On May 13, 2012, the headline on the homepage of the NBA section of Goupu.com in China read, "Harden + Curry scored 81 points together to pay tribute to Kobe and win the Battle of Tianwang Mountain!"
In this game, Harden and Curry scored 37 points and 44 points in Stamps. The two used their superb shooting skills and unrivaled offense to completely penetrate the Spurs' defense.
The final score between the two sides was 110:97. The Clippers beat the Clippers by 13 points at home, and the maximum point difference between the two sides during the game reached 20 points.
From the beginning, the Clippers didn't give the Spurs many chances because they were so accurate tonight.
Curry and Harden simply had their sights set on them. They could shoot from outside no matter what, leaving the Spurs unable to fight back.
Many of the Clippers' tactics and arrangements before the game were not used because Curry and Harden were so accurate that many strategies were unnecessary.
Curry's 44 points set his highest scoring record in the NBA playoffs, and also successfully entered the NBA playoffs 40-point club.
Harden and Curry both scored more than 35 points at the same time, setting a scoring record for the Los Angeles Clippers in the playoffs.
For the first time in the Clippers' long but boring history, two players scored 35 points in the playoffs at the same time - which almost goes without saying because the Clippers' postseason history is so lacking at first glance.
The Spurs have been a strong team since they merged into the NBA in the 1970s, with strong defense. It is not easy to score two 35 points on them.
The last time the Spurs suffered such a double humiliation and blow was way back in 1990, when David Robinson was still young and they encountered the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.
The Trail Blazers' backcourt duo of Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler scored 38 and 35 points respectively in Game 4, helping the Trail Blazers win the game.
More than 20 years have passed, and the Spurs have almost never missed the playoffs. During these 20 years, the Spurs have played against many strong teams in the Western Conference, including the Rockets, Utah, OK, and Dallas. Win or lose, but there has never been a game where two young outsiders were shot through.
Tonight, the Spurs and Popovich tasted the power of talent.
What is real talent? It is to throw directly against your defense, one after another, leaving you with nothing to do.
Even if there is one, the Clippers will come directly with two. Who can withstand this?
The Spurs' perimeter defense is not as strong as before.
After Bowen retired, the Spurs still couldn't find a suitable defender at the third position.
Popovich's favorite Leonard is on the Clippers team again, and this game is simply unplayable.
Any strategy, tactics, or desire for revenge are meaningless in the face of overwhelming talent and touch.
Min Congda is quite satisfied with the performance of the players in this game, because by winning this game, the series is basically in the bag.
This is definitely good for the Clippers' financing.
One day later, the Clippers team headed to San Antonio to prepare for Game 6.
This round of the series is definitely a journey of sublimation for the young people of the Clippers.
After losing the first battle and being hit in the head, it was natural that he would win the second battle.
Trailing by 15 points in three quarters of Game 3, the team was about to get over it. In the fourth quarter, they made a stunning comeback to defeat their opponents and regain the home court advantage.
In the fourth game, I thought I could win another victory, but my opponent was extremely tenacious and evened the score back to the same starting line.
In the fifth game of Tianwangshan, which tested the players' character, the two stars on the outside broke out and replaced the two stars on the inside as the key to the victory, winning the match point.
Game 6 returns to San Antonio, and the two teams have no secrets left.
Although it was an away game, the noise from away fans at AT@T Center had no impact on the young Clippers players.
The Clippers quickly took the lead at the beginning of this game. Curry and Harden were naturally targeted by the Spurs.
But they are all very smart players. When faced with tough defense, they did not fight hard, but used passing and running to drive their teammates.
You know, inside Randolph and Gasol only gave up their strategic core positions because Curry and Harden have grown too fast and are more talented, not because their strength has declined.
On the contrary, one of Randolph and Gasol is still at his peak, and the other is still growing. They have been replaced by other teams as a proper interior dual-core.
That is to say, for a team as talented as the Clippers, the two of them have gradually been reduced to supporting roles.
Randolph and Gasol, working with Harden and Curry one after another, had a great time eating the cake.
After five games of beating, when the Spurs' outside line collapsed under the projection of the two stars, it was only a matter of time before the inside line collapsed.
No matter how strong Duncan is, he is still old after all. He has maintained a very high competitive level in the previous games, and now he really can't guard him.
In the first half, Randolph and Gasol both scored 15 points, and this was another pair of goals for 30 points.
