Compared with previous games, the Washington Wizards' attendance tonight was okay.
Since 2008, the Wizards have not entered the playoffs in a row, and fans' expectations for this team have become very low. Therefore, the feedback from the ball market is not enthusiastic.
Arenas' injury is a major reason. He has been on the injury list since he signed a big contract, causing the team's record to deteriorate day by day.
The arrival of John Wall this season has given fans something to look forward to. The attendance rate has increased from the usual 50% to 60-70%, and tonight it is about 70%.
Probably because fans want to find some bright spots in this dark time... After all, No. 1 pick Wall has already said that he wants to teach Fan Xi a lesson.
Fancy was praised very highly by the Los Angeles media, and it was a joy for John Wall to beat him until he collapsed.
Therefore, when Fanci appeared on the court, the Washington fans booed in disgrace.
Lamar Odom was worried that Fan Xi would be affected, and patted him on the shoulder to comfort the fledgling rookie.
But Fan Xi told him with a smile: "They are afraid of me, so they boo me."
"Have you ever seen an away fan boo a nobody?"
Odom was impressed by Fancy's optimism.
He thought about the scene when he went out to play an away game for the first time in his rookie season. He was frightened at the time. He felt that the entire away game was filled with enemies, and there were more than 20,000 enemies sitting in the auditorium. He was a nervous group in that game, and the fans
The boos even made him lose the courage to shoot.
He will always remember his statistics in that game, 6 points and 2 rebounds. He took 7 shots.
very bad.
What's worse is his psychology, which he has not overcome until now.
There is always a shadow.
But now, Fan Xi is dealing with it calmly with a smile, and even has the courage to stand upright with a sword.
He deeply realized that people are really different. Some people are born with perseverance, such as Kobe Bryant, or the fledgling Jack Fan in front of him.
As for himself, Odom feels that he is just like most people in the world... ordinary and mediocre. Although he has top-level athletic talent and the ability to play from the 1st to the 5th position, his mental quality is really far different.
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Phil Jackson seemed to hear the conversation between Fanci and Odom.
He nodded slightly.
Although, he made harsh words to the management to keep Fanci in the team. He made no secret of his love for Fanci in front of the old Winter and the coaching staff.
However, he did not express it in front of Fan Xi.
And he actually made the decision to sit on the bench and let Steve Blake start.
This decision surprised everyone including Blake. Normally, shouldn't Fanci be allowed to play? Now all the focus is on Fanci.
John Wall also shouted to Fanshie before the game.
What's more, tonight is the Chinese Derby.
For both emotional and rational reasons, Fan Xi should be allowed to start.
But Phil Jackson was so determined that he even deliberately asked Steve Blake: "Are you not ready yet?"
"Always be ready!" Steve Blake stood still and said very firmly.
His tone was extremely firm.
He knew that this might be one of the few opportunities he had. Because of Fan Xi's rise, his position would inevitably be affected.
If the Lakers end up keeping Fancy, at least two players on the back line will be traded away.
Derrick Rose? Shannon Brown? Himself?
No matter how you look at it, there is a two-thirds chance of drawing him.
Beep!
The whistle blows and the game begins.
When the home fans saw that Fanci did not start the game, they were surprised and even made some uproar. For them, it was simply boring that Fanci did not play.
John Wall was also surprised. He thought it was a peak matchup from the beginning.
"Hold on, Wall!"
Team boss Arenas shouted from the sidelines.
Arenas is nicknamed the General. He is a legend. He is a superstar who rose from the second round. He was once a signature player promoted by Adinas sneakers. He even forced the league to enter into an 'Arenas Clause'
'Revision.
In his prime, he was a scoring master who rivaled Kobe Bryant, and Staples Arena still has his scoring record.
However, he was injured directly after signing a billion-dollar contract with the Wizards, and he was injured repeatedly. He has not played for several seasons.
And judging from his current situation, even if he returns to the NBA, it will be difficult for him to display his former strength.
He himself accepted this result calmly. He is now more willing to come to the training hall to educate the team's new players and teach them his own experience to make them better.
