In the square outside the Air Canada Center in Toronto, the wind was freezing and snowflakes were falling.
Such bad weather cannot stop the enthusiasm of music fans.
At 11:55 pm on December 18, 2001, Carter arrived belatedly and started the first concert of his saxophone career amidst the excited shouts of the fans.
In front of the live cameras of more than a dozen TV stations across the United States, in front of the cameras of more than a hundred media, and under the watchful eyes of thousands of fans, Carter played the entire Edelweiss and then fled quickly.
Tonight, his dream was shattered.
Once upon a time, his dream was to become a saxophonist and give his own concerts.
Now the concert is here. Although it is only a little over two minutes, it is broadcast live in many countries and the media gathers. It can be said that it is the most watched saxophone recital in history.
But this is not the concert he wants!
This is a shame!
Spider-Man, I and you are at odds with each other!
…
Carter's concert attracted a lot of attention. Even if he delayed it until late at night, hundreds of millions of people watched the live broadcast, and the video recording was played very frequently online.
As a saxophone player, he became popular overnight.
The main reason is that his level is really good. Although he majored in diplomacy and basketball after going to college, his hobby of playing saxophone has never fallen behind. He is not a professional level, but he is also a top-level amateur. He can get into the music major of a top prestigious school again.
Many people have a new understanding of Carter. He is not just a rough guy who only knows how to play basketball, but he also has artistic talent.
Being able to get good reviews for playing the saxophone is inseparable from Carter's performance tonight.
Although he did not score 40+, in such a game, he scored 23 points and 8 assists, plus 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks, which was the best in the game.
It's just that the opponent's overall strength and defensive response are better.
Spider-Man, who won the 'harmless bet', was also praised as a 'big scene' tonight.
7 of 21 shots, including 1 of 6 three-pointers, the shooting rate is very poor, but no one cares about the shooting rate in this game tonight. With a score of 76 to 72, the Raptors shot 33.3% while the Clippers 34.1% for the team.
He scored 15 points in shooting, plus 5 of 6 free throws. Li Ao scored 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 5 blocks, linking up the Clippers' team defense and helping the Clippers win.
That's right, the total points scored in this game almost hit a new season low. The two teams only scored 148 points in total.
Coincidentally, the lowest total points scored in a single game this season was also played by the Clippers. When they played the Trail Blazers, the two teams scored a total of 147 points...
The blame for the "return" of the Tide has once again been placed on the Clippers.
It's as if if they didn't play that game with the Trail Blazers, other teams' defense wouldn't improve.
It's just that their defensive system at that time was highly complete and became a model for other teams to refer to.
Just like tonight, before the game is over, experts have begun to 'make suggestions' for each team based on this game.
What Gentry was worried about happened without any suspense...
On the second day, Carter's saxophone recital and discussions about the Clippers and Raptors reached a climax, but the Clippers had no intention of caring about it. In the afternoon, they flew from the icy and snowy north to another The city of ice and snow, Minneapolis, the City of Lakes.
Li Ao felt that his teammates were almost exhausted. The City of Ten Thousand Lakes was holding an ice swimsuit show today. He didn't know why there was a swimsuit show in the winter. The key was that Jordan, who always liked to watch swimsuit model competitions, did not leave the hotel today.
It was not interesting for him to go and see it alone. There was no one to comment on or brag about, so he chose to stay in the hotel and watch the snow scene.
The hotel they stayed in this time was in a very good location. There was a long avenue outside the hotel. There were two lakes on both sides of the road. They were all frozen. The surrounding trees were also covered with ice crystals, which looked quite beautiful.
After admiring the snow scene for a while, Li Ao opened the system panel and felt better when he saw the bounce increased to 89 and the bullet speed to 94.
After the game last night, he received the reward of the 'Flying Man's Challenge' and increased his bounce.
After using the body's physical therapy function, he went to the training ground and tried it. His jumping on the spot and his approach jump were slightly improved, and his feeling when taking off was also better.
The latter has improved him even more. With his height and wingspan, a top-notch bounce is basically enough, but bullet speed is the key.
Now, his bullet speed is already at the extreme level of the top level... It will definitely be more enjoyable when dunking with a shark.
Another day of thinking about Snake, I really want to play against him.
He reflected on the Raptors game, and afterward, he and Lenny Wilkens bonded.
Long Guan is extremely smart. He doesn’t want Mark Jackson, who has rich experience and outstanding court control ability. He doesn’t want Oakley, who averaged 9+9 per game last season. If either of these two people stays on the team, the Clippers wanted him last night. It will be harder to win.
