Chapter 702 [Just Stay Where It’s Cool]
On the 22nd, the Clippers and Lakers played the second preseason Los Angeles Derby.
Many media said that Kobe was not a qualified leader, and a large group of people online said that Kobe was a "cancer" and could not lead the team to win. He is under a lot of pressure and wants to prove himself more than playing. He can no longer afford to lose.
In the morning, Kobe went to the arena to practice shooting, treating the preseason as a playoff game.
If he doesn't do this, Kobe has no chance of performing well against the Clippers. Now it's not that he doesn't want to pass the ball to his teammates and plays alone, but that the Clippers players can really restrict him so that he can't complete the combination of breakouts and shots, just like the Mavericks last season.
Under the rotation restrictions of Tony Allen, Battier, Gay, and Chandler, all outside scorers in the league will find it difficult to attack. This may be the top defensive configuration in the league.
Together with Paul, there are only three Clippers who have the ability to be selected for the All-Defensive Team, and Chandler is even more of the Best Defensive Player level.
Chandler is like the center version of Garnett. In Yang Rui's previous life, he was elected the best defensive player in the 2011-12 season. As soon as he joined the Knicks, the team's defensive end immediately changed.
It is no exaggeration to say that this guy is a defensive monster. With his unique athletic ability and height and wingspan, his defensive range is terrifying: low-post single defense, weak-side assist defense, and outside defense. They are all good at it.
Few people can beat Chandler in the low post. Bynum, Randolph, Jefferson, and Howard have become the victims of the boxing champion again and again. Duncan and Yao Ming have also been guarded by him. It's a pity that the Bobcats' perimeter defense is too bad. After Gerald Wallace left, not only did the perimeter offense rely entirely on Deron, but the wing defense also became a weakness. The Bobcats' failure to make the playoffs has nothing to do with Chandler.
How good is his defense during this period? Yang Rui feels incredible when he thinks back to the Knicks' heart-breaking lineup in the 11-12 season.
The Knicks suffered from injuries, and Chandler had to take on 75% of the defensive tasks, with him guarding the core interior line! Pick and roll him to switch defense! He will make up for the missing players on the weak side!
Without Chandler, there would be no "Linsanity" at that time. Xiao Linzi had good statistics at most and it was difficult to win. You know, when Stoudemire was injured, Chandler's partner was Novak, which ordinary people couldn't make up for. This defensive hole.
In the n years before this, the Knicks' defensive efficiency list was not in the top 20; after Chandler joined, he was firmly in the top ten and even hit the top five. Just looking at the lineup configuration, the Knicks are definitely a defensive team, and the boxing champion has helped the New Yorkers earn back face in this life.
Facing two "Kobe Terminators" and one "Inside Terminator", Kobe knelt down again. He played 28 minutes and made 6 of 17 shots, a field goal percentage of 35.3%, 0 of 1 three-pointers, and 7 of 7 free throws. 19 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Komies were dissatisfied and once again said that Kobe's low shooting percentage was due to being double-teamed. Then there’s the old problem again, double team you but pass it? No, our department must have the courage to take responsibility.
The Lakers lost to the Clippers 103-128, losing to their opponent for the second time in three days. This was not a big deal at first, but Kobe fought too hard and tore the deltoid ligament in his right wrist, which was tragic.
In the third quarter, Kobe forced a breakthrough and dunked, but was blocked by Chandler. He lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground. He held his right wrist with his left hand and showed a painful look on his face, and then returned to the locker room.
Afterwards, Kobe went to the hospital for an MRI examination. The results showed that he had torn the deltoid ligament in his right wrist. The opening game will start the day after tomorrow. If Kobe is not included in the highlight of the Lakers vs. Bulls game, the excitement will be greatly reduced.
The only good news is that the current recommendation given by the Lakers team doctor is daily observation, which means that Kobe's new injury is not serious enough to require surgical recovery.