Duncan has no choice but to focus on one thing at the expense of the other in the paint.
He has to help defend Harden, hinder Curry, keep an eye on Gasol, and make up for Randolph...
Without a good third position to assist, Duncan was really exhausted.
Seeing Duncan like this, Popovich thought to himself, how about finding a way to beg Smart during the offseason? There are so many young men at the third position, so give him one!
You are occupying the manhole and not taking a shit, and you are wasting high-quality young resources.
Seeing Leonard's outstanding performance in the series, Popovich is so jealous.
George is actually pretty good, Butler is pretty good, and even Ricky Davis can play a certain role under the Clippers' training!
In short, Popovich's mouth is watering with greed.
Min Congda didn't realize how much talent he had at the third position.
He just felt that Leonard and others performed well.
On the contrary, Curry and Harden, these two third-year players are really powerful.
In the third quarter of the game, the Clippers' offense can be described as "unimpeded."
The Spurs have no new tricks, and their defensive and offensive routines have been explored.
At this point in the series, it's a pure battle of hard power, and the Spurs obviously can't beat the Clippers.
The score difference soon reached 15 points, and the Spurs gradually lost their will to resist.
The flame of revenge was burning, but in the end it could not defeat time and youth.
NBA history has always been like this, rolling forward, with the waves behind the generation pushing the waves ahead.
The Spurs also defeated Utah in 1999 after struggling for 20 years.
Duncan was only in his second year that year. He was at his peak when he first entered the league and went straight to the championship in the shortened season.
It has been more than ten years since he entered the league. It can be said that there has been no progress in more than ten years, only decline.
After all, his starting point is the end point that many players will never reach.
Even players like this will one day age and be eliminated.
Of course, Duncan and the Spurs are not finished yet. Even if they lose this series, they will still make a comeback next season.
Veterans never die, they just fade away. This sentence is perfect to describe the San Antonio Spurs.
At the end of the fourth quarter, the Clippers easily defeated the Spurs 108:97, an 11-point advantage.
From the beginning of the first quarter, the Clippers did not give the Spurs many chances and won quite easily.
In this arm-wrestling contest between the old and new forces, the Spurs were ultimately defeated.
However, their tenacious resistance is of great significance to the Clippers team.
This kind of fierce confrontation and suspense series is definitely a valuable asset for young players.
And winning is a habit. When players get used to winning, they will have the confidence to win the game when the game is evenly matched.
This Clippers is undoubtedly a confident team.
Playing dog in the low post, they passed by black eight, and they were 3:0 behind to win two games.
In the semifinals, which were not favored by anyone, they strangled opponents with extraordinary talents.
Now the experienced veteran has reversed the situation. It can be said that he has encountered various scenarios.
Once some teams always lose in various adversity games, losing in the end will become a kind of inertia or even a curse.
Losing is no longer due to lack of strength, but to the psychological shadow that makes one unable to feel happy. When it comes to critical matches and encountering an opponent who restrains oneself, one becomes timid.
A typical example is the Baltimore Bullets in the 1970s. As long as they met the New York Knicks, regardless of whether the opponent was at the top, they would just get beaten up and they would definitely not be able to beat them.
It wasn't until Willis Reed retired and the Knicks' tough guys left that the bullets gradually became sharper.
A team with enough confidence and strength will always be the winner.
Always a winner.
After the Clippers won the Spurs, they successfully entered the second round of semifinals.
The opponent waiting for them in the semifinals is none other than the Oklahoma City Thunder!
It can be said that the first two rounds of the Clippers' playoffs were all grudge games, and their opponents had a strong will for revenge.
Last year, the two sides fought seven bloody games in the semifinals. In the end, the Clippers were superior and won the ticket to the Western Conference Finals.
The two sides are full of topics because of the Harden-Gordon trade and the confrontation of talented young players such as Durant, Westbrook, and Curry.
The Thunder met the Utah Jazz in the first round and sent their opponents home 4:1 without any loss.
Westbrook and Durant are no weaker than Curry and Harden on the offensive end.
With their aggressive strategy and tough defense, their performance in the playoffs is stronger than in the regular season.
Before the start of the series, both teams were quite quiet and did not engage in verbal battles.
Neither side is the kind of team that likes to mess around.
Conquering opponents with performance on the court is what they want to do.
May 18th, the day before the semifinals.
