Chapter 451 Return of the King

The annual Christmas, as well as the Christmas NBA dinner Christmas game.

There are five Christmas games this year, the Bulls against the Nets, the Thunder against the Knicks, the Heat against the Lakers, the Rockets against the Spurs, and the Clippers against the Warriors.

Because the schedule is arranged before the start of the season, games that are considered interesting when arranging the schedule may not be interesting on Christmas Day.

For example, the Lakers played against the Heat, and the opponents in the finals last season, no matter how you look at it, the enemy has a narrow road, and the brave wins when they meet on a narrow road.

I don't know that the Heat are still the Heat, and the Lakers are no longer the Lakers.

It is estimated that even if the Heat want revenge, they will not feel satisfied if they win.

There is also the Bulls against the Nets. If Rose is not injured, it will also be an interesting game.

As a result, Rose was injured and reimbursed again, and the Bulls entered the reconstruction cycle.

Although the Nets are known as the Big Five, their record is not outstanding.

Injuries, running-in and aging problems plagued them.

The spectacle in this group of duel imaginations no longer exists.

The Texas civil war between the Rockets and the Spurs has some popularity.

But this popularity may be mainly concentrated in China, after all, there are enough Rockets and Spurs fans.

In the United States, what is there to see in a civil war in a rural place like Texas?

The sharp contrast is of course the Knicks. In a big city, no matter how bad the team's record is, the Knicks will never be absent when it comes to the Christmas game.

On the whole, the game between the Clippers and the Warriors is the most interesting.

The battle between the two sides at the beginning of the season was exciting. By Christmas, both teams have undergone many changes. This game is destined to be fierce.

But Li Liang didn't care much about this game. He is Chinese, and he really doesn't have any feelings for Christmas.

For him, the only advantage of American Christmas is that it will be more lively, and then find an opportunity to get together with friends.

It has been a week since Bai Xiaoting and Wei Dazhi moved out of Li Liang's house.

On the night of Christmas Eve, both of them came back here, and the four gathered around to eat hot pot!

Americans eat turkey, gingerbread, salmon, Christmas pudding and so on on Christmas Eve.

Li Liang didn't, he wanted to eat hot pot!

Christmas in Los Angeles has no snow, and the temperature is not too low.

But the four of us sat around eating hot pot, and it still felt great.

Li Liang's appetite was astonishing, while Zhu Shu and Bai Xiaoting ate very little.

Although Wei Dazhi ate a lot, he couldn't compare with Li Liang.

He ate almost two-thirds of the ingredients by himself, and the remaining one-third was enough for the other three.

Li Liang’s family also recently hired a Chinese cook from Gan’s Restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown. It was opened by an elder of Li Liang’s family and is good at Huaiyang and Sichuan cuisine.

While Li Liang was eating, the cook was extremely busy processing the ingredients for the hot pot.

What Li Liang ate was so happy, his stomach was full and he was about to leave.

The Christmas game will take place in Oakland, home of the Warriors.

Li Liang needed to rush there overnight.

Wei Dazhi drove to Los Angeles Airport with Li Liang, and there was enough time.

But when Li Liang arrived at the airport, he felt something was wrong.

stomachache!

Li Liang's gastrointestinal function has always been very good, because training in the system requires a lot of energy, so he has been eating a lot.

No matter how much he ate, his digestion was fine.

As a result, I ate hot pot tonight. I don't know if the ingredients were not clean enough, or the red oil was too irritating. Li Liang felt his stomach churning.

"It's over, there is still a game tomorrow, won't you have diarrhea?"

This was the first time Li Liang encountered such a situation.

Wei Dazhi said: "You eat too fast! You stuff some meat into your mouth before it's cooked, and no one will grab it from you. Why are you in a hurry? What should we do now? There's a competition tomorrow. is that OK?"

"No problem, no problem, I'll go to the bathroom first..."

Li Liang went to the toilet first for convenience, and his symptoms eased.

Things didn't get any better after the plane arrived at their hotel in Auckland.

Li Liang didn't sleep well all night, he kept going to the bathroom, and the medicine didn't help.

This time in big trouble, both Rivers and Mike Brown suggested that Li Liang miss the game.

Anyway, being absent due to diarrhea is nothing new in the league.

Although it is a Christmas game, it seems more important, but in the final analysis it is just a regular season.

But Li Liang disagreed, he didn't want to miss a game because of diarrhea.

Li Liang played a full game with the Lakers in his first season and never missed a game.

Because of the existence of the protective gear, Li Liang's idea is to play the games that can be played, and to play with all his strength.

Moreover, there are a lot of Chinese fans in Oakland. When Li Liang came to play last season, many local Chinese fans supported him and came to Oracle Arena for him.

Tonight's Christmas game, there must be many Chinese fans who bought tickets in advance to watch Oracle. How could he not play because of diarrhea?

"I just took a shit in Oracle Arena and I'm going to be in this game!"

Li Liang's words were released, and Rivers had no choice but to agree to Li Liang's appearance.

Because of Christmas, the game time is set in the afternoon, and fans can go home and reunite with their families after the game.

Li Liang took some medicine and felt much better.

In addition, as the game is approaching, the body and mind will become tense, and the symptoms of stomach discomfort have been relieved a lot.

However, due to dehydration, Li Liang still felt a little weak all over, and his performance tonight might not be particularly good.

But even if he has no strength, Li Liang can still contribute to the team as long as he stands on the court.

The Warriors players didn't know that Li Liang had an upset stomach, and the Clippers teammates noticed that Li Liang seemed to be a little uncomfortable, but since he was able to play, it must be fine.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, when the game officially started, Li Liang felt much better.

