Chapter 579: Getting Better (3/3)
Stevens praised Tang Shuai very much, but Tang Shuai himself was very pessimistic about his performance, and at the Lakers' post-game press conference, a reporter asked him how he felt about breaking his regular season scoring record, and he said very indifferently: "Do you feel anything? I don't really feel that much, I'm more concerned about winning games than about how many points I score, and I've scored more points in the playoffs, so it did, and thankfully, we won the game. ”
Very low-key, but very true answer, this is also Tang Shuai's true thoughts in his heart, he doesn't care how many points he scores, because no matter how many points he scores, he can't break the historical record of the Lakers, above his head, Kobe's 82 points are like an insurmountable mountain, so he doesn't care about 40 points, 50 points, or even 60 points, he cares more about the team's victory, which is also the ultimate goal of basketball players, winning.
After playing the strong teams of the Thunder and Celtics in a row, the Lakers' next few opponents are relatively weak.
First they have to play the Nets, then the Wizards, then the Bucks and Pelicans, and this should be the sweetest part of their season compared to before.
After winning the Thunder and Celtics in succession, the atmosphere of the Lakers team has also reached a peak, the players are more active on the training court than before, teammates are more willing to communicate before, and even under the leadership of Tang Shuai, many players will come to practice on rest days.
The reality is that winning has made the team more motivated and willing to work harder.
It's a normal phenomenon, and as many coaches or players say when the dressing room is unstable, winning always makes the negativity obscure.
On December 7, US time, the Lakers visited Brooklyn, New York, to challenge the Nets.
The Nets have become a big joke in the league because of Billy King, and they are destined to not rise in a short period of time, and it is a bit tragic to say that they gave Tyler Johnson of the Heat a 4-year 50 million contract and a 4-year 83 million contract for Allen Crabbe of the Trail Blazers in the summer, but without exception, because they are restricted free agents, they are all matched by the home team, and they are stunned that they have not grabbed any favorite players, the only one with the focus of public opinion, I'm afraid it was they who took Jeremy Lin for a very low price on the free market.
The core lineup of Jeremy Lin + López, which is not very competitive in the East.
100-78, the Lakers easily won the opponent, although Tang Shuai made 15 shots in the game, they still won easily with six double-doubles.
The only highlight of the game was that after the game, Tang Shuai and Jeremy Lin had an exchange on the sidelines, but it made people experience a different kind of Chinese flavor.
After winning the Nets, the Lakers extended their winning streak to 4 games, which also became the focus of heated discussions among fans.
As the record continues to rise, the Lakers revival they are looking forward to seems to be coming at a sudden but super-fast pace.
After a day in New York, the Lakers boarded a plane to Washington.
Compared to the Nets, the Wizards' offseason situation is even worse, after they missed the playoffs last season, the team hired the former Thunder head coach Scott Brooks, who is also Durant's enlightenment coach, originally hoping to attract Durant to join, but Durant refused to even have a chance to meet, which can be regarded as an experience. Silk was in pain by the goddess who gave up her spare tire identity, and in the end, she could only smash a contract with a maximum salary to Bill and keep the core lineup.
However, the team's performance in the new season has improved compared to last season, and the main reason is that Wo. No more injuries and illnesses.
Tang Shuai was also affected by Wo. Er's challenge, Wo. Er shot 11 of 21 from the field, with 22 points, 8 boards and 11 assists, showing the strength of a first-class point guard, but compared with Tang Shuai's performance of 38 points and 9 assists, it was still slightly inferior, coupled with Gasol's performance of 22 points and 13 boards, the Lakers still won the game thrillingly, ushering in the longest 5-game winning streak of the season.
The only bad news is that the team's backup centre-forward Azeri has been plagued by a knee injury and is doubtful for the next game.
After winning the game, the team flew back to Los Angeles early the next morning.
The players went to bed after getting on the plane, and what they didn't pay much attention to was that the team's five-game winning streak was already the longest in the Lakers' last three or four seasons, and the fans and media throughout Los Angeles had gone into a frenzy.
After getting off the plane, the players were still a little sleepy-eyed, but when they waited for the plane, they were woken up by the fans in the airport, the dense crowd, and the madness was staggering.
