Chapter 1011
: The Lakers Dominate the Media!
Given the cultural habits and practices in the United States, in addition to the official lists, there are also many lists and rankings from local media outlets every month or at every stage.
For example, television media such as ESPN, TNT, CBS, and NBC; national print media such as Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report; and local print media such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Orlando Sentinel.
Regardless of their influence or sales volume, various media outlets regularly release a variety of lists and rankings.
Americans have always had a strong preference for rankings.
Every time various lists are released, fans, experts, and industry insiders will have all sorts of discussions about them.
For example, several media outlets that don't get along will attack each other, saying that the other's rankings are worthless and that they don't understand football at all.
For example, media outlets with good relations might even collaborate, sending experts from both sides to participate in debate programs to increase viewership.
And the debates among fans about which media outlet knows more about football, which rankings are completely wrong and full of bias, and who is ranked so high on a certain list and therefore better than so-and-so, have never stopped.
Everyone loves this!
And this time, how should I put it?
The desire for discussion among various groups has diminished considerably.
Because the Lakers completely neutralized all the other teams.
In the MVP rankings, Lin Tian is ranked first in every single one, and in the team rankings, the Lakers are ranked first in every single one!
This team has truly terrified the entire league.
Such a grand occasion is truly rare in the entire history of the league.
How difficult would it be to unite everyone into one mind?
All I can say is that Lin Tian and his crew have brought a tremendous amount of excitement to the league this month.
What's even more surprising is that everyone also knows something else: this is just the beginning!
With five months left in the regular season and four rounds left in the playoffs, we'll have to wait and see where the Lakers end up, whether they can win the championship, and whether they can escape the curse of the favorites always losing.
This is also the kind of rhetoric that teams use to comfort themselves these days.
It's not necessarily a good thing if you get into a bad state too early.
What if you run out of energy by the playoffs?
And then, just as they predicted, the Lakers did.
I'm discouraged.
Well, it's not that I'm discouraged.
It's time to tone down its sharpness.
For the first 20 days or so of December, not a single player on the Lakers scored 40+ points.
Durant and Kobe haven't had any high-scoring games this month, and their average points per game have gradually stabilized around 25.
Lin Tian didn't pull off any more impressive streaks like consecutive games with 20+ assists, but his assist numbers still led the entire league by a significant margin.
The player with the second-highest average assists per game in the entire league is Rajon Rondo of the Clippers, who has just made a name for himself. This guy, who wasn't particularly amazing in the early years of his career, has finally made a complete splash this season.
He's averaging 14.3 points and 12.6 assists per game this season, finally letting everyone see his potential.
His second place is also as solid as a rock.
Because Paul, who is ranked third, has only averaged 10.3 assists per game so far this year.
With a difference of more than two assists, catching up in the remainder of the season will be quite difficult.
Lin Tian, who is ranked first, still has an average of 15.6 assists per game, which is 3 more than Rondo's average assists per game!
Lin Tian is far ahead of Rondo, and Rondo is far ahead of everyone else, which is quite a sight on the assist leaderboard this season.
Everyone believes that no matter how many assists Lin Tian finishes with this season, he will definitely become the assist king again and once again dominate the league's assist rankings!
In the past few years, all sorts of newcomers and veterans have fought tooth and nail for the title of the league's best point guard, but before they could even settle things, Lin Tian stepped forward and took the title back.
Sorry, buddy, I want to be the best point guard for another two years.
Just because you want to take it doesn't mean you can trample on all the guards in the league, regardless of age or experience.
can!
Lin Tian did it with ease!
In December, the Lakers didn't have any players with high scores or explosive performances, nor did they have any earth-shattering winning streaks, but they were still able to sit firmly in first place in the league.
With a record of 29 wins and 5 losses, they are three games ahead of the second-place Mavericks and four games ahead of the third-place Cavaliers. Their position is very secure!
Although the Lakers' record in December wasn't great, losing five games that month essentially eliminated their chance to surpass the Knicks as the team with the highest regular season winning percentage in league history, their position remains unshakeable.
