Perhaps it was a desperate victory, but the Lakers finally defeated the Cavaliers. After the game, the Lakers players also learned about Zhang Guan's joining.
However, they did not show any joy. The Lakers' current record is 17 wins and 32 losses, and they are almost unable to get five players to play. For such a team, even if the great Michael Jordan comes in person, it may not be possible. It can bring changes to the Lakers.
And the Lakers will go to Pennsylvania next to challenge the Philadelphia 76ers, a team with a worse record than the Lakers. Therefore, the Lakers players have no time to pay attention to what changes Zhang Guan's arrival will bring to the Lakers.
At the same time, in Los Angeles, Zhang Guan first transferred his equity in the Lakers to Hermione, which was also to save some unnecessary trouble. But in anyone’s opinion, this is just a change of the soup without changing the medicine. There is no difference between his girlfriend's ownership of the Lakers and Zhang Guan's ownership of the Lakers.
Then, Zhang Guan went through necessary procedures such as a physical examination, and the signing ceremony was postponed for one day because NBA President Xiao Hua had to come to Los Angeles to host the signing ceremony in person.
After the signing ceremony, it was time for reporters to ask questions.
"Zhang Guan, I am a reporter from the Los Angeles Times. Why did you choose to join the Lakers at this time?" A blond female reporter was the first to get the right to ask questions.
"In fact, the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA invite me every year, and I would like to express my gratitude to them for their love. I have said before that I will join the Lakers when they need me most. I think the current Lakers should be at their most important time. I have the time when I need it." Zhang Guan said with a smile.
Zhang Guan's words drew a burst of good-natured laughter. The Lakers' poor record of 17 wins and 32 losses so far, coupled with the dilemma of not even having five players, really need fresh blood to join.
"Zhang Guan, Lakers fans are very much looking forward to your joining. They even call you the Lakers' savior. How do you feel about this? Do you feel a lot of pressure?" Another reporter from the local Los Angeles media said. asked.
"Of course there is pressure. I am very grateful to the Lakers fans for their love for me. I will do my best to help the Lakers win." Zhang Guan replied.
Another reporter stood up and asked: "We are already halfway through the season, and there are about thirty more games to be played. What are your goals for the Lakers for the rest of the season?"
"Of course it's the playoffs." Zhang Guan replied without hesitation.
"Well, I'm very sorry. Maybe I didn't describe it clearly. I was referring to this season, not next season." The reporter said immediately.
"I'm talking about this season, this season's playoffs!" Zhang Guan said firmly.
"You mean, you want to lead the Lakers into the playoffs this season? Is that my understanding correct?" the reporter immediately asked.
"You understand correctly, there are still more than two months left before the end of the regular season this season, and during these two months, my goal is to lead the Lakers into the playoffs!"
Crash... The reporters at the scene immediately went crazy.
The playoffs, for the former Lakers, was such a small goal, so small that it couldn't even be considered a goal. But for today's Lakers, with a record of 17 wins and 32 losses, it is difficult to enter the playoffs. Like ascending to heaven.
"Did I hear you right? Zhang Guan said he would lead the Lakers into the playoffs. He really regards himself as the Lakers' savior!"
"With the current record of the Lakers, how is it possible to enter the playoffs!"
"I think Zhang Guan doesn't know much about the NBA schedule, so he said such unreliable things."
"Did Zhang Guan confuse the East and the West? This is the West. Now it's good that the Lakers' record is not at the bottom. Are they still in the playoffs?"
"In the Eastern Conference, with a record of 17 wins and 32 losses, it is unlikely to enter the playoffs. Now, all teams in the Eastern Conference that can reach the playoffs must have more than 20 wins!"
"Let me tell you, Zhang Guan is simply arrogant. Does he think he can dominate the NBA just by defeating the US team twice? International basketball is completely different from the NBA. Just wait and see, he will try it soon. Learned a lesson.
The reporters were discussing in a low voice, and almost everyone was questioning it. Some people felt that Zhang Guan did not understand the rules of the NBA and American basketball; while some people simply felt that Zhang Guan was being arrogant.
…
The news of Zhang Guan joining the Lakers has spread all over the world, and Zhang Guan's declaration that he will lead the Lakers into the playoffs is also widely known.
At the first opportunity, sports commentators in the United States spoke out one after another. These basketball commentators usually count on some topics to attract fans, but now that Zhang Guan has joined the NBA, they have jumped out one after another.
The first person to speak out was of course the former giant Starbucks. This guy was always a big mouth, and he even kissed a donkey's butt because of his unrestrained speech. But to be honest, Buckley's comments are still very professional, and just because he means what he says, he still proves that he has a good character.
"Entering the playoffs? This is 100% impossible for the current Lakers. The Lakers' record is now so bad that it can be said to be hopeless. Zhang Guan may be able to save the Lakers' record, but it is absolutely not possible. It may bring the Lakers into the playoffs! I think Zhang Guan must not know how fierce the competition is among the Western Conference teams this year. Among the teams currently ranked sixth to ninth in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors It is 30 wins and 20 losses, the Phoenix Suns are 29 wins and 20 losses, the Dallas Mavericks are 28 wins and 21 losses, and the Memphis Grizzlies are 26 wins and 21 losses. What a terrifying winning rate! The Minnesota Timberwolves, who are 10th in the Western Conference, hold 50% winning percentage, but are about to miss the playoffs. The Lakers have fallen too far behind, and there is no way they can catch up in the next two months!"
