Everything is Back!

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Los Angeles, Staples Center.

When it comes to naming the worst NBA teams, the Clippers are one of the first to come to mind.

While many small-market teams don't have superstars, they often have local fan support and a certain base. Even teams like the Bobcats have a solid following in Charlotte.

But the Clippers are in Los Angeles, sharing the Staples Center, a highly recognized stadium in the United States, yet they're overshadowed by the Lakers and remain far from the spotlight. Not many Los Angeles residents support both the Clippers and Lakers. It's the eternal rich family in purple and gold in the hearts of Californians.

With the Lakers' constant lineup of superstars and their numerous championship titles, the Clippers' life has always been difficult. Add to that the strange and stingy owner Sterling, and Elgin Baylor, an undercover agent who might have been sent by a rival in the same city, and you have a management situation no one can rival.

Under such wise and powerful leadership, the Clippers have naturally never had a chance to reach the playoffs. They've been stuck in the lottery year after year.

It wasn't until the 2005-2006 season that they made the playoffs again after a nine-year absence. They even reached the second round of the Western Conference before losing to the Suns 3-4, which shocked the entire league.

However, the following season, the Clippers finished ninth in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs. In 2007-2008, after the return of captain Elton Brand, the Clippers quickly sank to the bottom of the league again.

This season is almost over. The Clippers' captain has been replaced by Baron Davis from Elton Brand, but their record still isn't good. They are currently third from the bottom in the Western Conference and are set to have a high pick in the upcoming draft.

It makes sense that such a miserable team wouldn't get much attention and there wouldn't be many fans at their home games. However, the attendance at Staples Center tonight was quite high, with nearly 80% of the seats filled. But many of the spectators were wearing blue, white, or gold Warriors shirts, cheering on their team.

In fact, this wasn't surprising. The distance between Los Angeles and San Francisco is only about 600 kilometers. This game is crucial for the Warriors, and it also happens to be the weekend when many Warriors fans came to Los Angeles to support their team.

The Warriors' fans still remember the miracle of the Black Eight from two seasons ago. After a couple of years of decline, they saw hope for their team to make the playoffs and immediately erupted in passionate emotions, even driving for several hours just to cheer them on.

With only half an hour left before the game, the Warriors and Clippers players came onto the court to warm up. Curry's eyes wandered to the bench for a moment and found Ayesha sitting in the front row.

Ayesha waved at Curry, and he smiled. He looked at her with a bright smile and thought back to that game before the All-Star Game when the Warriors played against the Lakers.

He still remembered the amazing feeling of scoring 50+ points and hitting that game-winner. That was something that happened on this court. The difference today was that the logo would be returned and the opponent had changed.

Curry looked at Ayesha, dribbled the ball twice, raised his hand, and took a three-pointer.

Swish!

The basketball went smoothly through the net, and a smile appeared on Curry's face. He felt less tired than before, and his body felt lighter.

Swish!

He caught a pass from the coach and sank another wide-open three, his smile growing even bigger.

Swish, swish, swish!

Curry kept hitting three-pointers, moving further and further back from the three-point line, but the ball kept falling through the basket with ease.

Swish!

He stepped on the Clippers' logo and hit a long three, sparking a cheer from the fans in the arena. He finished his warm-up with that shot.

"Did you see that, Charles? Curry just hit a logo three!" Kenny Smith laughed and said to Barkley beside him in the broadcast booth.

The game was being broadcast live across the United States, and TNT had sent their famous duo of Barkley and Kenny Smith. This wasn't a temporary change; it had been scheduled before the start of the season.

Barkley responded, "Come on, Kenny, I saw it, but it's just a warm-up before the game. I could hit a three like that if I wanted to. I mean, I was eating a hamburger."

"You? Really? I don't believe it. You haven't made many threes in your career," Kenny Smith teased.

"That's just because I never needed to. My three-point shooting is actually really accurate—much more accurate than Michael's, haha," Barkley chuckled while chewing on his burger.

"Just boasting…"

The viewers in front of their TVs laughed. Of course, no one believed Barkley's wild claim, but they enjoyed his banter and the way he poked fun at Jordan. It was just the way Barkley spoke, and fans loved that. His stories and playful comments added a certain flair to the broadcast.

And Barkley's status speaks for itself. He's one of the 50 greatest players of all time, one of the top five power forwards, and an MVP winner. He frequently discusses his own career and the legends like Jordan, Malone, Olajuwon, and others. Sharing those stories satisfies the curiosity of the fans and remains hugely popular.

While the two were talking, Barkley finished his burger and took a sip from his Coca-Cola. He searched around for the fries that were supposed to be nearby but couldn't find any.

He turned around and saw Liam standing in front of the technical platform, holding a bag of fries and eating them one by one.

"Hey Charles, I'm a bit hungry. Mind if I have some?" Liam smiled at Barkley, but didn't stop munching on the fries.

Barkley opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He seemed a bit surprised by Liam's appearance but quickly reacted, pretending to be angry.

"Hey, you're eating my fries! Everyone saw it, and now I don't have any energy to comment on the game later," Barkley joked, pointing at Liam with a mock frown. The camera zoomed in on Liam at just the right moment, which made the fans watching at home laugh.

Liam remained unphased, stuffing more fries into his mouth with a smile, "Don't be like that, I'm just a little hungry. If you're mad, I'll buy you a meal after the game."

Barkley laughed too, "Alright, I'll hold you to that. You owe me a meal."

As the two continued chatting, Liam finished the fries and, with a grin, asked, "Charles, what do you think of our bet now?"

Barkley rolled his eyes, "Well, I have to admit that Curry is definitely going to be Rookie of the Year this season, even if his form isn't great... But the Warriors haven't even made the playoffs yet. Do you have that much confidence in them?"

