The Clippers have met their opponents in this series.
The Spurs were old after all in the first round, but the Thunder were defeated in the second round.
Now judging from the lineup and experience, the Lakers are more restrained than the Clippers.
How can two young men from the 2009 class in the backcourt respond adequately when faced with a shooting guard who ranks second in history and a 183-year-old man known as the "God of Point Guards"?
The playoffs are still a battlefield for superstars after all. The Clippers have superstar embryos, but they are not mature enough.
Curry has grown into one of the league's best outside scorers this season.
His precise three-pointers and unique long-range shooting skills are amazing.
Already extremely popular among young fans in California, as evidenced by jersey sales.
He is like a blazing fire on the court, and can quickly burn the opponent's net with shooting three-pointers.
And he plays a vital role in the Clippers' perimeter offensive tactics system.
However, his stability needs to be improved, and his defense needs to be strengthened.
Harden and Curry complement each other, are versatile, wise and calm.
He believes that slow is fast, makes good use of time differences, is physically strong, and has a strong ability to digest the ball.
Although he looks rough on the outside, he is actually delicate and smart in style, and he makes good use of rules.
He is as calm as water when he is on the court, and with Harden in the Clippers' offense, the offense is very stable.
The disadvantages are also lack of stability, insufficient defensive speed, and average aggression.
During the halftime break, Tyronn Lue was making tactical arrangements, and he kept reading the small note left by Min Congda.
But these notes were all left behind from the previous round against the Thunder.
Before this Western Conference Finals, Min Congda did not hold a preparation meeting with the coaching staff.
Without Min Congda's guidance, everything became blurry.
The coaching staff discussed it for a long time and did not give an exact response strategy, only a general direction.
However, based on Tyronn Lue and Steve Kerr's understanding of Jackson, they can roughly guess the strategy the Lakers will implement.
Jackson will definitely reduce his gambling touch, and Jackson will definitely make the most of the personal abilities of Paul and Kobe.
At the end of the first half, Jackson's strategy worked. If the Clippers want to turn the situation around, they must first make a damn three-pointer.
If you can't score, all your efforts will be in vain.
"We only hit two three-pointers in the entire first half. We must be more decisive in our shots! If we miss, the Lakers will further shrink their defense and give their opponents more opportunities to quickly counterattack. Three-pointers are ours As well as offensive rebounds, everyone must be involved in the battle for offensive rebounds.”
Tyronn Lue deployed a more risky move in the midfield, which was to rush for offensive rebounds.
The Lakers are old and the Clippers are young. Attacking offensive rebounds sometimes has unexpected effects.
Of course, there are also side effects. Once the opponent firmly protects the rebound, the opponent's counterattack will be more fierce.
After all, the focus is on rushing for offensive rebounds, and retreating from defense will be greatly affected.
Near the end of halftime, Kerr asked Tyronn Lue: "Isn't it a little too risky to rush for offensive rebounds?"
Tyronn Lu said: "We are the younger and more impactful one, and it is worth a try."
"But...the Lakers will not make such a stupid mistake. Their rebound protection is very good."
"I know, but we still have to rely more on the status of Curry and Harden. They have to deal with Kobe and Paul."
"This is not a level you can reach overnight... We should have made more adjustments in the second half."
"I will wait until the game is going on... I don't know what Mr. Smart is thinking. Why does he seem to pay less attention to the Western Conference Finals? The semi-finals have obviously been fully prepared with everyone."
Tyronn Lue couldn't help but complain that because of Min Congda's participation in the semifinals, preparations would be extremely complete.
It's not that what Min Congda said is completely correct, but with such a backbone who always sticks to his word, everything is arranged very appropriately and firmly.
Everyone will play according to the strategies and tactics prepared before the game, disintegrate the Thunder team from many aspects on and off the court, and finally easily kill the powerful opponent.
Now that they have met the more sophisticated Lakers, Min Congda did not attend the meeting. Tyronn Lue called Min Congda, who said he was busy.
Min Congda also said, "I spend millions a year to invite you here just to coach this team well. If you let me participate in the preparation meeting, will you give me some of your money?"
Tyronn Lue wanted to give you half of it, but after thinking about it, he still held back.
In fact, he didn't know that if he told him, Min Congda would really come to help him make tactical preparations.
Without the backbone, Tyronn Lue and Cole are two-headed coaches. In theory, Tyronn Lue has the final decision. In fact, Cole has a lot of say in the offense.
But Kerr didn't say anything during the pre-game preparations, saying that everything would be decided by Tyronn Lue, which made Coach Lu feel uneasy.
He thought to himself, this guy Cole won't cause trouble for him in the Western Conference Finals, right? Deliberately working hard and failing to put in the effort, do you want the Clippers to lose?
