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patreon.com/Chuga320 (More 50 chapters)
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At eight in the evening, the Staples Center lit up with neon lights, fans gathered, and people entered the arena with reserved smiles on their faces, as if they were here not to watch a game, but to attend a grand party.
Ayesha also queued to enter, her seat was behind the Warriors' bench, this was the ticket Curry had given her, and each NBA player could get 2 tickets for away games and 4 tickets for home games for their family and friends. If they wanted more tickets, they had to deduct money from their salary.
Ayesha found her seat and sat down. There was still an hour left until the game started, and the total number of fans in the stadium wasn't large, especially the seats in the first row, which were empty. But Ayesha knew that in half an hour, it would be filled with celebrities from all walks of life in Los Angeles, especially Hollywood stars.
Of course, this was limited to the Lakers' game. If it were a Clippers game, those stars wouldn't care about coming to watch a group of tough guys fight for a ball. Those who know the rules of Vanity Fair only "deign" to rub shoulders with the Lakers' traffic.
On the court, the Warriors and the Lakers were warming up before the game, and Ayesha didn't disturb Curry, just sitting there, quietly watching her boyfriend throw a three-pointer, a slight smile on her face.
Little by little, more familiar faces appeared in the first row: Jack Nicholson, Stallone, Leonardo... It was as if they had made an appointment, these famous stars appeared in a wave on the sidelines, causing a stir among the fans in the back row.
"Leonardo, I love you! I want to marry you!"
"Leo, your performance in Inception is fantastic. If I were an Oscar judge, I'd give you that damn statuette!"
Without a doubt, the most popular one among them was Leonardo, Jack Nicholson was a die-hard Lakers fan and often came to the Staples Center to watch the game, while Stallone was already a bit outdated. Last year he starred in the action movie The Expendables, which didn't do well at the box office and couldn't recover its costs. Meanwhile, Inception starring Leonardo had premiered in July, with favorable reviews, box office explosions, and high popularity.
Ayesha heard the fans' shouts, saw Leonardo turn around and wave to the fans, chatting and laughing with his young model girlfriend, and she bit her lip.
This was the feeling she dreamed of: playing wonderful roles one after another, being recognized by people, and becoming a huge star.
But it was a shame she had only taken one step on this path, wandering in her place, thousands of miles away from Leonardo's position, and it was highly likely she would never have the opportunity to star in a big production in her life.
Ayesha sighed reluctantly and shifted her gaze to Curry, who was elegantly dribbling the ball, looking at him tenderly for a while, the corners of her mouth slowly curving into a smile.
It didn't matter, maybe she couldn't be a big star, but she had a boyfriend who would be a superstar, and Leonardo would come to see him play, and that was enough.
...
Waiting always feels long and short, and the time before the game passes before you know it. The Lakers and Warriors players are on the court, and the game is about to begin.
Both sides made it to the playoffs last season, and both have popular stars on their teams, so naturally, this game was scheduled to be broadcast live in the United States. There are only four games in total today, and the other three games aren't broadcast live in the U.S., so all eyes are on the Staples Center.
On the other side of the far-off Pacific Ocean, of course, American networks like ESPN also broadcast this game, with commentators Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy covering the action. Where there are Lakers games, Van Gundy is naturally indispensable, and Mike Breen is one of the most hardworking commentators in America, often calling Warriors games.
With a televised broadcast, there was no shortage of live-text broadcast rooms on the internet. Due to the time difference, many fans who had been working didn't have time to watch the game in the morning and could only secretly check the live-text broadcast for a while while they were on a break.
At this moment, the game hadn't started yet, but the live-text room was already buzzing:
"The Lakers run, the Lakers are champions!"
"Whoever wins this time will be first in the West, so exciting!"
"The little ones are restless, shout out to me, the Warriors are invincible!!"
"Damn it, aren't you all going to work? Still have time to watch the ball...?"
Warriors fans and Lakers fans cheered for their local teams, and they also took this chance to chat. The live-text room was lively, countless people eagerly awaited this game. Curry had been a god in the game against the Lakers last season, and today he was at Staples. People were eager to see if he could do something extraordinary.
In the ESPN studio, Julya presented the situation of both teams:
"The Lakers have won two consecutive victories to start the season, defeating the Rockets and Suns, temporarily occupying second place in the West. The Warriors, in first place, have one more game than the Lakers, defeating the Suns, Rockets, and Clippers, winning all three games, holding the first place in the West with a goal difference... Coach Jeff, both teams are in good form, what are your thoughts on today's game?"
