Chapter 705 It's the next game that makes people desperate
On January 20th, U.S. time, in the 42nd game of the Lakers regular season, just halfway through the season schedule, Kobe Bryant fell down on the 24th. Although it was at the United Center in Chicago, it still made many Lakers fans feel heartbroken.
rise.
Everyone knows that if this Lakers team loses Kobe, everything will be over. With 33 wins and 8 losses, third in the Western Conference, these results will soon be wiped out. The current Lakers team is really like
It was like being hit by an injury curse. First, Nash and Gasol failed to return from surgery, and the recovery time was prolonged or uncertain. Then during the season, Steve Blake and Jordy Meeks fell one after another. Unconsciously,
The Los Angeles Lakers have already experienced a "employment shortage", and they have to go to the Development League and the free market to sign some cheap personnel to make up the number.
And now Mitch Kupchak is also in trouble. Because of Tang Qian's outstanding performance, his "brilliant martial arts" suddenly became a thing of the past. Everyone made fun of and ridiculed him about this matter. In addition to the Bynum incident later, it became even more
This caused his reputation and fan support to plummet and be greatly reduced. To make matters worse, Jim Buss began to lose ground in the Lakers' board of directors, which allowed the latter to invisibly spread some of his anger on him.
On the body.
If he can't come up with a good deal again, then Jenny Buss will not let him go, and neither will Bass Jr..
Decades of Lakers career will come to an end.
It ended in embarrassment.
How could Mitch Kupchak endure this? So he worked actively and turned on his horsepower!
He couldn't let that Bonnie Laughlin take another step forward.
The next step is to replace yourself.
So no matter what dissatisfaction Jenny He's faction has, he must first resolve the crisis at hand and make some changes, otherwise the dissatisfaction of Lakers fans will soon erupt.
Before and after the All-Star break and before the free market closes, he must complete a successful transaction.
At least it has to look bright and good.
Otherwise, a word from Jenny can make him fall to the bottom. Who knows that he has made frequent mistakes this offseason and has extremely bad luck. First, he was tricked by Dwight Howard, which caused the Lakers to have no luck until the start of the preseason.
No new players were signed to reinforce the team. Later, they tried to find Andrew Bynum to save the situation, but they still failed. At this time, the Lakers were gradually filled with injuries, and Kobe played the entire team for many consecutive games.
This made him, the general manager of the team, suddenly become a "roast on the charcoal fire", without much time to think and buffer.
What status? What conflicts? What family struggles? Let’s keep our position first.
Otherwise, after leaving the position of general manager of the team, he will not have any delusional ambitions.
How to do it? How to do it? You must let Lakers fans see your own initiative, your own positivity, and your own role!
Facts have proven that many times, people are forced out. If Kobe hadn't made a "forced move" in 2007, then Gasol probably wouldn't have come from Memphis at all. Because Mitch Kupchak's original words back then were,
Wait a few more years, when Andrew Bynum becomes an All-Star, and we'll have a renaissance. He'll mature soon, give him some time.
At that time, Kobe was already between 29 and 30 years old. You asked him to wait? Can he still afford to wait?
Once any star turns 30, it’s hard to predict what will happen next, and decline will be something he has to face. Even if Kobe is full of confidence and thinks he can maintain it until at least 35 years old, that’s just maintenance.
It may be improved. And there is a very important point. If it continues to be delayed, it is very likely that he will give up power to the young Bynum and become the "second boss"?
The word e.on~ may not matter to others, but Kobe, this is a word he never wants to hear again in his life.
So he could only come up with this strategy to "force" the management. From the attitude of the Lakers players afterwards, it can be seen that most of them supported Kobe's "forcement". That's why Gasol joined later.
Otherwise, if we really have to follow the "original plan", it is estimated that Kobe will not be able to win the next two championships.
Because history has proven that Bynum is a big man with a limited upper limit and an intolerable body.
You wait hard for this kind of person to mature, but in the end, "poof", he gets injured again and turns into a glass man. So what's the point of waiting ahead? There's nothing you can do this time, Mitch Kupchak
He became extremely proactive, but do you think Gasol has a second one? Do you think other teams have Jerry West "undercover"?
Sometimes being anxious can lead to wisdom, and sometimes it is the complete opposite, and it turns into a medical emergency.
Kobe fell down. Looking at the slow-motion replay, he was unstable when he landed, then tilted his body and accidentally stepped on the instep of Mike Dunleavy... causing this injury. Headed by Gary Vitti
The Lakers medical team rushed forward quickly, first checked Kobe's basic condition, and then without further ado, put the Lakers on a stretcher on the 24th.
