Lianhao fell, and the Clippers were old again, bidding farewell to the championship with 3 wins and 7 losses, and the situation was worrying
Ahead of the season, everyone made the biggest predictions for the teams in the East and West. However, this game has been going on for almost two months now, and will this still live up to everyone's expectations?Let's not mention the strong teams in the east, just the strong teams in the west. Many people think of the Nuggets, the Lakers, or the Warriors. In the end, people learned that the top of the eastern list turned out to be Minnesota. The Timberwolves have proven their worth with their performances, and they do have what it takes to be champions in the West. Even the Thunder, who are ranked second in the West, no one would have thought that they would appear here with such a ferocious attitude.
Looking at the Warriors, after 27 rounds, they are not even 50%, and they are in the adjustment period. The only thing he expected was the Nuggets. As we all know, this season, they have formed a big three, but their results are not good, after 24 league games, their record is 14 wins and 13 defeats, not even a 50% win rate. In recent days, the Suns have indeed won seven in a row, but in the next 10 games, the Suns no longer look competitive, losing 3-7 in 10 rounds. The sudden collapse of the sun surprised everyone and took everyone by surprise.
Let's take a look back at the Suns' losses in the first 10 rounds. The Nuggets did lose, but the Trail Blazers were one of them. Even with a three-game winning streak, whether it's Washington or the Grizzlies, they're a team full of energy without Morant. Coupled with the game against the Warriors, they also won by 3 points. That said, the Suns have struggled in the last 10 games. So, what's going on?Is it because of the injury?As soon as Bill returned, he was knocked down, which allowed the Suns to return to their former form. But this can't be blamed solely on injuries, which are superficial. At the end of the day, it's because of the lack of a good defensive player.
There is no doubt that Durant and Booker are both scoring masters, but a good scoring guard must be backed up by a good defender. In fact, today's Suns are somewhat similar to the Clippers of the past. Last season, the Clippers had two superstars, but what they lacked was defensive players. And now, with the addition of Harden, Leonard's value has been greatly improved, and George's performance has become more handy. The Suns don't have good defensive players, so they just need to use Durant and Booker to defend. Both Durant and Booker can score high points, but a team is a tough battle, and it is too difficult to win this game. That said, the Clippers have already gone down the same path, and today, the Suns are going down the same path.
Durant, does he need someone like Harden?But Durant didn't grasp this, and he was going to suffer again. With the Suns' current state, it's a question of whether they can make the playoffs this season, let alone win a championship. If injuries are just symptoms, without a good defender, the problem becomes very tricky. Next, it is the trade of the Suns, at the very least, the overall strength of this team will be stronger. Therefore, for the giant team to succeed, it needs a reasonable distribution, rather than a simple pile-up.