The rest is just noise

Louis is surprised that Jerry West can survive to this day.

Even if the Lakers win, as long as the win is flawed, he will be unhappy.

When others were celebrating the Lakers for dragging the score to a 2-2 tie, West said: "Playing like this doesn't solve the problem. You can't win the championship by just playing with six people."

West's words are not wrong, it's just that no one listens to his advice now.

Louis was just watching from one side as before.

Then, the series came to Game 5.

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Lakers fans occupied more than 80% of the seats at the venue.

Los Angeles turned overwhelmingly toward the Lakers, including some original Clippers fans.

The reason is of course not that Clippers fans defected before the battle, but that the team's "legendary" owner Donald Sterling found that many people were paying attention to the game and every game was sold out, so he felt that the opportunity was rare and asked the sales department to increase ticket prices.

At that time, the Clippers had already sold most of the tickets. As a result, those Clippers fans who had already bought their tickets early had to pay the difference.

This behavior caused public outrage, and fans refunded their tickets one after another. However, Lakers fans didn't care. Even if the Clippers increased the ticket price, the price was about the same as the Lakers' ticket price.

In Los Angeles, Lakers fans have a natural sense of superiority. They look down on the Clippers and their supporters. The two sides are incompatible with each other.

However, a Clippers fan was stabbed in the back by the owner of the home team, resulting in the Clippers having to play Game 5 in the forum-style Memorial Coliseum.

It can be said that the location, the people and the people are all on the Lakers' side.

It's a pity that they didn't take advantage of the time.

Zhao Yuanzheng continues to insist on six-man rotation.

Use the six strongest players in the team to maintain a high-quality offensive and defensive rhythm throughout the game. This is the purpose of shortening the rotation.

If the opponent insists on long rotation, either their lineup is deep enough to persist, or they will have to be suppressed by the opponent with higher quality offense and defense, otherwise, they will have to shorten their rotation to deal with it.

As a result, Van Gundy has no intention of shortening the rotation.

As a result, the game fell into the control of the Lakers from the opening stage.

Van Gundy insisted on an eight-man rotation and let Barkley and Sprewell attack the basket a lot.

Unfortunately, David Robinson's condition got better and better as the series entered.

In the first half, Robinson suppressed Mutombo with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Sprewell wants to cause damage, but the person hosting the game tonight is Dick Bavetta, the famous Lakers father.

58 to 42

The Lakers entered the second half with a considerable advantage.

In the Forum office, all the team's executives, including boss Bass, were sitting in the office watching the live broadcast of the game.

"Great, we have a great chance of winning!"

Jim Bass was the most restless.

"Our main players almost played the entire half, and it's too early to tell now." You may think that Jim's sister knows a lot about football, but in fact she just habitually opposes her younger brother.

But as it happened, her objection hit the point.

Jim turned to his CEO, hoping to get his support, "Sir, what do you think?"

"The Lakers and Clippers are evenly matched. I don't want to give an evaluation before the end of the game. Let's wait and see."

What Louis said was actually partial to Jenny.

But Jim didn't understand. He looked at his sister proudly and said, "You heard it? Your Excellency, the president said that you can't make an evaluation until the end of the game, but I can make a judgment now."

"Then you are really great." Jenny sarcastically said.

"Really?" Jim asked Louis, "Sir, it seems that I also have the talent to become a godfather?"

As a result, his father couldn't stand it anymore and shouted directly: "Shut up, Jim (nickname)!"

In fact, real professionals have one concern about the Lakers, and that is the risk of injuries caused by short rotations.

But Louis, West, and Kupchak didn't say it.

They think it's best if no one gets hurt, and if someone gets hurt, it's bad luck.

Since the 1960s, whenever the Lakers want to gamble their luck, Lady Luck has been on their opposite side.

Tonight is no exception.

Zhao Yuanzheng was eager to defeat the Clippers with a six-man rotation, but a disturbing omen occurred in the first minute of the third quarter.

It was still Sprewell, known as a fanatical militant in China, who carried out Van Gundy's strategic intention without compromise and went to the basket ferociously.

Robinson jumped out and gave Sprewell the sixth block, and their knees collided in the air.

The impact that the madman feels is a very hard feeling.

After landing, he didn't feel any pain. He stamped his feet and only felt a little numbness in his knees.

Robinson did feel a slight sting, but after landing, he was still able to move without any hindrance.

Facing such an important game, he was not distracted.

The impact set the stage for disaster late in the third quarter.

"Gary should check on David."

West said worriedly.

"Jerry, David looks fine. There should be no problem." Jim said optimistically.

West sneered: "Should?"

Considering Robinson's importance to the Lakers, this kind of thing cannot be gambled with the self-comforting words of "should" in any case.

