I just play ball

Chapter 309 History First
At noon on the [-]th, the entire Lakers team rushed to Houston to prepare for an away game against the Rockets.

Although the regular season has come to an end, the Rockets still maintain the same record as the Trail Blazers. Since they are in the Northwest Division and the Southwest Division respectively, the relationship between the two teams will not affect the final ranking, so the two teams are always fighting for home court advantage. Struggle with all your strength, even in the face of a tough opponent like the Lakers, and have no intention of giving up resistance.

Before the game, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey implicitly hinted in an interview with the Houston Independent that in order to help the Lakers achieve the best record in history, the league has repeatedly whistled for the Lakers at critical moments, and many teams have been punished. This kind of unfair treatment, especially in the tie between the Lakers and the Clippers, even when Li Yue failed in the lore, they forcibly whistled the Clippers player Chris Paul for a technical foul and gave Li Yue a technical free throw opportunity. It is simply forced to walk.

After the content of the interview was published on the social network, it quickly aroused heated discussions among a large number of fans, media, commentators, and players. Some people emphasized that this situation is the same as last year in order to ensure the Lakers playoffs in the league. The referees made a lot of biased penalties that are beneficial to the Lakers , It wasn't until Li Yue's strong rise later that the unfair treatment was restrained, but this season it was used again in a different way.

ESPN initiated the voting statistics, but believed that the proportion of the Lakers receiving special care from referees was very low.

Magic Johnson forwarded the statistical results, saying that most users who are silent see the facts clearly, while those who secretly spread rumors are nothing more than jealous that the Lakers may have the best record in history, and the league should give clear punishment.

But Morey's statement is very cryptic, everyone understands it, but it cannot be used as evidence, just like the leaders of small companies never arrange for employees to work overtime, but always shorten the project completion cycle, making the overtime work of employees all voluntary, and it is useless to ask a lawyer to complain use.

Li Yue read related reports on the bus to the Toyota Center, and Nick Yang next to him was very angry, but Li Yue felt that this was just Morey's promotion of the upcoming game and wanted to influence the judgment result through public opinion. In this case, the referee will not give the Lakers favorable whistle, and it will become stricter, and the Rockets can benefit in reverse.

At [-]:[-] p.m. on the [-]th, the match between the two teams was officially held.

As soon as the game started, the Rockets resolutely double-teamed Li Yue. Even Harden, who was usually very lazy in defense, took part in it with [-]% energy, and even took the initiative to switch to defend Gasol and Landry in the low post.

Li Yue chose to move the ball outward, and with the cooperation of other teammates, Kobe got a lot of easy shots, but I don't know if it was because the pressure of no defense was too small to adapt, and he only made 6 of 1 shots.

Marshall and others were also affected, with a total of only 12 of 4 shots. As for the Rockets, Terrence Jones, Harden, and Asik contributed wonderful performances, making a total of 16 of 11 shots. After the first quarter of the game, they led the Lakers 9 points.

Back from the break, the Rockets continued to use the double-team strategy.

Fortunately, Kobe found the touch and helped Marshall get a lot of open opportunities. The two made 12 of 8 shots from the outside, while Li Yue and Iguodala passed the defense and locked Harden and Parsons, but Terrence Ross And Kanan, like a sharpshooter, made 7 of 7 shots in total, resulting in the Lakers leading by only 4 points in a single quarter and trailing by 5 points at halftime.

Back to the locker room at halftime, the coaching staff made adjustments based on the data from the first half, and decided to send out the strongest lineup in the third quarter, with Li Yue playing the point guard, but the center was replaced with one who could better protect the frame and grab rebounds Gobert.

After the start of the third quarter, such adjustments had a miraculous effect. The Rockets were locked inside and outside at the same time. Although Harden scored 29 points with crazy free throws, the Lakers scored 49 points through a large number of defensive counterattacks, completely reversing the situation.

The only hidden danger is that there are too many fouls. D'Antoni did not show any confession, and performed regular rotations as usual.

The Rockets did not give up either. Since Garcia and Jordan Hamilton came off the bench, they have made a lot of three-point shots. Unfortunately, the effect is mediocre. When the main players returned to the court, they failed to significantly reduce the score.

For the Lakers, Li Yue and Kobe took turns playing singles. The two were extremely efficient and succeeded frequently.

最终，湖人145比130拿到常规赛第70胜，成功刷新71-72赛季，由威尔特张伯伦、杰里韦斯特、埃尔金贝勒、帕特莱利等名宿创造的69胜纪录。

20 seconds before the end of the game, ESPN and other sports media rushed to report the incident, and the major casinos in Las Vegas also updated the odds of the Lakers breaking the Bulls' record of 72 wins, which was greatly reduced to 1 to 2.

