On November 3rd, the Clippers faced their second opponent at home, an equally eye-catching team, the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors did their homework in this year's draft. They first took Lillard with the sixth pick. His shooting ability is very popular with the Warriors.
Then Ricky Rubio was traded with the Timberwolves for Harris-Barnes, making the team's No. 3 position more solid.
They also selected forward Draymond Green in the second round, a diminutive No. 4 who was not favored before the draft.
The Warriors took a fancy to his vitality on the court, as well as his comprehensiveness and competitiveness.
At the center position, the Warriors also acquired Andrew Bogut, plus David Lee at the fourth position, and Jeremy Lin on the bench. It can be said that the Warriors already have a good main framework.
Moreover, this framework is quite young, the salary structure is healthy, and the potential is great.
In 2009, the Warriors were obsessed with acquiring Stephen Curry.
The result was obtained by the Clippers.
Curry's subsequent performance proved that Nelson's thoughts and ideas were correct, but he was too ahead of his time.
In this year's draft, the Warriors management took a fancy to Lillard, a third-year rookie who has similarities to Curry.
In order to welcome Lillard's arrival, the Warriors simply traded away the team's popular guard Monta Ellis and sent it to the Bucks for Bogut, reshaping the team's backcourt and providing strong support. Lillard and Klay Thompson.
In the Warriors' opening game of the new season, Damian Lillard, who was playing away from home, made 7 of 16 shots, scored 21 points and 10 assists, and hit a quasi-winner at the last minute!
Helped the Warriors defeat the Suns in Phoenix 98:96 and won their first win of the season.
Lillard also became the third rookie to score 20 points and 10 assists in his debut, following Oscar Robertson and Isaiah Thomas.
Lillard's wonderful performance made the Warriors management and fans ecstatic. They believe that the team has found the perfect replacement for Curry, and even Lillard may be even stronger.
However, yesterday's game on November 2nd gave the Warriors a blow.
They returned home and made their first appearance in Oracle in the new season, but lost to the Grizzlies who played back-to-back away games.
Grizzlies No. 1 had just returned from a defeat at Staples, and the entire team vented all their anger on the Warriors.
David Lee looked weak and helpless in front of Griffin, while Lillard was cared for by Conley and Tony Allen, truly experiencing NBA-level intensity.
It turns out that it's not that he is too strong, but that the Suns are really a bit weak.
On November 3rd, when the Warriors came to challenge the Clippers, they seemed to lack confidence.
The Grizzlies were beaten by the Clippers by more than 20 points in the first game, and the battle was basically over after the first half.
The Warriors can't even beat the Grizzlies, so where do they have the confidence to challenge the Clippers?
However, in NBA games, the state is never static.
It does not mean that if A defeats B and B defeats C, A will definitely defeat C.
Naturally, this battle has attracted a lot of attention. Not only was the venue full tonight, but the ticket prices were also very high.
Because this game has a big gimmick, Jeremy Lin, who has a lot of attention in California.
After going to the Warriors, there are many Chinese people in San Francisco, and Jeremy Lin's popularity is even more overwhelming, which has added a lot of topics to the Warriors.
The aftermath of Jeremy Lin's Linsanity last season is still lingering, and Jeremy Lin also exerted his energy on the Clippers' road to the championship.
Before the game started, the Clippers also held a simple championship ring awarding ceremony for Jeremy Lin. The audience also burst into applause to thank him for the surprise he brought to the Clippers last season.
"Why doesn't your team keep Jeremy Lin?" Yang Ruosi asked Min Congda curiously from the seat behind the Clippers bench.
Before Min Congda started, he didn't expect that these two people were sitting next to his seat, so close.
Later, when he thought about it, he realized that he had given the ticket to Kevin, and it must have been Kevin who gave it to his sister.
This season, Min Congda has become the biggest scalper in Los Angeles, and he is the kind of scalper who does not make any money, always giving away tickets.
Especially those tickets for high-quality seats in the front row are given away everywhere, which makes the Clippers, who already don’t have much retail ticket sales, even worse.
This is the first time for Yang Ruosi to come to the United States to watch the NBA live. As a basketball novice, she obviously came here for Jeremy Lin.
After Yao Ming retired, Jeremy Lin was the only yellow face left in the NBA, and there was another one sitting off the court.
Faced with Yang Ruosi's question, Min Congda thought for a while and replied: "No money. He played too well last season and requires too much salary, which I can't afford."
Min Congda's words are not completely nonsense. Jeremy Lin's contract expires in the summer, and he must hope to get a big contract after making a name for himself.
