How to deal with pressure is a reflection of a team's overall strength. In a huge show like the NBA, pressure is always everywhere.
For the Clippers, their pressure performance at Staples Center is sometimes not as good as on the road.
Someone has specifically calculated that since the playoffs of the 2010 season, the Clippers' performance on the road has actually been better than at home.
Sometimes they will be stolen by their opponents at home, or they will play hard to beat. As a result, when they go to the away game, they often beat their opponents to the point where they don't even recognize them.
For example, the Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals felt like they could compete with the Clippers in Staples. I thought they could always win a game or even tie when they returned to Memphis, right?
As a result, I couldn't beat him even more, so I shaved my head and went home.
There is also the Jazz in the first round, who stole home in the first game and gave the Clippers a bad start. It is also the only game the Clippers have lost in the playoffs so far.
Then they returned to Salt Lake City Plateau with the home court advantage, and were beaten by the Clippers again, with no chance of winning.
In the regular season, the Clippers often overturned at home, losing to the Cavaliers to end their winning streak, losing to underdogs at home, etc.
But in away games, especially long road trips, the Clippers can often win consecutive victories and win some tough games.
Even Min Congda knows that the Clippers are very strong in away games. Every time he went on an away trip with the team in excitement, how often did he not return disappointed?
Although the away journey is tiring, it can make players more focused and united. There are tens of thousands of people in the stadium, and no one except your teammates and coaches supports you.
Not even your general manager supports you.
In this case, players can often burst out with tremendous energy.
The dazzling lights of Los Angeles and the crazy cheers of young fans at the scene can sometimes make people lose focus.
For example, in the front row of the auction seats, there are often models and celebrities wearing sexy and revealing clothes, as well as third-rate actors, well-known Internet celebrities, etc.
They come to Staples not to watch games, but to be on TV, to be on Twitter, and to increase their exposure.
A fat guy like Harden, who is not very determined in willpower, will sometimes be attracted by these charming scenery, causing his turnover rate to greatly increase - Harden's average number of turnovers per game at home is higher than in away games.
However, the home game is not entirely negative for the Clippers. After all, with the support of tens of thousands of people in the audience, the morale of the players is very high.
Once a wave-like attack is launched, the audience will roar with cheers and support like a tsunami, often overwhelming the opponent.
Many opponents were unable to withstand the Clippers' impact in the third quarter and were taken away by the Clippers in one or two waves.
In tonight's game, the Clippers also put tremendous pressure on the Heat after the start of the third quarter.
Curry hit a three-pointer from the outside as soon as he came up. Compared with the first half, the Clippers opened up the offensive space wider in the third quarter.
As soon as Gasol passed the midfield, he started to set a pick-and-roll screen for Curry. Then Leonard and George came over to fake screens and respond.
Then spread out, Curry has many passing options, directly to the basket, the bottom corner, or one-on-one to George holding the ball at a 45-degree angle.
But Curry chose what seemed to be the most unreasonable, but to him the most reasonable way to handle the ball - to fire directly from the top of the arc two steps away from the three-point line!
Who makes Nash's defense not tight enough? For Curry, this is a big gap.
Curry's three-pointer sounded the clarion call for the Clippers' crazy attack in the third quarter.
Compared with the first half, the Clippers' offensive speed has been further improved, and the space is wider at the same time.
George and Leonard increased their three-point shots. After Curry hit a three-pointer, Leonard faced Lewis at a 45-degree angle on the left and also made a three-pointer.
Two consecutive three-pointers quickly widened the gap between the two sides.
The Clippers' midfield adjustments are still very targeted.
The two weakest defensive points in the Heat's starting lineup are Nash and Lewis.
The Clippers must take advantage of the Heat's two loopholes.
Tyronn Lue was right about one thing. The Clippers played too cautiously in the first half and made too few three-pointers.
A large number of inside attacks are very safe in theory, but the Heat's inside line with Howard has not been dispersed because of this.
On the contrary, Howard contributed three blocks in the first half and performed very well. On the contrary, the Clippers were suppressed inside.
The inside line is the foundation and basic guarantee of the Clippers, but the outside firepower and three-pointers are the key to the Clippers' lead in the league.
After all, the inside combination of Gasol + Randolph is indeed powerful, but looking at NBA history, there is still a gap compared with those super twin towers and inside combinations.
The Clippers' backcourt and forwards are the foundation for their strength.
After the start of the third quarter, the Clippers launched an 11:3 offensive shock wave, which suddenly widened the point difference between the two sides.
Spoelscola saw that the situation was not quite right and called a timeout to make adjustments.
At such a critical moment, Spoelstra immediately replaced Lewis and replaced him with Ray Allen.
