"We're a veteran team, so it's not easy to modernize it."
Before today's game with the 76ers, Lakers coach Vogel talked about the current situation of the lineup, and he knows very well why the team will now be stuck in a quagmire for a long time and cannot get out, after all, the age of veterans cannot be reversed through hard work.
James missed the game due to a sore left knee, perhaps feeling like the winner was in his hands, and Rivers said he felt sorry for the fans because they couldn't see the performance of the star in charge. What he did not expect was that the leaderless Lakers were so tenacious that it was not until the last moment of the fourth quarter that Philadelphia won the victory without any danger, almost paying the price for the light enemy.
121-126, although the Lakers have not been able to complete the reversal because of the gap in hard power, their flawed defense at key moments can not limit the score of the 76ers, but it has to be said that in the absence of the two pillars of James and thick eyebrows, the Lakers played a tearful "sunset red feast" to defend the dignity of the veterans.
1, tough emperor, Howard to support the Lakers' defensive system
At the end of the fourth quarter, Embiid singled the ball to expand the lead, but found that he could not stand Howard at all, and finally had to pass the ball out, this shot can be called the epitome of Howard's whole game, he cut 24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 steal, 1 block in 9 of 14 shooting today, and repeatedly cooperated with his teammates to throw shots near the box, and the emperor achieved a swim.
In addition to defending Embiid, Howard also joined forces with teammates on the outside to pack Harden, successfully completed the steal and launched a fast attack, from a certain point of view, he is the lakers' offensive and defensive core today, Philadelphia even once used the "slashing tactics", to know that Howard's average penalty per game this season is the lowest 2.1 times in his career, and it is indeed commendable to get such treatment.
Being able to play back and forth with MVP favourite Embiid is not unrelated to Howard's experience playing for the 76ers last season, and he returned to the Lakers this season with the intention of trying to taste the championship trophy again before retiring.
But with Jordan Jr. being cut and Brother Thick Brow absent due to injury for a long time, Howard, who is almost 38 years old, has become the only big man in the Lakers' penalty area that can be relied on, the latter also lives up to expectations, single-handedly supporting the defensive system, and when James and Thick Brow Brother return, he also needs to hit the iron while it is hot, play the last residual heat, maybe the Lakers can still create a miracle?
2, to find the shooting confidence, Wei Shao is still a qualified ball carrier
Facing his good brother Harden, Westbrook naturally has to take 120% of the effort to fight, James is not on the court, he is the only ball core of the Lakers. In the first half of the game, Westbrook's performance was still very struggling, and it didn't take long to deliver as many as 7 turnovers, as if he was not trying to beat the 76ers, but to help Harden take the title of King of Mistakes.
In the second half, Wei Shao gradually got on track, he adjusted after receiving the ball at the bottom line, decisively shot a three-point shot, and then found an opportunity to hit again at a 45-degree angle on the right side of the three-point line, and it is difficult to imagine that his season three-point shooting rate is only 29.4%.
The wonderful moment that belongs to Wei Shao is the last minute of the game, the Lakers are 8 points behind the opponent should have surrendered, at this time Wei Shao still did not give up, he was like the peak of the explosive package rushed to the box to make a tough layup, and then took advantage of Harden's distraction to complete the steal to score again, narrowing the point difference directly to 4 points, triggering the cheers of the home audience.
It is not difficult to find that the recent Wei Shao has found the right way to play, he has self-confidence in shooting, more resolute shots, can also use the physical advantages reasonably to break through the score, the game is not until the last moment, he will not give up the hope of victory, such a passionate Wei Shao, is the "Almighty Turtle" loved by thousands of fans.
3. Indiscriminate singles, Anthony's kaleidoscope performance
James' teams often need an outside line with no obvious shortcomings in offensive technique and the ability to create shooting space on their own, and this season's Anthony has taken on this role, and his round share this season has reached nearly 20%, with a true shooting rate of 58.9% to score 13.6 points, mid-range jump shots, three-pointers, and back-to-back play under the basket.
So Anthony, who got a lot of shooting rights in this game, broke out again, the first quarter of the game, he staged a wonderful long two-point dry pull shot, in the fourth quarter of the team's most need to score, Anthony made a series of fake moves in front of Niang, and then drifted to shoot the board hit, the whole process was completed in one go, not only the action was picturesque, but also murderous.
In this era of rapid offensive rhythm, there are very few players who can play indiscriminately in positional warfare, in addition to Durant, Leonard and other superstars, Anthony who has entered the end of his career can also be counted as one, and today's Lakers are very lacking in players with delicate technology on the offensive end, Anthony today used a singles that are not heavy again and again, interpreting what is an offensive kaleidoscope, even if it fails to kill the opponent to win, it is enough to make up for the regret that fans did not see James.
68 points, 23 points and 9 assists, this is the "sunset red performance" dedicated by the lakers' three veterans, in fact, what the Lakers lack most now is the execution and activity of the defensive end, resulting in them always taking care of one or the other in the moment of chasing points, the point difference is still standing still, the "old man talking about juvenile madness" The drama code is not often seen, not to mention the three veterans erupt at the same time.
I hope that Vogel can slowly make a suitable transformation of the veterans as he said, no matter how good the offensive state is, but also to lower the posture and play steadily, after all, reaching the playoffs is their current stage goal.