The Clippers can give it, but it's really not worth it for Jeremy Lin. They have too many talents on the back line.
Of course, Min Congda's real consideration is that Jeremy Lin is too powerful, has good strength and is very popular. He is a huge hidden danger and must not be retained.
So he was purged together with his lifelong enemy Fisher.
Yang Ruosi nodded thoughtfully, she didn't understand this very well.
Soon her attention was attracted by the lively and gorgeous performance.
The huge noise and noisy atmosphere at the scene made her even more confused.
This doesn't look like a competition, it's more like a super large circus performance, very lively.
The game is about to begin, and the Warriors' starting lineup is Bogut, David Lee, Lillard, Barnes and Thompson.
The Clippers are still the starting five. On the bench tonight, Milicic will be absent due to an elbow injury.
This means Anthony Davis will appear earlier and get more game time.
A jump ball in the middle circle started the game between the two sides, and the Clippers launched their first attack.
In addition to the transformation of the Warriors' lineup in the summer, there is also a major change, which is the arrival of a new head coach.
It is none other than Mark Jackson, who previously failed in the competition for the Clippers' new coach.
After coming to the Warriors, Mark Jackson immediately began to carry out tactical reforms, determined to build the Warriors into a strong team with both offense and defense.
Therefore, the first thing Jackson emphasized was defense. The team also traded away Ellis, who was strong in offense and weak in defense, and introduced center Bogut to enrich the team's three-second zone.
This means that Nelson's crazy experiment with the Warriors since 2006 has come to an end, and the team still cannot do without the defensive protection provided by the big center inside.
Of course, Nelson's experiment was not without results. On the contrary, his legacy will always affect the development of the NBA and become more and more prominent in the future.
Before the game, Mark Jackson obviously carefully studied the video of the game between the Clippers and the Grizzlies. The Warriors learned from the Grizzlies' lessons and adopted man-to-man defense at the beginning, expanded the defensive formation, and did not shrink or double-team at will.
Bogut squatted near the three-second zone and couldn't get out. Marc Gasol ran to the three-point line to block people, leaving David Lee to mark Gasol. Bogut stayed close to the basket. Deal with Randolph.
The Clippers' first offense started with Harden receiving a pass from Curry and beating Thompson on the wing, but the jump shot failed.
Bogut got a backcourt rebound, and the Warriors launched a counterattack. Lillard held the ball across half court, cut to 45 degrees after the pick-and-roll, and immediately shot a mid-range jumper!
Shot made!
Curry's defense was not very tight on this ball, and the Clippers' defense was relatively relaxed in the mid-range.
They are still much the same as last season. The first priority of defense is not to strangle the opponent, but to ensure that they do not collapse.
You can play more relaxedly in certain attacks, and even explode at certain points.
However, after a long period of time and throughout the game, the Clippers were rarely allowed to score consecutively by their opponents and were completely unable to defend themselves.
Their defense rarely breaks down, requiring the head coach to call a timeout to recover.
They always maintain a certain intensity, try to interfere as much as possible according to the tactical requirements and tacit understanding, and then put all their energy into the offense.
After a quick serve from the backcourt, Curry dribbled the ball before half-court, and passed a long ball to the frontcourt. Randolph had already occupied his position in advance.
He caught the ball, turned around, and beat David Lee. His left-hand throw hit the board, and the Clippers scored the first point.
Lillard then screened and cut in the same position. This time Curry's defense chose to squeeze through the screen to prevent Lillard's shot.
Gasol also dropped immediately after the pick-and-roll to protect the penalty area. Anyway, Bogut has no shooting ability from the outside.
If you stand outside, just stand there, what's the use?
Lillard chose to pass the ball to Thompson. Thompson shook Harden and missed the shot.
Gasol got the backcourt rebound, Harden held the ball through half court, and suddenly a through ball was passed to George who was cutting through the air.
George caught the ball and made an easy layup, scoring two more points!
Both times the Clippers attacked, they caught the Warriors by surprise.
The two passes between Curry and Harden were also bold and full of imagination.
If it were replaced by other players and other teams, these two offenses may not be successful.
Then the Warriors continuously passed the ball from the outside and found that the Clippers' defense was airtight and lacked intensity, but there were no loopholes.
Unable to find a gap after repeated passes, the ball holder's personal ability was tested. Thompson caught the ball and made a strong shot again, but still missed...
It can be seen that Thompson is quite confident in his shooting. Both of his shots were forced shots in the face of the defense.
Unfortunately, he had poor touch at the start of the game tonight and kept hitting the ball. Inside, Gasol once again collected backcourt rebounds.
