Author: Christopher Andolini
The layout of Staples' restaurants is different from other restaurants: they are located behind the auditorium, connected to the area where spectators watch the game, and can provide meals and drinks to spectators at any time. People who come to watch the game spend three dollars each time to buy a hot dog and a drink after watching the game - this happened more than 20 years ago, when it was still in the Great Western Forum, and now the price has risen to five dollars - —Take back your bleacher seat and eat while watching the game.
If you are willing to spend an extra two dollars, you can buy a box of French fries or onion rings as a snack. If you spend more than ten dollars, you can have a delicious meal. But most of these customers just eat It's dinner, so I probably don't have such an appetite. Only VIP customers will enter the private room dressed in suits and leather shoes, order some steak, pizza, and red wine, and watch the game while eating.
When I was fifty-eight years old, I opened an Italian restaurant in the Staples Center. My brother said that my foundation was too weak and I was worried that I would not be able to do high-end VIP business, so I just made catering and drinks for ordinary fans. Although ordinary fans are easy to talk to, there are also many who are nagging and confusing. They tend to be picky about the taste of pizza and say why there is no pineapple on Italian pizza. They insist that authentic Italian pizza has pineapple. I don’t want to argue with such people. I will give him a punch to wake him up. So after thinking about it for a few days, my brother said that I couldn't open a restaurant. Fortunately, the Clippers provided a large loan to support me in building a high-end restaurant, and my store was opened.
From then on I worked all day at Staples, delivering pizza to the fans. Although I made some money, it always felt a bit monotonous and boring after a long time. My brother always came to eat for free, and Anschutz always hooked up with Linda, which was very lively. Only when Don Smart came to the store could he laugh a few times, so I still remember it to this day.
Don Smart was the only person wearing a suit and tie eating in the restaurant. He has an average build and a ruddy complexion. His face is often filled with worry, and his eyes are always full of wisdom. Although he was wearing a suit and leather shoes, he always wore the same outfit, as if he hadn't changed it in more than ten years. When he speaks to people, he always mixes Chinese characters with them, sometimes making them half-understandable. Because his name is Smart, he is the general manager of the Clippers, and he is also the benefactor who enabled me to open this restaurant, so I always call him Don Smart.
As soon as Don Smart arrived at the store, all the employees looked at him and smiled, and some shouted, "Mr. Smart, the Clippers won again!" He didn't answer and said to me, "Get a beer. Another pizza." He loosened his tie. They shouted in good faith, "The Clippers will definitely make the playoffs!" Don Smart opened his eyes and said, "Why are you making such irresponsible predictions..." "What is irresponsible? The day before yesterday, when the Clippers beat the Bucks, Curry came back and was hanging." Don Smart blushed, with a worried look on his face, and explained, "Being beaten by hanging cannot be counted as a win... Injury! . . . Jennings is absent, and the win is disgraceful." The words came one after another, such as "Princeton" and "pass cut", which caused everyone to burst into laughter: the atmosphere inside and outside the store was full of joy.
I heard people talking behind the scenes that Don Smart was an orphan, but he didn't give up on himself. He studied hard and worked hard. It is said that he also worked as a cook. Later, he won the favor of Sterling and became the general manager of the Clippers. In just one season, the Clippers were brought to the playoffs. It's a pity that Curry was injured early this season and had surgery, and the Clippers' results at the start of the season were not good. But in January, Cole came, and the Clippers gradually recovered and their record was better. The number of wins gradually increased, and the ranking moved higher. Don Smart may be happy, but the number of times he comes to eat at my place has obviously increased. He ate pizza and steak in our store and never had to pay for it. Although I used to do restaurants and paint houses without credit, I would never charge Don Smart a penny.
After having two glasses of wine, Don Smart's worried expression gradually dissipated. A young fan eating pizza asked, "Mr. Smart, can the Clippers win the next game against the Heat?" Matt looked at the young fan who asked him and nodded, no problem. The Clippers are about to embark on a road trip, and their second game will be against the Heat. The young fan then asked, "Can the Clippers advance to the second round of the playoffs this season?" Don Smart immediately looked depressed and uneasy, with a layer of gray covering his face, and said These words; maybe we can definitely do it this time, but it’s not bad to get a good lottery. At this time, everyone also laughed: the atmosphere inside and outside the store was full of joy.
At these times, I can laugh along and feel happy in my heart. Moreover, my brother always asked him this question when he met Don Smart. Everyone was very happy that the Clippers had recovered. Don Smart doesn't really like talking about basketball with us. He always says he doesn't understand tactics. He was a little drunk during the Bulls game and said to me, "Do you know basketball tactics?" I nodded slightly. He said, "If you understand basketball tactics... I will give you a test. What are the main offensive strategies of the Eagles tactics?" I thought, Mr. Smart, you are really making things difficult for me. How could I be so professional? Then he hesitated and went to greet the business, but there was no answer.
