The 37-point loss to the Nuggets and the Lakers almost lost bottoms, which is also the second-largest net loss record in James' career 1607 games. Before the game, the emphasis was made on the defensive and competitiveness, and it seemed that in the end it only stayed on paper, and the performance of the Purple and Gold Legion on the scene was a different story. We can only watch the 37-year-old James try in vain to try to get close to the score, only to look unusually awkward under the defense of Davin Reid.
If the win or loss of a game does not make people feel desperate, then the next few sets of data may make Lakers fans feel what is called "love is more than heart death". Since the victory over the Dallas Lone Rangers on December 16, 2021, the Lakers have not been able to defeat a team with a more than half of the winning percentage, after which they must lose every strong team, and the record against the team with a winning rate of more than half is an embarrassing 0-6 loss. Don't look at the Lakers' halfway through the regular season, the record is 21 wins and 21 losses, and the winning rate is barely maintained by 50%, but they can only play the characteristics of weak teams now, so that their record is full of water. Just think, even if a team that can't fight a hard battle gets lucky enough to make it into the playoffs, how can it expect to go very far?
This is not alarmist, in fact, the Lakers can still stay in the playoffs for the time being, which is completely a blessing for the convenience of the record. In the opening stage, the sweetness of the Lakers' schedule is one of the best in the entire history of the NBA - they have 12 home games in the first 15 games, only 3 away games, which makes the team's veteran Sunset Red Team have enough breathing time, and also gives the 360 combination that is in urgent need of running-in, a lot of room for adjustment.
In addition, the Lakers' schedule is also a hidden mystery: the Lakers in the Pacific Division must play twice with each Eastern Team, and must play 4 games with the Warriors, Suns, Clippers and Kings in the same division, in addition, their schedule is the first-to-last Rockets last season, the Second-to-Last Thunder, the Third-from-The-Bottom Timberwolves, the Penultimate Pelicans, the Sixth-from-The-Bottom Spurs and the Seventh-to-Last Grizzlies (the Kings' penultimate fourth is in the same division, and can only arrange for the Grizzlies to participate in the playoffs). The teams they only need to play three games are the Jazz, Nuggets, Lone Rangers and Trail Blazers at the top of last season. The intention to secure the playoffs is really obvious, and the league is not shy about it. But the result?
The schedule convenience did not bring the Lakers a fantastic start, but instead gave them a lot of pressure. No team that has ever won the championship before will still drop below 50% after playing 20 regular season games, and from this point of view, the Lakers' championship journey this season has ended prematurely, and Pelinka's offseason signings have failed. To make matters worse, once the sweet schedule in the opening stages does not work well, it is bound to be repulsed afterwards. When the Sunset Reds face a succession of away devil fixtures, will the locker room, which has begun to crumble, completely out of control?
Turning to russell Westbrook, he has been slow to integrate into Vogel's system, and inefficient attacks and nonsensical defenses have not only hurt the team on the field. The frustration of the other players was overflowing, and when Westbrook was still waving at the three-point shot and not noticing that the opposing player was about to play the transition, no one was willing to wipe his ass and fight back for him.
You can't blame other players, Wei Shao's low emotional intelligence practices have indeed inadvertently hurt the feelings of teammates. Intuitively, the Lakers are still politely helping Wei Shao to excuse him except Vogel, and no one else has spoken out for him. Like the previous 9 mistakes when playing the Timberwolves, Melon also helped Wei Shao speak in the post-game interview, saying not to be too harsh on him, and he would blame himself. As a result, Wei Shao's mistake in the interview was allowed. From then on, Guago kept silent and never spoke again.
Look at the reaction of the teammates on the field, if the polite words may be false, the reaction of the body on the field is the most real. Munch, Bradley, Anthony, and even the newcomer Johnson did not give Westbrook a pass, johnson would rather pass to the old Jen who was sandwiched in the last moment than to Westbrook outside the three-point line, which is very telling, indicating that Johnson instinctively believes that LeBron, who is focused on defense, is also less certain than The Big Vacancy Westbrook, so what is the point of making Westbrook in the offseason? How did Westbrook respond? The phrase "My goal is not basketball, the family is greater than basketball" completely chilled the hearts of the brothers.
Remember the recent quote melon said in an interview, "LeBron didn't tell me that Westbrook would come and play together"? Is it understandable that I came to grab the tail of my career to storm the championship, and if I knew he was coming, I wouldn't be here. Considering that the two had been teammates in the Thunder, it was like the tone of a person who came over. The trees want to be quiet and the wind is not stopping, and the problem of the Lakers locker room is probably far greater than imagined.
After the All-Star is the trading deadline, which is probably the window period for the Purple and Gold Legion to finally complete the adjustment. After that, it is the stage of each team to impact the playoffs, can the Lakers stabilize the ranking? Will they be able to withstand the pressure in the unfolding difficult schedule and cover up the problems that have been exposed before? Time will give us the answer, are you still optimistic about the Lakers? Can Wei Shao finally complete self-redemption and show his value in the counterattack?