Popovich's rejection of Min Congda was already expected. Popovich still recognized the team-building ideas of the most bizarre general manager in the league.
The team establishes and cultivates a very stable core lineup, then makes repairs on this basis, and easily moves away from this core base.
It's just that Min Congda's base became bigger and bigger. After winning the championship, the entire team immediately became a base and didn't want to move.
Popovich came over tonight mainly to say hello first. If Min Congda is willing, George can do a sign-and-trade. The Clippers will give George a long-term contract, and the Spurs will offer some chips and draft picks in exchange. This way The Clippers will not lose a quality player in vain.
However, it seems that Min Congda wants to keep George, and Popovich is not worried about this. He believes that despite Min Congda's tough words now, when George makes a big announcement in the summer, the Clippers may not necessarily have the money to keep George.
After all, the Clippers' salary has exploded. In the summer of 2014, they also faced the contract renewal issue of Milicic and Bonner.
George's Bird Rights will take up space, and the Clippers will have no room to renew Milicic or Bonner. If they can't get George, it will be good for the Spurs to bring Bonner or Milicic over.
Popovich also has an alternative target, P.J. Tucker. His contract also expires in 2014. A fringe player like Tucker has strong abilities but insufficient playing time. He has enough honors as a role player. , he can completely leave the Clippers and go somewhere with more playing time and higher wages.
The Spurs will also contact Tucker's agent privately to prepare for the summer.
Of course, Popovich's most fundamental goal hidden deep in his heart is Leonard.
If the Clippers must renew George this summer, it means that in the summer of 2015, the Clippers will definitely not have room to acquire Leonard, because they also have Butler to renew, and it is extremely difficult to have both.
The Spurs will then have the opportunity to acquire Leonard in the summer of 2015, or in the 2014-15 season, acquire Leonard through a trade in advance.
Because if Leonard does not get the commitment to renew his contract, the Spurs can communicate and offer more generous trading chips.
In this way, the Clippers will not lose an excellent small forward in the summer of 2015.
This is a choice that most normal general managers of normal teams, as well as normal players and agents, would make.
For your own future, for your own interests, and from your own standpoint, it is understandable to maximize your interests.
Therefore, Popovich does not expect to come over today to have a drink with Min Congda and watch the game and win George. This is impossible.
This is a long-term plan, and contacting Min Congda is the first step. As a team manager, if you want to trade with the other party, it is very important for both parties to have a good relationship.
NBA trading is also about human nature. It’s not just a little bit on 2K. If the chips are in compliance with the rules and reasonable, people will be willing to trade with you.
Otherwise, the Celtics won't get Garnett and the Lakers won't get Gasol. This is all due to the personal relationships behind them.
Min Congda now has the richest small forward resources in the league, and everyone will be greedy for him. Even if it is the opponent in the next round, Popovich will take the opportunity to fawn over him. Whoever has good vision will choose the right person.
Also, for Popovich, going to the VIP box of Staples to watch a game in which the Lakers were beaten in Game 7 was really enjoyable.
When Popovich was at his peak with the Spurs, he took a lot of beatings at Staples Center in the playoffs.
Tonight, the Lakers were supported by fans wearing yellow T-shirts. As a result, they fell behind the Warriors by 12 points in the third quarter.
After the start of the fourth quarter, although the Lakers struggled to catch up, the basket seemed to have a lid on the Lakers players, and they could not make any shots.
Later, the Warriors' defense just shrunk and attacked frantically, giving the Lakers opportunities to take shots from the outside, but the Lakers just couldn't make the shots.
Popovich couldn't help but laugh out loud after seeing it. Phil Jackson used to like to use this trick in the playoffs to get people's mentality. The Lakers often used this strategy of leaving one person alone to shoot and double-attacking the arrows. The opponent has no confidence at all.
Now it's better, it's retribution. The Lakers themselves missed many shots, and the point difference gradually widened. The Warriors players became more confident as they played, and their shots became more accurate.
Lillard and Klay Thompson hit jump shots in succession, once stretching the point difference to 20 points, and the Lakers completely collapsed at home.
At the end of the game, the Lakers fans at the scene couldn't stand it anymore and left the game early. Some fans even played the sign "We miss you Kobe" on the sidelines. We miss you Kobe.
