Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

"boom."

There was a muffled sound.

Clarkson's three-point shot missed.

This missed three-pointer meant that the Lakers lost the game.

This is the Lakers vs Hawks game.

Although the Lakers were missing Zhuang Yu, Lopez, and Rose, Clarkson, Anderson, Holiday, Zubac and others all performed well.

Especially Clarkson.

Today he scored 33 points, plus 6 rebounds and assists.

It was also driven by Clarkson's outstanding performance that the Lakers fought the Hawks until the end.

In the last few seconds, the Lakers were only three points behind, and if Clarkson made this three-pointer, the game could be dragged into overtime and there would still be hope.

It's a pity that the three-pointer failed to hit, and the game came to an end. The final score was 117:114.

The Lakers lost another game.

"It's a pity that the last three-pointer didn't make it, otherwise there would still be a chance."

"Clarkson performed well enough today."

"Yes, I don't mean to blame Clarkson, I just feel a little regretful that we have lost too many games during this period."

"Yeah, the Lakers have lost a lot recently. I think they only won three games in total."

The fans in the audience couldn't help but feel regretful.

Talking about the Lakers' more losses than wins recently, people couldn't help but think of Zhuang Yu, and their eyes all turned to the Lakers' sidelines.

Zhuang Yu still didn't play today. Two weeks have passed. Didn't he make a comeback in two weeks as promised?

In fact, Zhuang Yu was a little anxious. He also wanted to come back earlier, but Coach Scott wouldn't let him.

After losing this game, the Lakers' record further dropped to third place in the Western Conference. If they lose again, they will soon fall out of the top four.

......

The game was over and the Lakers players returned to the locker room, all feeling a little depressed.

Or is it because I lost too much during this period of time?

They don't want to lose either, but without Zhuang Yu, Lopez and Rose, both the main lineup and the rotation lineup are seriously lacking.

And there is not enough rotation of staff.

Sometimes, we could be on par with the opponent in the first three quarters, but we couldn't do it in the fourth quarter. The main reason was that the players had physical problems.

Another reason is that whenever the game reached the final crucial moment, the Lakers did not have anyone who could stand up and make the final decision.

Holiday can't do it, Clarkson can't do it, let alone others.

The atmosphere in the locker room was a bit depressing. Zhuang Yu was just about to say a few words to comfort his teammates when he saw the door of the locker room being pushed open and Coach Scott, Assistant Coach Madsen and others walked in.

"coach."

"coach."

Everyone shouted.

Coach Scott nodded, his eyes sweeping across the players' faces, taking in their expressions.

Sure enough, just as he expected, the players all looked very frustrated.

"All right."

Coach Scott clapped his hands, and when everyone looked over, he consoled them, "Isn't it just a loss of a game? It's no big deal, we just need to win the next one."

The crowd responded sparsely, but with bitter smiles on their faces. It was not that they did not want to win, but that they could not win.

At this time, Coach Scott and Assistant Coach Madsen exchanged glances, and then said, "I will let Zhuang Yu return in the next game."

what?

All of a sudden, all the players became alert, their eyes lit up, and they all stared at Coach Scott.

"Um, what did you say, coach?"

"Coach, are you telling the truth? Will Zhuang Yu be able to return in the next game? That's great. As long as Zhuang Yu gives his all, we will definitely win."

"Yes, Zhuang Yu can finally make a comeback. We can't wait any longer."

"Haha, we will definitely win the next game. Which team will we play against next time?"

Everyone was talking at once, all very excited.

As long as Zhuang Yu can come back, they are not afraid of any team.

"hehe....."

Coach Scott chuckled, raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling everyone to be quiet, and then said: "Our coaching staff has already communicated with the doctor, and the doctor said that Zhuang Yu has fully recovered and can return to the court."

"So, starting from the next game, Zhuang Yu will return to our starting lineup."

In fact, Zhuang Yu could have returned in today's game, but Coach Scott pushed the time back to be on the safe side.

After receiving the coach's affirmative response, the players immediately felt relieved, swept away their previous depressed state, and became full of fighting spirit.

But at this moment, assistant coach Madsen suddenly spoke up and reminded the players: "Don't be too happy too soon, our next opponent will be difficult to deal with."

Ok?

Which team will we face next?

Nance Jr. said: "It seems to be the Raptors."

For a moment, the players' excited expressions froze, and they smiled bitterly in their hearts, wondering if Coach Scott did it on purpose.

Zhuang Yu was not allowed to return in today's game, so he will have to pay in the next game against a strong team like the Raptors.

Yes, it was definitely intentional, just to see if we could beat the Eagles without Zhuang Yu...

