In the 13-year Lakers Big Four, Kobe Bryant fought until his Achilles tendon ruptured, why did he almost not get into the playoffs?
Preface
2013 is a very important time node for the history of the Lakers, there are too many things that happened in this year, which makes Lakers fans unforgettable, in the 12-13 season, the Lakers formed a super big four combination of Kobe, Gasol, Howard and Nash, but they almost couldn't even enter the playoffs, and finally relied on Kobe to do his best to win a playoff spot for the Lakers, but the price was a bit big, that is, Kobe's Achilles tendon rupture, which is also the main reason for Kobe's rapid fall from his peak. So what happened back then? It took a look back at the time when the Big Four were so depressed that they almost couldn't even make it to the playoffs!
Signed Nash to bolster the point guard
In 09 and 10 years, the Lakers achieved two consecutive championships, and the team retained the core lineup, but in the following two seasons, the Lakers' results have never been able to complete a breakthrough, seeing that other teams in the West are rising one after another, the Lakers management can't sit still, they can't watch Kobe's peak being wasted like this, so in 2012, the Lakers decided to strengthen the team, old fans know that in fact, the Lakers have always been the weakest position is the point guard, the Lakers are not without this awareness, they once launched a fierce chase for Paul, but in the end becauseThe "basketball reason" was rejected by the league, and Kobe's dream of teaming up with Paul was shattered.
In 2012, at this time, the two-time MVP winner Nash aroused a strong interest from the Lakers, and Nash was also at the end of his career at this time. So the Lakers hit it off with Nash, and Nash's arrival has strengthened the team's weakest point guard, and the Lakers look like they're back in contention.
Poor results, coach dismissal
A series of operations of the Lakers in the offseason let fans see the hope of the new season, and they are looking forward to the arrival of the new season, but the results of the game are shocking, although the preseason has no reference value, but the Lakers lost all the games in the preseason, which is a bit too much to say, even if there is no gold content, but as a good opportunity for trial, its game is also very valuable. When the regular season officially started, the Lakers disappointed the fans again, and they couldn't find the right way to run in after the start of the game, and they have been hovering around the 10th place in the West.
The new coach of the Lakers is D'Antoni, D'Antoni's concept is also not suitable for the Lakers, he hopes that Nash can lead the team to play run-and-bomb tactics, but this Lakers are generally older, you expect these aging players to play run-and-bomb tactics, it is obviously unrealistic, seeing that the chances of entering the playoffs are very slim, Kobe Bryant carried the team again, in April 2013 in a game against the Warriors, Kobe Bryant broke through and fell to the ground, Achilles tendon rupture, just like that, Kobe Bryant exchanged his major injury for a valuable victory, and the team entered the playoffs, but the Lakers without Kobe Bryant were obviously not a strong team, and were finally easily defeated by the Spurs in the first round。
Injuries have affected the lineup, and the squad is aging
In fact, the strength of this Lakers team on paper is at least at the level of the Western Conference Finals, but injuries have destroyed them, Gasol missed 33 games in the regular season, Nash missed 32 games, and Howard's back injury caused his average scoring per game to plummet to 17.1 points, which is obviously lower than his peak. The Lakers' squad is also older, the core Kobe Bryant is 34 years old, Nash is 38 years old, and on the whole, the Lakers are the oldest team in the league, and there are so many injuries, which makes it difficult for them to go to the end. Kobe Bryant's later Achilles tendon rupture made the Lakers even worse.
D'Antoni tactical philosophy problem
D'Antoni as the head coach, what he admires most is offense, after coming to the Lakers, D'Antoni even wants the Lakers to play run-and-bomb tactics, you must know that the Lakers are the oldest team in the league, and there is no way to play run-and-bomb tactics with huge physical consumption. And most of the time, the Lakers rely on Kobe Bryant to be supported, and the tactics in the game can't be played at all, and without Kobe, the Lakers can't even enter the playoffs.
The Lakers are troubled internally and externally
In the 12-13 season, the Lakers broke out a lot of big events, both on and off the court, because of the death of the old Buss, there was a battle in the Lakers management, resulting in Phil Jackson failing to become the head coach of the Lakers. Then there is the contradiction between Kobe and Howard, as we all know, Kobe is a very serious player and works very hard, but Howard was playful at that time, and was once nicknamed "the big boy who loves to laugh", and his attitude towards the game was not very serious, which caused Kobe Bryant's dissatisfaction, and the two often broke out into quarrels, which also led to Kobe Bryant not liking to pass the ball to Howard on the court, so the team's record was naturally not good.
2013 was an important turning point in the history of the Lakers, this year the Lakers desperately formed the Big Four, but the results were a mess, Kobe Bryant also suffered an Achilles tendon rupture, and since then, the Lakers have completely lost the strength to compete for the championship.