Jeff Van Gundy paused for a moment and said:
"If you look at the scene, the Warriors are definitely the favorites to win. They've beaten their opponents by more than 10 points in three games, while the Lakers have won by just 2 points against the Rockets and 8 points against the Suns. The opponents were the same, but the Warriors have been more dominant, and they seem stronger than the Lakers. However, the Suns and Rockets aren't strong teams this season, so this comparison doesn't hold much value. The Lakers are the defending champions and have kept the core lineup from last season, so I'm still optimistic that the Lakers will win."
Mike Breen joked: "Is this because the Lakers have Kobe?"
Jeff Van Gundy laughed and looked at the information on the table: "That can't be specified, Kobe Bryant scored 25 and 28 points in two games, while Curry scored 27, 27, and 31 points in three games, which is not worse than Kobe's scoring. I also watched Curry's game against the Lakers last season, and the star power is there. Both teams are almost equal, but the Lakers also have Gasol and Bynum. Their system is more complete, so I think the Lakers can win."
Mike Breen nodded but responded:
"Coach Jeff is right, but I don't believe it."
—"How so? Tell us what you think." Jeff Van Gundy looked at Mike Breen.
"I think the Warriors can win." Mike Breen said slowly.
—"Why?"
Mike Breen spoke eloquently:
"Well, the Lakers went to the Finals last season for a tie in seven games, and the rest was very brief. The first two games can be seen that the Lakers are still a little scattered, giving people the feeling that they can't do it. They let Kevin Martin score almost 30 points, which is already very revealing. I don't underestimate the Rockets, but frankly, as long as Yao Ming isn't playing, the Rockets will continue to be 9th in the West."
"And against a team like this, almost impossible to make the playoffs, the Lakers only won by 2 points, and the Suns, who played without Stoudemire and had almost collapsed defense, only won by 8 points. The Lakers are obviously not in the best condition, and Bynum is still injured, the lineup is incomplete. The Warriors have been practicing in the summer, holding back their strength to prove their worth. It's a great opportunity to play against the Lakers, and with a national live broadcast, they definitely won't let it slip."
He paused, then continued: "There's an interesting stat about Curry I want to share: last season Curry averaged only 2.5 shots per game under the basket with a 57.9% shooting rate. The production and efficiency were pretty average. But this season, Curry has played 3 games and taken a total of 14 shots in the restricted area, hitting 11 of them, averaging almost 5 per game, with much higher efficiency. Of course, this could have something to do with the Rockets and Suns' poor interior defense, but his drive to the basket has obviously improved a lot. Curry has expanded his arsenal, making him harder to defend. Combined with his unmatched shooting ability, he will definitely surprise the Lakers."
There's no mistake, a song, a pass, an interior, a 6, a 9, a look!
In the end, Mike Breen's voice revealed a sense of confidence.
Now, Mike Breen was still very professional, unlike later when distracted by his own company. Most of his energy focused on the commentary. He had carefully watched the Warriors' 3 games and studied the Lakers' games: for the traffic team, Mike Breen had always been very attentive. He saw the progress Curry had made and was confident the Warriors could win.
Jeff Van Gundy nodded thoughtfully: "You make a good point, but those three games are not convincing. The game is about to start, let's see what Curry can do against the Lakers."
Mike Breen smiled and said: "Exactly, both teams are ready to tip off. The Lakers have kept the championship-winning lineup, except for Odom replacing the injured Bynum, with Kobe, Gasol, Fisher, and Artest on the court... Chandler tips off to Gasol, who passes to Curry! The Warriors start with Chandler jumping for the ball, Curry advancing with the ball, and the rookies Klay and Green, with Matthews taking Butler's spot..."
On the court, the Warriors players quickly made their way to the frontcourt, but the Lakers were very focused after the tip-off, not giving them a chance to steal the ball.
Curry looked around, and seeing there was no good opportunity, dribbled to a 45-degree angle on the right, passed the ball to Green in the low post, then ran toward the top of the arc, and suddenly ran backward, using Chandler's pick from the inside to get some space.
Green closely followed his run and passed the ball at the right moment. Curry caught it and shot, but Kobe Bryant was a step too late, unable to contest the shot and could only watch as the basketball spun rapidly and flew toward the basket.
Bang!
The basketball hit the front of the rim and bounced out. The rebound was secured by Gasol under the basket. Lakers fans in the arena breathed a sigh of relief, while Curry, seeing the miss, shook his head in frustration and retreated to the backcourt.
Jeff Van Gundy smiled: "That was the opportunity, but Curry missed it. What a shame."
Mike Breen looked at him, "That doesn't sound like a shame to me."
He looked back at the studio screen, frowned slightly, and said:
"It should have started. Curry hasn't gotten going yet, but that's normal. Just wait a bit."
End of Chapter
(1)I made a translation mistake, the Pj Neron is a woman so I change it to Julya in case it is needed at some point jjajajajajajajaj you know what I mean.
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