March 27, Los Angeles, Staples Arena.
Tonight, the Sweet Sixteen game between the Davidson Wildcats and Oklahoma City Rapids will take place in this great arena.
At this time, the Staples Arena was already crowded with people, and the scene was filled with a passionate atmosphere.
In the audience, Curry's family and friends arrived as scheduled.
A large number of scouts and agents are among the fans.
The front row auditorium was even more star-studded, filled with celebrities from all walks of life in Los Angeles and some Hollywood actresses who came to enjoy the popularity.
As the city's leading star, Kobe Bryant naturally came to watch the Sweet Sixteen.
He was joined by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.
There are also big bosses gathered in the VIP box.
Among them are Warriors head coach Nelson, Knicks head coach D'Antoni, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, Grizzlies general manager Jerry West...
They all have ulterior motives and come quietly with their own missions to inspect the players they like.
In the media area, many media reporters also came, including many Asian faces.
After Sun Yi's popularity exploded in China, the domestic sports media couldn't sit still and rushed to the United States to find opportunities to interview Sun Yi.
They also want to ride on the popularity, write reports, and deceive traffic.
Since all the Sweet Sixteen games are broadcast live across the United States, you can imagine how popular it is.
Domestic media reporters will definitely not miss this opportunity.
Moreover, this Sweet Sixteen game can be said to be the most watched among these eight games.
Because there are two projected top-five picks and one player in the lottery.
At the same time, these two teams are very destined. They have played against each other in the previous warm-up match. It is regarded as a revenge battle, which is naturally full of excitement.
A few hours before the game starts, media reporters start making trouble to warm up the game in advance.
When Griffin was interviewed before the game, he did not keep a low profile and directly said harsh words.
"I came here to win the game!"
Curry was a lot more "subtle" in his pre-game interview.
“If there’s only one winner, why not us?!”
Sun Yi watched the two beep kings crossdressing on the TV in the locker room, laughing until his stomach hurt.
He really wanted to see these two guys pretending to fail. It would definitely be funny.
After this episode, the two sides entered into the final preparation before the game.
In the Wildcats locker room, head coach Mike Lopp did not arrange the tactics. He had already arranged the tactics that should be arranged.
He encouraged his disciples as usual.
"Stephen said it very well just now. If there has to be a winner, why not us?"
"The hard work and sweat we put in are no less than those of other teams. If there is only one winner, it will be us!"
"Wildcats, win!"
After all the Wildcat players finished cheering in unison, they pushed the door open and rushed out of the locker room.
Amid the warm cheers of the fans at the scene, players from both sides came to the field from the player tunnel.
When Sun Yi appeared on the stage, the cheers and shouts at the scene directly escalated to a higher level.
This surprised domestic reporters who came to watch Sun Yi's game for the first time.
They didn't expect that Sun Yi would be so popular in the United States.
In the United States, things are based on strength. Being handsome is not enough to make a living. Now that Sun Yi is so popular, it shows that he is both handsome and capable of fighting.
After the entrance ceremony, players from both sides came to their respective half for warm-up activities.
During the warm-up activities, the guest commentators for this game, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, were warming up for the game.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect that this game would be narrated by the two of us. I'm so lucky." Barkley was happy for his luck.
There is a lot of attention on this Sweet Sixteen game, and it feels very fulfilling to be able to commentate on such a game.
"Don't be too happy too early. Have you paid attention to these two teams?" Smith said the opposite as always.
"I am a loyal fan of these two teams. I know that Blake Griffin's three-pointers are very accurate and Stephen Curry's dunks are very powerful. Do you think I am right?" Barkley joked.
"Charles, can you guess how many three-pointers Blake can hit in this game, and how many dunks Stephen can complete?" Smith knew that the fat man was deliberately joking, and he cooperated very well.
"Uh... I have to think about this question carefully." Buckley scratched Lu Dan's head, pretending to be thoughtful.
"Okay, no more joking, let's get back to the topic, who do you think has a greater chance of winning?" Smith dug a hole for Barkley.
Barkley saw through Smith's little thoughts, didn't take it to heart, and jumped into the trap very cooperatively.
"There is a saying in the NBA: Those who can win in the paint win the world, and shooting can't win the championship. Then I am naturally optimistic that the Speed will win."
"Oh! Isn't there still a saying in the NBA: Team basketball will eventually defeat superstar basketball. Then I am optimistic about the Wildcats and let's see who predicts it accurately." Smith gave his choice.
"Okay, let's see who laughs last." There was no bet anyway, and Barkley didn't care.
"The starting players from both sides have entered the stadium. The game is about to begin. We turn our attention to the court." After Smith finished speaking, he looked towards the court.
On the big screen at the scene, the starting player lists of the two teams were displayed.
Wildcats starting lineup: Curry, Ingram, Sun Yi, Mike Cullen, Whiteside.
Fast team starting lineup: Bilson, Powell, Valdez, Blake Griffin, Tyler Griffin.
On the field, the starting players of the two teams came to the center circle one after another, preparing to jump the ball.
When everything is ready, the referee blows the whistle and throws the basketball high into the air.
With the cheers of the fans in the audience, the Sweet Sixteen officially began.
In the scrimmage for the ball, Dabai Bian made good use of his height and arm length advantage to move the ball back to the backcourt, giving the Wildcats the first opportunity to attack.
Curry dribbled the ball to the outside of the three-point line, waved, and called for pick-and-roll cooperation.
Dabai Bian quickly ran forward and covered without the ball.
Tyler Griffin followed, leaving the penalty area and following.
Seeing this situation, Blake Griffin shrank towards the penalty area and was ready to help defend at any time.
After the pick-and-roll was ready, Curry bypassed the screen and rushed into the three-point line.
The Speedy team decisively switched defense, with Tyler Griffin following Curry.
The elementary school student used a front-of-body change to easily get past the slow-moving Taylor Griffin. After breaking into the penalty area, he was assisted by Blake Griffin and threw the ball into the air on the right side.
The big white edge of the inside shot rose into the air, caught the basketball in the air, and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands.
2:0!
Cheers and shouts erupted from the audience, and the atmosphere at the scene reached its peak.
The ball is transferred and the Speedy attack.
Blake Griffin caught the ball in the high post on the right, used his nimble steps to shake Karen's center of gravity, and then immediately started and rushed towards the basket.
Dabai Bian wanted to cover up the defense, but was firmly blocked by Taylor Griffin and was unable to intervene in time.
Blake Griffin jumped directly into the air, set fire to the sky, and violently smashed the ball into the basket.
"Good shot! Griffin also hit a dunk, and the two sides started to compete with each other. This game was great to watch."