After a night's rest, the next day, the Clippers came to the Target Center to challenge the Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves have rushed to second place in the Western Conference again, currently 17 wins and 6 losses, beating the Kings, who have 17 wins and 7 losses.
Li Ao was surprised by the Timberwolves' record and strength last time they played against each other, and he was still surprised this time.
In his impression, Garnett's record before forming the Three-Headed Monster was not that good. He had always won 50 times and was very strong, but he could not go further and could not break through the first round.
But with the current strength and record of the Timberwolves, Li Ao feels that it will be difficult for the Clippers to hold on to first place in the Western Conference despite the Timberwolves' surge. This is very different from his impression.
Once the game started, Li Ao had no intention of thinking about anything else and just kept going!
Li Ao played 44 minutes and made 12 of 25 shots, including 4 of 8 three-pointers, plus 7 of 8 free throws. He scored 35 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks.
Tonight, the Wolf King was dunked by Spider-Man again. He tried his best to suck the ball, but he still couldn't stop Spider-Man who rushed in to catch the ball.
But the Wolf King won!
He scored 28 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, plus Szczerbiak with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, Joe Smith with 17 points, Trill Brandon with 15 points and 11 assists, and substitute Billups, who scored 17 points and 3 assists, and five Timberwolves players scored in double figures, completing their revenge with a 117-103 victory over the Clippers.
After this game, the Timberwolves averaged 106 points per game, surpassing the Kings and ranking first in the league.
In addition to poor defense, the Clippers also did not play well offensively. Except for Li Ao who scored 35 points, it can be seen that others scored.
Jordan made 5 of 14 shots, including 0 of 3 three-pointers, plus 2 of 3 free throws to score 12 points.
O'Neal Jr. scored 18 points and 10 rebounds on 7 of 16 shots, which is pretty good.
Even Bibby only had 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists tonight.
Gerald Wallace seized the opportunity and scored 9 points on 4-of-7 shooting.
In the last game of 6 consecutive away games, the Clippers were completely out of gas.
They have achieved a record of 4 wins and 2 losses in 6 consecutive away games. This performance is actually very good, but the Clippers' first position in the league is in jeopardy.
Due to rule changes, the strength gap between the strong and weak teams at the beginning of this season is particularly large. In addition to the Clippers who seized the opportunity to have a crazy first month, there are several teams that also had very violent results in the first month.
By this month, the Clippers have continued their hot start, but there are also two other teams that have continued their hot start - the Timberwolves and the Magic, the two teams led by No. 21, both of which currently have only one loss. 6 games!
The Clippers only have 1 game left in their lead!
…
On the 21st, at noon the day after playing the Timberwolves, the Clippers returned to Los Angeles after six consecutive away games. During the two-day break, all Gentry arranged to rest, and the players went back to their homes...except for Odom, who Was taken to hospital.
In the game against the Timberwolves, Odom only played the first half and developed symptoms of leg discomfort.
Li Ao returned home and spent the whole afternoon cutting pig holes with his assistant aunt. As the first batch of players, the two of them killed everyone they saw. In the end, they became famous. When they returned to the city, they didn't pay attention. When they entered the city, they were slashed by a guard and hung up in the village... …Balance work and rest.
In the evening, Li Ao received news that Odom showed signs of stress injuries and had to rest for a while.
Gentry couldn't help complaining on the phone: "The doctor speculated that Lamar suffered such an injury at such a young age because he didn't exercise enough. NBA top-paid players don't exercise enough. My God..."
Li Ao was also speechless.
This training is not enough. It definitely cannot be during the season. After the training camp started, Captain Halprin was watching Odom. At least Odom did not slack off in the training arranged by the team. That is enough for the mid-season. , I have been reducing my training volume recently to prepare for mid-season.
Then it must be the offseason...
Bring this scammer with you in the summer!
Perhaps in addition to being too lazy in the summer, Odom also has a bad habit of being addicted to sugar. Li Ao originally thought about asking the team to order Odom to reduce his sugar intake.
But if Odom doesn't drink sugar, Li Ao is worried that he will take drugs.
He thought of Odom, who took drugs and drank alcohol after being released from the Lakers. In one summer, he turned his originally strong and strong body, which won him the Sixth Man of the Year, into a barrel-shaped body. He might as well let him drink sugar. Being able to average 14+9+3 per game at the age of 31 is enough talent to squander.
