Almighty Athlete Chapter 23: Kobe’s comeback
The next day, the biggest news in American sports was that the Lakers reached the playoffs.
"The Lakers have entered the playoffs? How is this possible? Didn't they even get the five players on the field? How did they enter the playoffs? It's been more than half a month since April Fool's Day. A joke on April Fool’s Day? What? Eighth in the West? 49 wins and 33 losses? Impossible! They lost 32 two and a half months ago. It’s impossible that they only lost one game in these two months? It must be deceiving!”
"Congratulations to the landlord Netcom!"
"Congratulations to the landlord on returning to the earth!"
"Congratulations to the landlord for escaping the mental hospital!"
Below this comment, there are just such replies.
In the United States, the Los Angeles Lakers have always been the most watched team, and the Lakers’ every move is also the most watched.
And this year's Western competition is really too fierce. The 49-win Grizzlies have a 60% win rate, but they still can't make it to the playoffs, but the Lakers can play a wave of 33 after 16 wins and 32 losses With a win and a loss, they entered the playoffs abruptly, enough for everyone to be surprised.
In the entire NBA league, no one has regarded the Lakers as a weak player, and many people even regard the Lakers as a hot team to win the championship.
At this time, another news that excited the Lakers fans also came out: Kobe is back!
......
D'Antoni seems a little helpless. He seems that Kobe and Zhang Guan are not very compatible. When Zhang Guan and Kobe are on the court at the same time, it is like two Kobe, the distribution of ball rights has a problem.
Kobe is the ball tyrant, and this is known all over the world. "Ballmaster" does not mean that Kobe will not pass the ball. On the contrary, if Kobe really plays assists, he is not inferior to top point guards. "Ballmaster" does not mean that Kobe will only singles, singles is the type of player Marbury. "Ballmaster" does not mean that you must always control the ball and hold basketball without letting go, then other people don't have to play, and it is enough to go back and run.
The so-called ball tyrant means everyone in the team must play according to his play style, rhythm and will. This is not a combination of tactics alone, or it is as simple as giving the ball to him, but the team All have to play around a person.
And Zhang Guan is learning Kobe's experience book. His demand for basketball is the same as Kobe's. He bluntly says that Zhang Guan is another ball tyrant. When Kobe was away, Zhang Guan took the place of Kobe Bryant, and when Kobe came back, it was like two suns appeared in the solar system, who would the eight planets turn around?
"That's not okay. The ball rotation problem is very big. When both Zhang Guan and Kobe are on the field, the players don't know how to play. Unless some of them are willing to change!" D'Antoni shook his head in distress .
From the bottom of 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 hit rate are not as good as before. Unlike the omnipotent in his youth, he has gradually increased his iron work. Players at this age should slowly change their roles, gradually becoming the role players from the core of the team. By comparison, Zhang Guan is younger, has better physical fitness, and has higher scoring efficiency.
But it is obviously impossible for Kobe to change. Kobe must really change his style of play.
"What should I do! Do you want one of them to go to the bench? This is also unlikely! These two uncles are not materials that can be used as substitutes..." D'Antoni was thinking. But suddenly I saw Zhang Guan fell to the ground on the training ground and didn't get up in a long time.
"Pause!" D'Antoni immediately stopped everyone and stepped forward.
"What's going on?" D'Antoni captured him.
"Twisted a little." Zhang Guan hugged his knee, sweating with pain.
"Team doctor! Team doctor come over!" D'Antoni shouted without hesitation.
......
The Los Angeles reporter soon got the news that Zhang Guan sprained his knee during training and needed a week’s rest.
"The playoffs are about to start in two days, but the Zhang Guan will be a week off. This is equivalent to not being able to participate in the first three games! Without Zhang Guan, what would the Lakers use to play the Spurs?" >
"I originally thought that the Lakers might be black! It seems impossible now. As soon as Zhang Guan was injured, it would be nice if the Lakers were not swept away."
"Don’t panic, don’t the Lakers still have Kobe! Don’t forget, Kobe is back, and with him, the Lakers still have hope!"
At this time, the Lakers fans involuntarily thought of Kobe, who had just returned. Kobe has brought too many miracles to Los Angeles people, and this time, it is time for Kobe to lead Los Angeles.
......
On April 2o, the San Antonio Att Center Arena is home to the Spurs. Because the Spurs have home play 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 played in NBA for nearly 2 years, any venue in the league is familiar to Kobe.
"In the first round of the playoffs last year, if I were not injured, I might not be swept by the Spurs! I did not expect the first round of this year's playoffs, we came here again." Bryant took a deep breath. However, somehow Zhang Guan appeared in his mind.
