Min Congda's sense of the game is still very keen, and the Clippers' rotation is indeed somewhat different from the past.
Curry's playing time increased significantly in the first quarter, which delayed Harden's debut time.
Originally, Harden usually appeared in the middle of the first quarter, and then the Clippers would play a variation on offense to catch their opponents off guard.
With Curry reappearing in the second quarter, teaming up with Harden to maximize the firepower, if the opponent's second lineup is not fully prepared, they may be pulled away.
But tonight, in the first and second quarters, the Clippers adopted another rotation method, allowing Curry to play until the first quarter, playing the entire first quarter.
Harden came on as the sixth man at the end of the first quarter, leading the substitutes in the transitional phase, then came off in the middle of the second quarter, and reappeared at the end of the second quarter according to the situation on the court.
The reason why the coaching staff adopts this rotation method is indeed to consider further increasing Curry's role, especially to let him play the entire first quarter so that he can develop his touch.
Second, the coaching staff believes that the previous large rotation cut the playing time too thinly, which is not conducive to the further growth of the players.
Young players can increase the ball in this way, get themselves into shape as soon as possible, and make up for the lack of confrontation with endless running and high-intensity confrontation on the court.
Young players have this ability. They can play without warming up before the game, just change their clothes and go on the court.
But Clippers players don't age forever. The young players are gradually entering their maturity. After the end of last season, everyone began to suffer some injuries in the summer.
The older you get, the more you need to maintain a stable playing time in the game, let your body slowly warm up, and maintain a good rhythm throughout the game.
For veterans like Zach Randolph, Tyronn Lue basically doesn't toss him in the rotation. He plays about 7-8 minutes per quarter, which is very stable and a steady force.
Now Randolph is 33 years old and is about to enter the later stage of his playing career. Such an old car needs to be well maintained in order to perform at a good level.
At the same time, the Clippers must gradually make Curry the absolute core and take over the baton from Randolph, so the coaching staff must also make Curry's playing time longer and more stable.
From this point of view, the Clippers coaching staff is quite far-sighted and cannot have a stable job. Since there is no need to worry about immediate results (the general manager does not care), it is natural to take a long-term view (the general manager's mantra).
Players are the team's most important and valuable assets. On-field performance is not only a player's personal ability and on-the-spot performance, but also tests the coaching staff's use of players and daily physical and mental maintenance.
From this point of view, Min Congda's four years of "not fussing" and "recuperating" have wiped out the Clippers' past thirty years of eagerness for quick success, stinginess, and lack of attention to player logistics. The Clippers have gone from top to bottom. Everyone has a winning culture.
Before the game, Tyronn Lue said to the players, "Because we changed the rotation this time, we may encounter some difficulties and problems during the game. The result is not important. What is important is that during the game, we must gain something."
The Lakers are relatively more eager for quick success, but their players are in really good shape tonight and their morale is very high.
After all, the new season has just begun, the whole team is united, and the substitute players want to perform well and leave a good impression on the fans and management.
In the second quarter, the Lakers' bench shock wave caught the Clippers off guard. Tyronn Lue called a timeout, and Curry reappeared to stabilize the situation.
At the end of the first half, the Clippers and Lakers tied at 53:54, and the Lakers were only 1 point behind the Clippers.
This made Min Congda very dissatisfied and thought, "What happened? Why did it end up like this in the second quarter? We had a good rotation last season, why do we need to change our thinking in the new season? What kind of rotation is Curry doing? First Play a full quarter, then half a quarter, why are you so rigid!"
In Min Congda's view, the Clippers' rotation is very rigid and does not make adjustments based on the actual situation at all.
If Min Congda were to be the head coach, he would definitely adjust the rotation at any time based on the situation on the field.
However, Min Congda's coaching style is a typical championship style. He is suitable for playing in the NCAA national competition, a single elimination system.
Every game is a new situation, and every game is a life and death battle. In just one month, the winner can be determined. If you win, you will move forward, if you lose, you will go home.
In this case, a fixed rotation will be fatal. If your opponent figures it out early on, you will be doomed if you make a strange move.
But the NBA regular season is different. There are many games, a long schedule, home and away games, and long distance travel is required.
In this case, if the rotation has to be changed every game and every game has to be based on the opponent's unique moves, it will be too much for the players' bodies and minds.
During the halftime break, Min Congda took a rare turn back to the locker room, but he resisted the urge to question Tyronn Lue to observe everyone's mood and atmosphere.
To his surprise, everyone was in a very good mood. They were talking and laughing. They didn't seem to care much about the fact that they only led by 1 point in the first half and were being chased by the Lakers!
"Sure enough, sure enough, these guys are off the mark, only leading by 1 point at halftime, and they are not ashamed? But maybe everyone is more confident, let's see how it goes in the third quarter!"
Min Congda saved his patience until the third quarter of the second half. The third quarter has always been a quarter where the Clippers are good at exerting their strength. It was difficult to separate in the first half, but it was taken away in a wave in the third quarter. This can also be regarded as a traditional performance of the Clippers. .
But Min Congda never expected that it was not the Lakers but the Clippers who were taken away in the third quarter!
The reason is also very simple. The Clippers suddenly started to hit the ground running in the third quarter and missed consecutive three-pointers from the outside.
Curry has led this wave of ironing, and obviously Chris Paul has a lot of experience in how to defend Curry.
With a challenging mentality towards FMVP, Paul stepped up his defensive intensity against Curry starting from the third quarter.
Paul has always been a pain in Curry and the Clippers' hands during the regular season.
As early as the 2009-2010 season, Chris Paul, who was still in the Hornets at the time, was simply Min Congda's god of wealth.
Killing the Clippers four times in one season gave Min Congda unlimited confidence, and he firmly promoted Paul's trade to the Lakers.
In the 12th season, the first year of partnering with Kobe, Paul also had an advantage against Curry.
Especially on the defensive end, Curry is often annoyed by all kinds of small movements and interference.
Curry was also influenced by Paul tonight, and his offensive rhythm was disrupted in the third quarter.
With continuous three-pointers and mistakes, Paul took the opportunity to lead the team to counterattack, and the Lakers also started a three-pointer frenzy.
Three-pointers were hit in continuous counterattacks, which was rarely seen in the previous Lakers. They are also following the three-point trend and increasing their three-point shots.
The Lakers successfully took the lead in the third quarter, with the maximum point difference widening to 7 points.
Without Kobe, Chris Paul showed off his ability to control the court.
At the end of the three quarters, he had scored 17 points, 11 assists, and 4 steals.
He can't wait to replace Kobe, surpass Curry, and become the new king of Los Angeles.
(End of chapter)
