The next day, the biggest news in American sports was that the Lakers entered the playoffs.
"The Lakers have entered the playoffs? How is this possible? Can't they even get the five players on the court? How can they enter the playoffs? April Fool's Day has been over for more than half a month, why is there still April Fool's Day? A joke? What? Eighth in the Western Conference? 49 wins and 33 losses? Impossible! They lost 32 two and a half months ago. Is it possible that they have only lost one game in the past two months? It must be a lie!"
"Congratulations to the host Netcom!"
"Congratulations to the original poster for returning to Earth!"
"Congratulations to the original poster for escaping from the mental hospital!"
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In the United States, the Los Angeles Lakers have always been the most watched team, and every move the Lakers make is also the most watched.
Moreover, the competition in the Western Conference this year is really too fierce. The 49-win Grizzlies have a winning percentage of 60%, but they still cannot enter the playoffs. However, the Lakers were able to post a wave of 33 wins and 1 loss after 16 wins and 32 losses. , abruptly entered the playoffs, which was enough to surprise everyone.
In the entire NBA league, no one regards the Lakers as an underdog, and many people even regard the Lakers as the favorite team to win the championship.
At this time, another exciting news for Lakers fans also came out: Kobe is back!
…
D'Antoni seemed a little helpless. He found that Kobe and Zhang Guan did not seem to be very compatible. When Zhang Guan and Kobe were on the court at the same time, it was like two Kobes, and there was a problem with the distribution of ball rights.
Kobe is a ball lord, and the whole world knows this. "Ball dominance" does not mean that Kobe can't pass the ball. On the contrary, if Kobe really assists, he will be as good as the top point guards. "Ball dominance" doesn't mean that Kobe can only play in singles. Singles refers to players like Marbury. "Ball dominance" doesn't mean that you have to control the ball at all times and hold the basketball without letting go. Then others don't have to play, they just turn back and run.
The so-called ball dominance means that everyone in the team must play according to his style of play, rhythm and wishes. This is not just a matter of coordinating tactics or giving the ball to him, but must be played by the entire team. Play around a guy.
What Zhang Guan learned was Kobe's experience book. His demand for basketball was the same as Kobe's. To put it bluntly, Zhang Guan was another ball tyrant. When Kobe was away, Zhang Guan took Kobe's place as the ball dominant player. When Kobe came back, it was like two suns suddenly appeared in the solar system. Who would the eight planets revolve around
"This won't work. The ball rotation problem is huge. When Zhang Guan and Kobe are on the court at the same time, the players don't know how to play. Unless one of them is willing to change!" D'Antoni shook his head in distress.
Deep down in his heart, D'Antoni hopes that Kobe can change his style of play to accommodate Zhang Guan. After all, Kobe is 36 years old, and his body and shooting percentage are not as good as before. He is not as omnipotent as he was when he was young, and his skills are gradually increasing. Players of this age should slowly change their roles from the core of the team to role players. In comparison, Zhang Guan is younger, has better physical fitness, and has higher scoring efficiency.
But it is obviously impossible for Kobe to change. If Kobe could really change his style of play, he would have changed it long ago!
"What should we do! Should we let one of them go to the bench? This is impossible! These two uncles are not material that can be used as substitutes..." D'Antoni was thinking about it, but suddenly saw On the training ground, Zhang Guan fell to the ground and did not get up for a long time.
"Timeout!" D'Antoni immediately stopped everyone and stepped forward in person.
"What's going on?" D'Antoni attacked.
"It's twisted." Zhang Guan hugged his knee, sweating from the pain.
"Team doctor! Team doctor, come here quickly!" D'Antoni shouted without hesitation.
…
Reporters in Los Angeles soon got the news that Zhang Guan sprained his knee during training and needed to rest for a week.
"The playoffs are about to start in two days, but Zhang Guan has to sit out for a week, which means he won't be able to participate in the first three games! Without Zhang Guan, what can the Lakers do to beat the Spurs?"
"I originally thought it was possible for the Lakers to win! Now it seems impossible. With Zhang Guanyi injured, it will be good for the Lakers not to be swept."
"Don't panic, the Lakers still have Kobe! Don't forget, Kobe has come back. With him here, the Lakers still have hope!"
At this time, Lakers fans couldn't help but think of Kobe Bryant, who had just come back. Kobe has brought too many miracles to the people of Los Angeles, and this time, it is time for Kobe to lead Los Angeles.
…
April 20, San Antonio ATT Center, home of the Spurs. Since the Spurs have home court advantage in the playoffs, the first two games of the playoffs will also be held here.
Kobe stood on the sidelines, looking at this familiar venue. In fact, for a veteran who has been playing in the NBA for nearly 20 years, any venue in the league is familiar to Kobe.
"In the first round of last year's playoffs, if I hadn't been injured, maybe I wouldn't have been swept by the Spurs! I didn't expect that in the first round of this year's playoffs, we would be here again." Kobe took a deep breath, his However, Zhang Guan's figure appeared in his mind inexplicably.