But as soon as he was on the court, it was still a game. Li Liang didn't get stuck in David Lee for the first time to grab a rebound at the basket, allowing David Lee to grab an offensive rebound and score two points.

The first goal of the game.

Later, Li Liang missed a three-pointer from outside the three-point line. The Warriors counterattacked, and Curry used the cover in the counterattack to directly hit a three-pointer!

In this game, the Warriors played with great morale and fighting spirit.

Losing to the Clippers at the beginning of the season, from Curry to Thompson to Green, they all held their breath.

Now the Clippers are the strongest in the league. To prove their own strength, they must be able to unseat the strongest!

Paul was the first to realize that something was wrong with Li Liang. He found that Li Liang had lost the passion he used to have on the defensive end.

When Li Liang is defending, he will definitely yell at the audience.

But Li Liang seemed very quiet tonight, he just focused on doing his own thing well, and didn't remind his teammates of their defensive positions.

This is very abnormal. Even Paul felt that he didn't feel at ease when he was defending without Li Liang roaring from behind.

The game was extremely intense, and it was very anxious from the first quarter.

The Warriors are currently ranked sixth in the West, but their combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated, especially at home.

Curry is currently the league's top three-pointer after Li Liang, and besides Curry, Thompson is also a 3D player with such terrifying potential.

Coupled with Iguodala and Barnes, the Warriors' perimeter is full of vitality.

The Clippers are more balanced inside and outside, and the combination is complete, with a strong forward inertia.

It's just that Li Liang didn't perform well at this point, which caused the Clippers to be beaten all the time.

Rivers also knew that Li Liang had physical problems today, so he deliberately reduced Li Liang's playing time and let Odom play more.

Odom's state tonight is good, and he performed well on the court.

When Li Liang's role could not be replaced after all, the Clippers fell behind all the way from the first quarter, and the point difference was always around 6 points in the fourth quarter.

Anyway, it's a gap of two three points.

But Li Liang just couldn't hit three-pointers in a row.

Tonight, he made 3 of 8 three-pointers. Some players' shooting percentage is already considered acceptable, but for a shooter like him, 5 of 8 shots is reasonable.

The failure to make a three-point shot is only one aspect. The bigger problem comes from the defense. Because his legs are weak, Li Liang's defensive quality has dropped a bit.

David Lee obviously played more easily in the paint.

With more than five minutes before the end of the game, the Clippers were still 6 points behind the Warriors 84:90.

Rivers called a timeout while Li Liang was sitting on the sidelines to rest.

Although he sweated a lot, Li Liang didn't dare to drink too much water for fear of getting sick to his stomach.

Rivers asked Li Liang if he could still appear on the stage next.

Li Liangdao: "Yes, and I will complete my task."

A game has been gritted, and the last five minutes must be carried no matter what.

Not only have to carry it, but also strive to win the game!

So, Li Liang came on the stage, and Rivers arranged a tactic for him to cut the basket and catch the ball for a layup.

This tactic is rarely used by Li Liang, and it is used at this time to play a surprising role in winning.

As a result, the tactic worked. Li Liang took advantage of Griffin and Jordan's false cover, suddenly ran back into the paint, received a pass from Paul, and made a layup!

Bogut rushed over to interfere with the ball and knocked Li Liang to the ground. He made a foul and was punished!

However, Li Liang didn't stand up immediately, he fell to the ground clutching his knees, with a pained expression on his face.

The Clippers team doctor immediately stepped forward to check Li Liang's condition and asked Li Liang.

Li Liang just said that his knee hurts and he needs to go back to the locker room for a check.

The slow-motion replay of the scene showed that when Bogut came up to defend Li Liang, he collided with Li Liang. Li Liang's knee collided with Bogut's body, but the specific situation is unknown.

Rivers, Mike Brown, Ballmer on the sidelines, and the hearts of the Clippers fans are all hanging.

If Li Liang is injured, it will be a huge loss for the Clippers.

Li Liang got up first, stood on the free throw line, hit a free throw and scored 1 point.

Then, with the support of the team doctor and Butler, he left the court from the player tunnel and returned to the locker room.

The game on the court continued, and Odom replaced Li Liang.

After losing Li Liang, the Clippers did not give up, especially Odom, who seized the opportunity to express himself.

Thompson missed a three-pointer from the outside, Odom grabbed the rebound, passed the ball to Paul, and then made a fast break. After receiving the ball, he dribbled the ball behind the back to avoid the defense, and made a layup with his left hand!

The skill of the left-handed magician is still there!

The point difference is only 1 point away.

At this moment, Curry showed his sharp dagger.

After halftime, with the help of Bogut's single-block cover, he made a direct shot from outside the three-point line!

The Oracle Arena was detonated, and Curry's three-pointer pierced his heart like a sharp sword!

With a gap of 4 points and 3 minutes, the Clippers still need to work hard to catch up.

The two sides fought until 95:100, and there was still the last minute before the end of the game.

The Clippers were still 5 points behind, and Rivers used the last long timeout in his hand.

Time is running out, they must grab three points.

But their best three-pointer was injured, and the pressure was all on Paul.

At this moment, there was a commotion in the Oracle Arena, and a figure appeared from the player tunnel.

He ran into the court and came to the Clippers bench.

It's Li Liang!

This is the Warriors' home court, but there was warm applause at the scene!

The Clippers players and coaches all looked at Li Liang, and Mike Brown approached excitedly and asked, "Bruce, are you okay?"

Li Liang said: "It's okay, I'm back, give me the ball."

Rivers nodded, he knew, there was something to rely on.

And Li Liang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, it's really comfortable to pull.