Chapter 884 A Farce

The Knicks won the first five consecutive victories. No one outside was surprised, and the media described it very calmly, as if winning streak was what they should do.

The situation of the Los Angeles Lakers, another favorite to win the championship, is completely opposite to that of the Knicks.

After just a few games of the season, the Lakers became the target of verbal criticism from the media.

The Lakers started the season extremely badly, losing 6 out of 4 games. They covered their team logo and thought they were a lottery team.

The inside combination of Garnett + Howard looks very bluffing, but in fact it cannot achieve the effect of 1+1 greater than 2.

This is mainly a temper issue, not an ability issue. Howard is unwilling to play a blue-collar role in front of Kobe and Garnett. He wants to play alone and get the ball.

But Howard's technical characteristics destined him to be a super blue-collar man. He has top-notch blocking and rebounding abilities. When he enters the penalty area, he can ignore the defense and dunk randomly. But if he is allowed to play singles with the ball behind his back, Howard will immediately become a second-tier player. In-building line.

He has no mid-range shot, no hook shot, stiff feet, and poor lower body strength.

Then Howard never recognized himself. He felt that since he was a superstar, he should play according to the way of a superstar. He forgot how he became a superstar.

Even in the Magic, he is still a blue-collar role among a group of shooters, let alone next to Garnett and Kobe.

These two big guys didn't tolerate him. They pointed out Howard's problems many times in training and games, especially Kobe. It can be said that they were merciless.

Bryant not only criticized Howard's on-court performance, but also criticized his professional attitude and private life.

Kobe felt that Howard's wandering into nightclubs affected his condition.

This made Howard very speechless. Howard said that you are not my father. Are you involved in my private life?

However, Kobe is such a person. He has high demands on his teammates and even higher demands on himself. As long as someone does not meet his requirements, he will definitely lash out mercilessly.

Some fans still have illusions. They feel that the Lakers are just not getting along well. If they practice more, they will definitely be able to join the ranks of T1 teams. These fans think that playing basketball is too simple. The victory or defeat on the basketball court is often not the performance on the court. Teams that are determined and have internal cracks often find it difficult to have the last laugh.

In the summer, die-hard Lakers fans were crying for Howard. They felt that Kobe at the tail end of his peak and Howard at his peak would definitely be able to compete with the Knicks. As a result, less than half a month into the new season, these fans started to Collective greetings to Howard's mother.

Chen Yan never regarded the Lakers as a real opponent. As soon as Howard went to the Lakers, he knew what would happen next. Kobe and Howard were not compatible and there was no way for the two of them to get along peacefully.

The team's record was poor, and someone had to take the blame. After the fifth game, the management decisively fired head coach Mike Brown, hoping that this move would reduce the anger of some fans.

Mike Brown also became the fastest-fired head coach in NBA history.

The previous record was held by Ginn. In the 1977-1978 season, the 76ers fired their head coach Ginn after 2 wins and 4 losses in the new season. As a result, the team ended up with a regular season record of 55 wins that season, which made many players People were shocked.

Gene was fired because he did have problems with his coaching ability, while Mike Brown was more of an unintentional disaster and took the blame for his players.

To onlookers, Mike Brown has encountered a "disaster", but it is not necessarily true for the parties involved. The Lakers' termination fee is as high as 1100 million U.S. dollars. Mike Brown went crazy and earned 1100 million U.S. dollars in five games. 220 million dollars per game, even the God of Basketball cannot get this salary.

In addition to internal disagreements and a coaching change, the Lakers are also facing injuries. Garnett and Kobe are both suffering from old injuries. Howard also admitted that he has not recovered from the back injury last season.

The Lakers management is now actively contacting Phil Jackson to see if he is willing to come out again and stabilize the situation.

The Lakers also tried to contact the famous coach Jerry Sloan, but the old Sloan did not show much interest in this profession. What the old Sloan wanted was players who absolutely obeyed his tactical system. He first determined an offensive and defensive framework system, and then Fill it with players, but obviously big-name players like the Lakers will not be so obedient. If Sloan Sloan is allowed to coach this Lakers, he will probably have a cerebral infarction in less than half a season.

In short, the Lakers in the new season are like a farce.

Chen Yan doesn't have time to watch the Lakers' jokes. This season is still very long, and he needs to concentrate on winning the next games.

On November 11th, the Knicks challenged the Spurs away from home. This game was a repeat of last season's finals, and fans were paying close attention to it.

The core lineups of the Spurs and Knicks remain unchanged, and this game is destined to be a tough battle.

Chen Yan felt the pressure when he walked out of the player tunnel.

Fans kept greeting Chen Yan. If St. Anthony Spurs fans launched a voting event to find out who is the player they hate the most, then Chen Yan would definitely win the championship without a doubt.

From the Suns to the Knicks, Chen Yan has ruined the Spurs' good fortunes too many times. Some Spurs fans even bluntly said that without Chen Yan, the Spurs could have won at least two more championships.

Players from both sides came on the stage. Chen Yan greeted Parker, Ginobili, Duncan, and Diaw one by one. After playing against the Spurs for so many years, Chen Yan was very familiar with the Spurs players.

"Congratulations, Chen, for winning a silver medal in the Olympics."

During the hug, Duncan said meanly.

This is Duncan's method of psychological warfare. He knows that no athlete likes second place.

Chen Yan responded with a smile: "Congratulations to you too, Tim, for finishing second in the league last season."

Chen Yan's answer was even more heart-wrenching, because the first place was the Knicks.

Chen Yan walked towards Leonard after greeting several old Spurs players.

Leonard, like a robot, mechanically greeted Chen Yan.

"Kawhi, are you practicing shooting in the summer?" Chen Yan asked.

Leonard nodded and said nothing.

Chen Yan patted him: "Let me check it later."

Leonard still said nothing and continued to nod.

Leonard waited for Chen Yan to walk away before he reacted, Huh? Aren't you and Chen Yan rivals? Why is it that I am his little brother:

Chen Yan is not old in the league now, but his status is indeed at the elder brother level. Young players especially respect him. Many of these young players have watched Chen Yan play since college or even high school.

This focus battle was narrated by ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy and Jon Barry.

The referee blows the whistle and the game begins!

Jordan wins the jump ball and the Knicks attack first!