People always miss something after losing it.
In fact, if it was Kobe Bryant, the loss would have been even worse, and he would have been eliminated at 2:4.
The Warriors showed very strong combat effectiveness.
Especially Lillard, who is only 2 years old, although his scoring average and shooting percentage are average, he is uncomfortable being suppressed by Paul.
However, in the extremely critical fourth game, Lillard hit a super long three-pointer to kill the Lakers and even the score to 2:2. Otherwise, it would be difficult for the Warriors to come back from a 1:3 deficit.
The tactics that Mark Jackson created to coach Curry also shine with Lillard.
In this game, Paul injured his hand, and Lillard got more room to display. He scored 27 points in a single game and made 4 of 8 three-pointers. Together with Klay Thompson, who made 5 of 9 three-pointers, Staples Center was filled with blood.
Joe Johnson's limp mid-range singles, his three-pointers that were as ineffective as Iguodala's six-vein sword (not working tonight), and Paul's stroke-like left hand, made the Lakers look old and embarrassed. In the end, they lost the tiebreaker at home with a 13-point disadvantage of 97:110.
By the end of the game, all the fans had left, and the stands were like a plague.
The disappointment of the fans is palpable, but victory and defeat are commonplace, and the fans have nothing to say. The Lakers' season is over.
Popovich drank the last drop of wine in the bottle, feeling satisfied and replenished physically and mentally.
When leaving, Popovich shook Min Congda's hand and said: "I'm looking forward to playing against the Clippers tomorrow. From this moment on, we are enemies."
Min Congda just nodded without replying and watched Popovich leave. Lao Deng on the side asked: "This hateful old guy came over to eat and drink. Why didn't you say something to him?"
Min Congda shook his head and said: "I don't take him and the Spurs seriously. But the Warriors will be a bigger threat."
Min Congda was too lazy to respond to opponents he ignored, just like an ant shouting and waving its claws at an elephant. Will the elephant pay attention to him?
The threat of the Warriors is indeed visible to the naked eye. From their system to their style of play, they are all targeting the Clippers.
Lillard has shown a great offensive threat in his sophomore year, and Thompson's three-pointers are even more accurate when he is accurate.
The most important point is that Min Congda can feel that Lillard and Thompson are new players in the NBA.
Their playing style, technical characteristics, and technical style are very different from those of the older generation of players.
A typical comparison is Paul and Joe Johnson of the Lakers. Although Paul and Joe Johnson are stronger than Billard and Thompson in terms of overall strength, the Lakers have never beaten the Warriors.
The old game style and technical characteristics are gradually falling behind and being eliminated in the high-intensity and intense playoff competition.
Simplifying the ball-holding style and emphasizing efficiency in offense are the current general trends. Maybe you can defeat your opponent in a certain game through your rich experience and exquisite skills.
But there are seven games in the series, what about the next one? What about the next one?
Once the opponent finds the rhythm of the game and feels the shot, they are unstoppable.
From this point of view, the Warriors feel very much like the Clippers.
This is how the Clippers killed the Spurs in the 2011 season.
Min Congda naturally saw such a threat, they were much scarier than the Spurs.
And the most frightening thing is that Lillard plus Thompson's salary is only $6 million.
This means that the Warriors will have huge room for maneuver in the offseason to obtain more and better resources.
However, this season, the Warriors should not be able to make it, and they are expected to stop in the second round.
If the Warriors play the Thunder in the second round, it will probably be difficult to beat them.
However, this year's Thunder are not as strong as they look.
Min Congda has had a lot of dealings with the Thunder. The biggest feeling given to him by the Thunder is that he is strong on the outside but hard on the inside.
The talent is very high and very sharp, but the thickness is insufficient, especially without Harden.
If it were a life-and-death game, the Thunder might fight all the way to the end.
However, in consecutive series, the Thunder's fault tolerance rate is not very good, and it is always a little worse than those strong teams in history that finally won the championship.
Either there is a missing player on the bench, or the core players are missing at critical moments. In short, they are short of breath.
Therefore, it is still unclear who will win between the Thunder and the Warriors. Don't underestimate the seventh-ranked Warriors.
The next day, it was still at Staples Center, where the Western Conference semifinals between the Clippers and the Spurs began.