Don Smart didn't seem to forget this. He said to me during halftime, "You really don't understand?...I'll teach you, remember! You should remember these routines. You will use them when you become a head coach in the future." ." I thought to myself, how could I be a head coach? However, the Clippers led the Bulls by 11 points at halftime. The Bulls were number one in the league, but they couldn't beat the Clippers. Don Smart must be happy. I tried to answer him, "The Hawks tactic was first used by the Atlanta Hawks, right?" Don Smart looked extremely happy, tapped his fingernails on the table, nodded and said, "Yes. Yes! ...The Eagles have four basic offensive strategies, do you know?" At this time, business came, and I ordered steak in the VIP room, so I could only walk away. Don Smart had just dipped his finger into the beer and wanted to draw tactics on the table. When he saw me leaving, he sighed again, showing a very regretful look.
I heard Ada say that Don Smart knows tactics very well and is an absolute genius, but he always pretends not to understand just to take care of the self-esteem of the coaching staff. He is really great.
Towards the end of the Bulls game, with the Clippers winning without any suspense, some young fans surrounded Don Smart. He then gave them autographs, one for each of them. The child asked for an autograph but refused to leave, saying he also wanted Curry's autograph. Don Smart panicked, with a helpless smile on his face. He bent down and said, "You don't actually want my autograph, you want Curry's, right?" He straightened up and looked at the side of the court again. Curry The place was packed with people asking for interviews and autographs. He scored 34 points in this game. He shook his head and said, "I will bring you autographs during the away trip." So the group of children dispersed in laughter.
Don Smart is such a joy to watch that Clippers fans and players would simply not be able to survive without him.
One day, about two or three days before the All-Star Game, Linda was slowly making pizza and kneading the dough, and suddenly said, "Mr. Smart hasn't been here for a long time. I haven't made pizza for him for a long time." I Only then did I feel that he had indeed not been here for a long time. A young employee who loves watching football said, "Why is he here?... The Clippers' road trip is 11 consecutive aways, with All-Stars in between. They can't come back." Linda said, "Oh!" This road trip was too long, and everyone thought it was a disaster. As a result, they started with four consecutive victories, and the Heat couldn't beat them!" "What happened next?" "How was it? They lost to Cleveland in overtime in Game 5. The Cavaliers immediately defeated the Raptors and Bucks." "What happened next?" "Then they lost to the Timberwolves!" "It's considered poverty alleviation." "Yeah, but the record is still eleventh in the Western Conference, three points behind eighth. It’s a victory.” Linda didn’t know much about the details, so she stopped asking and continued to make her pizza silently.
After the All-Star break, the Clippers are still playing away games, and various teams are making trades all over the place. Anthony went to the Knicks; the Heat traded for Battier; and the Staples Center has been a Lakers game in the past few weeks. But I also started to pay attention to the situation of the Clippers. They won the Thunder and the Hornets in two consecutive games. Finally returned to Los Angeles on February 24th, and they were going to play the Lakers on the 25th.
That afternoon I was preparing ingredients when I suddenly heard a voice, "Have a glass of beer." Although the voice was very low, it was very familiar. I looked up and saw Don Smart sitting at the viewing table outside the restaurant. He seems to have lost weight, and his hair is unkempt and messy. He is wearing a new Clippers jersey, holding his chin. This jersey is very fashionable. It was specially designed and developed by Kanye West for the Clippers. It is very popular. See you. I, again, said, "Have a beer."
Linda also stretched out her head and said, "Mr. Smart? Do you want to eat the pizza I made?" Don Smart turned his head dejectedly and replied, "This... I'll eat it next time. I'll eat it now." I just want to drink a beer." Linda smiled and said to him, "Mr. Smart, the Clippers are going to the playoffs again!" This time he did not make any irresponsible prediction, but simply said, "Don't mention it. "Is there still a few wins left? There is a chance, the same as last season!" Don Smart whispered, "It's hard to say, it's hard to say..." The look in his eyes was very much like telling Linda, Don't be so optimistic. The restaurant staff and chefs all laughed with Linda. Don Smart was always so humble. I poured the beer, took it out, and put it on the table. He took the wine glass, and I saw that he was wearing a Rolex watch on his wrist. It was said to be a gift from a sponsor. The Clippers have more and more sponsors. After a while, he finished his drink and went to the field to warm up with the players while others said goodbye respectfully.
Since then, Don Smart hasn't come to dinner for a while. That day they defeated the Lakers and Harden again at Staples Center; then they narrowly defeated the Celtics back-to-back, and both the Yellow and Green Army died in their hands; on March 7th, they embarked on a road trip again, and Don Smart Te definitely followed, and until they defeated the Wizards on March 12, they had a ten-game winning streak! On March 14th, the last away game was against the playoff contenders, the Grizzlies.
I haven't seen him until now - probably Don Smart will come back with the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
March 2011
This update was written relatively slowly and delayed other chapters. I will update it later.
(End of chapter)