Although Ray Allen is a defender and is older, his offense is reliable and his defense is not a colander.
Spoelstra also asked Nash to keep the pace of the game as slow as possible.
Don't look at Nash's success in the Suns. Before he went to the Suns, he was also able to play slow in the Mavericks.
The point guard is that good. His physical fitness declines with age, but his experience and court control ability are always online.
After returning to the court after the timeout, Nash began to directly take the ball and direct tactics from the outside.
Bosh asked for the ball in the low post, Nash passed it to Bosh, Bosh hit Randolph with his back, walked in the middle, and passed the ball to Nash at the top of the key.
Nash faked a shot, broke through the middle, and then passed the ball to Howard.
Howard pushed away Gasol and missed with a right hook, but he grabbed an offensive rebound and tried to get up again, but had no chance and returned the ball to Nash.
Nash dribbled out and reorganized the offense.
According to the 2013 NBA rules, after getting an offensive rebound and restarting the offense, the attack time will be adjusted back to 24 seconds.
This gives the offense enough time to consume the ball after getting it, while also allowing the opponent to cool down.
Nash understands this truth well. He knows that the Clippers are feeling hot and there is no chance of winning if they play fast with their opponents.
Nash pressed the time down to the last 10 seconds. Facing Curry's defense, Nash dribbled the ball continuously, suddenly stepped back, and made a strong shot from outside the three-point line!
Three point hit!
Nash's shooting has always been very good. He is a member of the 180 club all year round and his shooting heat map is all red.
He hit his first three-pointer of the night to help the Heat stabilize the situation.
This attack consumed more than 30 seconds, and the Clippers' enthusiasm gradually faded.
Subsequently, the Heat shrank their defense and took a gamble on the Clippers' outside touch.
George's three-pointer missed, and Ray Allen grabbed a backcourt rebound and gave it to Nash.
Nash was not in a hurry when he dribbled the ball through the half, and still controlled the rhythm by dribbling from the outside.
Howard came out to pick and roll for Nash. Nash walked to the left, slowly broke through, and suddenly made a move of horseback archery.
But from the side, Leonard had quick eyesight and quick hands. He actually reached over and blocked Nash's ball from the side and behind!
The two sides scrambled, and the Heat were extremely tenacious. Wade grabbed the ball, lay on the ground and gave the ball to Bosh, who then passed the ball to Ray Allen in the right corner.
Allen faced George, shot a three-pointer directly, and hit it again!
Two three-pointers from Nash and Ray Allen helped the Heat get closer to the game.
Nash was still frightened by this shot. He didn't expect that Leonard, who was guarding Wade, could come over and block him.
The talent and intensity of the Clippers players are indeed quite terrifying, but the Heat players have their own strong beliefs as support.
Curry immediately responded on the offensive end. It was also a pick-and-roll, and it was also a horse-riding and archery-style shot. No one in the Heat stopped him.
Hit the board and scored two points.
Although Curry scored, Min Congda could see that the rhythm of the game had actually returned to the Heat's side.
The Clippers' light fur and horse-style offense was suppressed, and the players had to get into a fight with the Heat. Their physical distribution was affected, and the offensive end must be slightly slower.
Min Congda is one of the few people who has never played football and has an extremely keen sense of the game.
Although the Clippers are now in the lead and have an advantage, he has a premonition that the Heat are likely to catch up in the second half, in the fourth quarter.
This feeling and thought made Min Congda a little excited. He thought: "This year the Clippers finally met their opponents. The Heat are indeed very powerful!"
The Heat were indeed very tenacious. In the middle of the third quarter, the Clippers put on the second lineup and hit another offensive climax.
This time it was Harden who led the way. He first hit a mid-range jumper from the free throw line, then stole Wade and counterattacked for a layup, causing Wade to foul and go to the free throw line.
Then, Harden also assisted Randolph to hit a jumper, and in the counterattack, he passed a long pass to Butler for a dunk. A series of operations brought the Clippers' lead back to double digits.
But Min Congda can see that the Clippers' passing and cutting system has not been implemented, and the back door under the basket is basically unsuccessful.
The Clippers' offense relies on the personal abilities of Curry and Harden, and their defense relies on the personal abilities of Leonard and Gasol.
In the confrontation between system and system, the Clippers did not take advantage.
In the competition of rhythm and rhythm, the Clippers also fell into the trap of the more experienced Heat.
Spoelstra immediately called a timeout, and Spoelstra's timeouts had good results every time.
This time he replaced Cole with Nash, using Haslem in the paint, and at the same time, the center of the offense was placed on Ray Allen.
At this time, the score between the two sides reached 76:66, the Heat were 10 points behind the Clippers, and there were 3 minutes left at the end of the third quarter.
