Obviously, the Los Angeles Lakers still have a lot of problems to solve, and LeBron James's absence because of the health and safety agreement has a great impact on the Lakers. However, from a positive point of view, the Lakers also solved an important problem at the beginning of the season, that is, they would always lose power in the third quarter, or even lose the final game because of this collapse.
But in the past week, the situation has improved, after losing to old rival Boston Celtics, Anthony Davis, the core of the team's interior line, was interviewed by the media, and he revealed that the "three-quarter collapse" was simply the Lakers' fatal nemesis this season, which was a very bad feeling. And LeBron James also responded: "We will try to figure it out, the whole team needs to show a stronger desire to win and mental outlook in the third quarter." ”
The good news is that the Lakers Gemini's words have obviously had an effect, and the reason why the Lakers have won the final victory in the past two games is that the excellent performance in the third quarter is a very important reason. Take the home game against the Detroit Pistons, due to the clash between LeBron James and Isaiah Stewart for the first time of the season, so the two sides also appeared to be extremely incendiary, and the pistons that had been laid out and rebuilt did not easily tie their hands, and they created a huge obstacle for the Lakers in the Steps Center, trailing by only 3 points at the end of the half. But by the third quarter of the game, the Lakers suddenly began to exert their strength, winning the Pistons by 10 points at 32-22, laying a solid foundation for the final win.
In the last game against the Kings, the Lakers' momentum in the third quarter became more rapid. You must know that after half-time, the Purple and Gold Army is still 9 points behind the opponent. But in the absence of James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook carried the team on their shoulders, and the Lakers blasted a 37-15 super attack wave in the third quarter, and finally successfully avenged the King, achieving a hearty victory.
In the past nine games, the Lakers have won six games, to know that so far this season, the team's lineup has not been neat enough, such a momentum has obviously been very good, and the third quarter to sweep the decline, is the Lakers' record and state recovery of the key factor. Statistics show that in the first 15 games of the season, the Lakers ranked fifth in the league in offensive efficiency in the third quarter, and the defensive and offensive efficiency was even more dismal, simply ranking second to the bottom of the league, of which the Lakers lost a terrible 120.6 points per 100 rounds. But then the Purple and Gold Army rebounded strongly, their defensive efficiency in the third quarter was fifth in the league, only conceding 101.2 points per 100 rounds, while the offensive efficiency was also ranked eighth, and the improvement was obviously very obvious. Especially in the past five games, the Lakers have scored a total of 51 more points than their opponents in the third quarter, and their form is amazing.
Unlike last season, now it may not be enough to win by scoring, and the Lakers have many players who have been selected for the best defensive team, like Howard, who has simply won the DPOY award, but their problems are also quite obvious. First of all, this summer, the Lakers have seen a lot of experienced and defensive players, including Dwight Howard, Lajan Rondo, Jordan Jr. and Venn Ellington, who have entered the twilight of their careers, and their physical fitness and health are naturally far inferior to those of young people. In addition, the Lakers have too many new players, and only LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Tarren Horton Tucker can play with the team last season, the run-in and chemistry are naturally greatly reduced, and the defense pays special attention to communication and rotation, which is relatively slow and lacks stability, which is not surprising.
But with the deepening of the season, the Lakers veterans have gradually begun to enter the state, in fact, the Purple and Gold Army is now only in the 6th position in the West, but in addition to the top two Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, it is really impossible to catch up, the gap between other teams is not large, the Lakers are only 3 games behind the third in the West Utah Jazz. The next schedule of the Purple and Gold Army is really good, throughout December, the Lakers only need to play back-to-back twice; before the game with the Clippers, the Lakers can rest for two days, and then to the next game against the Celtics, there are three days in between; in addition, the Lakers have more home games on the remaining schedule this month, and will also encounter weak teams such as The Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, which is a great opportunity for the Lakers to improve their record and ranking.
In addition, LeBron James will announce his comeback in advance, during which the Lakers' schedule is relatively relaxed, so that whether it is LeBron James or other players, they can get more rest and adjustment time. At present, the Lakers' roster is still not neat enough, and when the injured return to the team, they have the opportunity to use this sweet schedule to impact better rankings.