Recently, the performance of the Beikong team has been quite disappointing, especially in the recent game against the Shanghai team, where their interior line was completely overwhelmed, resulting in a chaotic mess throughout the match.
At the beginning of the season, everyone had high hopes for this team, especially their interior line configuration. Shen Zijie, Salinger, and Zou Yuchen, these three centers are considered a luxurious lineup across the entire CBA. However, who would have thought that the current Beikong team's strong interior has become mere talk on paper? In actual competition, they were instead completely dominated by the opposing team's Lofton.
At the beginning of the season, everyone was wondering if this team could become the dominant force in Beijing. But now, it seems that even qualifying for the playoffs is uncertain.
Speaking of this game, Beikong really lost without any excuses. In the first half, everyone still felt a glimmer of hope, but as the game progressed, especially in the interior line confrontations, the three centers of Beikong failed to exert their expected advantages.
On the other hand, Shanghai's Lofton was like a ticking time bomb, shooting 12 out of 22 attempts, scoring 31 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists, performing exceptionally brilliantly.
Beikong's interior line was completely beaten without any resistance. At this point, who would dare to say that their interior is strong?
Even Zou Yuchen was beaten like an extra, and Salinger was so frustrating to watch that one wonders if his emotions were already in disarray. In any case, the entire interior line was completely out of control.
After watching this game, some netizens bluntly stated: Beikong's interior was originally a strong point, but how did it end up being easily crushed by the opponent?
It's truly disheartening!
Apparently, everyone had high expectations for Beikong's interior line, but now all of this has turned into nothingness.
What's even more frustrating is Salinger's emotional issues.
During the game, his depressed state was already annoying enough. Not to mention the inefficiency on the offensive end, even the defense seemed transparent.
Then came an even more absurd incident. After the referee called a foul on him, this foreign player exploded with anger, smashing water bottles and venting his emotions in a fit of rage, creating an extremely awkward scene.
You see, a foreign player, earning a high salary, can actually lose control of his emotions to this extent. It's really unbearable to watch.
After the game, head coach Min Lulei was also embarrassed, stating outright that Salinger's emotional problems have affected the atmosphere of the entire team.
Some netizens also expressed: Salinger's performance is simply disappointing. The team is now like a tangled mess, and everyone can see that Salinger's emotional problems are definitely a major hidden danger.
This statement is not exaggerated at all. The current Salinger is no longer the strong interior pillar from the beginning of the season; instead, he has become an unstable factor for the team.
Min Lulei must be feeling a headache now, unsure of how to adjust this team and how to keep Salinger calm to avoid further negative impacts on the team due to his emotions.
Speaking of Min Lulei's coaching, there's something interesting about it.
Recently, the relationship between Min Lulei and his foreign assistant coach has become a hot topic among fans.
During a timeout in a game, the foreign assistant coach directly seized the tactics board and began to lay out strategies for the players, while Min Lulei was completely in a passive position, even appearing somewhat embarrassed.
You see, as the head coach, if you don't have a say in your own team's tactics board, how can people not doubt your coaching authority?
Once this incident happened, the outside world began to question Min Lulei's coaching ability and authority.
Has Min Lulei lost control of the team?
A netizen asked in a post after the game.
He's not wrong. The current Beikong team seems to have not only player emotional outbursts but also the coach's command authority hanging by a thread.
If Min Lulei cannot quickly regain control of the team, it's not just Salinger who needs adjustment; the entire team's tactical system may collapse.
Beikong's record has also dropped to 12 wins and 10 losses, ranking 10th. Such results are worlds apart from the goals set at the beginning of the season.
Especially considering their luxurious interior configuration, logically speaking, they should have achieved better results.
However, the current situation is that their interior play is completely unstable, the emotional problems of the foreign players have made the team atmosphere poor, and there are also issues with tactical execution.
The internal and external contradictions of the Beikong team have caused their overall performance to be in chaos, and it's not an easy task to get out of this predicament.
Some netizens said: Beikong is really facing unfavorable winds now. The players' states are poor, and the head coach seems to have lost his direction. If they can't adjust quickly, they might not even have a chance at the playoffs.
This statement makes a lot of sense. If they continue like this, Min Lulei's position as head coach might really be in jeopardy.
For Beikong, the upcoming games are a matter of life and death.
If they don't solve these problems, they might directly drop out of the playoff spots. Forget about competing for higher rankings; even maintaining their current position will be problematic.
If Min Lulei continues like this, with the foreign players not staying calm and the team lacking chemistry, he might really face the risk of being fired.
In fact, if Beikong wants to escape the current dilemma, the key is to adjust emotions and break the internal and external conflicts.
Salinger must calm down, and Min Lulei must also regain his prestige within the team.
Judging from the current situation, whether they can find the root of the problem in time and adjust their playing style has become the key to whether they can maintain their playoff spot.
In the end, whether Beikong can get out of the predicament depends on whether Min Lulei can adjust himself well and also adjust the team.
Otherwise, this team, which originally had the potential to compete for the championship, might fall into a crisis and be unable to extricate itself.