The best teammates in the NBA

Chapter 449 The Record Is Broken (7200 word chapter)
On December 2017, 12, the annual Christmas battle came as scheduled.

The Christmas schedule is very friendly to the Clippers. After moving into their new home, except for back-to-back away games, everyone can play comfortably at home.

Although there are still games to play in the evening, the Cavaliers who came to Los Angeles in the morning are still in a festive atmosphere.

Cavaliers fans saw photos of Love taking his girlfriend Kate Bork and Li Zeyi’s big family party on INS in the morning:

"Wonderful Christmas! #ChristmasWars"

The Cavaliers are in good shape recently, with a record of 24 wins and 9 losses. LeBron James and Love led the team to a wave of winning streak.

It's just that fans don't want to see Love and Li Ze get along friendly at all, but in the era of brother basketball, the atmosphere of rivalry has long since disappeared.

In the training session in the afternoon, everyone from the Cavaliers came to the Intuit Dome and got lemons. The facilities in the arena are too luxurious, especially the big screen above the head, which looks very expensive.
Many teams suffered injuries in this year's Christmas game. Curry of the Warriors, Griffin of the Celtics, Paul of the Rockets, and Gallinari of the Thunder were unable to play.

Embiid of the 76ers and Porzingis of the Knicks played with injuries. In contrast, only the Clippers are healthy and strong.
This is really not good news for the fans. Without star players, the team is not complete. This year's Christmas game will be less tit-for-tat.

Tonight's game is the last regular season match between the two teams this season. Tyronn Lue naturally hopes that the team can win and gain some psychological advantage.

While everyone finished the warm-up training, Tyronn Lue took the initiative to speak out:
"Our recent state is very good. We believe in our teammates and we will continue this state."

"With 100% energy, we must defend first at night!"

Veteran Calderon, who is sure to start tonight, smiled wryly in his heart. He can talk about this issue when he meets other teams. When he meets the Clippers striker group, it is a joke to talk about defense with old hands and old legs.

LeBron James didn't speak either. Before Christmas, they narrowly beat the rebuilt Bulls. The game was to stab each other. He knew better than anyone else about the team's defense.

Instead of helping the existing lineup improve defensive strength, it is better to expect role players to hit three-pointers, but what James, who has completed the warm-up, is looking forward to is the trade before and after the All-Stars:

"Replenish the defensive resources, and I can still continue to chase the championship!"

Many people in the Cavaliers have fallen into trade rumors. Regardless of the record, the critics are not fools. If they fail to defend in the playoffs, they will be given away for nothing.

The game officially kicked off at 21:[-] that night. Clippers fans came to the Intuit Dome early, bought snacks in advance, and waited for the home team to beat the Cavaliers.

No one cared about the outcome of this game. In the next two games in December, everyone tacitly agreed that the Clippers would continue to win.

An easy schedule and weak opponents give the Clippers a chance to match the winning streak they set last season in 2017.

In the TNT commentary seat before the game, looking at the Cavaliers' starting roster, Reggie Miller couldn't help but joked:

"Counting on this kind of perimeter defense to limit Kayce, maybe you really have to pray to Santa Claus."

Calderon and J.R. Smith partnered in the backcourt, with Jae Crowder and LeBron James up front and Kevin Love at center.

Due to injuries, Shumpert was not able to enter the active list tonight, and there was no one on the bench. Only Jeff Green and Kyler Korver could play.

The commentator Kevin Harlan also felt that the Cavaliers' record would collapse sooner or later. They averaged 40 minutes per game in the regular season, and Iron Man James couldn't handle it.
"We can look forward to the Cavaliers' offense. In the last few games, Love has shown an excellent offensive state."

No matter how the two improved the strength of the Cavaliers before the game, after the start of the real game, Li Ze, Jaylen Brown, and Paul George broke the Cavaliers into a sieve.

When encountering the young and strong Clippers on the outside, the Cavaliers with old arms and legs really couldn't stand it.

Jokic throws one to the left and one to the right in the paint area, and he doesn't need to support him in the center or cooperate with the pick-and-roll. Simply waiting in the paint area to eat cakes can keep scoring easily.

The cheers after the opening never stopped, and the Clippers fans felt the atmosphere of abuse.

LeBron James made a high pick-and-roll at the top of the arc, and Love, who assisted and bounced out, hit a three-pointer.

The Clippers quickly sent the baseline ball. Facing Crowder, who was leading the defense, Li Ze immediately gave the ball to Jaylen Brown on the left wing.

After Mengxin received the pass, he didn't shake Calderon's defense too much. He swayed from the right to the left, and put the ball with his left hand to break through.