"Zhang Guan! I have to thank him. He brought the team to the playoffs, but now, it’s my turn to do things! Zhang Guan can lead the team to beat the Spurs, and I can certainly do it!" Bryant eyes There was a fever in Zhongluo.
......
"Kobe is already old!" Duncan sat on the bench and stared at the field, where Kobe was still running like a gladiator.
"Old? You are two years older than Kobe! You are so embarrassed to say he is old!" Ginobili sitting beside said.
"We are all old." Duncan leaned on the back of his chair, and just wanted to smile, but suddenly stopped his expression. He remembered that he once got a technical foul because he was sitting on the bench and laughed, and was fined. Off the pitch.
The Ginobili next to it didn’t pay attention to this, but went on to say, "Kobe has already scored 4o points, but this is the playoffs, you got 4o points in the playoffs, you didn’t do it. How many times have you been?"
"Four times! The last time was six years ago." Duncan shook his head, then said: "This is still because of the defense of Kawhi (Leonard), otherwise, Kobe will get more More points. Fortunately, Kobe is 36 years old. If it was Kobe Bryant ten years ago, no one can really prevent him!"
"But the Lakers still have to lose, even if Kobe scored 5o points, the Lakers still have to lose. Kobe is not LeBron, he does not have the help of Wade and Bosh." Ginobili looked up , Looking at the scoreboard, at this time the score of the two sides is 1o5 to 9o, the Spurs lead 15 points.
......
In the first game of the playoffs, the Spurs defeated the Lakers 1o8 to 95. Kobe Bryant played 4o minutes in this game. He scored 42 points alone, but it was difficult to lead the Lakers to a victory.
And the Spurs, gdp combination playing time is less than 3o minutes, the Spurs almost rely on a set of semi-backup team, won the Lakers.
On April 23, in the second game of the playoffs, Bryant played again for 44 minutes and scored 48 points. However, the Lakers lost another 92 to 113.
It’s not a shame to lose at home to the Spurs. No team in the league can guarantee that they will deliberately win in San Antonio, but the way the Lakers lose is awkward because Kobe has played in two games. A total of 9o points were scored.
Kobe Bryant scored high, but the team lost. This is nothing new for the Lakers. In those seasons when Kobe averaged more than 30 points per game, the Lakers often lost, even It is in recent years that this kind of situation also happens from time to time.
Sometimes, it is not a good thing to win too strongly, especially for Kobe, he often gets a high score, but the score efficiency is not high. For example, Kobe, if his shooting percentage drops to 4o, the higher the score, the more times he takes shots, and the more opportunities he wastes.
This is exactly the case at the end of his career. Bryant has averaged around 2o shots per game, but the efficiency of scoring has continued to decline. Harden, who is also a point guard, is actually about the same as Kobe in shooting rate, and his shots are not as good as Kobe, but he averages more points than Kobe, except that Harden shoots a little more three-pointers. And, more importantly, Harden can cheat 1o free throws per game, and this data, Kobe is much less. This is the gap in scoring efficiency.
On April 26, the third game of the playoffs came to Los Angeles ~ IndoMTL.com ~ the home of the Lakers.
This time, the playing time of the gdp group finally passed 3o minutes, and even the 38-year-old Duncan played 36 minutes.
And the Lakers lost again, 119 to 118, Danny Green's 3-pointer lore, Kobe's 5o points in vain.
In fact, Kobe has tried his best, he is almost carried down the stadium. The continuous high-intensity combat has made Kobe's ankle injury recover, and he even needs the support of his teammates to walk.
The total score is behind o-3, and the Lakers seem to have returned to being swept by the Spurs last year.
And in the history of NBA, the team has never been able to make a comeback when o is behind 3. It can be said that the Lakers have fallen into desperation.
"Aren't the Lakers swept by the Spurs for two consecutive years?" The Lakers fans at home left the Staples Stadium disappointed.
......
After the game, the Lakers announced two news. The first news was that Kobe was discomforted by his ankle and worried about the old injury, so the coaching staff requested a truce.
The second news is that after a week of training, Zhang Guan has basically recovered and will return in the fourth playoff game.
"It's already 3 o'clock. What role can Zhang Guan come back at this time? Can he still lead the Lakers to make a comeback?"
"It would be nice if Zhang Guan came back one game in advance, o is behind 2 and is home, and it can be pulled back. Now, it is already o 3, even if it is the next win, it is the home of the Spurs. Still have to lose. When Zhang Guan comes back, at best it is to avoid being swept by the Spurs! 1 to 4 loser and o to 4 loser, the result is the same, all are eliminated!"
On April 28, the two sides contested for the fourth time, and the game was still held at the home of the Lakers.