But the answer is that they lost.

Well, although we lost today's game, Zhuang Yu will be able to return in the next game, but the Raptors are indeed not easy to deal with.

Although the Raptors lost to the Lakers in the finals last season, their strength is unquestionable.

This season they traded for Paul George, and now have the "Big Two" combination of Leonard and George. It is difficult to judge whether the current Raptors are weaker or stronger than last season until the playoffs.

But its strength should never be underestimated.

At this time, Zhuang Yu smiled and said, "I think this is a good thing."

what?

good thing?

Everyone looked at Zhuang Yu in confusion.

Zhuang Yu said: "We have lost a lot of games recently, and I know there are many doubts from the outside world. I think it's just the right time to come back for the next game against the Raptors. If we just beat a weak team, it won't crush the doubts from the outside world. But if we successfully beat the Raptors, then all the doubts will disappear."

Suddenly, the players' eyes lit up and they all agreed.

"That's right, what's the point of playing against a weak team? Since Zhuang Yu has paid, we should play against a strong team like the Raptors."

"So what if the Raptors? Didn't they lose to us in the finals last season? As long as Zhuang Yu is here, we are not afraid of any team."

Seeing the look on everyone's faces, Coach Scott smiled. He knew that no matter how many words of comfort he said, it would not be as effective as saying "Zhuang Yu will be back in the next game."

One sentence is enough to change the players' mental state and boost morale - this is the role of the team's soul.

......

A day later, the Lakers traveled to Toronto to challenge the Raptors away.

The Lakers did a very good job of keeping the secret, and the outside world still doesn't know that Zhuang Yu will return in the game against the Raptors.

It was not until the game day that the media saw Zhuang Yu's name on the Lakers' activation list.

Of course, Zhuang Yu’s name was only included in the activation list, which does not mean that he will definitely play, but it is possible that he will play.

In the previous game between the Lakers and the Hawks, Zhuang Yu's name also appeared on the activation list, but he did not play in the end.

So people don’t think that Zhuang Yu will make a comeback in this game. Only two or three media outlets said that Zhuang Yu’s body has recovered and he will make a comeback in the next one or two games, but it is also unclear which one.

It was not until the game was about to start and both sides announced their starting lineups that people knew that Zhuang Yu would make his comeback in today's game.

"what?"

"Wow, they are planning to catch the Raptors off guard. I thought Zhuang Yu would have to rest for at least a few games, but I didn't expect him to suddenly appear in the starting lineup."

"Great! Zhuang Yu is finally back."

"It's going to be interesting now. I thought the Lakers would definitely lose today's game, but now it's not certain."

For a moment, all the fans became excited.

If there is no Zhuang Yu, the Lakers will definitely not be a match for the Raptors, but if Zhuang Yu returns, that will be a different story.

Don't mention that they are still missing Lopez and Rose, so they can't be the opponent of the Raptors.

Everyone knows that as long as Zhuang Yu is there, the Lakers are not afraid of any team. Didn’t they win against the Bucks, the top team in the Eastern Conference?

When the game started, Zhuang Yu stepped onto the court.

A loud voice rang out from the audience: "Zhuang Yu, Zhuang Yu..."

Although this was an away game, there were still many fans cheering for Zhuang Yu.

Zhuang Yu waved to the audience with a calm expression, but he still couldn't suppress his excitement in his heart. After half a month, he finally returned to the stage.

It feels so good.

......

Players from both sides have come onto the field and the game has officially begun.

The Lakers have Holiday, Zhuang Yu, Cunningham, Anderson, and Zubac, while the Raptors have Kyle Lowry, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, OG Anunoby, and Marc Gasol.

Last season, the Raptors made it to the finals, but were just one step away from the championship and eventually lost to the Lakers.

They have upgraded their lineup this season.

First, they renewed Kawhi Leonard's contract, then traded Siakam and Powell for Paul George, and persuaded Gasol to stay on the team...

After a series of operations, they formed a "double giant" combination.

However, since Paul George and Kawhi Leonard's positions overlap, the two spent a considerable amount of time getting acquainted this season.

Fortunately, as of now, the two have basically completed the running-in, and the situation like that of the Rockets has not occurred. The chemistry between the two is still good.

First there was a jump ball. Zubac touched the basketball first and kicked it to the backcourt. Holiday controlled the ball and started to move forward. After reaching the frontcourt, he looked at Zhuang Yu.

In the audience stands, fans shouted Zhuang Yu's name once again.

Zhuang Yu did not disappoint them. He ran back to get the ball, then gestured to his teammates, and Zubac came up to screen...