The Golden State is the abbreviation of California.
Yes, that's right. Golden State does not specifically refer to San Francisco, because the Warriors' home court is in Oakland, not San Francisco, and calling them the Oakland Warriors doesn't seem cool, so the abbreviation of the state where they are located is used as the prefix.
The Golden State that Windhorst refers to here is naturally the Warriors.
This option made James' eyes light up again, as he had completely ignored this possibility.
The rookie contract of Warriors' starting small forward Harrison Barnes expires in the summer. Because of Curry's child labor contract and the surge in the summer salary cap, the Warriors can sign any superstar without a contract.
Moreover, Curry is much easier to control than Durant. The other party entered the league six years later than him. In terms of seniority, it is not an exaggeration to call him Uncle James.
So this is really a perfect option comparable to Durant going to Los Angeles.
James finally smiled.
Who says loyal people will only be loyal blindly at critical moments? This instantly opened his mind and he suddenly understood.
He stood up from the bed and Windhorst hurried over to help him.
He reached out and patted Windhorst on the shoulder, then called his barber to come over and trim his hair and beard.
Now that a new escape route has been found, there is no reason to stand still.
Moreover, with Rose of the Bulls out for the season this year, the Cavaliers may not be a match for the Bulls in the playoffs.
Now that his worries are gone, he is ready to let go and have a fierce battle with the Bulls.
…
March 1 is the league's buyout deadline, and there are several players worth paying attention to in this year's buyout market.
The favorite is Joe Johnson of the Nets.
Johnson, 34, is still a starter for the Nets, but his average points (11.5 points) and shooting percentage (40.6%) are both lows since the 2003-04 season.
But the good thing is that he didn't have any major injuries, and he was not bought out, but actively bought out and sought to join a championship team.
Another person worth noting is the [Best Actor] Vallejo.
When the Cavaliers traded for Love, they also had Tristan Thompson on the bench, but he was given up by the Cavaliers because of salary.
He later joined the Wizards on a two-year contract, but because of injuries he only played 26 games last season and 31 games so far this season, and the Wizards are also seeking a buyout with him.
Then there is David Lee. Lee did not get many opportunities after being traded to the Celtics, and his condition was also average. Although the Celtics have a great chance of making the playoffs this season, he is only 32 years old and will most likely seek a buyout.
In addition, there are Kris Humphries who had a 72-day wedding with Kim Kardashian, drinking enthusiast Ty Lawson, Jingdezhen porcelain ancestor Kevin Martin, Crescent Moon Scimitar Josh Smith and so on.
The day after the buyout deadline, when Xu Yong arrived at the locker room, he saw that Aldridge's seat was vacant.
"He was bought out," Hinrich explained.
Xu Yong nodded. Aldridge had been with the Bulls for less than ten days, and it seemed that he had not even played a game. Role players did not have much status and say in the NBA.
However, his buyout was expected, because he was not who the Bulls wanted in the first place, and although Jokic played well as a substitute, he was still immature after all. There are many players in the buyout market this year, but I don't know who the Bulls will choose in the end.
Just as I was thinking about it, Ma Long had already brought in the new players.
It seems that Foreman had been prepared to take action for a long time, but it just happened to happen at this time.
But the person who came in was something Xu Yong had never expected.
It turned out to be Vallejo.
After a player is bought out, it is natural that some popular next homes will emerge, for example, Joe Johnson's popular next home is the Heat.
Bosh hasn't played since he strained his calf before the All-Star Game. Although the Heat haven't officially announced it, there are rumors that his injury was caused by blood clot metastasis, and this recurrence may very well mean the end of Bosh's career.
In this case, the remedy the Heat can do is to sign Singles Joe to supplement the scoring point. The Heat can not only provide the playing time Johnson needs, but even provide a starting position.
For example, Varejao partnered with James as soon as he entered the league. After James left, he still stayed with the Cavaliers. He has spent 10 of his 11 seasons in Cleveland.
Now that he has bought out his contract and James has returned to the Cavaliers, theoretically he will definitely go.
In the end, who could have imagined?
He actually came to the Bulls, and now the Bulls and the Cavaliers are sworn enemies.
After coming in, Valanciunas did not go directly to his closet. He talked to Malone about his hard work, and then asked Malone to get busy. Then he turned around and greeted Xu Yong, Butler and others one by one. Finally, when he went to the closet to put things away, he was chatting animatedly with Stephenson next to him.
Xu Yong's impression of Valanciunas was basically limited to his injuries and the "Best Actor" award he received for committing an offensive foul. Now it seems that this guy is also a socialite.
