I've been playing in the NBA for three years, and this system is only now showing up?

Chapter 8 This is my ex-girlfriend!

In the absence of widespread overseas competitions, NBA preseason games generally adhere to only one principle.

It's close to home!

Generally, it's just a few teams that live closest to each other playing each other to get a feel for the game and warm things up.

Of course, teams that have a grudge against each other will definitely not play together in the preseason.

For example, Detroit and Chicago are only 400 kilometers apart, but the two teams never played a single preseason game together throughout the 90s.

The Lakers' opponent tonight is the Los Angeles Clippers, the poor child raised by a stepmother in Los Angeles.

If the Lakers are one of the top two powerhouses in NBA history, then the Clippers are one of the worst teams in the league. Since the team started in Buffalo in the 70s, they moved to San Diego and then to Los Angeles. The team moved twice and changed its name twice, and in between, they made countless drafts and trades.

But the only thing that hasn't changed is the fact that he's still a weakling.

This team was terrible for a full 30 years! Although they were okay for a few years, they were only good enough to make the playoffs. They became the only team in NBA history to not even reach the conference finals once in more than 30 years.

Since 1976, they have not won a single playoff game in 24 years.

This is a terrible team that no one cares about, and even the team owner is unwilling to invest in.

Playing against them in the preseason can help the Lakers easily and effectively regain their confidence.

Playing a preseason game between the Clippers and the Lakers would save the frugal owner, Sterling, some travel expenses.

Soon, the Lakers players entered the arena, and a huge wave of cheers immediately followed!

Even during the preseason, the Staples Center, which can hold 18885 people, was packed to capacity. The love that Los Angeles residents have for the Lakers is something that cannot be hidden and doesn't need to be hidden.

Their opponents, the Clippers, although also a Los Angeles team, did not receive any cheers when they entered the game. The fact that the fans did not swear at them or give them the middle finger was already considered a good attitude.

It's a bit of a shame that, since it's a preseason game, apart from Nicholson, the team's number one die-hard fan, sitting on the sidelines applauding without fail, there weren't many Hollywood stars in attendance tonight.

The Lakers fan club, which is usually full of stars, did not shine tonight.

But one girl in the front row stood out. With her fair skin and elegant smile, she didn't speak or move, but her unique British charm was already evident.

When the girl saw Lin Ze, she smiled and waved to him, even winking playfully.

"That girl's smiling at me!" O'Neal exclaimed excitedly beside Lin Ze. "She likes me! Lin, I bet she likes me! And I bet she's Irish! She's definitely Irish!"

A pretty girl can easily attract a lot of attention wherever she goes.

"Too bad, you bet wrong." Lin Ze shrugged. "She doesn't have a single cent of Irish blood."

"You know her?" O'Neill exclaimed in surprise. "Then I bet her family is extraordinary; she looks like royalty!"

Lin Ze continued to shake his head: "Unfortunately, you're wrong again. Although she is English, her bloodline is more complicated than the Clippers' history. Her father is of Burmese and British descent, and her mother is of Chinese and British descent. So I don't know her exact bloodline, but she certainly has nothing to do with British aristocracy."

"Give up, Shaq. Why are you betting this stuff with Lin?" Lakers' third-best player and starting small forward Glen Rice said, "He knows him, no, all the pretty girls in Los Angeles know him, even though he's only been here for less than three months."

"Strictly speaking, I've been here for one year and three months," Lin Ze said. "Didn't you know I went to USC for college?"

"We have absolutely no idea!" O'Neal, Rice, and Fisher all shook their heads at the same time, while Hubble, Lin Ze's old teammate from his time with the Bulls, remained silent, but he was clearly also completely unaware of the matter.

USC, or the University of Southern California, is one of the best universities in Los Angeles. However, it is not considered a top-tier school in the NCAA. Its team strength is considered above average. Players such as DeRozan, Vucevic, Mayo, and Carabro, the only true Man of the Year, all graduated from this school.

The biggest reason Lin Ze chose USC after graduating from high school was that there weren't many star players there, but the team was quite strong and could consistently make it into March Madness, which was perfect for a player like Lin Ze whose skill level was neither particularly high nor low.

As for USC, the film school that enjoys a prestigious reputation throughout the United States, it has absolutely nothing to do with Lin Ze's choice of this school.

"Alright, tell me quickly, who is this girl? What's your relationship with her? If she's just a friend..."

"My ex-girlfriend." Lin Ze didn't hide it and quickly revealed the answer.

"Ex..." Fisher, that bastard, wanted to ask again, but O'Neal had already slapped him on the head: "Don't you dare mess with your teammate's ex-girlfriend, you idiot!"

Lin Ze shrugged and waved at the blonde beauty to indicate that he had received the signal.

Let's talk about it after the game.

The match is about to begin.

Lin Ze's first game representing the Lakers!

Shaquille O'Neal and the league's biggest draft bust, Ogvorkandi, stood at center circle, ready for the jump ball. Lin Ze was matched up against Lamar Odom, the talented rookie hailed as the Clippers' savior and a left-handed magician, who would later become an important member of the Lakers.

The young Odom and Lin Ze were not traditional power forwards; both were face-up players who relied on floating and were not good at physical battles under the basket or back-to-the-basket moves.

Even so, Odom, who had just entered the league, was still a size smaller than Lin Ze when they stood together.

"Beep beep!"

The referee blew the whistle to start the game, and O'Neal easily secured the first possession for the Lakers.

The Lakers then quickly moved to the frontcourt and everyone took their positions according to the play. Fisher passed the ball to the inside, and O'Neal faced Ogvocandy. Surprisingly, the Clippers didn't send anyone to double-team him!

O'Neal didn't hold back. He backed down Ogvorkandi and almost completely knocked him over. Then, the big guy rose up from the ground, displaying a terrifying explosive power that was completely disproportionate to his size. He rose to an extremely high height in an instant, and then his hands, which were just behind his head, slammed into the basket.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the Lakers opened the scoring!

Shaquille O'Neal's physical attributes were absolutely top-tier in history, and during his prime, trying to defend him one-on-one was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Immediately afterward, Clippers head coach Chris Ford jumped up from the bench, raised his hands, and shouted, "Help defend Lamar! What was our pre-game strategy? Help defend!"

It turns out the Clippers didn't lack strategy; the players simply didn't execute it.

"Oh! Oh, oh!" Odom snapped out of his daze, slapping his forehead. "I forgot!"

This guy, right from the start, had his signature moment: he lost focus.

It's best to be distracted throughout the entire game.

Lin Ze thought to himself, and then immersed himself in the competition.