Chapter 1242: Single-Core Leadership, Hitting 73 Wins! (Happy New Year’s Eve!)
With Anthony shining at the last moment, the Nuggets defeated the Lakers at home by 3 points. While ending the Lakers' winning streak, it also slowed down the Lakers' record-setting pace. This was the first time in two seasons that the Nuggets After defeating the Lakers, the Nuggets were defeated by the Lakers 4 times in the regular season last season, and were also eliminated in the playoffs with 4 kills. So you can imagine how excited the Nuggets fans and players were after this game!
The most excited person was of course Anthony. After the game, he excitedly jumped onto the technical stage, yelled crazily at the fans, and even tore his own jersey while looking extremely excited. He seemed even more excited than Chris Paul at the time.
This is also understandable. Anthony played 45 minutes in this game and made 13 goals in 24 shots. He made 3 of 6 three-pointers and 10 of 12 free throws. He efficiently scored a game-high 39 points. This was his personal The second highest score of the season, plus 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Although there were as many as 7 turnovers and 5 fouls, the flaws were not concealed. Anthony's performance in this game was absolutely top-notch, and he was also the reason why the Nuggets won. Absolute hero.
More importantly, Anthony finally got rid of his phobia against the Lakers. In the past, he would be bombed no matter what against the Lakers, which made him feel unconfident about whether he could beat the Lakers. This game undoubtedly allowed him to find what he was missing. long-standing confidence.
After the game, Anthony also said that this game was of great significance to them: "We finally won the victory. It was not easy. God knows how much hard work we put in. This game gave us full confidence in the upcoming playoffs. !”
Anthony was in high spirits at this moment, but when someone asked him if he could defeat the Lakers with Ji Feng, Anthony turned dark and left directly.
Yes, this is also the most regrettable part of this game. Although you Anthony won, after all, Ji Feng was not here, so you still didn't beat Ji Feng!
Therefore, many Denver media outlets said after the game that the victory was not satisfying and that the Nuggets still have a long way to go.
However, this game still allowed people to see the strength of this Nuggets. They are not a pseudo-strong team in the eyes of many fans. Judging from this performance, they can at least be called a strong team with both offense and defense.
They only allowed the Lakers to score 99 points. This was the third time this season that the Lakers scored less than 100 points in a single game. In addition to the impact of Ji Feng's absence, it was also due to their defense.
Dengtay Jones was the first to bear the brunt of Kobe's defense. Dengtay Jones, who has suddenly emerged on the defensive end this season, can be called the Nuggets' strongest perimeter defense. Although Dengtay Jones only scored 8 points on the offensive end in this game, he still scored 8 points on the offensive end. On the defensive end, he was almost inseparable from Kobe. His active fighting allowed Kobe to make only 9 of 21 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 10 of 14 free throws. Although he scored 29 points, his shooting percentage was lower than the season average and his efficiency value was also low. Not high enough.
And the inside "Birdman" Anderson is eye-catching. Although this old man is a complete CBA legend, he can definitely be called a model of NBA re-employment. Although he has shortcomings, he is basically useless on the offensive end except for dunks. , but he is really active, with fierce defense and strong shot-blocking ability. He has made up for Camby's vacancy very well. His 6 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in this game illustrate his role.
Martin has a second spring, his defense is underestimated, and tonight he also scored 16 points and 9 rebounds.
As for the Nuggets’ brains, let’s not talk about engine Billups. Although his overall statistics do not look outstanding, he only scored 17 points on 4 of 11 shots in 37 minutes. His 8 assists and 5 rebounds are not particularly outstanding. , but his biggest role has been mentioned before. Without him, there would be no Nuggets rhythm.
With this configuration, plus JR on the bench who has a good chance of competing for the best sixth man, as well as Kleiza, and Anthony Carter, who is known as the best backup guard in the league, the strength of the Nuggets cannot be underestimated.
At least after this game, the Lakers have listed them as their biggest playoff opponents. After watching the game, Ji Feng even felt that this year's Western Conference finals are likely to be between the Lakers and the Nuggets.
Of course, it's still too early to say this. After all, many people believe that the Spurs, currently third in the Western Conference, are still competitive. Even the Rockets have the most promising year. Many people hope that they will have the opportunity to start a peak showdown with the Lakers.
…
After losing the game, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles that night. Unsurprisingly, all the generals were a little disappointed. This is understandable. Although they took the initiative to take a rest, losing is always a sad thing, especially when something like In such a record battle, the Lakers also missed the opportunity to surpass the Bulls in one go.
But Zen Master didn't care. Although it was a pity to lose, sometimes blessings and misfortunes come together. At such a time, it might as well be a loss. It would at least relieve the overly excited mood of the players, but of course Zen Master would not let go of this opportunity.
In the training session the next day, everyone except Ji Feng and Fisher was criticized, and the training volume was increased that day.
Especially Farmar, who started the last game but only scored 5 points. He was given special attention by Master Zen. He was not allowed to leave the training hall until he made 300 three-pointers. In fact, the others were only slightly better than Farmar. Only a little bit.
After a full day of seven hours of high-intensity training, everyone except Ji Feng, who was energetic after two days of training, all knelt down as expected.
Then Jackson silently announced the lineup for the next game. Kobe, Gasol, and Walton were placed on the injured list for various mysterious reasons. This was the Lakers' biggest break this season.
But it’s not over yet. Before leaving, Zen Master went to Ji Feng and Bynum and told them that Bynum’s playing time will be strictly controlled tomorrow night. This means that this game will be Ji Feng’s single-core game. Team!
"Okay, I know how to play!" Ji Feng is gearing up. This is his first time leading a single-core team here, and he also wants to see how far he can play.
The next game is on April 12th. The Lakers' opponent is the Young Guards, the Portland Trail Blazers!
When the Lakers roster was announced on the day of the game, many fans were in despair. What the hell is this? Are they unable to afford it? Do they not want to win?
On the roster, Kobe and Gasol are both absent, and veteran bench player Walton is also on the bench because of throat inflammation. God knows what the relationship between playing and throat is. Could it be that he can't drink Gatorade because of throat inflammation? Are you playing ball? Can you talk a little more?
Lakers fans also said that although Ji Feng is back, this game is a bit difficult.
The Portland Trail Blazers are a strong team. Needless to say, this has been introduced in detail before, and they are also one of the dark horses so far this season. They have jumped from tenth in the league last season to Today, they are fourth in the Western Conference. Such a span is not easy to achieve in the Western Conference, which shows the great strength of this pioneer.