On January 30, 2013, U.S. time, the Lakers ushered in their 46th game and challenged the Phoenix Suns away from home. Returning to the American Airlines Center, Nash’s cheers were the loudest, the mascot of the Suns.
The gorilla also put on a sportswear worn by Nash during his time with the Suns to show his appreciation for the 38-year-old veteran's 10-year contribution to Phoenix. However, respect is respect and cheers are cheers. After the referee blew the whistle for the game
After the starting whistle, everything returned to its competitive nature.
The process of this game can be called turbulent. Why do you say that? Because someone jumped out to "steal the show."
The Lakers' shooting percentage in the first quarter was good, reaching about 47%, but there was a big problem, that is, there were too many turnovers. 10 turnovers in a single quarter directly caused the Suns to make three or four quick counterattacks.
.So even though the Suns ranked 15th in the Western Conference this season and only won 15 of the first 45 games, they still led the Los Angeles Lakers by 4 points in the first quarter.
The shooting percentages of both sides began to drop in the second quarter, but due to Tang Qian's control of rebounds and Kobe's 75% shooting percentage, the Lakers entered the second half tied at 19-15 and 41-41 at halftime.
I don’t know if Steve Nash had too much of a mood swing in this game. He only made 1 of 5 three-pointers, and he seemed a little absent-minded in assists and series.
In the third quarter, the Lakers almost played a wave, 32-22, with a score difference of 10 points, and the two sides entered the final quarter.
Just when everyone thought that this was a must-win game, the "dark horse" appeared. He was the Suns' No. 0, Michael Billis, and No. 14, Luis Scola. These two people
One after another, they almost dominated the fourth quarter. First, Scola made 3 of 3 shots and 2 free throws, scoring 8 points with a 100% shooting rate. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers just recovered a three-pointer.
, other Suns players have continued Scola's firepower.
Michael Billis made 5 of 6 shots and scored 10 points in a row at the last minute to help Phoenix deal a fatal blow to the Lakers.
The Lakers also organized a counterattack, but I don’t know what possessed them in this quarter. All the Lakers players felt cold and their shots were misfired. They made 4 of 21 shots in a single quarter, with a shooting percentage of less than 20%. Among them, Tang Qian
It also contributed 3 pieces of refined iron production. On the opposite side, the shooting percentage was close to 70%, 13-29 in a single quarter, overtaking the Lakers in one fell swoop, and successfully reversing the game.
86-92, the Los Angeles Lakers ended their three-game winning streak and lost to Phoenix by 6 points.
Suddenly, a discussion broke out again.
Sports media, mainly ESPN, quickly showed their power and began to describe it on their official website:
The Lakers are still the same Lakers! The three-game winning streak is just an illusion!
Losing to the bottom team in the Western Conference, is this the 75 million lineup of the "Four Kings"?
Hey, man, let me tell you a secret! The total salary of the entire Phoenix Suns team is only 60.84 million US dollars, which is not as high as the salary of four people in the Lakers!
Please don't have any expectations for the Lakers anymore, the purple and gold will die this season!
After seeing these reports taking over the mainstream, the good mood the Lakers had just established collapsed in an instant, and the atmosphere at the training ground became dull again. They have played forty-six games, and there is not much time left for them. If they don't
If you win a few more games, you can book fishing venues in advance.
At this moment, someone from the Lakers team jumped out and announced loudly:
I'm tired! I'm very unhappy in the Lakers! I don't get the respect and respect I deserve!
Who is this person? The answer is No. 12, Dwight Howard.
As soon as he saw the Lakers losing to the bottom team in the Western Conference, "Warcraft" immediately couldn't wait to speak out. Within a few minutes, keen reporters caught wind of the situation and ran over to surround Dwight Howard. Seeing his
Once again surrounded by reporters, Howard seemed very proud, very comfortable, and very useful. He deliberately coughed before starting to be interviewed.
In 2013, the Internet was already very developed, so it didn't take long for Howard's interview video to be posted on the official webpages of major sports media.
"Dwight, I heard that you are unhappy with the Lakers. Is this true?"
"Well, how to put it, the Lakers are a great team and Los Angeles is a great city, but there have been too many changes this year, so many things are being adjusted and adjusted. The team needs to adjust, the head coach
There needs to be a break-in, the teammates need a break-in, and I also need a break-in, but I hope I can be valued during the break-in process, otherwise it will be completely contrary to my original intention of coming to Los Angeles."
"Excuse me, your playing time has been reduced recently. What is the reason? Is it really because of tactical needs as coach Mike D'Antoni said?"
"Half and half, maybe. There are tactical needs and other factors involved, but I can't say more specifically."
"Dwight, the season is already halfway through, and the Lakers' record has not improved at all. Do you think you can still get tickets to the playoffs this season?"