The Lakers went to Houston's most famous restaurant to celebrate that night, and owner Jim Buss was again responsible for footing the bill.

At noon the next day, the team set off for Dallas again, preparing to challenge the Mavericks away.

It was originally an ordinary regular season, but because of the possibility of reaching a record, it attracted the attention of the United States. TNT, which was not going to broadcast live before, temporarily announced the addition of live broadcasts of the two teams. Go to the American Airlines Center to watch the game live, and of course there are big stars like Matthew McConaughey.

If you make a list of people who hate the Lakers in the NBA circle, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban must be among them. He has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the Lakers many times, and even declared that the Lakers should pardon Kobe Bryant, wishing the Lakers failed.

This time was no exception. Cuban publicly supported Morey's remarks, believing that the Lakers did receive too much special care.

But the heat of the incident has passed, and his speech did not arouse more discussion, but was considered too acidic.

On the evening of the [-]th, the game between the Lakers and the Mavericks started.

Both teams felt average in the first quarter, and the Lakers fell behind 23-27.

In the second game, the Mavericks continued to feel icy, but the Lakers were in full bloom. The three backcourt players including Marshall made a total of 10 shots, helping the Lakers achieve a score of 35 to 25 and complete the overtake in one fell swoop.

Back from the halftime break, the Lakers brought out the strongest lineup. Li Yue and Kobe Bryant dominated both offense and defense. They teamed up to play a 10-0 offensive climax. At the same time, Ellis and Marion got into foul trouble and successfully secured a lead of up to 15 points. .

In the fourth quarter, for unknown reasons, the Lakers were called for offensive fouls and mobile screen violations one after another every few rounds, causing the offensive rhythm to be completely chaotic. The Mavericks took the opportunity to narrow the point difference to 5 points.

D'Antoni requested a timeout, hoping that Li Yue and Kobe would start taking turns in singles mode.

The two did as they did, one ball after another, facing the high pick-and-roll of Biannowitzki and Ellis, and steadily maintained the five-point advantage at the last moment. Although the Mavericks decisively adopted foul tactics, Gobert made consecutive hits and completely snuff out hope.

In the end, the Lakers narrowly won 107 to 104, and their total record in the regular season came to 71 wins and 7 losses.

The media praised them wildly, but the Lakers had no time to enjoy it. They set off for Memphis overnight, preparing to challenge the Grizzlies in back-to-back away games.

At noon on the [-]th, the whole team held a video analysis meeting in advance in the hotel to discuss the style of play in detail.

Since Randolph and Gasol Jr. formed a team, it has always been difficult to play against the Grizzlies. This time, they met the Grizzlies, who are ranked eighth in the Western Conference and only one game ahead of the ninth in the Western Conference. The ball will also become a famous background board, and the Grizzlies must resist with all their strength. In the case of the lack of physical strength of the whole team, if they want to win the game, they must outsmart them.

After about half an hour of deliberation, the coaching staff decided to boil the frogs in warm water and fight the Grizzlies slowly. In the fourth quarter, they would switch to the main force in advance and fight hard to kill the Grizzlies quickly so that the Grizzlies would not have time to make adjustments.

After confirming the plan, it is time to focus on practice, especially the full-court press and the third-line fast exit.

No one complained of being tired, and the opportunity to tie the historical record put the whole team in an extremely excited state.

When the evening game officially started, everything went according to plan. The Lakers and the Grizzlies finished three quarters and drew.

In the fourth quarter, the plan began to be implemented. Li Yue and Kobe made an early appearance and faced the Grizzlies second team.

I thought that after only one round, Grizzlies coach Dave Jogel did not hesitate to ask for a timeout, and also replaced Gasol and Randolph in advance, but the physical recovery of the two big fat men was more difficult. Full, unable to cope with the rhythm of offense and defense for a while.

Taking this opportunity, the Lakers succeeded in pressing the audience many times, and scored 4 consecutive defensive counterattacks, successfully establishing the victory.

In the end, the Lakers won 112 to 99, tying the record of 72 wins created by the Bulls that year.

The Bulls officially tweeted their congratulations immediately after the game. Michael Jordan retweeted Kobe and Li Yue, congratulating them on building the strongest team in NBA history, and wishing them a successful defense.

LeBron and other active players also tweeted their congratulations. #湖人队72奖# became the top topic on Twitter. In just half an hour, there were more than 14 related discussions, and multiple subtopics were generated. On the hot list.

