Lakers 129-126 Nets! What is inexplicable is not the win, but James' post-game words
Today's NBA preseason, the Lakers narrowly defeated the Nets 129-126, the two teams played more fiercely, the first quarter of the point difference could not be opened, the second quarter Lakers had the upper hand to lead by double digits, the third quarter Nets narrowed the point gap, the Nets continued to fight back in the last quarter, Castleton and Lewis continued to score at key moments, coupled with the Nets tied three points without hitting a point, the Lakers sealed the victory. In terms of statistics, James 10 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 turnovers, thick eyebrows 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks, Reeves 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists, Russell 14 points, 6 assists and 2 steals, Prince 13 points, Hachimura 19 points and 5 rebounds, Wood 10 points and 6 rebounds, Lewis 10 points and 2 rebounds.
In fact, James, Thick Eyebrows and Russell only played the first half, and the preseason had two roles, the first was to grind the lineup, and then to find problems and solve problems, the first game against the Warriors, the Lakers did not play well, and several new signings failed to integrate in. And today against the Nets, we found that the Lakers have improved comprehensively, and there are too many surprises in the first game, such as Russell's state, which has been hot for two consecutive games, 4 of 4 from 3 in the first quarter for 14 points, the Nets can't prevent him at all, looking back at the offseason, Russell has revealed that he has been practicing three-pointers, and it can be seen that he did not lie.
Not just Russell, the Lakers are quite accurate in their three-point shooting overall, 20 of 55 on the team, just imagine, if the Lakers can maintain such outside firepower in the regular season, then they will have no opponent. For example, the performance of new signings is also remarkable, Prince is 3 of 5 from the outside, and his form has rebounded significantly. There is also Hayes, who can run and jump, grab rebounds actively, and have a focused defensive attitude, maybe Hamm can consider changing the lineup, let Hayes play the starting No. 5 position, and the thick-eyed brother returns to the No. 4 position.
We can't ignore rookie Lewis, a young man with 10 points and 2 rebounds, an accurate shooting, important to defend, and a windmill dunk during the game, definitely a top 3D player. In addition to the aforementioned players, Hachimura and Castleton also have outstanding performances. Of course, the Lakers also have something to complain about, first of all, Wood, don't look at the 10 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals, in fact, there is a suspicion of abuse, Wood's biggest problem is defense, typical not active, staring at the defense is easy to leak, the Lakers are basically losing points when he is on the floor.
Wood is dangerous to play like this, as a forward in the Lakers without defense is not good, as a comparison, Wood's performance in these two games is really inferior to Hays. Finally, there is Siffino, the 17th pick of the year, and after two preseason games, Sifino gives us the impression of low efficiency, poor organization, many mistakes, and some impulsive play, and it is certain that he will not be able to enter the rotation in the new season.
Russell, Reeves, and Hachimura, the three major Lakers winners, James was also interviewed after the game, he focused on praising Russell and Reeves, the two combined to hit eight three-pointers, James said: "If the opponent does not respect our outside shooting, then Russell and Reeves have enough outside firepower to break them." Later, James also criticized one person, he is Xifino, who James said still needs to learn how to adapt quickly to the NBA. Speaking about the difference between the Lakers and last season, James said: "My foot is back to the form it was before last season's injury, and this is the first season we can call up the core," which is understandable, James believes the Lakers are much better than last season.
Commenting on his motivation for his 21st season of his career, James said: "I've worked and off the pitch to try to keep my mind clear, my body as good as possible, doing everything I can to keep my game sharp and putting everything into the sport I've loved for so many years, and I think it's definitely helped me get to this point. Speaking about the Lakers' goals for the new season, James replied: "We desperately need to play at a high level, which will make us a better team, so the urgency comes from ourselves, and I always prepare for this for the long term, and to be able to lead these guys every night, I hope to bring myself a sense of urgency, we are all here for a common goal, which is to win championships." ”
James's meaning is obvious, his goal in the new season is to win the NBA championship, Old Jen does dare to say that from today's game, the Lakers have the strength to compete for the championship, the new signings are integrating more and more smoothly, rookie Lewis can stand up, thick eyebrows have also improved compared to last season, as well as Reeves, Hachimura and Russell, also playing better and better, the only thing that needs to be complained about is Wood, and rookie Xifino, these two need to prove themselves. Finally, about when James will retire, in fact, we can probably guess that the old James' favorite jersey number is 23, and he may consider retiring after playing 23 seasons, that is, the end of the 25-26 season, and the number of career seasons corresponds to the jersey number, which is very commemorative, which means that James can play three more seasons.