The buzz never stops, it just moves from one topic to another.
On the night of the 17th, people’s attention shifted to the game itself.
Although Li Ao locked in an average of 25+5+5 per game in advance, the game between the Clippers and the Suns is still the focus of today's battle.
This game may decide who of the Suns and Jazz can get the fifth spot in the Western Conference.
The Jazz currently have 52 wins and 29 losses, and the Suns have 53 wins and 28 losses.
The two teams played directly against each other, and the Jazz had the advantage with 3 wins and 1 loss.
If the Suns lose the last game and the Jazz win the last game, the Jazz will beat the Suns at the buzzer.
The Lakers, with 58 wins and 23 losses, have already secured the regular season championship one game ahead of schedule.
The Mavericks finished with 54 wins and 27 losses, relying on their status as first place in the Midwest Division to take second place in the Western Conference.
The Kings finished third with 56 wins and 25 losses.
The Trail Blazers are fourth at 55-26.
The top four rankings have been locked and will not change.
Obviously, both the Suns and the Jazz prefer to play the Trail Blazers and don't want to meet Webber.
This game may also determine who can win seventh place in the Western Conference between the Clippers and Timberwolves.
A very strange topic also emerged today - will the mad scientist let the Timberwolves go?
After discussions among fans, they generally think it will!
If the Clippers lose to the Suns, Nelson will definitely pick the Timberwolves to play. It's not like he has never done this kind of thing.
No one thinks that the Clippers can go far in the playoffs, but everyone thinks that the defensive-oriented Clippers will definitely be more disruptive than the Timberwolves in the playoffs.
The Mavericks are not so strong that they don't care who they play in the playoffs. If he could choose, Nelson would definitely choose the Timberwolves, who have been in the first round for four consecutive years and are uncompetitive in the playoffs, as their opponent.
This is a game that may affect the playoff pattern. If the Jazz rushes to fourth in the Western Conference and is on the same promotion line as the Lakers...
There are still countless people looking forward to the 37-year-old Malone and the 38-year-old Stockton!
Many old fans regard the Utah duo as their 'last youth'.
Even if they are not fans of these two players, they even once hated these two players to the extreme.
But when the Magician, God, Big Bird, Humanity Movie Essence and others retired, and Big Dream, Gorilla and others were no longer as brave as they once were, and when they appeared in the news as topics related to "pension contracts", the Utah Twins Sha became the last hope in the hearts of fans of that era.
As long as I see the Utah duo still struggling on the court, I feel like their youth has not passed away.
They still believe that the Utah duo, who have beaten Shasha and Xiaoke for two consecutive years, can beat OK again.
…
During lunch time, Li Ao took the time to browse the forums online and opened a small account to see if there were any opportunities for passionate laning.
But I didn't expect that during the game between the Clippers and the Suns, there would be a lot of "16 Jazz fans". I wanted to complain, but I thought it was good.
At least it diverted his attention, and now he relaxed a lot.
In the afternoon, he practiced mid-range shooting and three-point shooting for half an hour, and then took a nap for an hour to recuperate his energy.
After a "perfect warm-up" in the evening and eating two chicken rolls to restore physical strength to the best condition, Li Ao and his teammates came to the player tunnel. At 7:40 pm, the entrance ceremony began.
Looking at Kidd who finally walked out from the opposite side, Li Ao recalled that if nothing else happened, this would be the last time he played against Kidd wearing a Suns jersey.
When the Clippers entered the court, Kidd also focused on the big spider on the opposite side.
This broken ship, what kind of grade, has actually become a 50-win team like their Suns!
This team's progress was beyond his imagination, just like the speed at which the opposite big spider developed its skills made him feel incredible.
He has been practicing three-pointers for several months and has made significant progress. He is quite proud of himself and feels that he still has a talent for three-pointers... But he saw that he has developed a post-up game in a few months... he despises it. Talented dog.
At 8 o'clock in the evening, the referee blew the whistle, and the Clippers' home game against the Suns began!
O'Neal easily beat Tsakalidis to win the jump ball, and the Clippers struck first.
Little O'Neal came to close range and prepared to rush. Seeing the big meat shield of Chakaridis and the inside combination of Clifford Robinson, he had given up singles tonight and even shot from close range, and directly turned into a forward. .
Odom received the jump ball and advanced to the frontcourt, broke through Clifford Robinson, but failed to get rid of the defense. The ball was passed by Li Ao, who was covered by Maggette. Li Ao made a strong shot against Mario Elie who quickly switched defenses and stuck to him. ...The direction is very positive, but during the confrontation, I didn’t control the force of the jump well. The force was a little too strong. It’s tough!