Needless to say, this posture was just to carry Kobe back to the locker room.
Generally speaking, it is not a good situation to be carried directly back to the locker room.
Lakers fans felt as if they had been punched in the heart. Could it be that... the tragedy of last season was about to happen again?
Because there was still overtime to play, the Lakers players could not follow him back to the locker room. After arriving in the locker room, Kobe endured the pain, turned his head and looked at Gary Vitti, who was checking him in detail, and whispered: "The situation
How is it? Can I still play?"
Gary Vitti did not answer immediately, but continued to check with the help of several assistants.
Seeing that Gary Vitti didn't speak, Kobe's heart suddenly went cold. He said: "Am I reimbursed again? Is that so? Gary, please tell me the truth." Gary Vitti asked the assistants behind him to record
After reading a few pieces of information and data, he raised his head and said to Kobe: "If this were the finals, believe me, Kobe, I would find a way to continue letting you play, but now, but not tonight."
"You must stay in the locker room and wait for a more detailed inspection of the equipment tomorrow and last night."
Kobe heard the hidden meaning of this sentence and immediately said: "In other words, this injury is not serious, right? It is just an ordinary sprain, right? Gary?" As if he guessed what Kobe wanted to say next.
, this time Gary Vitti decisively rejected the Lakers' call on the 24th: "Kobe, the current examination may be just an ordinary sprain, but you are now 35 years old and will be 36 in half a year. Do you think you have the ability to recover?"
Can it still be compared with when you were 20 years old? Besides, last season, because you had continuous injuries and did not take a rest, your body collapsed and caused a torn Achilles tendon. I will never allow this to happen a second time.
.”
"Gary I..."
"No need to say more, Kobe, I am a doctor now. Unless you ask Mitch Kupchak to fire me, there is absolutely no way I will let you continue to play tonight! Don't even think about it again!" Gary
In a rare and extremely tough attitude, Vitti said: "For us doctors, the body is not a divided individual, it is a complete whole, do you understand? Even though you may only have a sprained ankle now, it is also
A physical warning, think about how you injured your Achilles tendon last season."
"Gary, are you exaggerating? My own body, my own..."
"Exaggeration?" Gary Vitti said: "If you could listen to me last season and take a rest when you were injured in front of you, do you think you would tear your Achilles tendon? For a regular season, you would probably
You gave up your future career time. Do you understand? Besides, Kobe, think about why you were injured just now? If your leg strength and waist and abdominal strength had not declined, how could you end up with an unstable landing? How could you
Step on your opponent's instep?"
"If you had enough strength and stabilized your landing, you wouldn't have been injured at all."
"So, you have to get off the court and rest now. Listen to me, Kobe. It's not the same as last season. Losing one game is not such a big loss. Our Lakers are still third in the Western Conference, not last year's Western Conference
Tenth. For the sake of the upcoming schedule and the playoffs, you can’t act on your impulse!"
During Gary Vitti's detailed analysis, No. 24 fell silent. He did not speak, but the former already knew what he meant.
"Take a good rest. You have done enough in this game. Leave it to your teammates later." Gary Vitti said and left the locker room with the people, because they had to go to the scene to keep an eye on them in case they wanted to.
Another injury occurs.
Kobe took a deep breath, then lay half-ly on the massage sofa chair and watched the live TV broadcast in the locker room.
For some reason, No. 24 suddenly spoke in a low voice: "Hom, the next step is up to you."
Kobe Bryant was injured and left the game. Although it was an unplanned matter, it gave the Bulls a great chance to win the game. Because everyone knows who is usually responsible for key goals and goals for the Lakers.
This is especially true at critical times, especially this season when they are extremely short of attackers.
Without No. 24, the current lineup of the Lakers this season is not a threat and is not worth mentioning.
Victory without force? That is not something that the head coach should consider. How many times in NBA history have we won without force and finally became a hero? The details of history can be ignored, but the honor itself will not be washed away.
Seeing the return of Gary Vitti and his team, the Lakers players, including Mike D'Antoni, anxiously asked: "How is it? How is Gary Bryant's injury?" Gary Vitti's words made my heart hang.
Halfway down, he said: "The initial inspection is just a normal sprain. If there are no other problems after the equipment inspection tomorrow, I estimate that it will be fully recovered within a week."
"Huh~" Mike D'Antoni breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously, otherwise he was really afraid that Lakers fans and Kobe fans would cause trouble for him. This kind of situation has never happened in NBA history.
"Well, since Bryant's problem is not too big, let's worry about him later. Now let's solve the immediate problem first." Mike D'Antoni said: "Without Kobe Bryant, we will have to solve the tough problem.
