At the end of the regular season, the Clippers gave up the top spot in the West, and Harden became the focus of observation!
The Clippers ended a two-game losing streak after a big home win over the Wizards and remained in fourth place in the West. In fact, if the Clippers don't make mistakes in the game, then they won't fall out of the first place in the East, even if they are not in good shape, even if they lose, they have 3Advantage of 5 wins. For the Clippers, their ultimate goal is to finish first in the West. However, with a series of negative events, perhaps the Clippers' desire to become the first brother in the West will also be ended. His hand was broken, and the game with the Clippers was over, and Harden's body was under a lot of pressure.
Wei Shao's broken arm gave the Clippers a taste of bitterness. After the Clippers announced the news of Wei Shao's left arm fracture, well-known medical expert Jeffries posted his Weibo, saying that Wei Shao's condition and the speed of ** will depend on whether he undergoes surgery, and his hand fracture usually takes six weeks. At the same time, a Clippers reporter also noticed the news of Wei Shao's injury to the Thunder, and Wei Shao could be out for six weeks. With less than a month and a half left until the Clippers' regular season, there's a good chance that Willis will miss the rest of the season.
When Wei Shao broke his arm, Clippers fans were very worried, Wei Shao often held the ball, especially in the game with the Lakers, Wei Shao's existence made the whole team fall into collapse, so some fans felt that if there was no Wei Shao, the Clippers would have become stronger. In fact, it's not right for fans to think that way. First of all, the Clippers have a tight rotation, or rather, for a team with three top-tier or near-top players, the role players on that team won't improve much. The owner of the Clippers is willing to spend money and has a very good management system, which is why the Clippers will be better than the Suns in terms of role players, but the shortcomings are obvious.
In fact, Willow is no longer there, and Harden is not a substitute, so he can't play point guard. With Tyronn Lue out, the Clippers began to rely on Harden, and a lot of the time, Harden didn't play, so the Clippers' defense became a mess. With Wei Shao here, he may be able to restrain himself, but at least he can make it easier for Harden, there is no doubt about that. Without him, the Clippers' bench would be messy, or Harden would have more playing time, and Harden would get injured as a result.
It is worth mentioning that today's Harden is not the same Harden of the past, when he was with the Bucks, Harden was overused, resulting in a tendon injury in his leg, which made him miss the MVP. Another thing that is often overlooked is that Harden has been a starter since he joined the Clippers and started as a starter. During this time, both Leonard and George have been given some rest, but Harden, for better or worse, will play 40 minutes. The Clippers have to thank Harden for his physical condition, but there is a case in everything, and no one can say for sure, the Clippers did not play well with Harden.
I don't think the Clippers should compete for the Western Conference championship anymore. There are times when we need to rotate a little bit, especially for players who are overusing their main players. If you're still aiming for the Western Conference title, the win percentage between the Clippers and the Timberwolves is 30, it is not easy to make up for this. It would be much easier if the Clippers could let go of their obsession and stay in the West, and although their recent performances have been mediocre, the Clippers still have 35 games, that's a huge advantage, they have plenty of money to rotate the team's main players, and in the first round of the playoffs, they also have a home advantage.
Wei Shao's broken arm is a wake-up call for the Clippers, their main players are okay now, but they know that Clippers fans must be worried, because of the injuries of Leonard and George, both of them were absent last season, and only Wei Shao is left. Things are looking good for the Clippers, but several of the team's core players have not recovered, and Harden needs more time to recover.