Spider-Man has no control over Odom's future. He is an independent person and must be responsible for his own actions.
But at the moment, Odom needs to be sidelined for a period of time, which will have a great impact on the Clippers' mid-season journey...
On the second rest day, the team had no training scheduled, so Li Ao practiced extra at home. Snake treated guests thoughtfully and installed a very professional court, not inferior to the training ground at Memorial Stadium. During this time when Li Ao went out to play away games, Kobe also hired someone to install wall panels and air conditioning, so it was no longer considered an open court.
At the end of the morning's training, Li Ao was comforted.
"Congratulations on the host's physical strength increasing from 92 to 93."
"Congratulations to the host for improving his fadeaway jumper from 74 to 75."
This wave of 6 consecutive visitors, playing for 40+ minutes, was not in vain! I worked hard to the point of exhaustion many times and squeezed out a little bit of energy.
In the afternoon, Kobe came to the other courtyard and practiced with Li Ao for two hours. Both of them were exhausted.
Kobe was also paralyzed on the floor. The Lakers had no games today and tomorrow for the next three days. He practiced all morning and another hour in the afternoon before he remembered that the big spider was back and ran over to train together.
After calming down for a while, Li Ao asked: "Snake, you seem to be in a bad mood today. Vanessa discovered you when you went out to eat?"
"You were just discovered!"
Kobe roared angrily, ignored Li Ao, and drank water by himself.
If not this, what else could it be... "Oh, I remembered, you guys seemed to have lost to the Magic last night!"
Kobe looked at Li Ao in surprise. This guy actually didn't think of this before he asked him. He wasn't mocking him.
But he got even more angry and forgot about it! What do you want to do?
Duncan and McGrady are the opponents he wants to defeat. Losing to these two in one game made him want to gain weight last night.
O'Neal has suffered more injuries this season, missing 9 of the first 24 games, which has exceeded the total number of games he missed last season.
Kobe is excited about this most of the time. He has a chance to prove himself. The Lakers' current record is also good, with 16 wins and 8 losses, fourth in the Western Conference, and 55 wins.
But playing against the Magic, he missed having the Sharks...
Only Duncan is easy to deal with. The key opponent is Tracy McGrady, who averages 20 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists per game. The combination of 1+1 is greater than 2.
In the end, under Li Ao's puzzled gaze, Kobe, who had calmed down first, put on his coat and left without wiping his sweat.
Listening to Li Ao shouting "Take a shower first, be careful of catching a cold", Kobe ran faster.
Li Ao shrugged helplessly. Snake's character was indeed very different.
But he had no negative emotions. He was very happy this afternoon. He got 1,050 achievement points and also 'exploded' the two-point emergency stop jumper skill experience pack!
His emergency stop jump shooting skills have reached 68. By absorbing these two points, he can reach a good level!
His emergency stop basic skill is as high as 84. On the technical side, as long as he practices frequently and plays more bags, he can improve to above 80 without any obstacles.
…
After two days of rest, the Clippers gathered on the morning of December 23 to prepare for the evening game.
During the preparation meeting, Gentry announced Odom's injury. In addition to Odom, Jaylon Collins also reported that the team had shoulder discomfort. After detailed inspection, it was confirmed that he had a strain. Fortunately, Odom was not injured. Mu's condition is so complicated and not serious, and he will recover in about a week.
At this time, the decision to replace Campbell with Piakowski and Laphonso Ellis seemed particularly correct.
If there is a lack of pitchers, it can be difficult to defend. If it lacks a power forward, Li Ao or even Jordan can step in. If it lacks a center, it is really impossible these days.
After announcing the injury news, Gentry joked: "What a pity, Lamar, Jaylon, you lost the opportunity to play in the Christmas game."
The two main insiders were injured, which put a lot of pressure on the Clippers players. When they heard this, everyone laughed out loud.
They all made fun of Odom and Jaylon Collins.
The two of them also came to the Staples Center today. Jaylon Collins just came for a meeting and could not play in the game. His injury did not affect his daily life. He still came to cheer for his teammates when he should.
Odom followed the doctor's orders and conducted some necessary training under the professional guidance of the team doctor.
When the time came to noon, Jordan was furious when he was called to the head coach's office. He wanted to duel with Gentry!
This damn guy actually gave him the rest tonight!
I updated 13,000 words today and made up for 1,000 words. I still owe 69,000 words last month. I finally started making up for it. Congratulations to Coca-Cola~
(End of chapter)