Arenas is famous for his shooting, but for his unreasonable shooting. He shoots more wastefully than Kobe Bryant, but he is very accurate and often throws game-killing shots.
His lower body is very fast and explosive, and his upper body is extremely broad and strong. Coupled with his amazing touch, he looks like a little monster.
The reason why he reminded Wall to pay attention was because as an old fox on the court, he saw Phil Jackson's plan.
He was sure that Phil Jackson admired Fan Xi very much, and the reason why he arranged this was to pave the way for Fan Xi.
If we want to let these ordinary point guards on the team play, their performance is not important. What is important is that Fanshie can clearly see Wall's moves. At the same time, we must also disintegrate Wall's energy... let him go from one-stop to "three-pointer"
And decline'.
Zen masters are very good at the art of war.
Arenas already knew.
And Arenas also knows Fan Xi very well and appreciates Fan Xi very much.
Fanci's three-point goal that beat the Bulls reminded him of his youth. Back then, he also had such an arrogant goal. He also threw the three-point ball, then turned around and opened his arms to celebrate.
.
Fan Xi copied him perfectly.
And it was even more perfect than what he did, because the one guarding Fanshie was not an unknown person, but Derrick Rose, the first superstar of the new generation.
In addition to this three-pointer, Arenas also appreciates Fanshie's ball-handling and quick assists.
He even thought that if Fanci played for the Wizards, he would be able to form a super luxurious backcourt with Wall. As an experienced big brother, he would definitely be able to give them good advice.
Arenas is confident that the two guards who dislike each other can get back together.
After all, he once brought pistols into the locker room.
Arenas is having sweet dreams here.
John Wall is somewhat impatient on the court. He is a rookie, although he is two years older than Fanci. He is impatient to challenge the Lakers' penalty area, and he wants to force Fanci out from the bench.
It was not difficult for him to get past Steve Blake. He cut through Blake's defense as easily as cutting through tofu with a watermelon knife.
Blake is an average defender in all aspects, that is, a mediocre person.
Facing a talented wizard like John Wall, he would definitely be unable to withstand it.
The Lakers didn't expect him to resist.
They defended inside.
Pau Gasol controlled Wall's first layup.
The rebound was protected by Lamar Odom and then passed to Steve Blake, who organized the offense slowly.
He is very stable.
Now he can only show his stability, which is his only advantage.
After arriving in the frontcourt, he found an opportunity to pass to Gasol. Gasol moved to the high post. He faced McGee tonight.
McGee is a fledgling center.
He has very good physical talent and can jump very well, the kind of jump that can compete in a slam dunk contest.
He is relatively thin, and... his skills are not particularly good.
Gasol just made a slight feint, and he was deceived. Gasol rushed into the paint area and assisted Odom. Odom dodged Yi Jianlian's left hand and put the basketball into the basket.
He is a left-handed general.
Yi Jianlian's defense is still too direct. He likes to go head-to-head.
But in the NBA, skills are still very important. Playing requires a little smartness.
The CCTV commentator also said this to the audience waiting in front of the TV.
But they attributed the ball to McGee's defensive misjudgment.
After all, he is his own countryman and must be protected.
It was as if the CCTV host questioned the Zen master at this time: "I completely don't understand why Phil Jackson would put Steve Blake on the court at this time. If Fan Xi was on the court, maybe he would have done an alley-oop."
.”
The game continues.
John Wall finally came to his senses after Arenas' repeated reminders. He is a very smart player. His physical fitness is top-notch, and he also has good vision and can capture the Lakers' flaws.
He quickly entered the paint. This time he did not force a layup, but passed to McGee after attracting a double attack.
McGee jumped up high, and Artest, who was on defense, didn't dare to stop him.
Because this guy jumped too high.
boom!
His dunks were like a downpour.
The on-site commentator was cheered by him.
John Wall's pass also received praise from the on-site DJ at this moment.
It quite implies that he is setting his sights on the No. 1 scholar.
Fan Xi was sitting on the bench, he was very calm.
No one could see any emotion from his calm expression. Even the commentator on CCTV said that he had a chest full of thunder and a face as smooth as a lake, and he could be called a great general.