And then he thought of another thing, that is, if they meet the Cavaliers in the playoffs, James would not know how he would feel when he saw Varejao. He would probably feel like he was stabbed in the back?
If Varejao had played at that time, the story on the court would have been very interesting.
…
In the blink of an eye, it is already early April. After more than a month of competition, the season has come to its end.
Although the Bulls' record has declined compared to last season, they still occupy the top position in the Eastern Conference. Under normal circumstances, it should not be a problem for them to win 65+ games.
Another team worth paying attention to is the Warriors in the Western Conference.
The development of the Warriors is different from the history that Xu Yong knows, but it is similar to what he analyzed before.
Because Green's suspension made it difficult to break the regular season historical record, the Warriors gave up the idea early on.
Although their record is not that amazing, the players are in pretty good shape.
This also means that they did not consume too much energy in the regular season, which makes Xu Yong very curious about how this Warriors team can perform in the playoffs.
Finally, the Lakers.
Kobe's season tour is going strong, and the Lakers still have hopes of making the playoffs.
This was also beyond Xu Yong's expectations, because he remembered that the Lakers did not make the playoffs this season in history. It can only be said that the management's trade for Gasol and Reggie Jackson and signing Ariza back helped the team, and even Okafor played well under Kobe's adjustment.
What’s even more interesting is that the Bulls’ season opener was at home against the Lakers, while the regular season finale was an away game against the Lakers.
Therefore, even at the end of the season, fans' attention is fully focused on this stage.
On April 14, the entire Bulls team arrived in Los Angeles to prepare for the final game of the season against the Lakers.
The Lakers are currently competing with the Pelicans for the last playoff spot, and they only have a chance if they win this game.
However, as early as on the plane to Los Angeles, Thibodeau had already announced that the iron triangle of Xu Yong, Butler and Adams would not play in tonight's game.
This kind of operation is not uncommon at the end of the season, because the rankings have been determined and the opponent is fighting for a place in the playoffs. Unless there is a grudge, they will generally choose to let it go.
Of course, there is another point. Now many fans are looking forward to the Lakers making the playoffs, and Thibodeau has no need to go against them at this time.
So Xu Yong is one of the few people this season who wears a suit to watch the game on the sidelines.
Although I didn't play in the game, I could still feel the difference of the Staples Center tonight when I sat on the sidelines.
He saw the ace commentary combination of Barkley, O'Neal and Kenny Smith in the live commentary booth.
On the domestic commentary side, Coach Zhang, who had not been seen for a long time, also came to the scene.
The enthusiasm of the fans at the scene was also unprecedentedly high. If the Lakers lost this game, it would be the final battle of Kobe's career.
This was fully reflected in the pre-match opening ceremony.
"Now, 18-time NBA All-Star, 4-time All-Star Game MVP, 5-time NBA Champion, 2-time NBA Finals MVP, 2007-2008 regular season MVP, from Lower Merion High School to the NBA, let us welcome, 6-foot-6, our forever Black Mamba, No. 24, Kobe Bryant!!"
When Kobe made his final appearance, the cheers were deafening, as if the entire stadium was shaking.
From the large LED screen above his head, Xu Yong saw Kobe's serious expression.
The difference from history is that in history, Kobe had no pressure on the record in his farewell game, but tonight, he needs to lead the team into the playoffs, so Xu Yong doesn't know how he can perform.
But from Kobe's expression, we can see that he will definitely give his all.
After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.
Bulls: Stephenson, Justin Holiday, Ennis, West, Jokic;
Lakers: Reggie Jackson, Kobe, Ariza, Gasol, Okafor.
Accompanied by the cheers of the fans, Jokic passed the ball back to the Bulls' half and the game officially began.
After Stephenson advanced to the frontcourt, he passed the ball directly to Jokic outside the three-point line at the top of the arc, and Jokic was organizing the game with the ball.
It is true that Thibodeau intends to help the Lakers, but it is also true that he wants to train young players.
Okafor's defensive position for this ball was relatively far back, and Jokic saw it and just raised his hand outside the three-point line and shot it with ease.
Xu Yong's eyes were on Kobe after the game started, but now he couldn't help but look at Jokic and saw the determined look on his face.
This was Jokic's first start in his rookie career, and he was obviously holding back a lot of energy.
The same situation is also reflected in Holiday.
Judging from what happened to Ade, the situation of role players in the NBA, although Holiday remained on the Bulls' roster, he rarely had the opportunity to play before. It was only after Foye was traded that he barely squeezed into the end of the rotation. Now he has a hard-earned chance to start, so he naturally cherishes it.
So when he retreated to the defensive end, he guarded Kobe tightly, and Kobe was restricted by him and it was difficult for him to receive the ball.