We rely on moving the ball to attack, but don't lose confidence, because the Bulls' strongest core is also lying on the hospital bed now. They, like us, don't have the illusion that they can't beat them in advance."
After talking to stabilize the morale of the army, D'Antoni took out the tactical board and began to lay out tactics: "We will play tactics No. 45 later. Jordan, you dribble to the top of the arc and the rest..."
In the direction of the Bulls, Tom Thibodeau said loudly: "Kill them! Without Kobe, they are just lizards without teeth. Nothing can stop our horns in Chicago! In 5 minutes! I hope we can go back to the locker room and have a good time.
bath!"
"By the way, don't relax on defense! We want to defeat our opponents 100%! Not 80% or 90%! Do you understand?"
"I understand, sir, don't worry. It couldn't be easier to kill the Lakers without Kobe." Several Bulls players said this. Judging from their looks, they probably felt that the overall situation was decided.
After coming on the field, the ball resumed and Tang Qian easily defeated Joakim Noah and helped the Lakers gain the right to attack.
81-81, the two sides continued the competition for the last 5 minutes.
At this point, everyone is very tired, but no one dares to be discouraged, otherwise the previous 48 minutes will be in vain.
The person who replaced Kobe was the recently signed Manny Harris. He came from the Los Angeles Defenders of the Development League, but he was an attacker with a very low shooting percentage. He played as a substitute for most of his career.
In the Cavaliers, his shooting percentage is still shit, with an average of less than 40%. Now he has to face one of the strongest defensive teams in the league and the main lineup. What data do you think he can produce?
The current lineup of the Lakers is Jordan Farmar, Wesley Johnson, Manny Harris, Jordan Hill, and Tang Qian.
God, this lineup is really "LOW" to a certain extent.
Even without Rose, the Bulls are much more gorgeous than them.
Except for Tang Qian, no one can make more than 4 million US dollars. If Jordan Hill is removed, it will be two basic salaries + a ten-day short contract. The total of the three people is less than 2.5 million US dollars. This lineup is weak.
They are all snickering.
The Bulls successfully stole the ball at the beginning, and then made a mid-range shot. The Lakers' perimeter defense almost completely collapsed.
It turns out that there is at least one Kobe who can kill a point. Now, from position 1 to position 3, it is equivalent to being fully blossomed, and you can pick and choose. 81-83, the Lakers are 2 points behind.
In the offensive round, this time I carefully protected the ball and reached the frontcourt, but in the end I didn't find a chance. Manny Harris forced a throw, but he was not Kobe, and even Nick Young was far inferior. This kind of goal was scored
There is a ghost.
Bang~ turned into a rebound ball.
Tang Qian fought hard against Joakim Noah to get the offensive rebound, and then he passed the ball and Wesley Johnson took the shot.
No shot! The Bulls' defensive formation is very neat. There is no breakthrough expert or scoring superman. Don't try to break through easily. Under Jimmy Butler's entanglement, Wesley Johnson took action.
Didn't score again! Without Kobe and the offensive firepower at the last minute, the Lakers were really miserable!
D'Antoni was really worried when a big hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the offensive rebound again.
Tom Thibodeau was so angry that he shouted loudly: "Joakim! Are you sleepwalking? Can't you even protect the defensive rebound? Stuck! Stuck! Stuck this Eastern center!!!"
Joakim Noah is also very aggrieved. He has been playing basketball for so long, and this is the first time he has seen an insider with such a strong rebounding ability!
To say that he is averaging 11+ rebounds per game this season, he is one of the top ten rebounders in the league. He is an absolute mainstay in rebound protection. But when he met this Oriental, it was as if his bones had been extracted.
So far, I have only grabbed 8 rebounds, and more than half of these 8 rebounds were obtained in the second quarter when No. 29 was away.
This shows that he has never won a few times in front of the Lakers center, and was suppressed by the entire audience.
Tang Qian passed the ball, and Jordan Farmar made a 2-pointer, which tied the game at 83-83.
Afterwards, the Bulls scored 2 points through a pick-and-roll. Tang Qian could only open his eyes and watch, unable to get motivated.
But luckily for the offensive rebound, Tang Qian got the chance. He saw the opportunity and succeeded in making a back-up dunk. Bang~, the score was tied again.
85-85.
This made Tom Thibodeau angrily call a timeout, and then he yelled: "What's going on? How did you get the rebound? Can the Lakers still win without Kobe? Ah???"
Mr. Thibodeau, that Oriental, is very powerful, and he feels that he should be in peak condition." Boozer interjected, which was actually a defense and a cover for himself and Joakim Noah."
