"Leo, how does it feel to play in the NBA for the first time?"
"to be honest?"
"truth."
"It's quite simple. It's much easier than the NCAA game. I can always get better open opportunities. My teammates have given me a lot of help..."
After the game, Li Ao accepted a locker room interview with a newspaper.
This time he gave a rare honest answer.
But after the Clippers came to Seattle the next day, the headlines Li Ao saw were - "Genius No. 3 pick: NBA games are not difficult", "Leo: Playing in the NBA is too easy", "Any position is good for me" It’s all empty seats”…
Each title is more outrageous than the last!
Rookie players have extra popularity dedicated to them. Major sports media and TV stations in North America have dedicated rookie columns, websites have rookie sections, and newspapers also have rookie columns.
In the past ten years, the audience of this section has become larger and larger, because so many new talents emerge every year, and more and more reporters from various media are responsible for this section. In previous years, we did not worry about no news, but not enough space. , so much content can’t be crammed in, so I have to pick it up.
But in this year's preseason, a total of 14 games were played on the 9th and 10th. Almost all rookies played. As a result, only 3 rookies scored in double figures.
Mike Miller scored the highest score among rookies with 17 points. The errand boy McGrady passed the ball to Duncan, Mike Miller and Armstrong. He was as happy as an idiot and played 21 minutes in the third quarter to get the score. 11 assists.
Kenyon Martin, with Marbury passing the ball, performed several times better than in the summer league, scoring 15 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
But one of the two is purely catching and shooting, and the other is purely eating cakes. There is nothing worth reporting at all. Let’s just say it in one sentence.
Only Li Ao had 14 points, 10 assists and 3 blocks in the first game!
But the amount of news is too little, so the media takes a different approach!
Li Ao felt very regretful when he saw these titles. If he had known, he would not have pretended to be an honest person last night.
Just give a serious answer!
As a result, nothing was said, and nothing was done to attract evil.
If you want to recruit gangsters, you have to take the initiative yourself!
Two days off. I just arrived in Seattle. I have a rest this afternoon and will go to Key Gym to train tomorrow. There will be no game until the day after tomorrow.
After watching the first game of the preseason, Vivian, Liam, Dean Teng, Henry Bibby and others boarded the old man's small private plane back to Los Angeles, leaving only Jack and his wife with them. He comes to Denver.
Only then did Li Ao find out that the old man actually had a private jet at home. He was not envious at all and spurned the extravagance of capitalism!
It was almost dinner time, and Li Ao was about to send a text message to Jack who lived on the other floor to help him prepare dinner. Odom asked him to go to dinner with him. He knew a delicious French family restaurant.
He already liked visiting stores, so he chose to go there because it would be nice to have more interactions with his teammates.
Family restaurants are very popular in the United States, and their development has long been very mature. Li Ao had a great time visiting the restaurant this time. The dishes are delicious and the dining environment is very comfortable.
After the meal, Odom invited Li Ao to go to the nightclub together.
Li Ao was confused: "Lamar, why are you so enthusiastic? I don't know you like this."
"Really? Hahaha, this is your misunderstanding of me. I treat newcomers like this. I am a senior, so of course I have to take care of the newcomers."
"You are only in second grade."
"Let's not talk about it. Are you okay tonight? Why don't we go and have fun together? I heard that the store has a very good environment. I have wanted to check it out for a long time."
Visit the store...
Full of temptation, Li Ao nodded, paid for the meal, and took a taxi to the nightclub with Odom.
Half an hour later.
Li Ao looked at the bartender with sincere eyes and said, "I am really 22 years old. I forgot to bring my driver's license when I came out. You have to believe me!"
The bartender clicked helplessly on the computer beside him for a while, signaling Li Ao to enter the bar.
Li Ao looked at the computer screen.
()
NBA official website, his information interface, it is clear that he was born in 1981.
This is a broken NBA. It can't do other things well, but it updates information very quickly!
The bartender spread his hands and smiled: "Leo, I am your fan. I went to watch the Trojans' 32-16 game. I also want to buy you a drink, but there is no way. In that case, I will go to jail. "
Li Ao was filled with grief and anger. He said harshly, "I want to complain against you," and then angrily returned to the bar and sat down. The bartender smiled and poured a glass of soda in front of him. He asked, "Free?" After getting the response, he took the Gudong Gudong and drank.
Li Ao looked at Odom, who was already hugging a hostess, and he believed this guy was evil!
It’s not a good idea to explore any kind of store, so I followed this guy to explore the nightclub out of my wits.
Forget it, at least the environment here is quite good. It’s not like other nightclubs where there are a bunch of shining light balls hanging for free. The decoration style is very simple and elegant. The customer flow should not be particularly good. It’s already after 8 o’clock, but there are still a lot of them. Vacancy.
But the wine prices on the menu are not cheap, and they are not the quantity-priced ones.
