stonecrandall Chapter 35: Season Opening, Away Game Against the Lakers!
Chapter 35: Season Opening, Away Game Against the Lakers!
Ruben Patterson has at least returned to the team. Although he will miss a period of the season, the Trail Blazers are now at full strength.
Ruben Paterson's first act upon returning to the team was not to retaliate against Li He.
Instead, he took the initiative to find Li He and honestly admitted the problem:
"Hansen, I admit I went too far before. I hope you don't mind. I apologize."
Starting with that friendly boxing match, Ruben Paterson truly witnessed what a real violent maniac was.
Ruben Paterson was somewhat ruthless, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten into a fight with Zach Randolph during training.
Despite having a ruptured eye socket, Ruben Paterson did not lose in terms of sheer force.
In his ring fight with Li He, Ruben Paterson was knocked to the ground by Li He in one move. The image of Li He recklessly throwing follow-up punches still haunts Ruben Paterson.
A friendly boxing match left Ruben Paterson with psychological trauma.
If Hansen Lee doesn't let this go and retaliates, he'll be killed next time!
This is also why Ruben Paterson has been slow to report to the team.
He was truly terrified...
Seeing Ruben Paterson admit his mistake, Li He shrugged: "It's all in the past."
This isn't about forgiveness, but rather a tacit understanding between adults.
Li He also did not want to try to change Ruben Paterson's or the character of the other people in the prison team.
A bad personality trait accumulated over 20 years is not easily changed.
Therefore, Li He's goal for the new season is...
Demonstrate your worth and earn the trust of management.
Then get rid of these awful guys one by one.
……
The date is May 27th.
The Trail Blazers assembled and flew directly to Los Angeles to prepare for the regular season opener.
The Trail Blazers' first opponent of the new season is the red-hot Lakers.
Over the past few seasons, the Lakers have been a true nemesis for the Trail Blazers.
Starting from the 1999-00 season, the Trail Blazers were eliminated by the Lakers in the playoffs for three consecutive years, including being swept in two of those years, giving them an absolute advantage in both record and mentality.
With the addition of Karl Malone on a minimum contract during the offseason and the signing of Gary Payton using the mid-level exception, the Los Angeles Lakers boast a luxurious "F4" lineup and are aiming for the championship this season.
The media had already generated a lot of buzz before the game, and without exception, they all favored the Lakers, playing at home, to easily defeat the Trail Blazers.
[With the new F4 lineup, the Lakers remain the biggest favorites to win the championship!]
[Portland Killer! Predicts Lakers to easily defeat Trail Blazers and secure their first win of the season!]
[The Trail Blazers announce 25 guarantees! Could this revival of the "prison team" be on the horizon?]
[Can Hansen Lee continue his magical performance in his regular season debut?]
Take off, Los Angeles Lakers!
【…】
Even more outrageous, some Trail Blazers fans have openly supported the Lakers online, hoping they can crush the Trail Blazers and force them out of the league so they can vent their anger.
This clearly shows how much the fans despise the Trail Blazers' "prison team".
Aside from the team members, almost everyone is optimistic about the Lakers.
The night before the competition, Li He was lost in thought in his hotel room, showing signs of insomnia.
The long-awaited regular season game has finally arrived, and I'm starting in it! At the Staples Center, the holy grail of basketball, I'm facing the OK duo.
This debut show was packed with all the elements.
You absolutely must perform well!
Zach Randolph suggested, "Hansen, can't sleep? How about we go find something fun?"
Li He frowned, thinking to himself that Randolph was no pushover. The game was tomorrow, and he was already thinking about having fun today.
This is a common problem among many NBA players.
"Come on, Zach, you guys are under a lot of pressure in the paint tomorrow, so save your energy."
"Yeah, let's go have some fun after we beat the Lakers!"
"I'll treat you then!" Li He suggested.
"no problem!"
The following afternoon.
When the Trail Blazers' team bus pulled into Staples Center, the Lakers fans did not react at all.
Because they didn't take the Trail Blazers seriously at all.
If it were their arch-rivals, the Celtics, or a strong team like the Spurs playing against them, then the proud Lakers fans would have a good chance to mock them.
pioneer?
It's terrible.
Kobe's pre-game interviews revealed an air of unparalleled arrogance.
When a CBS reporter asked Kobe Bryant about his impression of this year's 16th overall pick, Li He...
Kobe just shrugged:
"I'm not paying attention to those messy things. You know, our goal is to win the championship."
"But aren't you going to be facing off tonight? Don't you need to find out about your opponent beforehand?"
"If he's an All-Star caliber player." Kobe's smile held a hint of disdain.
He certainly has the right to be arrogant. He entered the league in 1996 and has already won three consecutive championships. Last season, he averaged 30 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, broke the single-game three-point record, averaged 40+ points per game in February, had 9 consecutive games with 40+ points, and was selected as an All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team member, having played the strongest season of his career so far.
The reporter, always eager for a good show, immediately went and "tattled" to Li He:
"Hansen, Lee, you'll be facing off against Kobe Bryant tonight, right? In the interview just now, Kobe said he didn't have much of an impression of you."
"So what's your impression of Kobe Bryant?"
Li He thought for a moment and said:
"They won three championships by clinging to Shaq's coattails."
"Oh right, he really doesn't have time to worry about others right now. He should take care of his own mess first."
In late October 2003, shortly after the Eagle County incident, Kobe was still shuttling between the court and the courthouse, which caused his performance to decline significantly.
The CBS reporter choked up upon hearing this, thinking to himself that Hansen Lee's words were truly venomous, practically rubbing salt into Kobe Bryant's wounds!
After a brief interview, Li He met with his college teammate, Luke Walton.
Luke Walton was selected by the Lakers with the 33rd overall pick and is currently working as a water boy for the team.
"Hansen! Long time no see!"
"Luke, how have you been lately?"
Luke Walton shrugged. With superstars like Shaq and obsessives like Kobe on the team, he was just a lackey, nothing special, just average.
But compared to Hansen Lee's teammates, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant seem pretty good too...
At least neither of them ended up in jail.
Oh wait, Kobe Bryant recently got arrested too.
"I really envy you, starting in the opening game. When will I get enough playing time?" Luke Walton sighed.
Li He smiled and said, "Keep going, it will happen."
Soon, both teams finished warming up, and the starting players from both sides stood on the field.
The Trail Blazers still fielded their strongest lineup, which is also Maurice Cheeks' starting lineup this season.
The Lakers' starting lineup is absolutely amazing.
The backcourt duo of Kobe Bryant and Gary Payton was excellent on both offense and defense;
On the front line are defensive stalwart Devin George and "The Mailman" Karl Malone;
Finally, at the center position, Shaquille O'Neal is undoubtedly the best center in the league.
This is an undisputed championship-winning lineup!