Kobe made 13 of 29 shots, including 3 of 10 three-pointers, and 8 of 10 free throws. He scored 37 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.
O'Neal made 14 of 26 shots, plus 5 of 11 free throws, and scored 33 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.
With the performance of the OK combination, the Clippers unexpectedly defeated the Lakers!
And it also lacks Odom, the core of the interior offense!
This game was broadcast live across the United States, and the ratings were very good. The number of pre-ordered and paid viewings exceeded 5 million, and the final number of paid viewings will exceed 10 million, setting a new record for the highest ratings after Christmas this season.
After the game, the fans discussed it enthusiastically.
O'Neal Jr. scored 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks against O'Neal.
McGinnis had 19 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists.
Big Q made 4 three-pointers in a single game, showing his talent as an excellent shooter.
Boykins scored 11 points in the final half of the quarter, helping the Clippers lay the foundation for victory.
Li Ao had a double-double performance of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists. He failed to achieve 20+ points in 10 consecutive games like Big Dog, Iverson, and Duncan, which made the fans a little regretful.
Regardless of whether they like him or not, fans all like to watch 'records'.
However, the regular season has only reached the middle of the season, and there are still more than 40 games. This will be able to achieve 20+ points in 9 consecutive games... The fans are looking forward to Li Ao's scoring performance in the following games.
Li Ao's shooting was poor tonight. Before the last two minutes, he only made 4 of 14.
But in his last moments, O'Neal and Li Ao's off-the-back, back-turn, catch-and-shoot collaboration made the fans' eyes light up.
There are rumors that Li Ao asked Jordan for advice on post-up play, but Jordan refused to teach him. He broke Jordan's ribs. In the end, he relied on the threat of force and forced Lakers star James Worthy to teach him post-up play.
Less than 3 weeks have passed since Jordan was admitted to the hospital with a broken rib, and Li Ao was able to hit the winning shot from behind under Kobe's defense!
Coupled with his back-up turnaround shot that was too far back in the beginning, he had two of the top five shots today!
Li Ao finally enjoyed the joy of 'winner takes all'. His previous post-up performance was so bad, but what people remember is only his opening and final two post-ups.
However, the hottest topic in this game - Li Ao's reputation as "Spider-Man who bullies the old and abuses the weak" is even more famous!
At the beginning, when most people ridiculed Li Ao for only hating the old man and the opponent's player with the worst scoring ability, many people stood up, presented facts and reason, and analyzed how he helped the team's defense by locking down this type of scoring.
Now, after he has been recognized in this regard, fans have completely reversed their attitude when discussing this matter...
…
"What do you mean I only know how to bully old men and bully weaklings? I guarded Kobe Bryant and made 9 of 24 shots in the first three and a half quarters!"
The next morning, after Li Ao saw the news posted by the hospital assistant's aunt, he grabbed the keyboard, put on his schoolbag, turned on his trumpet, and went around to check that he had defended Kobe Bryant and made 9 of 24 shots in the first three and a half quarters. His rebuttal would only be to bully the elders. It's a cruel attack on the weak, but unfortunately it has little effect, and it is even ridiculed by the hospital assistant aunt on the side.
After lunch, Vivian took Li Ao to see the house they just bought.
After choosing for less than half a month, Vivian finally selected a house that met Li Ao's various requirements and that she liked.
When Li Ao saw the house, he liked it at first sight. The decoration style was simple and elegant.
The house was built in 1995 and looks very new.
Moreover, the purchase price is lower than the price the seller paid for the demolished old house in 1994.
Except for the seller's requirement to pay all the money for the house in cash within three months, which made Vivian quite critical. These days, there are still so many requirements for selling a house. Everything else, they are both satisfied with.
Li Ao walked around, there were 9 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, with swimming pools, open-air courts, yards... The decoration company had arrived and was undergoing maintenance and repairs. Most of the rooms had no major changes, mainly the replacement of furniture. Replacement of beds, sofas, bathtubs, kitchen stoves, home appliances... and other lifestyle furniture.
There are two rooms that have been significantly modified, one is to build a professional gym, and the other is the game room that Li Ao has been thinking about.
Li Ao was very satisfied with the house. After learning about the location, environment, traffic conditions, property services, community security, etc., he also felt that it was very good.
He and his aunt, the hospital assistant, specifically tried to drive from their new house to Memorial Stadium. It took 38 minutes under regular traffic conditions in Los Angeles.
It's a little farther than the apartment to go to the Memorial Stadium, and it takes about 10 minutes more, which is not bad. After all, if you want a better environment, you have to stay away from the city center.
There is no need to renovate wardrobes, floors, decorations, etc., thus avoiding air pollution. Now we only need to wait for the maintenance and inspection to be completed, and find a third party to check that there are no problems, and then we can move in. There are still a few days left before mom and dad have their children. I’m coming here in the new year, so I don’t have to worry about having no place to live.
…
After the game against the Lakers, the Clippers got two rest days. On the morning of the 15th, the Clippers left Los Angeles for Minneapolis.
