Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

The heat of emergencies really only lasts for a while.

Since the battle at Madison Garden Arena ended and both sides suffered unprecedented penalties, the entire league has entered the fast lane of the regular season and gradually forgotten this incident.

The Knicks are okay, missing Larry Johnson is very hurt, but Ewing is still holding the court.

But the Lakers are really different. Both Li Shengli and Big Ben have been suspended. The pressure on the entire Lakers' insiders, from the starting lineup to the rotation lineup, is ridiculously high.

House seemingly endless rain.

After the Lakers played two games, winning one and losing one, Campbell, the main power forward, was under a lot of pressure. His playing time soared and he was overloaded, which led to the recurrence of his old ankle injury in the third game. It will take at least 3 weeks to recover.

…

This time, the pressure on the Lakers skyrocketed again.

The Lakers' inside scoring, defense, and rebounds were all blown away by their opponents. With such a big hole, even if their opponents didn't focus on the inside, they would be sorry for the Lakers.

The core team, not to mention the starting two big men, can even suppress the Lakers' big man on the bench, and the explosion is terrible. However, the non-core team can also suppress the starting two big men. As for the rotation, it is redundant. , because the Lakers also had to rotate, and the ones who came up on the rotation were all substitutes, so they were beaten very hard.

Of course, there is also good news for the Lakers.

Kobe became increasingly stable in this extremely harsh environment. Although he still shared time with Eddie at shooting guard, he also exploded to the point of averaging 17 points per game in 28 minutes.

However, the outside firepower that did not reach the limit could not save the decline of the inside line, and the Lakers' losing streak began.

…

First, there was a six-game losing streak, which finally ended at the hands of the Spurs.

But the problem is that the Spurs have no intention of playing in the playoffs this season. All the main players are injured, and they are waiting to make a fortune in the next year's draft. It is normal to beat the Spurs.

After one win and six losses, there was another six-game losing streak, and this time it ended at the hands of the Grizzlies.

In the entire Western Conference, the Grizzlies are currently ranked last and the Spurs are second to last. Think about it and you will know what the Grizzlies are doing. Not to mention collective soy sauce, the Lakers want to lose, but the Grizzlies are not willing to lose.

At this point, the record after the big ban is 2 wins and 12 losses.

It's just... In the next six games, the Lakers met strong teams from the East and West again.

The Rockets were beaten and bombed, and halftime went directly into garbage time.

It was even worse against the Jazz. They were beaten by a 30-point deficit in the first half. In the second half, the Jazz replaced the bench and originally wanted to let things go. However, the problem was that the Lakers with a incomplete lineup still couldn't catch it and were eventually swept by 40 points.

Although the remaining teams are not as violent as the Jazz and Rockets, the Lakers have no hope of winning. So far, in 20 games, the Lakers have recorded the worst record of 2 wins and 18 losses. The Western Conference ranking has dropped from the original No. Four places, falling all the way to eighth in the Western Conference, on the verge of elimination.

…

During this period of time, every team that comes to the Lakers' home court or plays against the Lakers at home seems particularly relaxed, because it is easy for any team with some strength to win, but for a team that is determined to be bad, it is easy to lose. That's even simpler.

On the other hand, the Knicks, who also encountered the ban 20 games ago, still have a stable record and remain third in the Eastern Conference. This also gives New York fans an opportunity to mock the Lakers for overestimating their capabilities. After all, the Lakers were the ones who were most injured in the Madison Garden game. Not the Knicks.

…

However, the Lakers struggled to survive 20 games. Amid the thousands of calls from the fans, the Lakers' leader Li Shengli was finally released from the ban. What's even more coincidental is...the first game after the release of the ban, the Lakers turned out to be at home against the Jazz, who scored 40 points a week ago. .

Different from the previous indifference in the football market, this time the home game is of great significance.

Although there are still ten games left in the regular season, and the Lakers are still being chased by the Kings, who are ninth behind them, Li Shengli has given Lakers fans a shot in the arm. You can tell from the atmosphere at home before the game against the Jazz. It is common for the stadium to be full, but what is not common is the shouts of the fans and the atmosphere of the whole stadium.

