NBA: I was the No. 1 pick at the beginning

The January schedule has also begun.

As soon as they came up, the Lakers took an opener and lost against the Timberwolves.

But it doesn't matter, Anthony also found his own form in this game.

Back to the starters again.

And Yi Jianlian's injury is almost healed.

Already started training.

So everything is going well for the Lakers.

And there will be a wave of five home games next, so the Lakers' next schedule is quite happy.

But the five home games are not so easy to play.

It can be said that the beginning and end are strong teams.

In the Lakers' five home games, the first opponent is the Thunder.

The last opponent is the Spurs.

These two are strong teams in the West and cannot be sloppy.

Although the Thunder's record is not very good now, everyone knows that the combination of Westbrook and Paul George will definitely make it to the playoffs.

Finally on the 3rd, the Lakers also faced the incoming Thunder at home.

This is the first time the two teams have faced each other this season.

The relationship between Westbrook and Paul George and Chen Tian is also quite good.

In addition to Jokic, the four of them also got together and chatted during pre-match training.

As a result, Jokic was outspoken.

Said directly to Westbrook and the two of them.

"I said what's going on with you guys, this record is not very good!"

Chen Tian choked up when he heard this.

He didn't expect Jokic to speak so straightforwardly.

Just sprinkle salt in their wounds.

The faces of Westbrook and Paul George are indeed not very good-looking.

But the two did not blame Jokic.

After all, the record is indeed not good, and there is nothing to deny.

In fact, Chen Tian was also a little puzzled.

If you want to talk about the Thunder's lineup, not to mention the record can enter the top four in the Western Conference.

That should also be the top eight teams in the West.

But now they are still No.10 in the West.

Look at the Thunder's lineup, except for Westbrook.

There are also powerful role players such as Adams, Grant, Robertson, and Patterson.

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like a team that can play like this.

Paul George also said a little helplessly.

"Actually, we don't know what's going on now!"

"The tactics arranged by the coach for us are very clear, and our practice is also very smooth, but we just can't win the game!"

Westbrook on the side also nodded.

"We still don't understand why!"

When Chen Tian heard this, he immediately thought of the new f4 formed by Kobe and Howard.

The team back then was very similar to the current Thunder.

But the configuration is better than Thunder.

But I don't know what happened back then, the Lakers just couldn't win.

Some people say that it is the head coach D'Antoni's problem.

Others said it was Howard's problem.

Others said it was an injury issue.

After all, that team is old, weak and sick.

But Chen Tian felt that the root cause was not in these problems.

Let's talk about Howard at that time, when he was officially at his peak.

Although he doesn't like his tactical position very much, he still has professionalism after playing.

Even if he wasn't very good on the offensive end, Howard on the defensive end was definitely the number one existence at the time.

And the lineup of the Lakers at that time, not to mention that the coach was D'Antoni, even a dog could coach there.

Four All-Star players, plus Ci Shiping, a super defensive champion.

No matter how you look at it, the team shouldn't be hovering in the playoffs.

But the Lakers that year only made it to the playoffs.

So Chen Tian always thought that maybe this was destined by God, such a combination would not have very good results.

It can be said that the formation of giant teams in the NBA can be said to be everywhere.

But Chen Tian wants to say that there are too few teams that cannot make it to the playoffs.

Even in Chen Tian's impression, it basically never happened.

Therefore, no matter how many internal conflicts there are in the giant teams, their strength is still very strong.

But the current problem of the Thunder is very similar to that of the Lakers at that time, but it is not the same.

After all, the relationship between Westbrook and Paul George is quite good.

There is no contradiction between the two.

Chen Tian had no choice but to persuade the two of them.

"First try to win the game, and then increase your playing time. Only in this way can the situation be changed!"

Wei Shao and the two of them also nodded when they heard Chen Tian's words.

Indeed, this is the only way now.

Because only by winning more games can the team unite.

The Thunder's current win-loss record is basically even.

So there are many newcomers on the team, and there is no motivation.

After the four chatted for a while, the match was about to begin.

The starting lineup for the Thunder.

Point guard: Russell Westbrook.

Score: Andre Robison.

SF: Paul George.

Power forward: Patrick Patterson.

Center: Steven Adams.

Looking at this lineup, it can be said that both offense and defense are excellent.

On the Lakers side, Anthony also returned to the starting lineup.

With the referee's whistle, Adams also pressed Jokic to jump the ball.

The game officially begins.

