The first competition month is over.
The record is very good.
The Magic have 14 wins and 3 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference and first in the league.
The Pistons are 12 wins and 4 losses, second in the Eastern Conference.
The Mavericks are 13 wins and 3 losses, first in the Western Conference.
The Clippers have 12 wins and 2 losses, second in the Western Conference.
Very bad.
The Cavaliers and Nuggets both have 2 wins and 14 losses, and the Grizzlies and Heat both have 3 wins and 14 losses.
On December 1st, a new month arrived, and the league announced the best of the month awards for the first game month.
Rookie of the Month, Dongda Zhugan and West Xiaobawang.
Yao Ming defeated the Heat's Caron Butler with an average of 13.8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks per game and won the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month; Stoudemire averaged 12.6 points and 9 rebounds per game to defeat the Grizzlies. Dajuan Wagner won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month.
Magic head coach Rivers and Mavericks head coach Nelson won the Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month respectively.
Nowitzki averaged 25.8 points per game, and Nash averaged 18 points and 8.8 assists per game. The two jointly won the Western Conference Player of the Month Award.
McGrady averaged 20.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Duncan averaged 24 points, 13 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. The two jointly won the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.
Li Ao stayed in front of the TV looking forward to seeing others win awards... When will the next time they play the Mavericks?
The key is that the alliance announced the votes for the best of the month. He and his senior brothers received only 3 votes less than King Silver Horn and Son of the Wind.
He took out the team manual from his bag, flipped through it, and knocked! After 6 consecutive games, there were 5 consecutive visitors, including three consecutive visitors from Texas.
The Clippers played very few games in November, not counting the opening game on October 30, only 13 games.
But in December and January, there are more games, 16 games each.
The loose schedule in the first month has many advantages, but it also has disadvantages - it suffers when competing for awards. Good performance on a tight schedule is obviously more recognized than good performance on a loose schedule.
Seeing the voting in the east, he felt a lot more balanced.
The duo of Billups and Ray Allen only received two votes less than the TT duo.
Li Ao opened the system and looked at his comprehensive evaluation. He estimated that he was not far away from the first-class limit of 89.
In the past month, he has received a lot of training. Jordan has been on the bench. As the player with the highest singles success rate in the starting lineup, every time the starting offense cannot be opened, it is him who comes to attack.
Bibby's skills are actually more comprehensive, but limited by his physical fitness. In addition to solid basic skills, many of his technical strengths are actually not strong enough. He is better at seizing opportunities. His advantages are big heart and strong stability, rather than strong attacks.
Li Ao is in the age group with the fastest growth on the outside, his training efficiency is at least twice that of players with the same talent, the coaching staff gives him opportunities in games, and he has laid a solid foundation in the past two years... The newly developed three-threat stance has made rapid progress in just one game. In just one month, I went from a basic level of 64 to a good level of 71.
Jordan was numb to seeing the speed of his progress.
Behind-the-back dribbling and turning shots have improved to 78, turn-over jumpers and fadeaway jumpers have both reached 79, high-post post-ups have increased from 85 to 86, pull-up jump shots have increased from 80 to 82, catch-and-stop jump shots have increased from 87 to 88... These advances are slower and have reached the stage where they depend on time accumulation.
Li Ao sorted out the direction of improvement this season. His mother told him to eat, so he turned off the system, went downstairs to eat, rested until 1:30, and went to the warehouse training ground to practice more.
Gentry has no training scheduled today and started the 'health mode' one month earlier than in the past two seasons.
Yes, Gentry is copying the work of the Zen master next door again. Preventing injuries is more important to them than progress.
He is the only head coach in the league who has defended his title five times. It would be foolish not to copy the perfect answer sheet.
…
On December 2, the Clippers ushered in their second opponent in six consecutive games-the Timberwolves.
Garnett can only be described as miserable in the past few years. Last season and this summer can be said to be even worse.
Flip Saunders finally came up with offensive basketball. Although it has not been tested in the playoffs, he once ranked second in the Western Conference and second in the league in the regular season. As a result, Terrell Brandon was playing and missing. He also failed to make a comeback this year and continued to be reimbursed.
The key is that Trill Brandon still has a two-year, $22.18 million contract, plus Garnett's more than $25 million. Their salaries for this season and next season account for almost a quarter of the salary cap. three.
