In the NBA, the team's lineup strength is a key factor in determining the outcome of the game, but it is not the whole factor. On February 10, Beijing time, the Lakers lost to the Blazers 105-107 away from home, which proved that the team with the upper hand in strength may not necessarily win the game in the end.
Before the showdown between the two sides, the Blazers had just made two big deals, sending away powell, Covington and C.J. McCollum and other major players, plus Lillard, who was still recuperating, the strength of the Blazers' lineup was definitely the bottom of the league at this point in time. So even if the Lakers lack Westbrook, who is sidelined for the first time this season due to injury, they still have healthy James and Davis, and the lineup strength is still much higher than that of the Blazers.
So why is the final result not as good as the strength of the two teams? James' statement after the season can reveal to a certain extent the problems that the Lakers have now and the reasons why they lost to the Blazers in this game.
"The obvious thing is that there's one thing that's bothering our team and we're all trying to overcome it," James said after a game with the Trail Blazers. All of us now want to try to see what the other side of the fog is all about. ”
The "fog" mentioned by James vividly depicts the current situation of the Lakers. The source of this fog is the trading deadline in the early morning of February 11, Beijing time. As one of the teams with the most rumors before the trade deadline, the Lakers are now very nervous in the team, and many players are worried about their future. Under such circumstances, it is difficult for the Lakers to truly gather the strength of the team on the court, so it is not surprising that the away game lost to the currently untidy but spirited Blazers.
The loss to the Blazers was the Lakers' sixth defeat in the last eight games, and their results slipped to 26 wins and 30 losses. This is the first time since Vogel took charge of the Lakers that they have lost four more games than they have won.
What is more worrying than the record is the current psychological state of the Lakers. In the previous game, the Lakers were suppressed by the defending champion Bucks at home, and there was almost no way to fight back. After that game, James, who has always been confident in the team, said for the first time that "we are not on the same level as them (the Bucks)." Then, after losing back-to-back to the Blazers, James threw out the "fog" remark. Two consecutive days of losses, and two expressions of frustration, are enough to reflect the Lakers' current difficulties.
"I'm really tired to the extreme right now, and all I want to express is 'tiredness' in the literal sense," said James, who played 37 minutes against the Blazers. I'm feeling good about what's going to happen tomorrow right now, so let's wait and see. See what will happen on the trading deadline. But beyond that, my attention is still focused on what I can do to help the team improve. ”
According to the schedule, the Lakers will have a full break of two days after finishing the game with the Blazers, and they will go to San Francisco to challenge the Warriors on February 13, Beijing time. In order to alleviate the current pressure on the team, the management has booked a place at a winery in Napa Valley to let the whole team go for a "team building", so James will have the idea of "having a drink".
However, before this team-wide cocktail party begins, the Lakers' management wants to get the job at hand done. After the battle with the Blazers, there are less than 15 hours before the trade deadline. Whether we can really make some moves to improve the strength of the team in this little time will be a major issue for general manager Pelinka.
For Pelinka, the biggest difficulty in his major subject is undoubtedly Westbrook's stay. Last summer, Pelinka poached Westbrook from the Wizards through a big deal. However, half a year has passed, wei shao's integration and play, has not achieved the desired effect, which also allows Wei Shao, together with the Lakers management, to be pushed to the cusp of public opinion.
The game against the Blazers is the Lakers' 56th game of the season. After playing the first 55 games, Wei Shao wore civilian clothes for the first time and sat on the bench smiling as a spectator. As a result, all kinds of speculation came and went, some saying that the Lakers guard had completely torn his face with the head coach, and some saying that this was a signal that he would be traded. Such a sensitive topic, Lakers players will not talk much, so the reporters threw the question to Vogel. After all, in the previous 2 games, the Lakers coach did not send Wei Shao in the final moment. Therefore, from his mouth, you should be able to hear the real views of the team's coaching staff on Wei Shao.
"If there's any way to improve the team, we're going to try to get the team up," Vogel said to reporters' questions about Westbrook. ”
Of course, not everyone can greet the trade deadline with a detached attitude like Vogel, such as the young player Horton Tucker, who has been involved in multiple trade rumors, and feels the invisible pressure coming towards him. "You can never predict what's going to happen, and a lot of things are out of your control," Tucker said.
Tucker's statement may represent the mentality of many Players of the Lakers. On a stage like the NBA, except for a few people who can control their own destiny, the vast majority of other players will feel this "walking on thin ice" at a certain time. However, once the trade deadline is over, everything will be settled, and there will be a clear answer to whether the players are going or staying. However, whether the "fog" that James said hung over the Lakers will dissipate due to the passing of the trade deadline is still unknown.