For any team that has been on a winning streak, on the one hand, it can keep players confident in the game, and on the other hand, it can also discourage players from pursuing victory, and this practice applies regardless of the sport, so any record-breaking winning streak is rare for a top-tier professional game like the NBA. In soccer, players have enough time to adjust because of the long intervals between games, whereas in basketball, there will be very little time for players to adjust.

The Lakers are now facing such a situation, on the one hand, the players are looking forward to equaling or even setting a new record, and on the other hand, they are beginning to worry about whether they will become the laughing stock of the media if they lose, especially since the Lakers are a team dominated by young players, and the change in the mentality of the players will seriously affect the team's state in the game.

On January 24, Seattle Key Arena, a stadium with a capacity of more than 17,000 people, was only opened in October 1995 and is one of the relatively new arenas in the league.

SuperSonics owner Schultz is one of the more stingy owners in the league, and one of the purposes of renting the Key Arena is to save money, compared to other teams' home arenas, which can accommodate about 20,000 people, the Key Arena is new but not outstanding.

Last season, the Seattle SuperSonics played under Gary Payton and Sean Kemp, and although they were only swept by the Lakers in the playoffs, their strength was recognized by the league. Sean Kemp left Cleveland this season, but the team is still one of the strongest teams in the West this year, with a 32-9 record so far that ranks third in the West, and if the Lakers are too strong this year, the SuperSonics are likely to go one step further.

The SuperSonics are well prepared for this game, and they hope to snipe at the Lakers at home, and no team wants to be the backdrop for someone else to make history.

The referee of this game is Dick Bavota, the oldest qualified player in the NBA, and the other two referees are also very good Bob Delaney and Ted Bonhardt, which shows the importance that the league attaches to this game.

Dick Bawota's most famous game in the NBA was the 1984 game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, and it was in this game that the two most popular superstars in the league at the time, Larry Bird and "Dr. J" Julius Irving, exchanged fists and kicks, and Dick Bavota sent the two off without the slightest hesitation. And Dirk Bawota is physically outstanding, and he has never missed a game in the years of enforcement.

Before the start of the game, George Krent gathered the players together.

"How's it feeling, boys? Isn't it exciting? I definitely don't know what you're thinking now, because I didn't even play in the NBA back then, and you're much better than me, and if I could be as good as you back then, I'd definitely not be a coach now, maybe I'd be a Hollywood star, haha, of course, if I was a star, I wouldn't be the protagonist. George's words made the young people who were so excited that their hands trembled a little relaxed.

"George, the one who can be a star must be Lee, he is much more handsome than you, haha." O'Neill didn't have the slightest scruple about the manager's face.

"You're right, Shaq, that guy Lee is indeed much more handsome than me, but I think I'm also much more handsome than you. Alright, lads, take it easy and let's continue to have fun with the game as usual and enjoy the thrill of attacking. George didn't say much, he knew that saying too much might have a bad effect.

At the beginning of the game, O'Neal jumped the ball to win, and Liu Han grabbed the ball and passed directly to Nash, who had run to the frontcourt.

Gary Payton is still the core of the SuperSonics' outside defense, and he went straight to Liu Han.

Nash saw Jose Hawkins of the opposing team following him after receiving the ball, Hawkins' speed was quite fast, Nash lost the opportunity to break fast, so he had to stabilize the ball and wait for his teammates to settle down.

Liu Han took Gary Payton and ran directly to the weak side of the baseline, O'Neal wanted to be in the position inside, and Nash dropped the ball to O'Neal.

O'Neal received the ball and squeezed away supersonic center Jim McIlwayne, who was a white center with a height of two meters and a six, with a good mid-range shot, but not much power and speed. O'Neal squeezed out the opposing center and pulled up a dunk directly to take the lead for the Lakers.

The SuperSonics have not been very good offensively since Sean Kemp left, and Kemp was the most secure offensive player on the SuperSonics at the time.

The Lakers' defensive strategy is to squeeze Gary Payton, which is the core of the supersonic operation.

Liu Han directly targeted Gary Payton, and Nash couldn't prevent Payton, so he had to let Liu Han come.

The Lakers' defense surprised Payton, who thought that since the Lakers were known for their sharp offense and smooth coordination, they must not be very good defensively, but now it seems that the Lakers' defense is not so simple.

The SuperSonics failed to score in the first round of offense, and Wenbeck broke through to the basket and was directly fanned by O'Neal, and finally the offensive time was fast enough for Payton to make a hasty shot and shoot a three-no-stick shot directly.

The SuperSonics were afraid that the Lakers would launch a fast attack, so the speed of the defense was fast, and Nash saw that there was no chance to break quickly, so he slowly dribbled the ball through the half.

After halftime, Liu Han took the initiative to come up to receive the ball, Nash handed the ball to Liu Han, O'Neal came out to cover, Nash and Ray Allen made a transposition cover, Supersonic was destroyed by Nash and Ray Allen's running position, and Ray Allen was empty at 45 degrees on the left side.

Liu Han noticed the vacancy of Ray Allen after passing through O'Neal's cover, and he did not turn his head to observe Ray Allen's position, but passed the ball directly to Ray Allen's position with his feelings.

The Lakers players have developed chemistry with each other after half a season of running-in, they all know each other's runs, Liu Han's pass is very in place and immediate, and Ray Allen received the ball without hesitation and hit three points directly.

This is the first time this season that the SuperSonics have played against the Lakers, compared to the Lakers team last season, now this Lakers team is completely like a different team, and their tactics are beyond the current tactical system.

As the game continued, the Lakers' defense put the SuperSonics under a lot of pressure, and their first few offenses failed to score, instead allowing the Lakers to seize the opportunity for a fast break.

SuperSonics head coach George Karl saw something was wrong and called a timeout less than five minutes into the first quarter.

George Carr saw that their current white center McIlvain was a complete burden on the court, his speed was too slow, and there was no way to keep up with the Lakers' rapid rotation, so George Carr directly replaced the center at the timeout and replaced it with the two-meter-tall Dalle Ellis, hoping to keep up with the Lakers in terms of speed, and he also required the players to quickly change positions in defense.

The game continued, and the SuperSonics finally scored two points from a mid-range shot by Weinbeck thanks to the efforts of their teammates, breaking an embarrassing zero score.

The Lakers didn't make any changes, they have a lot of roster and can play a lot of combinations, and George believes the players will be good enough to handle the change. (To be continued.) )