Ray Allen has scored 11 points tonight and is the second-highest scorer on the team. He made 2 of 4 three-pointers.
After the offense came back from the timeout, Ray Allen ran a classic three-point tactic, slid down the baseline and turned back, catching the ball in the left corner and shooting directly.
Three point hit!
It can be said that his touch was quite hot tonight.
As Curry continues to set new records for three-pointers, the former three-point king Ray Allen seems intent on competing with Curry.
But Curry got a little carried away and immediately responded with a forced three-pointer from the outside, but missed due to Cole's entanglement.
Haslem got the backboard and passed it to Ray Allen. Allen suddenly accelerated with the ball, hit the basket, and made a layup that caused George's foul.
On the free throw line, Ray Allen made two free throws. His score had reached 16 points, and the point difference between the two sides was reduced to 5 points.
After that, neither the Clippers nor the Heat scored again. At the end of the third quarter, the score was fixed at 76:71. With a 5-point difference, the fourth quarter was completely successful.
The 38-year-old Ray Allen performed well. On the one hand, it shows that he is in good condition. On the other hand, it shows that the Clippers lack experienced defenders at the second position.
If Fisher was here, someone could match up with Ray Allen. Unfortunately, Laoyu, an important player in the finals and Smart's lifelong enemy, was sent away by Min Congda.
George, Leonard, and Butler are all young players with high energy and good defensive talents.
But defending the second position, they are too tall, which is disadvantageous.
Especially old-school players like Ray Allen have a different style of play than many young players today.
He moves sharply without the ball, and his offense with the ball is simple but efficient. Defending him requires a lot of experience.
The Clippers lack this experience at the second position. If it is Min Congda, Livingston may be given a try.
But tonight, Tyronn Lue did not make this attempt, and Livingston, as the third substitute, has been sitting on the bench.
The game entered the fourth quarter, and as Min Congda expected, after three quarters of fighting, the rhythm of the game gradually entered the hot track.
At the beginning, Wade broke through the basket and made a layup, which also caused a foul on Gasol.
Gasol was severely suppressed tonight. He had to defend Howard and face Wade's impact.
Director Lue's use of Anthony Davis is still too conservative. In fact, he should be used more.
There is no way, in the finals, the head coach's style will tend to be conservative, and non-great coaches will not dare to make surprising moves.
As Wade added a free throw, the point difference between the two sides further narrowed, and the Clippers had a two-point lead.
Tyronn Lue could no longer sit firmly on the Diaoyutai and stood on the sidelines giving orders loudly.
The pressure came on the Clippers players, and at this time Fatty Blue stepped forward.
Holding the ball in the low post and attacking Howard with his back!
He used a fake move to get away, then took a step back and made a difficult zero-angle fadeaway jumper, and he hit!
This ball is very crucial. Fatty Blue is still very reliable at this time.
However, the Heat, who have survived three quarters of the game, have found the feeling of the game.
Wade broke through again and passed the ball to Lewis. Lewis made a three-pointer and hit it!
The score difference was only 1 point, and the two sides officially entered a tug-of-war.
Tyronn Lue called a timeout, but he seemed to have no good solution and frequently looked back at the audience.
This is asking Min Congda for help! Mr. Smart, where is your little note?
How could Min Congda pass a small note to Director Lu at this time?
Looking at Coach Lu's helpless eyes, Min Congda snickered inwardly, thinking, "You are the coach and I am the coach?"
When we played against the Lakers before, I just handed you a note and used the remote control. Now you still expect me?
The helpless Tyronn Lue really couldn't think of any good solution. He could only feel that the situation was not very good.
After the timeout, Ray Allen, who was in hot form, hit another three-pointer from the outside! The Heat overtook the score!
Ray Allen's fourth three-pointer of the game. A man who had 6 three-pointers in the first half of the Finals couldn't stop him once his touch started.
However, Curry immediately hit a hit from beyond the three-point line and retaliated. The two sides had entered the decisive moment of the fourth quarter.
The first game of the finals was so intense, and the Heat's pre-game preparations seemed to be much better than the Clippers.
At this time, Ada couldn't help but said to Min Congda: "Mr. Smart, don't you want to pass a note to Director Lu?"
Min Congda wanted to say why should I hand him a note? But this was inconsistent with his personality. After thinking for a while, Min Congda took out a small note from his pocket.
He wrote nothing to Ada and said: "Ada, wait until the last moment of the game and give it to Lu."
Ada took the note and thought it had something written on it. It looked like a tip!
Is Mr. Smart so clever? Are you ready before the game?
Ada, who was originally nervous and apprehensive, calmed down.
Min Congda thought to himself: "I don't believe it. I don't write anything on this note. Is there any way I can help the Clippers?"
(End of chapter)
