June 13th.
On the night Snoopy met with Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson, the Boston Celtics completed an epic 24-point comeback at Staples Center. They showed the world of basketball that even when your offense is struggling, you can still win by exploiting your opponent's weaknesses and focusing on rebounding and protecting the paint.
This game has pushed the Lakers to the brink of elimination. 3-1, Boston has match point.
"It's almost a foregone conclusion."
As Don Nelson savored the red wine brought by Snoopy, he pointed to the dejected Kobe Bryant on the television screen and said, "Kobe Bryant will be the last glory at the shooting guard position. There will never be another shooting guard dominating the league."
"The pace of the game will get faster and faster in the future, and excellent controllers will be the key to deciding the outcome of the game," predicted Nelson.
Snoopy raised an eyebrow; he enjoyed talking to Don Nelson, there was no pressure.
He asked, "You mean point guards will be the new force that dominates basketball in the future?"
"Yes. Point guard!" Old Nelson nodded, a knowing smile on his face, and then said, "I only met with you to ask you one question: Are you really a point guard? Or rather… can you regain your coordination?"
"If you had asked me this question two months ago, my answer would have been 'I don't know.' But now, I can answer with absolute certainty: Yes!"
Snoopy told old Nelson very firmly.
Old Nelson nodded: "Then... our fourteenth pick is you."
The fourteenth pick is exactly the last place in the lottery draft.
Given the overwhelming negative comments in the media, it's practically a foregone conclusion that this spot will be awarded.
But who can say for sure?
...
Three days after meeting with Don Nelson, Kobe Bryant finally led the Lakers to victory in their fifth game at home. Next, they will travel to Boston with a 2-3 deficit to face the daunting challenge of the home court.
With the draft drawing ever closer, other top prospects were speeding up their tryouts, and various insider information was circulating in the sports media.
On the contrary, Snoopy, who had been heavily criticized, began to fall silent.
However, on the evening of June 18th, Eastern Time, he once again became the focus of media attention.
Taylor Swift preemptively released her first single, "Shake-it-Off," marking her transition from country music to pop. The song quickly climbed into the Billboard Top 20 on its first day of release.
When the audience discovered that Snoopy had written and composed the song and also participated in the chorus, they were all incredibly shocked and full of praise for the duke's talent.
Previously, his duet with Miley Cyrus, "Just the Way You Are," was a sweet declaration of love, while this song, "Shake It Off," is a carefree and slightly rebellious declaration of breaking up.
"So, has Snoopy's relationship with Miley Cyrus broken up? Has he fallen for Taylor Swift, who is a better match for his height?"
When the MTV host raised this speculation, it immediately sparked a lively discussion among gossip enthusiasts, who quickly split into two camps. One side believed that Miley Cyrus was better, while the other side thought that Taylor Swift was a better match for Snoopy.
The two sides engaged in a considerable war of words online.
At this time, Taylor Swift, in a radio interview, bluntly stated: "I can only say that no girl can resist a man like Snoopy. He can fulfill all the beautiful fantasies a girl has about a man. He is like a prince charming who has stepped out of a fairy tale."
"You can never guess how talented he is. He completed the lyrics and music for this song in less than two minutes."
"I don't know if he wrote this song out of genuine feeling. Maybe he was having relationship problems, or maybe he couldn't stand the malicious attacks from the sports media. But he's just that good, and no one can change that! I even think he shouldn't have played in the NBA; he would have had a better career in the music industry. If I had the number one pick in the music industry, I would choose him without hesitation. Even if I had Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Jay-Z... I would only choose him."
Taylor Swift put it very ambiguously, even saying, "He is the person in the world who is closest to my soul. The melodies he writes resonate with me naturally, as if they are being released from the depths of my heart."
Such comments have given gossip fans endless room for imagination, so... are they really together?
What about Miley Cyrus?
"Taylor Swift is the most hypocritical bitch I've ever met. She actually told me that it was for publicity and that she wouldn't interfere in our relationship."
Miley Cyrus yelled at her agent at the company: "But have you ever seen this kind of publicity? She deliberately fell down at the press conference and landed on Snoopy's chest. She wanted to crush her poor A-cup into an omelet. She's a scheming woman. She's always creating physical contact."
Her agent thought for a moment, then reminded the indignant Miley: "But Snoopy isn't actually your boyfriend."
"I think it's time for us to openly announce to the media that you've broken up. This is the best opportunity; we can even portray ourselves as the victim. Let Taylor Swift take the blame."
Her manager, Juliana, told her, "Our love triangle with Nick Jonathan is over, and the song has reached the buzz we wanted. Now is the perfect time to get rid of this bundled-in marketing. God knows how much that kid has benefited from our recent publicity, and he's not even an artist with our company."
"No, I absolutely cannot let him go."
Miley Cyrus gritted her teeth and declared resolutely, "I'm going to make Taylor Swift know that I won't let anyone steal my boyfriend again!!"
"I'm going to invite Snoopy to be a guest at my New York concert. He's been in New York lately, and he's about to participate in the NBA draft. I bet his agent won't refuse. I heard her say last time that Snoopy's financial situation isn't very good lately."
Miles Cyrus was resolute, determined to fight to the bitter end. Juliana sighed helplessly and had no choice but to go and hand over the reins to Lin Weiwei.
At that time, Snoopy was in contact with the New York Knicks' front office. New York had the 6th pick in this year's draft, and their head coach had become Mike D'Antoni.
The New York Knicks' management has been making pronouncements that the team will undergo a major overhaul, aiming to completely dispose of the mess left by the Thomas era.
For Snoopy, joining New York is a good choice. It's a big city that's actively rebuilding, offering plenty of opportunities, and its run-and-gun system allows him to switch freely between inside and outside roles.
Of course, that depends on D'Antoni's opinion.
D'Antoni received a grand welcome upon his arrival in New York, where he was not only appointed head coach but also general manager.
He has absolute power over personnel matters.
Even the President of Basketball Operations, Donnie Walsh, can't interfere with him; it's an order from the boss.
New Yorkers desperately need a radically different reformer.