Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

This game helped the Lakers players regain their confidence and also gave the Lakers fans renewed expectations.

But the reality is still there. Rose's comeback is nowhere in sight, and the Lakers' current bench lineup has become much weaker than last season.

Last season, the Lakers' bench lineup included Rose, Clarkson, Nance Jr., Kuzma and Zubac, which was basically a complete lineup. Even if it was put against some weak teams, it would be a starting lineup.

But now three people are missing at once, Kuzma, Zubac and Rose, leaving only Clarkson and Nance Jr., who are obviously unable to carry the bench lineup.

Although Clarkson is very strong and has won the best sixth man award.

But he is not Zhuang Yu, and he cannot carry the team alone.

Therefore, some outside sports media and basketball commentators have published articles, expressing that they are not optimistic about how many games the Lakers can win in the next games, believing that their record will definitely decline, and they may even fall out of the top four in the Western Conference.

Some Chinese basketball commentators also hold this view.

In a program, Yang Yi, a well-known domestic basketball player, said bluntly: "The Lakers' starting lineup is definitely fine. They will not be at a disadvantage against any team, but their problem lies in the bench lineup. With the current Lakers bench lineup, even if one of Zhuang Yu, Holiday and Lopez is allowed to lead the bench lineup during rotation time, it will still be difficult for them to beat those strong teams."

"And what's the important point?"

"A very important point is that the Lakers' bench depth is too shallow. There are only eight or nine players who can play. If we want to ensure the competitiveness of the team's rotation time, we can only further squeeze the core players and increase their playing time."

"You have to know that there are hidden dangers. In the past two seasons, Lopez was injured in the regular season, and Holiday and Zhuang Yu also experienced injuries."

"For a championship team, I think Coach Scott definitely takes that into account, they need to do load management..."

After listening to Yang Yi's analysis, many fans couldn't help but nod.

The Lakers' current situation is indeed a bit troublesome.

The main lineup is certainly very strong, but the substitute lineup is relatively weak. In order to ensure the competitiveness of the substitute lineup and win more games, players such as Zhuang Yu, Holiday, and Lopez must play longer. However, this is obviously a consumption for them.

Fans also think that they don't need to do this during the regular season.

After all, the Lakers are a three-time championship team.

The regular season results do not mean much to them. Even if they play well in the regular season, if they cannot win the championship, it will be a failure.

But on the other hand, even if they only qualify for the playoffs after losing the regular season, they will still be the strongest as long as they can win the championship.

Not only the outside world thinks so, but there are also such voices within the Lakers.

In the game against the Warriors, Zhuang Yu and Lopez both played two full quarters and the entire overtime, with Zhuang Yu's playing time reaching 44 minutes.

The Lakers held an internal meeting after the game, and an assistant coach said that they should take a long-term view, give up some games in the regular season appropriately, and reduce the pressure on the main players.

Especially the pressure from Zhuang Yu.

Now everyone is staring at the Lakers and Zhuang Yu. Whenever a game comes, Zhuang Yu is always closely guarded by the opposing team and receives special attention.

Therefore, they had to give Zhuang Yu a light burden.

Even Coach Scott and Assistant Coach Madsen agree with this.

However, when Coach Scott found Zhuang Yu and asked for his opinion, Zhuang Yu decisively rejected the proposal.

"We have won three consecutive championships. In the past three years, we have created one milestone after another. We have played many great games and done things that others cannot do."

“It’s a great memory and a great journey.”

"So after three consecutive championships, what else is worth fighting for and working hard for? Is it just the championship trophy?"

"If that's the case, what's the point of a long regular season?"

Hearing this, Coach Scott was speechless. He wanted to refute, but he didn't know how to refute.

From his perspective, what he pursues is naturally the final result.

No matter how well you perform during vocational education, if the results are not satisfactory, you will be denied in the end.

But for the players, they not only pursue results, but also pay attention to the process and stay passionate about the game.

Why did Michael Jordan choose to retire after winning three consecutive championships?

There are many different opinions on this point.

Some people say it was because of his father's death, others say it was because he was addicted to gambling and got caught in a whirlpool of public opinion...

But one thing must be one of the reasons, that is, he defeated the Bad Boys of the Pistons and his arch-rival Barkley in succession, trampled these opponents under his feet, won three consecutive championships, and became the undisputed number one in the league.