There was nothing they could do, because everyone could see that the Lakers weren't playing at full strength!
A single, simple statistic can illustrate all of this.
Kobe averaged 32.2 minutes per game, Durant averaged 33.5 minutes per game, and Lin Tian averaged 34.3 minutes per game.
None of the trio played more than 35 minutes, and none of them ranked in the top 20 of the league's playing time rankings!
Of these three, apart from Durant having some stamina issues, Kobe and Lin Tian are both well-known stamina monsters in the league.
Which one of them isn't a monster capable of sustaining damage for 45 minutes?
However, Phil Jackson began load management in the second month of the regular season, reducing the playing time of three players accordingly.
Plan ahead.
The old man was scared too!
He hasn't won a single championship since 1997, yet during that time he was the head coach with the most Finals appearances in the entire league!
Higher than Bird, Carlisle and Nelson in the same period.
Yes, all three of them beat him and his team up during the Finals and the Eastern Conference playoffs.
For more than a decade, he had been fighting on the front lines, but while his total number of runner-up finishes kept rising, his total number of championships stagnated, which frustrated Jackson.
The reason he agreed to Bass's offer to return to the Lakers was actually because he saw Lin Tian retire and felt that his opportunity had come. He thought he could take advantage of Lin Tian's absence and try to make a comeback. But who knew that when he returned, the Lakers' roster was still lacking.
Fortunately, both Bass and Jackson were patient this time, especially with Bynum and Durant on the team. Jackson was even more confident that even if he couldn't win a championship with Kobe, he could still win one with a more mature version of Durant and Bynum after Kobe retired!
He wants to reclaim his glory!
But then, Lin Tian came, Lin Tian became the head coach, and Lin Tian won the championship.
However, his Lakers suffered another crushing defeat in the playoffs.
Jackson was really in a hurry.
He felt that if he continued like this, his lifelong reputation would be ruined.
And it was at this moment that things took a turn for the better.
Lin Tian is here!
Lin Tian has joined the Lakers!
Actually, Jackson wasn't particularly optimistic when he first learned that Lin Tian was going to join the team.
After all, Lin Tian hadn't played for three years and was already 38 years old. At that age, he would be a young coach, but as a player, he was definitely an old veteran. Jackson was even worried that Lin Tian would drag the team down.
So at the beginning of the season, he reduced Lin Tian's playing time and tried to let Kobe and Durant handle the ball more. He also wanted to test how much skill Lin Tian still had.
Then, starting with the opening game, as each game went on, the flower in Jackson's heart bloomed brighter and brighter.
They're back! They're all back!
The feeling of having the league's number one bug in a team, and being able to use that bug to bully opponents, is back!
Jackson even believes that three of the top five players in the league today are on his team!
To this end, he developed the triangular attack with a right-angled triangle, maximizing the firepower of the three players. He watched as the three players coordinated better and better, becoming more and more in sync.
He felt increasingly gratified.
While pleased, Jackson did not forget to be mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace.
He knew very well that if the team lost again this year, and if the Lakers failed to win the championship, he would be finished.
Even if Bass is patient, he will definitely fire me, and once I miss this opportunity, I certainly won't have another one.
My credit has been overdrawn.
To put it bluntly, even with an impressive resume, he's missed so many great opportunities and suffered so many setbacks. Even from a feng shui or luck perspective, no one would want to use him again. This year is Jackson's career-defining battle!
Whether his coaching career will start strong but end weak, with an invincible start followed by a series of defeats, or whether it will have a proper beginning and an end, starting and ending with a dynasty, all depends on this year.
Therefore, even someone as outspoken as Jackson couldn't help but start to worry about gains and losses, reducing the playing time of the starters and changing the rotation in order to keep the team as healthy as possible.
In short, the old man has a lot on his mind now.
I was genuinely scared.
Fortunately, everything went as planned for him, and so far, nothing unexpected has happened.
