NBA: I am a master dealer

Kobe Bryant, who was watching the game at the Pro Tapes Center, was stopped by reporters.

Reporter: "What do you want to say about tonight's game?"

Kobe shook his head with a bitter look on his face, "Very disappointed."

Reporter: "So, what do you want to say about the Lakers' performance this season?"

Kobe was still shaking his head, and the bitterness on his face turned into helplessness: "Very, very disappointed."

He didn't say much, but the disappointment in his words was really palpable.

You know, this season the Lakers built a championship lineup, but ended up with a record of 10 wins and 16 losses. How can this be accepted?
This is a real and serious failure to meet expectations. It is simply two galaxies behind the goal set at the beginning of the season.

Can such a result not be disappointing?
Reporter: "So, what suggestions do you have for the current Lakers?"

Kobe opened his mouth, looking like he was hesitating to speak. In the end, he swallowed everything he wanted to say and sighed, "I hope Xue can come back soon."

Obviously.

He doesn't think George is the Lakers' savior, nor does he think Walton can change this Lakers.

The only person who can be counted on is Xue Liancheng.

Reporter: "When do you think the Lakers will end their losing streak?"

Kobe tilted his head and thought for a moment, "Who is playing next?"

The reporter quickly responded: "The Sacramento Kings."

Kobe: "Well, that should be the next game, right?"

Even if he heard that the next opponent was the king, he did not dare to answer this question with certainty.

This shows how disappointing the Lakers' performance is now.

To put it bluntly, it's simply terrible, and it doesn't inspire confidence at all.

Reporter: "It seems that you are really disappointed with the Lakers' recent performance."

Kobe spread his hands and said nothing more.

And after the game.

There are also countless commentators and commentators reporting on the Lakers' poor performance, and everyone's opinions are basically the same: it's absolutely terrible.

As a Lakers legend, O'Neal was even more rude and directly complained: "George always tells the media that he will make those who underestimate him pay the price, but looking back now, every word he said seems to be a joke. I seriously doubt that he was able to play well in the Pacers because Vogel's tactical system was better."

"And Walton, to be honest, I admired him very much last year. I felt that in just a few years after retiring, he changed his mind, deepened his thinking, and became a head coach candidate with unlimited potential. But now my opinion has changed and I feel like he's not good at anything other than bragging and making promises, and I'm not kidding, that's the impression he has on me now."

This sentence can be said to be merciless, spraying the two of them to pieces.

Obviously.

He is also very disappointed, even angry, with the Lakers' recent performance.

What the hell...

Anyone can lose, even the sun can lose...

Is there still hope for such a team?
Can he still win the championship?
wrong……

Not to mention winning the championship, even advancing to the playoffs has become a huge problem.

The Lakers are in their darkest moment right now.

And the fans' anger is still spreading.

"It's so bad that I can't describe it in words."

"If it doesn't work, just throw it away. Don't make it difficult for yourself."

"Show your talents - Walton, lead the team superstar - George."

"New heights, new direction, we are on the right track, and the strength shown will surprise people. There is nothing wrong with this. Everyone is really surprised. The Lakers lost six consecutive games."

"You still have the nerve to compete with Xue Liancheng on your team leadership skills? You have the best team leadership skills!"

"We are already 10 wins and 16 losses. If we play the Kings in the next game, I seriously doubt whether we can end the losing streak."

"Don't doubt it. If you can't beat the Kings, why not beat the Nets?"

"Haha! The Nets can't do it. Isn't there a king at the bottom who can destroy the big numbers?"

"So, the Lakers are really lucky to have encountered three weak teams in a row. Otherwise, this losing streak may not be able to stop."

The fans are humiliating the Lakers wantonly.

In fact, not only Walton and George were taken out and whipped, but also Zubac, Larry Nance, Glenn Robinson, Marvin Williams, Clarkson, Joe Johnson, Courtney Lee and others. I was also scolded bloody.

Only James Johnson was tough enough and was not put on the scolded list.

After all, during this period of time, James Johnson rarely stretched his hips, and he was the one with the most stable performance.

