As the most advanced team in the NBA, the Lakers' every move may be infinitely magnified, and the difference in the number of free throws that was wildly discussed before has become a topic of discussion among fans in the game against the Nuggets and has been on the hot search.
After a whole focus battle, the Nuggets relied on the championship ability they showed in the final showdown, killing the suspense of the game with a wave of 10-0 small climax, and also burying the Lakers' efforts all night. In the end, they won the game 114-106.
After the game, Lakers coach Darvin Ham was interviewed, and when asked if the game was similar to last year's Western Conference Finals, Ham said: "Oh my God, I didn't even think about the Western Conference Finals, it's all 2023-24 season, 24 years to be exact. It's a whole new world, everything is new, a new season, a new year. What happened last year was last year and we weren't even worried about it. We're trying to be the best team we can be at this moment. ”
Speaking about the team's last-minute deficits, Ham said: "That team is very strong, they're the defending champions. We protected the ball well for most of the game, we had only seven turnovers and they still scored 15 points. I think at half-time we gave 12 points with five turnovers, so in that we improved in the second half. They changed a lot of defences and wanted to deprive the penalty area of points. I think a lot of times when the ball is passed out of the box, we are not ready to shoot and we are not aggressive.
And then whenever you make a mistake, they will make you pay. They get the ball, they grab the offensive rebounds, and no matter what, they're a well-oiled machine. A total of 21 points on the second offense. It's one of those nights where you know when you play against a team like that, you have to be on the right level at all levels. But having said that, I'm especially proud of overcoming it. Having just come out of this long road trip, the competitive spirit that our players have shown against such opponents, their repeated efforts to chase points, Jaxson [Hayes's] hats, I can name a long list of competitive rounds that our players have played, and as long as we keep playing like that, good things will happen. ”
In this game, Reeves played 36 minutes and scored 15 points, 2 rebounds and 10 assists on 6-of-16 shooting.
Speaking about the Nuggets' offensive success rate in the final moments, Reaves said, "Yes, they used killer tactics when they needed to score in the fourth quarter of the game. I think we competed, we guarded, they made one or two difficult shots. That's right, they hit a wave of small orgasms. ”
Asked if the atmosphere will improve after the trade deadline, Reaves said: "It's great, it's been basically the same thing all season, the atmosphere is great. Now we know it's the squad we have, and maybe bring in a player through the buyout market. But that's the squad we have, we're confident in that, we just need to continue to build a chemistry on the pitch. ”
Speaking about Michael Porter Jr.'s three-pointer shot from the bottom corner after a failed steal in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Reeves said: "I thought I could make a steal, but I obviously didn't. They did the same tactics over and over again, and he was in the same position all the time. I've seen it in the previous round or two, and then I saw it come back and I thought it was a good chance to get up and try to get a winning round. Obviously, that left me at my own peril. I just need to be more solid in that round. But that's the way it is, and I'm going to learn from it and improve myself. ”
In this game, Davis played 38 minutes, shooting 14 of 27, including 0 of 3 three-pointers, 4 of 6 free throws, and 32 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks.
Asked if he was following what's going on before the trade deadline, Davis said: "It's hard not to check the news on Twitter, but most of the time, I don't actively check those news. We have three kids at home, so I don't have time to look at my phone all the time. But if something happens, management usually calls me or texts me and Pelinka tells me how things are going. There was no news, so I knew it might not happen.
But that's our team and it's going to be the team we have. Once our players are fit, we can get back into shape. But tonight was a very good chance to win the game, we didn't play well at the end and then tomorrow we have a tough opponent. ”
When asked how to solve the problem, Davis said: "When we move the ball, play for each other, play as a whole, and compete on the defensive end like we did tonight, we were a very difficult team to beat during our three-game winning streak before tonight. It's tough, we're missing too many players, but when we're healthy, we're playing Lakers-style basketball — high assist games, getting to the free throw line, switching offense, playing defense — and if we do those things, it's usually good for us. ”
In this game, James played 35 minutes, shooting 9 of 20, 2 of 6 three-pointers, and 5 of 5 free throws, scoring 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
On how difficult it is to defend the Nuggets offense, James said: "Very good teams have the ability to execute the tactics that they haven't played in the final moments of the game, and they have some killer tactics that they know will lead to very good shots. But if you have a good point guard like Murray and a good center like Jokic, it's even more threatening. So when you have these two guys, that definitely helps to complete the tactical execution. ”
Speaking about Jaxson Hayes' recent game energy, James said: "His energy and athleticism have definitely helped us. ”
When asked how he could grow within the roster after not completing a trade, James said, "It's just health. Max (Christie) also went down today and didn't return to play. So, we've had health issues all season. ”
Asked what it would take to be fully fit to climb the rankings, James said, "I don't know, I don't know. We're not back to that yet. So that's hard for me to answer. ”
Wait, pay attention and then go, I wish you all a rich country as soon as possible, thank you.