After getting on the plane, Li Ao looked at the schedule and felt worried. After arriving in the City of Ten Thousand Lakes, he should take Da Q to practice post-up play and pivoting without the ball.
James Worthy also said that this is suitable for him to practice now, and he reviewed that he only considered the offensive aspect of holding the ball, and playing with the back is not just about holding the ball.
Next, the Clippers will play four games in five days, all on the road. Then they will return to home and face the Celtics, SuperSonics, and Kings one after another...
He doesn't think about the schedule anymore, he just plays one game at a time, actual combat + training, very training. His two basic skills that are currently focused on strengthening, emergency stop has reached 79, and turning has reached 77. The two skills of catching the ball, turning around and shooting and stopping the ball to catch and shoot both soared to 78.
With his attention drawn away, Li Ao found that the group of people playing cards today were particularly harmonious, and curiously asked Big Q next to him: "Quentin, where is Jeff? Why didn't he quarrel at the card table today?"
"Yes! Boss, I didn't even pay attention unless you told me. Why didn't I see him today? Boss, let me tell you, that guy is so annoying. After he became the starter, I feel like he doesn't look down on anyone except you. He looks like a fool. He acts like the boss and the second child, even playing cards with the attitude of 'I am a football star'..."
Li Ao just listened to Big Q's complaints without interrupting.
Big Q mentioned later that "black people have bad brains".
Not long after, after arriving at a hotel in Minneapolis, Li Ao saw the news and knew why he didn't see McGinnis.
While they were on the plane, the management had completed the transaction, and the team informed McGinnis that he did not need to travel with the team to the away game!
They sent Jeff McGinnis and Cherokee Parks in exchange for Matt Halprin and Brevin Knight from the Cavaliers.
When Li Ao learned about the deal from Shelby Jordan, his first reaction was - the Cavaliers are doing charity?
Can McGinnis trade for Matt Halprin?
Li Ao had heard of this small forward, who the media described as a white defensive warrior with shadows of the powerful Iron-Blooded Knights of the 1990s. He was labeled as tenacious and diligent.
On the offensive end, he is good at cutting and long two-pointers, has certain breakthrough ability, and is very good at defense.
As for Brevin Knight, if you look at the statistics, he is very good. He averaged 9 points and 8 assists per game from 1997 to 1998 as a rookie. At the beginning of the shortened season in 1999, he got a four-year, $19.75 million early contract extension. , the new contract has just taken effect this season.
But after the Cavaliers selected Andre Miller, who averaged 11 points and 5 assists per game last season, Brevin Knight, who averaged 9 points and 8 assists per game in the first two years of his career, began to be sold, but no team wanted him.
This season, the Cavaliers directly gave up on Brevin Knight. After playing 30 games in the regular season, he only got 6 appearances, playing 15 minutes per game and scoring 1.5 points and 4.5 assists.
178 cm tall, shooting depends purely on luck, scoring relies mostly on counterattacks, high ball holding rate, defensive side effects.
Li Ao wondered, is this why the Cavaliers packaged and sold Matt Halprin in order to send away Brevin Knight?
But when he went online and saw comments from the media and fans, they were completely different from his understanding.
In the last 7 games, McGinnis averaged 17.9 points and 6.1 assists per game?
Li Ao didn't notice that McGinnis performed so well during this period. He had the impression that McGinnis, not to mention bad, did not have any positive effect on the team most of the time.
Before winning consecutive games against the Nuggets and Lakers, McGinnis led the team as the main point of attack with the ball, with 1 win and 4 losses.
When the Nuggets singled out Van Exel, he did play pretty well, but when he played against the Lakers, he gave up at the critical moment. Boykins still led the team with 11 points in the half to lay the foundation for victory.
However, according to the media and fans, McGinnis was a delayed player. After Odom was injured, he seized the opportunity to rise...the Clippers became the one doing charity.
…
In another room of the hotel, the Clippers management and coaching staff gathered.
Clippers general manager Wally Walker, who had just done a 'charity', said: "It would be nice if McGinnis was given a little more time to 'rise up'. If he could show continuity, we wouldn't have to suffer. A special four-year contract.”
Gentry comforted: "There is nothing we can do about it. We are about to play four games in five days back to back. When we return to home, we have to play three teams with strong defenses. If this continues, McGinnis's 'rise' It’s about to be revealed.”
Wally Walker said regretfully: "Yes, this schedule is too unfriendly."
"Actually, it's not bad. In our previous 7 games, we just had the conditions for McGinnis to get good data. Otherwise, how could we trade for Harprin? In the end, you gave Parks the remaining three years and 6.3 million of his contract to the Cavaliers. The team has already made a lot of money.”
Gentry felt that the management was too greedy and even wanted to replace McGinnis with Matt Halprin.
However, he also thinks that it is good for the management to be greedy, otherwise he would not dare to think that he could exchange a data brush for a defensive champion.
Moreover, although Wally Walker is greedy, he is very calm, gives up when he sees fit, and takes action when it is time to take action.
As a head coach, he finally doesn't have to worry about how to play around McGinnis!
(End of chapter)
