Another collision between the Thunder and the Clippers.
All members of the Clippers played tonight, and Jeremy Lin returned to the bench.
Facing the Thunder, Tyronn Lue still plays it safe. If he plays three guards, he will definitely be beaten to death by Durant.
Therefore, the Clippers still used Gasol, Randolph, Paul George, Harden and Curry as starters.
Although Ricky Davis has returned from injury, his starting position has been replaced by the younger Paul George.
In this way, Ricky Davis can return to the second position he is more familiar with as a substitute, without having to face monsters like James and Durant at the third position every night.
Paul George is playing better and better and is becoming more and more confident. His cutting and positioning shots on the offensive end, as well as his good positioning and assisting defense capabilities on the defensive end, have allowed the Clippers to find the answer to the shortcomings of the third position.
Of course, Leonard and Butler are still sitting on the Clippers bench.
Tyronn Lue did not completely turn Leonard and Butler into supporting roles because of the rise of George.
On the contrary, he deeply implemented Min Chongda's strategic thinking of "everyone has the ball to play" and often gave the two players a lot of playing time.
The Clippers coaching staff collectively decided that with one James and Durant in the east and west, the Clippers must have sufficient talent reserves at the third position to accumulate capital for future competition with the Cavaliers and Thunder.
Therefore, Leonard and Butler are both excellent small forwards worth cultivating.
Everyone agreed that General Manager Min Congda was far-sighted and selected such three outstanding No. 3 positions. The coaching staff must not let down the General Manager's painstaking efforts and train them three!
Facing the Thunder in this game, Tyronn Lue knew that Durant was definitely the one to take care of, so a wheel battle was inevitable.
On this point, Mike Dunleavy, as the team's basketball consultant, gave a lot of advice.
I think back then the Portland Trail Blazers were just a bunch of high-quality forwards, taking turns serving Shaquille O'Neal.
At that time, the Trail Blazers also made a mistake, which was that when they had Jermaine O'Neal, they did not properly train him and let him sit on the bench for several years.
In the end, O'Neal was taken away by the Pacers and grew into an All-Star forward and the core player of the team.
Dunleavy believes that the Clippers must learn this lesson and train these young people well. Maybe they can raise a little O'Neal?
As for the Pacers, Larry Bird has always wanted to get Paul George and was thinking of trading with the Clippers.
The Clippers were completely ignored. How could they make the same mistake again?
Min Congda wanted to trade, but the system didn't allow it!
On the other side, the Thunder also played with their entire team.
Sefolosha, who was absent from the previous game with the Clippers, returned in this game.
In this way, Eric Gordon returns to the bench, making the Thunder's second lineup more dynamic.
Both sides are healthy and full-strength, and the war is about to break out.
As soon as the game started, the Thunder, playing at home, took the lead. Westbrook hit a pull-up jumper after a pick-and-roll.
The Thunder's offense is as simple and crisp as ever, and its core is centered around Durant Westbrook, allowing both of them to give full play to their scoring abilities.
Then on the bench, Eric Gordon can serve as a supplement.
This season, Westbrook's mid-range jump shooting ability has been greatly improved.
Although his shooting posture is not good-looking, it is quite stiff.
After taking off, he threw himself into the air and made a shot with his body leaning forward. The movement seemed very disjointed.
However, Westbrook's physical fitness is excellent. When he throws himself into the air, it is difficult for opponents to interfere with him.
This abundant leg strength gives him a good shot space.
The first shot was hit, and then the Thunder defended Harden's jump shot.
The Thunder counterattacked quickly, and it was Westbrook again, running wildly with the ball, getting to the basket and dunking with one hand!
Westbrook started the game with a shot and a dunk, quickly filling the atmosphere at home.
The Energy Solution Center is naturally full tonight. The two teams are currently ranked second and third in the Western Conference, and it is very likely that they will meet again in the playoffs.
Three tigers are competing, and two of them are bound to meet in advance in the semifinals. The Thunder will definitely treat the Clippers as their first potential opponent.
The Clippers looked a little soft at the beginning, which is also their old problem. It is easy to dig holes in the first quarter.
It's not because the players are not in good condition, but because of the Clippers' lineup and style of play. They definitely didn't start so resolutely.
Because there are too many players who can focus on attack.
You can play around Curry, you can play around Harden, you can also play around Gasol and Randolph.
So how to fight? In theory, it should be the head coach's decision.
But as a rookie coach, Tyronn Lue made a "weak" decision: Whoever is in good shape will play!
This caused the Clippers to start the game loosely. You do it and I do it. In the end, whoever has the best effect and is in good condition will focus on him.
What if everyone is in good condition? Then there is a high probability that he will crush his opponent in this game.
