It's still Staples Arena, but the floor in the center of the arena has become the Clippers' team logo.
In the same venue, the visiting team is the Nuggets, but the atmosphere of the venue is completely different.
In fact, the Lakers and Clippers are only two games apart. The Lakers are ranked seventh in the Western Conference, while the Clippers are ninth in the Western Conference.
The two teams are evenly matched in terms of record, but their popularity is worlds apart.
The Lakers are the NBA's powerhouse team and the darlings of Los Angeles, while the Clippers are just their noisy neighbors.
Compared to the glorious history of the Lakers, the Clippers have only made it to the playoffs a handful of times, and their owner Sterling is a stingy businessman.
The Lakers are at a low point, but all fans believe that Kobe will lead them back to the top; while the Clippers see no hope, as they have always been.
Even though the Clippers' ticket prices are already very favorable compared to those of the Lakers, there are still many empty seats in the huge Staples Center.
This game was not broadcast live across the United States, and there were no Hollywood stars on the sidelines. After all, most stars like the spotlight, and not many really love basketball.
Jessica Alba has never been to a Clippers game, but this time she had a front-row seat.
It was obvious that she came for Li Yan.
In Jessica Alba's eyes, Li Yan now has a magical "magic" that she will never forget.
"Oh! That's okay, Lee." Kenyon Martin whistled and joked: "The goddess came to watch the game because of you."
"Well, Kenyon, be more confident, maybe they are here to see you." Li Yan said seriously:
"Don't you always feel that you are more attractive?"
"Hey! When you say that, it's really possible." Kenyon Martin touched his bald head and fiddled with the non-existent hair and said:
"You see, my figure is what makes a real macho man. Goddess should like the charm of a man like me."
"come on!"
…………
The current Los Angeles Clippers are still in the era of "Captain" Elton Brand.
Their back line is a combination of "Old Cat" Mobley and "Alien" Cassell.
Mobley and Cassell are not unknowns. They can be regarded as elite players throughout the entire history of the NBA.
It's just that Mobley is now 32 years old, and Cassel is 37 years old.
Boxing is afraid of young people, not to mention that Li Yan's figure has an absolute advantage.
On the defensive end, Li Yan did not encounter too many challenges, which allowed him to devote all his energy to offense.
In this kind of game without tasks, Li Yan focused on "making cakes" for his teammates.
The basketball court is also a "jianghu". It is precisely because Li Yan has made his teammates comfortable that no one has any objections to the "freshman" Li Yan's control of the ball.
Although they lack a forward strong point like "Melo" Anthony, the Nuggets' overall strength is still much stronger than the Clippers.
Li Yan and Iverson completely suppressed the Clippers' backcourt, and the powerful inside combination of Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin, and Nene Hilario was also full of energy.
There is not much suspense in this kind of game, and Li Yan's skills are fully utilized.
"The Wolf King's Roar" first adds a group bUff, and then continuously supports the passes of the "Cake Master".
"The Flash's Contempt" makes Li Yan a divine assistant on the defensive end.
As long as his physical fitness allowed, Li Yan was unambiguous in using his skills. He could add skill experience bars and refresh his data at the same time, so why not do it.
Under Li Yan's teamwork, the Nuggets completely took advantage of the field. After just one quarter, the Nuggets began to "take the lead".
Nuggets head coach George Karl on the sidelines was smiling from ear to ear. Li Yan was in great shape.
A defensively active, pass-first point guard is really God's treasure for the Nuggets.
George Karl felt so close to a championship.
108 to 87, the Nuggets defeated the Clippers without any blood on the road.
Li Yan scored 12 points, 18 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks, while Iverson had another 40+ game.
After Iverson came to the Nuggets, Li Yan averaged 12.4 points and 11.2 assists per game.
Among the point guards in the league during the same period, only Steve Nash had more assists than Li Yan.
Nash averaged 11.6 assists per game, while second-ranked Deron Williams only averaged 9.4 assists per game.
It's just that Li Yan's statistics in the first 22 games of the season were too low, which greatly hindered him.
This has resulted in Li Yan's current averages of 5.4 points and 4.2 assists per game, which seems really mediocre.
After Iverson came to the Nuggets, not only did he play more easily, his scoring efficiency also increased.
If Anthony does not return, there is a high probability that Iverson will defeat Kobe and win the scoring title.
Li Yan's performance cheered up Chinese fans and Nuggets fans. At the same time, Li Yan's performance was also recognized by the league.
Li Yan won the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January. At the same time, the national professional media "Sports Illustrated" launched the latest rookie rankings. Li Yan beat Trail Blazers rising star Brandon Roy and made the list for the first time. Get to the top of the list.
In the last game between the Nuggets and the Lakers, which was broadcast live nationwide, Li Yan conquered the media with his excellent performance on both offense and defense. This was the key to his soaring ranking.
Although he was on the road, the Nuggets still held a warm award ceremony for Li Yan.
Then, the Nuggets went to Portland non-stop, and their next opponent was the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers are not a strong team, and Li Yan didn't take this game to heart.
But the system released the task at this time:
"In the game against the Trail Blazers, if you suppress Brandon Roy's score within 10 points and score 20 points + 10 assists, you will be rewarded with an attribute point."
Li Yan was still wondering. Roy was very strong, but as a rookie, he probably couldn't meet the standards for issuing tasks.
At this time, Kenyon Martin came to Li Yan with his mobile phone:
"Lee, that's interesting. Brandon Roy of the Trail Blazers has declared war on you. He thinks he is the number one player on the rookie list..."
