101-95, the Lakers, who lost to the Nuggets in the last game with a huge 37-point difference, finally found the feeling of winning in the West's old third Jazz. It was also the first time since Anthony Davis' injury that they had beaten the top eight "strong teams" in the East and West.
In this game, Frank Vogel sacrificed the 22nd starting lineup of the season, which was once regarded as a championship favorite, but the Lakers, who have struggled since the beginning of the season, have finally found the wealth code to win the game through continuous changes and divers. So, during the previous consecutive defeats, who is the "inner ghost" of the team?
The Lakers are one of the oldest and most glorious giants in the NBA, and LeBron James is the signature figure of the league, and the marriage of the two makes the championship the only goal of this team. In 2020, Zhan Mei joined hands and successfully reached the top, but a year later, they lost to the Suns in the first round. So last summer, management led by Rob Pelinka decided to take a big gamble and return Westbrook to form the Big Three, hoping to return to the top.
But how beautiful the wish is, how bone-chilling the reality is. The Lakers in the new season have encountered various difficulties, the integration of Wei Shao and the existing lineup is not smooth, the lineup cobbled together by the base salary, it is difficult to find role players who can stably provide contributions for a while, coupled with continuous injuries, so that the Lakers frequently change the starting lineup, adjust the rotation, it is difficult to establish a stable formation combination, and the chemical reaction is naturally impossible to talk about.
In the away battle against the Timberwolves on December 18, Thick Brow accidentally suffered a knee injury, and since then, he has hung up the exemption card, and it has been exactly one month since today. The Lakers, who were even worse off, tried all kinds of ways during this period, and even used the strange move of making James the starting center, and they were able to achieve 5 wins and 9 losses, and the win rate in the league was the bottom of the league in the same period. In the last game against the Nuggets, they suffered a terrible defeat 96-133.
Facing the Jazz at home today, the Lakers' task is even more difficult. Although the other side has just suffered a wave of 4 consecutive defeats, it is mainly because when the center Rudy Gobert triggered the health and safety agreement, he could not play. In the last game Gobert returned, the Jazz immediately beat the Nuggets. According to statistics, when the former defensive player of the year was on the floor this season, the Jazz won 28 and lost 10, second only to the league's number one Sun in terms of winning percentage.
In stark contrast to the Lakers: The Jazz have the most consistent starting combination in the league, and their opening five have played 462 minutes together this season, ranking first in the league. The Lakers' most commonly used starting combination has only 67 minutes to work together, which is almost equivalent to a fraction of the other side.
Anyway, the Lakers simply won by surprise and tried to change the team again: in addition to letting Dwight Howard continue to start and play against Gobert, Vogel also removed Malik Munch, who has recently been in hot form, to the bench, and let veteran Trevo Ariza and James partner up front.
This adjustment not only increased the height of the starting lineup to curb the Jazz's interior advantage, but also enhanced the bench firepower. In addition to this, Vogel also continued to try to find his winning code through constant "trial and error".
According to statistics, this is the 22nd starting lineup that the Lakers have tried this season, which is the first in the league. From the beginning of the season to the present, the Lakers have had 14 players before and after the start. These data, in addition to illustrating the huge impact of injuries on the team, also reflect the embarrassment of the Lakers' situation:
The Lakers' big three have a total annual salary of $121 million, which has exceeded the league salary cap, so even if they are willing to pay the luxury tax, they can only rely on the bottom salary players to fill the gaps except for Bird Rights to renew Tucker and mini middle class to introduce Nairn. Among the five "non-base salary players" in the Lakers' team at present, Thick Brow and Nunn cannot play due to injury, and the performance of Westbrook and Tucker is difficult to say, so they can only desperately dig inside and try to find a few candidates who can really help in a group of low-salary players.
In order to achieve this goal, the Lakers have reused Bazemore, Ellington, Jordan Jr., given Jobs to Thomas Jr. and Collison Jr., and although there have been many failed attempts, they have gradually begun to gain.
Munch has performed well since his return from the new crown on December 26, averaging 3.4 three-pointers per game with 49.3 percent shooting and hitting 18.6 points, becoming the second point of fire in the team outside of James. Even off the bench today, he still played resolutely, contributing 14 points and 7 rebounds on 6-of-12 shooting.
Another big surprise was Stanley Johnson, who joined as a short-contract player at the hardest hit by the team and immediately earned credibility with his athleticism and defensive performances. There are reports that a key reason why the Lakers sent away veteran Rondo was to make room for a renewed contract with the former lotto show.
Johnson, who just signed the third ten-day short contract with the Lakers today, immediately proved his value again, he came off the bench to become a Miracle, contributing 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in 9 shots, of which the fourth quarter faced Gobert dared to fight, continuous misplaced single eating, a single quarter cut 10 points, but also grabbed a key frontcourt rebound 2 minutes and 39 seconds before the final game, becoming the biggest X factor in the game.
It has to be mentioned that rookie Austin Reeves, a young player who once killed the lone ranger by three points, although there are only 4 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist on the data column today, he spares no effort in defense, excellent transfer of the ball, and has become an important lubricant that the data cannot reflect. Three minutes and 49 seconds before the final, he broke through the basket and missed it, but shot himself, and his left hand pointed the ball into the basket, rewriting the score to 91-87, which was also a valuable goal.
Interestingly, the last time the Lakers beat the top eight teams in the East and West was in that overtime game against the Lone Rangers....
In today's game, Wei Shao shot 5 of 14, got 15 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists, although he contributed a four-seater dunk, but his personal status did not change significantly. However, the Lakers have found other candidates who can help James by digging up potential, which is the key to their ultimate "weak victory over strong".
In fact, the Lakers in the case of aging lineups, the big three one injury stop and one performance struggle, can only hope that young people like Munch, Johnson, Reeves, etc., bring more passion and vitality. Only then will there be a chance of victory.
As one of the NBA teams with the most fans, the Lakers have received the most attention and the highest expectations. However, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment, once their performance is not good, they will bear a lot of criticism, and some players will inevitably bear the blame for the loss and become the "inner ghost" in the mouth of the fans.
But in a highly competitive professional sports league like the NBA, the vast majority of players can work hard and do their best to win. If the performance is not good, it is either poor strength or improper use, and no one deliberately slacks off and does not want to win.
For example, Wei Shao, who was criticized the most before, is the one who smiled the happiest after the Lakers won today.
Even if his performance is still not ideal.