One step passed the veteran's defense directly. Jaylen Brown continued to accelerate straight to the basket, approaching the paint area and quickly took off. Before Love returned to the defense, Jaylen Brown had completed a gliding dunk!

"Oh!!"

The Clippers fans at the scene cheered again, and Jaylen Brown, who completed the dunk, also shouted happily.

At 9:18, after nearly half a quarter of the game, the Clippers quickly expanded the point difference to double digits.

The Clippers had a regular matchup tonight, and Harris defended in front of James. Facing the Cavaliers' 5-out lineup, they still switched defenses on pick-and-rolls.

James, who has excellent shooting form this season, no longer deliberately picks and rolls at this time, looking for dislocations, receiving the ball from the right wing in the half court, and simply crushing and breaking through to the right block position.

Facing Harris' defense, he switched to holding the ball behind his left hand, turned around to the bottom line after two hits, and took advantage of the opportunity to complete a fadeaway jumper!
"Shua!" A steady hit in the middle distance!

LeBron James scored 11 of 6 points, but his excellent offensive state did not bring him much joy.

Retreating quickly, before James had time to command his teammates to defend, Li Ze advanced to the top of the arc and pushed the ball with his left hand to change direction.

Holding the ball in his right hand and sinking his shoulders to accelerate, Li Ze carried Crowder's defense and killed him into the paint.

Near the bottom line on the right, James just moved his feet to shrink the defense, and Li Ze, who was on the move, gave the ball to Harris in the corner on the right.

The latter received the ball completely unguarded, and Harris made a solid jumper after aiming at the basket from the right corner.

"Shua!" The three-pointer hit the net hollowly!

The defense completely collapsed, and LeBron James only felt very familiar with the tactics of the Clippers, shooting from one star to another.
Tyronn Lue, who entered the managed state, did not request a timeout, and the online defense was broken as soon as he was poked. This is no longer a problem that a timeout can solve.

Reggie Miller watched Calderon hit the iron with a three-pointer and began to chat about off-court topics:

"This is the era of young people. Although the Cavaliers have a high salary this season, it is difficult for such a lineup to compete for the championship."

"Their championship window is almost closing. LeBron James will become a free agent during the offseason. Maybe he will not renew his contract with the Cavaliers."

The commentator Kevin Harlan thought of the recent news about James and added:
"Perhaps joining the Lakers is a good choice. At present, it seems that both parties are interested!"

Magic Johnson was quick to reassure Lakers fans that he would bring a bona fide superstar to the team after becoming the team's general manager.

The Clippers took away some of the Los Angeles market, and the Lakers had to respond, not relying on new players, and most importantly, they had a chance to sign James naked.

This is very important. While maintaining the talent of the lineup, if a superstar is airborne, the team will complete its transformation in an instant and become a championship team!
But that's for next season. At present, James is still focusing on the Cavaliers. The winning streak in December reminded the critics of the scene when Li Ze and James shared the best of the month.

At this time, the Cavaliers attacked, Crowder hit the iron with a three-pointer, and Li Ze, who received a long rebound, launched a conversion attack again.

Calderon had no choice but to stick to the defense immediately, and Li Ze, who held the ball in his left hand, continued to accelerate against the defense.

Just approaching the left flank, Li Ze suddenly changed direction with his crotch, and then dribbled the ball behind his back with his right hand.

One step away from the three-point line, Li Ze quickly combined the ball, no one was defending in front of him, converted a three-pointer and easily shot a jumper!
"Shua!" Three-pointer and then scored!

Calderon was dumbfounded, the shaking made his feet take root, and he could only watch Li Ze shoot.

At 13:26, Li Ze's three-pointer brought the point difference back to 13 points, and the game entered the official timeout.

Clippers fans don't care about spending the game too early. Everyone bought tickets to watch the game tonight, just to participate in the Christmas party.

LeBron James, who returned to the bench, looked calm. After the two teams met for the first time this season, he knew that the Cavaliers were really not the Clippers' opponents.

The defensive resources of the two sides are not at the same level at all. The Clippers' perimeter is young and tall, with fast lateral movement, while the Cavaliers are just the opposite.

If the offense cannot be opened, the game will quickly cool down.
"Love, try the low post a few more times, and I'll pass you the ball!"

Others can't count on it, James whispered to Love beside him, and Tyronn Lue's chicken soup was also ignored, so they can only rely on the two of them at this time.

Love, who was replenishing his water, simply nodded when he heard the words, and he would play when he was given the ball. All he had to do was to attack hard. As for the result, it was no longer important.