Uh... Li Ao watched the lama who had taken advantage of the hostess take one sip, one drink after another, amidst the other party's compliments of "you are so awesome"...
Shame!
How can such a player be worthy of their Clippers... It seems to be a good match for their Clippers.
Li Ao looked at the other tables. There were also people called hostesses, but no one was as wild as Odom.
But looking at those escort girls and those called Odom, their dressing styles are very different.
I guess it depends on what kind of person the customer is, so I arrange them for them.
After Li Ao finished a glass of soda, he reached out and handed the cup to the bartender: "Another one is free!"
The bartender smiled and gave him a refill.
It's also good to drink soda and listen to the resident singer sing, to relax the nerves that have been tense recently to cooperate well with teammates.
He has been really tired recently mentally.
Only by watching a lot of videos, actively training with his teammates, and thinking carefully can he have a relatively clear understanding of his teammates' playing habits and shooting areas that they are good at in just one week, and only then can he deliver such a high score in the first game. What a pass.
He will still have to work hard in the next two or three weeks, not just to have a relatively clear understanding, but to memorize them by heart.
Regular season games will definitely not be as easy to come up with opportunities as preseason games.
What was performing on the stage was a male electronic music singer playing the guitar. His makeup... was very unconventional.
Li Ao estimated that San Antonio...no, the one in Orlando must like this kind of singer very much.
Singing is okay.
After singing the song, the singer changed. Looking at the new female singer on stage, Li Ao felt that his eyes were purified.
She is not stunningly beautiful, but very attractive. Her figure is not skinny, but rather plump. The main thing is that she is wearing a plain skirt. Compared with the Shamate just now, she looks much fresher and fresher.
Seeing Li Ao staring at the little girl on the stage, the bartender said: "Her name is Kelly, she is a bartender in our bar. She sings very well, so the boss asked her to sing to earn more money when she is not working."
"Oh...I can't drink. Is it okay if I buy her a drink?"
"Sorry, no, she's younger than you."
“You can be a bartender even if you can’t drink!”
"The law does not stipulate how old you can sell alcohol, it just stipulates how old you cannot sell alcohol to."
While the two were talking, singing started to sound.
Li Ao looked at the girl on the stage in astonishment. It wasn't bad, it was much better than the Shamate singer who was just ear-catching.
But, it’s rock music!
Singing rock music in this outfit?
Li Ao complained to the bartender: "Singing rock music must be hard on your voice, right? Is there any apple juice? Buy her a drink."
"have……"
Kelly finished singing one song and was about to sing the second song when the waiter brought a glass of apple juice and said a few words.
She looked at the bar and saw Li Ao's sunny and handsome face. Her eyes widened. Then she smiled at Li Ao to express her gratitude. She took a sip and put it aside before continuing to sing the next song.
Li Ao stopped paying attention to the stage and chatted with the bartender about bartending.
The bartender is also from Los Angeles, a fan of the Trojans football team, and also pays attention to basketball. After the rise of the Trojans, he became a fan of Li Ao, who led the team to rise. However, he did not expect that this young man was actually very easy to get along with. He is simply a social terror. As a fan, he is very tolerant of Li Ao. He laughs even when he is criticized and has a very pleasant conversation.
The fresh rock singer finished singing, and Li Ao was about to leave. Odom was already drunk. After paying with his card, he had already put his hand into the clothes of the waitress.
Li Ao asked the bartender to call a car for Odom to take Odom back to the hotel. He did not sit in the same car as Odom. If this guy was in the back seat doing things that adults can do, the scene would be embarrassing.
These Americans are very wild. What if Odom or the waitress asks him to come with them?
He doesn't want to be a member of the same group, let alone try to do both.
After sending Odom and the waitress to the car, Li Ao returned to the bar and went to the toilet. He drank too much of the free soda.
As soon as he arrived at the bathroom door, Li Ao met the girl named Kelly who had just sang.
The other party seemed to want to say hello. He was anxious, smiled and immediately entered the bathroom.
After the release, your body and mind are relaxed.
After washing his hands and coming out, he saw that Kelly was still there.
Li Ao took the initiative to say hello: "Hi, Kelly, are you waiting for me?"
"Leo, how do you know my name?" Kelly asked in surprise.
"The bartender Clay told me, how do you know my name?"
"I watched the live broadcast of the Crazy Three Finals, and you looked better than on TV."
"You are also beautiful and you sing very well, better than the professional singers I heard at Memorial Stadium."
"Really? Thank you. My throat happened to be a little dry just now. Without the apple juice you invited me, it might not have sounded so good."
"Ah? If I had known I wouldn't have invited you. I'm curious about what it's like if you don't sing well."
Kelly was choked and felt very embarrassed.
However, he looks so handsome!
Also in good shape.
For the sake of her appearance, she didn't care and said, "Are you ready to go back to the hotel?"