Everyone else has more or less problems of this kind. If they lose so miserably, they will naturally be beaten!

But as the fans said, their next encounter with the Kings will be a good opportunity for them to end their losing streak.

If he can't even defeat the king, he's really going to jump up.

But in fact, the Kings' record is about the same as that of the Lakers. After the Lakers experienced a six-game losing streak, their record reached 10 wins and 16 losses. The Kings also lost more and won less, but their record was also 8 wins and 15 losses. , the two sides were only half a game away from each other.

If the Kings defeat the Lakers, the Kings will surpass the Lakers in one fell swoop and rank tenth in the Western Conference.

The Lakers came to the eleventh place in the Western Conference, which is the bottom four squad leaders.

This is the most terrifying fact.

The fans simply didn't realize that the current rankings of the two sides were actually between the two.

They are still treating the Lakers as a super team at the championship level, which is completely pretentious.

The Lakers are also having internal meetings.

Walton was frothing at the mouth, "We have lost six games in a row. We have no way out. Tomorrow we will face Sacramento. If we lose, we will face the ridicule of the whole world. So, no matter what, all of you will have to do it tomorrow." I must be 100% focused, I only want to see one result, and that is victory..."

This is the first time since he came to the Lakers that he has been lectured with such a black face.

In the past, he always maintained an elegant posture, confident and calm, facing everything as if everything was under control.

But now it's different.

Because Kupchak has called him to tell him that what the team needs is to perform, not go straight to the lottery pick.

The meaning is obvious. If you don't produce satisfactory results, your position will be in danger.

This was the reason for his sullen face.

Others also clearly felt the overwhelming pressure coming from outside public opinion, all kinds of abuse and insults on the Internet, commentators and celebrities calling out negative comments, and they felt like they were being stabbed in the heart.

Anyway, in the metropolis of Los Angeles, if you enjoy the exposure, you will have to face the media's encouragement and the fans' abuse.

It's mutual...

December 12th, approaching Christmas, ushered in this focus battle.

Different from the previous strong dialogues, this time it was a mutual pecking between "weak brigade" rookies, but it still attracted countless pairs of eyes. You can imagine how terrifying the Lakers' enthusiasm is.

And the result of the game.

It seems to be expected, but also seems to be unexpected.

That's right.

The Lakers lost again.

With 92:116, we were clocked out again in the third quarter.

In fact, before halftime, the Lakers played well, at least they showed their determination to win. Regardless of offense or defense, the players on the court were working hard.

At halftime, they led by 58 points, 49:9, and everything was going in the right direction.

As a result, in the fourth quarter, the situation took a turn for the worse. The Lakers were beaten for 13:39 in a single quarter and lost by a full 26 points. Lost by 26 points in a single quarter!

It's simply unbelievable.

At this point, their 9-point lead suddenly turned into a 17-point deficit, and they surrendered on the spot.

This time I lost, I had nothing to say and lost my temper.

He only scored 13 points in the third quarter. How could he win with this kind of performance?

To use what the famous on-site commentator O'Neal said, that is: the Lakers don't deserve to win, they suck.

Barkley explained: The reason why the Lakers collapsed in the third quarter was mainly caused by a lack of confidence.

And O'Neal didn't give face at all: To put it bluntly, it was the incompetence of the star player. If Xue Liancheng was here, he would never let the team only score 13 points. This is the reason why the Lakers lost.

The finger was pointed directly at George, without any hesitation.

After the game, the fans were completely in an uproar.

"With this performance, is he worthy of joining James and Leonard Durant as one of the four small forwards?"

"22 of 8, 36.4% shooting rate. When you needed to step up in the third quarter, you directly contributed 4 of 0. How can you have the nerve to call yourself a superstar?"

"George is indeed useless, but the most useless person is Walton. What a waste! 13 points in a single quarter. There is no tactical system at all. You can't attack or defend. You are so useless. You Why are you so embarrassed to brag?"

“We’ve lost seven games in a row, is there a lower limit?”

"The Lakers don't even want to lose face, so what lower limit do they need?"