Liam smiled and replied, "There are still 9 games left, let's wait and see."

When Curry was selected as an All-Star starter, he had been performing very well, and the Warriors were firmly in the playoff race. Barkley had tweeted his thanks to Curry, and his attitude had changed significantly from the beginning of the season.

A fan commented on his Twitter asking why he changed his opinion on Curry, and Barkley replied, "Stephen Curry, just like Yao Ming, slapped me in the face. I have to admit I was wrong. Whether or not the Warriors make the playoffs this season, Curry has reached All-Star level. I owe him an apology—he's a hell of a player."

After seeing Barkley's comment, someone questioned him on Twitter, "Don't you think Curry is so popular now that you don't dare to criticize him?"

Barkley's response was simple: "Man, you're talking to one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, the MVP of 1992-1993. I don't care about anything else; I just do what a man does—like kiss a donkey's ass."

As a result, the tense atmosphere between him and Liam dissolved. Liam also tweeted, "Charles, you're a man. Give me your address, and I'll send you a Stephen Curry jersey. Don't worry, it's a large size."

Barkley responded, "Let's wait until the Warriors make the playoffs."

TNT was indeed a master of traffic. In their special All-Star program, they asked guests to choose an All-Star player's jersey to wear. Naturally, Barkley "chose" Curry's jersey and seriously praised the comfort of the Warriors' jersey, even trying on his old jerseys from the 76ers, Suns, and Rockets, comparing them to the Warriors' jersey. The Warriors' jersey came out as the fan favorite.

The ratings for the program were so high that many fans left messages on Barkley's Twitter urging him to start wearing Warriors jerseys. After all, the Warriors had such a high chance of making the playoffs that it seemed like a no-brainer.

Unfortunately, the Warriors fell into a decline after the All-Star Game, and their playoff standing wasn't as stable as before. Curry's performance wasn't as dazzling as it had been. However, Barkley didn't act strangely or defensively about Curry. His explanation was surprising.

The conversation between the two individuals quickly made its way to audiences across the United States, accompanied by the live broadcast signal. Their wager became a hot topic, further fueling the audience's curiosity about what was to come.

…

The final preparations before the game passed in a restless atmosphere. Players from both sides were already on the court, and the game was about to begin.

The Warriors' starting lineup consisted of Curry, Butler, Chandler, Azubuike, and Anthony Tolliver. Anthony Varejao's leg injury had mostly healed, but he still needed another week of recovery before being able to endure a high-intensity game. Azubuike, who had returned to the team three days ago, brought relief to Liam.

The Warriors' decline in the month following the All-Star break wasn't only due to Curry and Butler running into the rookie wall, but also due to injuries to Varejao and Azubuike.

This year, the Warriors seemed to have a lot of players capable of contributing, but their strengths were spread between the starters and the rotation, with each having their own weaknesses. There were more 3D players like Azubuike, who could shoot and handle the ball, but there were almost no secondary attackers. His return gave the Warriors more offensive resources and a better chance to compete for a playoff spot.

The Clippers' starting lineup consisted of Eric Gordon, Rasual Butler, Baron Davis, Drew Gooden, and Chris Kaman.

There was no need to mention Baron Davis' strength, as Warriors fans were very familiar with him. His most glorious feat was leading the Warriors to defeat the Mavericks and create the infamous "Black Eight" miracle.

Chris Kaman was an All-Star reserve center for the Western Conference this year. He had strong post moves, accurate mid-range shooting, and was excellent at rebounding. This year was his peak season, averaging 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. His era in the league was an anomaly.

With these two players, the Clippers' strength couldn't be underestimated. While Baron Davis had fallen to only 15.3 points and 8 assists per game due to age, he could still explode and recover his prime form on occasion. Therefore, this game should not be taken lightly by the Warriors. They were tangled with the Thunder and the Trail Blazers in the standings, and every game was crucial. A loss to a weak team like the Clippers would put the Warriors in a truly critical situation, and it had become dangerous.

Before the game, Liam gave instructions to win and made a speech in the locker room:

"The playoffs are just one step ahead of us. None of us are favored by anyone else. It's the same for Stephen, it's the same for Jimmy, it's the same for Tyson, it's the same for Wesley, Reggie, Anthony, Kelana. Also, we were all undrafted... Ah, by the way, no one thought I'd be a qualified head coach. But now we're sitting at eighth in the Western Conference! And that's not our limit. We're already in fourth place in the West. There are still 9 games left. Do you want the people who look down on us to point their fingers and say with disdain—'Look, the team made up of undrafted players, second-round picks, and guys who can only shoot threes is really not that good. Are they going to go home and fish?'

"No!" the Warriors players shouted in unison.

"If you don't want that, then go out there and smash them! Show them with your actions that a new era has arrived for the Warriors. It starts with this game, from your hands, from the return to the playoffs. Don't forget, we won the first championship since the NBA was officially established, and we are the first giant of the NBA!"

Liam's words sparked the fighting spirit of all the Warriors players. They may not have a strong sense of belonging to the team, but Liam was right. They were all second-round picks, undrafted players, or guys other teams didn't want. But Liam gave them the chance to play, and now they had to prove they weren't useless—they had to make their mark in this league!

Most importantly, the value of players on playoff teams and lottery teams was entirely different. If they could prove their level under the playoff intensity, even if they lost in the first round, their value would increase significantly.

Thus, all the Warriors players who appeared before the Clippers were determined to win.

Bip—

The referee's whistle blew, Chandler won the jump ball cleanly, and passed it to Curry.

After receiving the ball, Curry looked at Ayesha cheering from the sidelines, then turned to face the Clippers players across from him, licking his lips in anticipation.

His body trembled slightly with excitement, and he had a strange but real feeling. He had found himself again—the person he was before the All-Star break!

End of this chapter

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