Chapter 82: Even Without O'Neal, Kobe, and Malone, We Can Still Win Three Games in a Row!
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In the second regular-season matchup, James still couldn't secure a win and even lost to Wang Chong in terms of statistics.
What's even more frustrating is that, with this being the last time the two teams would meet in the regular season, James may not get another chance for revenge this season.
However, there was some good news: he wasn't alone.
Two days after the Cavaliers lost to the Lakers, the Lakers faced Carmelo Anthony's Denver Nuggets, again at home.
In this game, the Lakers were missing their three starting players—O'Neal, Kobe, and Malone. They had to cobble together a starting lineup consisting of point guard Fisher, shooting guard Payton, small forward Devin George, power forward Wang Chong, and undrafted center Stanislav Medvedenko.
Although the Nuggets' lineup was relatively average, all their players were at least regular starters, led by point guard Andre Miller and forward Anthony, with Nene Hilario and Marcus Camby anchoring the inside, and the 165 cm "strongest boy on the planet," Earl Boykins, coming off the bench.
No matter how you looked at it, the Nuggets' current on-paper strength far exceeded that of the depleted Lakers lineup.
However, this game turned out to be a blowout win for the Lakers.
With a score of 97-71, the Lakers defeated the Nuggets at home, winning by 26 points!
Payton made 9 of 13 shots, 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 21 points and dishing out 6 assists.
Backup center Medvedenko scored 12 points on 4 of 9 shooting.
Wang Chong was the highest-scoring player for both the Lakers and the entire game, making 10 of 16 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws, finishing with 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists!
Only three players on the Nuggets scored in double digits: Andre Miller with 15 points, Nene with 12 points, and Anthony with 14 points.
In this game, Anthony experienced what James had felt just days before.
Although Anthony, as a small forward, did not directly match up against Wang Chong, who was filling in at power forward, he would have preferred to face Wang Chong instead.
This was because, in this game, Devin George, who was guarding him, was a nightmare to deal with. His relentless defense made Anthony extremely uncomfortable throughout the game.
He couldn't understand why George, who was just a bench player, was doing such a great job defending him.
Indeed, Devin George had always been a bench player for the Lakers, including this season. Devin George, who was supposed to be a starting player next to the Lakers' F4, could only continue to serve as a backup due to Wang Chong's presence. His playing time was further reduced compared to previous seasons.
But this situation created a strong sense of urgency for Devin George. He knew that with Wang Chong's continuous rise, his playing time with the Lakers would only be further reduced until he was no longer valuable and would be kicked out.
To stay on the team, he had to work harder and more diligently in daily training, not daring to slack off even a little.
This time, Kobe's unexpected injury gave him a valuable opportunity to start. Naturally, he gave his all to perform well, to show his value to the management, and to strive to stay with the Lakers.
As a result, throughout the game, Devin George stuck to Anthony like glue, defending him with every possible effort. He was fouled out with six fouls before the fourth quarter.
But his efforts paid off. Anthony shot 4 of 17 from the field for the entire game, a shooting percentage of only 23.5%, which was even worse than James in the previous game. He only managed to reach double digits by making all 6 of his free throws. However, his stat line of 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist looked quite bad compared to Wang Chong's 27+9+2.
Anthony was also left speechless. Just two days ago, when he learned that James had only managed 16+5+7 when facing Wang Chong, he had laughed at him mercilessly.
He never expected that in less than two days, karma would come knocking. With 14+4+1, his performance was even worse than James's.
Regardless of whom he played against, a bad performance was a bad performance.
In other words, it was even more embarrassing for Anthony to be shut down by Devin George than by Wang Chong, because Wang Chong was at least considered a top player in the league. So far in the regular season, he had been averaging 18+6 points per game, which was enough to prove his strength.
But Devin George? He was a regular on the Lakers' bench, averaging only 5 points and 3 rebounds per game over the past few seasons.
Being locked down by a role player like that was embarrassing enough, wasn't it?
After these two games, all those who were waiting to see the Lakers fail were stunned. The Lakers, without O'Neal, Kobe, and Malone, had defeated the Hawks, Cavaliers, and Nuggets in succession, winning three consecutive games.
In these three games, Wang Chong averaged 28.6 points per game, and his shooting percentage remained above 50%. His offensive efficiency was astonishingly high.
"Unexpectedly, the injuries to O'Neal, Kobe, and others have actually given Wang Chong more opportunities to showcase his talent. Thanks to Wang Chong's outstanding performances, the Lakers have won three consecutive games, and their record has not declined significantly despite the absence of O'Neal, Kobe, and others."
"Although the Lakers' opponents in these three games were not the top teams in the league, their performance is definitely worthy of praise. It's hard to imagine how powerful this team could be if the Lakers were fully healthy."
Despite Wang Chong and the Lakers showing strong fighting power in the last three games, their winning streak came to an end at three games, because after defeating the Nuggets, the Lakers' next opponent was the Sacramento Kings, and it was an away game.
In recent years, the Kings had been among the strongest teams in the Western Conference, relying on head coach Rick Adelman's Princeton system. They even almost defeated the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, nearly ending the Lakers' three-peat dynasty.
The Kings, with a complete lineup, were definitely among the top four teams in the Western Conference and were certainly not a team the depleted Lakers could contend with.
The final score was 103-83, and the Lakers lost to the Kings on the road, ending their three-game winning streak.
However, Wang Chong's performance once again surprised the league.
Throughout the game, Wang Chong shot 11 of 22 from the field, 2 of 6 from three-point range, and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line, scoring 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Kings' small forward was All-Star Peja Stojakovic.
Peja had exceptional shooting ability, especially from three-point range, which was on par with Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.
This game was no exception. Peja made 4 of 6 three-pointers, which was more accurate than Wang Chong. His 25 points were the highest for the Kings.
However, while Peja had outstanding shooting skills, his defense was not great.
White players naturally have physical disadvantages compared to black players. They are generally at a disadvantage in terms of strength, speed, jumping, explosiveness... basically in all aspects.
Usually, if white players want to make a difference on the defensive end, they need to combine tough play with various "dirty" tactics, like Larry Bird and Bill Laimbeer.
Peja was obviously not among those types. He was well-known in the league for his passivity and weakness on the defensive end, and he could hardly put any defensive pressure on Wang Chong during the game.
End of this chapter
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