Jackson failed to score after a breakthrough, and Jokic grabbed the defensive rebound and passed it directly to Stephenson, who used physical confrontation to push Ariza away and put the ball into the basket during a fast break.
Kobe still couldn't catch the ball, and Gasol made a mid-range shot from the free throw line.
Jokic picked up Okafor from the three-point line, broke through to the free throw line to attract double-teaming, and then passed the ball to Holiday who cut in from the baseline, who scored with a two-handed dunk.
7 to 2.
The Bulls took the lead at the start.
Will the Bulls definitely lose to the Lakers if they give up three main players?
This is not necessarily true. There have been games in history where the team won against the opponent even though they gave up the main players. Because as Holiday and Jokic have shown, this may be their only chance to start, or the only chance for others to play, and they will not cooperate with your performance.
The pressure came to the Lakers. Kobe then went directly to the three-point line with the ball, and then signaled to move away for a one-on-one play.
The fans at the Staples Center started to get excited.
Kobe's performance this season is actually not very good. The opening game against the Bulls was one of the few highlights of his season. He played 66 games throughout the season, averaging only 19.5 points per game, with a shooting percentage of 35.8% and a three-point shooting percentage of 28.5%.
Moreover, he rarely holds the ball and attacks like this in a game, and even less often starts holding the ball so early.
He felt very different tonight.
After his teammates moved away, Kobe launched an attack. He changed direction to the left, then dribbled to the inside with his left hand.
His dominant hand is his right hand, which is his non-dominant hand, but he is also very strong with his left hand as he has completed a buzzer-beater with his left hand.
This unconventional method was initially effective, but he was old after all, and after breaking through to the basket he still couldn't completely shake off Holiday, and when he finally shot he could only significantly increase the shooting angle.
So when the shot was taken, the basketball seemed to go straight up and down.
But the miraculous thing is, the ball went in!
And this is just the beginning.
In the next few rounds, Kobe did the following: he received a pass from Jackson in the right corner and made a three-pointer with a step-back; he made a strong three-pointer at the 45-degree angle on the right side; he cut in along the right baseline and received a pass from Gasol and made a signature reverse layup for a 2+1; finally, he even shook off Holiday and went into the paint for a two-handed dunk.
In just a few minutes, Kobe scored 13 points.
Xu Yong, who was watching all this happen on the bench, had an indescribable magical feeling.
He missed the live broadcast of this game due to other things before his rebirth, so he didn't go to watch the recording later, which was a small regret.
Unexpectedly, after his rebirth, he not only had the opportunity to make up for this little regret, but also had the opportunity to sit in a VIP seat on site. The sense of impact was very direct and strong.
Kobe should not have entered the white-hot space, because he should not be able to enter it with his current ability. This can be seen from the parabola of the ball after he shot, the degree to which his body lost balance after shooting, and even his ability to get rid of it.
So this feeling is magical. After all, Holiday provided defensive intensity from the beginning. Even when the ball was shaken off, the Bulls provided help defense. It was Kobe who used his signature turnaround to break through the defense.
However, the Bulls did not fall behind. Holiday failed to defend Kobe, but the Lakers also failed to defend Jokic.
Although Okafor's defensive habits have improved over the season, he is obviously no match for Jokic.
In such a game, the Serbian boy used his top basketball IQ and hands to revitalize the Bulls' offense.
Xu Yong was very pleased when he saw it.
Although Thibodeau has used Jokic, he is still far from being reused. After entering the rotation, his average playing time is only about 15 minutes.
Including the signing of Varejao by the team this time, it was also someone he wanted after communicating with Foreman.
This is actually not Thibodeau's fault. As a defensive coach, it is really difficult for him to look down on a player like Jokic who is strong in offense but weak in defense, especially an inside center. The center is the last and most critical barrier of the team's defense.
But Jokic is just a rookie after all, and like Okafor on the opposite side, he has room for improvement in defense. More importantly, he can remain calm in such a spotlight and fully demonstrate his offensive abilities, which may impress Thibodeau.
The two sides were in a stalemate in the first quarter, but in the second quarter the Lakers began to fall behind because Kobe's physical strength declined under Holiday's relentless defense and his touch obviously deteriorated.
There is a drawback to the Lakers' strategy tonight. Maybe it's because Kobe had a good touch in the first quarter, or maybe tonight might be Kobe's final game after retirement, so they were basically looking for Kobe in every round.
So Kobe scored 16 points with 6 of 10 shots in the first quarter, but only scored 6 points with 3 of 12 shots in the second quarter, and 22 points with 9 of 22 shots in the first half.
At the end of the first half, the Bulls led the Lakers by 12 points, 54 to 42.
