Chapter 355: The Final Test
ps: On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion, I was still alone and inexplicably lost. Pen | fun | pavilion www. biquge。 info
The two watches are over, and there should be more at night.
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The previous game against the Cavaliers was about who could maintain the league's No. 1 record. In the end, the Lakers won and solidified their advantage. And the subsequent victory over the Bucks made the Lakers' league No. 1 record even more solid. It can be said that if nothing else, the Cavaliers have no hope of overtaking the Lakers to take the first place.
In such a situation, how many wins the Lakers can get has become the focus of attention from the outside world. You know, last season's Lakers' record was 58 wins, and this season's Lakers surpassing 58 wins is already a certainty. Many people think that the Lakers have a chance of winning 65 wins, and Chu Xuan will continue to win the honor of the best coach in the league.
However, 65 wins is only a slightly optimistic estimate. Because it is still quite difficult for the Lakers to get 65 wins.
Looking at the schedule, the biggest test for the Lakers for the rest of the season is from the road trip from March 26 to April 2. The Lakers play five on the road against the Mavericks, Spurs, Grizzlies, Thunder and Kings. This is the final test for the Lakers, and it is also about the Lakers' final record.
Judging by the strength of the opponents, it will not be difficult to defeat the Mavericks who have lost Anthony and Nowitzki. The Grizzlies have a poor record this season due to injuries, and have now given up on the next games to fight for draft picks. Obviously, the Lakers beating the Grizzlies should not be a big problem.
The biggest test of the five-game game is the Spurs, Thunder and Kings. The Thunder is okay to say, because this team has locked up the playoff spots, and the ranking is relatively good, the fighting spirit has dropped slightly, and in the case of the playoffs are imminent, they will not fight to the death with a strong opponent like the Lakers.
However, as for the Spurs and Kings, both teams are now fighting for a playoff spot, and the game against the Lakers has a very big impact on their record. Obviously, the two teams aiming for the playoffs will definitely do their best to play the Lakers. Considering the energy of the Spurs themselves and the Kings' 3-0 record, the Lakers don't have a particularly big win against either team.
Therefore, this five-game trip, the Lakers' achievements will be extremely crucial.
From the Lakers management to the players and coaches, they all attach great importance to this road trip.
The Lakers had better be fully prepared for the final challenge before the playoffs, and Kobe Bryant shouted a 5-0 slogan to the team.
As the head coach, Chu Xuan only put forward one requirement for the players, that is, to pay attention to protecting the body and avoiding accidental injuries.
It seems that Chu Xuan's consideration is based on the overall situation, after all, the Lakers are aiming for the playoffs and the eventual championship, and health is undoubtedly the most important. After all, they worked hard for a season, didn't it just for the playoffs? Therefore, Chu Xuan was even more prepared to give up the next schedule for the playoffs when necessary.
On the 26th, the Lakers' morale was like a rainbow and they began a five-game trip.
In Dallas, against the Mavericks, who had no star players at the center, the Lakers easily won 92-75. LaVine had 26 points and 6 boards, Whiteside had 6 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, and Kobe Bryant had 13 points and 10 assists.
The victory in the first game is a very good sign and a great encouragement for the Lakers players.
Subsequently, on the 27th, the Lakers played the Spurs back-to-back, which was the biggest test of the five-game game.
The Spurs currently have the ninth record in the West, and if they lose to the Lakers, the Spurs will face a very passive situation and the chances of making the playoffs will be very small.
As expected, the Spurs opted to beat the Lakers, AT& amp; The atmosphere in the center of the center makes you feel like you're on a battlefield. Popovich showed off his extraordinary on-court coaching, and the Spurs played a very good defensive rotation and caused the Lakers a lot of problems.
The situation of the game has been extremely anxious, and the score of the two teams has not been opened. You must know that the Lakers players are a little tired because of back-to-back, and they are slightly lacking in tenacity. In the third quarter of the game, the Lakers failed to bite the score, and the Spurs began to take the advantage, and the situation of the game began to become extremely passive.
The Spurs' tenacious traits are truly the most terrifying. In this game, it can be said that every round, even every pass and run, the Spurs players are doing their best. And in this way, the Lakers breathed a sigh of relief and finally lost the game.
The Spurs defeated the Lakers 116-104 to move the team's record to 39-34, and the chances of making the playoffs have become very high. And the Lakers can only regret that they failed to prevent the Spurs from reaching the playoffs, making the future playoffs more uncertain. However, the pressure on the Lakers is not great, because a loss has no special impact on the Lakers.
In this game, the battle between LaVine and Leonard became the biggest highlight, and it was even more frantically reported by the media after the game and talked about by fans.
LaVine faced Leonard's defense, contributing 27 points and 4 rebounds on 9-of-18 shooting, which was extremely efficient and proved his strength. After all, he's up against one of the league's top perimeter defenders.
As the future leader of the Spurs, in this key game of the season, Leonard contributed 29 points, 8 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Like, maybe he can really be called "Spurs Jordan".
It is worth mentioning that the old man Duncan also played well, facing Whiteside and Noll, Duncan shot 8 of 10, 4 of 4 free throws, and contributed 20 points and 7 boards. It makes people feel rejuvenated.
……
On the 29th, the Lakers visited Memphis and ushered in the third opponent in a five-game row.
The Grizzlies' biggest gratification this season is undoubtedly that they have gained a very coveted backcourt combination, Conley + Rothen.
Conley's current performance is maintained at 17+8, while Roten's is 20+4+4. The division of labor between the two is extremely clear, which makes the Grizzlies' backcourt even more threatening.
After the game against the Spurs, the Lakers can be said to be very, very tired. The consumption of that game was too great, and the most intuitive manifestation of this was the almost loss to the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies are in full bloom and are not lagging behind in the confrontation with the Lakers. The anxiety lasted until the final minutes of the game, and finally thanks to Kobe's efforts to turn the tide, the Lakers narrowly won 104-98. The game was very thrilling and took a big toll on the morale of the Lakers.
Bryant contributed 22 points and 8 assists, and his contribution in this game is not fully reflected by the statistics. You know, his few key shots in the final moments were absolutely salvage.
LaVine, who has been 25+ in two consecutive games, is in poor shape in this game, with an offensive efficiency of only 6-of-19, and his best three-point shot is only 1-of-9.
However, Knoll's outburst filled LaVine's loss, and in this game, Knoll slashed 26 points and had 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and 4 assists...... (To be continued.) )