At the end of the half, the Clippers led the Warriors by 11 points 68:57.
The Warriors scored 57 points at halftime, which was already a very good performance. However, the Clippers scored 68 points, and there was a clear gap in terms of hard power.
As a low-end version of the Clippers, the Warriors have the mentality to fight to the death, but they do not have the means to fight to the death.
Mark Jackson was in a passive state throughout the first half, always calling a timeout to make adjustments when the team fell behind and the situation was unfavorable.
Brother, you guys are bastards. Even in the regular season, if you want to win, you still have to win by surprise. It can only be said that Liang Jingru gave Jackson the courage to go head-to-head with the Clippers and compete with the players' status, ability and tactical qualities.
The condition of the Clippers players tonight is obviously better than the last game against the Lakers. This is the real opening game of the Clippers.
During the halftime break, the Clippers held a championship ring awarding ceremony and a championship flag raising ceremony on site.
The female owner of the team, Shelly Sterling, personally presented the players with large championship rings. The center of the ring was engraved with two O'Brien Cups, representing the Clippers' two consecutive championships.
Nineteen thousand fans at the scene witnessed another glorious moment of the Clippers. Stephen Curry personally raised the championship flag to the ceiling of Staples Center, making last year's championship flag no longer alone.
Subsequently, Shelly Sterling also gave a brief speech, thanking the Los Angeles Clippers fans for their support and promising that the team will strive for another championship this season.
There were enthusiastic cheers at the scene, and Shelley Sterling's personal reputation reached a peak, although she did not play an important role in the Clippers' team building.
But women are also natural diplomats and image managers, and Shelly Sterling is one of the best. At least she is much smarter than her ex-husband, Donald Sterling.
She knew that she didn't understand basketball, so she gave full power to Min Congda, Rosser, Olshey and others. She believed in their abilities. No matter what Min Congda decided to do, Shelly agreed.
She focuses her energy on personal image building, team business cooperation, public relations, and using her status as a boss to establish connections with celebrities in the Los Angeles entertainment and political circles.
Shelley Sterling worked hard to establish herself as a strong woman in the Los Angeles sports circle, a legendary woman who took over the team after her divorce and helped a bad team win a championship in a short period of time.
Jordan Peele and Michael Key have both written scripts for Shelly Sterling and are preparing to shoot a personal biopic with her and the Clippers as the protagonists.
If the Clippers can win three consecutive championships this year and create a dynasty, then Shelley Sterling will be at the pinnacle of her life. Although she will be 80 years old this year, wealth, power and fame will make people younger.
After being the woman behind Donald Sterling for 58 years, she has suddenly emerged in just two years. To a certain extent, she has also catered to the rising wave of feminism in American society, especially in Hollywood. She has become a representative figure of women in Los Angeles. one.
After the speech, there was warm applause.
Shelley Sterling left the center of the court with a smile, came to Min Congda's side, and asked quietly: "Smart, is it okay for me to say this?"
As the team owner, Shelly Sterling still has to listen to Min Congda when it comes to basketball.
This year, Min Congda rarely had the same interests as his boss. He nodded and said, "That's right. Our goal this year is to win the championship."
When Shelly Sterling heard Min Congda say this, she felt relieved.
But Min Congda himself had no idea. Although the Clippers easily led in the first half, Li Liang secretly reported to him just now, saying that "the situation is not optimistic."
Why is this so pessimistic? The two have not been able to communicate for the time being, but in just one day, Li Liang discovered that there are problems within the team. Is this not worrying?
The midfield ceremony ended and the game continued in the second half. The Clippers took the lead in attacking in the third quarter. Curry's mid-range jumper after the pick-and-roll failed to hit.
The Warriors counterattacked with the ball. Using the same high pick-and-roll, Lillard passed the ball to Bogut. Bogut broke through the middle and passed the ball to David Lee, who was cutting in from the wing.
David Lee caught the ball and made a layup, dodged in the air, avoided Leonard's block from behind, and scored two points.
David Lee was blocked terribly in the first half, by Leonard and Gasol. He also made adjustments during the halftime break, no longer taking direct shots, but paying attention to dodging and confrontation.
The Clippers immediately hit the inside attack. After continuous cooperation, Gasol rushed forward with the ball in the middle. Suddenly an inside pass was passed to Randolph who was cutting in from the wing. Randolph caught the ball and dunked with both hands.
The offensive modes of the two teams at the beginning of the third quarter were so similar. A lot of screens, a lot of cuts and runs, a lot of short-distance passes and cuts, the pick-and-roll became the first tactic, and the space on the court was widened. The three-point threat from the two corners is very important.
The defense in the three-second zone has become weak. Gasol and Bogut are both excellent rim-protecting centers. However, under the new rules, the defense is also quite wary and does not dare to press down casually.
The result is that both sides take the initiative to speed up the tempo of the game, because it is easy to suffer losses if you focus too much on defense. It is better to attack more.
Both Bogut and Gasol began to break through with the ball, and the fixed tactical routines were gradually broken. This was a wonderful showdown between emerging forces.
The Warriors chased points very fiercely in the third quarter. They used quick counterattacks and the sudden failure of the Clippers' outside touch to beat the Clippers 7-0, once narrowing the point difference to only 4 points.
Just when Tyronn Lue wanted to call a timeout, Curry pressed his hand to indicate not to call a timeout.
Then, Curry held the ball one-on-one on the outside and attacked Lillard alone. He used continuous dribbling and changes of direction to get past Lillard, got to the basket, faced Bogut's throw and hit the board, and scored two points!
Then, Leonard defended Barnes one-on-one, stole the ball from Barnes, and counterattacked to George. George made a fast break, dodged in the air, succeeded in a left-hand layup, and scored two more points.
The Clippers stabilized the situation.
The two sides entered a positional battle, and the Warriors' offense stalled.
Thompson missed a three-pointer and Randolph got the backboard.
Curry did not launch a counterattack. He knew that he should press the rhythm now.
Although the Warriors are not in vain if they play fast against the Clippers, but if they play slowly, the Clippers will have a greater advantage.
As a point guard, you must have the awareness to control the rhythm in order to better grasp the development of the game situation.
Curry slowly dribbled the ball across half court and passed the ball to Leonard who was asking for the ball at a 45-degree low position. Leonard received the ball and turned around and passed Barnes.
He got to the basket and made a layup against Bogut, causing a defensive foul on Bogut!
Bogut can only show his hands. How can he defend against this? No pressure, no body contact, I'm on guard!
Of course, Leonard's turn after receiving the ball is also extremely smooth, much smoother than when he first came to the Clippers.
Obviously, this group of young people in the Clippers are reaching their peak personal abilities starting from this season.
(End of chapter)
