Beijing time on March 2, in an NBA regular season game that ended today, the Lakers lost 104-109 at home to the Lone Rangers, suffered 3 consecutive losses, and because the eighth Clippers in the West won 4 consecutive wins, the seventh Timberwolves won 2 consecutive wins, the Lakers' hope of returning to the eighth place in the West has become more and more slim, at present they have been 4.5 wins away from the Clippers, after the All-Star Weekend, most teams have begun to fully impact the playoffs, and the Lakers have begun to fall behind.
Of course, the Lakers still have the opportunity to participate in the playoffs, but if they participate in the playoffs in the ninth place in the West or the tenth place in the West, the chances of winning the playoffs are really small in terms of the Lakers' current state. Although James and Wei Shao and others still said that they will not give up and will work harder next, it can be seen through the last 3 games that the Lakers' current problems are no longer solved by shouting a few slogans and playing chicken blood.
Looking back at this game, the Lakers did work hard, especially in the third quarter, they blasted a wave of 31-14 in a single quarter, once overtaking the score, but the final result is the same as most of the Lakers' games this season, they always collapse at the last critical moment, on the one hand, it shows that the Lakers, especially James and others have been unable to support a protracted battle, on the other hand, it also shows that the Lakers lack players who can hammer a hammer in this tit-for-tat moment, or players who can stand up to help James.
This is the Lakers' helplessness, but also James's helplessness, this game James's performance is actually quite good, playing 38 minutes, 10 of 18 shots to get 26 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, the third quarter is also he led the Lakers to complete the counterattack. But in the fourth quarter, James only had 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 3-of-7 shooting, which is not bad for the average player, but it is not enough for James, especially for the Lakers at this stage.
Basketball commentator Wang Meng explained James's difficulties, wang Meng wrote on personal social media: "At the end of the fight, you can feel their inadequacy. Not enough shooting points, not enough basket protection, and finally relying on James' personal offense to expect him to shoot every three-pointer, it's too hard! ”
Previously, James was booed by home fans during the game, and some fans said on the Internet that James is old and should learn to delegate power and give up the ball and the control of the team. But the question is, now that James has chosen to delegate power, who in the Lakers can catch it? 5-of-17 Westbrook? Munch when the spirit is not working? Old Howard and Anthony? Or tucker, who is regarded as a treasure by the Lakers and treated as a grass by other teams? Or is it a thick eyebrow that is constantly injured? Many people simply don't realize how bad the lineup is after the Lakers took James.
In fact, it's not that James doesn't want to give up power. As early as 2019, when Thick Brow first came to the Lakers, James said that he was willing to play auxiliary, and at the beginning of this season, many Lakers players, including James, told Thick Brow in person that the Lakers are now his team and hope that he will lead the team. But in the end, the fragile body with thick eyebrows could not shoulder such a burden at all, and eventually it became James who was carrying the weight forward, and he was 37 years old, and he had to be subjected to various harsh requirements, which was very unreasonable.
The lakers' current problems are not at all what James alone can solve, Vogel's poor team building in the offseason, as well as the blind operation of the Lakers management, has long turned the Lakers into a mess, James and others did not choose to shoulder the burden at this time, in fact, it is already very dedicated.