My absurd experiences in North America over the years

In early March, it rained intermittently in San Francisco.

Inside the training facility at Oracle Arena, George is doing a set of shooting drills after a shuttle run.

His movements are smoother than at the beginning of the season, his release point is higher, and his release speed is a bit faster.

However, it is still quite far from being stable. After several rounds, the hit rate is still hovering around 70% to 80%.

During training, the training yields 70-80% of the results, but during competitions, the yield is reduced by at least half.

Li Fu stood on the sidelines and watched for a while without saying a word.

During this period, George single-handedly carried the team from the outside, and had some outstanding performances, scoring 25, 31 and even 40 points.

However, when he was heavily guarded, he hit the rookie wall and his shooting percentage became abysmal.

Therefore, he would practice extra every day to improve his shooting consistency.

The team's record has plummeted to 11th in the Western Conference, with few games remaining and their playoff hopes completely dashed.

Li Fu's decision to have the team forfeit the remaining matches was seen by outsiders as an early surrender.

Some believe that Li Fu wanted to prove that trading George was not a mistake, even if it was counterproductive for George.

But he himself knew very well that even if Curry played the last seven or eight games of the season, and Iguodala played with an injury, they still wouldn't make the playoffs.

Finishing in 9th place is the biggest failure; you might as well slide into the lottery.

Making a decisive sacrifice is to gain more in the future.

Next year, they will still need to rely on the lottery to select Thompson, a top guard.

In the NBA draft rules, lottery picks are reserved for teams that do not participate in the playoffs. The worse a team's regular season record is, the greater its chance of getting a high draft pick.

Last season, the Warriors finished with a 26-56 record and won the 6th overall pick, selecting Ekpe Udoh.

Now that the team has voluntarily given up the remainder of the season, it means they will get another lottery pick to select Klay Thompson.

Of course, if Curry hadn't been injured, he wouldn't have given up on the season; he could have simply traded David Lee, a double-double specialist, or other assets for a lottery pick.

Making the playoffs can boost the Warriors' confidence, and in the long run, it is indeed very beneficial for the development of young players like Curry and George.

However, with Curry's injury, Iguodala's injury has been recurring.

Continuing to force a playoff run would be pointless.

Perhaps it would be better to give up decisively, while allowing Curry and Iguodala to fully recover from their injuries and fight again next year.

You can also pick a backcourt core who will play alongside Curry for ten years. Why not do that?

Li Fu paid no attention to the criticism from the outside world.

In contrast to the Warriors, the Pacers in the East are currently enjoying their victories and have surged to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The consistent performances of Udoh and Biedrins in the paint have filled the Pacers' weakness in having only Hibbert in the paint.

Granger unleashed his scoring prowess, averaging 27 points per game, while Hibbert also steadily improved, showing the potential to become an inner Optimus Prime.

Bird remained composed in front of the media, but in an interview with the Indianapolis Star, he expressed his satisfaction, saying, "We've found players who fit the team's system. They're young and have a lot of potential, and the playoffs are a very important growth experience for them."

This interview was interpreted by many media outlets as Bird in Versailles, and even as a veiled criticism of Li Fu, because the Warriors had no chance of making the playoffs.

Bay Area fans are also starting to lose faith, wondering if Ellis hadn't been traded and if Udoh were still there, could this inside-outside combination have kept their playoff hopes alive?

Similar comments have appeared widely on the internet.

When Li Fu saw these things, he was completely unmoved. He even understood better than Bird what the Pacers' current frontcourt configuration meant.

If Ekpe Udoh can truly develop into an All-Star center, then in the next few years they will become one of the most troublesome teams for the Heat's Big Three in the Eastern Conference, if not the most troublesome.

With Udoh and Hibbert, along with Biedrins in rotation, the Pacers' interior defense was strong enough to make James and Wade pay the price for every drive.

If the Pacers can wear down the Heat in the Eastern Conference, even if they lose the series in the end, it will be a good thing for the Warriors.

The more exhausted the Eastern Conference champions are in the playoffs, the greater the Warriors' chances of making it to the NBA Finals. And it would be even better if the Pacers pulled off an upset against the Heat.

The perimeter combination of Curry, George, and Thompson can easily punish a slow-moving center like Hibbert, who is close to 220cm tall, through pick-and-roll tactics.

The Warriors are in a winning position no matter what.

Of course, the Pacers' chances of defeating the Heat's Big Three depend on Granger avoiding that unexpected injury and continuing to develop.

His scoring methods are more diverse than George's, making him more suitable for attacking in the half-court.

George's relatively weak ability to break down defenses during his time with the Pacers limited their chances of going further and defeating the Heat's Big Three.

If the Pacers maintain their interior strength, Granger avoids injury (which was indeed accidental and could have been avoided), and Stephenson continues to develop, they could very well make a big splash.

In the entertainment and sports sector, the trade saga between the Warriors and the Pacers is merely an appetizer in this current climate.

A few days later, an entertainment news story quickly made headlines.

This is Taylor Swift's first statement on social media since the microphone-grabbing incident in 2009.

She posted a photo of herself with Kanye at an awards ceremony, indicating that the past is the past, she accepts Kanye's sincere apology, and is moving on.

Kanye then retweeted the post and apologized again for his reckless behavior.

This was seen as a historic reconciliation between the two parties after a year and six months of the microphone-grabbing incident, instantly igniting public opinion on social media and gaining massive attention and discussion.

Twenty days later, in early April, Kanye West's new album, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," was officially released.

Upon its release, the album topped the Billboard 200 albums chart with sales of 550,000 copies in its first week.

Industry insiders were amazed, with many individuals and organizations giving it a perfect score.

It's worth mentioning that the album's label is LaFace Records, which was acquired by Li Fu.

The label's first project after the acquisition immediately topped the Billboard charts, drawing attention from its competitors.

Entertainment media outlets have begun to re-examine Li Fu's investment portfolio in the music industry, with Taylor Swift of Big Machine Records being one of the most talked-about singers in the past two years, if not the most talked-about.

After acquiring the LaFace Records label, Kanye West released a new album, which topped the album charts.

One label is deeply rooted in country music, and the other is based on hip-hop and rap. After being acquired by Li Fu, both of them have delivered results that far exceeded expectations.

His entertainment projects include MGM Studios, Big Machine Records, LaFace Records, and the Golden State Warriors.

MGM is facing a major test this year, but given the reputation of the 007 series and the unique genre of The Hobbit (the prequel to Lord of the Rings), there shouldn't be any major surprises, and it's unlikely to lose money.

Warriors fans are sadly realizing that it's only sports teams that are destined to fail.

Or will we win in the future?