Chapter 1895 Wild West
After the first wave of 8-0, no one expected that the Nuggets and Lakers could struggle until the last few minutes of the game. If it weren't for Ji Feng's performance at the critical moment, maybe the two sides would have fought more intensely.
But even so, the Nuggets' performance has exceeded many people's expectations.
Barkley praised the Nuggets' performance after the game: "Who would have thought that such a young team without an All-Star or well-known player could reach this level with the Lakers. Although they still lost, Their future is still very bright.”
O'Neal also agreed: "This is the first time I agree with this silly guy. To be honest, after losing their core core of many years, Anthony, last season, many people thought that the Nuggets would enter a long rebuilding period, and in the summer, basically nothing happened. The Nuggets, who did nothing and didn't catch big fish in the draft, also deepened people's opinions, but after this game, everyone will change their views. Although they don't have any stars, they play very well as a team."
"It's like this. The Nuggets players took team basketball to the extreme. Six of them scored in double figures. The most important thing is that their physical fitness is too high. To be honest, it's hard for me to see the Lakers being beaten. A team that attacks with physicality to that extent,” Kenny Smith said.
major!
TNT's new trio has analyzed very thoroughly why the Nuggets were able to play like this with the Lakers in this game.
The Lakers played normally in this game. Ji Feng had 31 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, scoring back-to-back triple-doubles. Kobe had an outstanding performance with 24 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Gasol had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Bynum had 13 points and Artao had 10 points. It can be said that the Lakers played a familiar game rhythm.
But the Nuggets relied on the cooperation of their own team and excellent physical fitness. Nene, Afflalo, and Ty Lawson are now really able to play, jump, and break out, and they have strong physical fitness. One thing, the key is strong tactical execution, with almost no chaos. This is completely different from the Nuggets in previous seasons. Ji Feng couldn't help but sigh after the game: "They are like a track and field team."
Kobe Bryant also said: "This season, the Nuggets are still a strong contender in the Western Conference."
Judging from these two games, the most embarrassing one is probably Anthony. The new club, the Knicks, was beaten by the Lakers, but the old club has improved to a higher level without him. This is simply a slap in the face!
Fortunately, the final result was a loss, otherwise Anthony would probably feel very uncomfortable.
And Ji Feng didn't mind giving Anthony a little more cumin. After the game, Ji Feng said seriously: "This is the most difficult Nugget he has ever encountered!"
Anthony:…
Just, it's very uncomfortable.
After successfully winning the first game of the new year, the Lakers continued to consolidate their first place in the Western Conference. Only the Thunder and the Lakers in the entire Western Conference had won four consecutive games. They also successfully defeated the Suns 107-89 in this round.
The Thunder, which reached the Western Conference semifinals last season, have improved to a higher level this season. Now they have become a strong contender for first place in the Western Conference. Many people are looking forward to the peak Western Conference showdown between the Lakers and Thunder.
After the 2nd, people consolidated this expectation.
The Lakers rushed to Denver for a back-to-back game with the Nuggets, their opponent a day ago.
The Nuggets, who had the advantage of home court in this game, caused greater trouble for the Lakers. They hit a 6-0 wave at the beginning, giving the Lakers a disincentive.
Throughout the first half, Gallinari, an Italian, fired repeatedly from the outside and made 4 of 6 shots, helping the Nuggets lead 54-50 by 4 points at halftime.
In the second half, the Lakers' outside artillery finally showed its power. First, Ji Feng made two consecutive pull-ups in front of Afflalo. Then the Lakers fast break, Kobe broke through and passed back, and Farmar followed up and hit the ball for a three-pointer.
Three consecutive three-pointers helped the Lakers take the lead in one fell swoop.
Then the two teams started to compete on the outside. Lawson, Ji Feng, Kobe, and Afflalo hit three-pointers successively, setting off wave after wave of climaxes on the plateau of Denver.
But in the end, Ji Feng's shooting was too high. He made 7 of 8 shots in a single quarter, scored 25 points in a single quarter, and even scored a three-pointer at the half-court buzzer in the last second of the third quarter!
Ji Feng's superb performance helped the Lakers open the score in one fell swoop. The final score was fixed at 119-105. The Lakers defeated the Nuggets at home and away to win five consecutive games.
Ji Feng scored 48 points, 8 assists, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks, playing his best game so far this season.
At the same time, the Thunder also defeated the Eastern Conference underdog Nets one day later and also achieved 5 consecutive victories.
Many people now feel that the first place in the Western Conference depends on a direct dialogue between the Lakers and Thunder.
But Ji Feng took a look at the record table and found that after the two undefeated teams, there were the Spurs with 3-1, and there were five other teams with the same record of 3-2, including the Mavericks, Trail Blazers, and Jazz. For such a veteran team, the current bottom teams in the Western Conference are all teams with one or two wins. It can be said that the gap has not been widened at this stage.
Some fans may think that shouldn't be the case, but the people who say this are still too young and don't know much about the NBA. Just look at the Eastern Conference, except for the Heat and Celtics, who occupy the top spot with 4 wins and 1 loss. , the 3rd to 5th players only have 3 wins, while the 8th player only has 2 wins, and the Nets, which are at the bottom, are hard to win, and currently occupy the top spot with 0-5.
"The West is still the West, as wild as ever." Ji Feng spread his hands and couldn't relax for a second to survive in this half zone.
But in fact, Ji Feng doesn't care much about the current ranking. Due to the shrinkage of this season, it is foreseeable that the competition will be fierce. They just need to do their best.
There is no need to argue with them about the length of this moment.
So with the support of this theory, the Lakers took a day off to face the Trail Blazers at home, and Kobe took turns to sit on the sidelines.
The reason for this is because the Trail Blazers no longer have Roy and Oden. Huang Mamba is deeply troubled by knee injuries. The menisci in both legs have been completely removed. It is said that he is on the verge of retirement. This It's very disappointing. Injuries are indeed the biggest enemy of players. Thinking about the Blazers' young guards galloping around the league, it seems like yesterday.
But now, only Aldridge is the core of the original team, and everyone else has changed.
Although Camby, Gerald Wallace, Matthews and Felton are good, it is inevitable that people will miss the Youth Rose Army.
The Trail Blazers, who lacked Roy, were no match for the Lakers. Although the Lakers rested Kobe, they still won easily. In the third quarter, the Trail Blazers fell behind by 19 points, and Ji Feng never came back. The final result was 111-100, and the Lakers won. In the 6th consecutive victory, Ji Feng scored 22 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds in three quarters.