As December draws to a close, the most important day of the NBA regular season arrives.
Christmas Battle!
In terms of results, this day was just a few ordinary regular season games. At this point in the season, there wouldn't be any game results that would affect the overall trend of the season.
Tonight is purely a celebration for the fans.
Tonight's game may not be a clash of titans, a showdown of the highest level, or a battle between the league's top teams.
But it was definitely the most watched and most thrilling night in the NBA. Regardless of their strength, all the teams playing that night were among the most popular teams or the teams with the most popular players in the league.
For example, the Wizards vs. the Nets.
These two teams are currently in similar dire straits, ranking 12th and 13th in the Eastern Conference, and are neck and neck. However, both teams have last year's number one draft pick, John Wall, and this year's number one draft pick, Kyrie Irving.
Both of these number one draft picks are Rookie of the Year and point guards. Coupled with their explosive playing styles, they are bound to attract a lot of attention to this matchup.
Similar to this matchup is the Kings vs. Trail Blazers.
The Sacramento Kings have this year's second overall pick, Derrick Williams, while the Portland Trail Blazers have last year's second overall pick, Evan Turner.
These two teams are ranked similarly to their neighbors, at 14th and 13th in the Western Conference, respectively.
Top scholar against top scholar, second-place scholar against second-place scholar!
If these two matchups between weak teams focus on the future and rising stars, attracting the attention of young people, then the other two matchups arranged by the league are truly clashes between strong teams.
First up is a rematch of last year's Finals: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Dallas Mavericks!
Although the Bobcats are now without Lin Tian, the players on both sides have not changed much. Both sides have retained their core lineups from last year. So far this year, both sides are ranked in the top three in the East and West, making this an absolutely strong matchup and a top-level competition!
The other matchup is a head-to-head clash between the top two teams in the East: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers!
Both teams were down 1-3 against the Bobcats last year, and the Bobcats came back to win Game 7. Despite losing the same players, both teams are still among the league's top teams, regardless of last year or this year!
Both of these matchups feature top-tier teams with star players, strong teams, and impressive records, skill, and popularity.
These four matchups encompass three generations of stars in the league, from Duncan and Nowitzki to James, Wade, Anthony, Wall, and Irving.
All the star players gathered on this one night, which shows how much the league values this night.
However, it is clear that although these four matches are full of highlights and have considerable value, they are not the main event of Christmas Eve, nor are they the grand finale of Christmas Eve.
The final showdown and the most anticipated match for all fans.
Of course, it has to be a showdown between big cities, big clubs, and top stars!
Tonight, the league has arranged the ultimate showdown: a Los Angeles civil war!
For the first time in NBA history, a Los Angeles rivalry will begin on Christmas Eve!
The Lakers need no introduction. They have the best record in the league, the most popularity in the league, a strong history, and a market value. It would be strange if such a team didn't appear on the Christmas Day stage.
The Clippers, on the other hand, are a different story.
Despite being a team from the same city, they are in a lower position than the Nets, have a worse record, and are even more embarrassed than the Nets because they don't have their own arena.
If the Nets are seen as poor relatives from the countryside by New Yorkers, and therefore looked down upon...
The Clippers are like servants or illegitimate children in a wealthy family.
Throughout Los Angeles, their die-hard fans are few and far between, not even a fraction of the Lakers' number. And whenever the Lakers and Clippers face off, a large portion of the original Clippers fans will take off their Clippers jerseys and put on the purple and gold.
You can't blame the fans for being realistic.
What kind of heritage does the Lakers have? How many years of team history has it produced? How many stars have they produced and how many championships have they won? Even though they have had terrible luck since Magic Johnson and haven't won a championship in over 20 years, they have at least almost never missed the playoffs and have reached the Finals a considerable number of times.
And what about the Clippers?
Not to mention their poor family history, they've been poor for years. Apart from a few years when Brand led the team to a great run and made it to the playoffs, they've spent the vast majority of their time hovering outside the playoffs.
