The Way of the Center

At the end of October, it is already the season of autumn. But even in the fall, Portland skies are still blue and sunny. But in the eyes of Kobe Bryant, the sky here is gloomy and very gray.

In yesterday's NBA opener, the much-anticipated Lakers F4 lost to the Dallas Mavericks, who was sidelined by Nowitzki's injury, at the Staples Center. In that game, Kobe, Howard and Gasol actually put up good data, but Kobe thought the game was very aggrieved.

Well now, before losing the ball, the Lakers had to fly to Portland non-stop to play a back-to-back game with the Trail Blazers.

Losing to the Mavericks made everyone on the Lakers extremely eager to win. As the biggest protagonist in this summer's transfer market, the Lakers don't want to be looked down upon by others like this. But the Portland Trail Blazers are definitely not the kind of team that can be used to vent their anger at will. It is no easy task for Kobe and his teammates to get out of the tearing city. And if they lose to the Trail Blazers, the Lakers will usher in their first losing streak since the start of the new season. Such a shame is unacceptable for the Lakers who have formed a luxurious lineup!

"Damn it! Kobe looked out the window and clenched his fists unconsciously. No matter how strong the Trail Blazers are, no matter how hard it is tonight, no matter how his old friend Angie hinders, the Lakers must win!

If Kobe is eager to win a game to this extent, then the team that is the opponent of the Lakers is doomed to be unlucky...

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"Hey, this is the French dessert my mother made for you. Even if you search all over the United States, you can't find such authentic French tea." Early in the morning, Nicholas Batum served his teammates in the training ground Hand out gifts. Although Batum only joined the team this summer, in fact, his qualifications in the Trail Blazers are much older than Anjie. So Batum quickly integrated into the team, and is also a bridge between the new and old players of the Trail Blazers.

"Does it mean that if you eat the snacks made by your mother, your three-point shooting percentage will increase?" Wesley Matthews couldn't wait to unpack the package, and also took Batum's very good three-point shooting percentage. Made a joke.

"Of course, eat one piece, and your three-point shooting percentage will increase by 10% tonight! Let me tell you, I ate five yuan before going out this morning!" Batum proudly "promoted" His mother's handicraft.

"Hey, Ann, that box is mine." At this moment, Aldridge's voice resounded through the audience. It turned out that it was An Jie who snatched the share that belonged to Aldridge.

"Just let me eat ten yuan for LaMarcus. According to what Batum said, if I eat ten yuan, will my three-pointers hit every shot today?"

"Hahahaha, you will only be unable to jump and run fast because you are too full to eat." An Jie's joke made all the players of the Trail Blazers laugh out loud. Although the Trail Blazers are about to face a strong opponent tonight, the atmosphere of the team is still relaxed during training, which is in stark contrast to the dead serious atmosphere of the Lakers.

Light and heavy, the Blazers have already surpassed the Lakers, at least in terms of mentality, before the game even started.

"Hey, I heard that you have already defeated the Lakers?" Ricard stepped into the training ground on time at 8:30 in the morning, which is also the time when the team officially starts training every day. But since today is the first game of the new season, everyone got here half an hour earlier.

"In a few hours, we will beat the Lakers." Batum looked at his wrist, but he had changed his jersey and had nothing on his hands.

"Don't be careless, the first season after the formation of the Big Three of the Heat was not satisfactory. The paper lineup of the Lakers is there, and such opponents cannot relax their vigilance against them anyway!" Ricard Don't want the high-profile Trail Blazers to capsize in Game 1. Indeed, in yesterday's game, the Lakers exposed many problems. But even so, Ricard had to make his men do their best.

"Don't worry boss, we will work hard. Right, guys?" An Jie, as the leader of the radically transformed team, stood up, ready to call everyone into training.

"That's right, we won't let the proud Los Angeles people live here!" Even Aldridge, who usually doesn't talk much, shouted loudly. A brand new pioneer, not only the fans, but even the players themselves are looking forward to what they can do.

"Okay, now, let me all stand in groups according to the confrontation training. Let's go to the running tactics first, and let me see the ones I arranged yesterday. How much do you remember?"

beep! With a whistle, the Trail Blazers started a day of fighting in the vibrant morning light of Portland!

"Hey, this schedule is so fucking damn good!" Dwight Howard complained next to Kobe as soon as he got off the plane. Bryant, who is desperate for victory, is naturally very upset to hear Howard complaining beside him instead of thinking about how to win. But because of the friendship between his teammates, Kobe didn't say much.