"Didn't Bryant already say something about this issue? He is the leader of the Lakers, and everything depends on him."
"Dwight, you only have one year left on your contract. Will you continue to stay in Los Angeles or choose to test the free market?"
"I haven't thought about this issue yet, but I don't rule out any possibility. It's too early to say now."
…
Looking at this interview and conversation, Mike D'Antoni's face didn't look good, Kobe Bryant's face didn't look good, and the Lakers management didn't look good either. Don't look at it, Howard didn't say anything important in the interview.
, but the more ambiguous it is, the worse it is. Because there is a saying in the NBA that only if you are not firm, unsure, and unwilling can you be ambiguous, otherwise you will directly express your stance by patting your chest.
Ambiguity and vagueness are the manifestations of Tai Chi.
The official answer is sometimes "very particular".
Almost immediately, the three parties above all thought of one thing, that is, this interview, and these answers were definitely not accidental. They were...prepared.
Even these words and wordings were written by someone for Howard a long time ago, and he just "followed the script."
Sure enough, not long after this video was released, the Lakers fan forum exploded.
All kinds of suspicions, all kinds of conjectures, all kinds of dark thoughts emerge one after another, which is shocking and dazzling.
This is tantamount to adding fuel to the fire for the Lakers.
But facing the above three parties, Howard had already thought of a countermeasure, which was to ignore them and turn a blind eye.
When Mike D'Antoni came to lecture him alone, he just responded with an indifferent expression and refused to argue with the former, which made D'Antoni very angry. But what can D'Antoni do? He can't curse? He can't start a fight.
Right? The team still has games to continue. So even if the former feels unhappy, he can't do anything to Howard.
What about Kobe? A quarrel broke out with Howard in the locker room! But it seemed to have no effect. "Warcraft" still had the expression and attitude of "What can you do to me?"
Kobe's concerns are similar to those of Mike D'Antoni. The team still has more than thirty games to play. If he completely falls out with Howard, then the most unlucky person will be none other than the Los Angeles Lakers themselves. For the sake of the team, for themselves.
The promise he made in front of the media, no matter how angry Kobe was, he could only hold it in temporarily and could not completely explode.
Where is the management? After seeing this video, Mitch Kupchak directly named Howard and went to the general manager's office, but Howard seemed to have expected it. As soon as he walked in, he struck first and gave Mitch Kupchak a
He showed off his power and said:
"Mr. Kupchak, please don't forget that I am not a restricted player of the Lakers. After this season, I have the right to choose freely."
"So."
"I advise you not to force me."
Hearing this, Mitch Kupchak had prepared a lot of words, but he immediately cleared them up because he knew that Howard had caught his fate. If he spent so much energy and cost, he only signed Howard for a short period of time.
In one season, it was definitely a failure and a joke. The Lakers suffered a huge loss.
Old Bass would not let him go easily.
No matter how "stupid" Bynum is, he is still the second-ranked center in the league. If Dwight Howard cannot be retained in the end, then the Lakers will lose both their first center and their second-ranked center.
As a second center, there is even no good center available. This kind of blow is absolutely unacceptable to Mitch Kupchak, who has always been conceited.
So he chose to compromise, but this did not buy the future for the Lakers, but instead fueled Dwight Howard's arrogance.
Howard instantly felt like he had "killed" the "Big Three" of the Lakers, and he felt very proud and happy inside.
Dan Fagan is indeed one of the gold medal agents, and the methods he comes up with are really amazing! It seems that the high commission he pays every year is not in vain. But Howard may not have thought that this is the "gold medal agent" in his mind in the future.
”, which severely deceived him, and from then on he earned the nicknames “unsentimental” and “Huo Zhongcheng”.
But this is a story for later, so I won’t say more for now.
On February 1st, under heavy pressure, the Lakers came to Minnesota, where they will challenge the Timberwolves away from home.
This season, the Timberwolves are lacking in generals. Love only played 18 games before he was declared out for the season due to injuries. So this season, except for the Suns, the Timberwolves are ranked 14th in the Western Conference. And in front of it
Who are they? The Los Angeles Lakers.
If they lose this game again, it will be no less than a disaster for the Lakers.
Because they lost to the two worst teams in the Western Conference in a row, what does this prove? This proves that the Lakers are not even as good as the worst teams, and the Lakers are even worse than the worst.
After originally exerting pressure, Howard was ready to show off his power in this game. After all, the Timberwolves' Kevin Love is absent, and the thickness of the inside is no longer worth mentioning. As long as he lets go and gets a 30+15 figure,
not a problem.
As for the record and victory? Why do you care about that? Anyway, if it doesn’t work, just pat your butt and leave!
Sinking with the Lakers ship is something only a fool would do!
Howard thinks he is very smart, so Kobe's "boring oath" seems to him to be just a matter of food.