Bogut tried to grab the offensive rebound, but the gain outweighed the gain because the Clippers counterattacked very quickly.
Gasol made a long pass to the frontcourt. Curry received the ball and accelerated the breakthrough with the ball, attracting the defense to pass the ball to the bottom corner.
Harden caught the ball and hit a three-pointer!
The Clippers' offense at the beginning was smooth and smooth, and they stopped the Warriors at 7:2.
Mark Jackson immediately saw the problem and asked Bogut to grab another offensive rebound during the timeout.
If he couldn't grab it, it would affect his retreat, and he was chased and beaten by the Clippers.
As for the offense, we can only let the players adjust their feelings.
The Warriors are also a very young team, and young players need to experience the game on their own.
After returning from the timeout, the Warriors chose to open up and let Barnes catch the ball on the left side and attack George alone.
Barnes tried to go to the baseline and rush in, but this is not the NCAA. George's defense is stronger than last year.
He directly cut the ball from Barnes, Randolph grabbed the ball, and the Clippers counterattacked again.
The Warriors all quickly returned to defense, but this time Harden broke through the middle with the ball alone and made a layup that caused Thompson to foul and make a free throw.
The Warriors players are a little discouraged, they can't defend themselves, they can't defend them at all!
In fast break counterattack, each of the Clippers' five points has the ability to finish, and each can make sudden shots.
And it also has a dual-core processor, two brains, Curry Harden can pass the ball, and they are both the main players who average about 8 assists per game.
As Harden made two free throws, the Clippers established a 7-point lead, and the game began to enter the Clippers rhythm.
On the sidelines, Min Congda looked at the Clippers' sharp offense and shook his head in his heart, cursing Mark Jackson for not being able to arrange defense.
"You grabbed NM's offensive rebounds and didn't know how to return to defense earlier? And at the beginning, they expanded the formation one-on-one and made the defense so loose. Isn't this looking for a fight!"
Min Congda said it was easy, but if the Warriors shrink their formation, the Clippers' three-pointers will teach their opponents how to behave.
In short, the Clippers' offense has reached a point where it is very difficult to defend, and in the end it is often about state and personal ability.
On the sidelines, Yang Ruosi watched the game very seriously and asked questions from time to time.
She would turn her head to communicate with Lin Yu. Lin Yu didn't know, so she turned her head and leaned into Min Congda's ear and asked him loudly.
Unlike those girls who know nothing about basketball and always ask stupid questions, Yang Ruosi obviously did some homework before the game and she knew the basic rules.
The questions she asked were quite good.
"Why is your offensive rhythm so much faster than your opponents?"
"Well... because quick counterattacks are the best way to score. Our players work well together and are very talented in offense."
"The Warriors always let No. 0 hold the ball alone. It seems like anyone on your team can hold the ball and move forward."
"Each of our players has the ability to control the ball and organize, including No. 33 Gasol. Our playing style is very flexible."
Min Congda didn't expect that Yang Ruosi's observations were very detailed, which showed that she was watching the game seriously.
The Warriors' tactics still feel very traditional, with Lillard as the core ball-handler and the point guard organizing the offense.
For the Clippers, Harden and Curry take turns holding the ball. At the same time, George, Randolph, and even Gasol can get the ball through half the court.
This makes the Clippers' offense extremely flexible and changeable, and the Warriors' defense is a bit at a loss.
Min Congda had some doubts in his heart. Is Tyronn Lue's level so high?
This bitch pretended to be a pig and deceived me during the conversation. In fact, he had very clever offensive tactics!
In fact, Min Congda was simply overthinking it. Tyronn Lue just had no opinion and could not control the diverse thoughts of young players.
Just ignore it and discuss and learn how to fight it yourselves!
The Clippers' offense has unprecedented freedom.
More importantly, they are still evolving.
Near the end of the first quarter, the Warriors made a substitution and Jeremy Lin came on as a substitute.
There was warm applause at the scene. Jeremy Lin crossed himself on his chest and replaced Lillard.
However, his appearance failed to change the situation on the court. The Clippers were already 31:21, leading the Warriors by 10 points.
Min Congda found the game very boring, so he asked Ada to secretly get him some popcorn and Coke and hide them in his bag for him to enjoy.
Ada looked a little unhappy. She was obviously hostile to this Chinese woman who suddenly appeared, but she still did as she was told.
Yang Ruosi found it strange when she saw Min Congda eating popcorn and drinking Coke secretly, and asked him why.
"Well... the NBA has a Smart rule specifically for me, prohibiting me from eating popcorn and drinking drinks on the sidelines. Because... they are thinking about my health."
(End of chapter)