"Zhang Guan! I have to thank him. He brought the team into the playoffs, but now, it's my turn to do something! If Zhang Guan can lead the team to defeat the Spurs, I will definitely be able to do it too!" Kobe said with a look in his eyes. There was a burning heat.
…
"Kobe is getting old!" Duncan sat on the bench and stared at the arena, where Kobe was still running like a gladiator.
"Old? You are two years older than Kobe! You have the nerve to call him old!" Ginobili, who was sitting aside, said.
"We are all old." Duncan leaned back in his chair and was about to smile, but his expression suddenly stopped. He remembered that he had received a technical foul for laughing while sitting on the bench and was ejected from the court.
Ginobili, who was next to him, did not notice this, but continued: "Kobe has already scored more than 40 points. This is the playoffs. You haven't scored 40 points in the playoffs many times." Times?"
"Four times! The last time was six years ago." Duncan shook his head and continued: "This is because of Kawhi (Leonard)'s defense. Otherwise, Kobe would have scored more points. .Fortunately, Kobe is already 36 years old. If it was Kobe ten years ago, no one would be able to guard against him!"
"But the Lakers will still lose. Even if Kobe scores 50 points, the Lakers will still lose. Kobe is not LeBron, and he doesn't have helpers like Wade and Bosh." Ginobili raised his head and looked at On the scoreboard, the score between the two sides was 105 to 90, with the Spurs leading by 15 points.
…
In the first game of the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the Lakers 108-95. In this game, Kobe played 40 minutes and scored 42 points by himself, but it was difficult to lead the Lakers to a victory.
As for the Spurs, the GDP combination played less than 30 minutes. The Spurs almost relied on a semi-substitute lineup to win the Lakers.
On April 23, in the second game of the playoffs, Kobe played 44 minutes again and scored 48 points. However, the Lakers lost another game 92-113.
Losing at the Spurs' home court is not a shameful thing. No team in the league can guarantee that they will deliberately win in San Antonio, but the way the Lakers lost was a bit embarrassing, because Kobe Bryant won a total of 10 points in two games. Arrived at 90 minutes.
Kobe scored high points, but the team lost. This is nothing new for the Lakers. In the seasons when Kobe averaged more than 30 points per game, the Lakers often lost, even recently. Over the past few years, this has happened from time to time.
Sometimes, having too strong a desire to win is not a good thing, especially for Kobe. Many times he scored high scores, but his scoring efficiency was not very high. Just like Kobe, if his shooting percentage drops to 40%, the higher the score means the more shots he takes, which means the more opportunities he wastes.
This was exactly the case for Kobe at the end of his career. He averaged around 20 shots per game, but his scoring efficiency continued to decline. Harden, who is also a shooting guard, is actually about the same as Kobe in shooting percentage, and his shots are not as good as Kobe's, but he averages more points per game than Kobe, except that Harden shoots slightly more three-pointers. , and more importantly, Harden can cheat 10 free throws per game, and this statistic is much less than Kobe. This is also the difference in scoring efficiency.
On April 26, the third game of the playoffs came to Los Angeles, the home court of the Lakers.
This time, the GDP combination finally played more than 30 minutes, and even the 38-year-old Duncan played 36 minutes.
The Lakers lost again, 119 to 118. Danny Green's three-pointer made Kobe's 50 points in vain.
In fact, Kobe tried his best and was almost carried off the court. The continuous high-intensity battles made Kobe's old ankle injury tend to relapse. He even needed the support of his teammates to walk.
Trailing 0-3 with a total score, the Lakers seemed to have returned to the situation where they were swept by the Spurs last year.
In the history of the NBA, no team has ever been able to come back from a 0-3 deficit. It can be said that the Lakers have fallen into a desperate situation.
"Are the Lakers going to be swept by the Spurs for two consecutive years?" The fans at the Lakers' home court left Staples Arena in great disappointment.
…
After the game, the Lakers announced two pieces of news. The first news was that Kobe was asked by the coaching staff to take a truce because he felt discomfort in his ankle and was worried that an old injury had recurred.
The second news is that Zhang Guan has basically recovered after a week of training and will return in the fourth playoff game.
"It's already 0-3. What role can Zhang Guan play if he comes back at this time? Can he still lead the Lakers to a comeback?"
"It would be great if Zhang Guan came back one game earlier. He could come back after being behind 0-2 and it was at home. Now, it is already 0-3. Even if he wins the next game, he still has to go to the Spurs' home court. Loser. When Zhang Guan comes back, he can at most avoid being swept by the Spurs! Losing 1-4 or losing 0-4, the result is the same, both are eliminated!"
On April 28, the fourth game between the two sides was still held at the Lakers' home court.
The first chapter has been delivered, please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket.
(End of chapter)