Almighty Athlete Chapter 16: Sprint playoffs
On March 14, the Lakers will challenge the Spurs away. For the Lakers, this is a back-to-back game, because on the 13th, they just finished the Thunder and challenged the second and the west in two consecutive days. The first team, even Zhang Guan, feels that it will be a rather difficult battle.
The current Spurs are well-organized, free from illness and injury. Although the GDP combination is old, they are still capable of fighting; Leonard, Danny Green, Split, Meeks and others are also all Has grown up, and this season the Spurs can easily kill the Heat 4 to 1 in the finals.
Before February, the Spurs often lost at home, but since entering February, the Spurs have not lost at home. The current Spurs home is also considered a devil home in the league.
At the beginning of the game, the score between the two sides was very tight. Under the defense of Zhang Guan, Parker was a bit miserable. Between Duncan and Gasol, it was more like two old fritters playing Tai Chi. Leonard and Danny Green became the main points in the Spurs' lineup.
The lineup of both sides, the Lakers are definitely better when it comes to scoring ability. After all, with Zhang Guan present, Zhang Guan's three-pointers are not vegetarian. By comparison, Danny Green’s three-pointer will be accurate in the Spurs’ lineup. Parker has reduced the frequency of three-pointers made in recent years, and Leonard's three-pointers made this season is not high, averaging only one hit per game.
In terms of field goal percentage, the Spurs have maintained fairly good performance, but scored only two points while scoring a goal. The Lakers have to pay more attention to three-pointers. Before and after the Zhang Guan break, the Lakers scored 23 points. Temporarily ahead of 20.
However, when the bench came on the court, Spurs played a 15-4 offense.
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After three quarters, the Spurs led 89-65 by a full 24 points.
"The general trend of this game is gone!" Zhang Guan sighed. Although he did not want to admit it, he also knew that the game was lost.
The gap between the Lakers and Spurs is mainly on the bench. The Lakers' bench was completely exploded by the Spurs on both offense and defense. Bezmore and Farmar, the general team still have a fight, but compared with the Spurs, the difference is a bit far. On the Spurs' bench, Ginobili, Matt Bonner, Bellinelli and Dior, all of them are old and sly guys.
And the Lakers are back-to-back games. When they defeated the Thunder in the last game, the Lakers were really desperate to fight. Now facing the Spurs, the third quarter, the physical problems have been highlighted. The score is also widened at this stage.
Looking back at the Spurs, coach Popovich made another twelve rotation, and they all scored. This is the most terrifying part of the Spurs. There is no one at the end of the team. Even the guy sitting at the end of the bench can contribute to the team as soon as he debuts.
In the fourth quarter, the Lakers simply chose to give up and got a group of benches to brush data, and the Spurs also replaced. All the benches came on stage and the game entered garbage time.
In the end, the Spurs defeated the Lakers 119 to 101, the Lakers' 17-game winning streak ended, and Zhang Guan also tasted the first loss after joining the NBA.
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"17-game winning streak ended, the Lakers finally lost"
The Los Angeles Lakers have attracted the attention of the US media. After Zhang Guan joined the Lakers, he led the Lakers to defeat the strong teams such as the Thunder, Clippers, Rockets, Pacers and so on. Hands.
Many people feel sorry for the Lakers. After all, they are back-to-back on the road, and they still played the Thunder and Spurs separately. It is already a remarkable record to win one of them. The loss of this game is still the main reason for the Lakers.
The media's evaluation of the Lakers is quite positive. After all, before the 17-game winning streak, the Lakers were so miserable that even five players on the field couldn't get together. This is a team that has just played a tough one. The 17-game winning streak is definitely an inspirational performance. Although it lost to the Spurs, the people who are optimistic about the future of the Lakers are still the majority.
Magic Johnson also stood up for the first time, supporting the Lakers: "I think the Lakers’ door to the playoffs has not been closed. Now the Lakers have a 33-32 record and their winning percentage has exceeded half. With the remaining 16 regular season games, if the Lakers can play another 16-game winning streak, there is still a chance of entering the playoffs!"
If the Lakers mentioned a 16-game winning streak a month ago, no one would believe it, but now, the Lakers have just created a 17-game winning streak, and it is not impossible to create a 16-game winning streak.
This year's Western competition is indeed too fierce, and the 50-win playoff threshold is not untargeted. And the Lakers lost this game, at most 49 wins, with a record of 49 wins, can eventually enter the playoffs, some destiny.
