As the game was in full swing, 19,000 fans filled every corner of the Staples Center auditorium.
There are two best seats at Staples, one closest and one farthest.
The closest ones are, of course, the sidelines, near the team’s bench and technical table.
Here you can appreciate the players' matches most intuitively, the distance is so close.
You can even see the big beads of sweat on the players' bodies, as well as the sound of muscles clashing during the game.
Players will keep shouting when playing on the court, some are communicating with teammates, and some are talking trash at opponents.
Another advantage of this closest position is that it will be scanned by the TV station's cameras and can be featured on TV.
Especially in Los Angeles and Hollywood, some stars will use this method to increase their exposure.
The TV station is also willing to cooperate, and from time to time will give close-ups of handsome guys and beauties on the sidelines.
The farthest location is the VIP suite on the top floor, which is several floors above the stadium.
Sitting here and watching the game, the experience of watching the game is not as good as watching TV. If there is no big screen on site, it will be like watching people play backgammon.
The advantage is that there is a separate compartment separated by glass, which is very quiet. There are sofas, chairs, wine cabinets, and buffets inside.
Watching football here, you don’t have to endure the loud noise on the field. You can chat and drink with friends while watching the game.
VIP suites like this are usually reserved for business people.
They often do not simply watch football, but treat it as a social event.
Invite some friends and business partners to watch a game and discuss business at the same time.
Staples' VIP rooms are relatively simple in the NBA.
Staples Center has the lowest number of seats in the league, and the luxury of the venue is also average.
The Buss family, the owners of the Lakers, don't have the money to build their own arena and rent the arena every year.
It’s true that I won the most championships and lived the poorest life. It’s just that I don’t stand out.
Tonight's much-anticipated Los Angeles Derby naturally attracted many celebrities to watch the game.
In addition to the celebrities who show their faces on the sidelines, there are also some rich people who don't like the excitement.
For example, the owner of Staples Center, the owner of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and the wealthy Anschutz.
This big man who is willing to devote himself to sports also owns a part of the Lakers.
There are also the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, both of which are controlled by him.
The Major League Soccer is supported by him, otherwise the entire league will collapse.
Compared to the Bass family, who always likes to show off and be known, he is the real king of Los Angeles sports.
In 2000, his personal assets reached US$16 billion.
Recently, he has been affected by the financial crisis and his assets have shrunk. However, as long as the economic crisis passes, the high-quality assets in his hands will increase their valuation again and move towards the direction of becoming a billionaire.
In comparison, the Buss family, which only guards one Los Angeles Laker, pales in comparison.
The Lakers have to play games, and they have to play in Anschutz's arena.
Unlike many Americans, Anschutz, a former oil tycoon, is very interested in football.
When the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, he took advantage of the situation and founded the American Football League and the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The signing of Beckham in 2009 was definitely a very eye-catching signing, which immediately raised the Galaxy to the championship team level and gained a lot of exposure.
During the offseason, Beckham was loaned to AC Milan, which was another move that killed two birds with one stone.
It is now the winter break of Serie A. Beckham returned to Los Angeles and watched the game with Anschutz in the VIP box.
Not everyone can watch the game with Anschutz in the VIP box, which is enough to show Beckham's status in the Galaxy team.
Since we are watching NBA games, we must talk about basketball, and then we talk about the Lakers and Clippers.
For the Lakers, the two have nothing to talk about. There is no doubt about Kobe's strength.
But tonight's Clippers did not fall behind at all. In the first quarter of the game, Curry faced Kobe's defense and scored 14 points in a single quarter!
The beating made Kobe look very bad. He even got anxious on defense at one point and sneaked an elbow towards Curry's chest, but the referee did not blow the whistle.
Of course, this move couldn't escape Min Congda's sharp eyes. The guy got up and screamed at the referee, pointing at his nose and cursing.
Sitting in the VIP room, Anschutz and Beckham saw Min Congda scolding the referee on the big screen, which was called arrogance.
Because tonight was the Clippers' home game, the referee couldn't send Min Congda off the field, so he had to comfort him repeatedly, which made him very embarrassed.
