On February 23, Beijing time, the fully healthy Clippers ushered in a highly anticipated battle after the All-Star break, however, the result made fans feel down to the ice valley - the Thunder became the nemesis of the Clippers with a 107-129 defeat on the road, and once again made the Clippers lose the battle for the top spot in the West.
Looking back at recent games, the Clippers seem to have fallen into a slump - first against the Pelicans, who are in the top six in the West, losing 106-117; Then he lost 100-121 against the Timberwolves, the top rival in the West; Now they have suffered another 22-point rout from the Thunder, which has put them on just two wins in their last five games. In the past 7 consecutive away trips, although 6 victories were achieved, the subsequent consecutive defeats surprised the fans. What's going on?
Stop using size as an excuse. In the past two losses, the Clippers have cited size disadvantage as an excuse, especially after losing three forwards in the Harden trade, and their forward size has become a clear shortcoming. However, against the Thunder, the Clippers have a clear advantage in size. Harden vs. Dort, George vs. Alexander, and Leonard vs. Jalen Williams are all height advantages. Zubac has a weight advantage over Holmgren. And Wei Shao, Plumlee, and Coffey also have a physical advantage against the Thunder's bench group. However, these size advantages did not translate into score advantages, with the only exception being Leonard, who seems to be the only player who can consistently exploit his size advantage. Judging from the details of the game, Coach Lu also did not take full advantage of these size advantages, which caused the team to lose some valuable opportunities.
Lu's decision-making is a mystery. Over the past 39 games, the Clippers have played with a relatively stable rotation lineup, with a 31-8 record. Recently, however, Director Lu has started to make some incredible adjustments that are incomprehensible. First, in terms of rotation, Mason Plumlee has been in poor form since his return, while Theis has been a consistent contributor to the team during his absence. But Director Lu has an almost blind trust in Plumlee. In the last five games, when Plumlee came on, the Clippers lost by 33 points. When Plumlee is paired with Westbrook and George, the team's offensive space is not only narrow, but also the defensive end seems to be inadequate. In the game against the Thunder, the Clippers lost in rotation time, and when Harden and Kawhi Leonard weren't on the floor, Lue's aimless lineup led to a wave of situations. Harden has emphasized that teams need to pick out details to win, and Coach Lu clearly needs to pay more attention to detail when it comes to rostering.
Wei Shao's performance is a mystery. In a previous article, the author mentioned that the current Clippers 8-9 man rotation has greatly reduced the team's margin for error. Plumlee's problems have been exposed, and if Willow also doesn't play well in the rotation, the Clippers will have a hard time making up for the deficit in the starting lineup. In particular, Wei Shao, as the core of the second team, still needs to play 15+ minutes per game, and his performance during this time directly affects the outcome of the Clippers game. In the past three tough games, Wei Shao scored 4 points on 2-of-7 shooting against the Pelicans, 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting against the Timberwolves, and 2 points on 1-of-9 shooting against the Thunder, all showing his obvious lack of offensive efficiency. Wei Shao's hard work and energy are still there, and his playmaking is bright, but the problem is that his offensive efficiency is too low. Once he blindly breaks through and misses, it is easy for the opponent to launch a counterattack. Willis's contract is certainly worth its money, and his fighting spirit is also a source of motivation for the Clippers, but that doesn't mean he's immune to criticism, and the Clippers need a backup point guard who can be both dynamic and calm. If Willis becomes a blocker of the Clippers' rhythm of the game, then Coach Lue would be suicidal if he gives him 20 minutes of playing time.
Overall, the Clippers' recent performances have been a real disappointment for fans, and the root of the problem seems to be not limited to size, coaching decisions, or player performance, but a combination of factors. The team needs to get back into form quickly, otherwise the road ahead will be even more difficult.