Chakaridis blocked O'Neal, and Kidd collected the defensive rebound.
Advancing to the frontcourt and looking at the opposing lineup, Kidd had question marks on his head.
During the entrance ceremony, his attention was all on the big spider and he didn't see clearly who was in the opponent's starting lineup.
I found out after I came on the court, where is the opposing point guard?
Could it be that this is really the guy in front of me?
Odom, Big Q, Maggette, Li Ao, and O'Neal Jr. Looking at these five people, Kidd pinched his thigh to concentrate. He was in a mess just now.
Seeing Odom almost back to the free throw line, Kidd was ready to shoot, but he calmly chose to break through to the left!
Kidd, who is 27 years old and at the peak of his athletic ability, started very quickly. Odom moved laterally at the first moment. Kidd changed direction while dribbling under his hips, took a step to the right, passed Odom and rushed to the free throw line. .
O'Neal Jr. under the basket did not press forward, but stayed at close range to cover Tsakalidis.
Odom followed Kidd, covering the space for Kidd to make a jump shot while cutting off the passing space between Kidd and Mario Elie who was running towards the top arc.
There was no chance for a long shot, and he couldn't get into the basket. Marion was chased by Maggette, and Clifford Robinson was fighting with the big spider... Kidd gritted his teeth and took a step forward, and threw a close shot from the front of the basket... Just right. The shot hit the right side of the basket.
Maggette blocked the cutting Marion and collected the defensive rebound.
This ball can be said to be a very outrageous shot, but it is exactly at Kidd's level. His shooting percentage from close range is less than 30% in his career, which is at the same level as Matt Halprin.
After shooting the basket, Kidd retreated immediately and returned to the backcourt to direct his teammates to strengthen their defense.
Although he was a little messy, today he faced the 50-win Clippers without any carelessness and his thinking was very clear.
He could tell in the first round of attack that the opponent's lineup was just for defense!
A lineup adjustment that only considers defensive matchups and offense!
Kidd was happy. If the opponent wanted to play like this, he would play with him!
The Clippers are one of the top ten defensive teams in the league. Coincidentally, the Suns are one of the five toughest teams in the league! The top defensive team that only allows 91 points per game!
Odom advanced to the frontcourt to initiate an attack, and the Suns' defense rotated faster than in the previous round.
Kidd commanded adjustments, and his teammates immediately implemented them.
On the court, he has absolute dominance.
Maggette cut into the attack frame and was blocked by the shrinking Marion. The Clippers quickly retreated and blocked Marion who rushed down immediately after blocking the shot, forcing the Suns to fall into a positional battle.
Gentry felt a little regretful when he saw this scene.
He's still wondering if the players can surprise him offensively tonight like they did against the Mavericks.
The Suns don't have the offensive capabilities of the Mavericks, nor do they have a crazy coach like Nelson.
This lineup is a defensive lineup he carefully prepared for the Suns' starting five.
The strong and fast Maggette defended Marion from cutting into the frame; Li Ao defended the versatile Clifford Robinson; Big Q focused on guarding Mario Elie; O'Neal Jr. sat at the basket; Odom used his tall size to After Kidd entered the inside, he interfered with Kidd's passing to the high post and top arc area.
Gentry is very confident that the Suns, who average 94 points per game, cannot break the defense of this lineup.
If there can be some surprises on the offensive end, then this game will not be a success.
It's a pity that they didn't. From the beginning, they were competing with each other to see who could hit the iron louder.
Although it was a bit regretful, this was what he expected.
Facing the Suns, which are among the top five defensive teams in the league, it is too difficult for the Clippers to run a good offense.
However, although the overall defensive strength of their Clippers team is not as good as that of the Suns, which has Kidd, Marion, Clifford Robinson, and a big meat shield, the Suns' top two paid stars have both been reimbursed, and the opponent's offense is not as fast as theirs. fleet!
As the game progressed, the staff at Staples Center felt that it was time to inspect the basket during the break.
He felt like the rim was knocked crooked!
At the official timeout of the first quarter, the score was 8-7. With Kidd's open three-pointer, the Suns took a 1-point lead.
Except for Kidd being left open, the two teams had almost no open shooting opportunities in the first 6 minutes or so!
Every shot must be shot against the defense.
Moreover, the defensive actions of both teams were very rough, with constant physical fights and confrontations.
The referee's whistle was also very loose. In this half-quarter of the game, only two fouls were given, and they were not shooting fouls.