Both Popovich and Min Congda came to the sidelines from the VIP box, one sitting on the bench and the other sitting in the audience.
Compared with the past, Min Congda participated in the team's pre-match tactical preparation meeting tonight. With the lessons learned in the first round, the Clippers, from players to coaching staff, have become more cautious.
In round after round of the series, coaches and players are growing, learning, and absorbing experiences and lessons.
Min Congda did not give out the strategy directly and arbitrarily. Instead, he asked the coaching staff to discuss together and formulate a sound plan.
Mike Malone is the leader of the plan. He changed his past conservative and defense-oriented approach and gave a more balanced offensive and defensive tactical strategy.
Ma Long is not a person who takes eccentric swordsmanship. His strategies are never as sharp and ruthless as Min Congda's, and he doesn't like to use some extreme lineups. He pursues a heavy sword without edge, a style of skill and skill, and he plays steadily and wins his opponents in a down-to-earth manner. .
Therefore, in terms of lineup, the Clippers' starting lineup is still the combination of Gasol, Randolph, Leonard, George and Curry.
Although using Anthony Davis in the first round was very effective, in Malone's view this is not a regular routine. Playing against an experienced team like the Spurs, Randolph may be more useful.
Min Congda did not refute Malone's idea. The Spurs have always been known for their stability. In this series, they will use a more stable system to defeat the Spurs.
There is nothing more heart-wrenching than beating the Spurs the way the Spurs did.
However, in the first game, the Clippers did not play easily. This year, Randolph obviously struggled a lot against Duncan Gassplitting. He no longer had the momentum of a sure-fire superstar like in the 11 playoffs.
On the one hand, Randolph's condition is declining, and Duncan is not troubled by his leg injury. Duncan, who is in good condition, guarding Randolph is not a problem at all.
On the other hand, after 11 years of bad luck, everyone in the Spurs was holding their breath and wanted to take revenge on the Clippers.
In the first half, the Clippers trailed the Spurs by 10 points. Before halftime, Harden hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to narrow the gap to 7 points.
During the halftime break, Ma Long was sweating profusely and wanted to make adjustments, but Min Congda said: "Hold on, we didn't play badly, it's just a bad feeling. Don't make adjustments randomly."
With Min Congda's words, the Clippers team stabilized their position and continued the strategy of mismatched offense in the third quarter. The defensive end was also one-on-one. If you don't fight with you, your personal ability will beat you.
Sure enough, the Clippers launched a counterattack in the third quarter. There was no rapid attack like a tide, but a steady and steady positional battle, and a tight defense on the defensive end, slowly chasing back round after round.
After all, the Spurs are beyond their capabilities. Many of the goals are not because the players don't play well, but because their abilities are really not up to par.
If the opportunity arises and the shot is missed, the defense is in place, but the opponent can still score.
Popovich originally wanted to take advantage of the Clippers' mistakes, disrupt the rhythm, let his players get into shape, and finally fish in troubled waters to steal a game.
Knowing that the Clippers were very stable and Randolph couldn't hit him, Gasol was asked to score in the low post, while Harden and Curry took turns using their personal abilities to score points.
Like Lillard and Thompson, they are all stars of the new era. Their shots are quick and concise, and their offense is crisp and clean. In the third quarter, the Clippers easily equalized the score and then took the lead.
By the fourth quarter, the Clippers had already started their mud truck. They couldn't stop you even if they wanted to. They had a good sense of positional offense, their passing speed was extremely fast, their open shots were very decisive, and their players' singles abilities were all star-level.
Popovich and the Spurs lasted for three and a half quarters, but finally couldn't hold on any longer and were defeated by the Clippers' solid offense and defense.
With 2 minutes left before the end, the Spurs trailed the Clippers by 10 points, 92:102.
Logically speaking, in 2 minutes, if you are 10 points behind, you can still catch up, and you can definitely give it a try.
But Popovich actually replaced the main players and asked Duncan, Ginobili and others to come off the field, which was regarded as giving up.
Because he knows that in this state, betting on three points in the playoffs is unwinnable. The Clippers lead by 10 points because they only want to lead by 10 points, not just 10 points.
Forget it, you lose half if you surrender, let's fight again at the end.
(End of chapter)
