June 6th, June 9th.
The Lakers' consecutive away losses at TD Garden, fueled by the 'Beat-LA' chants, have caused a sharp decline in public opinion regarding their championship aspirations.
Kobe Bryant was in a very bad mood.
In fact, before the Finals even began, the Lakers coaching staff knew about the Boston Celtics' weaknesses: Doc Rivers was used to squeezing defense on the strong side, which resulted in their poor protection of the defensive rebounds.
Furthermore, their offensive penetration into the paint is actually insufficient, relying heavily on offensive rebounds and mid-range/long-range shots.
Phil Jackson emphasizes this point before every game.
However… the Lakers' interior defense still couldn't handle this problem. Even the aging PJ Brown could easily push aside the boxing out players and grab the offensive rebound.
In front of this group of imposing old guys, the Lakers' three-tall lineup was simply a decoration. When facing offensive rebounds on the defensive end, they were like facing a middle-aged woman who was over fifty years old and whose figure had completely changed, and they couldn't muster any interest.
Under these circumstances, Kobe Bryant had to repeatedly drive into the paint through Gasol's screens to draw fouls. However... this style of play ultimately had its limits. The tenacity of the Boston veterans' defense made his drives incredibly difficult and drained his energy.
These guys' desire for the championship is like that of a bachelor who has been locked up in prison for most of his life; once he gets out, he'll have a sexual urge even if he sees a sow.
On June 11, before the start of Game 3 of the Finals, Kupchak told Kobe that the team would be scouting Snoopy after the game that night, and that he could come along if he had time.
Kobe Bryant nodded in agreement.
Despite the lack of good news about Snoopy in the basketball media recently, the Black Mamba still vividly remembers that tenacious Final Four MOP performance.
He even wondered, if Mbenga were replaced by Snoopy, would Boston's rotation still be so unrestrained? Would that awful fat guy still dare to stick his tongue out so arrogantly?
Snoopy would probably twist their heads off!
Kobe Bryant had no doubt about the toughness of UCLA's number 10 player; he even believed that the kid wouldn't show any weakness even when facing Kevin Garnett.
...
The Lakers generously gave Snoopy two front-row VIP tickets, worth over $15,000. After all, this is one of the most classic Lakers-Celtics rivalries in NBA history!
Snoopy had originally intended to bring Jennifer along, but Jennifer had been too busy lately. They hadn't seen each other for almost two months, and recently their phone calls had decreased from once a day to once every two days.
Then, Snoopy thought of Daphne.
However, Daphne needs to fly to China to finalize some business collaborations. Recently, with the Olympics gaining momentum, more and more businesses were looking athletes, preferably those with international recognition. As the NCAA's Most Valuable Player, Snoopy naturally became one of the candidates.
Snoopy then called Westbrook and Kevin Love, but they were both traveling all over the country for tryouts, making their final push for the draft, and had no time to call.
So in the end, Snoopy and Taylor Swift walked into Staples Center together.
The two have been in frequent contact over the past week. In fact, Taylor Swift had been in constant contact with Snoopy by phone and text message for a week, and finally invited Snoopy to the recording studio on the evening of June 5th under the pretext of discussing pop music.
At the time, Taylor Swift had decorated the recording studio with pink lights and even placed a carefully chosen candlestick. Before lighting the romantic candlelight and serving the meticulously prepared steak, she asked Snoopy with a smile, "Why did you say you didn't want to be my ex-boyfriend?"
Taylor Swift, resting her chin on her hand, finally appeared somewhat petite and adorable next to Snoopy, despite being 1.8 meters tall.
Snoopy wasn't an idiot; he could see the affection in Taylor Swift's eyes.
Snoopy clearly had no intention of being with her. He simply said, "It just slipped out. Ever since Jennifer hit me with her pickup truck, my brain sometimes gets all muddled, and I have all sorts of uncontrollable thoughts and words popping up. Like... that song I sold to Disney before, it just popped out of nowhere."
"It just popped out of itself?" Taylor Swift looked at Snoopy in disbelief, her eyes wide. "How is that possible? How can a song melody just pop out of itself? Doesn't it require a long period of thought and repeated arrangement?"
Taylor Swift's movements were somewhat exaggerated, and her tone was noticeably higher.
Her exaggerated gesture and tone suddenly triggered a memory in Snoopy's head, and the next second he said, "Do you have a piano or guitar here? I think another song has popped into my head!"
Taylor Swift was stunned.
She thought Snoopy was joking.
A minute later, Snoopy sat down at the keyboard and sang "Shake-it-Off".
After listening, Swift was utterly stunned. She was a musical genius, but she never imagined that Snoopy was even more talented than herself. He stood right in front of her and composed a song in less than two sentences, complete with lyrics. And the quality was so high; she could hear the potential for widespread popularity in the song.
"So...it really just suddenly appeared?"
She asked Snoopy in disbelief.
Snoopy patted his head: "The real deal."
"But this is a female song. It sounds a little like Avril Lavigne's 'Girlfriend,' but I think yours is better." Taylor Swift, being very musically knowledgeable, said, "Let me add some new arrangements for you."
As she spoke, Taylor Swift immersed herself in her serious creative work.
For several days, the two worked diligently on the song, with Taylor Swift providing various ideas and concepts, and Snoopy deciding whether to add or cut.
However, Snoopy didn't actually understand music arrangement, but he remembered the sounds and melodies in his head and knew what should be added and what shouldn't. It was as if such a song already existed in the world, and he was simply recreating it.
Swift also had a feeling that this song resonated with her so much, as if it incorporated her musical philosophy. Was this fate?
Five days later, the new version of "Shake-it-Off" was completed.
However, the performance format of this song has changed to a male-female duet.
Snoopy initially didn't intend to make any sounds, but Swift insisted that he, the original composer, join in and modify some lyrics, turning it into a full-fledged choral song. From an auditory perspective, it's quite good.
Taylor Swift clearly wanted to use this song to get closer to Snoopy.
And so, she finally got her wish and appeared at the Staples Center, where the spotlights were constantly flashing, arm in arm with Snoopy.
"So... our Snoopy has a new girlfriend again???"
ESPN commentator Reggie Miller announced his latest discovery to viewers with surprised words.
He expressed a sense of exasperation towards his junior, who led his alma mater to the NCAA championship, saying he was incredibly irresponsible. "The entire basketball world is questioning you," he said, "and you're still stirring up trouble everywhere?"
"First, you were hanging out with those Disney teen idols, and now you've switched your girlfriend from a Disney princess to a country music star. Are you trying to dominate the American music scene for the 90s generation?"