At the end, Barkley added very desperately: "If the Los Angeles Lakers can enter the playoffs this season, I am willing to kiss the donkey's butt again!"
Compared with Barkley, "Magic" Johnson's comments are more data-based.
"I think Zhang Guan probably doesn't know much about the NBA, so he said he wanted to lead the Lakers into the playoffs. The Lakers just defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in their last game, improving their record to 18 wins and 32 losses. But in the competition In the fierce Western Conference, this result is still at the bottom. The competition in the Western Conference this year is really cruel. The top teams in the Western Conference have won more than 40 games. I estimate that the Western Conference playoffs this year will be the worst. The threshold will reach an astonishing 50 wins! If the Lakers want to reach the 50-win threshold, they must win at least 32 games. Currently, the Lakers only have 32 regular season games left in total, which means that in the next In the game, the Lakers have to win every game, which is really an impossible task!"
"Magic" Johnson is also one of ESPN's commentators and a veteran of the Lakers, so he needs to be more polite when speaking.
Van Gundy Jr., the former head coach of the Rockets, said: "The Lakers are indeed unlucky this season. They have encountered a wave of injuries. The current Lakers indeed lack morale. Zhang Guan uses this method to motivate The morale of the Lakers players. I also don’t think Zhang Guan can lead the Lakers into the playoffs. The threshold for this year’s Western Conference playoffs is really too high.”
"And I advise Los Angeles Lakers fans not to have too much hope in Zhang Guan's report in the short term. After all, Zhang Guan has never played in the NBA, and he doesn't understand D'Antoni's tactics. It can be said that in the Lakers, Zhang Guan is a person who is completely outside the tactical system. It is still unclear how much role he can play, so I think the Lakers will continue to lose. By next month, Zhang Guan and the team will gradually Once they get used to it and adapt to the team's tactical system, the Lakers' performance will improve. Of course, the Lakers next season are still worth looking forward to. The Big Four composed of Gasol, Nash, Kobe and Zhang Guan, If I can stay healthy, I will be a favorite to win the championship!”
On the Internet, the comments from ordinary netizens are much more intense.
"The Lakers entering the playoffs is really a fantasy! The current Lakers are lucky enough to not be at the bottom, but they still expect to enter the playoffs! Zhang Guan is too arrogant! This is the United States , but the NBA is not something he can do nonsense!"
"Does Zhang Guan regard himself as Jordan? Even Jordan cannot lead the current Lakers into the playoffs. Zhang Guan is too boastful. I would like to see if the Lakers are still there at the end of the regular season. Without entering the playoffs, what would Zhang Guanhui’s expression be like!”
"If the Lakers want to enter the playoffs, they need to win at least 30 more games, and they may even win 32 games! Next, the Lakers will have six consecutive home games, and their opponents are the Bulls, Jazz, Thunder, Rockets, The Celtics and Nets, except for the Jazz who are soft persimmons, are not easy to deal with. I think the Lakers will lose at least four of these six home games! Then there will be no hope for the playoffs. Okay, let’s see what Zhang Guan has to say!”
Amid the discussion among fans across the United States, the Lakers finally returned to their home court.
In the first three away games, the Lakers actually achieved two victories despite being short of major generals. Of course, the opponent's poor strength is also a reason. For example, the Philadelphia 76ers they just defeated are the bottom team in the Eastern Conference. Their record of 15 wins and 35 losses is worse than the Lakers.
Next, returning to Los Angeles, the Lakers have to face the Chicago Bulls who are coming to challenge away from home.
The Lakers, who had just experienced three away games, only returned to Los Angeles on February 8th. On this day, the whole team had a day off to rest. On February 9th, the Lakers will face the Bulls, so Zhang Guan and the Lakers players will not be able to return to Los Angeles at all. There would be no chance to get along, and there would be no familiarity with each other.
Zhang Guan is a rookie, but no one will regard Zhang Guan as a rookie. All players know that Zhang Guan took advantage of Kobe's injury to become the boss.
Zhang Guan also holds 4.5% of the shares of the Lakers, and can be regarded as the small boss of the Lakers. Now, except for Nash, the players who can play for the Lakers are substitutes, marginals and newcomers. Naturally, he does not dare to offend the boss. A group of role players have not dared to challenge Zhang Guan's authority. So the first day Zhang Guan came to the team, he naturally became the team's boss, and no one dared to dissent.
…
On the evening of February 9, the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles was filled with a rare crowd.
Outside the stadium, Zhang Guan's posters have taken up all the advertising space, and Zhang Guan's jerseys have also begun to be sold in souvenir shops inside the stadium.
All this indicates that Zhang Guan will officially debut tonight and usher in his first NBA game.
Chapter 2 is delivered, with a guaranteed monthly ticket. Now there is a book list function. I urge you to add "The All-Around Athlete" to your book list to give the pass a little more exposure. There are few readers of sports works, not because the writing is not good, but because many people do not recognize this category, so please support me so that more readers can see this category. Thanks!
(End of chapter)