I exploded? So what if I exploded? Is that an excuse for you guys not being able to protect defensive rebounds? Let me tell you, one person can beat two people. In my opinion, there is only one reason!" Tom.
Thibodeau didn't follow Boozer's advice at all. Instead, he said even louder: "Carlos, Joakim, tell me, who of you just sacrificed and who was stuck?"
The two of them were silent, because no one did this just now.
"We are not a team that needs to play defensive counterattack, so offensive rebounds don't matter, defensive rebounds must be protected, do you understand?" Seeing that he had shocked Boozer, an "old fritter", Thibodeau
Directly arranged: "I know that Dongfang center is very strong, but the rebounds belong to five people. If one person can't grab it, we can use two or three people to grab it for him!"
"Do you know why Dennis Rodman's rebounding dropped so much in the playoffs? It's because no matter how strong his rebounding ability is, he can't beat a group of opponents!" Thibodeau drew on the tactical board: "The next game.
, we adopt a rebounding style of play, we don’t need defensive counterattacks and fast breaks, we only need to protect the rebounds.”
"Joakim, you stand here, Carlos, you stand here, Jimmy, you stand here, Mike, you stand here..."
Thibodeau immediately pointed out the problem of the Bulls' defensive rebounding. The offensive team needs to retreat, so at most 1 or 2 people are trying to get rebounds. Otherwise, they will not retreat in time or get into position in time, and they will be easily defeated.
The opponent launched a defensive counterattack with a high success rate. Therefore, it is not difficult to deal with Tang Qian's offensive rebounds. You only need to let all 4 or even 5 Bulls players enter the rebound, block people and protect the rebound.
In this way, no matter whether you are Tang Qian or Rodman, you can't easily grab the rebound.
The price is to basically abandon defensive counterattacks and focus on positioning and positional warfare throughout the entire process.
But is this problem a problem for the Chicago Bulls? No! Because they play slow-paced and strong confrontation basketball, there is usually no defensive counterattack and offensive-defensive transition. Otherwise, you would think that in this era, they would only let their opponents
How do you achieve an average of about 91 points per game? In addition to the strong defensive system, another way is to reduce offensive and defensive rounds and play more positioning and positioning battles.
The Bulls themselves can only score around 92-93 points this season, and this is an example.
What is this concept? It’s just the team that averages the fewest points per game in the league.
The number of offensive and defensive rounds is naturally the lowest in the league.
In fact, this is the form that the Lakers want to learn the most, but there is no tacit understanding, the overall defense is too weak, and the head coach is not a defensive coach, so they are powerless and can only follow the pattern, playing in a tangible and ineffective manner.
The outside line relies entirely on Kobe, and the inside line relies entirely on Tang Qian. This is the so-called positional tactics of the Lakers.
Completely different from the Bulls.
To put it bluntly, it's far from perfect.
After the timeout ended, the Bulls attacked again, brushed~, and scored again. The Lakers' outside line was really like paper, completely losing their defensive threat. The three players whose defensive level was all below the league level,
In addition, there is no tacit understanding and tactical cooperation, how can you expect them to play a defensive front that is above the standard? Thank God if they can reach the average level.
87-85, three outside points can't defend anyone, which gives Tang Qian a big headache. He is inside and he is the core of defense, but this does not mean that he can guard five by himself. Well, it's not impossible, but you have to
Give him a chance? People rarely enter the penalty area, what can he do? He can only do nothing! Because if he goes out, it means that the Lakers will lose rebounds.
Then you will lose.
Let’s take it step by step. After the Lakers made a few attempts on the outside, it was Manny Harris who took the shot again. This guy really dared to shoot. It’s a pity that this is not the Defenders team anymore, and the NBA is not the NBDL. Tang Qian
I can only pray for this old G League teammate, pray that he can make a blind shot.
It's a pity that God didn't go to work today, so I couldn't hear Tang Qian's prayers. So~, I shot the iron again.
Although Manny Harris finally changed his attitude in the Defenders and showed favor to Tang Qian, when he came to the NBA, in order to gain a foothold, he could only show off his strongest point as much as possible. And his strongest point is scoring.
His shooting, organization and connection, defense and steals were all in a mess. Therefore, he had no choice but to throw it away.
In fact, to be honest, Tang Qian thinks that Nick Young should be replaced at this time. The "singles king"'s singles ability is still much more reliable than this "old teammate", but D'Antoni doesn't like Nick Young, so he gave it to Mann instead.
nee harris chance.
It's a pity that he didn't grasp it. With this style of play and this shooting rate, he could only say "goodbye" to the Lakers after the 10-day contract ended and continue to make a living in the Development League.
Now is not the time to pity others. Tang Qian failed to grab the rebound and was taken by the Bulls.