After the Timberwolves lost Billups this summer, they wanted to introduce Andre Miller, who played at a slower pace. The media and experts thought that was a point guard that was very suitable for Garnett. Take away and form the dual core of Miller + Garnett and fail...
However, the owner of the Timberwolves can be said to have been extremely kind to Garnett, letting McHale go all out to fight for free agents and use all the available terms.
In 6 years, he hired Troy Hudson from the Magic for US$33 million. This new player averaged 14 points and 5.5 assists per game this season. He has accurate shooting from COSCO. He has been paired with TT for two years and has developed his tactical qualities. He can be regarded as a member of the Timberwolves. Very successful signing.
The Clippers also gave the same contract to the shooting point guard during the offseason, but Troy Hudson chose the Timberwolves. The Clippers added an additional 2 million, but he did not agree.
On the one hand, the Timberwolves promised to give him a starting opportunity, but on the other hand... he surrendered to the enemy just after losing in the finals, and he wanted to lose face.
In addition to Troy Hudson, the Timberwolves also signed Kendall Gill and Rod Strickland with minimum salaries during the offseason.
After Kendall Gill arrived on a 50-win team, he felt angry again.
After being devastated by injuries many times, he trained hard in the summer and performed much better in the new season than in the past two seasons. He also maintained his health. For the first time in four seasons, he did not lose a game in the first month, averaging 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game. 1 steal and secured the starting position... Unfortunately, he is 34 years old and is no longer the talented No. 5 pick back then.
The game starts at 8pm.
The Timberwolves sent out a starting lineup of Troy Hudson, Kendall Gill, Szczerbiak, Garnett, and Nesterovich.
The Clippers sent out a starting lineup of Bibby, Big Q, Li Ao, Te'lon Hill, and O'Neal Jr.
Garnett performed vigorously in the first half, with 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in the half. He led the Timberwolves to a 1-point lead over the Clippers 25-24 in the first quarter and beat the Clippers by two points 26-23 in the second quarter. point.
But in the second half, Garnett only scored 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. His offense declined and his defense also declined.
The Clippers scored 29-18 in the third quarter and 28-19 in the final quarter...
Li Ao made 11 of 20 shots, including 0 of 2 three-pointers, plus 4 of 5 free throws. He scored 26 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks.
Odom, who came off the bench, scored 19 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists with O'Neal inside and a magician outside.
Jordan made 7 of 13 shots, plus 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Bibby had 10 points and 9 assists, O'Neal Jr. had 14 points and 9 rebounds...
Facing the Clippers, who were in excellent form, Garnett scored 25 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, but there was nothing he could do.
The Timberwolves' lineup of role players is actually very good, but there is only one core, and it is still the core that cannot win the situation when encountering tough battles.
104 to 88, the Clippers easily defeated the Timberwolves, improving their record to 13 wins and 2 losses!
…
Defeating the Timberwolves kicked off the Clippers' second game month.
On the 4th, the Clippers faced the challenge of the Rockets.
The Rockets' core lineup looks gorgeous on paper, with Francis + Mobley + McDyess. They also traded for James Posey with only a 2003 lottery-protected first-round pick.
But McDyess continued to be reimbursed, and the Rockets' second center was Kevin Cato, who averaged 5 points and 6 rebounds per game.
Maurice Taylor returned after being reimbursed for a year, with a six-year contract of US$48 million, averaging only 8 points and 3 rebounds per game. The athletic ability that he relied on to survive in the NBA is gone, and he is no longer the second-stringer of the Clippers. A genius from the class of 1997 who averaged 17+ per game in his grade...
Due to Gerald Wallace's injury, Francis played very well tonight, making 8 of 20 shots, plus 12 of 14 free throws, scoring 28 points and 8 assists, but Mobley was defended by Li Ao and missed 2 of 7 shots. Only scored 9 points.
James Posey defended Li Ao's singles very well. Unlike Andre Miller who was all-round defensively, James Posey focused on single defense.
However, off-ball defense is still James Posey's weakness. With the help of Odom, who has been in excellent form recently, and Jordan, who has performed steadily, Li Ao scored 26 points by relying on off-ball play, plus 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.
O'Neal Jr. had 15 points and 15 rebounds, Odom had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, Jordan had 14 points and 4 assists, Bibby had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists, Big Q had 11 points...
104 to 95, the Clippers defeated the Rockets by 9 points and won 3 consecutive victories.
On the 5th, the Clippers faced the Heat back-to-back.
