After the NBA's lockout season in 2012, the operation of the new season has entered a stable state.
The attendance for the first three games was quite good and the ratings were also very high.
The three matchups were full of topics, with stars and popularity, giving the new season a good start.
At the same time, the United States has gradually emerged from the financial crisis in 2008. By asking the United States and the world to foot the bill, the economy has returned to an upward trajectory.
The league has survived the two most difficult seasons in 2009 and 2010, and the most dangerous summer lockout in 2011. It went bankrupt when it was time to go bankrupt, sold team assets when it was time to sell them, shareholders and bosses shuffled the cards, and the league The president has been replaced, the referee team has been beaten, and a new championship has been born. The NBA has ushered in a new situation.
On October 31st, the new champion Los Angeles Clippers ushered in their opening game of the new season at Staples Center, against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The league's schedule planners understand traffic and know what kind of games are the most eye-catching.
As a rising upstart in the league, the Grizzlies are facing off against the Clippers, who have just won the championship. Coupled with the grudge between Griffin and the Clippers, and the addition of new No. 1 pick Anthony Davis, it is definitely full of excitement.
There is still an hour before the start of the game, and the Staples Center is already overcrowded. A large number of fans wearing Clippers red and blue jerseys arrived to prepare for the new season of the Clippers.
Tonight, the Clippers, as the new champions, will have a championship ring awarding ceremony and a championship flag hanging ceremony.
The Clippers have been in the league for forty years and finally have an honor they can win.
League President Adam Silva arrived at the scene in person and sat on the sidelines waiting for the game to start.
Out of concern for the Clippers and fear of what might happen in such an important game, he and Min Congda sat side by side.
Since he can't eat popcorn or drink drinks in the stadium, Min Congda's enjoyment of watching games has been reduced by 30%.
Now Silva is sitting next to him, and it feels like the school organized a movie viewing, but the head teacher is sitting next to him.
The two had been very close for a while before, because Silva had just taken over and wanted to establish his prestige among the bosses.
Min Congda is a man who dares to speak and act, and has shown strong influence in labor negotiations. Silva needs to win over him.
Later, Paul was traded to the Lakers, and Min Congda was the one who helped him get the No. 1 pick.
Silva took a fancy to the Clippers' potential and made every effort to support the Clippers.
But with Sterling's revelations, their relationship became complicated.
Silva hopes that the new boss will take over the Clippers, get rid of old stubborns like Sterling, and further enhance his authority.
As a result, things were only half done, and in the end Sterling's ex-wife Shelley Sterling became the boss. This woman was ambitious and not entirely on Silva's side.
After Min Congda won the championship with the Clippers, he suddenly realized that Silva wanted to help the Clippers win championships all the time!
This was completely different from Min Congda's strategic direction. There was a rift between the two of them, and their close cooperation quickly broke down.
During the offseason, Min Congda did not participate in any trade rumors, and even the NBA-Batman rumors and gossip updates were not so diligent.
The completion of the Heat Galaxy Battleship is related to Silva. He does not want the league to be dominant. There should be an opponent in the East to add interest to the NBA drama.
Min Congda is happy to see this happen.
After the Heat's deal was completed, many other team managers complained to the league office, saying that this trade method of robbing their team's superstars was unfair to small and medium-sized teams.
This voice has been heard since the Stern era. The league has constantly revised its rules to prevent the superstars trained by small and medium-sized teams through the draft from being easily absorbed by other big teams.
But it seems that the symptoms have always been treated, not the root cause. In the final analysis, the strength of superstars in transactions and Stern's desire for superstars to move to big cities determine that this kind of robbing transactions will not be eradicated.
Stern has also reminded Silva before that while pursuing balance, don't forget that business leagues need stories, dynasties and legends. Without these, blindly pursuing balance, the commercial value of the NBA will be greatly reduced.
Of course Silva can listen to Stern's words, but whether he can do it is another matter.
With Stern here, these shareholders and bosses are still suppressed.
If Stern is gone one day, it's hard to say whether Silva can suppress the 30 major shareholders.
After all, theoretically speaking, Silva is just a manager, not the boss of the 30 major shareholders.
Stern's position can be inherited, but his prestige and authority cannot.