The trend of this game was very similar to the season opener. Kobe played well for one quarter, but only one quarter.
At the end of the halftime, Xu Yong stood up and high-fived Jokic, then took Holiday aside and said words of encouragement.
Holiday didn't have many opportunities in his three years with the Bulls, but his performance in the first half tonight was also worthy of praise.
Not being stage-frightened is an important factor in whether a player can play well. Holiday's performance proves one thing: the Holiday family does not keep idle people.
As for winning or losing, Xu Yong knew that Kobe wanted to win very much, but if the main players did not play and had to let the substitutes win, Kobe would not want that.
After the half-time break, the game continued.
Kobe was still the main attacker of the Lakers, but he missed a three-pointer at the beginning, which caused a commotion at the scene.
But just when Xu Yong thought Kobe was going to stop there, Kobe suddenly started to explode again.
He walked with his not-so-fast steps, as if chasing his younger self, attacking the inside continuously and scoring with pull-up layups and turnaround layups.
After Holiday became wary of his breakthrough and took a half step back on defense, he made two consecutive three-pointers from the outside.
This caused the Staples Center to boil again.
Xu Yong couldn't help but reach out to applaud Kobe.
Perhaps the three misses just now awakened memories deep in Kobe's mind.
The two sides entered the fourth quarter tied.
Kobe scored another 15 points in the third quarter, bringing his total to 37 points in three quarters, more than double his season average.
The two sides were still in a stalemate in the fourth quarter. With 7 minutes left in the game, both sides replaced their main players and entered the final decisive stage.
This became Jokic's performance moment.
He first faked a pass, turned around and crushed Okafor to score under the basket, then received Stephenson's ** pass and scored 2+1 on Okafor, then he blocked Okafor directly on the defensive end, and then returned the favor by assisting Stephenson to hit a three-pointer in a fast break.
Okafor averaged 17.5 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game this season, with a shooting percentage of 50.8%, and is a favorite for the season's best rookie.
But Jokic's performance in the past few rounds directly beat Okafor.
Even the photographers on the scene took shots of Jokic, and the big LED screen also showed Jokic's performance tonight. He has scored 21 points and is the highest scoring player on the Bulls.
In contrast to his performance, Kobe's offense was inaccurate again after his return.
This is Kobe's current strength, his performance can no longer remain stable.
When the game entered the last three minutes, the score was 94 to 84, and the Bulls had regained a double-digit lead.
At this time, Kobe's statistics were 17 of 42 shots and 45 points.
The Lakers were forced to call a timeout, as they had little time left.
This time, Xu Yong stood up and gave Jokic a big hug. Tonight is destined to be Jokic's masterpiece of his rookie season.
As for Kobe, he "ruined" Jordan's farewell game in the All-Star Game, but Jordan was not angry about it.
For people like them, the greatest respect has always been to try their best.
"Nikola Jokic, are you going to ruin Kobe's farewell game?" O'Neal couldn't help but ask from the commentary booth.
Perhaps it was because he heard the voice of this old friend with whom he had many grievances and entanglements, after returning from the timeout, Kobe used a jumping step after a breakthrough to shake off Jokic and Holiday at the same time, and then made a defensive layup.
Then in the next round, he broke through to the free throw line and forced a mid-range shot despite Holiday's defense.
His consecutive scores inspired the fighting spirit of the entire Lakers team. After Jackson completed the steal, he passed the ball to Kobe in a fast break, and Kobe made another high layup and scored.
Xu Yong was very shocked at this time.
Theoretically speaking, Kobe's age and ability at this stage cannot support him to attack so much throughout the whole game. You have to know that Kobe has already shot more than 40 times. He only shot 46 times in the game where he scored 81 points, and it's now the end of the fourth quarter.
But Kobe's performance continues.
He dribbled across half court, got a screen from Gasol amid the shouts of "Kobe! Kobe!", then suddenly accelerated through two defenders, broke into the sweet spot in the right elbow area, and steadily hit a mid-range pull-up shot against Ennis who was assisting in defense.
After coming back from the timeout, he made every shot and scored 8 points, quickly raising his personal score to 53 points.
At this time, the Lakers had narrowed the gap to 92 to 96, and with 1 minute left in the game, the difference was only 4 points.
Then, the scene that made Xu Yong feel so incredible that he couldn't help but stand up from the bench appeared.
Kobe and Gasol used the same trick again. This time he did not go directly to the basket. Instead, he dribbled to the three-point line on the right, made a quick stop and shot fake to shake West's center of gravity, and then took a three-pointer.
“Swish!”
The three-point shot was successful.
The Staples Center was in complete chaos.