In this game, the Clippers played 12 players, and all 12 players scored.
Li Ao got off work after playing 19 minutes. He made 5 of 8 shots, including 2 of 2 three-pointers, plus 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
Jordan scored a team-high 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Bibby had 11 points and 6 assists, Odom had 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, Big Q had 14 points, O'Neal Jr. had 13 points and 10 rebounds... Six Clippers players scored in double figures and slaughtered the Heat 102-82.
Gentry, who won, was very happy, while Pat Riley, who lost, had no expression on his face but was also happy in his heart.
If the fortune teller can get the No. 1 lottery pick, of course he will choose that one. If he doesn't get it, he has a favorite alternative.
When the Clippers went to Miami last time, Wang Zhizhi was absent due to injury. Wang Zhizhi played tonight. He played 19 minutes and made 3 of 8 shots, including 2 of 5 three-pointers. Plus 1 of 2 free throws, he scored 9. Divide into 4 boards.
Wang Zhizhi has played in 15 games so far this season, scoring 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists. His performance is okay, but his shooting percentage is not as good as when he was with the Mavericks.
After playing back-to-back, the Clippers got a day off, and then continued the back-to-back. This was their first 4 games in 5 days this season. The next two opponents were the Pacers and Nets.
On the 7th, the Clippers faced the Pacers at home.
With the introduction of Larry Hughes and the exchange of Jalen Rose for Raheem, the Pacers have jumped from the edge of the playoffs to the top four in the Eastern Conference. They are currently ranked behind the Magic, Pistons, and Nets with 13 wins and 7 losses. After the team.
After 20 games, the Pacers only conceded 87.7 points per game, and their defensive efficiency surpassed that of the Magic, ranking first in the league.
But the scoring is not high, averaging only 90.6 points per game, far lower than the league average of 96.1 points.
The starting lineup of Tinsley, Larry Hughes, Reggie Miller, Raheem, and Dale Davis, plus Harrington, Ron Mercer, Crohill, and Eric -The combination of Strickland, Jonathan Bender, Tim Hardaway, Jeff Foster... averaged only 90.6 points per game, and this blame fell on Isaiah Thomas.
The Assassins' defensive system has been built very well, but their offensive coaching ability is broken, and their offensive tactical coordination is comparable to that of the 76ers.
The game started at 8 o'clock in the evening, and the two teams launched a fierce battle.
17 to 20, 20 to 23, the Clippers were 6 points behind at halftime. In the third quarter, the Clippers scored 26 to 21 in a single quarter, narrowing the point difference to 1 point.
But Rahim went berserk in the final quarter, scoring 13 points in a single quarter, leading the Pacers to an 18-14 quarter score and holding on to the lead until the end.
Li Ao scored higher tonight than in the past 10 games, making 10 of 22 shots, including 2 of 6 three-pointers, plus 5 of 6 free throws, scoring 27 points.
Jordan made 8 of 18 shots and scored 20 points and 2 assists.
But the two of them scored higher than usual without feeling particularly good, which means that the Clippers are really out of their depth tonight.
82 to 77, the Pacers narrowly defeated the Clippers by 5 points, ending the Clippers' 4-game winning streak!
Each of the Pacers' 12-man main lineup is strong enough to become a super strong team that integrates offense and defense. The Assassins actually use 12-man rotation to play defense... This is the first time the Clippers have encountered such an opponent.
The next day, December 8, the Clippers faced back-to-back challenges from the Nets at home.
In the last game of 4 games in 5 days, the Clippers players were in pretty good physical condition, and their neighbor’s homework was not in vain.
Although the training and running-in phase ended early, the progress of tactical adjustments slowed down, but the physical consumption was also reduced a lot.
And it doesn't mean that you will definitely improve if you keep training. Better physical reserves are real.
Among the top four in the Eastern Conference, compared to the Magic, Pistons, and Pacers, which changed greatly last season, the Nets have completely continued their style of play from last season.
In fact, the Nets also wanted to change, but they had no choice but to fail in signings and became unable to change.
After the game started at 8 o'clock in the evening, both teams chose to focus on offense.
The Nets had the upper hand at the beginning. As the game progressed, the Clippers bucked the trend. After the first quarter, the Clippers led the Nets by 1 point 30-29 entering the second quarter.