"Old fish" Fisher was not worried and said humorously: "If I were in Las Vegas, I would bet that Kobe will play in the opening game. He will not use injuries as an excuse, he will cut He took off the injured wrist and played the opener with one hand."
Kobe Bryant said in his heart: mmp,
Why don't you, a bastard with athlete's foot, chop off both of your feet and replace them with wooden ones?
Lakers pitcher Kapono also said: "If you think Kobe will miss the opening game, you are an idiot. He is Kobe. No matter what injury he suffers, he can play."
The Lakers used this method to boost morale, but it didn't work. In the first official strength list, the Lakers only ranked 11th, and experts were only optimistic that they would barely make the playoffs.
Do the Lakers still want to compete for the championship? Just wait and see where you can cool off. Who to switch inside to defend the pick-and-roll is a big problem that is difficult to solve.
Nash and Fisher's defense on the outside is very poor. Jeremy Lin is young and fast and has no chance to play. He came to Los Angeles to sell jerseys and exert commercial value.
Kobe Bryant was determined to miss the opening game. He spoke harshly during the interview, believing that the Lakers still have a chance as long as they get along well. The fire in his heart will never go out.
If the current Lakers players were all at their peak, they would be five All-Stars. Scott also firmly believes that the team will make a difference this season. He will arrange Gasol, Love, and Luol Deng to actively fight for offensive rebounds...
The Clippers rank third in the strength list, second only to the Mavericks and Cavaliers, who reached the Finals last season.
The Mavericks have retained their core lineup, and many people are optimistic about them defending the title.
The Cavaliers also had a replacement and signed veteran Grant Hill as they did not dig out Battier. Last season, Hill still averaged 30.1 minutes per game, scoring 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists, shooting 48.4% from the field, 39.5% from three-point range, and 82.9% from free throws.
Ranked fourth is the Pacers, who had two big wins in the preseason, which was somewhat unexpected.
According to the original development history, Crawford would take a salary cut to join the Clippers, where he would win the Best Sixth Man Award and reach the peak of his career. There is no room for Crawford in the Clippers now, and he can only do blue-collar work when he comes. Crawford, who was determined to join a strong team and compete for the championship, chose the Pacers.
The Pacers now have a starting lineup of Darren Collison, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West, and Roy Hibbert. Substitutes include George Hill, Crawford, Deng Tai Jones, Hansbrough, etc...
Although the core strength of the Pacers is average and not super giant, their overall strength can already threaten the Cavaliers in the playoffs.
The espn expert team predicts that the championship will be decided from these four teams. The old powerhouse Spurs are underestimated and only ranked 9th. The "gdp combination" is one year older. Scola is not too young. The Spurs need fresh blood.
In the Christmas Day game, the Clippers will play against the Warriors, who are ranked seventh on the strength list, in an away game. This is specially arranged by the league. The competition between the two offensive teams will be exciting, and the Clippers will not have to go far.
This is bad news for the Warriors. The Warriors did not introduce big-name players in the summer, and the core is still Brook Lopez, Zach Randolph, and Mike Conley.
Against most teams, the Warriors trio can win, but against the Clippers, their first priority is defense, otherwise they may lose by a big score.
When the players were warming up, Zhang Li sighed: "The Clippers did not introduce stars. Yang Rui likes to train stars himself, but judging from the two preseason games, the Clippers seem to be stronger than last season. Chandler is better than DeAndre Jordan."
Yu Jia laughed and said: "The Clippers' offense is very strong. With another star, I don't think it will be easy to distribute the ball. I guess Yang Rui wanted to trade Jordan away last season. He often missed free throws and the offense was too bad." What I didn't expect was that the Grizzlies actually offered Jordan such a big contract, with an annual salary higher than Chandler, which is really outrageous."
Clippers starting lineup: Paul, Korver, Gay, Griffin, Chandler.
Warriors starting lineup: Conley, Belinelli, Dorell Wright, Randolph, Lopez.
Chandler won the jump ball and the game was on.