is lemon essence complaining that this is a mutiny....
Li Ze, who was on the sidelines, was already out of the world, and the Nets on the court were also shot by the bearded player's three-point shot.
Despite the conflict with Paul and the fact that the two sometimes disagree on their basketball philosophy, Harden still respects Paul's opinion.
After all, among the active point guards, only Paul has won three consecutive championships, and these three championships are not lying down, and the performance of Chairman Cannon is obvious to all players.
This is already the top No. 1 position in the league, and the bearded golfer also knows that it will be difficult for him to find a better partner, so this season, naturally, it is extremely hard.
The Rockets owner's patience is limited, and if they can't win the championship, the cooperation between the two ends there.
In the end, in the game at the end of 2019, 98-104, the Rockets won easily at home.
With 23 wins and 10 losses, the Rockets are still in third place in the West, three wins away from the second-place Lakers.
In the Toyota Center, Rockets fans are cheering for the home team's victory.
After the game, Chris Paul was the first to step forward and hug Li Ze.
"Kayce, I really envy your life, sometimes I wonder if it's time to retire early!"
Seeing Paul smile bitterly and shake his head, Li Ze knew that Chairman Cannon had an opinion on the boss of the door.
However, the reason why the Rockets' salary is a bit explosive is mainly because Paul did not choose to take a salary cut, unlike Iguodala of the Warriors, the chairman of the cannon will not take less money for the championship.
"Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared, the Rockets still have a chance, James is more mature this year, and the third place position is not bad!"
Li Ze blinked, laughing and teasing the current ranking of the Rockets.
If the current situation continues, the Rockets could face the Lakers in the playoffs.
Paul and James are also old rivals, and thinking of what might happen in the playoffs, Chairman Cannon also smiled:
"LeBron definitely doesn't like playing against me, but when it comes to the playoffs, I'm going to give it my all, and as for the Clippers, Ballmer is so rich."
There is really no opponent in the money ability, the Nets have not paid the luxury tax this year, and Li Ze has no intention of being the wrongdoer.
The bearded golfer was in a good mood, and by the way, he had a brief chat with Durant on the bench.
Li Ze only discovered the butterfly effect he brought at this time.
Turtle is one man and one city, he is the boss in the city, the bearded golfer is not bad, and he is very happy in Houston, where several nightclubs are planning to retire his jersey.
Many players no longer choose to run away, but stay in their parent team to get big contracts with peace of mind.
After Li Ze and Curry, Lillard also signed a super cap salary, the championship is not easy to get, and some star players have begun to pursue bigger contracts.
Frowning slightly in his heart, Li Ze felt that the original plan might have to be revised.
...
The 2020 All-Star Game came to Chicago, with Leonard winning the Western Conference All-Star and Giannis Antetokounmpo winning the Eastern Conference.
It was Leonard's year, and the All-Star Game continued to work hard to win the AMVP.
Amerika's sports media are also aware that Leonard may win another championship this year, with the Clippers having the best record in the league and a promising MVP if the current trend continues.
Another butterfly effect brought by Li Ze is that Kobe Bryant harvested his fourth daughter early...
After the Black Mamba retired, he also worked hard to create people, saying that it was the same to give birth to a boy and a girl, but anyone could see that he still wanted a son.
At the end of November last year, Li Ze posted two small points in a row, Cassius and Swain, and America's sports media and fans also followed suit.
Four sons and four mothers, although it is common to have children without getting married, Lily Collins and Alexandra were born so casually that many lemon essences secretly complained:
"It's almost time to form a men's basketball team!"
The black mamba was a little autistic after harvesting her baby daughter, and she was very happy on the surface, but in November, it was revealed that the family was not in harmony...
In short, in the second half of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, Kobe Bryant has been staging a family drama with Vanessa for two days and a small quarrel for three days.
The melon-eating crowd in Los Angeles was so excited to watch it, which was much more interesting than the Lakers' game!
In early March, as Gobert put on the microphone, NBA players were quickly hit by the flu and forced to shut down.
Part of the reason for the shutdown was skin color, George Hill walked out of the game directly for the Bucks, and then LeBron James also actively spoke out in support of the boycott and fought for the rights of the black brothers.
In this case, the NBA league also urgently convened a video conference.
Li Ze naturally also participated in this team meeting, and Mark Cuban, as a representative of the owners, did not hesitate to give an answer on whether to continue the game:
"We need to give an explanation to the fans, even if there are no fans watching the game, this season should have a beginning and an end!"
"The league can do something to protect it, but of course it requires a different field and the medical team needs to monitor the health of the players."
In the video conference, Li Ze, who was on crutches, and Michael Jordan, who looked serious, were different, and they were particularly eye-catching among a bunch of old white men.
Neither of them spoke, everyone's views are similar, the income is higher by playing a few more games, there is no audience and advertising share, and it is a good thing to lose a little less.