In the second quarter, the Clippers began to take the initiative, scoring 27 to 25, leading by 3 points at halftime. In the third quarter, the Clippers continued their efforts, scoring 34 to 26, and would lead by the end of the third quarter. Expanded to 11 points!
But Kidd did not give up. The Nets scored 31 points in the final quarter and defended the Clippers to only 20 points.
After regular time, the two teams tied 111 to 111 and entered overtime!
In this overtime, Li Ao was in trouble. He made 2 of 5 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, plus 2 of 2 free throws to score 7 points, but he was the only one in the team to score.
On the opposite side, Kidd used the containment power brought by his fiery touch tonight to lead the team to 15 points in 5 minutes!
At 10:41 pm, the game ended.
Kidd made 12 of 23 shots, including 7 of 10 three-pointers, plus 4 of 6 free throws. He scored 35 points and 15 assists, plus a career-high 19 rebounds in a single game!
35+19+15, Kidd scored a triple-double of 3 times 15, leading the Nets to a narrow victory over the Clippers 126-118, giving the Clippers their first two-game losing streak this season!
Li Ao played 45 minutes and made 17 of 30 shots, including 4 of 10 three-pointers, plus 8 of 9 free throws. With 7 points in overtime, he scored a season-high 46 points, plus 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. 2 blocks...joined the empty-cutting group again.
…
Li Ao felt that after winning the championship, the whole world became better.
If he lost by 40 points last season, he would have been laughed at for a while, and he will be laughed at again next time he meets the same opponent.
But this time he scored 46 points. After the game, the media commented that Spider-Man's scoring ability has not declined, but the team does not need him to score high scores every night. When he is needed to score high scores, he still He is the top scorer who averages 25+ per game.
Li Ao thought of Pierce. Before he won the FMVP, he was called 'bragging' and '13 dollars in 35 seconds' by domestic fans. After winning the championship, he became 'truth' and 'phoenix'.
However, there is still some ridicule. It is really too miserable to score 46 points and lose, and it is 40+ in a single game with such a high shooting rate as 17 of 30 shots.
The most talked about thing is of course Kidd’s super triple-double...
Career-high rebounds, Nets career-high points in a single game, plus 15 assists, and a career-high 7 three-pointers in a single game.
Kidd's style of play in this game was actually similar to usual. Most of the points he scored were not singles, but he made better open shots and had more peripheral control capabilities.
But with this additional ability, Kidd can reach a quasi-dominant level as a point guard, with his on-court dominance second only to O'Neal and Duncan.
It had been a long time since he had lost two games in a row, and Li Ao felt very sad. He started high and lost in six consecutive games, and after four consecutive victories, he ended up losing two games in a row... But thinking that Duncan and Kidd were in the East together, he felt much better.
We will no longer play against these two in the regular season this season, and we can just sit back and wait for these two to hurt each other in the playoffs.
After playing 4 games in 5 days, the Clippers got two days of rest.
After a day off on the 9th, the Clippers came to Houston on the 10th and started five consecutive visits, starting with three consecutive visits to Texas.
On the 11th, the Clippers challenged the Rockets away. With Li Ao's 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks, and O'Neal Jr.'s 27 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, the Clippers defeated the Rockets 94-83. .
In this game, the brothers Li Ao and O'Neal Jr. played very hard and did not want to continue losing. The two teamed up to play dominant defense against the Rockets, steadily won the victory, and ended the losing streak.
After playing the Rockets, the Clippers came to San Antonio. After a night's rest, they came to the ATT Center to challenge the Spurs.
After two bad years, the Spurs have gained momentum this season.
The Spurs have currently played 21 games, with 10 wins and 11 losses, beating the Rockets, who have 9 wins and 13 losses, ranking ninth in the Western Conference!
The top teams have won too many games this season. The winning percentages of teams outside the top eight in the Eastern and Western Conferences are all below 50%.
The Spurs are the non-playoff team with the best chance of breaking through the winless record.
The Spurs have the momentum to rise, relying on the progress of their two talents.
Kwame Brown has played 20 games so far this season, averaging 10.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.
Arenas played in 21 games, averaging 19.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Except for his ugly shooting rate of 39.9%, everything else was very good.
In addition, David Robinson, who is old and strong, averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1.8 blocks per game, Bowen, who is good at first defense, and rookie Ginobili, who is currently averaging 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Stephen Jackson, who is starting to realize his potential, averaging 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists per game, Tony Parker, who is not taken seriously but still averages 7.3 points and 4.2 assists per game and becomes the main substitute...