Before the game started, live shots were shown to the audience several times, showing Silva sitting upright on the sidelines wearing glasses.
His face was thin, his brows were slightly frowned, and the corners of his mouth were downward, looking very worried.
At the beginning of the season, there are a lot of things waiting for Silva to deal with.
Event organization and arrangements are just a routine and ordinary part of the job.
A large number of business negotiations, strategic planning, and handling of emergencies are key parts of the president's work.
Min Congda, who was sitting next to him, had his legs crossed and his head raised, half lying on the seat, looking relaxed and comfortable.
Compared with last season, Min Congda has obviously gained some weight, which makes him appear more calm and full of momentum.
Although he is not tall, he has the feeling of stabilizing Silva, which is the so-called height of 175 and an aura of 2 meters.
He tilted his head, scratched his face with his hands, and fell into brief thought.
He was thinking: "How do I find a way to get some snacks to eat later? It's too boring to watch the game without snacks. But I can't buy popcorn, and this guy Silva has to sit next to me. There’s nothing I can do about it even if I eat it secretly. What should I do later?”
Min Congda's biggest headache now is eating snacks.
During the off-season, the league officially introduced the "Smart Clause", which imposed strict fasting requirements on Min Congda for repeatedly injuring referees with popcorn and other snacks. If he does it again, he will face a lifetime ban.
Facing the implementation of this clause, Min Congda resisted and hired a lawyer to accuse the NBA of unconstitutionality of this clause by citing the constitutional amendment.
The lawsuit went to the New York Circuit Court, and Min Congda chose to settle with the league and requested to modify the terms.
Change the terms to face multiple game bans and fines if the offense occurs again.
The NBA agreed to this modification, which made Min Congda quite satisfied.
There are fines, and the fines are quite large. Isn't this a good thing?
However, suspension is not a good thing, especially if he is suspended too much, he may need psychological counseling, which is Min Congda's nightmare.
So he also needs to weigh it up. If he wants to do something big, he should be punished severely, so if he is banned, he should be banned.
Now he is just greedy, as if he were eating fried chicken instead of Coke or wolfberry tea. Who can stand this?
"Adam, don't you want some popcorn?" Min Congda was really at a loss and turned to ask Silva beside him.
Silva looked at Min Congda as if he was mentally retarded, adjusted his glasses, and said, "The game is about to start."
Min Congda felt that he was asking for trouble, so he took out his mobile phone and sent a text message to Ada, asking him to get him some popcorn and chips.
Ada replied: "The terms stipulate that the people next to you cannot eat these things."
Min Congda replied: "Buy less and hide it in your bag."
How could Ada resist Min Congda, so she had no choice but to buy some chips and popcorn and hide them in her bag.
Before the game started, the lights were turned off and the cheerleading team performed.
Min Congda took the opportunity to grab a handful of popcorn and stuff it into his mouth, and then watched the cheerleaders lift their thighs and dance in the lights. It felt wonderful.
Basketball is only one part of NBA live games. Every night, for more than three hours, it is an out-and-out comprehensive entertainment show.
Although Min Congda did not make any trades or drafts in the summer, he devoted himself entirely to the selection of the Clippers cheerleading team.
In order to select the most beautiful cheerleading girls with the best figures, Min Congda offered twice the salary of the Lakers to attract young and energetic girls in Los Angeles.
What Los Angeles is most lacking in is young, energetic and beautiful girls who are eager to show themselves on stage.
Ever since, under the personal selection of Min Congda with his own eyes and hands, the Clippers cheerleading girls were all beautiful and smooth.
With a slender figure, strong thighs, a proud bust, and a sweet smile, Min Congda didn't want to be dissatisfied with even a few flaws.
The leading girl was even more stunning, making the male fans watching the performance unable to take their eyes away.
Although Adam Silva looks abstinent, he is a man after all, and he also has desires. When he sees this wonderful figure and dancing, he will be attracted.
Min Congda took the opportunity to grab two more French fries, lowered his body and took a sip of iced Coke. It was incredibly refreshing.
Then it was time to sing the national anthem, and Min Congda took the opportunity to eat some popcorn. Anyway, he couldn't sing the American national anthem.