Because it’s simply impossible to do it, right?
Since you can't do it at all, why should you make a fool of yourself with him?
Indeed, without Kevin Love, a strong point inside, the Timberwolves' already lacking inside line has become even weaker, and they can only send 203CM Derrick Williams and 32-year-old Kirilenko to top the package. Delhi
K. Williams is only a 2-year-old rookie. Although his body is not bad and his wingspan is relatively good, his strength is the middle-to-lower level among forward players, which is extremely inconsistent with his size. Furthermore, this person
, his rebounding ability is terrible, his highest season is only around 5+, and the rest are around 4+, so if Howard is up against him, he can definitely ravage and defeat him. What about Kirilenko? He was still very strong when he was young.
, blocks shots, rebounds, assists and scores. He is proficient in everything. He also won the honor of the season's block leader and is considered a defensive hero. But even when he was young, he was known for his ability to cover up defense, one-on-one defense,
His effect is not outstanding, mainly because Kirilenko's weight is really unflattering. 206MC is only about 220 pounds, which is almost the thickness of a forward paper player in the NBA. And now that he is older,
The back injury worsened, and his defensive skills were not as good as before. In his peak period, he averaged at least 3+ blocks per game. Now? Exactly 1.0 times, which is only the passing level. So it is impossible for him to defend "Warcraft".
If Love and Nikola Pekovic are not injured, Howard can still be restrained. After all, both of them are strong insiders. Love is 250+ pounds and Pekovic is 290+ pounds, not to mention blocking.
It's the latter. It's okay to make the latter extremely uncomfortable. But tonight, everything was like a "coincidence". Both of them were sitting on the bench due to injuries, wearing suits and ties, and they were powerless.
.So God created good conditions for Howard to have a "perfect night".
Howard is also eager to try, ready to show off his skills and kill everyone.
Before the game, Nash found Tang Qian and revealed in a low voice that his playing time tonight might not be too long because there was another "instruction" from above. Mike D'Antoni had no choice but to do this. I hope he will
I can understand. Why didn't Tang Qian not know the reason? He was just a superstar player, but he resorted to such shady tricks, which made him feel both angry and ridiculous.
However, he did not mean to embarrass Mike D'Antoni, because D'Antoni is not a head coach at the level of a "Zen Master", so the latter must consider and obey some of the management's requirements and instructions.
He can understand this, but for what Howard did...
He decided to fight back.
Because Tang Qian could see that this guy's heart had gradually drifted away. It was not about victory, not about record, not about the team, but only about his own personal data. He wanted to use the Lakers as a springboard for himself.
He has a big contract for next season. Do you want to increase the amount of money? What a good plan!
But I won't let you get your wish.
Tang Qian sat on the bench and thought to himself.
But no one expected that the opportunity would come so quickly, because during the warm-up, Howard somehow strained his groin. Immediately, he was supported and limped back to the team's locker room.
This change was really beyond Tang Qian's expectation, and it was also beyond the expectations of the Lakers management and Lakers head coach.
There was no other way, so Mike D'Antoni had no choice but to assign Tang Qian to play again, replacing Howard as the starter to compete for the ball.
Before taking the field, Mike D'Antoni said apologetically: "Tang, I'm sorry, I can only count on you now. I hope you will put the interests of the team first and put aside your personal burdens for the time being." Tang Qian nodded after hearing this.
Replied: "Mr. D'Antoni, don't worry, I am not someone who will not put my personal emotions above the team."
Hearing what Tang Qian said, Mike D'Antoni was both moved and slightly guilty. After a pause, he opened his mouth and said: "That's good, that's good. I know you've always been great, hot."
"Mr. D'Antoni, just watch. I will definitely play a wonderful game and shut up all those who doubt you! I promise!" After Tang Qian finished speaking, he took off his thermal training clothes.
He ran up to the center circle with long strides.
But he didn't know that this call made Mike D'Antoni stunned.
Because D'Antoni remembered that last year, in New York, there seemed to be such a yellow-skinned young man who said similar things to him. But last time, his position was not firm, so he finally let the young man go away to a distant place.
Texas, and because of this incident, he offended the "big guys" of the Knicks, so he had to "take the blame and resign."
So this time...how should I choose?
Is it another choice?
Firm? Swinging? Not firm? Not supportive? How to choose?
Mike D'Antoni looked at the retreating No. 29 and suddenly fell into deep thought.
PS: Don’t think that Xiao Zi deliberately injured Warcraft. The fact is that in this game, Howard really missed the game due to injury, and it was temporary. So, it’s cheaper for Tang Qian~~~Haha~~~
Xiao Zi will find time to break out in the past few days, so I would like to thank everyone for your support~ Otherwise Xiao Zi’s conscience will be uneasy~~~