Nike updated its official twitter in the early hours of the morning, announcing that it will soon launch sneakers designed and signed by Li Yue and Kobe Bryant. A total of 72 pairs will be released, which will not be sold, but will be given away to those who help the two to make good publicity. , there is no time and place restrictions, and there is no fixed standard. It all depends on the effect of the publicity until the 72 pairs of sneakers are given away.

Various brands such as airlines, luxury goods, and smart devices invite the two to act as image spokespersons at the same time. The estimated revenue will reach 5000 million US dollars, but the additional condition is that the two must successfully defend the title.

Neither of them put the endorsement issue on the agenda for the time being, but focused on studying how to play against the Spurs.

However, as an old opponent, after repeated research, the same result is still the same, it all depends on the details.

After three full days of rest, the whole team came to San Antonio to challenge the Spurs away.

I thought it would be an epic battle, but Popovich announced half an hour before the game that Duncan had a truce due to tight hip muscles, and after the game started, Leonard and other main players did not come up after only 5 minutes on the court. rest.

Although surprised, he quickly reacted.

The Spurs' total record is three games ahead of the Thunder, and they are firmly seated in the second place in the Western Conference. get more benefits,
It's better to let the veteran Duncan rest in rotation. If it weren't for worrying about the league's fines, even Leonard and others might have zero playing time. As for things like being a background board, it has no impact on Popovich and the Spurs.

In this way, the Lakers achieved a record of 73 wins and 7 losses without bloodshed, successfully creating a new historical record.

Perhaps because they have long been used to it, the media and fans have no other compliments other than regular congratulations, and they don't even care so much about the Lakers' possible overall record of 75 wins and 7 losses. The focus of discussion has shifted to the playoffs.

Because with only two games left in the regular season, the three teams of the Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Suns are still competing for the eighth place in the Western Conference. If different teams become the eighth place in the Western Conference, different playoff situations will arise. Moreover, the Warriors, the seventh in the West, only have one more win than the Grizzlies, but the result of the direct match is negative, and they may also exchange positions with the Grizzlies.

The most interesting thing is that the fate of these four teams is not completely determined by themselves.

Because no team in the West is willing to meet the Lakers early in the second round, the Rockets and Trail Blazers in the middle of the ranking may even deliberately lose for this. In the last two games, there will be the Rockets against the Grizzlies and the Trail Blazers against Sun game.

All in all, analyzing complex matchups is more fun than sitting and watching the Lakers set records.

The entire Lakers team also quietly returned to Los Angeles overnight to challenge their rivals, the Clippers, back to back.

On the night of the game, many Hollywood stars came to watch the game in groups. The Staples Center was like an Oscar and Grammy awards ceremony. Nicholson, a die-hard fan, offered to give up his seat, and the seats in the player's family area were also requisitioned for a fee.

But the Clippers are not willing to serve as the background board, especially after the inexplicable loss of the previous matchup.

In the first quarter of the game, Paul fully demonstrated the strength of the god of the league's point guards. He personally equalized points through singles and pick-and-rolls, and helped Redick score through efficient organization. At the same time, he also fully demonstrated the strength of the steal king on the defensive end. In a basketball game, Marshall and Blake were forced to be difficult to organize, and the Lakers were forced to arrange Li Yue as the point guard.

Fortunately, Griffin and Jordan did not perform well, and the two teams drew at halftime.

Entering the third quarter, the Lakers activated the strongest mode, but encountered Griffin's awakening and only led by five points in a single quarter.

In the fourth quarter of the game, the mighty Paul had difficulty maintaining his physical strength, and the Clippers' offensive level fell off a cliff.

The Lakers won 119 to 107, won 74 wins, and reached 30 consecutive victories.

After two days of rest, the Lakers sit at home and usher in the last opponent of the 13-14 regular season, the Golden State Warriors.

Before the game, the coaching staff discussed whether to deliberately release water, because if it is not waterproof, it is possible to meet the Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs. Even if they advance with a record of 4 victories, they will be greatly consumed. This kind of young team is easier.

Li Yue and Kobe unanimously opposed it because Curry was too difficult to deal with, but the Grizzlies could use conventional routines to deal with it.

After confirming the plan, the Lakers went all out to fight.

It was thought that Curry and Thompson scored 80 points together, and the Lakers finally relied on penalty shootouts to win with difficulty. The regular season record was fixed at 75 wins and 7 losses.

Unexpectedly, after all the games in the Western Conference, the Warriors slipped to eighth in the Western Conference by accident, becoming the Lakers' opponent in the first round of the playoffs.

(End of this chapter)