Super Evolution of Basketball

Chapter 455 Hit the wall, take it easy

In March, the Lakers ushered in a defeat on the first Sunday, they lost to the Detroit Pistons unexpectedly.

The Pistons' Drummond and Tobias Harris broke out rarely, especially Drummond, who scored 32 points, setting a season high.

Drummond is not the kind of player who has a strong aura and can't attack. The reason why he can get high scores is because he feels so good that he feels hot, and the other reason is that Towns, who was supposed to play against him, didn't play.

It was an accident to say that Towns suddenly vomited and had diarrhea the day before the game. After being checked by the team doctor, he was diagnosed with food poisoning.

Wharton was furious, pointed at Downs on the hospital bed, and criticized him endlessly for half an hour.

Now is the critical period of sprinting to the playoffs. As a player, you should devote yourself wholeheartedly. How can you be so undisciplined?
Downs' face was pale, and his lips were even paler. He obediently endured the coach's scolding with his head downcast, not daring to say a word.

Before the start of the game, Yuan Qingshan had been with him in the infirmary. Downs conducted a deep review to Yuan Qingshan and promised that he would never make similar mistakes again in the future.

Of course, Yuan Qingshan didn't really get angry with him, and advised him not to blame himself too much. The current record of the Lakers is stable, and they should be able to shake off the teams behind them.

Downs felt a little better, and fell asleep under Yuan Qingshan's persuasion.

In the afternoon, Taylor Swift, who was about to hold a concert in Los Angeles, came to see Downs at the Staples Center.

Yuan Qingshan hasn't seen Taylor Swift for a while, and at first glance, he was startled. This is not the thin and tall Taylor in the past, he is too strong now. He believes that he is a beach volleyball player.

Taylor Swift chatted with Yuan Qingshan for a while, and told him about Towns' psychological state. Although Towns seemed to be joking and out of character on the surface, he actually cared a lot about basketball and the team's performance. He always took the pressure silently and never vented it with the Lakers. He would only confide it like a child when he was alone with Taylor.

Yuan Qingshan looked at his sleeping buddy Tang Si through the glass window, and was deeply moved.

Yuan Qingshan handed Downs to Taylor Swift, and then reported to the locker room to prepare for the evening game.

The Lakers vs. Pistons was originally a game without any suspense in the eyes of the media.

But the truth is...

At the very beginning of the game, the Lakers fell into an extremely unfavorable rhythm. Yuan Qingshan continued to attack while connecting. Unfortunately, neither he nor his teammates had ideal shooting percentages.

Paul George wasted six chances in the left and right high positions, Murray was even intercepted by Harris, Channing Frye replaced Towns in the starting lineup, and the defensive effect against Drummond was not ideal.

On the other hand, the Pistons are like a godsend, regardless of whether they are inside or outside, no matter how they shoot.

Drummond back-hit Frye three times in a row, completely boosting the momentum of the Pistons.

The home fans at the Staples Center are stunned. Is this the Lakers team I know? The state is terrible.

In the commentary booth, TNT invited O'Neal and Barkley tonight. They thought that the Lakers would continue their good momentum after winning three consecutive away games and win the Pistons by a big score.

Unexpectedly, once the game is played, it will not be the case at all.

O'Neal: "Charles, tell me, what is the problem with the Lakers?"

Barkley scratched his head: "Probably because of the continuous away games, the players are not physically fit, and Towns and Jeff Green can't play, which has a certain impact."

O'Neill sighed: "This is not okay. You can't fall apart just because a certain player can't play."

Barkley: "Yes, the playoffs are very intense, players are more prone to physical problems, and injuries are also common. If the Lakers are so easy to mess up, they will never get good results in the playoffs this year."

O'Neill: "I think they have gone too well this season, and they should hit a wall, and then take it easy."

Barkley: "That's right, the more critical the game, the more mentally you fight."

Seeing the Lakers fall behind to double digits, the fans started to make noise.

Wharton tried to use Whiteside and Thackeray to defend the hot Drummond, but unfortunately it didn't work. Whiteside's defense is already in place, but tonight's Drummond has the aura of the protagonist, and scoring points is like cutting melons and vegetables!
Wharton had to call timeouts frequently, and when he was desperate, he had to hand over the team directly to Yuan Qingshan.

Yuan Qingshan tried to pull up the rhythm of several counterattacks in the first half, but they were all unsuccessful. Instead, the Pistons got a lot of backcourt rebounds.

On the NBA Chinese website, netizens commented that tonight's Pistons are at the championship level, especially Drummond, who is comparable to those prehistoric behemoths.

Barkley saw the highlighted comment and showed it to O'Neal.

As one of the famous inside behemoths in NBA history, O'Neal is of course unconvinced. In his opinion, he could beat Drummond with one arm during the Lakers period.

Barkley thinks that O'Neal is definitely not bragging. If you say that the big sharks in the Lakers period were a bit bullying, even those in the Heat period are fine.

The Pistons kept their super hot touch until the middle of the third quarter. O'Neal and Barkley were amazed. They both felt that the Pistons' shooting rate was incredible. The Lakers lost to an opponent with such a good touch.

After the game, Charles Barkley believes that the Lakers have entered a period of fatigue. If they can't make adjustments quickly, even if they can enter the playoffs with an ideal ranking, but under the intensity of the playoffs, the players will be accelerated and will collapse sooner or later.

In this way, the Pistons won an unexpected victory from Los Angeles. They themselves did not expect to win before the game. At the post-game press conference, the head coach and the main players talked about it, using all the beautiful words they could think of.

The media is satisfied anyway, whether you will be slapped in the face or not, it is true that we can write topical reports.

The Lakers had another three days off after the Pistons game. Walton canceled all training plans. He called the players together and did nothing but rest in the physical therapy room of the stadium.

What Barkley said about the fatigue period is true.

Jeff Green has stayed in Cleveland because of a heart problem, and the best-case scenario is to return in April.

Downs has improved under the treatment of the team doctor and has been included in the daily observation list. It is estimated that he will not be able to play until the middle of the year.

In the game against the Pistons just now, Beverly sprained his right foot again. He is currently red and swollen. The specific results of the inspection will not be known until tomorrow.

All of a sudden, bad news came one after another.

Yuan Qingshan was brooding over the loss, and the next day, he stayed at the Staples Center, feeling unhappy.

During the period, Paul George and Whiteside tried to enlighten him, but unfortunately they were too bad at doing this kind of work, and Yuan Qingshan's mood did not improve at all.

(End of this chapter)