After two days of rest after playing the Jazz, the Trail Blazers faced the challenge of the Los Angeles Lakers at home on the 13th.
What do you say about the current Purple and Gold Army?
Visible decline to the naked eye!
After Dwight Howard fled Los Angeles, the aging Big Three consisting of Nash, Kobe, and Gasol did play some good games at the beginning.
With Nash in charge, Kobe chose to change his style of play and become a master without the ball, and once played extremely efficiently.
Firstly, it is to reduce the possibility of injury; secondly, Kobe is still old after all. Although he has not suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, his body is not as good as before after all. If he can play more relaxedly, why not?
Speaking of which, if it weren't for the unstoppable Trail Blazers at the beginning of the season, Kobe might have won one or two Western Conference Player of the Week awards.
But thinking about it, the Black Mamba probably doesn't care about these honors too much. What he wants most now is always the championship.
It's a pity that fate always likes to play tricks on him.
At the end of November, the Lakers had a cumulative record of 11 wins and 7 losses, which is not bad. They have successfully squeezed into the top eight in the Western Conference. If this continues, it is almost possible now.
However, in the game against the Kings on December 1, Nash suffered a back injury and exited the game early. According to the Lakers' official reply later, Nash may miss all subsequent games.
That is season reimbursement!
There is no doubt that after this news came out, it was definitely a thunderbolt for Lakers fans, and it was also an unbearable trauma for the Lakers who were on the rise.
After more than a month, the Lakers have become accustomed to Nash taking charge. At this time, Nash was suddenly injured and ended the season. The Lakers' next schedule was destined to be bumpy.
Sure enough, in the first game on December 1st, even though Kobe scored 28 points in the game, the team could not avoid a disastrous defeat, and eventually lost to the Kings 113:90.
Our Mr. "Unhappy" succeeded in being proud, scoring 33 points, 16 rebounds and a double-double, and also gave Kobe a nail-biting block. The outside world was hotly discussing for a while, and even the All-Star first The number of votes in the round of voting also began to increase.
On the 10th, facing the Pistons, Raptors and Suns, the Lakers lost all three games, and their record instantly became 11 wins and 11 losses, going from seventh in the Western Conference to tenth in the Western Conference.
This shows the horror of the West.
Wang Zelin remembers very clearly that the situation in the Western Conference in the 2013~2014 season was particularly grim. The Spurs won the league with 62 wins and became the regular season champion. The Thunder with 59 wins were not only second in the Western Conference but also second in the league. The Clippers with 57 wins were not only third in the Western Conference. It is also third in the league...
When they were ranked fourth in the league, it was the turn of the Indiana Pacers, who were first in the Eastern Conference and had 56 wins.
As for last year’s defending champion Miami Heat, they only have 54 wins this season…
After some comparison, even the Memphis Grizzlies, seventh in the Western Conference, had a final season record of 50 wins, ranking third in the Eastern Conference.
No way, there are only two 50+ teams in the Eastern Conference. The Toronto Raptors, ranked third, have only won 48 games.
Therefore, in such a crazy Western Conference, it is impossible to remember the playoffs with a 50-50 record. Even 50 wins may not be guaranteed. The Suns, who had 48 wins in the original history, can only be ranked ninth in the Western Conference and miss the playoffs. Postgame.
Li Liyuan's score!
During the fourth consecutive kneeling period, Kobe was not without anger. In the game with his Raptors teammates, Kobe regained the familiar feeling and became more and more comfortable.
Made 17 of 31 shots from the field, 3 of 7 three-pointers, and scored 44 points...
However, the Lakers are no longer the Lakers of previous seasons, and the Raptors are no longer the cute dragons they once were. With DeRozan and Lowry, the good brothers, the Raptors are no longer just cute, they can bite.
Today is different from the past!
Throughout the night, no one from the Lakers stood up to support Kobe, not even Pau Gasol, who made 3 of 11 shots from the field and scored 7 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.