If the Clippers lose in the Western Conference Finals, Tyronn Lue will definitely be criticized, and it's hard to say whether he will be dismissed.
After all, last season was the Western Conference Finals. If we continue to stand still this season, it will not look good after all.
After a tough first round and a confidence-building second round, the entire Clippers team hopes to go one step further.
With an uneasy mood, Tyronn Lue returned to the playing field with the players and prepared to start the third quarter.
The Clippers have always been very strong in the third quarter. In the regular season, they often penetrate their opponents in the third quarter.
Because in the third quarter, the intensity will increase to a higher level.
After adapting in the first half, the state came out in the third quarter.
But the Clippers made a mistake early in the third quarter.
Gasol and Curry's pick-and-roll pass was disrupted by Gerald Wallace.
Kobe took the ball and controlled the speed, and suddenly passed a lob to Bynum who was cutting inside.
Bynum asked for the ball deep under the basket, and Gasol had to foul, otherwise the ball would have been an easy dunk.
The third quarter started poorly. Tyronn Lue, who was still hot on the bench, stood up anxiously and watched the game from the sidelines.
He didn't have the patience of Zen Master Jackson. He sat motionless on the bench from beginning to end. Not everyone has that kind of calmness.
Cole looked at Tyronn Lue's anxious look and felt a subtle sense of comfort in his heart.
Although the relationship between the two has long since eased and their daily cooperation is good, they cannot be true friends and collaborators after all.
Cole is ambitious, and the Clippers are a springboard for him.
If the Clippers can enter the finals and win the championship, it will be a good thing for him.
But if he can't make it to the finals and stays put, he may replace Tyronn Lue as the head coach.
Therefore, he and Tyronn Lue have always had a cooperative and competitive relationship.
After working together for most of the season, he found that Tyronn Lue's main skills were focused on interpersonal relationships and emotional intelligence.
He has a very good relationship with the Clippers players, especially Harden. It is said that Harden is singing and dancing every night under the leadership of Tyronn Lue.
Fortunately, this guy is young and strong. Otherwise, he has to train, play games, and indulge in fun. How can he afford it?
The team pursues a 12-man rotation, and Tyronn Lue can be said to be equally exposed, allowing every player to get a chance to play.
This is unique in the NBA, allowing both main stars and role players to stay calm and play team basketball.
Even the San Antonio Spurs have troubles popping up from time to time, and Popovich's strategy is to send them all away.
Tyronn Lue can put the whole team together. Of course, he knows that there is Smart behind him. This general manager is the ballast of the Clippers.
But other than this advantage, in terms of tactical thinking and on-the-spot command, Tyronn Lu is mediocre and has no bright spots.
During the regular season, Tyronn Lue often called a timeout, and Cole used the tactical board to make arrangements.
Both parties have gradually become accustomed to this cooperation model.
But in this game, Cole suddenly stopped saying much and left everything to Tyronn Lue.
In the third quarter of the game, the Clippers did not have a climax of counterattack and quickly narrowed the point difference.
On the contrary, the Lakers still maintained pressure on the Clippers, and Paul and Kobe also entered the state.
The two took turns taking the ball to attack, and it was really difficult for the Clippers' defense to suppress this duo's combination.
What's even more terrible is that the Clippers still didn't hit a three-pointer in the third quarter.
George and even Gasol on the outside tried long-range three-pointers, but they all missed.
Curry was still pestered by Paul. He kept harassing Curry with small movements, making it impossible for Curry to catch the ball, dribble, and shoot comfortably.
Harden seemed to be afraid when facing Kobe. He felt a little timid in taking shots and passing the ball.
After all, Kobe was famous. When he became famous, Harden and Curry were still children and grew up watching Kobe play in front of the TV.
Kobe was in pretty good shape tonight, with a high shooting percentage on the offensive end. Although he was not as aggressive as he was on the defensive end when he was young, he kept talking trash to Harden.
Kobe's trash talk was not swearing, but constantly provoking and belittling Harden, thinking that Harden was not good, he couldn't make the next shot, you didn't dare to break through, you couldn't guard me, etc.
Harden's character is not one of those who retaliate against others. He just wants to play well. Although he is angry when faced with this kind of provocation, he does not have the urge to kill you with passion.
The Clippers were gradually suppressed by the Lakers in terms of morale.
At the eighth minute of the third quarter, Paul held the ball in the middle to support Bynum, who was stuck in the three-second zone.
Bynum caught the ball and turned around and hit a hook shot, scoring two points. The Lakers led the Clippers by 12 points at 69:57.