But none of them are head coaches.

Zhao Yuanzheng, like Jim, felt that Robinson was fine.

Or maybe he has become accustomed to steel giants like Ewing and feels that these indestructible beasts will not be damaged no matter how hard they are polished.

The Clippers' outside touch gradually opened up.

But the Lakers' Wilson and Pippen also responded.

Judging from the scene, the Clippers played very lively, but the effect was limited. If they maintain this rhythm, the Lakers will have no problem winning Tianwangshan.

Just as Lakers fans were infinitely optimistic, Robinson took the ball offensively against Mutombo.

The Admiral attacks with the ball as usual, faces the basket, changes direction, and then collects the ball and hits it high.

Mutombo has already committed four offenses, and Bavetta is staring at him tightly, and he does not dare to fight.

No one expected that Robinson would suffer a devastating blow the moment he started.

Robinson's physical load seemed to reach its limit at that moment. As his body changed direction and then collected the ball to exert force, something in his right knee disconnected from his body.

"Ahhhh!!!"

Robinson's offense came to an abrupt end.

The referee stopped the game, and team doctor Gary Vitti stepped forward to check Robinson, then waved someone to take him off the field on a stretcher.

The camera shows Zhao Yuanzheng.

His face was pale and he was so shocked that he didn't know what to do.

Almost every team that uses short rotations will encounter injuries, but when injuries occur to core players, it will cause a devastating blow to the team's competitiveness.

When Robinson left the game, the Lakers still led by 15 points.

But without Robinson as an inside barrier, the Lakers, with the center goal wide open, were no longer able to protect the penalty area.

Divac, who replaced Robinson, can contribute on the offensive end, but on the defensive end, he is completely a cash machine for the Clippers.

Robinson's injury not only caused the Lakers' defense to drop several levels, but also greatly increased the Clippers' morale.

Sprewell's breakthrough was like no one's territory, and Barkley was wreaking havoc on the basket like he was in his own back garden.

In the end, Robert Horry and Du Shuai, two amazing players who came off the bench, used a rain of three-pointers that could not be defended to turn the Clippers back into victory.

109 to 102

The Clippers completed an epic comeback against the Lakers, making Wilson's 39 points worthless.

"This is the biggest defeat of the conqueror's career!"

The reversal destroyed the morale of the team and allowed the Clippers to seize the match point. What was even more frightening was Robinson's injury.

MRI results showed that Robinson suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee.

In this era when arthroscopy and minimally invasive surgery are in their early stages of development, encountering such an injury, even if it does not end the injured person's sports career, is enough to say goodbye to his former competitive ability.

David Robinson will no longer be the giant warrior with a perfect figure like an ancient Greek sculpture in the eyes of fans.

After Robinson's injury report came out, Zhao Yuanzheng submitted his resignation to the management.

Louis called him to the office and cursed him.

After knowing Zhao Yuanzheng for so many years, this was the first time that Louis got angry at him.

"I don't know what to do anymore."

Zhao Yuanzheng completely lost confidence.

In his current state, Louis can't say that he has no responsibility, but he also has difficulties. He doesn't want Zhao Yuanzheng to feel that he will retreat behind the scenes after leading this season.

Yes, he is testing the waters for Louis, but that doesn't mean the Lakers don't have room for him to play.

If he leads the team well, Louis will always stay behind the scenes.

He didn't want Zhao Yuanzheng to become his Heinsohn.

This is also the reason why he has never participated in the work of the Lakers coaching staff. He hopes to give Zhao Yuanzheng enough freedom. As long as he does not ask for help, he will not interfere if he can.

"What to do is your business, and you have to start and finish everything." Louis finally said, "If you need it, I can participate in the game plan, but I will only give a few suggestions. You are the one who really makes the decision.

Understand, you are the head coach."

Louis was willing to join the game plan, and Zhao Yuanzheng seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw and said directly: "The team meeting for the next game will start in two hours."

"You've been pretending to be pitiful for a long time, and you're just waiting here for me?"

Louis laughed angrily.

"Help me, Lao Lu, I'm really at my wits' end!"

"Okay, I will participate."

Now, Zhao Yuanzheng just wants this season to end soon and he never wants to coach again.

This kind of pressure is not something ordinary people can bear. When he learned that Robinson had encountered ACL, Zhao Yuanzheng's world collapsed in half.

It's not that he is directly responsible for Robinson's injury, but if he doesn't play in the six-man rotation, and if Robinson doesn't play more than 40 minutes in every game, the probability of injury should be much lower, right?

This made Zhao Yuanzheng feel that he was the worst coach and that he was completely using the players' health to save his career. It was so shameful.

The position of head coach must belong to Louis!

After coming out of the president's office, Zhao Yuanzheng was even more sure.

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