After hitting the three-pointer, Kobe turned around and saw Xu Yong standing up. He reached out and patted him on the shoulder, then continued to retreat.
Xu Yong couldn't help but smile and shook his head.
He felt at this moment as if God was really watching the game tonight, and then gave Kobe a magical touch, and then Kobe used the skills he had honed step by step over the past 20 years to complete those finishes.
After the timeout, the Bulls arranged a tactic for Jokic to attack the basket, but the Lakers chose to shrink. Jokic passed the ball, but Holiday on the outside failed to hit the three-pointer.
Gasol grabbed the rebound and held it in his arms to protect it, then passed the ball to Kobe after confirming that the Bulls had given up on the ball.
Everyone at the scene has stood up.
Now the Lakers have a chance to win the game, and Kobe has a chance to lead the team into the playoffs in his retirement season.
Kobe arrived at the front court and cheers began to ring out.
Because Kobe has regained his touch, Holiday didn't dare to defend too far forward, and Gasol's pick-and-roll came again.
Kobe followed Gasol's pick-and-roll and headed to the right again.
Holiday tried to squeeze through, but Gasol blocked him.
At this moment, perhaps there was only one sentence in his mind: Go shoot, Kobe! Go hit that buzzer-beater, just like you, just like we have done it time and time again! Go get it done!
Kobe reached the high position on the right, he stopped abruptly and West pounced on him.
Kobe rode directly towards West and shot an arrow at medium range.
His eyes were full of determination.
West interfered but failed to stop Kobe from completing the shot.
The fans at the scene held their breath.
“Swish!”
When the crisp sound of the ball going into the net was heard, the Staples Center was completely in an uproar and the cheers continued for a long time.
The Bulls called a timeout, and Kobe raised his fists to meet the attack from his teammates.
"He did it! He did it again!" O'Neal also shouted excitedly in the commentary booth.
Xu Yong looked at the scene in front of him and spread his hands helplessly.
This was the first time he spread his hands for someone else, and perhaps the last time he did so for someone else: "What can I say?"
What else can he say?
At this time, the LED big screen once again showed Kobe's performance in this game, 22 of 50 shots and 58 points.
Although his performance had its ups and downs, for a veteran who is about to retire, there is no more perfect performance than this.
Moreover, Xu Yong also realized belatedly that although the opponent had changed, it seemed that Kobe could still get his 60 points as in history.
During the Bulls' final timeout, Thibodeau arranged for Stephenson to play the buzzer-beater.
At this point, no matter how strong and well the inside line is, it is too easy to be double-teamed, just like Jokic in the last round, so they can only play from the outside.
After Stephenson and Jokic's pick-and-roll, the ball was passed to Jokic, who then passed the ball back to Stephenson. The two have been playing together since the trade deadline, and both are players who are willing to share the ball, and they have good chemistry with each other.
But Stephenson failed to make the shot because at the moment he shot, Kobe came out from the side and interfered with his shot.
The years have taken a lot from Kobe. He no longer jumps as high and no longer runs as fast, but the only thing that has not been taken away is his enthusiasm, both in offense and defense.
This is also the similarity between Kobe and Jordan. Even at the end of their careers, it is absolutely impossible to ask him to defend with his hands on his hips like everyone else, or to sacrifice defense in exchange for offense.
Stephenson ultimately missed the shot, and Gasol grabbed the rebound and quickly passed the ball to Kobe. Because there was less than 24 seconds left, the Bulls could only choose to commit a tactical foul.
Kobe was sent to the free throw line.
The familiar shouts of MVP began to be heard at the scene.
Despite the shouting, Kobe adjusted his breathing and made the first free throw.
His score came to 59 points.
The second free throw was also successful.
The scene continued to give Kobe's statistics tonight: 22 of 50 shots, 6 of 21 three-pointers, 10 of 11 free throws, 60 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
Jokic's final three-pointer from the top of the arc also missed the basket. Gasol grabbed the rebound and threw it directly to Jackson in front of him, who made a fast break dunk to seal the victory.
101 to 96, the Lakers finally completed a reversal and defeated the Bulls, and they also successfully made it to the playoffs as the eighth in the Western Conference.
At the moment the game ended, Kobe finally smiled.
But what surprised Xu Yong was that Kobe, who should have been very tired at this time, stood there steadily and waved to the fans.
He suddenly felt that if there was a game in basketball called "Fairy Tale", then what was happening before his eyes was it.
This was Kobe's final game of the regular season, but it was not his last game. He still had one last round of playoffs in his life.
The result is no longer important, because being able to lead the Lakers into the playoffs in this way is already a more perfect ending than history.