November 7, New Orleans Arena.
The Lakers started with five consecutive victories, but finally encountered Waterloo here and ushered in their first defeat in the regular season.
Originally, the Lakers could still compete with the Hornets. Unexpectedly, Kobe suddenly relapsed and developed symptoms of soreness in his right shoulder.
Since his right shoulder was hit and dislocated during a visit to Oakland to challenge the Golden State Warriors in December last year, Kobe's right shoulder injury has become a recurring problem in Kobe's career and he has been unable to get rid of it.
Kobe's right hand is Kobe's shooting hand, and the injury to his right shoulder has seriously affected Kobe's shooting form and feel.
However, Kobe is an extremely strong and paranoid person.
Even if his right shoulder is sore, Kobe still has to prove that he can make the ball and lead the team to victory.
Ever since, he made 2 of 5 shots in the first quarter, 0 of 4 in the second quarter, and only scored 4 points in 9 shots.
Zen Master noticed that Kobe was not in good condition and asked about Kobe's condition. After Kobe returned to the locker room for simple treatment, he quickly returned to the sidelines and expressed to Zen Master his eagerness to play.
Jackson couldn't defeat Kobe, so he had to send Kobe on the court. Then Kobe came up and shot 2 of 7 from the field and 2 of 4 from the free throw line.
At first glance, 6 points from 7 shots is a bit low in efficiency, but it’s not too bad.
In fact, counting the two possessions consumed by free throws, Kobe's true situation is an undercover performance of "3-for-9 shooting".
Originally, the point difference between the Lakers and the Hornets was only seven or eight points. If they really wanted to chase points, it was still possible to catch up.
But just because Kobe "I would rather go 0 for 30 than 0 for 9", he forcibly proved that he could overcome the impact of injuries, and then nothing happened.
The Lakers just finished beating the Spurs last night, and veterans such as Payton and Malone are very tired. No one has time to spend their energy with Kobe tonight.
Jackson also had to think about the next game, so before the third quarter was over, he withdrew Payton, Malone, Grant and other main players early.
Only Duane, Fisher, Walton Jr., and Brian Russell continued to study with the prince Kobe.
After the third quarter, the point difference was widened to 17 points, and Kobe did not ask to continue playing after coming off the court.
He just covered his head with a towel, lowered his head, and sat on the bench without saying a word, as if he was sulking at himself.
All I can say is that this is Kobe!
Some players perform poorly, and news of injuries usually comes after the game.
However, after Kobe was injured, he used his picturesque blacksmithing skills to confirm that he was indeed injured.
"The Los Angeles Lakers defeated New Orleans with 89 points and suffered their first regular season defeat"
"Kobe Bryant scored only 10 points on 4 of 16 shooting, becoming the main culprit for the Los Angeles Lakers' loss"
"Kobe Doon scored 41 points together, but Shaq was absent, and Peyton Malone was old and weak"
"Shaq is out recovering from injury, Kobe's shoulder injury relapses, and the Los Angeles Lakers face their biggest test"
"The Los Angeles Lakers can't live without Shaq, just like the Chicago Bulls can't live without Michael"
"The Los Angeles Lakers should consider strengthening the inside line, the team needs a big man"
Because of the back-to-back schedule, the Lakers had an extra day of rest in New Orleans after beating the Hornets.
Early the next morning, after receiving a news summary from his agent, O'Neal laughed like a pig in the hotel room.
As a teammate, O'Neal shouldn't have gloated after Kobe was injured.
But there was nothing he could do. After seeing the text message, O'Neal couldn't help but want to laugh.
Originally, Kobe was just playing one or two games because of the back-to-back schedule and his shooting hand felt the physical impact.
Now that my right shoulder is injured, is this going to last seven or eight games?
O'Neal knows Kobe's personality, and Kobe will definitely play with injuries.
Even though the team doctor and Zen Master may want Kobe to rest for a while, according to Kobe's temper, he can only take a break at most.
This also means that Kobe's performance will be relatively sluggish in the next few games.
The worse Kobe's performance is, the more stable his position with the Lakers will be.
"This guy Du En really didn't lie to me! The Lakers need me so much!"
O'Neal, who was in a happy mood and had clear ideas, quickly called his teammates who lived in the next room of the hotel one by one to inform them to have dinner together at noon.