It's not that he's not strong in explosiveness, it's just that the Bulls got two players on him and he couldn't move forward or move at all.
Different from the Warriors' two-man blocking last time, the Bulls gave up on defensive counterattacks. Their lineup did not guarantee 5 people to consolidate rebounds and ensure the ability to defend and counterattack at the same time. So the rebounds were grabbed.
But I can only watch the Lakers complete their retreat and form a complete defensive line.
But Thibodeau believes that the Bulls' defensive task has been completed, because the Lakers have loopholes on the outside, and their positional offense can also guarantee a high shooting rate. Sure enough, Jimmy Butler scored another one, guarding him
Manny Harris is not at the same level at all. There is a huge difference.
It's 85-89. If the game continues like this, the Lakers have no hope of winning.
Kobe finally got back into the overtime game, but it was about to be ruined.
Tang Qian's physical fitness is also declining rapidly. If... Fortunately, Tang Qian asked D'Antoni to replace Robert Sacre, and then he entered the "Rebound The.Zone" situation with high concentration, and then stopped.
To overcome the decline, he scored a goal with a put-back dunk, and also caused a defensive foul on Joakim Noah.
To add penalty time, Tang Qian had been thinking about it for a long time, and finally he put it in.
Suddenly recovered 3 points.
88-89, this made Thibodeau stand up again and shouted loudly: "Stocked! Concentrate on blocking! Those people who are blocked don't think about rebounds! Don't think about rebounds, understand!!! Just concentrate.
Concentrate on supporting people when you are stuck!!!”
The Bulls took action, and when~, they finally made a shot. No matter how bad the Lakers were from outside, the Bulls would not be able to score every shot. There was no suspense about the defensive rebound. Tang Qian grabbed it. So far, Tang Qian
Qian has grabbed 28 rebounds, only 2 short of reaching 30 times again.
But offensively, the Lakers are really not good at it. Bang~, the three-point shot flew, and it was still a high rebound. Tang Qian didn't even have the possibility to fight for it. The Bulls attacked and screened, brush~, and hit a three-pointer, 88-92.
Suddenly the score difference returned to 4 points.
Now all fools have seen the offensive firepower of the two teams, and if they want to win, they must find other ways.
On the offensive end, Tang Qian made his own choice. He started to go to the line to help the Lakers players in the pick-and-roll, and then made a false block and went directly to attack. Farmar almost missed the pass. After all, he is not Nash.
He is a passing master. When many balls come into his hands, they are no longer passing opportunities.
Fortunately, Tang Qian accidentally hit the ball and caught the ball. Then he took off and dunked. Joakim Noah took off and blocked the shot. It was too late and was dunked back by Lakers No. 29. In fact, the ball was suspected of being fouled by the latter.
But this was overtime, and it was the Bulls' home court, so the referee didn't blow the whistle.
90-92, Tang Qian has tried his best, and he has no chance to play this kind of ball again. Farmar's passing ability is too far behind Nash. If he plays again, he will definitely be targeted by the Bulls, which will directly cause the ball to be stolen or
Mistakes.
The Bulls made another shot. In the entire overtime, they have only missed one shot.
90-94, and obviously, the Bulls scored much easier than the Lakers, and the scene was completely different.
What should I do? Is there no chance? At this moment, Noah, who had been depressed for the whole game, gave Tang Qian behind him a hard elbow when he was blocked. To be honest, this may be intentional or unintentional.
Yes, but this elbow changed the overall situation of the entire game.
Tang Qian successfully entered the "moderate rage", and then began to rely on his strength to attack the ball on the offensive end. With his current strength and tonnage, after adding the "moderate rage", he was much stronger than before. It makes no sense at all.
, just grind it in, then get up and dunk to the basket! After two consecutive defensive fouls, Noah committed 6 fouls and was sent off the court directly by the referee.
All of a sudden, the Bulls' defense weakened by several percent.
In the end, the Bulls "unjustly died tragically" due to Tang Qian's brutal beating. After the game, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said this:
That Oriental Dinosaur ended us with a dunk! Ended the game! What else can I say? I can only ask the league to check if he has taken banned drugs!
The league did conduct a urine test on Tang Qian after the game, but there were no problems, so the Lakers were lucky enough to win the game and successfully continued their winning streak.
But this made Tang Qian unable to laugh, because after Kobe was "forcibly suspended to recuperate", his opponent in the next game was frighteningly strong.
Why do you say that? Because the next game is an away game against the defending champion Miami Heat!
And it’s back to back!
At the same time, something worse was happening.
PS: There is one more chapter, tens of thousands of words will explode tonight~