Kim Hughes made defensive adjustments during the halftime break. He finally realized that he couldn't let Jordan guard Griffin. It would be for nothing.
Jordan's defensive style and physical fitness determine that he is more suitable as a frame protector at the basket to prevent small men from attacking the basket. When faced with some technically outstanding and physically strong insiders, one-on-one defense is not what he is good at, at least now his technology is very imperfect.
Medley is a better choice to deal with Griffin. Medley is also very dedicated to his task. If he can contain Griffin defensively, it will be good for his next job. Plus, he's willing to work hard for it.
As for the offense, Kim Hughes still trusts the team's backcourt duo of Stephen Curry and Eric Gordon.
What worries him is Curry's offensive feeling and whether he can adjust in the second half. He made successful adjustments in the last game, using organization and passing. The situation he faced this time was even worse. Can this thin guy regain his shooting aim?
Kim Hughes expressed doubts. He felt that Curry's style of play might work well in the NCAA, but it would not work well in the NBA.
He relies too much on his own shooting, especially long-distance shooting. In the NBA, a top defender cannot make a strong breakthrough because the shooting touch will not always be with you.
Once you lose your touch, you have to rely on getting inside to score points, just like Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson. They all have the ability to easily tear apart the opponent's defense.
Especially after the 2004 season, the NBA league canceled the handcheck rule on the outside, and the outside breakthrough players ushered in the spring. The points per game of those breakthrough experts exploded. Manu Ginobili almost single-handedly killed him in the finals. Detroit Pistons.
This is also an important reason why Derrick Rose won the No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft. His breakthrough is like lightning. He can advance with the ball at high speed without slowing down and changing direction, tearing apart all defenses and putting the ball into the basket.
And what about Stephen Curry? As a point guard, he is almost the opposite of Derrick Rose. It has to be suspected that the Los Angeles Clippers were purely blind.
"It would be great if Steph can grow up to be like Sam Cassell, with relatively mediocre physical fitness, a good pull-up jump shot, and solid court control. Well, it's pretty good to be like this."
Kim Hughes has regarded Sam Cassel as Curry's training target. You don't even look at the difference in appearance between the two. As for Cassel's court control skills, at least half of it is due to his appearance.
"Stephen, you still have to organize more in the second half and connect the team's offense together, just like you did in the last game."
Hughes asked Curry to hope that he could pass the ball more and organize more when his hand was bad, mobilize the entire team's offense, and slowly restore the disadvantage. Curry's ability to control the scene is still very strong.
Curry pursed his lips and said nothing. He only partially agreed with Coach Hughes's opinion. He had to work to connect the team, but if he couldn't find the offensive firepower, how could he lead the whole team? How to disturb the opponent's defense and create more opportunities for teammates?
He shook his hand and said: "I will be the best coach, trust me."
With that said, Curry went on the court with his teammates, and the game continued in the second half. The Clippers had a 14-point disadvantage, and their offense was so bad that the fans at the scene thought that the Clippers would definitely be doomed in this game.
The summer league is a bunch of new recruits with little cohesion and fighting ability. They just want to finish playing early and take a shower after losing by more than ten points. There are still many wonderful things waiting for them in the bright and bustling Las Vegas at night.
But Curry gathered all the players together before serving. Everyone formed a circle and said something to everyone before the game officially started.
Obviously, the Clippers guys don't want to surrender so quickly.
In the Clippers' first offense of the second half, Curry held the ball past half-court. He did not call Jordan for a pick-and-roll, but passed the ball to Medley, who was pulled up to the high post to provide support.
After Medley received the ball, he set a single screen for Gordon who came over to respond, and then passed the ball hand-to-hand to Gordon. Gordon received the ball and rushed in, screaming into the inside to face Griffin. His short hand helped defend, and his left-hand throw hit the board.
At 39:51, the Clippers took the lead and recovered two points.
The Grizzlies' offensive focus was still on Griffin and Williams, but Griffin immediately discovered that the person defending him had changed from the stupid DeAndre Jordan to the smaller Medley.
Medley's defense is not like that of Jordan. As long as Griffin doesn't have the ball, Jordan won't engage in confrontation. He will stand at a certain distance and get the ball and then attack him. It's often too late and he can easily be blocked. Riffen made a move and passed through with a breakthrough.
Medley was different. Before Griffin got the ball, he started to stick to Griffin like candy, giving Griffin a chance to fight.
Even though Medley is thinner than Griffin, his four years of college are not in vain. He has rich confrontation skills and experience under the basket. He keeps making small movements with his hands, which makes Griffin very uncomfortable.
When Griffin began to put part of his energy into entangled with Medley, his catching and movements would definitely be affected, and Williams, who passed the ball to him, also began to hesitate.
Jordan can focus more on protecting the basket, blocking all players who invade the basket, and protecting the team's backcourt rebounds.
The Grizzlies' Carroll made a strong shot after receiving the ball. The opportunity was not good and the ball missed. Jordan got the rebound and passed the ball to Curry. Curry quickly advanced and passed the ball to Gore. Gordon caught the ball and went to the basket for a layup. Gordon scored consecutively.
Kim Hughes looked at it and nodded, thinking that Curry was on the right path and was really a teachable child.
But Curry didn't think about continuing to coordinate and organize like this. He has the gene of a scoring maniac flowing in his blood, and the soul of strong shooting is hidden in his body.
In the middle of the third quarter, the Clippers relied on substitutions on the defensive end and adjustments on the offensive end to slowly close the score to 48:55. With a 7-point gap, the Grizzlies called a timeout.
Griffin was a little angry. After wiping his sweat on the bench, he threw the towel heavily on the ground. In the second half, he missed three shots and was restrained by Medley.
He played too relaxedly in the first half, and was obviously not used to the intensity in the second half.
But the good news is that Curry's performance is still very mediocre. He is just organizing the team and passing the ball. In terms of personal performance, Griffin still steadily surpasses Curry. Who is the top pick can be determined at a glance. see.
The timeout ended quickly. The Clippers' Kim Hughes replaced Gordon again. Gordon expressed his incomprehension. Kim Hughes said: "Mr. Smart asked you to rest more and protect your knees. And Your throat."
Gordon was speechless. When I broke through, I yelled to attract the referee's attention. If I didn't score, they could give me a foul and cheat two free throws, okay?
It's time for Curry to take the lead in the Clippers' backcourt again. Curry has no fear, but knows that the killing moment is coming, just like the 2008 NCAA game against Gonzaga. He scored 40 points to help The team defeated the No. 7 seed after trailing by 11 points.
Anyone who underestimates him will pay the price.
On the first shot after the timeout, Curry directly stole Marcus Williams in defense! Marcus Williams fell to the ground with his feet mixed, and watched Curry steal the ball and go to the frontcourt, with no one in front of him.
But Curry did not choose the safest one-stop layup for this ball. Instead, he stopped at the top of the arc and shot directly from a three-pointer!
An unexpected and shocking choice of shot, Kim Hughes almost cursed. No one in front of the steal ball and fast break was willing to go straight to the layup, but he actually chose to shoot a three-pointer?
The ball drew a wonderful arc and passed through the center of the net with a "swish" without even touching the basket. It hit!
When he swallowed the curse words on his lips, Kim Hughes clapped his hands and said: "Good shot, good shot."