If the condition is average, don't worry, there are many people on the Clippers bench who can play.
Steve Kerr can put together at least five lineups on the court and is not afraid of any strong team in the NBA!
The Clippers now have such confidence. They are taking a path that is difficult for other teams to take. The last team that could take this path has to go back 50 years, to the 1960s, when they won eight consecutive championships. Celtic period.
Of course, the Clippers' coaching staff and players themselves don't know much about it. They just want to play well and win seriously.
The Thunder quickly took the lead and beat the Clippers to an 8:2 spurt.
The Clippers don't take timeouts, and Tyronn Lue has now learned to let the players solve their own problems.
Min Congda watched the Clippers fall behind by 6 points, but he was not happy at all.
"What's the use of this point difference? Thunder, you guys didn't hit hard enough, use more force!"
The Thunder haven't exerted their strength yet, but the Clippers have finally exerted their strength.
James Harden broke through from the left side with the ball and took advantage of Sefolosha's defensive position to get to the basket for a layup!
With this ball, Gasol and Randolph completely emptied the basket, creating enough room for Harden to break through.
Gasol and Randolph's mid-to-long-range shooting ability makes the Thunder's insiders a little concerned about one thing and the other.
Perkins is the key to the Thunder's defense, but he is also a major vulnerability on their defensive end.
If it were a team with Gasol and Randolph as the core, it would definitely have a hand-to-hand battle with the Thunder inside.
Perkins versus Randolph, Ibaka went to pounce on Gasol, a high-intensity internal battle.
As a result, the Clippers players were very smart. After playing for a while, they realized, why should I fight with you?
Perkins, you are a tough guy under the basket, but when you run out of the three-second zone, you are like a slow weight. You can't get back.
After Harden's breakthrough, Curry immediately used a high double screen to get to the basket and hit a throw.
Perkins is very uncomfortable. Should he come out or not?
Out, empty inside.
Without coming out, Randolph took a pass from Curry after a pick-and-roll and hit a mid-range jumper.
The Clippers immediately responded with a 6:0 response to the Thunder, leveling the score at 8:8.
Clippers players have a very strong ability to adjust themselves.
Of the five starting players, at least three have very high basketball IQs.
There are two left, one is experienced, and the other is a helper even though he is young.
Paul George started pestering Durant from the beginning. Anyway, he didn't have to hold the ball on the offensive end, so he went all out on the defensive end.
The two of them seemed to be doing a side-by-side dance on the court. Wherever Durant went, George followed, not giving Durant a chance to easily catch the ball and attack.
Halfway through the first quarter, the Clippers gradually reversed the situation on the court and led the Thunder by 4 points at 16:12.
"Damn it, Brooks, this idiot, doesn't know how to make adjustments? Why is a colander like Perkins put on the court to make him look fat and ugly? Such a player should be traded! What's the use of keeping it? ? On the offensive end, it’s four against five, and on the defensive end, the small ones are being targeted and the big ones are being targeted... ugh~"
Min Congda was anxious. Thunder's performance really made experts like Min Congda look hopeless.
If players like Perkins were still useful last season, then starting from this season, Perkins' role will become smaller and smaller.
There are no low-post monsters in the league now, and Perkins' strong low-post defensive ability is just a decoration.
And his slow movement speed will gradually amplify the problem of lameness in offense.
It’s okay to play against other teams, as other teams are still in the process of transformation.
It's okay to beat the Lakers, because the Lakers have a slow Bynum.
But it's really not good to beat the Clippers. Starting from the middle of the season, the Clippers have become faster and faster, and their offense is becoming more and more outside-oriented.
In the middle of the first quarter, the Clippers made substitutions. Tyronn Lue replaced his favorite Jeremy Lin and directly replaced Randolph to speed up the game.
This substitution was unexpected by many people, but it was the trick given by Steve Kerr - the classic one, four and three guards.
You can't play Paul George because George has to defend Durant.
Playing Randolph makes Ibaka and Perkins further misaligned and unable to play.
The Thunder still use the original lineup, how can Perkins defend on the defensive end? How about the offensive end?
Jeremy Lin went up and stretched out in all directions. George cut to the basket and received a pass from Gasol for a layup.
Jeremy Lin coordinated to attack Durant, but Durant forced a shot and missed, and the Clippers got the backcourt rebound to counterattack.
Curry passed half court quickly and passed a diagonal pass to Harden. Harden threw it high. George followed up, jumped high, and succeeded in an alley-oop two-handed dunk!
The Thunder had to call a timeout, and Perkins' presence on the court was really a side effect.
Brooks has a headache. This is only the first quarter. How will he play next?
And this is still the regular season, what about the playoffs?
