In this battle, the Lakers almost played at the highest level against the Nuggets in the past two years, with 7 3-pointers and no reservations; thick eyebrows scored 24 points in the half, and got 32 points and 11 rebounds in the third quarter; James scored 2 3-pointers in the last quarter, a 2+0, and 12 points alone, almost taking away the game!
However, fate is such a trick, after shaking to Pope, James missed the empty 3-point, which seemed to imply that the Lakers would pass by with this victory again, Murray iron the whole game, but in the last minute, a foul free throw to get two points, a shot in a shot, let the Lakers return to Los Angeles with unwillingness and regret. With the Lakers trailing the Nuggets 2-0, there are eight realities that have to be admitted to the outside world.
First, the ace to the ace, the skill is not as good as others, and the luck is not in their favor
To put it bluntly, the Lakers have done everything they can from the duo to the team execution, but they still can't win. At the end of the first quarter, James went off the court early, and in the rotation stage, the thick eyebrows were changed to James with two teams, and the thick eyebrows attacked without reservation in the first two quarters, and James retained his physical fitness and let the Lakers remain competitive enough in the second half. With thick eyebrows, Russell hit a phenomenal three-pointer to give the Lakers a 15-point lead in the first half.
When the Nuggets trailed by 20 points, Malone changed his move, letting Gordon go to the main defense, cut off the connection between the Lakers' ball-handler and Davis, and speed up the defensive counterattack, while Jokic and Murray began to block and gradually narrow the score to 2 points. When it came to the stalemate, both teams played a high-quality game, James missed a 3-point shot, and Murray threw a stunner! The Lakers, who were full of firepower, did not defeat the Nuggets, who were out of order for three points, undoubtedly indicating that the Lakers could only win one game in the series, or be swept by the Nuggets 4-0 again! All this depends on the mood of the Nuggets!
Second, if you break down the responsibility for the Lakers' loss, Vincent, Reaves, and Dinwiddie are responsible. Vincent as the Lakers' biggest offseason recruitment, two playoff games with 0 points, obviously out of standard, Dinwiddie, as the second leader of the Nets in the past, was reduced to a water cooler in the Lakers, and this campaign is also an egg-swallowing, Reaves is a loophole on the defensive end, the offensive end is extremely inefficient, all kinds of difficult goals in the playoffs last season are gone, I don't understand, why the Lakers management treats him as a baby, and rejects LaVine for him, I admit it, and the rejection of Murray is a bit of a past! Back in Los Angeles, if they continue to pull their hips like this, their days with the Lakers will also come to an end!
Third, the ability of thick eyebrows is really outstanding, 32 points in the third quarter, and the first two quarters beat Jokic to a temperless, but I don't understand why thick eyebrows completely disappeared in the last quarter, no points were scored, after losing, thick eyebrows were full of disappointment, in an interview, thick eyebrows bluntly said: We proved our ability, but in the last quarter, I don't know what I should do at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends! Obviously, I am also dissatisfied with my position in the final quarter.
Fourth, when it comes to the thick eyebrows, there is only one shot in the last quarter, which has something to do with James, watching the whole game, when the Lakers lead by 20 points, the Lakers began to press the rhythm crazily, and the ball returned to James's hands, and the Lakers began to play a lineup battle with the Nuggets to consume, but this is exactly the Nuggets' favorite way, even if they can't shoot, Jokic can get offensive rebounds, and the Lakers lose their rhythm, and the thick eyebrows never have a chance to touch the ball again. It is undeniable that James' performance in the final quarter is very exciting, but it is really not a wise choice to fight each other with positional battles, the thick eyebrows are all switchback and running in the last quarter, and a big killer is completely abolished, one person plays, four people watch, this is the key to the Lakers' loss of 12 points in the final quarter!
Fifth, there is one thing to say, since the 19-20 season won the championship in the park, the Lakers have been carrying out a large-scale personnel reorganization almost every season, but the final result is a failure, in fact, the author believes that the combination of James and thick eyebrows has been difficult to lead the Lakers to win the championship at this stage, James is 39 years old, and the body of thick eyebrows is at risk of injury at all times, and neither of them has enough physical fitness to keep them efficient throughout the playoffs.
The Lakers need to trade James for a younger, explosive defender and rebuild the team around thick eyebrows. Although James can still score, but his style of play with a big core of the ball needs a star-studded system, equipping him with first-class 3D, like the 19-20 season, thick eyebrows can shoot three-pointers, Pope can shoot 3-pointers, Kuzma and Rondo all have three-point ability, but now the Lakers have no stable three-point ability. And such players are hard to find in the league, they are all fragrant and expensive! If James is not allowed to be the ball-handling core, his influence will also affect the play of real point guards, which is why it is difficult for Wei Shao and Russell to really integrate into the Lakers system.
Sixth, for James, if he doesn't want to win the championship, but just wants to fulfill his wish to "share the stage with Bronny", the Lakers can trade thick eyebrows in exchange for some draft picks, and rebuild, and James will help the Lakers cultivate the next star. However, James will definitely not do this, his desire is to win the fifth championship and strive to become a real Goat in the NBA before retiring, so that James can choose to go to a team that already has strong strength but lacks playoff experience, such as the Thunder in the West and the Cavaliers in the East, which are good options, and they also have trade chips to meet the Lakers' demands.
7. If James and thick eyebrows stay with the Lakers and want to rush for another year, then James needs to accept reality, take a back seat, and really give up the position of the team's ball-holding core and become a supporting role without the ball. The Lakers used Vincent and Reaves to trade for a capable point guard, Murray and Mitchell, but the Lakers had to give up.
8. After this season, the NBA league may usher in a real replacement of the old and the new, James, Curry, and Durant will gradually come to an end, while Edwards, Murray, Jokic, and Alexander will gradually rise and become the new face of the league. At this stage, there is no next Durant, no next Curry, and no next James! Maybe the NBA will turn Wembanyama into a superstar in the new season and lead the next era!