For LeBron James and the Lakers, a dress rehearsal for a new era



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The Lakers, said James, played a combination of players who had not trained together.

He met expectations when he met hordes of reporters last week. Media Day is supposed to be a momentum of optimism for all teams, before anyone sees how the ball will bounce back, but James does not care. He was cautious and serious.

"We have a long way to go to get to Golden State," said James about the Warriors, who have foiled the hope of winning the title three of the last four years, including the last two .

The Warriors? The Lakers may have a way to get to the Nuggets, a rising team that finished a place outside of the Western Conference playoffs last season. They fell in Denver, 124-107, Sunday.

Fans, however, let optimism flow for the moment. This first pre-season game was important enough that longtime sports columnist Nick Canepa of San Diego Union-Tribune felt the need to remind readers that it was not the biggest sporting event in Canadian history. the city. Where was it?

San Diego has hosted hundreds of N.F.L. games, including three Super Bowls, although the Chargers are now in Los Angeles. The Padres have brought the World Series here twice, as difficult as it may seem. Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton in San Diego.

And the former arena itself, the Valley View Casino Center, once housed the N.B.A. Clippers. It now primarily hosts minor hockey, indoor soccer and lacrosse teams. But it was also the site of the 1975 Final Four, where John Wooden was coaching his last U.C.L.A. in a championship win.

Still, LeBron.

The arena hall is lined with life-size photographs of the famous sports events and concerts at the building, Bob Dylan in Rihanna. There was also a new poster: Lakers Debut by LeBron James in Los Angeles. Eight hours before departure, the price of online secondary market tickets ranged from $ 150 to $ 489.

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