With Jeff Green and Calderon replaced, the Cavaliers added height and LeBron James returned to the 1 position.

The impact of such a change is that James' shooting rate has dropped, and under Li Ze's pursuit, he has also begun to hit the iron.

Wave after wave of conversion offenses allowed the Clippers to score easily, throwing three-pointers in positional battles, but everyone in the Cavaliers found that the point difference was getting bigger and bigger.

At the end of the first quarter, at 22:39, the point difference had reached 17 points.

There were cheers in the Intuit Dome arena, and many happy fans simply shouted at the Cavaliers bench:
"LeBron is going to trade you guys!"

Thomas Jr., dressed in casual clothes, pulled his face. Ever since he came to the Cavaliers, he was deeply involved in trade rumors before the game was played.

The "truck to deliver the money" rhetoric has become a joke, and Thomas Jr., who has been troubled by a hip injury, is obviously not in the Cavaliers' plan.

Everyone knows that Thomas Jr.'s return from injury may help the Cavaliers solve their offensive problems and share the pressure of James, but it does not help much defensively.

After playing the regular season for two and a half months, the Cavaliers' defensive efficiency ranks second to last in the league.
LeBron James will stand up for his teammates, but America's sports media is more convinced that the Chosen One wants to send the little point guard away.

For the game of abuse, the Clippers usually rotate a large area, with three guards on the field, Brogdon controls the rhythm, and pick-and-roll shots become the main tactics on the field.

David West also got a rotation time tonight. In the Christmas game, most of the players who entered the active list will make their appearances.

"It's hard to imagine that the Cavaliers, which reached the finals last season, have been so far behind by the Clippers. Does Jokic have a chance to be selected as an All-Star this year?"

The commentator Kevin Harlan watched the substitute lineup come on the stage, the Clippers continued to fire, and began to chat about other topics.

"I believe that Jokic will be selected as an All-Star this year. There are very few outstanding big men in the league at present. He was selected to the best second team last season and definitely deserves his name."

Reggie Miller is not stingy with his praise. In his opinion, Jokic is a perfect fit for the Clippers, and the two sides complement each other.

The two blew loudly in the commentary, and the Cavaliers seemed to be lying flat, and LeBron James was still resting off the court.
The point difference of close to 20 points made James, who was sitting on the bench, wander away.

Looking at the 5 championship banners above the arena and feeling the joyful atmosphere of the scene, James also began to envy the basketball atmosphere in Los Angeles.

After this season, the Chosen One plans to leave his hometown and come to Los Angeles to play. He is no longer young, and the champion is no longer the only one. At the end of his career, he needs to think more about his family.

The point difference has not narrowed, and head coach Tyronn Lue sits on the bench with staring eyes. With the current record of the team, he is certainly not in danger of dismissing get out of class, but the dream of a champion coach seems to be far away.
The Clippers rotated normally, and Li Ze appeared again with 4 minutes and 26 seconds left in the first half.

As long as the rotation feels good, in many cases, Li Ze only needs to play 17 minutes in the half.

Falling into a scoring drought, the Cavaliers could only watch the point difference slowly widen, and the defensive strength declined and they were unable to score points.

At 40:68, the halftime game ended, and the Christmas game lost its suspense.

As the finale of the Christmas War, the other four matches were also decided.

105:98，76人轻取尼克斯队，恩比德17中8，砍下25分16篮板3助攻3盖帽6失误。

At 111:103, Wall returned from injury. With fewer turnovers, the Wizards beat the Celtics away.

107:112，胡子球手三分线外11中3，拿到29分8篮板14助攻的准三双依然输给了雷霆队。

Turtle performed well, teaming up with Anthony to contribute 51 points. The Thunder's record came to 19 wins and 15 losses, and began to attack the eighth position in the West.

At 101:112, although the Warriors at home lacked Stephen Curry, they still easily defeated the Timberwolves under the leadership of Durant.

To realize his talents, coach Thibodeau still has a lot of work to do.

In the studio behind TNT, the results of the Christmas game were reviewed, and the host Ernie Johnson found helplessly that these games had a tendency to be crushed:
"This season, the polarization of team strength has become more serious. In the playoffs, it will be more difficult for the teams in the lower half to win against each other."

Charles Barkley is back to blaming James and Durant for their decision:
"This is all the consequences of the decision that year. The players chose to stick together and join the team that beat them. This was unimaginable in the past!"

Kenny Smith didn't blame the players, after all, it didn't turn out very well. Both the Heat and the Warriors had nothing:
"Teams in the upper half of the Western Conference will most likely meet in the semifinals, and the same is true for the Eastern Conference. In fact, this situation has often occurred in the past. Black eight is not the norm."

