Jim Bass Ambition

Chapter 398 Gossip
Two days later, the Lakers finally ended their road trip and returned home, but the schedule was not friendly. They took a 4-hour flight across the entire United States, and then only had less than 1 day of rest time to be in Los Angeles. It's noon time to face the Memphis Grizzlies who came to challenge.

After the low-intensity training, the players went home to rest, but Jim saw a lot of discordant news in the media.

"There is no injury but the team freezes, the Lakers might change the team?"

"Low-level mistakes caused the anger of the head coach, and the new aid has no future in the Lakers?"

……

Summed up the central idea, in the last game, Artest and Odom played less than 20 minutes due to poor performance, and even only got a few minutes in the second half. Then he took the opportunity to make use of the topic, summed up the last season and this season, the playing time of the two, the role of the team, the average data and other information, and then made subjective assumptions. The weakening of the role in the team will seek a trade, and go to a team that can guarantee his status and shots before the trade deadline; and Odom changed to a substitute after being traded to the Lakers, resulting in a comprehensive decline in data , will also apply for the transaction.

"Mitch, what do you think?" Jim threw a stack of newspapers on the table with a bad expression.

"I think, you have to talk to them two, I don't have mind reading skills, I can't guess their psychology, but they did make sacrifices for the team, and it's understandable to think that way. Kupchak thought for a moment and decided to be realistic.

"It's good, but I think I still trust my players and see this kind of thing as other teams picking things up, rather than the two of them using the media to put pressure on the team. I think Don can handle these issues. If Someone really has other ideas, let them come to me soon..."

As the Lakers returned to the top of the league table, overwhelmed the Suns, who were not well-reinforced in the offseason, and became the number one favorite to win the championship in the new season, many teams cast their jealous eyes again, and all kinds of rumors surrounded the Lakers. , lingering, there are almost no teams willing to make a deal with the Lakers, and the powers in the east and west are all gathering their own armaments in order to defeat the Lakers.

Fortunately, Jim has accumulated a core lineup through a series of operations in the first two years. After Wade's rookie contract expires, he can directly sign a high-paying long-term contract to stay on the team. Kobe and Garnett are at their peak. Each has a seven-year long-term contract in hand. This core lineup can be used until 7. Billups and Artest each have a year and a half of contracts. But Jim is already ready to strengthen, and he doesn't need to hurt his muscles and bones to seek a deal. It is enough to get players who can fill the vacancy in the draft market.

With their five-game winning streak, the Grizzlies are about to stop the Lakers' momentum.

Kobe, who was brilliant in the last game, was naturally marked by the Grizzlies.After the opening game, Fei Xia missed three shots in a row. It seemed that he was not very excited due to the time of the game.

Don Nelson immediately adjusted his tactics, and Kobe switched to playing off the ball.

In this way, other players have a better chance. Artest and Wade, who had a sluggish performance in the last game, kept attacking the Grizzlies' weak flanks. Garnett faced Gasol and played with ease. , scored 5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a single quarter, and Billups also hit 2 three-pointers.The Lakers led 37 to 31 in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the Grizzlies sent Andrew Bynum, while the Lakers sent Kendrick Perkins.

Both of them are not good at each other. In the previous round, Bynum used his height and wingspan to force Perkins to score 2 plus 1. He spouted trash talk and jumped back to the defense to provoke the Lakers Titans. .In the next round, Perkins received a wonderful pass from Odom, Tarzan pressed the top, dunked Bynum with both hands, and bumped the opponent when he landed.

The scene immediately became tense, and Bynum pushed it backhanded. Fortunately, the referee was close, and the Grizzlies leader Gasol had a mild personality.

Bynum, who was pulled away, stared at Gasol bitterly, cursing in his mouth, as if complaining that the Spaniard held him back and failed to let him show his fighting talent.

Both sides each eat a technical foul, Grizzlies coach Mike Frattero immediately replaced Bynum, replaced by Amare Stoudemire.

Although there is not enough rest time, fortunately, the Grizzlies are young and strong, so it is not a big problem to take a rest for a minute or two.

Stoudemire has excellent physical fitness and gorgeous and changeable offensive skills against the basket. This season, he has added mid-range shots to his arsenal. He can contribute 23.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He is very active. Coach Mike Fratello has more than 20 years of coaching experience. Whether it is the Atlanta Hawks or the Cleveland Cavaliers, he is a frequent visitor to the Eastern Conference playoffs under his coaching. He quickly discovered that Damon Stoudemire and Bobby Jackson isn't exactly a metronome, but in the right hands, he can be a sharp scoring knife.

So Paul Gasol, while maintaining his usual comprehensiveness, returned to the familiar low position when Bunch Wells left the team and Stoudemire's main attack area was launched at the high-level surface basket. He has become the core of the team's offense, averaging 17.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. The team's offense will start from him. The two guns in the backcourt and Stoudemire are mainly responsible for the finish, and Brian Cardinal as the fort on the outside.The Grizzlies have maintained a good winning percentage, with a record of 16 wins and 10 losses, ranking fifth in the Western Conference.

Whether it is Artest or Odom, there is no good way to take Amare Stoudemire. Artest is limited by his height, and Odom is tall enough, but his defensive skills are really average.

In the first half, Stoudemire scored 19 points to help the Grizzlies bite the score.For the Lakers, Wade had 14 points, Artest had 9 points, Kobe Bryant had 11 points, Garnett had 7 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

In the third quarter, the Lakers team felt cold, making only 21 of 5 shots, as if they no longer knew their own basket.Fortunately, the defensive end is still online, and the Grizzlies only made 22 of 7 shots. The two sides scored 15 to 18 in a single quarter, and the Lakers led 77 to 76.

At the end of the quarter, Bobby Jackson suddenly showed his power, and his true nature of the knife was highlighted. He first hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, and then faced Tony Allen's defense and scored a three-plus-one. He scored 1 points in one minute and overtook the score.

Don Nelson had to switch back to the starting lineup in advance, but the Grizzlies' momentum was up. Although Kobe and Wade scored 23 points in the fourth quarter, they were powerless to prevent the Lakers from swallowing the defeat.

Artest scored 9 points, all from the first quarter, Odom 6 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and 4 turnovers, poor performance.

(End of this chapter)