On November 22, local time, LeBron James arrived in New York City with the Lakers team to prepare for the away game against the Knicks. As he took a nap in his hotel room, the NBA issued an official ticket, and the veteran, who has been in the league for 19 years, suffered the first suspension of his career.
"Rob [Lakers vice president Pelinka] called me, but I didn't get it," James recalled, "and then when I checked my phone and found a missed call from him, I realized I was going to be suspended." I thought, it's xxx, but it doesn't matter. ”
During the Pistons' game, James hit his opponent's interior lineer Isaiah Stewart in the face, causing bleeding from the corners of his eyes and mouth. This action not only allowed James to be blown off for a second-level malicious foul, and then directly expelled, but also the main reason for his suspension. However, James' suspension this time also contributed to his outbreak in the away game against the Pacers to some extent.
In this Game of Overtime between the Lakers and the Pacers, the returning James scored a new season-high 39 points, especially in the 5-minute overtime game, James alone scored 8 of the Lakers' 12 points. "I'm excited to be back in the squad," James said after the game, "I didn't play that game last night, but I could play back-to-back game two." I knew before the game that because I didn't play the previous game, I could give my teammates extra help in this one. ”
The Lakers also really need James's play on the court, and the night before, although the Lakers climbed out of the pit of 25 points behind, they still couldn't reverse the Knicks. This time facing the Pacers, the Lakers trailed by 12 points in the first half, and then the whole game was in a state of catching up. But compared to the night before in New York, the Lakers with James clearly had a backbone at the last minute.
In addition to the comprehensive and critical play, James also has a special desire to perform throughout the game. In the final moments of the fourth quarter, after hitting a three-pointer, he presented a Sam Cassel fame dance to the home fans of Indianapolis. In overtime, after hitting the key three points again, James reproduced his classic celebration during the Heat's performance - three times with both hands down, three one-handed pats on the chest. Through these celebrations, it is not difficult to see how surging James's heart is.
Logically, for a veteran like James, an ordinary regular season game, he would not have inspired such a fighting spirit. However, there is a context that cannot be left unconsidered. The previous suspension prevented James from playing against the Knicks on the road and prevented him from playing in Madison Square Garden, known as the "basketball Mecca". Since joining the Lakers, the opportunity to play in Madison has been such a one-time in a season, and James has missed it.
"I blame myself," James said with chagrin, "it's one of my favorite arenas in the world, so I've always looked forward to playing there." However, this is the reality. ”
In fact, James had a phone conversation with league officials after being expelled from the game against the Pistons. From his own perspective, he once again reviewed the beginning and end of the conflict with Stewart in the game with the Pistons, hoping to avoid the penalty of his suspension, but his statement did not affect the final decision of the league.
"We were stuck in each other's spot on the free throw," James said, reviewing the scene, "and his elbow was raised a little high and hit me." If you watch the video, you should be able to see this. His movements caused me to lose my balance a little, and then his elbow pressed against my arm. I wanted to pull out my arm and press his arm in turn. Just as I threw away his arm, he also lost his balance, and then my hand grabbed his face. I realized right away that I had touched some part of his head. So, I walked over to him and apologized, and then all of you saw what had happened. However, this is definitely an unexpected situation. ”
There are US media reports that James tried to explain and apologize to Stewart over the phone after the game with the Pistons. But James himself revealed in an interview that he had not communicated with Stewart since the incident. After that bloody incident, the Lakers have encountered similar scenes many times in the last two games. For example, in a fight with the Knicks, Wei Shao's lips were broken by the opponent's guard Grimes, and in a match with the Pacers, James's face was hit by Sabonis Jr., and Sabonis Jr.'s nose was also bloodied.
"It's a bit of an escalation right now, and I really don't want to see that," James said, "and I still don't think I should have been banned before." I think it was reasonable for me to be expelled, after all that happened on the pitch. If I had stayed in the game, the emotions of the fans would probably have been more agitated after that. However, I was later banned from the game, and I think it is very unreasonable. But the league made the final decision, which made us this game today. ”
In addition to the gunpowder smell on the court, the Lakers also suffered non-combat attrition before the game against the Pacers. The team's interior core, Anthony Davis, was unable to play against the Pacers due to a fever. This is undoubtedly a worse situation for the Lakers in back-to-back Battle II. The Pacers' interior line has two big men, Sabonis Jr. and Miles Turner, and the Lakers without thick eyebrows, had to give Jordan Jr. and Howard a total of 35 minutes to play in order to match the height of their opponents, but when the two traditional centers played, the Lakers could not close the score. Forced to be helpless, Vogel could only use a small lineup in the fourth quarter, pushing James to the fifth position.
But it was such a seemingly desperate adjustment that gave the Lakers a chance to come back to life. With 9:30 left in the fourth quarter, Vogel replaced Howard with Horton Tucker, and the Lakers put up a lineup without a center. It seemed that the inside defensive portal was wide open, but James still withstood the Impact of the Pacers on the inside. And the small lineup gave the Lakers much-needed offensive space, and in the following 8 minutes of game time, the Lakers used this lineup to play the Pacers 23-9, and finally snatched the initiative of the game back into their hands.
"I know he wants to win," head coach Vogel said of James' performance after the game, "he really wants to play in that game against the Knicks and every year he looks forward to that away game." So, he achieved a strong rebound in this game. On the defensive end, he became the core of the command, and the offensive end also carried the whole team in his own way. Considering his age, such a performance is really outstanding. ”
In this way, the Lakers, led by James, got a key away victory and once again pulled the winning percentage back to 50%. "That's why he's 'GOAT (the greatest ever),'" Lakers guard Malik Munch said, "I grew up watching him play, and he's the Michael (Jordan) in our generation's mind." ”
James's personal performance ignited the Lakers' hopes of victory and made the Home Pacers fans more emotional. During overtime, James dragged the referee to two sideline fans during a dead ball and complained about their offensive actions during the viewing process, and the two fans were also invited out of the stadium by the staff on the spot. In an interview after the game, James did not disclose exactly what the two fans said or did, but he said that both men's language and gestures crossed the border.
"If you want your team to win and you don't want the visiting team to win, then I think it's okay for you to say something about that," James said, "but there are some things I would never say to the fans, so they shouldn't say it to me either." ”
James knows the atmosphere of the indianapolis stadium. After so many years of his career, every time he comes to challenge the Pacers on the road, everyone here will not show mercy to him. For example, in his first season with the Lakers, James and the Lakers suffered a 94-136 fiasco here.
"It's always been a hard stadium for us to conquer, and it's been tough all my career when I've been here," James said, "Obviously, it's clear to everybody that the team that Rick Carlisle is always ready for everything." So, being able to get out of here with victory makes this journey a great one. If you don't look back at the things that happened on this road trip, it is still a good feeling to be able to go home for Thanksgiving. When the time comes, the food will be even more delicious. ”