In last year's series between the Clippers and the Lakers, the Clippers won by relying on offense and the endless physical fitness of young people.
By the fifth and sixth games of the series, the Lakers' rhythm and physical fitness could no longer keep up with the Clippers, and they were eventually dragged to death by the Clippers.
This season, after half a season of transformation by Mike Malone, the Clippers have become heavier in play style and more robust defensively.
The Lakers' inbounds ball, Paul re-catched the ball and started calling for a pick-and-roll.
The Lakers' offense is completely initiated from the outside, and neither Jordan Hill nor McGee inside has the ability to attack independently.
D'Antoni's tactical arrangement is very simple and clear, which is to use a lot of pick-and-rolls to create one-on-one opportunities for Paul, Kobe, Iguodala and Metta World Peace to defeat their opponents.
Paul's ability to play small and big is very good. Once the opponent switches defense after the pick-and-roll, Paul can directly attack the opponent's big man when he has the opportunity.
If there is no defense change and there is a gap in the defense, Paul will choose to pass the ball to create opportunities for his teammates.
Kobe's defensive appeal is still very strong, and Paul has plenty of space in the backcourt.
But this time after receiving the ball and picking and rolling, Paul was unexpectedly flanked by Curry and Gasol!
Double-teamed the ball holder, Paul quickly passed the ball to McGee, and Gasol immediately retreated.
McGee catches the ball, the inside is empty, dribbles the ball and rushes in with big strides!
"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle and McGee walked.
McGee, who still wanted to dunk hard, could only throw the ball back to the referee, lower his head and run back to defend.
McGee was not prepared for this ball. He originally thought that after the pick-and-roll, he would immediately move down to eat the cake or grab the offensive rebound.
Unexpectedly, it turned into an attack with the ball, and there was no one in front of him, only Randolph on the flank and Gasol catching up from behind.
The opportunity to directly attack the basket was lost. He made a mistake at his feet and was called for a walk.
Subsequently, the Clippers' outside attack also failed to hit, and the Clippers' offense felt average at the beginning.
It is true that the first round ended too early, the rest time was a bit long, and the offense needed to find its feel.
But the Clippers' defense was quite tough. Paul tried to cut in from the left this time, but was flanked by Leonard.
It's rare that the Clippers adopted a defensive strategy of a lot of flanking at the beginning, forcing Paul to play the ball.
There is no problem with Paul's passing, but except for Kobe, others, especially the two insiders, have very limited ability to handle the ball.
Iguodala is not a top expert at holding and handling the ball, so the Lakers' offense seems a little hasty and messy.
Leonard let go of Iguodala in a double attack. Iguodala turned and cut to the basket. Paul's pass came to him. He caught the ball and layup, but was blocked by Gasol and missed.
McGee wanted to grab the offensive rebound, but was blocked by Randolph. Fatty Lan grabbed the backboard and passed the ball to Curry. The Clippers quickly counterattacked!
George took the lead and got rid of Kobe. Curry made a long pass to the basket. George caught the ball and licked the basket in the middle!
As the team's fast-break arrow, George has very high sensitivity when making quick breaks.
Kobe faced George in this game and was at a disadvantage in terms of height and physical fitness.
The main reason is that he is older. If it were Kobe when he was young, he would have unlimited physical strength and could completely defend like a mad dog.
And if playing against other teams, Kobe can completely avoid the edge of the opponent's outside core and let Iguodala take the match.
But there is no way, the opponent is the Clippers, if you don't guard George, then you have to guard Leonard, who is taller and has a longer wingspan.
Then there is James Harden on the bench, and Butler...
The Lakers still have plenty of resources at the second and third positions. They also have veteran Ci Shiping, who is still capable of fighting.
But when faced with the Clippers, who have a lot of potential talents at the third and third positions, the Lakers are a bit unsatisfied.
Then the Lakers' outside attack still missed!
Paul was flanked just after halftime.
This time Paul didn't throw the ball, but forced a breakthrough from the left side, got rid of Curry and then went to the basket from the middle.
Facing Gasol's defense, he walked in against the center, but the throw missed.
The Clippers simply have layers of levels, and each level can make the attacker peel off a layer of skin.
Moreover, the defensive positions of the players are very precise and do not give the ball holder an opportunity to take an easy shot.
Paul obviously wants to establish himself as the core of the new offense at the start.
Kobe didn't even touch the ball in three attacks.
The Lakers also failed to score a point.
In turn, the Clippers passed the ball to the low post, and Randolph caught the ball and beat Jordan Hill with his back, scoring two points.
