After a dismal losing streak at the start of the season, the Lakers defeated the Nuggets and Pelicans one after another, and finally ushered in a long-lost victory. But since entering November, they have lost twice to the Jazz and once to the Cavaliers, once again tasting the bitter fruit of a three-game losing streak. Even though Wei Shao is in excellent form after playing as a substitute, he still cannot cure the problem of the Lakers' lack of defense. However, in last week's game, the Lakers still left a number of impressive moments for fans, the most praiseworthy of which was undoubtedly Matt Lane's final whistle against the Pelicans on November 3. No one would have thought that on this day, all the media spotlights would be focused on the undrafted man.
From food delivery to cemetery visits, he finally became the most beautiful boy in Los Angeles
Matt Lane was born in 1994 in White Plains, New York, and he received a good education from an early age. At the age of 18, he was admitted to the top 20 University of Notre Dame in the United States and successfully obtained an MBA from the University of Tennessee. If nothing else, we might see a two-meter-tall man in a priceless suit and gold glasses on a Wall Street exchange. However, there are no ifs in the world, and he fell in love with basketball.
The story is often so simple, the love of a teenager can break through all the shackles. In high school, Ryan was elected Mr. New York basketball with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists per game, and that year he was included in the National High School selection with Jaylen Brown, Ben Simmons and Ingram. But after going to college, he discovered that many times, talent is really more important than hard work. From the best high school student to the crowd, but only two years. In the 2020 draft, Ryan lost without suspense, thinking that the story would end here, but he did not believe in fate.
Without the flowers of Wall Street in New York and the tsunami of the New York Knicks, Ryan chose Yonkers Cemetery in New York. Because here, he can spend 7 hours a day practicing basketball, and in the cold winter, we will see a big man two meters tall wearing a heavy cotton suit to tidy up flowers and debris for the cemetery. After work, Ryan first went to the nearby arena to practice shooting and the gym to exercise his physical fitness. In the evening, he would contact two catering companies to deliver takeout, and when he got home in the evening, he would frantically deliver his resume to each team. With his own education, he can fully enter the financial street, and with his rich family background, he can also inherit the family business in the company founded by his grandfather. But Ryan has only one dream, to enter the NBA and become a professional player.
There is Bole in the world, and then there is Maxima
After experiencing the Development League and the U.S. Men's Basketball World Preliminary Round, Celtics president Stevens, who also came from the end of the world, discovered this gold drowned in gravel. He was brought to Boston in 2022 on a two-way contract, but Ryan still plays mostly in the Development League at this time, and he has only been given five minutes of playing time with the Celtics throughout the season. What really made him famous was undoubtedly the slump in this summer league, when with three seconds left in the Celtics vs. Bucks game, Ryan held the ball and threw an incredible goal, and then he fell to the floor in pain because in that moment, his ankle could no longer support. Ryan cried in an interview after the game, and everyone didn't let him cry in college, and the icy cemetery didn't make him cry, but when he really finished proving himself, he cried.
Coach Hamm, who was also born in the last few years, was a member of the iron-blooded Pistons of the year, and in 2004 they defeated the invincible Lakers F4 group as a dark horse to win the championship. Among the many two-way contract candidates, he selected the older missed draft, and perhaps only he knows how important mental strength is to a player. In the preseason game between the Lakers and the Warriors on October 10, Ryan hit six three-pointers to help the Lakers defeat the Warriors, and Ryan said in an interview after the game: "People like me don't have the opportunity to waste, every shot may be my last shot"
The Savior Comes to save the team
Let's turn the clock back to the Lakers' game against the Pelicans on November 3, 2022: in the final moments of the fourth quarter, James missed a shot, CJ McCollum grabbed the backcourt rebound and assisted Larry Nance, who rushed and dunked, 111-108, the Lakers were once again in a desperate situation. Hamm called a timeout urgently, and Reeves found Lonnie Walker after serving on the sideline and shot! Three points off! The Lakers seem to have accepted the ending of failure again, but heroes often appear at this moment. With Daniels' two missed free throws for the Lakers to get another 1.4-second final chance, Ryan was called in and came off the bench. The same Reeves serve, Matt Lane in the bottom corner caught the ball, glanced at the three-point line and drifted out.
The ball hits the whistle! 111-111 tie! Ryan saved the Lakers! At this moment the world remembered his name!
From Mr. Basketball in New York to the obscurity of college, from the grave keeper, the delivery boy to entering the NBA arena, the bitterness of this may only be known by Matt Lane himself. In fact, we all know that with Lane's physical talent, it is difficult for him to become the existence of this Lakers savior, but does that still matter? Because for Ryan himself, years of hard work, years of perseverance finally came true at this moment. We all fantasized about joining a top club and then being called to save the team at the last minute, and later as adults, we all fantasized about being the protagonist of the story countless times. But life, where there are so many protagonists, we have finally lived to be passers-by in other people's stories. The dreams of our youth may never come true, but we really hope that at least for a few moments, at least in that moment, our lives have not been in vain.
You must know that when he was young, Ling Yunzhi was once the first class in the world! Despite the vicissitudes of the years, may each of us be the Michael Jordan of our own story.