Chapter 56: Fight the Lakers Again
On February 22, 1999, the Nuggets sat at home and once again challenged the Lakers.
After Jordan's second retirement, the situation in the entire league has shown a trend of being strong in the west and weak in the east.
Recently, the Lakers visited Denver for the second time, and the last away loss made the Lakers very unwilling to get the court back.
In the latest official power rankings released by the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs are ranked first in the league, and perhaps O'Neal's strength, the Los Angeles Lakers, who are only 5-5, are still ranked fourth in the league.
The Nuggets are ranked low, and although there are signs of revival, they are still at the bottom of the table due to the short time they have been.
However, Nuggets fans have always believed that this season's Nuggets are on the path of revival, and although they are slightly lower in the rankings, they do not fully reflect the strength of the Nuggets.
In addition, from the perspective of record, it is slightly worse than the Lakers. What's more, being able to beat the Lakers last time doesn't mean that you can't this time.
The Nuggets have nothing to say about the outside world's evaluation, and they have sharpened their knives and are ready to face the Lakers.
In this shrinking season, the Nuggets' goal is very clear, which is to advance to the playoffs, and they haven't made the playoffs in three years.
Pepsi Center Arena, Nuggets fans came to the arena on time, many of them wearing sky blue jerseys, looking forward to the start of the game!
If you look closely, you can see that there are a lot of fans wearing the number 1 shirt.
There is no doubt that Chi Liang's phenomenal performance has conquered many people and made them become fans of Chi Liang.
"Hello everyone, I'm Bob the narrator, and next to me is my good partner Tom. As we all know, this game means a lot to us, we have lost three in a row and if we continue to lose, the morale of the team is bound to suffer a lot. ”
Before the game started, the commentator Bob began to warm up for the game, which was also his job.
"Bob is right, especially this time against the Los Angeles Lakers, although last time we had the last laugh, but everyone knows how difficult it can be, especially O'Neal, he's a monster and it's hard for us to stop him. Fortunately, our fourth quarter king has been lifted, and I hope he will continue to play the magic of the last game in this game! ”
At this time, Tom began to interface, and naturally crowned Chi Liang with the title of 'King of the Fourth Quarter'.
"I think the fans in the stadium also want him to continue his amazing performance. Okay, without further ado, let's turn our attention back to tonight's game. ”
After finishing speaking, Bob took out a piece of paper with the starting lists of both sides written on it, and continued: "The Lakers' lineup is unchanged from last time, it is still O'Neal, Red, Jones, Kobe and Harper. What surprised me was the starting lineup of the Nuggets, Lafrentz, McDyce, Fortson, Billups and Ji Liang. That's right, from the positional point of view, in this game, our fourth quarter king acts as a point guard, and I don't know if he can do it! ”
"I believe that Ji Liang is up to the task, he has a high ball quotient, excellent passing and vision, and has a strong sense of the big picture and tactical execution. What's more, his ball control is not bad, and with so many advantages, he must be able to suppress Harper, and maybe have an unexpected effect! ”
"A 205 cm point guard, I think his template should be a magician! Well, let's welcome the starters on the pitch with a warm voice! ”
Under Bob's passionate voice, the stadium lights dimmed instantly, and the bright spotlight fell on the entrance of the players' tunnel.
"Let us welcome with the warmest applause...... The king of the fourth section, Chi Liang! ”
With the hoarse voice of the DJ sounding, in the strong sound effect, Ji Liang took the lead, although it was not the finale, but it was the first to appear, which was also affirmed by the team.
Amid the enthusiastic cheers of the fans, Ji Liang slowly left the players' tunnel and waved his arms around, and suddenly the fans responded with more enthusiastic voices.
Looking around, he seemed to be in a sky blue ocean at this time, and his heart was a little more turbulent, full of indescribable excitement.
Driven by Chi Liang, the Pepsi Center was filled with stronger cheers. Crazy fans cheered for Ji Liang's return, and they hoped that Ji Liang would continue his magical play and lead the Nuggets to move forward.
After Ji Liang's return from suspension, coupled with the Lakers' strong desire for revenge, this game became the focus of battle from the beginning.
Chi Liang was banned for 3 games, and the Nuggets ushered in three consecutive defeats, which naturally reflects the importance of Chi Liang, and Nuggets fans are all eagerly looking forward to Chi Liang's comeback.
After Ji Liang came out, soon Billups, Fortson, Lafrenz and other players began to appear one by one.
As for the last player to play, it is naturally McDyes, in these games, McDyes's performance is very stable, contributing an average of 20+10 data per game, and he is undoubtedly a top power forward.
Standing in front of Chi Liang, McDeis sighed and said: "Fortunately, you have lifted the ban, otherwise it is hard for me to imagine whether the team will lose the game again, or even have big problems!"
After Chi Liang and others were suspended, even if McDyce tried his best, the manpower was sometimes exhausted and failed to bring any victory to the Nuggets.
Now that Chi Liang has lifted the ban, McDyce is relieved, although Van Exel and Williams have not yet lifted the ban, but with Chi Liang's help, they can better connect the team's offense, at least a little more certain.
"Don't worry, as long as we join forces, the Nuggets will no longer be a fish belly, and we will definitely win the next game!"
Ji Liang's eyes were bright, and after a few days of rest, he couldn't wait to play and release the power he had accumulated for a long time.
To put it simply, Ji Liang is in a burst of state and can exert stronger strength.
"With your words, I'm relieved!"
patted Ji Liang on the shoulder, and McDyes's face had a little more smile on his face, showing a relieved expression.
When everything is ready, this game against the Lakers is about to begin!
After the start of the game, players from both sides come to the court and start the jumping phase.
The alignment of the players on both sides is clear at a glance, and the Lakers have a slight advantage, especially the center position, poor Lafrentz, who is about to be devastated by O'Neal again!
At this time, when Chi Liang glanced at the Lakers lineup, especially the 38-year-old 'old' Harper, he instantly had a bottom in his heart!
If Harper is a few years younger, Chi Liang naturally does not dare to take it lightly, but now Harper is at the end of his career, and his physical fitness must have declined a lot, and it is difficult to stop Chi Liang's play.