On January 4th, the Lakers took three days to prepare and stayed at the Staples Center to play against the Clippers in the Heat away.

The Clippers' winning streak ended by the Warriors before the start of the game with the Lakers, but the Clippers, from their boss Sterling to player Griffin, all spoke before the game, saying that they would treat the Lakers as their opponents in the Western Conference Finals and said they would do their best in the game and strive to win.

The reporter interviewed Su Yang before the game, reposted the remarks of Sterling and Griffin, and asked what he thought, and Su Yang said he was happy.

The game started at 7 o'clock, Kobe was in excellent condition, making 6 of 10 shots in the first quarter, against Paul 4 of 7 shots, leading 31-29.

Who would have thought that during the substitute period between the two teams, the Lakers' situation took a sharp turn and could not defend Bledsoe and Matt Barnes at all, resulting in the Lakers being beaten 16-5. It was not until Su Yang sent Kobe and Gasol again to stabilize the situation and fell 10 points behind at halftime.

In the third quarter, Kobe made 4 of 5 shots, plus 2 assists, and performed well. However, the Clippers Griffin lost the hammer and chased their dreams. Green led to the Lakers losing another 4 points in a single quarter, and entered the fourth quarter with a 14-point disadvantage. The situation was quite tense.

Su Yang dared to be arrogant and only allowed Kobe to rest for two minutes before being sent to the court, but the Clippers sent Paul in the next round.

The two teams were back and forth, and with the cooperation of Kobe and Curry, the Lakers gradually narrowed the score gap. However, at the critical moment, Gasol suffered consecutive defensive fouls, and Arte also suffered technical fouls due to his heavy moves. The momentum of chasing scores came to an abrupt end and finally lost 5 points.

Kobe made 15 of 25 shots in the game, scoring 38 points and 5 steals in the empty game, while Curry gave 13 assists for free, which made the team feel a little depressed.

Su Yang is nothing. He knew that the substitute was beaten up in the second quarter, not because he was not hard at work or had problems with his strategy, but because Bledsoe and Barnes entered the ZONE state, completely controlling the rhythm between offense and defense, as if they were cheating.

After returning to the locker room after the game, Su Yang delivered an encouraging speech: "The next schedule will be more difficult, and some games may be lost, because we are a target, and other teams are studying us wildly. Everyone should be prepared to accept failure."

Just Su Yang, if it were other coaches, the Lakers players probably turned against each other on the spot. How could they fail to prepare for the first time if they didn’t play?

After a day off, the Lakers played against the Nuggets at home, but the substitute lineup was beaten. There was still hope in the end. Su Yang used free throw tactics, but the Nuggets always made free throws, and Curry finally tied a three-pointer and lost 105-108.

With two consecutive losses, the Lakers flew to Houston to challenge the Rockets away. Kobe and Curry suffered fouls, and the outside defense collapsed. Harden and Jeremy Lin scored 51 points together, resulting in the Lakers having no choice but to lose 112 to 125 in the end.

Facing the interview with reporters, Su Yang did not find a reason for three consecutive losses and said bluntly: "Our strength has not reached the level of always be able to defeat a certain team, so it is normal to lose. We continue to train and strive to maintain our promotion all the way in the seven-game series."

Regarding Su Yang's statement, some fans think he is quite arrogant and thinks he looks down on the regular season. He also wants to be the first in the Western Conference for two consecutive seasons, just like the third consecutive championship in the early 2000s. However, he can always reach the finals and win the championship.

In the updated combat power list, ESPN relegated the Lakers from third to sixth, with the probability of winning the championship sharply.

Su Yang did not respond twice and led the team to Sacramento overnight to challenge the Kings who were in the midst of a sales storm away.

Originally, back-to-back challenges were extremely easy to lose four consecutive games. The Lakers team had already been ready to go all out. However, Kings head coach Keith Smart's operation was eye-catching. Several Kings players chose to play singles for their own money.