Because of the color of his skin, President Adam Silva would have preferred to hear what Michael Jordan had to say on the matter.
"We're a sports league, not something else."
Michael Jordan gave his opinion with a calm look, and as in earlier years, the man was not keen on speaking up for his compatriots.
At the same time, Paul also organized a player meeting, and with most stars in favor of a rematch, LeBron James followed suit.
At this point, the "Hill campaign" was a complete failure ...
Regardless of whether the players really liked the decision or not, the game went on.
The Clippers went on a high streak and finished with a 57-15 record, the highest in the league.
The Lakers are 52-19 and in second place in the Western Conference, followed by the Rockets with 49 wins in third place and the Thunder with 44 wins in fourth place.
The 5~8 places are the Jazz, Nuggets, Mavericks, and Trail Blazers.
The Eastern Conference Bucks are once again in first place with 56, followed by the Raptors with 53 wins, the Celtics with 48 wins, and the Pacers with 45 wins;
In the bottom half of the team, the Heat finished fifth with 44 wins, followed by the 76ers with 43 wins.
The Nets have a 38-35 record and are in seventh place in the East, while the Magic are at the bottom of the playoffs with 33 wins.
After the start of the playoffs, Li Ze only paid attention to the Nets' games, and after G1 ended, he knew that the series would definitely be gone.
The Raptors swept the Nets 4-1 and went straight out of the first round this year.
And in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers fans are completely broken, every year they will meet the Clippers, every year they will be swept out...
After the second-place Lakers met the Mavericks, Doncic played a supernatural performance, and the Lakers were forced to steal seven in the first round.
Fortunately, there was no danger in the end, and he finally won against the new Doncic, and LeBron James was happy for two days, and he met the Rockets in the semifinals.
In two consecutive rounds, big men were frequently targeted, and Anthony Davis was always bloody, barely allowing the Lakers to gain some advantage with his flexible mobility.
In the semifinals, the bearded golfer suffered a hamstring strain in his right leg at a critical moment, and in the end, the Lakers struggled to reach the Western Conference finals.
Lakers fans were already boiling at this time, and although they couldn't go to the game live, on social media, the slogan sounded again:
"Lakers Championship!"
In the Western Conference Finals, the fully healthy Clippers didn't give the Lakers too many chances, and after winning the battle of Tianwang Mountain, they easily played 8 5 and took away the opponent 4:2 to reach the finals again!
Under the ability of money, the Clippers' bench is simply terrifying, even if the offense is not effective, relying on the defensive system trained by Vogel's protagonist is enough to crush other teams.
In the Eastern Conference, the Heat relied on joint defense, first the Bucks who swept the Bucks 4:1, and the Eastern Conference Finals, which also defeated the Celtics 4:2.
Jimmy Butler has finally won the praise of the ball critics with his actual performance!
As for the Finals, the Clippers were completely crushed, and the joint defense was too simple for the Clippers with Jokic.
Leonard locked Butler again, and the Clippers rained three points, and finally swept the Heat 4-0 and easily won the park championship!
There was no cheers from the fans, only the passionate hugs between the coaching staff and the players, and Li Ze, as a video guest, also smiled and applauded.
The Clippers' offensive firepower is a little weaker than in the past, but on the defensive end, as the players have gained experience in the game, they have become more and more impressive.
Coach Vogel seemed very excited, for him, coaching such a team not to win the championship is a failure, but fortunately he has lived up to the trust of the management, Steve Ballmer's knife is not in vain!
The awards ceremony was a bit shabby, but the Clippers didn't care.
Most of the players have seen the big scene with Li Ze, and Jokic, who played an important role in the Finals series, just smiled and stood at the back.
Leonard, who won the second championship of his career, had mixed feelings for a while, and shouted with the O'Brien Cup.
In the final interview, Leonard slowly regained his composure:
"This championship belongs to everyone on the Clippers, you know, it's my first year with the team, and I can feel the winning culture here."
"I don't have a lot of Finals experience compared to my teammates, the stats don't speak for themselves, I just hit those shots step by step."
"Thank you to Kayce, who shaped the Clippers' winning culture, to Mr. Ballmer, who kept the championship lineup, and to the coaching staff for putting together the perfect game plan for us in the series!"
“...”
Leonard said a lot of thanks, this year's playoffs, the whole process was very easy, he was kind of taken away by his teammates.
Steve Ballmer, wearing a mask, excitedly waved his fist in celebration and waved at the video window in the audience.
Li Ze smiled and gave a thumbs up in the camera, even if the Clippers' roster changes next season, as long as the core team is healthy, they can still continue to compete for the championship.
After the award ceremony, Li Ze, who was in New York, looked at the email on the computer and thought to himself:
"Offense or defense? Hopefully Steve Cole can give an answer..."