Over the past two years, Spurs general manager RC Buford has created a lineup full of prospects.
Drafting and picking up leftovers that other teams don't want, RC Buford's ability in this regard is second to none in the entire league.
Whether the Spurs can successfully rise up, the main question they need to face is whether they can move in the right direction after David Robinson, the veteran leader, retires.
Although David Robinson's performance on the court is no longer as good as Kwame Brown, his importance, like Pippen and Sabonis to the Trail Blazers, seems indispensable at least this season.
The Spurs' strength this season is defense, allowing only 91.3 points per game, but scoring only 90.1 points per game, relying solely on Arenas, Stephen Jackson, Ginobili, Parker and others.
At 7:30 p.m., Kwame Brown beat O'Neal to win the jump ball and the game started.
Seeing Li Ao waiting for Arenas to advance in the top arc, Popovich got a big headache.
It's not just Sloan who doesn't want to play the Clippers, Popovich doesn't either.
He regretted it. He had known that he would not target this guy back then, but now retribution has come. This guy's eyes are shining when he defends Arenas!
Not surprisingly, tonight was another miserable night for Arenas, who is still in the growing stage. He played 31 minutes and made only 5 of 14 shots. In addition to 4 of 6 free throws, he only scored 14 points.
However, the Spurs played much more actively tonight than last season and worked very hard on the defensive end.
Both teams were locked in defense throughout the game. In the end, the Clippers, which had stronger wing defense, narrowly defeated the Spurs 87-83.
Arenas had 14 points and 5 assists, Stephen Jackson had 20 points, Kwame Brown had 8 points and 8 rebounds, David Robinson had 19 points and 8 rebounds, and Parker had 7 points and 3 assists.
Li Ao made 8 of 20 shots and scored 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks. Bibby had 10 points and 7 assists, Jordan had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists, O'Neal Jr. had 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Odom had 6 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. …
…
In the first two games of Texas' three consecutive away games, the Clippers did not play easily.
All teams hate playing Texas three times in a row, and it’s not unreasonable.
Although the Rockets and Spurs are both average in strength, the head coaches of both teams advocate defense first, and they can wear each other down even if they lose.
And this is not over yet, the Clippers have one more game to go on their trip to Texas - the Mavericks, the dominant team in Texas for the past three seasons, and the No. 1 Mavericks in the West!
On December 14th, the Clippers came to Dallas. After a night's rest, they came to the American Airlines Center to challenge the Mavericks.
The Mavericks have also lost 4 games, but won 19 games. With a record of 19 wins and 4 losses, the Clippers ranked first in the Western Conference with a record of 17 wins and 4 losses.
This season Nelson no longer plays offensively mindlessly, and the Mavericks have a balanced offensive and defensive performance.
In 23 games, he averaged 102.3 points per game and allowed 93.6 points per game.
The offense is not the best. The Pistons average 104 points per game and the Warriors average 102.6 points per game. The defense is not the best either. 94.6 points will be the first-class level.
But when combined with offense and defense, they rank third in the league in points scored per game and tenth in points conceded per game. Their performance is among the best in the league.
The Clippers averaged 99.7 points per game and conceded 91.4 points per game. Their overall performance was about the same as the Mavericks.
Nowitzki averaged 25.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3 assists per game, and Nash averaged 18.6 points and 8.7 assists per game. Both of them had the best performance of their careers so far.
The game starts at 8pm.
The two teams met again after a few months. This time the Clippers could not overpower the Mavericks. Instead, the Mavericks relied on Nowitzki and Nash to score 7 points in a single quarter. In the first quarter, they led the Clippers 26-21 by 5. point!
When Nelson chooses to be steady, the Mavericks' defense is really solid! It's not the strongest wave, but it can still touch the edge of top defense.
The reason why he is unable to reach the top is because Nowitzki is very poor in defense except for protecting the frame. Nash is a defensive black hole. Nelson cannot perform wireless rotation defense and can only play regular defense.
However, the Mavericks' defense is stable, and the Clippers players are not surprised. They have played more than a quarter of the regular season. It is not as surprising as meeting the Pistons at the beginning of the season and discovering that the Pistons are mainly offensive.
What really surprised the Clippers players was Nowitzki's singles performance - 3 of 6 shots, including 1 of 3-pointers, and scored 7 points in a single quarter without any free throws.