Last season's regular season, Perkins was targeted at this point.
It's just that last season, Randolph played a lot on the offensive end.
Perkins still plays a big role.
Now, Harden and Curry have grown further, and the Clippers no longer rely on Randolph's low-post offense.
The Thunder gained nothing in the summer and made no moves before the trade deadline because Perkins simply couldn't be sold.
Who wants this kind of dinosaur from the previous era?
Replace Perkins with Collison, and the problem arises again.
The Clippers began to focus on Gasol.
Gasol moved from the high post to the low post and beat Ibaka with his back.
In the second half of the first quarter, Gasol hit consecutive back-turning jump shots in the low post.
The Clippers gradually opened up the score, 22:16, but the Thunder's advantage only lasted half a quarter.
With 4 minutes left in the first quarter, Durant finally received a pass from his teammate and hit a mid-range jumper.
George followed Durant for most of the quarter, and there would eventually come a time when his physical fitness failed and he missed someone.
But at this time, the Clippers began to make substitutions.
Leonard came on the scene and replaced Paul George.
Before going on the court, Tyronn Lue whispered to Leonard on the sidelines, telling him to continue to defend Durant.
Leonard nodded, appeared expressionlessly, and silently came to Durant.
Durant sighed, thinking that if I don't show off my power, you really think I'm easy to deal with, don't you?
Then on the Thunder's next possession, Durant drove past Leonard and was intercepted...
Leonard snatched the ball away from Durant, and the Clippers counterattacked!
Although he is still a rookie and only plays about 20 minutes per game, Leonard still averages 1.4 steals per game.
If converted to 36 minutes, Leonard can average 2.1 steals per game, which is a very high number for a rookie third position. He can contribute a high-quality steal every game and give his opponent a high-quality steal. Apply a lot of pressure.
During the counterattack, the Clippers made a fast break on the third line. Jeremy Lin rushed to the basket and missed a layup, but Leonard followed up and made a tip-in.
Jeremy Lin's speed and awareness when holding the ball are very strong, but his finishing ability is average, but he dares to hold the ball and attack the basket, taking the lead, which puts considerable defensive pressure on his opponents.
"Jeremy Lin dares to rush so much? He rushes blindly with his eyes closed, and he can still average 20 points per game. Every team in the NBA is really hopeless. If I were to be the coach, I have nine ways to make him Can’t get up!”
Min Congda felt uncomfortable watching Jeremy Lin playing like a fish in water and becoming Tyronn Lue's confidant.
Not only does he help the Clippers win games all the time, but he also creates "Linsanity", which further increases the Clippers' national popularity.
Michael Key and Jordan Peele are already preparing to make a sports documentary about Jeremy Lin and continue to help the Clippers become famous!
Min Congda can no longer control them, let them go, he can't stop them, he can only let them go.
In fact, Jeremy Lin's recent performance has gradually declined.
Every team started to defend him specifically.
But Jeremy Lin is not the only one on the Clippers. In terms of pure strength, Jeremy Lin is not ranked high.
A substitute who is not ranked makes the opponent spend so much energy to target him. How do you deal with other Clippers players?
After Durant was intercepted by Leonard, he turned around and immediately hit Leonard again.
This time he chose to break through the middle after crossover, and then hit a mid-range jumper after a sudden stop.
Durant's abnormal ability to change direction coupled with his height and wingspan make this move impossible to guard against once he gets the feel of it.
But if the whole game consists of this kind of difficult one-on-one goals, Durant will be exhausted.
He needs opportunities to catch the ball in transition, he needs CS after running, he needs some fast-break goals, he needs comfortable back-up play after receiving the ball in the low post, and he needs easyball.
And these are things the Clippers don't want him to grab easily.
Leonard's defensive style is slightly different from George's. George's aggression is not that strong. He never loses his position or staggers. His fake moves are almost ineffective against George. He just doesn't jump anyway.
Leonard is obviously more adventurous, more aggressive, and more daring to strike and jump.
Therefore, Leonard blocks slightly more shots than George, but George is more active in assisting defense.
In short, both men have their own characteristics and are both excellent defenders at the third position.
At such a young age, he showed great energy in his confrontation with Durant.
At the end of the first quarter, Durant only scored 4 points and made 2 of 5 shots. He did not perform well.
This made Durant very depressed. After all, he was alone, and the two guys on the opposite side were fighting each other, which was very annoying.
In the last game against the Clippers, he was guarded by Ricky Davis. It was much easier to beat Davis.
When Kevin Durant came back on the court in the second quarter, he had to face another desperate Clippers player - Jimmy Butler.
Durant is destined to encounter tough defense from the Clippers' forwards in this game, referred to as: Lun Jian.
Some people died, but not completely...