After the pre-game program ended and the lights came on, Min Congda wiped his mouth and burped quietly.
"Oh, I didn't eat anything at night and I'm a little hungry." Min Congda explained to Silva that it was hunger burps.
"Would you like to have a meal together after the game is over? I have a restaurant above Staples." Min Congda is very proud of owning a restaurant.
This was his first real estate after coming to the United States.
Silva smiled and shook his head and said: "Watch the game, Smart. I will rush back to New York immediately after the game is over."
Then both fell into silence.
Silva had a very strange feeling in his heart. He really couldn't see through Min Congda in front of him.
During the labor negotiations and shareholders' meeting, Min Congda was smart and capable. Although he was the general manager and attended the meeting on behalf of the boss, he was extremely strong and became one of the protagonists of the meeting.
Silva appreciates this very much. Coupled with the Clippers' three-year championship and various difficult daily behaviors, Min Congda is a very difficult person to deal with in Silva's mind.
But after the Clippers won the championship, I have recently been in contact with Min Congda, and I feel that he has changed a lot.
That shrewd and capable temperament disappeared, and he became stupid and stupid, always saying embarrassing things.
It seems that he has changed from an elite in charge of the team to a middle-aged uncle who runs a restaurant and likes to chat awkwardly with the guests who come and go to eat.
Indeed, he actually has a restaurant now.
Silva speculated that it was because after the Clippers won the championship, he lost his spirit and lost the motivation to move forward?
It seems that he did nothing in the offseason, and even let Jeremy Lin go to the Warriors and Fisher to the Thunder.
Two important backcourts went to competing teams in the Western Conference, which is very puzzling.
Silva couldn't help but worry about the fate of the Clippers.
After the team wins the championship, what they fear most is being complacent.
"Smart, this guy is still drifting. He said such big words at the championship parade, and now his whole energy is gone. Can the Clippers win the championship this season? I think it is hanging. Could it be that they can't afford it? Adou? It’s really bad. It’s really not easy to create a dynasty.”
Silva complained about Min Congda and the Clippers in his heart, and the game between the two sides was about to begin.
The Clippers' starting lineup is the same as last season, still the black and white duo, George, Curry and Harden.
The Grizzlies' lineup has also become stable, with DeAndre Jordan, Griffin, Conley, Butler, and Tony Allen.
In the offseason, the Grizzlies added Jerry Bayless to the bench and acquired Tayshaun Prince through a trade to further enhance the team's defensive capabilities at the third position.
At present, the Grizzlies have built an offensive system with Conley-Griffin as the dual core. Both of them are still very young.
As long as they can maintain their form stably, the Grizzlies will remain competitive in the West for a long time.
The Grizzlies are also very much looking forward to facing the defending champion on the road, playing a beautiful game, and making a good start to the new season.
Min Congda gave hope to the Grizzlies, hoping that they can give the Clippers a start today!
Then, in the first quarter, the Clippers started with an 11:3 start and shut down the Grizzlies.
In the first quarter, the Clippers beat the Grizzlies 37:21 and led the Grizzlies by 16 points.
In the second quarter, the Clippers entered the second lineup, five up and five down.
Milicic, Anthony Davis, Leonard, Butler, Dragic.
It was another violent beating, a 10:0 climax in a single quarter, and the Grizzlies couldn't score any points.
The Clippers' use of passing and quick offense is like a hot knife cutting through butter, easily disemboweling their opponents.
At halftime, the Clippers led the Grizzlies by 24 points, 66:42...
Then, during the halftime break, there will be a championship ring awarding ceremony and a championship flag raising ceremony.
Min Congda and Silva came out and walked to the center of the court with the Clippers players and coaching staff amid the cheers and applause of the fans.
Silva looked at Min Congda's face, which was extremely serious, even a little bit livid.
It seems like the Grizzlies are leading by 20 points, not the Clippers.
At this moment, Silva suddenly understood why Min Congda did nothing during the offseason and why he usually seemed so relaxed and even a little broken.
Because of confidence.
This guy is so confident.
Being confident enough to lead a team like the Grizzlies by 20 points at halftime does not satisfy him completely.
"Smart, it seems I still underestimated you."
(End of chapter)
