On January 20, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and in a game that has ended, the Lakers suffered a 104-111 reverse by the Pacers. After losing this game, the Lakers continued to rank eighth in the West, with a record of 22 wins and 23 losses falling below 50% again. After losing to the Nuggets in a three-game losing streak, Lakers star James posted social media to apologize to Lakers fans, perhaps it was this incident that stimulated every Lakers player, and in the subsequent game they defeated the Western Conference jazz team, and everything seemed to be fine.
But today's loss to the Pacers, the atmosphere of the Lakers has once again dropped to freezing, and it is worth mentioning that the Lakers coach is also officially and Wei Shao tearing his face. With less than four minutes left in the final quarter of the game, Westbrook was replaced by Munch on the bench and never got a chance to play. Westbrook played only 26 minutes and 36 seconds in the game, shooting 5-of-17, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, and had 14 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds. However, although Westbrook was abandoned at a critical moment, the Lakers still did not win this game.
When asked in a post-game interview why he abandoned Westbrook, Lakers coach Vogel said: "I sent a lineup that I thought I could win. His implication is that he thinks the Lakers can't win with Westbrook on the floor. As a giant team, the Lakers have been on the cusp of public opinion due to their poor performance this season, whether it is a head coach or a player, everyone is a professional master in the league for many years. Vogel's answer is literally more subtle, but in fact it is too clear to suggest that he can speak openly in post-match interviews, which also proves that he and Wei Shao are officially tearing their faces. According to reports, Wei Shao, who was abandoned after the game, did not accept any media interviews and left the stadium directly.
What is even more embarrassing is that although Wei Shao was officially launched at a critical moment today, the Lakers still did not win, and the outside world also believed that Vogel and Wei Shao would be sent away in the near future. It is worth mentioning that this matter will inevitably become the focus of discussion after the game, and Lakers stars James and Anthony have also responded to the abandonment of Westbrook. Referring to the Lakers coaching staff, James said: "The coaching staff has been great, they put us in a position to succeed, we have to do our part, there is nothing wrong with that. ”
Anthony said: "The outcome of the game depends on the performance of our players, Vogel is not playing on the court, I think Wei Shao knows what he is going through, this is just an adjustment, I have experienced this situation before, I think the coach's key moment to let Wei Shao sit on the bench is not aimed at him." "As a giant team, as a giant team that has won a championship before, the Lakers now have a luxurious lineup, but the record is far from the same, coupled with various factors, there will inevitably be big changes within the team. It's a fact that Westbrook hasn't played well this season, but being abandoned by the head coach at a critical moment also indicates that the Lakers may now be experiencing the tranquility before the storm.