As the Kings' absolute main force, Cousins ​​was unable to get the ball for a long time and did not take the first shot until 6 minutes left in the first quarter. The Kings' players who grab the ball were very inefficient. Tyrek Evans had the ball, and his efficiency was quite high, but his playing time was limited.

Faced with the King's extremely confused operation, Su Yang arranged the troops normally, and the Lakers finally won 113-97, ending their losing streak.

After a day off, the Lakers face the Thunder at home.

The two teams were evenly matched in the first quarter, and the game entered the second substitute stage. The Thunder did not talk about martial ethics and arranged for Durant to play continuously. They also joined forces with Ibaka and Reggie Jackson, and the offense and defense were full, and directly launched a 16-0 super attack wave.

Su Yang stopped the Thunder offensive twice in a short period of time before stopping the Thunder offensive, and then sent Kobe and Curry in advance.

But the thunder burst out, Durant continued to make efficient shots in the third quarter, and Westbrook made various zombies' shots in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers chased to the last moment, losing the game 109-116, and losing the fourth playoff level match within ten days.

The problem is still the same. He was beaten up during the substitute stage. The awesome Jamison and Mix were in poor condition.

Su Yang can understand that if Jamison and Meeks were in such good condition, how could he sign a contract with the Lakers for basic salary?

After returning to the locker room, Kobe took the initiative to Su Yang and suggested: "I am in good health. I can play more time and the average per game can be increased by at least three minutes. In this way, our substitute stage will not be so miserable, and we don't have to chase hard in the second half."

Su Yang replied: "You currently average 36 minutes per game, which is a relatively reasonable time. Don't worry, wait."

With his words, Su Yang felt a little bit of Doug Rivers' painstaking efforts. You should know that in the 2009-10 season, the Celtics relied on Doug Rivers to use Garnett and others in the regular season before they reached the finals. Veterans really dare not use it casually.

Of course, in the 20-year Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers led the Nuggets in a big score, and Rivers was a bit stupid to remove George and Leonard.

"Okay, I believe you..." Kobe ended the serious conversation with satisfaction, and the two turned to talk about investment-related matters.

On the 13th, the Lakers played against the Cavaliers at home, and established a 17-point lead in the first quarter, with six players scoring double-winning points.

On the 15th, the Lakers continued to play against the Bucks at home, and kept suppressing the whole game, boiling the Frogs in warm water, and easily won 104-88.

On the 17th, the Lakers' last three-game home game, against the visiting Hornets, Jamison and Mix's two substitutes recovered. The two scored 31 points together, helping the Lakers defeat the Hornets 111-103 to achieve a three-game winning streak. Su Yang specifically praised them after the game.

The next day, the NBA officially announced the 2013 All-Star Starter List.

Kobe was selected for the 15th consecutive time, tied with O'Neal, tied for second in history, surpassing Carl Malone, Jerry West, O'Neal and Garnett in history, enjoying the first place in history, Su Yang specially sent a message to celebrate.

After three days off, the Lakers flew to Canada to challenge the Raptors away. Due to fouls, they only narrowly won 108-103.

Then the team flew to Chicago overnight and challenged the Bulls back to back. They were brutally restricted by iron-blooded defense and unfortunately lost 5 points.

After playing against the Bulls, the Lakers flew to Memphis and took two days off to challenge the Grizzlies. Kobe finally broke through and assisted Curry with a three-pointer.

After the game, ESPN released a special article pointing out that after half of the season, the Lakers' record was 30 wins and 12 losses, and their dominance has dropped significantly compared to last season. When the winning rate of the team in the playoff level is less than 50%, it is urgent to trade and add a substitute lineup. However, there are not many transactions available for trading in the entire league, and the Lakers are reluctant to spend money. There are many obstacles to defending the title and it is very difficult.

Su Yang woke up in the morning and drank milk. He didn't agree with the ESNP article because the regular season and the playoffs were different. Compared with his previous life, Jordan Hill was not reimbursed for a buttock injury. Kobe would not have overworked and ruptured the Achilles tendon, and Curry would be able to let go.
Chapter completed!