Tyronn Lue immediately called a timeout. 12 points was the largest point difference between the two sides at halftime, and the Clippers were in a bit of a mess.
Seeing that the two young men were in average condition, Tyronn Lue decisively shifted the focus of the offense to the inside.
Randolph is the team's anchor, and he can still play when the energy is needed.
At the same time, Tyronn Lue made a substitution and replaced Curry, who was in average condition, with Fisher.
Curry complained to Tyronn Lue, "The third quarter hasn't lasted long."
As the team's number one star, he was substituted after playing just over four minutes in the second half. It was really not the treatment he deserved.
Tyronn Lue explained: "Let's adjust the rhythm a little bit. You will be back later. Don't worry, adjust Stephen."
During the regular season, Tyronn Lue often made substitutions like this. After three or four minutes in a quarter, he would replace the starting core and replace him with someone else.
If it's another team or another star, like James, and you let him go after four minutes of playing, then the coach can also do it, so there's no need to do anything.
Unlike the Clippers, multi-player rotation is the team's basic strategy. The coach can allocate personnel at will, regardless of what the players think.
But Curry just complained. He didn't have any complaints in his heart. He was actually more complaining about his poor condition.
Cole looked at Curry who was a little depressed and comforted: "It's okay Stephen, too much playing time is not necessarily a good thing for you. Efficiency is what you have to achieve."
There is no doubt about Cole's preference for Curry. In Cole's heart, Curry is an extension of himself to a certain extent. He was determined from the moment he came to the Clippers.
Cole used to be a player whose external conditions looked similar to Curry's, a small guard, a shooter, and average physical fitness.
But Curry can obviously do much more than Cole, and Cole's dreams that are difficult to realize on the court may not be possible with Curry.
Curry is also one of the reasons why Cole is willing to stay with the Clippers and serve as Tyronn Lue's assistant coach. He doesn't want Curry's talent to be wasted.
Among Tyronn Lue's various decisions, reducing Curry's playing time is one point that Cole also agrees with.
He believes that it is best to control Curry's playing time to the early 30 minutes. He is more efficient for 30 minutes than sitting on the court for 40 minutes.
Tyronn Lue's adjustments worked, and Randolph and Gasol began to attack more in the low post.
The offensive rebounding scramble arranged during the halftime break also had a certain effect.
Randolph got consecutive offensive rebounds under the basket, made a layup that caused his opponent to foul, and made consecutive free throws.
The Clippers played a 7:2 spurt, narrowing the point difference and making the score close.
When Fisher received a pass from Randolph and hit a corner three-pointer, the difference between the two sides narrowed to only 4 points!
But at this time, Kobe faced Harden one-on-one at the top of the arc and hit a mid-range shot, widening the point difference again.
Kobe still has the ability to hit shots accurately and suppress the opponent's momentum when he is feeling energetic.
After a four-minute rest, Curry reappeared in the second half of the third quarter, but his three-pointer after the outside pick-and-roll screen still failed to hit.
When Curry struggles to hit three-pointers, it becomes difficult for the Clippers to win.
Min Congda knew this pattern clearly. At the end of the third quarter, the Clippers trailed the Lakers by 11 points, 81:92.
The scoring efficiency of both sides is relatively high, but the Lakers obviously have more firepower.
Kobe has scored 27 points in the third quarter, and Paul also scored 20 points.
The two's mid-range jump shots are unstoppable and are tailor-made for the playoffs.
The fourth quarter was about to begin. During the break, Tyronn Lue took the tactical board and wanted to make some arrangements.
The situation is not good for the Clippers. Without the two stars in the backcourt, it will be difficult to compete with the Lakers with only the inside duo.
What arrangements can be made? I don’t know, I feel like my mind is blank!
Look at Mr. Smart sitting behind the bench, and Miss Ada.
Ada had no intention of handing over the note, and it seemed that Smart could not be counted on.
What about Cole? This guy looks like he's dead tonight, what's the use of you?
At this moment, Tyronn Lue couldn't think of any ingenious arrangements or tactics that could break the game.
Or, like Smart, he thought of an extremely crucial substitution that could change the situation of the game.
Unexpected, what should I do?
Tyronn Lue thought to himself: "Forget it, why are you thinking so much? I'll just give the ball to the person with the strongest scoring ability on the team, and that's it."
"Curry is the best scorer on the team. Even if he is not in good form, I still have to believe in him, right? He had a lot of rest time in the first three quarters."
"If I give the ball to the best scorer on the team, why isn't it called a tactic? When Jackson was with the Bulls, didn't he also give the ball to Jordan?"
"That's it. The tactics in the fourth quarter are still firmly around Curry and let Curry play!"
(End of chapter)
