Chapter 211 Bleeped Out

If there was one sentence to describe the mood of the Lakers players and fans at this moment, the most appropriate would be "Bleeped by a dog."

To have victory so close at hand, only to be defeated in such an unreasonable and even absurd way, really left them feeling like they’d been bleeped by a dog, or just plain mmp.

And if there was one emotion to describe their mood at this moment, the most appropriate would be miserable.

Especially Durant and James.

They had worked so hard, combining for 8 points in the final moments to help the Lakers turn the tide.

Especially Durant, whose game-winning three-pointer had put the Lakers within 1 second of a 2-0 series lead.

That damned 1 second.

If he could, he’d turn back time and take that shot 1 second slower.

If he could, he'd rather have 1 second less in that other area.

For him, he lost not only this game, but also the chance to get Scarlett!

Because this was very likely to be the first championship of his career!

He had worked hard enough this season, even using hard work as a motto to remind himself, but why did it have to come down to this 1 second?

Am I missing this 1 second!

Vogel finally confirmed Tang Tian's final shot with the technical table, and the Led screen also replayed Tang Tian's final game-winning shot.

The ball had already left Tang Tian's hand when the red light came on, and there was no overtime.

The Lakers lost by 1 second, and the two sides tied the score at 1 to 1.

James smiled wryly when he saw the result, walked over and exchanged a few words with Durant.

After shaking hands, the two hurried back to the locker room.

Although they were depressed by losing in this way, the series was not over yet.

Even if they lost this game, they were only tied with the Pelicans 1 to 1 in the score.

Moreover, Tang Tian scored 45 points in the second half of this game, and the Pelicans were lucky enough to win.

Davis still can't play in the next game, and even if it is the Pelicans' home court, the Lakers have a better chance of winning.

What they need to do is adjust their mood and then go all out in the next game to regain the home court advantage.

In the locker room after the game, the Pelicans players were celebrating wildly.

The Lakers fans were depressed, and they were really excited. The feeling of being sentenced to death but then having it canceled gave them a taste of the ups and downs of life.

After celebrating with his teammates, Tang Tian then went to the post-match press conference with Stevens.

Winning the game was definitely exciting, but Tang Tian found that Stevens' mood was not very high, which made him a little puzzled.

"Brad, are you worried about the next game?"

Tang Tian asked tentatively.

He had been there before, and knew that the only thing that could make the head coach feel this way after winning the game was basically the next game.

Stevens glanced at Tang Tian in surprise, smiled bitterly and nodded.

Sure enough, nothing could be hidden from Tang Tian.

"AD?"

Tang Tian then asked.

But to his surprise, Stevens shook his head.

"It's a fact that AD can't play, what I'm worried about is Danny."

Stevens' next words surprised Tang Tian even more. What happened to Green?

"During the first game, he had many head-to-head confrontations with LeBron, and his old groin injury relapsed. He's been playing with an injury for the past two games."

Stevens continued.

Green is also injured?

Tang Tian was still surprised to hear this news.

Because he had a good relationship with Green, he didn't even know that Green was injured.

"He didn't tell anyone. I only found out when I ran into him at the hospital when I went to pick up my son that day."

Stevens saw Tang Tian's reaction and continued.

Tang Tian nodded after listening.

In that case, it's not surprising. Green is an old player after all, and he knows the significance of defeating the Lakers to the Pelicans.

The players of the early century were very tough, typical examples being Iverson and Kobe, who would never back down easily.

So it's not surprising that Green concealed his injury.

Moreover, Green's performance in the past two games has been very poor, which can also explain it.

He was previously surprised that Green, an old player, would continue to perform poorly.

"I'm considering letting Danny come off the bench in the second half, so that he can avoid wear and tear and recover some of his condition."

Stevens continued.

It's definitely not realistic to let Green not play. On the one hand, Green has concealed his injury, so he definitely won't agree. On the other hand, the Pelicans can't do without Green.

Tang Tian nodded.

Stevens' consideration and approach are still very reasonable.

Playing as a substitute does not require constant confrontation with James and Durant, the injury will not worsen, and it is possible to recover some state with less consumption.

"But the problem is that whether it's Jeff or Kyle, I think there are relatively big drawbacks to them starting."

Stevens' next words explained why he was so worried.

Jeff Green can do everything, but neither the 3 nor the D are very prominent. It's okay to play as a substitute, but it's not suitable to start.

As for Kuzma, if he starts, he will become the weakest defender on the court for both teams, and will immediately become a breakthrough point for the Lakers.

It's okay for the two of them to hold on for a while against other teams, but against opponents of the Lakers' level, the shortcomings will be infinitely magnified.

"I think I can play the three."

Tang Tian thought for a while, and then said.

This sentence was very abrupt, but Stevens stopped, but had a feeling of finding a new idea.

He had been considering who would play the three, but if Tang Tian went to play, then he could consider using a point guard or shooting guard substitute.

Durant is playing the three for the Lakers now, and Tang Tian can completely match up with him.

Thinking of this, his thinking suddenly opened up.

"Tony is experienced, but he doesn't have the space ability, and will be targeted like we targeted Simmons; Ding is not strong enough, Shay and Vince can become choices."

After reacting, he quickly had an idea.

Tang Tian then nodded.

Just as Stevens analyzed, Alexander and Carter are more suitable choices.

Alexander has impact, and there is also Parker behind him who can substitute, which is more suitable in terms of rotation.

Carter is more stable in shooting and more experienced.

Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

"What do you think?"

Stevens finally looked at Tang Tian. He wanted to hear Tang Tian's opinion on the two options.

"Vince, what we need is a pseudo-starter."

Tang Tian said his opinion.

"Pseudo-starter..."

Stevens repeated Tang Tian's words, and quickly nodded with a smile.

This word is very appropriate.

Green's playing time will not be reduced too much, and no one will play for too long if they start.

Carter proved at the end of the regular season that there was still gas in his tank and he could still play, but he was too old to play for too long.

Moreover, Carter's current playing style is 3D, and a careful analysis shows that it is a perfect fit.

Looking back, signing Carter in the summer and giving him playing time at the end of the regular season was really prepared for this situation.