"Collapse! Just declare disbandment on the spot."

"If we don't replace Walton, we will never win."

"With such a lineup and such results, Walton, do you dare to say that there is nothing wrong with you?"

This time the fans really couldn't bear it anymore and raised their spears directly at Walton and George.

If you lose, first of all, the head coach needs to reflect.

Secondly, the star player needs to take responsibility.

So the two bore the brunt.

And in the post-match media interview.

Reporter: “Can you tell me when you will end your losing streak?”

Wharton was still as high-spirited as he had been a while ago, staring blankly at the microphone, as if he hadn't heard anything.

And George clicked his nails and replied in a nagging voice, "We are facing a difficult situation now, and I don't know how to get out of it."

The implication is: How the hell do I know?

In addition to his lack of confidence, he also had a deeper meaning, that is: it is not my problem now, but the coach's problem.

Obviously.

The seven-game losing streak not only made the two of them numb, but also created conflicts invisibly. If they have lost like this, there must be a problem in some link.

As for where?

If you're not the star, then you're the head coach!

George's answer showed that there is no doubt about this question: I have tried my best and still can't win, then there is something wrong with the coach's tactical system and tactical arrangement.

Reporter: "Facing the Nets in the next game, Luke, are you confident that you can beat them?"

When Wharton heard his name was called, he almost blurted out and subconsciously replied, "Of course..."

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he was already choked up in his throat.

Because they have lost seven games in a row. Among their losing opponents, there are not only strong teams, but also direct competitors, and even teams that look very corrupt.

The king and the sun are among them.

They dare to lose even these two, how can they still have the confidence to underestimate the Nets?

The reporter was heartbroken: "If we still lose at the end, how will you deal with the Lakers' current predicament?"

Wharton licked his dry lips and looked sharply, "We will not lose..."

Then the next day.

The Nets once again defeated the Nets 97:107 in the away game in Brooklyn.

That's right!

Lost again.

Lost to this bad team that was 6-17.

Lost to a team that had no core of its own.

Lost to the second-to-last team in the Eastern Conference.

This time.

The fans were completely blown away.

"Holy shit... they've lost eight games in a row! Are these the Lakers with top ten stars?"

"This time I really lost all my pants. Even the Nets lost. What other team can't lose?"

"Someone always told us to give them time to adjust and give them some patience. As a result, you brought us eight consecutive losses, a record of 10 wins and 18 losses, and the third-to-last ranking in the Western Conference. You are really great. Baby!"

"Just disband on the spot, it's very upsetting to see."

"After watching the whole game, I really don't see any hope. The defense is lousy and the offense is scattered. Everyone is really guilty."

"Ha! Who has the nerve to beep now?"

"Is George really a top player?"

That's right.

In this game, George performed even worse, shooting 25 of 7. Although he scored 25 points and 11 rebounds, his efficiency was simply eye-catching.

Others performed just fine.

But if we lose, and we have lost eight games in a row, then...

No one on the field is innocent.

"There is really no lower limit. Now, except for Xue Liancheng, God can't save this Lakers team."

"Please beg Xue Liancheng to come back."

"I just don't understand how it hurts. You have to say something. It's Christmas soon."

"I'm really desperate. Before Kobe retired, he played very poorly, but at least he didn't feel despair. Instead, he felt like he was transformed and reborn. What now? There is only endless despair."

"It was so bad! Before the game started, I swore to the whole world that we were going to compete for the championship. Looking back now, I almost laughed out loud."

"Xue Liancheng's comeback is the only hope left. After all, he has won two consecutive MVPs and his personal strength is no problem."

"With the Lakers' current tactical system, Xue Liancheng's comeback will be useless."

"Let's sign a letter and let this trash Wharton get out of here..."

In despair, the fans finally thought of Xue Liancheng and the two consecutive MVPs.

But at the same time, more people are worried that Xue Liancheng will be beaten by Wharton if he comes back.

After all, so many games have been played. After half a season, Walton's training skills are indeed difficult to describe, and there is no improvement at all.

(End of this chapter)