Time flies to February 2010. The NBA schedule is halfway through and the All-Star Game is about to begin.
The entire Los Angeles Clippers team took a flight from Atlanta back to Los Angeles on February 3, ending their long eight-game road trip.
Almost half of the two weeks were spent traveling and in hotels. The rest of the time was either training or competing, leaving almost no room for personal life.
Such boring consecutive games are a huge test for the team's state, especially since this away trip is much stronger than the previous five consecutive away opponents.
After the season enters the middle period, each team has gradually reached its best state through non-stop competition and running-in. Now is the time to brush up on record.
The Clippers will head to the Colorado Plateau in their first game to face the Nuggets in Denver, and the Nuggets are currently gaining momentum.
At the Pepsi Center, the Clippers were beaten by the Nuggets led by Anthony and Billups, and they lost the game 90:105.
I don’t know whether it was due to the impact of the plateau, the team was out of shape during the long trip, or maybe general manager Min Congda didn’t follow, which caused everyone to relax.
In short, all members of the Clippers were offline this time, giving their road trip a bad start.
Then they headed to the East for another nasty road back-to-back, with the Clippers first defeating the out-of-form Wizards in Washington.
The Wizards were originally strong under the leadership of Arenas, but the shooting scandal that broke out in the team at the end of December last year caused the Wizards, which was already in decline, to plummet.
Arenas and teammate Crittenton drew guns at each other in the locker room due to some gambling disputes, causing serious public opinion consequences.
As a result, the "General" Arenas, who was only 28 years old and at the peak of his powers, was suspended indefinitely and could never play this season.
In the future, the Wizards will definitely kick him out. The three Musketeers of the Wizards, the super long three-pointers in 2005 and 2006, the killer shots that real men never look back on, and the legend of Agent 0 will quickly become a piece of history without a follow-up.
Facing such a Wizards team, of course the Clippers were able to come up and stomp on the blood, easily winning 99:82 with a 17-point advantage.
In this game, Curry scored the second 30 points of his career, 31 points, 8 assists and 2 steals. He has joined the competition for the best rookie.
But just one day later, the Clippers were attacked by the Celtics at Boston's TD North Shore Garden. The Celtics won the game relatively easily, 88:95.
The two sides had one win and one loss in the regular season.
The fatigue of back-to-back away games affected Baron Davis' knee again.
He missed the game against the Nets on the 27th. The Clippers suffered a close defeat on the road, losing to the Nets 101:103.
The most unexpected thing about this game was the sudden outburst of Nets substitute Humphries.
He scored 25 points very efficiently on 10 of 14 shots and hit a key free throw at the last moment.
Curry missed a three-pointer from outside, and the Clippers unfortunately lost the game. Curry scored 21 points in this game.
Continuous away games are full of uncertainty. You don't know which player of the opponent who is waiting to work will suddenly break out.
Generally speaking, when playing at home, you have strong morale and energy, plus you have to win for the home fans, so there will always be role players breaking out.
In away games, especially consecutive away games, the whole team is physically tired and morale is low. At this time, the absolute strength of the core players is often tested.
At this point, Curry is still a little immature, and Zach Randolph, Gasol, Gordon and others are not stable enough and do not have the ability to absolutely crush their opponents.
Super stars play at home, role players explode, and super stars support the team. They can play 70-80% of their combat power and win the game.
When playing away games, the role players are all wilting, and superstars have to come out to take over the game. Only by being 100% or even above the standard can we win the game.
Therefore, some people say that the away game is the real test of a superstar's quality, especially in the playoffs. Only by being able to win under pressure and in an atmosphere of being an enemy of the world can one reflect his true strength.
At this point, Curry still has a long way to go.
Then the Clippers lost games in Minnesota and Cleveland, suffering their longest four-game losing streak of the season.
The loss to the Timberwolves was because the opponent's entire team exploded, hitting 9 of 20 three-pointers, with a terrifying shooting percentage.
The Clippers were exhausted, and their three-point shooting felt cold throughout the game, hitting 6 of 24. The game was not unfair at all.
Not to mention playing against the Cavaliers. In that game on January 16, the Cavaliers were tipped in by Ricky Davis.
James and the whole team are obsessed with revenge. Now that the Clippers are exhausted from consecutive away games, they naturally want to beat the lost dog.
The Cavaliers returned to their home court and really exploded from the bench. The bench scored 47 points in the game, and the whole game was against the Clippers.
In the end, it was 115:107, an 8-point advantage and the victory was won relatively easily.
James scored a triple-double of 30 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. It can be seen how concerned he was about being defeated in the last game.
After playing this game with the Cavaliers, time has entered February, and the Clippers then went to Chicago and Atlanta.
This game against the Chicago Bulls is very eye-catching because it is a battle between the two No. 1 point guards.
Derrick Rose, the No. 1 pick in 2008, and Stephen Curry, the No. 1 pick in 2009.
The two play the same position, but are completely different types of players.
One is good at throwing, the other is good at fighting.
One is thin and the other is strong.
One is good at rhythm, and the other is amazingly explosive.
One looks cute like a primary school student, and the other looks fierce like a gangster.
In short, they are two No. 1 point guards who are different from beginning to end in every aspect.
Naturally, people are looking forward to what sparks will come out of the encounter between the two.
Before the game, people thought it would be difficult for the tired Clippers to win in Chicago.
Curry's performance during this period is also not stable enough, and he is inconsistent on time, just like Duan Yu's Six Meridians Divine Sword.
Moreover, after a season of training, Rose has more experience in the game and can theoretically beat Curry.
However, basketball games never follow theory, but achieve results based on actual confrontations on the spot.
Curry played his craziest game of the season in Chicago, making 8 of 11 three-pointers and scoring 38 points!
While scoring his third 30+ points, he helped the Clippers end their four-game losing streak.
As his opponent, Rose only scored 15 points and his overall performance was mediocre. He lost this matchup between the No. 1 point guard and the No. 1 pick, which was shocking.
Such an outstanding performance made Curry's popularity soar. He also won the honor of Western Conference Rookie of the Year in January with averages of 20.1 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.
Finally live up to the title of No. 1 Scholar!
After the last game against the Atlanta Hawks on February 3, and a victory to end this terrible road trip, the entire Clippers team flew back to their home in the warmth of Los Angeles.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and could take a break and catch their breath.
But just after getting off the plane, Baron Davis came over with his mobile phone and said: "Hey Stephen, look at this account. Do you follow it? You are mentioned in the tweets it launched."
Curry glanced at Balang's phone, and a Twitter account was displayed on the screen. One tweet read: "Stephen Curry ate too much at the training center, which caused dissatisfaction with the team and financial difficulties. He may be fired for this." Cut off…”
"What? What the hell is this?"
(End of chapter)