O'Neill could not agree with such a point of view, and immediately gave a different opinion:

"This is all caused by Kayce. Since his rookie days, his strength is beyond most players, which makes the Thunder's strength skyrocket."

"After coming to the Clippers, other teams in the league had to continue to build super teams in order to fight him."

"Believe me, nothing will change in the future. The era of single-core leadership is outdated. If you want to break the domination, the super team is the only hope."

"."

During the intermission, the TNT quartet divided the blame between Li Ze and James, believing that they were the main culprits for the large gap in strength between the teams in the league.

Such a point of view naturally applauded the melon eaters, but the voices on social media could not affect the game.

In the third quarter, the Cavaliers scored 3 points, but still lost 28 points in a single quarter.
At 68:98, there was no counterattack, and the last Christmas battle completely lost suspense.

The veterans of the Cavaliers have tried their best. Everyone tried their best to defend and delay the Clippers' transition attack as much as possible, but the physical gap made the game appear one-sided.

The on-site director frequently showed LeBron James the camera. Although the Cavaliers currently have a good record, they have not won once this season when they encountered the Clippers and Warriors.

In the cheers of the Clippers fans, the last quarter of the game ended quickly. At 96:126, the Clippers beat the Cavaliers and continued their winning streak!

17中7，三分线外7中2，罚球6中4，勒布朗-詹姆斯今晚只拿到了20分6篮板6助攻3失误的数据。

Despite the big loss, James still maintained his demeanor after the game and took the initiative to hug Li Ze:

"See you in the finals, I will make it to the finals this year!"

Hearing James' confident words, Li Ze also kindly sent his blessings:

"See you in the finals, the Clippers will complete 6 consecutive championships!"

The last match between the two in the regular season came to an end. The Clippers easily crushed the Cavaliers with 2 wins and 0 losses.

In the end, the Christmas game did not make the fans happy. The gap in strength was too obvious, and everyone preferred evenly matched games.

At the beginning of the new season, the Clippers have not lost a game at the Intuit Dome. Regardless of whether the game is a game of abuse, the fans who bought season tickets are very satisfied. Everyone loves to win, and winning is a joy.

After the Christmas War, the Clippers only have two games to play in 2017, and three days of rest, so that everyone can continue to enjoy the Christmas holiday.

Li Ze has been paying attention to Mao Xiong Kaizi's movements. According to the clues in his memory, the Nets will change hands next year.

On the morning of the 26th, Li Ze had a simple video conference at his home in Beverly Hills.

The good news is that Mao Xiong Kaizi really wants to sell the shares, and the other party has no intention of procrastinating, and will probably sell 49% of the team's shares in the middle of the year.

The bad news is that there are many people who want to buy the team. Some people deliberately drive up the price. It is basically impossible to buy it at a price of 7 million US dollars.

"Funds are no problem for us. Keds' net profit has surpassed Under Armour's last year, and we have successfully captured each other's market."

"But $10 billion is too much, Kayce, Barclays Center is great, but they're $3 million in debt right now."

"I didn't pay attention to the player assets of the Nets, but you must know more about their reputation in the industry than I do."

Rick is still in China. At the end of every year, Keds will organize some activities. In recent years, the Asia-Pacific market has provided them with huge profits.

Chapman has been staying in New York, and he knows a lot of news better than Li Ze. At this time, he also reminded:
"Theoretically, the market value of the team will rise. As long as the Nets survive the past few years, they can also complete the reconstruction, but I agree with Rick. If the acquisition of the team costs too much, then the Barclays Center Arena will definitely It will be more expensive!"

"Kayce, your compatriots are more generous than we imagined. Maybe they really like basketball, but this business is much less profitable than we expected."

Li Ze leaned on his chin on the desk, and said helplessly after hearing the two people's suggestions:
"In theory, it is true that we earn less, but we will also gain huge influence. After all, it is New York. If it is another city, I am not interested in owning a team."

"We will not do business that loses money, and the other party should not expect us to raise prices maliciously, so that Prokhorov understands that what we are after is a win-win situation."

The three of them didn't consider the issue of funds, and finally reached a consensus again, 10 billion US dollars, no more to play.

Keds has maintained a very good profit margin in the past few years. Thanks to its mature business model and backed by the Asia-Pacific and North American markets, Keds has gradually eroded Under Armour.

In 16, Under Armour's profit margin suddenly fell, and in 17, even bigger problems appeared. Although the data has not yet come out, there is a high probability that the profit margin will become negative.