"Los Angeles! Los Angeles! ”
The fans shouted loudly inside the airport, and I am afraid that only Kobe Bryant would have such a crazy scene when he was on the team.
Especially when Tang Shuai appeared in the field of vision of the fans, the way the fans screamed was really like seeing Kobe.
Actually this reaction is completely understandable, the team has been losing and even losing pants for the past few years. It's almost gone (the team only won 17 games last season, ranking at the bottom of the West), it's like a person who hasn't touched the opposite sex for several years, and he's about to go crazy, and now he finally sees Tang Shuai, a player who looks like he may even have a higher limit than Kobe, how can that kind of suppressed emotion still be endured.
The fans' thoughts are like this, but Tang Shuai was still moved, this is not domestic, the fans' obsession with basketball is far less intense, and he and this new Lakers team have been so popular, which is absolutely unprecedented.
In particular, he was even more moved by the reaction of the fans after the mobile phone was lost.
There are both positive and negative aspects of things, and when positive things are connected to each other, it can form a virtuous circle, and Tang Shuai and Lakers fans are on such a line.
The better Tang Shuai and the Lakers perform, the more excited and crazy the fans are, and the more supportive the fans, the better Tang Shuai and the Lakers will perform.
Unexpectedly stayed at the airport for more than half an hour, but Tang Shuai and the Lakers players were not a little irritable, but enjoyed a rare time with the fans.
Anyone is interested, but it's not easy to stay excited all the time when a hobby is a career, not to mention that the profession may last for more than a decade, so when you really treat the fans with a positive attitude, it becomes a rare moment of relaxation.
The Lakers' next two games are played at home, because of the team's 5 consecutive wins, the attendance rate has improved significantly compared to the beginning of the season, basically more than 90%, even on weekdays, there are many fans who drag their families to watch the game.
The Bucks are still the same Bucks, small city and small team, and if it weren't for Kidd's joining, I'm afraid there would be very little news about them in the league.
The team drafted Thorne Mark, a rookie who looks like a mid-caliber and immediate, but who has shown great potential, just below Simmons in the rookie rankings in the East.
But it is clear that the Bucks' problem is certainly not just a rookie, although Kidd's tactical system is very complete, but they lack stars, and they can play their strength to a few percent is the biggest problem.
At the end of the first half, they also tied with the Lakers, but when Tang Shuai returned in the second half, when Tang Shuai began to score performances, they could not limit it well, and no one could stand up against Biao, and the final result was also obvious, they were pulled away by a wave in this quarter, and then failed to turn over part of it.
In fact, Tang Shuai didn't have many flashes of light in this game, but he scored 12 points in a single quarter in the third quarter, and he still led the team to win the final game after scoring 28 points.
Azeri was plagued by a knee injury and did not play in this game, which gave Bynum a chance, because he has been training with Tang Shuai, his physical fitness has recovered a lot, and he successfully beat Henson in the first round, which made people see the figure of the former little shark at once, and finally came off the bench He seized the opportunity and scored 8 points and 7 rebounds, which left a deep impression on Wharton's heart.
After the game, Bynum was so excited that he pulled Tang Shuai and hugged and screamed, as if he had won the championship.
Tang Shuai also felt relieved to see Bynum's recovery, although he has always had a lot of negative news, and there have been vicious news about him harassing the coach's daughter-in-law before, but now it seems that after a few years of life grinding, he has changed, and now it seems that this change is obviously positive.
After winning the Bucks, the team continued to play the next game against the Pelicans.
With a seven-game winning streak, the team's record has come to 13-5, rising from ninth in the West to third in the West.
Although it has a lot to do with the schedule, such a performance puts the whole team in a state of absolute euphoria, and for Tang Shuai and the Lakers players, there is nothing more to be happy about.
If a reporter asks him now if he's ready to revive for the Lakers, they can say yes without hesitation.
The media and fans in Los Angeles were excited, and his teammates were also rejoicing, but Tang Shuai was absent from the team's daily training at this time.
Not because of injury, not because of anything else, but because of the promise he had always owed, a promise related to Nash, had finally come to keep.
ps: This is the rise of the Zerg, and I still owe 2 more, and today is also the birthday of the blue wind and snow marks, and the big eggplant is here to wish him a happy birthday. (To be continued.) )