With Fatty Lan here, the Clippers always have a stable low-post scoring spot, which is quite comfortable.
When serving in the backcourt, Kobe was obviously annoyed and said directly to Paul: "Give me the damn ball!"
After missing three consecutive goals, Paul was too embarrassed to hold the ball and attack by himself. He failed to produce any offensive routine in three rounds.
The Clippers' defense has maintained its past characteristics of being extremely resilient, and has also increased its intensity. What's even more frightening is that under the guidance of Mike Malone, the Clippers' defense has become full of cunning.
They will use tricks on the field, set up traps, and try to interfere with their opponents with trash talk, causing a double blow to their opponents both physically and mentally.
This is the only way for a young team to evolve into a veteran team, and the arrival of Mike Malone has accelerated this process.
The Lakers finally scored their first goal in the fifth possession of the offense in the third minute of the first quarter.
Kobe moved, received a pass from Iguodala at the top of the arc, hit a mid-range jumper, and scored two points.
On the Clippers' side, Leonard was used to defend Kobe Bryant, one-on-one, without double-teaming or other defensive arrangements.
This was Min Congda's strategy before the game.
If Kobe was at his peak, being so defensive would be a recipe for death.
Once Kobe's touch is open, he can really score 50 points in a game and smash your head.
But now, Kobe no longer has this ability.
And Min Congda trusts Leonard's single defense ability.
Different top scorers have relatively fearful defenders.
For example, Kevin Durant is more afraid of short and tall players.
On the contrary, Kobe's short footwork has no effect on him because his footwork is so good.
To guard against Kobe Bryant, you need good hardware, long arms, and fast movement to interfere with him to the greatest extent.
People like Prince of the Pistons and James Posey of the Celtics always have interference in front of him.
Leonard's hardware is undoubtedly excellent, with long arms, big hands, and outstanding athletic ability.
After two years of training with the Clippers, his defensive ability has been significantly improved.
After Mike Malone came to the Clippers, he regarded Leonard as a treasure and believed that he was a core offensive and defensive figure who should be vigorously cultivated.
Kobe resisted Leonard's defense and scored the Lakers' first point.
Immediately, Leonard received a pass from Curry on the wing, pulled out a mid-range shot from a zero-degree angle, and hit the target!
Leonard, who was considered a poor shooter when he was drafted, actually doesn't shoot that badly.
In this regard, Ball is indispensable. The shooting coaching team he hired is the top in the league and has put a lot of effort into improving Leonard's shooting.
At this time, the score on the court was 8:2, and the Clippers led the Lakers by 6 points.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that there is a gap in strength between the two sides.
It's not that the Lakers aren't good, it's that the Clippers have no dead ends.
Paul dribbled the ball halfway through the court, and Curry was like candy, sticking to Paul.
Anyway, he doesn't have to save energy. He averages 30 minutes of playing time per game in a season, and his physical reserves are quite good.
After three more minutes of play, Tyronn Lue will start the rotation and Curry will go to rest. Why not seize the time to have a good fight with Paul?
Paul began to make more small movements with his hands, trying to fend off Curry with his left hand to get more space for himself.
After all, Paul is an experienced star, and his initial difficulties were unexpected, but he quickly made adjustments.
He keenly found Kobe Bryant who was cutting to the basket, and suddenly passed a long pass to the three-second zone. Kobe jumped up to catch the ball.
Turn around, shake Leonard away with a fake move, step up and down, take a step in, hang in the air, and then hit a close shot!
Kobe's goal was quite beautiful. The Clippers' defense was at its best, but Kobe still moved around and scored the ball.
But immediately, Curry made a single block from the outside and hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc!
The Staples Center was filled with even louder cheers than when Kobe Bryant scored just now.
Curry's disregard for defense and indiscriminate killing from beyond the three-point line cannot be found in the entire league to deal with it.
The score reached 11:4, and the point difference was further widening.
The game entered an official timeout, giving the Lakers a chance to breathe.
On the bench, the Lakers players were panting.
Although the game against the Nuggets was tough, and the away game in Plateau was also tough, the Nuggets' strength is really not on the same level as the Clippers.
Although the intensity of the first round was high, the Lakers were actually the dominant side, controlling the rhythm, while the Nuggets were the pursuers.
As this situation unfolded, most of the Lakers' offensive routines were manipulated, and many tactics could not be used.
If it weren't for Kobe's personal ability, they would have been even worse at the start.