What Fan Xi was thinking at this time was...what could he do if he was on the court?
The solution he gave was to... directly dive to steal McGee's ball... This center is not very good at protecting the basketball.
What Steve Blake is doing on the court is trying to keep up with John Wall.
This is a very 'safe' approach. There is no merit, but it looks like a lot of hard work. Even if you are not defensive, you can still express it as 'the ability is not good, but the attitude is good'.
It is difficult for people to catch the "shortcomings" of mediocre people, even though they have no advantages.
John Wall played very eye-catchingly in the first five minutes of the first quarter. He used his amazing speed to thread the needle and beat Steve Blake to the point where he couldn't lift his head.
However, the Lakers relied on Pau Gasol's advantage to maintain a tie.
In the fifth minute, Phil Jackson requested a timeout.
This pause made everyone think that Fan Xi was about to play.
But, still nothing.
Back from the timeout, Shannon Brown appears.
This time, there were even some boos in the away game.
They came to see No. 1 draft pick John Wall beat up Fan Xi, not to see cats and dogs like the Lakers taking turns on the court.
To a certain extent, these boos are an affirmation of Fan Xi.
Also a disdain for Shannon Brown.
Shannon Brown is really angry. He wants to make these away fans who despise him feel uncomfortable. He wants to make them pay the price.
However, the mentality is good.
But the ability is not enough.
When he came on the court, he was directly intercepted by John Wall.
This physically strong point guard couldn't even pass the most basic ball handling.
When Wall rushed into the frontcourt and completed a dunk, the Lakers bench was full of sighs.
Wall also pointed his finger at Fan Xi arrogantly.
This is a provocation.
There were cheers everywhere.
"Why hasn't Phil Jackson replaced Fan Xi on the field? He wants to be a coward and not bring Fan Xi." The CCTV commentator expressed the sentiments of all domestic fans.
But the Zen master remained unmoved.
Shannon Brown played 3 minutes, and when Lamar Odom went to the free throw line, he replaced Derek Fisher.
Three of the four point guards have come up, but Fan Xi hasn't even had his turn yet.
"Are the Lakers suppressing Fan Xi? Are the Lakers not wanting to sign a contract with Fan Xi?" Director Zhang, another CCTV commentator, said worriedly.
"If the Lakers do this, it must be their biggest loss. There are many teams rushing to get Vanhee. The Bulls' Derrick Rose dreams of becoming teammates with Vanhee, and the Knicks' D'Antoni also wants Vanhee to return to running and gunning.
Glory." The host said angrily.
He represents the voice of all domestic fans.
Everyone thinks it's outrageous for Phil Jackson to suppress Fan Xi like this.
On the contrary, when the camera shot Fan Xi, Fan Xi was sitting there calmly. He still had no emotions and was just looking at the court intently.
At this time, Yi Jianlian was replaced and replaced by Bratche.
Blatche is a short forward. Although he is short, he is one of the few post players in the league today who has a full set of post-up skills.
It's not easy in this era of declining insiders.
Fisher is very stable.
Although he couldn't guard John Wall, John Wall didn't hit him. Instead, he passed the ball to Blatche.
Blatche singled out Pau Gasol, and a few feints made Gasol uncomfortable... Gasol doesn't like physical contact.
Blatche completed a beautiful dream dance move and succeeded in a layup with his left hand.
The Wizards are gradually taking the initiative.
Derek Fisher is indeed old. In addition to carrying the ball on the court, he just walks outside the three-point line and waits for opportunities.
Seeing the Wizards gradually taking control of the situation.
Wall's cooperation with McGee and Nick Young is becoming more and more skillful, and Blatche has also opened up his own team in the paint.
Without Kobe Bryant, the most important scorer on the outside, and Andrew Bynum, the most important killer inside, the Lakers are at a disadvantage.
The first quarter ended quickly.
29:35.
The Lakers are already 6 points behind.
At this time, Phil Jackson finally stood up and called Fan Xi's name: "Jack."
He shouted in English and seemed friendly.
This surprised everyone.
Fan Xi walked over with a smile, he understood Jackson's intention.