The Los Angeles Times published a news in the sports section: Clippers owner Donald Sterling and his wife Shelley Sterling filed for divorce in court.
Their fifty-year marriage officially ended.
In fact, this marriage existed in name only 30 years ago.
Their emotional bond was severed after their son died from drugs.
After that, they became pure partners of interest, maintaining a superficial and legal marriage for the sake of their huge real estate business and team management.
But this time, they chose to end their marriage for the sake of business and the team's experience.
Once the court approves the divorce application, Shelly Sterling will receive half of the Clippers' shares.
At the same time, Shelly will also pay to acquire a small part of the Clippers' equity to ensure that she becomes the team's largest controlling shareholder.
In this way, the Clippers' majority owner will change from Donald Sterling to his wife - no, it's his ex-wife, Shelly Sterling.
In this way, the NBA will also welcome another female owner.
After Shelly Sterling submitted her divorce application, she contacted Min Congda immediately.
She is smart and knows that to secure her position as Clippers boss, it is definitely the most effective to make good use of Min Congda.
Although she didn't know Min Congda before, she didn't know why her husband wanted to hand over the position of general manager to this young man.
But after three years, his achievements are obvious to all. Now that the Clippers have reached the semifinals, at least this year's results can be explained.
Being hacked seven times in the first round is really ugly. To be able to advance to the semifinals is a sure win against the Thunder.
After all, the Clippers have improved compared to last season, while the Thunder seem to be standing still.
In the regular season games, the Thunder were severely restrained by the Clippers and were no match for them.
It also seems difficult for Brooks to find a way to plug the Thunder's big hole against the Clippers.
Therefore, this year, the Clippers are guaranteed to enter the Western Conference Finals and have another Los Angeles Derby with the Lakers.
Regardless of whether he wins or loses, the topic and attention will definitely be full. Shelly becoming the team owner at this time can be said to have ascended to a high position and picked up a ready-made bargain.
After contacting Min Congda, Xie Li invited Min Congda to attend a party in the Los Angeles financial circle that night.
At the party, Shelley Sterling introduced Min Congda to Krakow, a giant in the Los Angeles financial circle who is good at investing in sports projects.
This financial investor also started his career in real estate. During the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he aimed at business opportunities and raised funds to build a large stadium. In a short period of time, he solved many problems such as the land bureau and funding, so that the stadium was successfully completed and he drew blood from it. Make a fortune.
Of course, what seems to be an ordinary thing on the surface covers many issues and events behind it, and it is not at all as simple as Min Congda winning the Great Western Forum and building a new arena.
Krakow has been paying attention to the sports and entertainment industry in Los Angeles since 1984. He has naturally noticed Min Congda's many actions with the Clippers and strongly agrees with his idea of building a new super arena.
"Real estate is always the best investment. You have a good vision on this point. However, an investment of US$1.2 billion is indeed too huge and terrifying. I can only say that young man, your confidence is beyond my imagination."
Krakow didn't know whether to praise Min Chongda or to hurt him.
Min Congda didn't care at all. What he thought beyond imagination was not my confidence, but my determination to complete the bankruptcy task!
He smiled and said: "1.2 billion is still too little for me. If you can raise 2 billion for me, I can build a 2 billion super arena."
Krakow laughed loudly and said: "If you are really so confident in the future development of the Clippers, why not sign a gambling agreement and use the future development of the Clippers to raise this construction fund? What do you think? ?”
After Krakow finished speaking, there was a cunning light in his eyes. He was digging a hole for Min Congda. This kid was too ignorant.
2 billion to build a basketball stadium, do you know what it means?
There is currently only one NBA team with a market value of more than $1 billion, and that is the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers don't dare to build their own arena and have always rented arenas. You dare to spend a lot of money to build a new arena. You are really bragging.
Unexpectedly, Min Congda was not afraid at all. He chuckled and said: "As long as you can raise enough money, I am not afraid of any gambling agreement. Of course, only if Boss Sterling supports me."
As he spoke, he looked at Shelly Sterling.
Shelly Sterling looked embarrassed. She thought to herself, I'm just bringing you here for preliminary contact. How come you're so ready to make a bet? Are you too brave?
Min Congda's wild and desperate boldness frightened an old man like Krakow.
Thinking of the changes he brought to the Clippers in the past three years, he thought to himself, is this really another Bruce Kovner?
(End of chapter)
