rpbooks Chapter 411 is about to begin
Chapter 411 is about to begin
Chapter 411 is about to begin
The mission given to Bickerstaff by the Rockets management is not simple.They believe that the Rockets' current lineup has the strength to compete for the championship, so Bickerstaff must lead the team to defeat the Lakers, otherwise he will be dismissed in the summer.
This difficult task really bothered Bickerstaff.
The end of the regular season is April 4, and the first game of the Lakers and Rockets series is scheduled for the evening of April 10.Therefore, there was less than three days to prepare, and he really didn't know how to restrict Xu Tian.
Bickerstaff sat in his away hotel room, distressed, looking through the wide blinds, trying to relieve the pressure by watching the traffic outside the stadium.
The climate of Los Angeles is warmer than that of Houston. It is only in mid-April, and there are already girls walking on the street in miniskirts.Bickerstaff enjoyed this unique and beautiful scenery, and temporarily forgot his troubles.
Although Harden is a Kobe fan, he has not yet figured out the meaning of victory. The first stop in Los Angeles was to go to a nightclub near Beverly Hills, where he satisfied his selfish desires.The quality of nightclubs in Los Angeles is not as good as that of Miami, but it is much better than other cities.
Since Howard ended his cooperative relationship with the Lakers, the two sides have looked down upon each other. After coming to Los Angeles, he spent time in the training hall, wanting to shine in the first game.
After Xu Tian completes the team's joint training in the morning, he will conduct personal training in Walnut City in the afternoon, and in the evening, he will watch the Rockets' game video in the living room and analyze the characteristics of each potential matchup player.
The playoffs are different from the regular season. The opponents before the end of the series are all the same team, so they can be more fully prepared.
Alice was stronger than ordinary women. Even though she was going through the process of transforming from a girl to a mother, she still didn't cause any trouble to Xu Tian.Occasionally she would sit on the bench next to the basketball court in the backyard and watch Xu Tian train, and sometimes she would sit on the sofa in the living room and accompany Xu Tian to watch the Rockets game video.
Xu Tian didn't have any worries, and devoted all his energy to the pre-match preparations, and everything was just waiting for the game on the night of April 4 to be answered.
ESPN made a special program to predict the results of this round of the playoffs. Nineteen of the [-] experts invited predicted that the Lakers would advance to the semifinals, and only one predicted that the Rockets would advance to the second round.
Afterwards, 4 experts made predictions for the game. Among the 0 experts who are optimistic about the Lakers, 4 believe that the Lakers can beat the Rockets with a score of 1-[-]. Their reason is that Xu Tian is a player who must be punished on the court. Being traded by the Rockets and the previous conflicts made it impossible for him not to care about the Rockets' achievements in sweeping all eight games of the season.Another six experts believe that the Lakers will return to the Staples Center to advance with a score of [-]-[-].
The only expert who is not optimistic about the Lakers' victory believes that the Rockets will eliminate the Lakers with a big score of 4-3 and advance to the second round.His reason is that the NBA's slogan is the place where miracles happen, and in this league, anything can happen.
Boss Kim secretly read various media's views on the Lakers' view of this round of the Rockets series, and naturally saw ESPN's predictions. He saw that most experts and outside voices were optimistic about the Lakers' promotion, but he had a faint worry.He received a traditional education since he was a child, and he agrees with the principle that prosperity must decline, so he is cautious about the prospects of the Lakers.
Whenever you get busy, time will pass by in a hurry.
April 4 came soon, and the Lakers players practiced together again at the Toyota Center. This time, many reporters came to the scene, waiting to interview the players after the training.
The Rockets' training ground is also in this situation, and the subject of the interview is none other than D'Angelo Russell, who exchanged clubs with Xu Tian.
The ESPN reporter asked straight to the point: "D'Angelo, what are your expectations for the first round against the Lakers?"
Although D'Angelo Russell has the spirit of not admitting defeat, but his character is not outgoing enough, he replied: "The future is unpredictable. All I can do is play the game and play every round well. I believe that as long as we have enough With unity and hard work, good things can happen."
"The good thing you're talking about is the elimination of the Lakers in the series?"
"If we can really beat the Lakers, that would be a wonderful thing. It's just that my first concern is tonight's game, trying to help the team win this game."
Lakers training facility.When Kobe finished training, the reporters who had been waiting for a long time surrounded him immediately, and put the interview microphone in his right hand in front of Kobe to help him collect his voice.
Time Warner and the Lakers signed a huge broadcast contract, so the TNT reporter had a special interview sequence. He first asked: "Kobe, after two seasons, he made the playoffs again. How do you feel now?"
Kobe wiped the sweat off his face with a towel, and said: "The championship is the ultimate goal of all players, and if you want to compete for this honor, you must first reach the playoffs. Now that we have completed the goal of the playoffs, next It is to launch an impact on the O'Brien Cup. As for me personally, it must be full of joy and anticipation."
"What do you think the first-round series against the Rockets will be like?"
"I have experienced several playoffs and have reached the finals six times. I know the cruelty of the playoffs, so I don't want to draw conclusions prematurely and let each game answer."
Xu Tian is still the most diligent player in the Lakers training hall. After shooting training, he trained his strength with the help of Gary Vitti to maintain his physical confrontation.
The TNT reporter finished his interview with Kobe and sat on the sidelines, waiting for Xu Tian to complete his daily basic training.This is a rule that the Los Angeles media knows, and he will naturally not break it easily.
When the time was close to eleven o'clock in the morning, Xu Tian finally finished the training, and after simply getting rid of the sweat on his body, he came to the side of the court to accept reporters' interviews.
The TNT reporter still asked about the playoffs: "Xu, what do you think the Lakers-Rockets series will be like?"
Xu Tian wanted to talk trash at first, but he resisted the urge and answered the reporter's question with very old-fashioned words.
"D'Angelo and you swapped clubs before the start of the regular season. It's quite a relationship. Who do you think will perform better in this round of the series?"
Xu Tian said calmly: "The systems and lineups of the two teams are completely different. Generally speaking, there is not much comparison. However, although D'Angelo is very strong, it is far from enough." Xu Tian did not point out.
"Who do you think will advance?"
"I am a Lakers player, so I naturally believe that the Lakers can advance. Even if I really fall behind, I will do my best to bring the Lakers to the semifinals."
"So, you have confidence in yourself?"
Xu Tian shrugged his shoulders and answered the reporter's question instead of words.
(End of this chapter)