Under this situation, the ESPN experts and reporters who had been lurking for a long time couldn't help but jump out and started reporting "The Lakers are old!"
There is no way, no matter how bad the Los Angeles Lakers play, as long as the Black Mamba has not officially announced its establishment, this will always be one of the most popular teams in the NBA, and there will never be a lack of topics and traffic.
The high popularity of traffic became the first sharp blade to bite the Lakers when they were in decline.
The Los Angeles Lakers are being shrouded in a large dark cloud, and they don't know when the clouds will clear and the sun will shine.
…
The first contest of the new season between the declining powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers and the strongest young team, the Portland Trail Blazers, is full of countless highlights and endless topics. Naturally, it will be broadcast live across the United States.
A coffee shop near the Rose Garden Arena.
After receiving a call from Zhou Yang, a reporter from Sports Illustrated will come for an exclusive interview shortly.
Although it can't compare with the last "Times", "Sports Illustrated" is also popular in North America, but it is slightly less popular than "Times" globally.
How many people are begging for another chance!
More than ten minutes later, Wang Zelin, accompanied by Zhou Yang, waited for a reporter from Sports Illustrated.
A mature... ahem, female reporter in her 30s, with fair skin, good looks, and long wavy hair, but she just didn't know whether to let her hair down or not.
Forget it, European and American 18-year-olds look like 28-year-olds anyway, so I don’t want to guess their age.
"Hello, King, I am Sophie Marceau, you can call me Sophie, nice to meet you!"
As soon as they met, the girl remembered me, oh no, Sophie Marceau greeted her warmly.
"Nice to meet you too, Sophie."
Wang Zelin stretched out his hand and shook it lightly, then quickly let go.
This move made Sophie Marceau look at Wang Zelin with a hint of recognition: Sure enough, men in China are all so shy and gentlemen.
Sophie Marceau, who knew that her career was unfathomable, had long been accustomed to other men's strange looks, but that didn't mean she was willing to accept it.
After sitting down, Sophie Marceau immediately winked at the photographer and began to explain the purpose of her trip.
"Wang, first of all, let me ask a question that fans are very concerned about as usual. What is the final goal of the Trail Blazers this season?"
Wang Zelin did not hesitate and replied: "First of all, the regular season championship. You know, we have great hopes this year. I don't want to miss this great opportunity..."
Sophie Marceau nodded slightly and continued to act as a quiet listener.
"The next step, of course, is to win the first championship in my career! I think no professional basketball player can refuse the temptation of the O'Brien Cup, right?"
Sophie Marceau continued to ask: "I think you must have seen the fans' high praise for you. Now many media have readjusted your draft template. Do you want to know who you have become?"
How could Wang Zelin, who surfs a lot in private, not know, but still cooperated: "Oh, really?"
As soon as she saw the other person's expression, Sophie Marceau knew that the other person knew it well, and she knew that the sense of mystery she had created was gone: "Now some people say that you are the next Chris Webber, and some people say that you will become Tim in the future. A great player like Duncan, what do you think of that?"
It is clear that the next answer will probably be seen by countless people, and may even cause some turmoil. Wang Zelin stopped to think for a few seconds and asked half-jokingly: "Sophie, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"ah?"
Sophie Marceau didn't expect that she would be asked a series of questions. Obviously, this kind of pull-and-pull routine used by Chinese people made her confused for a while.
Before the other party could say anything else, he answered to himself: "The lie is, whether it is Chris or Tim, both of them are very great players, and having them as my future template is undoubtedly the greatest recognition for me. "
Sophie Marceau asked weakly: "Then, what's the truth?"
"To be honest," Wang Zelin put away his smile and began to express: "In my opinion, this is a stupid question! Because I am who I am, and I don't need to be the next one... Yes, Tim and Chris. A respectable, great player, but so what?"
"I am who I am! I, Wang Zelin, will definitely go to greatness, become great, and even surpass greatness!"