"As long as we win tonight, we have plenty of time to rest!" Kobe stared at the huge poster of Anjie outside the Portland Airport. Although the Trail Blazers had been greatly strengthened, Kobe knew that Anjie was still the most dangerous the guy.

"I'll take care of Ann, you can rest assured to do what you should do." Howard saw Kobe's concerns, and he also joked with Kobe with his optimistic personality.

Bryant ignored the hippie smiling Howard, but suddenly turned and left, walking towards the team bus. Kobe's walk made Howard, who was standing there giggling, look...look like an idiot.

Howard wanted to get angry, but he forced himself to resist the urge. He came to the Lakers to win the championship, not to make friends with the Lakers. It was Jordan and Pippen back then, and the relationship between them only reached the level of "colleagues".

Although he didn't get angry, it has to be admitted that cracks have begun to appear between Howard and Kobe.

The competitive Kobe was only depressed because he lost the game, so he was not in the mood to joke. In fact, he didn't have any dissatisfaction with Howard. When Howard came to the Lakers, Kobe was as happy as the fans. However, because of his personality, Kobe was always unable to correctly handle the interpersonal relationship with other stars. This is why, only people like Gasol can coexist with Kobe. And this is why many big-name players are unwilling to join the Lakers.

Howard? It's not that this guy doesn't take winning or losing seriously. If he didn't care about winning or losing, or the championship, he wouldn't choose to join the Lakers. But this guy's optimistic personality allows him to have fun in bitterness from time to time, but this doesn't work here with Kobe.

Dark and depressing. While the Trail Blazers are starting to practice in high spirits and unity, the atmosphere in the Lakers team bus is completely different.

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"Hello, audience friends, you have all seen that tonight's Rose Garden Stadium is full of seats!" Following the words of ESPN's on-site reporter, the cameraman also cooperated to point the camera at the stands.

In the stands, in addition to the bouncing fans, there are many signs with slogans. The words "" are naturally indispensable.

"Today we ushered in the most watched game in the Western Conference at the beginning of the season. The Los Angeles Lakers challenged the Portland Trail Blazers away! Both teams have made significant changes to their lineups this summer, so Both sides have also become strong contenders for the championship. The Lakers' starting lineup has such brilliant names as Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. And the Portland Trail Blazers also joined The strong Iguodala and the potential rookie Damian Lillard. As for who is the real winner of the two teams this summer, the answer will be revealed in a few hours!"

"Thank you Hardy, the atmosphere at the scene is really warm. Although the Lakers lost in yesterday's game, it is not a bad thing for them. Because at this moment the Lakers must want to win a quick victory to prove themselves, And the Trail Blazers cannot sit still under the leadership of Ann. This is destined to be a wonderful collision. I am Mike Breen. You are welcome to continue to lock ESPN. We will send you the game after the advertisement live!"

"Lillard or Fisher, this is an easy multiple choice question. Although Lillard is only a rookie, when facing Nash, coach Ricard will definitely choose to use the more aggressive Lillard to play. Start!"

"No, no, I don't think so. If coach Rickard chooses to start with Fisher, then Ann and Aldridge's offense will be easier. After all, Fisher is an experienced championship point guard, he knows how to let My teammates in the paint score comfortably."

"Okay, stop arguing with those useless people!" O'Neill's strange cry brought an end to the slobbering between Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley.

"Who will start, Derek Fisher or Damian Lillard, is not the point of this game at all!" O'Neal pinched the commentary stand vigorously with his hands to emphasize. "The contest between Ann and the Twin Towers of the Lakers is the key to determining the outcome of the game!"

"Come on, Shaq, you always bring the topic to the center, even if the center is Chuck Hayes." Kenny Smith waved his hand, he had heard enough of O'Neal's talk about how good the center is. That's it.

"No, you're so wrong Kenny. You don't think the Trail Blazers are very strong now, but if they lack the core of Anatai, they will not be able to do anything. Gasol and Howard, if these two guys really If Ann is restricted to death, the Lakers will have a greater chance of winning."

"Then you say, can Gasol and Howard take the pressure off Kobe? In the last game, the statistics of these two big men were good, but the Lakers still lost." Kenny Smith knew that he couldn't beat O'Neal , then impatiently echoed.

"I said? If you want me to say, the twin towers of the Lakers want to see the dead, and there is no way!" O'Neal smiled confidently at the camera. His confidence in Anjie is just like he had in himself back then. Confidence is as strong!

"You are such a boring Shaq. Alright, here are Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille, don't walk away, the game will start soon!" Kenny Smith rubbed his hands, spitting like this After a long time, it's time to start the real highlight!

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