In 16, Keds’ after-tax net profit was US$2.48 million, which was still a little behind Under Armor. In 17, Li Ze can be sure that their profit has surpassed Under Armor.

The revenue from basic apparel has risen sharply, and in 17, there will be almost 2.78 million US dollars in net income after tax.

Of course, the acquisition of shares will definitely not be a one-time payment. Li Ze's ultimate goal is always the Barclays Center Arena. The performance of the Nets is currently out of his consideration.

Alexandra saw Li Ze concentrating on various data reports in the study, quietly came behind her, and took the initiative to press his shoulders.

"Alex, remember to say hello to my father for me, and I have to continue to trouble him for the follow-up work of the New York municipal government."

Dabo Yujie, who was pulled into her arms, was not shy either. After so many years, she had long been used to this kind of life.

"Are we really going to pay that much for an arena? In New York, people prefer Madison Square Garden."

The skin is still fair, the waistline has not expanded, and Dabo Yujie, who has her hair up, is currently preparing to have a child, and everyone is no longer young.

As a child growing up in New York, Alexandra knew the local situation better than Li Ze, and as she grew older, she also realized how difficult it is to make money.

Looking at Dabo Yujie who finally no longer only knows how to spend money foolishly, Li Ze smiled and let her lean on his shoulder, and said comfortingly:

"This is a stable investment. It's not a loss anyway. I don't care if it takes longer to pay off. We are still young, so don't treat yourself as an old guy."

As if thinking of something, Dabo Yujie blushed slightly, and whispered into Li Ze's ear. She has been in Los Angeles for the past half a year, and she has worked hard, and it will soon bear fruit.

On December 2017, 12, the Clippers played against the Hornets at home.

At 2:14 in the second quarter, after halftime, at 33:36, the Clippers ended the suspense of the game.

After defeating the Lakers by a big score in the last game, as the critics guessed, the Clippers finally achieved a complete victory in December.

90:116, on the last day of 2017, the Clippers beat the Hornets, and the record came to 35 wins and 0 losses!
Although it was not broadcast live across the United States, just after the game ended, America's sports media rushed to the venue and interviewed Li Ze immediately.

In the Intuit Dome arena, there were constant cheers. On the super-large scoreboard above the arena, the double-sided screens on both sides showed the record of the Clippers.

ESPN reporters were the quickest to respond, and immediately came to Li Ze's side to ask questions:

"Kayce, congratulations to the Clippers for breaking the winning streak record just set last year. Can you talk about the secret of the team's winning streak?"

Li Ze, who didn't even break a sweat, had another three quarters tonight and clocked in. The team achieved a new record, and he was naturally in a good mood:

"Sharing the ball, trusting each other, and defending well, that's how we win!"

"Of course, the Intuit Dome has also provided great help to the team. The Clippers' schedule this season is very reasonable. At least we don't have to face the scene of 7 games in 5 days."

Hearing Li Ze's ridicule, the surrounding sports media all laughed heartily.

The Lakers next door have 43 home games, the only one in the league, and the Clippers have also ushered in their own benefits, with the back-to-back schedule reduced by more than half.

Apart from asking questions, the surrounding sports media are naturally flattering. The 35-game winning streak is still not the end for the Clippers. They have the opportunity to continue to expand their record.

Good things come in pairs. On January 2018, 1, the NBA announced the best player of the month for December:
LeBron James of the Eastern Conference and Li Ze of the Western Conference won the award again.

骑士队在12月取得了9胜5负的战绩，勒布朗-詹姆斯场均出场40.8分钟，场均拿到27.5分8.2篮板4.3助攻1.9抢断0.8盖帽4.9失误；

He averaged 19.4 shots per game, shooting 52.4% from the field, 5.6 shots from beyond the three-point line, 34.6% from three-pointers, 6.6 free throws per game, and 80.4% from free throws.

Although the record is not outstanding, considering the turbulent atmosphere of the Cavaliers, James' data has won everyone's respect.

快船队在12月15胜0负，李泽场均出场时间来到了29.7分钟，略微下降了一丢丢，场均拿到38.1分7.2篮板4.6助攻2.5抢断0.7盖帽1.0失误；

He averaged 17.3 shots per game, shooting 77.1% from the field, 8.4 shots from beyond the three-point line, 72.0% from three-pointers, 5.3 free throws per game, and 100% from free throws.

American football critics and fans expressed the same sigh when they saw Li Ze's data:
"Robots are nothing more than that, no one has ever played like Kayce!"

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　　Haha, the Nuggets in the fourth quarter were outrageous,
　　The unpredictable three-pointer -. -
　　
　
(End of this chapter)