As soon as he came up, Westbrook directly carried the explosive package, hit the inside line and scored a layup.

I have to say that Westbrook's physical fitness is really explosive.

From receiving the ball to hitting the basket, the time is at most three seconds.

In a short period of time, Westbrook has already scored the ball.

On the other hand, facing Paul George's defense, Chen Tian didn't dare to be careless.

After all, Paul George's defense is top-notch.

So Chen Tian hit his back continuously, then turned around and threw the ball.

Maybe it's just the beginning, and the hands are still a little tight.

The goal was not scored, and Adams under the basket grabbed a rebound.

Thunder quickly launched a counterattack.

I have to say that if any team has a player like Westbrook, the defensive counterattack will definitely fly.

This guy is really too fast, and with that muscle, he is simply a high-speed tank.

Chen Tian and Tucker returned to the defense with all their strength, but they failed to catch up with Westbrook.

I can only watch Westbrook dunk the ball into the basket.

Chen Tian and Tucker looked at each other, and immediately saw each other's helplessness.

But soon the Lakers also found the touch, and the two teams also started to attack.

And the defense of Matthew and Westbrook is really punchy.

Both of them are players with high physical fitness, so they also like this kind of muscle collision.

And Chen Tian and Paul George also got into a fight.

I have to say that in this game, Paul George's touch is really good.

Under Chen Tian's defense, he hit three-pointers from the outside line consecutively.

In the first quarter of the game, the two teams played evenly.

But after the start of the second quarter, the Lakers' role players gradually began to exert their strength.

Gradually opened the score bit by bit.

The Thunder's bench lineup is still a bit worse.

Under the leadership of jr and Brogdon, the Lakers gradually opened up the score.

There is no way, the Thunder can only bring Paul George back.

Sure enough, after Paul George came back, the Thunder's offense went much smoother.

Halfway through the second quarter, the main players of the two teams are all back.

Under Chen Tian's leadership, the team still maintained the lead.

At the end of halftime, the Lakers temporarily lead the Thunder with 59:52.

During the halftime break, Chen Tian was also thinking about the Thunder team's situation.

Judging from the first half, apart from the fact that the Thunder's bench lineup was not too strong, there was nothing particularly weak about it.

Even the Thunder's defense is much better than their offense.

But in such a situation, how could it not win.

You must know that Westbrook and Paul George are both at their peak.

It's not a problem for the two of them to play the whole game.

So even if the substitute is worse, it shouldn't be the current record.

Chen Tian really couldn't figure it out.

After the start of the second half of the game between the two teams, the Thunder also started chasing points.

The combination of Westbrook and Paul George has no problem scoring.

The scoring methods of the two are also very many.

So there is no way, the Lakers can only give up part of the defense and devote themselves to the offense.

Chen Tian, ​​Anthony, and Jokic also met the combination of Westbrook and Paul George.

Immediately, the duel between the five made the fans on the scene cheer.

Chen Tian received a pass from Jokic and scored an easy layup.

Westbrook's zombie jumper also hit a rebound.

Anthony made a strong shot from outside the three-point line.

Paul George broke through and turned around and scored a layup.

Jokic played Adams inside and easily scored the ball.

In turn, Adams responded with a two-handed dunk.

Immediately, the two teams fought and refused to let anyone else.

And Matthew, Tucker and others are defending with all their strength.

The entire third quarter completely became a tug of war.

At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers still led by seven points 87:80.

So throughout the third quarter, the two teams played a tie.

But the Thunder team is a bit dangerous.

The physical strength of Westbrook and Paul George has also declined a lot.

This allowed Chen Tian to seize the opportunity. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, he took the opportunity to expand the score again.

Gradually the score was expanded to double digits.

No way, Westbrook and Paul George can only reappear.

I have to say that after the two played, their scoring ability is still very strong.

However, this situation did not last for too long.

With 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the physical strength of Westbrook and Paul George also showed a red light.

Soon the attack of the two was not so accurate.

And Chen Tian once again launched a counterattack, completely killing the game.

At the end of the game, the Lakers won the Thunder 118:109.

It can be said that in this game, both teams did very well offensively.

Otherwise, the Lakers would not have scored such a high score.

In the whole game, Chen Tian also scored 31 points.

But Westbrook and Paul George, one scored 29 points and the other scored 32 points.

The performance was perfect, but it didn't win the victory.

After the Lakers ended the Thunder game, the next three opponents were not strong teams.

So for Chen Tian and others, the next period will be a sweet period.

……