Nowitzki's singles style and movements are very similar to Li Ao, except that his movements are slower, his breakthrough is worse, and his pull-up jump shot is easy to be stuck!
Moreover, breakthrough and pull-up jump shots are not as good as Li Ao's, but Nowitzki's turn shots and turn-over jump shots are better.
Li Ao knew that the other party was learning from him, but he didn't expect that he could learn it so thoroughly that he could barely stand on his own.
In the second quarter, the Clippers began to counterattack, scoring 24 to 22 in a single quarter, curbing the Mavericks' onslaught.
In the third quarter, the Clippers even scored 33 points in a single quarter, breaking the Mavericks' positional defense. 33-27 in a single quarter, leading the Mavericks by 3 points 78-75 entering the final quarter.
Seeing that he could no longer contain the Clippers' offense, Nelson was completely messed up on the defensive end and went on the offensive!
Giving up defense at the slightest disagreement was an unconventional operation that only a mad scientist could do, catching the Clippers off guard.
At half quarter time, 23 to 14, the Mavericks overtook the Clippers by 6 points, 98 to 92.
In the last five and a half minutes, the Clippers scored 20 points. During this period, they did a good job defending Nowitzki, but the Mavericks also had a nerve on the bench - Crazy Fan!
Van Exel made 3 of 4 shots in 5 and a half minutes, including 3 of 3 three-pointers. He scored 9 points and 2 assists, leading the team to 18 points and holding back the Clippers' counterattack!
Nowitzki made 9 of 20 shots and scored 26 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, Nash had 21 points and 7 assists, Van Exel had 24 points, Finley had 13 points, Adrian Griffin had 11 points...
The Mavericks relied on 41 points in the final quarter to narrowly defeat the Clippers 116-112, preventing the Clippers from completing their trip to Texas!
Li Ao had 34 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. The Clippers played 11 people, 10 of them scored, and they had more points... They lost to 3 players from the opposite side who scored 20+ points.
…
The Mavericks defeated the Clippers, leading to 20 wins and 4 losses, and temporarily secured the first place in the Western Conference.
The Clippers' record became 17 wins and 5 losses, and the disadvantage became even greater.
In the last five games, the Clippers have 2 wins and 3 losses. Public opinion generally believes that they have entered a low period at the beginning of the defending season.
This is what happens to defending champions, especially those who retain their core lineup.
Their playing style has been thoroughly studied by the opponent. In order to deal with them, other teams have more or less changed their playing style. They encounter 'new opponents' every day.
It is relatively rare for the Clippers to enter the low ebb period in December.
When the Clippers will come out of their slump and how they will perform after that, the media and fans are paying close attention to analyzing their probability of defending the title.
However, this kind of analysis is only useful during the Bulls' two dynasties. The Bulls performed steadily during their six championships.
It's useless when it comes to the Lakers who have won two consecutive championships. In the 2000-01 season, O'Neal was healthy and Kobe was injured. Last season, Kobe was healthy and O'Neal was injured. It's useless when it's the Rockets' first defending season. That year, the Rockets only had 47 wins and were sixth in the Western Conference. They successfully defended their title and swept the championship in the finals...
In Jordan's words - these analyzes are bullshit, we just have to do our best.
After Texas' three consecutive away games, the Clippers came to the south coast to challenge the Hornets away from home.
On the night of the 16th, the Clippers defeated the Hornets 101-93. Li Ao made 12 of 22 shots and missed two three-pointers. In addition, he made 6 of 6 free throws and scored 30 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. .
Bibby had 18 points and 6 assists, Jordan had 12 points and 3 assists, O'Neal Jr. had 6 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, Odom had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists...
After playing four away games in the southwest region, the Clippers returned to California on the morning of the 17th and came to the capital city of Sacramento to rest for an afternoon and challenge the Kings back-to-back at 8 p.m.
The Kings started well, then suffered extensive injuries and were in a downturn for a long time. After December, the injuries began to decrease. They have played 24 games so far, with 15 wins and 9 losses, ranking seventh in the Western Conference.
In the last 11 games, all 8 main players have played, achieving an excellent record of 8 wins and 3 losses, and performed as the league's top team should.
Based on the Clippers' recent performance against top teams and the end of five consecutive away games, public opinion generally believes that the Clippers will be in trouble again in this game.
But after the game started at 8 p.m., the Clippers defeated the Kings 30 to 22 in the first quarter!