…

"Lee, in the first game after the ban is lifted, play hard. Everything that should have arrived today has arrived. Now everyone is waiting for you." On the eve of the preparations for the game in the locker room, head coach Harris looked solemn. He had been beaten by the entire league for a long time. He couldn't sleep well, couldn't eat well, was under so much pressure that he lost his hair, and no one would believe him if he told him.

finally……

I'm finally back!

This period of time is difficult for everyone, and Li Shengli is the same. Looking at the declining performance and the rumors from the outside world, he is completely depressed. The only good news is... the Lakers have not fallen behind yet, and the Lakers still qualify for the playoffs.

"I've been holding it in for too long, let's let it go tonight!"

"Ahem...you are just releasing the ban, don't make it sound like you are being released from prison."

"It's all the same. How many points did the Jazz beat us last week?"

"It's miserable. We were beaten by 40 points." Harris frowned and continued: "For now, in the final stage, we must ensure a 50% winning rate to stably enter the playoffs. One game will be one less. The situation has never been so serious."

"Ben is still suspended and Campbell is injured and cannot play. The substitutes and partners I can prepare for you tonight are limited, so Li... must lead in the first half so that we can have a chance to breathe in the second half."

"Don't worry, I'm ready." Li Shengli waved his hand to signal Harris to stop worrying. He turned to the side and said to today's starting players, "Tonight's goal is to beat the Jazz by 40 points. You have worked hard during this period. Just relax for a while.”

relax for a moment? !

Are you really going to help us score points?

Hearing this, Kobe was overjoyed, because he was really frustrated during this period. No matter how good or bad he was, he couldn't win the game, and he couldn't make up for the shortcomings in the paint. But... big brother is here, this feeling It's different.

"Okay, don't be so happy!" Harris glanced at the others and frowned, "Tonight's situation is not as optimistic as you think. Our opponent is the Jazz, who are number one in the Western Conference, and our lineup is not complete yet. When the ban is lifted, don’t give me any free money, do you hear me?”

Harris muttered a few words and began to make pre-game arrangements. Before, he was used to the Lakers' old tactics and didn't say much before the game. But it's different now. The Lakers have been beaten into Muggles in the past 20 games. What he fears most is that the actual combat results are not ideal and the original core tactics cannot be used.

…

The Lakers are prepared, but in the away locker room, the Jazz are much more relaxed. Malone and Stockton are talking and laughing, and head coach Jerry Sloan also seems very unconcerned. After all, the No. 1 team in the Western Conference is playing with the same lineup. The incomplete Lakers are still relaxed, even if Li Shengli is lifted from the ban.

"Karl, tonight is Lee's first game after he is released from the ban. You have to be gentle. If you beat them by 40 points, it will be ugly." Stockton was black on the court and white off the court. He was also joking.

"Bah, John, you are a bad guy, Li is our brother, how can you say that to him?!" Ma Long curled his lips.

Even Jerry Sloan felt that Malone was shameless when he heard this, and intervened: "Come on, you two are almost as bad as each other. I think Li recently came to you to complain, and you didn't say anything good. Now it's done. Are you a good brother?"

"Go, go, I'm trying to motivate you, do you understand?" Malone looked at Stockton and Old Man Sloan with disdain, then looked at the time, "Okay, it's almost time, we should go on the field."

"Well, let's go." Jerry Sloan signaled everyone to come out, but at the end he added, "Relax tonight, as long as Lee is restrained, there will be no suspense in this game, and this season is almost over. Just stabilize the current ranking and strive for the championship again!"

"Restrict Li? Hehe, you should!"

"This is quite embarrassing. I'm going to get beaten just after the ban is lifted. I feel bad for Li!"

Malone and Stockton looked at each other and smiled. This feeling suddenly shocked Jerry Sloan. There was no reason for this feeling, but his heart beat strangely.

"Don't be careless. Li has been holding it in for too long. I'm worried that he will be more... irritable this time!"