After the official timeout, Kidd saw Matt Halprin replacing Odom, and he was convinced.
In order to ensure the continuity of defense, even the offense is ignored!
Looking at Gentry opposite, these Larry Brown coaches are more outrageous than the last.
In the second half of the first quarter, the fierce battle continued!
As the two teams gradually adapted to the rhythm of the game, the Clippers, who had stronger shooting ability, began to take the initiative!
In fact, it was Li Ao's advantage that began to show up.
He began to increase his movement, catch and throw.
The mid-range shot of 88, thanks to the 'Catch and Shoot Expert Level 5', the catch-and-shoot mid-range shot was temporarily raised to 93, the strongest mid-range shot in the game!
In the second half of the first quarter, Li Ao made 3 of 5 mid-range shots!
In addition, there was a time when he turned around without the ball and cut into the basket to catch the hook and was knocked down. He made two free throws and scored 8 points in the half!
Under the leadership of Li Ao, the Clippers scored a half-quarter score of 12-7.
19 to 15, the Clippers overtook the Suns by 4 points to end the first quarter!
Gentry's body shook!
Who says there are no surprises?
Their Spider-Man is about to explode!
Li Ao's performance in this half of the game reminded him of Alan Houston.
Although his running ability is not as good as the mid-range shooting king, Spider-Man's height and wingspan are much better, and his body is stronger, and his ability to ensure shooting stability is stronger in high-intensity confrontations!
In the second quarter, the Suns strengthened their defense against Li Ao.
Gentry expected that the opponent would do this during the inter-quarter break. He made adjustments to his offensive tactics and used Li Ao's 10-point containment in a single quarter to create scoring opportunities for other players.
However, although there was an open shooting opportunity, he could not make it.
The Clippers were also slowed down in scoring in the second quarter, scoring only 18 points, but they continued to work hard on the defensive end and prevented the Suns from scoring only 19 points.
At the end of halftime, the Clippers still maintained a 3-point lead, with a score of 37 to 34!
Li Ao only scored two points in the second quarter and was completely unable to attack.
But he also got 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 blocks, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 blocks in the half!
After returning from the intermission, the bloody battle continued.
Neither Gentry nor Scott Skiles took the lead in making adjustments.
If you continue to defend, you will definitely be able to defend, but if you switch to offense, you may not be able to play well, and the defense may even collapse.
Gentry chose to trust his players to find scoring opportunities.
Scott Scales isn't as confident as Gentry.
He never expected that the Clippers would suddenly play pure basketball. By this time, they had no strength advantage against the Clippers. After the All-Star Weekend, their record was not as good as their opponent.
And now they are passively playing defense!
He had to choose to trust his players to make the ball.
Kidd, the master of first defense, and two masters of help defense, Marion and Clifford Robinson, are indeed better defensive than the Clippers.
The Clippers were at a disadvantage for a long time in the first half, and only relied on Li Ao's 8-point surge in the first half to maintain a weak lead.
In the third quarter, the Suns and Clippers scored 17 to 15 in a single quarter.
51 to 51, the Suns tied the Clippers entering the final quarter!
However, after another inter-session break, the situation changed slightly.
In terms of comprehensive defensive ability, the Clippers are not as good as the Suns. The targeted defensive lineup prepared in advance is still a little behind the opponent.
But they are young!
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, in the first attack, Big Q ran in a wide area and received a pass from Li Ao, turned around and hit a three-pointer!
Clifford Robinson, who changed defense, was obviously a beat slower!
After playing 31 minutes in the first three quarters, he was able to hold on and maintain his defensive performance at the end of the third quarter.
But after entering the inter-section break, I sat down and relaxed for a while, and then I just came on the field and my defense was not strong enough in the first round!
When the Suns attacked, Kidd finally passed the ball to veteran center Chris Dudley, who came on the bench.
Chris Dudley took a step from the sideline of the three-second zone for a layup... "Pop"...
Li Ao, who accelerated his speed by relying on the 'Siege Level 3' and rushed into the paint, slapped the ball away with a palm from behind!
Odom grabbed the ball and counterattacked directly!
He didn't play much time tonight and was purely defensive. His performance was not as good as Matt Halprin, and even Sean Lukes couldn't compare. He only played 18 minutes in the first three quarters.
But this also gives him plenty of physical strength!
Odom counterattacked with the ball, rushed all the way to the frontcourt, and hit a layup against Kidd who retreated to the inside!
The 2.08 meter point guard grabbed the rebound and counterattacked in one stop!
(End of chapter)