On the Clippers bench, Tyronn Lue received a small note from Aida - written by Min Congda.
The note read: "Replace Dragic with Paul, Curry rests, Harden replaces George, slow down the pace, attack the inside, and don't allow counterattacks."
Tyronn Lue understands that Mr. Smart is going to micromanage!
Min Congda doesn't know how to micro-manage easily. Once he starts micro-managing, it shows that he takes the game very seriously.
Of course, Tyronn Lue strictly followed Min Congda's instructions and made personnel changes, replacing Curry early.
Curry was confused. Am I, the starting core, so hopeless? After playing for four minutes, you asked me to go down and rest?
But Curry didn't say much. He obeyed the coach's instructions and Dragic came on the stage.
Before going on the court, Tyronn Lue also gave some instructions.
It can be seen that the Clippers are going to start a wheel-and-wheel battle with Paul, and they are going to torture Paul to death.
Min Congda grasped the rhythm of the game very accurately.
He knew that with Paul's style of play, he would be overwhelmed by his opponent without scoring for four minutes.
After the timeout came back, the Clippers relaxed a little, and Paul would definitely take the opportunity to steal points.
For example, after a single block, you can hit a mid-range shot, or you can quietly hold the ball and sneak into the paint to make a zero-distance jump shot from the bottom corner.
This is a skill that Paul makes good use of, and it is also where he is smart.
This kind of stolen points actually doesn't have much impact on the progress of the game. This kind of opportunity will not be given at critical moments.
However, this will help Paul regain the rhythm of the game, and at the same time, his data will not be too ugly.
Min Congda saw this clearly and replaced Curry, whose defensive momentum had declined slightly, and let Drain play.
As soon as Della appeared on the scene, she came with a mission and immediately moved towards Paul.
Paul thought to himself, what the hell is happening again? What's going on with the Clippers, what grudges do you have, why are you staring at me like this?
With the strength of the Clippers, they didn't need to play like this originally. If they played normally, they would still be stronger than the Lakers.
And targeting someone like this is a typical murderous act.
Sure enough, after returning from the timeout, Paul tried to steal two points, but was flanked by Dragic and Harden.
Pass the ball to Kobe, Kobe takes a three-point shot from the outside and hits!
Kobe scored 7 points in a row.
Then Harden broke through Kobe with the ball and made a layup that caused Kobe to foul. He went to the free throw line and made two free throws.
Regardless of offense or defense, the Lakers' focus seems to be on Kobe.
Harden made two free throws.
At this time, Kobe slowly found the feel of the game and began to increase his shots.
Duang…
Missed, the Clippers got the backcourt rebound, and Harden pushed back to counterattack.
In the third-line fast break, Harden passed a long pass to Randolph. Randolph caught the ball in the middle and layup, but Iguodala blocked the shot!
But Gasol followed up and made a tip-in.
Iguodala blocked the ball very beautifully and it was a successful return defense.
However, the Clippers always have a back-up, and they do have too many players.
At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers have completed a nine-man rotation, but their defensive intensity has not diminished at all.
At 27:17, the Clippers led the Lakers by 10 points in the first quarter.
Kobe scored 11 points in a single quarter, more than half the Lakers' points.
And Paul? 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 turnover.
Paul is so depressed. What's going on? Why are the Clippers targeting me like this?
He must know that he has become the new core of the Lakers, so he must find a way to suppress me!
Paul knew that in this case, he had to stand up and prove himself.
Not only for the team, but also for his newly won status as the team leader.
You can't just give up your position as the boss just three days after you can't beat the Clippers the next day, right?
This is too embarrassing.
In fact, even if Paul performs normally, the Lakers still can't beat the Clippers.
Curry reappeared in the second quarter, but Paul was absent. Facing Blake, Curry hit consecutive three-pointers from the outside.
Single-block three-pointer, quick counterattack three-pointer, after receiving Harden's pass, he hit a three-pointer directly from the left side at a 45-degree angle!
Curry's hands were so hot in the second quarter. Without Paul, the Lakers couldn't prevent Curry's three-pointer.
This is also a problem for the entire league. After all, the Clippers are a team with balanced strength and cannot be targeted individually.
The score was immediately stretched to 39:23, and the Clippers quickly led by 16 points.
The Lakers requested a timeout, and Paul volunteered to come on the court and lead the second team for a while!
By the way, he needs to curb Curry's three-point touch on the defensive end.
But as soon as the timeout ended, Curry actually left the game for the Clippers.
His replacement was the Clippers' third substitute, Livingston.
(End of chapter)
