The end of December is usually the busiest time in Western countries.
Because this is their Christmas and New Year.
The two holidays are connected together, and their mood and feeling are the same as ours during the Lunar New Year.
Have fun when you need to, eat when you need to, play when you need to, and put all the pressure from work and study aside.
During this period, even the stock market will be greatly affected.
The only thing that is not affected, or can be said to increase in attention, is of course various entertainment projects.
NBA games are one of them.
The NBA's Christmas game has always attracted much attention, and the ratings are very high.
This year's NBA Christmas game was originally going to be the Golden State Warriors VS Cavaliers.
The schedule had been arranged, but suddenly during the preseason in early October, Shen Huan announced that he was returning to the NBA. NBA bosses were cursing and excitedly revising the schedule.
Don't doubt it.
The NBA has always been so willful.
Even though Shen Huan has not returned to the Lakers yet, as long as there is this expectation, the Lakers will definitely be the most watched team in the world.
Most basketball fans around the world are praying that the Lakers must work hard in the regular season, even if they are only eighth in the Western Conference, as long as they can enter the playoffs.
Even if he is ranked eighth in the Western Conference, with Shen Huan back, there will be no surprises in whoever he touches will die.
Unless there is a conspiracy to get Shen Huan down, Shen Huan is an irresistible bug on the court.
But even the most ferocious defensive player would not dare to have the slightest idea.
The tragic experiences of Davis and the others, the chairs torn into two pieces, and the smashed baskets all reminded them that this was a prehistoric beast.
If you want to attack Shen Huan, you should not consider whether your brain will be beaten out, but whether you can survive.
Just playing a ball, playing seriously and doing some small tricks is enough.
It's not worth it to risk your own life, isn't it
Therefore, the players of the other teams are desperate, and the fans of the other teams are also desperate.
but.
It's not like they have nothing to do.
The way is to destroy the Lakers in the regular season so that they cannot enter the top eight in the Western Conference.
It is entirely possible to achieve this by directly beating the Lakers and giving points to other strong Western Conference teams.
After such a bad idea came out, it was actually recognized by many teams and fans.
So the Lakers encountered strong resistance in the first few games.
But it's no use.
Kobe and Iverson are becoming more and more demonic as they get older. The little monster Howard is in surprisingly good condition. He dominates the bottom of the basket and becomes an insurmountable barrier.
In 7 consecutive games, the Lakers scored more than 120 points and only lost one game.
Before the Christmas game, the Lakers had 12 wins and 3 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference, only one game behind the first-place Golden State Warriors.
Do you dare to think about this achievement
The most important thing is that in a total of 15 games, they played a total of 12 teams among the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference!
This means that their devilish schedule for a period of time has been completed.
In January, when they faced a weak team, that was when they increased their number of wins like crazy.
At that time, maybe they can directly rank first in the Western Conference, or even first in the league.
At that time, how can you prevent them from entering the preseason, and how can you prevent Shen Huan from coming to play in the NBA
Totally impossible!
Therefore, in this Christmas game, the Lakers face the equally strong Golden State Warriors, which has become the hope of many teams and fans.
Without Shen Huan, the Golden State Warriors have two three-point shooters in Curry and Thompson, who are naturally capable of restraining the Lakers.
Because the three-point shot does not require a narrow space, it can be played freely.
If you want to come out and grab a three-pointer, the space inside will be empty, which will open up opportunities for the Golden State Warriors' post players.
As long as the Lakers are calmed down here, if everyone continues to work hard later, there will always be a chance of success.
If the Golden State Warriors also lose this game, I'm afraid the form will not be so good.
…
As a reporter following the Lakers, Ji Yinmei also felt this dignified atmosphere.
When the whole league is targeting you, of course you will feel depressed and worried.
Same goes for the Lakers.
Several newcomers were very nervous and their shooting accuracy was not very good.
The three veteran superstars are the hope for all of them.
According to Ji Yinmei's observation, Kobe, Iverson and Howard are in good condition and mood. They are worthy of being league superstars who have experienced many years of competition.
If it weren't for their relaxed attitude, the atmosphere in the Lakers team these days would definitely be even worse and more depressing.
Speaking of the three superstars, Ji Yinmei not only admires their mentality, but also admires their state.
Before the start of the season, no one thought that the three superstars would be in such good shape. They stunned several teams as soon as the game started and won five consecutive games in one breath.
Howard is a little better. He is only 31 years old, which is the golden age for an inside player.
But Kobe and Iverson are different.
Kobe is 38 years old and Iverson is 41 years old.
The two only played almost two-thirds of the regular season last year. Under normal circumstances, it would be thankful to God that they could finish one-third of the game healthy.
Unexpectedly, they were even stronger this year than last year.
They played in all 15 consecutive games. Although the playing time was only about 15-25 minutes, the two averaged 50 points per game, plus 17 assists, 23 breakthroughs, 20 effective steals, and 33 key passes. , such outstanding results directly drove other players of the Lakers to win more victories in the end.
The performance of the veterans can directly affect the young players.
If the veterans don't perform well, the pressure on the young players will be very high.
If the veteran performs well, there won't be much pressure. Just show yourself to your heart's content.
The two first-year and second-year No. 2 picks played very well because of this, averaging more than 10 points per game, and they showed their value on the defensive end.
For newcomers, they performed very well.
As long as they are given time to practice, the future Lakers will definitely be theirs.
However, now, the Lakers still have to rely on three veterans to support them.
But even if the three of them can successfully break through the youth storm of the Golden State Warriors, in Ji Yinmei's view, it is still a bit uncertain.
The first big crisis the Lakers face this season has just arrived!