At this time, Jordan could be said to be lonely at the top. Looking around the entire league, there was no rival, which made him feel bored.

For Zhuang Yu, after winning three consecutive championships, he has become the undisputed number one in the league, just like Jordan in the past.

For him, what supports him to continue to fight on the court is not only the desire for the championship, but also the heartfelt love for basketball, the persistence in the game, the pursuit of victory, as well as the responsibility he shoulders and the expectations of fans.

None of this allows him to treat the regular season as a game.

If that were the case, it might ruin his love for basketball and his passion for the game, making him feel as bored as Michael Jordan once was.

He doesn't want this.

Especially after winning three consecutive championships, before winning three consecutive championships, in order to achieve three consecutive championships and for this great honor, some sacrifices can be made.

But now they have won three consecutive championships, and Zhuang Yu has stood at the top of the world basketball arena - he no longer needs to prove anything, he just wants to continue the career he loves, to surpass his own limits, and to enjoy the happiness that basketball brings.

And it's not just Zhuang Yu.

“I don’t need load management.”

Zhuang Yu said in a deep voice: "I understand your thoughts, but how can you ensure that the players can regain their spirits in the playoffs and treat the playoffs in the best condition, the most positive attitude, and the strongest desire to win?"

For a moment, Coach Scott's face changed slightly and he couldn't help but frowned. He found that he had overlooked this point.

Zhuang Yu was worried that after winning three consecutive championships, he would feel lonely and lose his enthusiasm for the game and his desire to win.

What about the rest of the team?

In the past three years, they have won three championship rings, and many of them have gotten the big contracts they wanted and even been selected to the All-Star Game.

Do they feel that it is meaningless now?

Not yet, because they are experiencing the dilemma of missing a lineup, as Zhuang Yu is still actively fighting.

But if Zhuang Yu starts to manage his load and becomes less motivated in the game, how can other players stay motivated?

One game, a few games, maybe nothing.

But what about the entire regular season?

Coach Scott frowned, realizing that if that were the case, their original ambition and competitive spirit as the triple crown champions would probably be wiped out after an entire regular season.

In that case, can they still defend their title again?

"I see." Coach Scott exhaled, his expression serious. "You're right, we didn't take this into account. This season, Kuzma and Zubac left, our lineup has shrunk, while other teams have been strengthened to varying degrees. If we can't stay motivated enough, I'm afraid it will be difficult to beat them."

"Zhuang Yu, you can continue playing the next matches as usual, but you must pay attention to your physical condition and don't get hurt."

Zhuang Yu nodded.

The matter was dropped there.

......

One day later, the Lakers had their next game.

The opponent in this game is the Eagles.

Contrary to people's expectations, the Lakers did not control the playing time of Zhuang Yu, Lopez and Holiday just because their opponent was a weak team like the Hawks.

The playing time of these three players reached about 35 minutes each, and they each led the rotation lineup in the four quarters of the game to ensure the team's competitiveness.

When the game ended, the Lakers defeated the Hawks 118:110 and won another victory.

In the next two games, the Lakers were also not conservative in their use of players. They played the way they were supposed to, which surprised people a little.

Some basketball commentators were even dumbfounded, as if they had been slapped in the face. They thought their analysis was correct and that the Lakers would definitely conduct load management and reduce the playing time of players such as Zhuang Yu, Holiday and Lopez.

However, after three games, the Lakers did not perform like this. It seemed that they had no intention of doing any load management and did not want to give up any regular season game.

"What are the Lakers doing?"

"No, they definitely can't do this. If they continue like this, the players will definitely have problems with their physical fitness, or even suffer injuries."

"This is nonsense. This is not the coaching level that a three-time champion coach should have. Giving up some regular season games is the right choice. The most important thing for the Lakers is the playoffs, and they just need to ensure the playoffs. If they can't win the championship, even if they once again have the best record in the league, or even surpass the Warriors' 73 wins and 9 losses, it will be meaningless."

“I don’t understand what they are doing?”

Of course, the Lakers don't need their approval. They are not players or fans. They are just a group of armchair theorists.

They will never understand what the game means to a player, nor what the true love of basketball is...