As for why he didn't knock on the door but chose to call instead, it was naturally because he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to find anyone.
A man's strength is like water in a sponge, there will always be some squeeze.
Even though the back-to-back schedule has already exhausted the players, there are always some people who can cheer up, regain their strength, and then stay up all night and fight until dawn.
It can only be said that playing basketball is not only hard work with sweat and strength, but also a beautiful life that people yearn for and love.
O'Neal was also there and prepared an oyster feast for everyone for lunch.
Before coming to New Orleans, Duan thought there would be a lot of New Orleans grilled chicken wings in New Orleans. In fact, there were none, not even a few KFCs.
The local delicacies of New Orleans are mainly seafood such as crayfish and oysters. The more famous ones are fried shrimp, fried chicken, fried crab cakes and fried alligator meat, as well as grilled oysters, roast beef, grilled fish and grilled shrimp. barbecue.
What O'Neill prepared for everyone this time was New Orleans' most famous charcoal-grilled oysters.
As the saying goes, eat other people's mouth softly, and take other people's hands short.
Originally, other players on the Lakers had some complaints because O'Neal, who had the highest salary in the team, was paid to recuperate from injuries. However, the team lost last night.
However, as the team boss, O'Neal did not play on the court, but he did not do nothing.
It can be seen from today's meal that O'Neal still has teammates in his heart and treats everyone as brothers.
Where can you find a boss who is considerate and generous, doesn't lose his temper, and doesn't drag his teammates down on the field?
One bite of an oyster and you're done!
Even Payton and Malone, who are not short of money, are quite convinced by O'Neal, who is now elegant and easy-going and spends money like water.
In this way, except for Kobe who went his own way, O'Neal reunited the Lakers locker room with one meal, and the haze of defeat was swept away.
However, the Lakers' journey of defeat did not end so quickly.
On November 10, the Lakers visited Memphis, the last stop of the Devils' four-game guest streak.
Because Kobe insisted on playing, but his personal condition was deeply affected by injuries, and the Lakers' inside line was relatively weak.
Facing the Grizzlies with Gasol, the Lakers were once at a disadvantage and were beaten by the Grizzlies.
And because Kobe's offensive efficiency is low, he still wants to rely on his personal strength to kill the game.
The result was similar to the previous game. After three and a half quarters, the game was killed by Kobe again.
The Lakers scored 95 and lost to the Grizzlies who scored 105, losing again on the road.
It is worth mentioning that Kobe scored a game-high 23 points in just 21 shots and made 10 free throws.
Because the second half of the fourth quarter was reduced to garbage time, the Grizzlies boss Gasol only scored 22 points, which was not too high.
The second-leading scorer for the Lakers was Duane, who scored 16 points.
Continuous away games, coupled with Kobe's failure to play according to tactics, left Duan at a loss.
Originally, Duan had planned to reduce the ball possessions, reduce scoring data, and use the triangle offensive system to strive for more double-doubles.
But under the influence of Kobe, sometimes the team had to rely on Duan to score. Sometimes Duan had the touch but couldn't catch the ball, so he became more and more confused as he played.
Fortunately, after returning to Los Angeles, everything got better.
On November 12, Carter brought the Raptors to the Staples Center to send warmth.
He made 7 of 22 shots from the field and 1 of 6 three-pointers. He played harder than Kobe.
Kobe caused the team to lose two games in a row because of his own selfish ideas. He was also scolded by Zen Master and had some of his ball rights reduced.
Kobe was naturally unconvinced, so he doubled down on the defensive end.
"As long as my opponent is as tough as me, I can defeat my opponent with my rich blacksmithing experience!"
Kobe gradually understood the key to winning, and Carter became the first victim.
The rational discipline of reducing offense and focusing on defense is still a bit scary.
Driven by Kobe's example, even though Malone was the only Lakers player to score 20 points, in the end it was still 79-94, and the Lakers beat the Raptors by 15 points at home.
Duan also regained his familiar role as the central axis of the triangle offense and once again scored a double-double of 17 points and 11 assists.
With the victory over the Raptors, the entire Lakers team regained the feeling of winning.
At this time, the powerful Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference suddenly arrived in Los Angeles!
There is no doubt that there will be another battle worth looking forward to...
