On the battlefield of the NBA playoffs, the battle between the Lakers and the Nuggets has become the focus of fans. However, the result was a big surprise, and the Lakers are currently losing 0-3 to the Nuggets, which is undoubtedly a heavy blow to this once brilliant team. Behind this loss, there are 10 indisputable realities in front of the Lakers, and 4 of them are determined to leave the team, and even the team leader James needs to reflect deeply.
First, the Lakers are already the Nuggets' "toy", in the first 3 games of the series, the Lakers will take the lead in the first half of each game, and will lose points in the third quarter alone, such as losing 14 points in the first game, losing 5 points in the second game, and losing 12 points in the third game. In two seasons, the Nuggets have beaten the Lakers in 11 consecutive games, and the Nuggets are already an insurmountable threshold for the Lakers!
Second, the Lakers' defensive problems are unmistakable. In the face of the Nuggets' powerful offensive firepower, the Lakers' defense was torn apart several times. Especially when James and Reaves need to assist in defense, their opposing player, Gordon, always finds open space and scores easily. This exposed the Lakers' shortcomings on the defensive end and the lack of defensive coordination between players.
Third, Russell's sluggish performance was disappointing. As an important member of the team, Russell shot 0-of-7 from the field and didn't score a point, which is completely out of line with his value. His hesitation and lack of self-confidence on the offensive end seriously affected the team's attacking tempo. And his departure is almost a foregone conclusion, and the Lakers need to find a more stable and capable player to replace him.
Fourth, the Lakers have problems on the offensive end. While Bushy Eyebrows and James were excellent on the offensive end, the other players were inconsistent. The Lakers' offense focused on the two Zhan Mei in the game, the two made a total of 43 shots, on the other hand, Jokic only had 13 shots in the whole game, but got 24 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists, the Lakers relied too much on the play of individual players and ignored the use of overall tactics. This also led to the team's lack of sufficient scoring ability and consistent attacking rhythm at key moments.
Fifth, the Lakers' roster adjustment is imperative. In addition to Russell, three other players are 100 percent set to leave this summer, including Vincent, Dinwiddie and even Reaves. The trade of Vincent and Reaves will open up new opportunities for the Lakers. They need to make targeted additions in the offseason, add some point guards who can defend and play, and improve the height and size of the team.
Fifth, James, as the leader of the team, also needs to reflect on his own performance. Although he was very good in the game, he also had some problems on the defensive end, and his personal emotions also affected his teammates. James needs to think about how to better participate in the team's defensive system while maintaining his own offensive efficiency. In addition, his mistakes in the game also need to be noted, how to reduce mistakes and improve consistency will be the problem he needs to solve in future games. More importantly, as a 39-year-old veteran, should James let go, help the team off the ball, and hand over the playmaking command to the point guard?
Sixth, Ham is not a playoff-level coach, his on-the-spot command ability, tactical ability is very different, take the first quarter of the game as an example, thick eyebrows made Jokic 2 fouls at the beginning, but Ham never arranged any tactics for Jokic in the subsequent tactics, increasing the number of fouls, and for example, Prince once got a frontcourt rebound, hit a three-point + layup in the fourth quarter, and scored 5 points in a row, and then was quickly replaced by Hamm, an absolute ghost coach.
Seventh, there is indeed a big problem between the players and the coach within the Lakers' current team. Like Russell, who ate snacks on the sidelines during the game and didn't listen to the coaching staff's tactical arrangements, after the last loss, thick eyebrows said that they didn't know what to do on both offensive and defensive ends in the final quarter, Ham responded that "this is thick eyebrows frustrated, and there is no problem with their own tactical arrangements", the Lakers need to strengthen communication and collaboration between players to form a closer team spirit.
In short, the Lakers' defeat in this playoff tournament is not accidental. They need to face up to these seven indisputable realities, learn from them, adjust their strategy and prepare for next season's competition. For James, he needs to deeply reflect on his performance, lead the team out of the trough, and regain the style of the once glorious Lakers.