Jordan was replaced in the last 4 minutes of the first quarter and played average, scoring 2 points on 1 of 3 shots.
O'Neal Jr. and Odom performed poorly tonight, and the opponent's interior defense was excellent.
But Li Ao and Bibby, Gerald Wallace who is back from injury, and Big Q who is running and shooting, these four young players rushed tonight!
In the second quarter, the Kings did a good job of covering up the wings and retreating more aggressively than in the first quarter, limiting the Clippers' scoring. The Clippers scored one-third less than in the first quarter, only scoring 20 points. .
But the Kings scored lower in the second quarter than in the first quarter, scoring only 19 points.
After halftime, the Clippers led the Kings by 9 points 50-41!
Throughout the second quarter, nothing happened to Jordan. Gentry saw that the young players were playing well, so he benched Jordan for a while.
In the third quarter, the Kings stepped up their offense and their offensive performance improved significantly. They scored 27 points in a single quarter. They also maintained their intensity and enthusiasm on the defensive end, but defending well and proactively does not mean they can defend!
Jordan, who only played 4 minutes in the first half, played the entire third quarter, making 5 of 7 shots, plus 3 of 3 free throws, and scored 13 points in a single quarter!
Li Ao made 3 of 5 shots, including 2 of 3 three-pointers, and scored 8 points in 9 minutes of playing time. In addition, Odom, who was in charge of support, had 4 points and 3 assists to connect the whole team...
The Clippers scored 33 points in the third quarter! Open the point difference from 9 points to 15 points!
In the final quarter, the Kings continued their offense in the third quarter, scoring 26 points, and successfully curbed the Clippers' onslaught, allowing the Clippers to score only 24 points, but chasing this point difference was a drop in the bucket.
Li Ao had 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal, Jordan had 15 points, Gerald Wallace had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Bibby had 16 points and 6 assists, Big Q had 14 points and 6 assists... The Clippers beat the Kings 107-94. , won the last battle of 5 consecutive visitors!
…
"Low tide?:
Goal: Beat the Kings. (completed)
The score difference exceeds 10 points. Congratulations to the host for getting double reward: 6000 achievement points. "
After the game, Li Ao received a reminder that the task was completed.
This is a task triggered before the game. The basic goal is to win, and the advanced goal is to reach a 10-point difference.
Before the game, he thought it would be good to get the basic reward. Although Jordan's "low period" is bullshit, the rules are of reference value most of the time.
They are indeed in bad shape today and not in that state tomorrow, unlike at the beginning of the season when everyone was online.
After they enter December, the only one who can continue to maintain stability is the trio of heroes and ghosts.
It's the same tonight. Their two strongest inside players, Odom and O'Neal, are both in poor condition, and Matt Halprin is still out tonight.
At this time, the characteristics of their core lineup, which is dominated by young players, are reflected - the more others think they are not good, the more they want to prove themselves.
Tonight, he, his brothers, and Big Q scored 74 points. They also did a very good job defensively in the first half. The Kings, who had all eight main players, were stunned.
Gentry's player rotation was very good. The young players performed well on offense and defense, so they saved Jordan's energy until the third quarter. In one quarter, he drained Jordan of back-to-back energy and sealed the victory in the third quarter.
After five consecutive away games, the Clippers returned to Los Angeles. After two days of rest, on the 20th, they faced the challenge of the Suns at home.
At 8:23 pm, after 2 hours and 23 minutes of play, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Suns 86-81. Li Ao scored 17 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
On the 22nd, the Clippers faced the challenge of the Nuggets at home. With Bibby's key three-pointer and Li Ao stepping forward to steal the ball at Juwan Howard at the last moment, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Nuggets 92-90. Li Ao made 7 of 15 shots, including 3 of 7 three-pointers, plus 5 of 7 free throws. He scored 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 steals and 2 blocks.
Li Ao is very fortunate that his team focuses on defense. No matter how bad the offensive state is, when playing against weak opponents, they can still rely on defense to defeat the opponent.
The fans who came to watch these two games felt that they made a profit. The rhythm was tight, the score difference was small, and they still won. Fans like to watch this kind of game the most.
Not just these two games, in the past 10 games of the Clippers, the point difference has only reached double digits against the Kings. In the other 9 games, regardless of winning or losing, the point difference has been within 10 points. It has been nicknamed the "conscience team" by the media.
(End of chapter)