A team that has no winning mentality and has been consistently bad.
The Clippers' real turning point came in 09 when they drafted Blake Griffin!
A real monster nicknamed 'White Monster'!
Although Griffin unfortunately missed the rest of his rookie season due to injury, he has remained healthy for most of the time since. What's even more exciting is that Griffin is not a bust, but rather has the most explosive and captivating playing style in the entire league.
The fact that he's named after a monster tells you how many crazy dunks he's performed.
Last season was his rookie year, and he averaged an impressive 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. So far this season, he has taken it a step further, averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds per game, a solid All-Star level performance!
With Griffin on the team, the Clippers finally managed to carve out a piece of the Lakers' territory and begin to build up their own die-hard fans.
Besides Griffin, the team also has Rajon Rondo, a late-blooming point guard. This season, Rondo ranks second in the league in assists per game, showing the potential of a new generation of top point guards.
In addition, his mature style and consistent playing style mean that with him on the court, the Clippers' tactics will not be chaotic and they will not fall into a state of random play.
He is the Clippers' engine, metronome, and brake.
In addition to these two All-Star caliber inside-outside duos, the Clippers also have DeAndre Jordan, whose physical attributes are only slightly inferior to Griffin's, to partner with Griffin in the frontcourt, and shooting guard Eric Gordon is also a very good scorer.
Their first choice at the small forward position is Ryan Gomes, a heavy forward they just acquired from the Timberwolves. He's a decent one-on-one player, and at the small forward position, he's quite big and strong!
Besides the starting duo, the Clippers have many excellent players on their bench, such as one-on-one specialist Nick Young, and the explosive Eric Bledsoe, nicknamed "Bledsoe".
In addition, the Clippers have acquired many experienced veterans, such as Kenyon Martin and Bobby Simmons.
The Clippers don't expect these players to perform exceptionally well; what they value more is their experience. They hope these players can mentor and guide the young Clippers team to grow quickly.
With this roster in place, the Clippers are now a force to be reckoned with, and their ambitions no longer need to be hidden.
The team is currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference, behind only the Lakers, Mavericks and Warriors. Although the gap between them and the Lakers and Mavericks is slightly large, the gap between them and the Warriors is only one game, and they can overtake them at any time.
This year, the Clippers have truly set sail!
Actually, the league initially arranged the Lakers-Clippers city derby just for the sake of creating hype for Griffin and the Los Angeles derby. But now that the Clippers have grown rapidly and the Lakers are ranked first, this kind of clash between two strong teams is an unexpected bonus for the league!
These two teams will be the grand finale of Christmas Eve, and it's sure to be a satisfying match!
On this day, Staples Center was packed with people early on. The back rows were filled with crazy Lakers fans and a small group of Clippers fans, while the front row was full of Hollywood stars!
First-tier and second-tier movie stars, directors, producers, musicians, their families, and of course, Jack Nicholson, Magic Johnson, and others who love to sit in the front row.
Just the presence of these celebrities in the front row alone makes this game absolutely worth the ticket price.
As for whether it's the Lakers or the Clippers' home court tonight...
Does it matter?
Aside from the logo on the floor and the championship banner and retired jerseys on the ceiling, there's no difference.
Both are Lakers home games!
Before the game started, the venue was filled with the festive atmosphere of Christmas Eve. With special Christmas decorations, the Lakers cheerleaders excitedly handed out gifts, fans sang and danced, and the cameras captured the various celebrities present.
The audience who received the loudest cheers tonight were not Nicholson or Magic Johnson, but Charlize Theron and the little girl beside her.
The two were dressed almost identically, both wearing black leather jackets with white T-shirts, boots, and skinny jeans.
When the camera focused on her, Theron flashed her signature charming smile, and little Claire also gave a sweet, uninhibited smile.
The sight of these two angels, one large and one small, immediately drew roars from the entire audience.
After all, this was the first time this season that Theron had brought her daughter to Staples Center to cheer on Lin Tian. (End of Chapter)