A new season of sports
After a seven-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Clippers ended one of their toughest stretches of the season with a 6-1 record. As one of the most talked-about teams this season, the Clippers' current form is gratifying, especially Harden's performance, which has changed a lot. Compared with the early days of joining the Clippers, Harden's offensive desire has begun to become stronger, which is not only a "demonstration" of Harden for not being selected as an All-Star, but also a kind of accumulation for the playoffs.
Since coming to the Clippers, Harden has maintained a "Buddhist" style of play, which is also an adjustment he made in order to adapt to the Clippers' tactical system. The Clippers don't lack scoring points, what they lack is a commander who can string up tactics on the offensive end, and Harden has taken on that responsibility. Under the tandem of Harden, the Clippers played a smooth offense, while Harden himself reduced his desire to attack, which also led to Harden's only 4 points, but the Clippers beat the opponent by a large margin.
Harden's desire to attack the Clippers is also due to the fact that he has more helpers around him. In the past, Harden was not only responsible for passing the ball on the offensive end, but also shouldered the heavy responsibility of leading the team's offense, which also led to Harden's efficiency always ups and downs. Now that the Clippers have Leonard and George, and Westbrook and Powell on the bench, Harden doesn't need to spend too much energy on scoring at all, as long as he can organize the team's offense with peace of mind.
Harden's "decentralization" on the offensive end made the Clippers' tactics extremely fluid, but at the critical moment of the game, the offensive threat created by Harden's attraction of the bag was something that other Clippers players could not do. Because Harden is an offensive threat from beyond the three-point line, opponents don't dare to give up on him easily, and if Harden can take the initiative to attack, the Clippers will have a better chance of winning the game in key moments.
Harden is obviously adjusting his form a little bit, after all, during his previous time with the Nets and Philadelphia, Harden was not happy overall. The Nets have Durant and Irving, Harden has no practical meaning in the tactics, and after joining Philadelphia, although Harden gave up the ball for Embiid, the pressure on him is still very high, and the style of play between him and Embiid is not completely integrated, so Harden did not play the expected performance.
Now that the Clippers are strong, Harden has also ushered in the best opportunity of his career so far. It's just that if the Clippers want to reach the Finals and win the championship, they still need Harden to show on the offensive end, and as the schedule deepens, Harden also needs to prepare for the playoffs in advance. Taking advantage of the Clippers' stable record now, Harden appropriately increased his shots and adjusted his playing style through the game, which is also Harden's active adjustment to the future schedule.
For the Clippers and Harden, both sides hope to have a good ending in the future, especially Harden, who hopes to win the final honor with the Clippers. With the playoffs just around the corner, Harden will gradually adjust himself to offensive mode and show his most powerful self in the playoffs.