Anschutz smiled and said: "Haha, the general manager of the Clippers is really a magical person. No one knows where Sterling found him. And Sterling has disappeared in Los Angeles since then. He He will come back on the 1st for a meeting, and then go to Australia for vacation. Ha, it’s unbelievable, he will completely delegate power.”
Beckham said: "I have been in contact with this man. He is a guy who does big things. He is different from many people I have met. He has a very special temperament."
Anschutz nodded: "The Clippers' management has always been mediocre. Sterling is a speculator, but he doesn't love sports and doesn't understand basketball. This new manager has a bold and generous style. To be honest, I I didn't have any interest in the Clippers, a broken team. Now, I'm really interested."
As the king of Los Angeles sports, several of the teams Anschutz invested in were very successful.
Not to mention the Lakers, the Los Angeles Sparks women's basketball team has won two championships and is one of the most popular women's basketball teams.
There are also the Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Galaxy, both of which have reached the league finals and have both strength and popularity.
With a lot of money invested, it's only a matter of time before they win the championship.
And the Clippers? Sterling is just a money-making tool, so rotten that Anschutz doesn't even want to touch it.
I didn't expect that things would improve this year, just because of such a little-known Chinese manager.
He became interested in this team immediately, and of course he was more interested in Min Congda.
"Dong dong dong!"
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, Anschutz winked at his men, and the bodyguard opened the door to check.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a white chef's coat, holding a pizza box in his hand.
It's Christopher Andolini.
"Sir, what do you want?"
"I am the chef of a newly opened restaurant. I would like to give you a pizza and two steaks to try our taste. It's free."
"Sorry, no need, we have a buffet."
"It's free, give it a try..."
"No, please leave, otherwise I will be rude to you."
"Oh, you're rude to me. How do you want to be rude to me? I'm here to give you free tasting food, but you want to be rude to me. Does being the watchdog of a superior person make you feel superior? I'm here When Helmsley was served in New York, he didn't have such arrogance that he would be rude to you."
During the new business period, Christopher was not content with just dine-in and waiting for customers to come.
Instead, he took the initiative to bring the Italian pizza and steaks from the store to the VIP suite for free tasting to the VIPs here.
This is a good way to open up word of mouth, and abundant funds gave Christopher the confidence to do so.
"Let him in, that's not how you should treat someone offering free food, come in."
Anschutz dismissed the bodyguard, went to the door and invited Christopher in.
Christopher glared at the bodyguard, entered the private room generously, and placed pizza and steak on the table.
There are actually a lot of things to eat in the private room. They are all exquisite buffets and can be taken as you like.
But Anschutz doesn't usually eat here, and the food at Staples Center is only so-so.
It has been 10 years since 1999, and Anschutz is almost tired of it.
"What's your name?" Anschutz asked Christopher.
"Tony." Christopher did not use his real name, but a common Italian name.
"Toni, almost half of the people in Italy are named Tony."
"Thank you for the food, you can go."
Christopher insisted: "I think you'd better try it."
But Anschutz shook his head and said, "I'm not hungry now. I've already accepted your food. I don't think even Helmsley would force him to eat your food."
Helmsley is a well-known real estate developer in New York and the developer and builder of the Empire State Building.
At this time, Beckham came out to smooth things over. He opened the pizza box and said, "I happen to be hungry. Let me take a bite."
The pizza was still hot. He took out a slice and took a bite. Beckham immediately gave him a thumbs up.
"Great! This taste is very similar to what I had in Italy. No, this is Italian-style pizza. It's great, it's really great."
A smile appeared on Christopher's face and he said: "This is authentic Italian pizza, just like the old ones."
Beckham wasn't saying any kind words. He ate one piece and then picked up a second piece.
During his time at AC Milan, Milan's pizza was his favorite. After returning to Los Angeles during the winter break, he hadn't had authentic Italian pizza for a long time.
After receiving the affirmation, Christopher left with satisfaction.
Before leaving, Anschutz asked: "What's the name of your restaurant?"
Christopher thought for a while, the shop hadn't been named yet.
He had an idea and said, "It's called red-headed boots."
(End of chapter)