Among the current Western Conference teams, the Spurs and Thunder have locked in the top two rankings in the Western Conference; the Rockets, Clippers and Trail Blazers have lost within 22 games, and the other teams have won. The gap in the negative game is relatively large, and it is relatively safe to enter the playoffs.
The Nuggets, Pelicans, Kings and Jazz have less than half the winning percentage, making it impossible to enter the playoffs.
The remaining six teams, the Warriors, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Suns, Timberwolves and Lakers, will compete for the remaining three playoff tickets.
The Timberwolves’ record is about the same as the Lakers’ record, and it’s just over halfway, but it’s also the least promising of these six teams to enter the playoffs. If you are in the east, the Timberwolves can still mix a playoff ticket, but in the west, the Timberwolves have little hope.
The Warriors, Grizzlies, Mavericks and Suns all have similar results. Their losses are around 26 games. But the Warriors have the most wins, reaching 41 games, and the odds of entering the playoffs are relatively greater. If the Warriors can win another 9 games, they can lock up a ticket for the playoffs, and with the current schedule of the Warriors, it is not difficult to get a record of 50 wins.
The Grizzlies, Mavericks and Suns have the same losses as the Warriors, but the wins are five to six games less than the Warriors, so if these three teams want to enter the playoffs, they will play against each other The record between them is very important. If these teams win each other, the tradeoff is equal to winning two games.
Not to mention that there is now another spoiler, the Lakers. In the next game, the Lakers will also encounter the Sun, the Mavericks and the Grizzlies once. These three games are all for the three teams. This is a crucial stop, and it is even more so for the Lakers.
Now, the Grizzlies, Mavericks and Suns are all eager to lose as quickly as possible. In such a cruel west, the remaining 16 games of the Lakers, as long as they lost two games, almost lost the qualification for the playoffs, once the playoffs are hopeless, I believe the Lakers will not die with them.
And for the Lakers, they can’t lose a game, and next, they have to face the Spurs at home first!
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On March 19, after a full four-day break, the Lakers welcomed the Spurs at home.
At home, the Lakers are naturally reluctant to lose to the Spurs, not to mention the current Lakers have to face a battle, winning all 16 wins to have the opportunity to enter the playoffs, but even a 16-game winning streak , Also have to look at the face of other teams.
"Must win!" The entire Lakers look like a team, and the home fans are even more hysterical.
However, the sly popovich chose to let Duncan and Parker take a double break, even Ginobili, playing less than 20 minutes. In the whole game, the Spurs played the most time was actually Berinelli and Old Bonner.
In the past, the Spurs only started to put the GDP combination off in April~IndoMTL.com~ to save energy for the playoffs. And this year, the Spurs' rotation break has been advanced a bit.
When playing the Jazz in the last game, the Spurs had already won their 50th win and had made sure to enter the playoffs. And because the Thunder lost to the Lakers three times, the Spurs equaled three victories, and the number one position in the Western Conference was relatively stable. Moreover, playing the Lakers away is also a chore. The Lakers are fighting against the water. The Spurs do not need to die with the Lakers. If someone is injured, it will be worth the loss, so Popovich simply let Duncan and Parker rest.
The Spurs’ bench is not weak, at least as good as the starter in scoring, but it is a bit older, and their physical talents are relatively general. In the face of the Lakers’ running tactics, they can still follow the first half. Withstandable, the Lakers couldn't keep up with the rhythm of the Lakers in the second half. In the end, the Lakers were 125 to 109, which was considered a revenge for the away defeat.
Two days later, the Lakers made persistent efforts to defeat the visiting Washington Wizards at home. The Wizards champion Wall was beaten by Zhang Guan on both ends of the offense and defense, and contributed a rather awkward double-double data: 15 points and 10 turnovers. Restricting Wall, the Wizards are equivalent to being scrapped by more than half, and losing is inevitable.
After the game, the Lakers won another piece of good news. The biggest firepower on the bench for the Lakers, Nick Young, finally recovered.
On March 23, the Lakers faced the Magic. The Magic was supported by rookie Oladipo. Oladipo, like Wall from the previous game, contributed under Zhang Guan defense Out of awkward double-doubles, 13 points and 11 turnovers.
Nick Young also played well in this game, scoring 26 points on 8-for-16 shooting, and of course most of them were singles.
Unconsciously, the Lakers made another three-game winning streak at home.