"Yes, I'm going to take a taxi now."
"I drove here, I'll take you there."
Li Ao felt that this girl was up to no good, but he had no evidence, but if it could save the fare...
"Thank you very much. It's probably not easy to take a taxi at this time and location."
The two of them did not stand in front of the bathroom, but walked out of the bar while chatting. Taxis were parked everywhere on the street outside the bar and on the street opposite. Some drivers asked people if they wanted to take a taxi, and some shouted to them. You can carpool anywhere for a few dollars and leave as soon as the seats are full.
Kelly nodded and responded: "It's really hard to take a taxi at this time, but my car is very cheap, so you can't dislike it."
I saw someone coming out of a bar on the roadside and was about to ask if he wanted a taxi. The taxi driver heard the conversation between the two and felt like the Timberwolves.
Seeing the two walking towards the parking lot talking and laughing, the driver cursed: "Bah, you deaf and blind bitches..."
…
The next morning, Li Ao woke up early, with a smooth and fresh rock bar singer lying next to him.
Last night, it was his turn to get a room on another floor.
You like drinking apple juice, and so do I, and that becomes a reason to spend the night.
He felt very good last night. The other party was not a skillful person, nor a wild person, nor a random sucker. Fengyun's figure was full of temptation, but also had a gentle and watery feeling. After using two saliva pockets, they embraced each other. And fell asleep.
Suddenly, Li Ao thought of something and picked up the driver's license that the other party placed on the bedside table and looked at it.
Last night, she encountered a routine traffic police check on the road. Kelly showed her driver's license and threw it on the bedside table when she got to the room.
Li Ao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he was born in April 1982.
I’m over 18, I’m full.
These Americans can't tell their age just by looking at their faces.
Like Vivian, Xia Tian just celebrated her 31st birthday, and she looked a bit younger than this fresh rock bar singer. Without looking at her driver's license, he would have thought Kelly was already in her mid-twenties.
etc!
Kelly Clarkson?
An image of an aunt appeared in Li Ao's mind.
Looking at the female singer sleeping soundly on the bed, his mouth twitched a few times.
If it is really that Kelly, then the years are really a piece of fodder, so don't be too cruel.
Li Ao took a shower, went to the restaurant to eat breakfast sent by Jack, and brought a breakfast for Kelly.
Kelly also woke up and put on her clothes. During breakfast, the two of them did not do anything extra. They left each other's contact information. Kelly asked Li Ao to tell him the next time he came to Seattle to play a game, and she sang to him. listen.
Li Ao agreed, regardless of whether he was the singer who would be ravaged by time in the future, as long as he sang well anyway.
But he put this aside for now. The next time he comes to Seattle seems to be at the end of next month, which is still early.
After a great night, following the team to Key Arena, he became more involved in team training.
The pressure is on the players who have been wandering all year round. In the game against the Nuggets, the coaching staff has made it clear through the lineup rotation. Although Tan Hualang is not the core of the tactics, the player rotation is based on the degree of compatibility with Li Ao.
Whoever can adapt to partnering with Li Ao faster and cooperate better with Li Ao will be able to get more playing time in the regular season.
Gentry saw how active the team members were and marveled at Li Ao's unique leadership ability.
He heard Henry Bibby say it, but he didn't know how amazing it was until he actually felt it.
Another day passed, October 13th, at 7 pm, the Clippers' second preseason game, an away game against the SuperSonics, started.
The day before yesterday, Li Ao took the time to play the game. He had never lost before, so he lost today.
86 to 95, the Clippers lost on the road.
Li Ao was forced to take more chances tonight. The opponent is a team with a very mature style of play. Under the leadership of Payton and Ewing, the team defended very well. The Clippers did not have a tacit offensive cooperation. Open, Li Ao can only rely on his personal ability to move around the pile to catch the ball and shoot.
However, although he took many shots, his shooting percentage was good.
He made 9 of 20 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws. He scored 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
The worst performer was Greg Anthony, who had a relatively simple style of play. He was guarded to death by Payton, the primary defense leader who was at his peak.
On the other hand, McGinnis and Boykins, who played blindly, played well against Payton's defense, at least they didn't hold back.
Kenyon Dooling was the worst when facing Payton. He was not as good as McGinnis and Boykins, and not as stable as the experienced Greg Anthony.
In fact, the player Payton wants to target tonight is Li Ao, who likes to abuse people the most.
However, with Li Ao's off-ball style, the 32-year-old Payton couldn't catch up after a while, and could only abuse the Clippers defenders.
Li Ao had no choice but to experience his first defeat since embarking on his career path.
It doesn't matter, it will come eventually.
He looked at Lewis, Shamond Williams, and Brent Barry, three shooters who shot over 40% of their three-pointers last season, with endless envy in his eyes.
Especially Brent Barry, who was originally on their team!
(End of chapter)
