A team that is overrated and lacks a championship when it is strong or not!
With the end of the All-Star Game, the second half of the NBA regular season has also entered a white-hot stage, the gap between the East and West has become obvious, the Eastern Celtics have risen strongly, and the No. 2 Cavaliers are in chaos, plus the 76ers led by the predecessor Rivers, the 76ers have no Embiid, and the Knicks have no Randle and Anunoby, their strength is not very high. And in the West, the Timberwolves, Thunder, Clippers and Nuggets have formed a strong team, and they and the Pelicans, Mavericks, Suns, Kings, Lakers and other teams are competing for a ticket to the playoffs. This season, although Minnesota and Thunder occupy the first and second places in the East, respectively, many believe that this year's Finals should be won by the two biggest teams - the Clippers and Nuggets.
In short, both Minnesota and the Thunder are a good overall structure, with a new star to lead the team, but their performance in the playoffs is almost zero. But will the Clippers and Nuggets really make the cut? After 44 rounds, the Clippers won 33 and used to be the strongest team in the East, but later in several key games, they defeated Minnesota and the Thunder, which widened the difference. Tyronn Lue had a new plan for his team to keep his home court advantage (ranked No. 2 in the West) in the first two games of the playoffs, and Harden got a taste of the full-court control and started to move"Crooked brains"Especially in the last few high-level matchups, both Harden and Xiaoka are a little tired. 22 points, 21 points! Therefore, the weakness is the most expected.
The Clippers' reporters sorted out their record against the Western Conference semifinals: the Wolves lost 0-2, the Thunder 1-2, and the Nuggets 1-2, for a total of 2-6. There are two that have nothing to learn from, one is the Nuggets who were overturned, and the other is the absence of small cards. However, through these two high-intensity games, we can see that the Clippers are gradually showing their weaknesses. In the game against Minnesota on the eve of the All-Star break, the Clippers unexpectedly lost 121-100 to Minnesota, especially in the third quarter, when they were blown away by the University of Minnesota 40-19 in the first quarter, trailing their opponents by 21 points by 21 points. Then there was the 107-129 loss to the Thunder, which was an accident because they weren't weak on paper, but in the third quarter, they collapsed again! Even was beaten by the Nuggets before! During the December-January holiday, the Clippers won 16 of their 14 appearances and were unbeaten by Haka on only two occasions.
But why not today? The problem isn't Harden, it's Willis, it's George, it's Tyronn Lue. Since mid-November, Harden has become the two strongest in the NBA, and at the same time the most effective, whether it is playing time or rest time, he is the most effective, that is, with Harden, the Clippers are unique, in the words of Ace Nasrari, Harden and Leonard, are the only two people that the Clippers cannot replace. But in the last 20 games, Tyronn Lue has changed his style: he has made Harden play less and less in the first three quarters, and he has tried to give George more roles, and this has had a series of effects: Willis with Zubac, the Clippers have no open space, the opponent can attack Xiaoka (or George) as much as they want, and more importantly, they don't even have a way!
If the Clippers want to be fast, to defend, to defend, to defend, they have to let Xiaoka and Wei Shao in the restricted area, which is difficult to avoid, look at the time against the Timberwolves, Leonard carries Gobert? Downs, what will Wei Shao do to fight him? Harden was substituted several times during the game, and Harden made up for him in the fourth quarter, but George and Ka Jr. were back on the court, and Harden gave up possession, sending the Clippers into a panic. Tyronn Lue is constantly attacking in various ways to get Harden into trouble! But Wei Shao plus George, both of them played 152 minutes, 100 games, and lost 90 points, this is the worst bench lineup in the Clippers, but they have the most bench appearances! So the Clippers give the illusion that they can't crush the weak, although they aren't strong enough.
The facts are in front of you, and Harden doesn't have any chance at all! On the contrary, both Willis and George's shooting abilities are nerfed, which makes them dangerous! Tyronn Lue wants to take the credit for himself, and he wants to prove that this team can still win without Harden. Tyronn Lue wants to prepare for the playoffs, which can also be said to reduce the pressure on Harden, but the truth is the opposite, his hole cards are not hidden, his weaknesses are getting more and more, there are no outside players, no shooting, no assists, and the pressure on Harden is even greater! The opponent obviously wants to get more balls, and in the 103 minutes of George and Leonard, only Harden has the least shooting opportunities, Harden knows very well that George is his second position, and passing the ball to George, and ensuring George's scoring, as well as George's high efficiency, are unacceptable.
Whether it's Harden or Leonard, it doesn't have much to do with him. They're playing well, and George is playing well, but as long as Harden or Leonard is around, they don't get too stiff, at least not on the court. What she is most worried about is whether these two people will ruin the atmosphere when they are together! If Tyronn Lue continues to do this, the Clippers will not be able to win a championship this season, which means their only hope is Harden. In the playoffs, you're going to break your ceiling by Leonard!