In the middle of last season, the Clippers traded from the Hornets for Chris Paul, a four-time All-Star who is only 26 years old. Paul and Billups, who have just entered their prime, form a luxurious backcourt.
The team quickly established a style of play with Paul and Griffin as the main players and Billups and DeAndre Jordan as assistants. Driven by both internal and external cores, the Clippers officially set sail.
After experiencing the running-in last season, the Clippers have become stronger this season.
This season they are making great progress, stabilizing their rivals in the city and their noisy neighbors, the Los Angeles Lakers. Through repeated alley-oop cooperation, Los Angeles has become a well-known "Alley-oop City". Currently, it is ranked fourth in the Western Conference with 23 wins and 14 losses.
It can be said that this is the strongest opponent the Rockets have encountered after beating the Lakers in the last game.
The entire Rockets team attaches great importance to this game. In a game with relatively close rankings, winning one game is equivalent to winning two games.
The team came to the gym early for training, and McHale ran back and forth on the court, instructing the players on how to run and how to switch defenses.
Compared with most teams in the league, the Rockets' tactics are relatively simple. McHale's offensive tactics mainly revolve around James Harden, the ball-carrying core. Harden decides whether to shoot, rush or pass.
However, under Xu Xin's suggestions, McHale still enriched the overall skills and tactics, such as Livingston's low singles, Butler and others' cutting passes and runs, Jeremy Lin's pick-and-roll breakthroughs, etc.
Xu Xin also discussed with McHale whether they should continue to expand the team's tactics, such as zippers, horns, diamonds, etc. After thinking about it, McHale thought it would be better to maintain the status quo. Too many tactics are detrimental to the current Rockets. greater than profit.
The core players are forced to run more tactics which is not conducive to the continuation of the state, while the role players have more opportunities to dominate the ball, which will theoretically increase more mistakes.
This offensive system is definitely not the most perfect, but it definitely suits this Rockets.
Xu Xin feels that McHale's idea is reasonable. As for how Yao Mai and Iverson will integrate into the team, Xu Xin is not worried about it. They are both veterans who have been playing for many years. It is not difficult for them to adapt to the team's tactical system. .
Furthermore, Xu Xin can also exchange "Complement Each Other" to improve the team's chemical reaction and understanding.
The game between the Rockets and the Clippers attracted widespread attention, and Xu Xin browsed the opinions of all parties with great interest.
A. Smith rarely stood on the side of the Rockets. The sun really came out in the west. He analyzed it conclusively in the video:
"The Rockets are the most surprising team this season. Before the start of the season, no one would have thought that the Rockets were number one in the Western Conference, but they did it. The team's general manager, coaching staff, and players all contributed.
Xu Xin's several transactions and signings have all been of positive help to the team. Butler, Livingston, Ariza, Garnett, Tucker, and Beverley have all become indispensable to the team. part.
The performance of the core of the team, James Harden, is equally astonishing. His current average points per game have reached 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He is the first combo guard in the league. In the current All-Star voting, he is the most popular backcourt player in the Western Conference. Ranked second behind Kobe Bryant.
The combination of him and Butler is quite similar to Jordan and Pippen. Although Harden and Jordan have completely different playing styles, they help the team in very similar ways. "
A. Smith analyzed that it was obvious that Yang Yi from the United States was defeated by the Rockets.
"The Clippers have achieved stable results this season. The internal and external dual-core composed of Paul and Griffin ensure the team's lower limit. DeAndre Jordan's frame protection, Caron Butler's three-pointers and defense also provide a lot of help to the Clippers.
Although Billups was plagued by injuries, Willie Green stepped up in time to fill the vacancy of the starting shooting guard. His non-ball possession style of play was very suitable for the Clippers' starting lineup, and his 42.8% three-point shooting rate was even better. A career-best performance.
The bench is also full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, the hero of the Lakers' two championships, Lamar Odom, the super sixth man Jamal Crawford, the tough forward Matt Barnes, a potential newcomer, and the college teammate of the thick-eyebrow Davis. , Eric Bledsoe, and Grant Hill, who is getting more and more demonic as he gets older. This lineup is luxurious enough. but. . . "
Smith changed the topic and continued:
"But compared with the Rockets, the team's star players are still half a level behind. Judging from the tactics of both sides, the Rockets have obvious restraint against the Clippers. So tonight, the Rockets can defend their home court and win the Clippers. .”
Xu Xin chuckled. You are a wise boy. You have finally realized the power of the Rockets. Not to mention the Clippers, even the Heat, Xu Xin has full confidence in the Rockets.
Today is different from the past. The Rockets are by no means as powerful as they appear on paper.
In the evening, the Rockets are at home, and fans are entering the stadium one after another. They are looking forward to tonight's matchup like Mars hitting the earth.
There are many highlights in this game, not only the battle between the No. 1 player in the Western Conference and the No. 4 player in the Western Conference, but also the showdown between Griffin, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 class, and Harden, the No. 1 pick in the same class.
"Do you think Harden is now the number one player in the 2009 class?"
said a young fan holding a bucket of popcorn.
"Of course, Griffin is at his peak when he debuts. This season, his scoring average has dropped to 18 points, which is 4 points lower than in the first season. As for Harden, we are climbing a level every year, and now we have reached the peak. He is a top five player in the league."
said his companion with a proud look on his face.
"The top five is a bit exaggerated, but the top ten is pretty much the same."
A middle-aged man in the front seat turned around and said.
"There is no doubt that Harden can stabilize Griffin, but there is still suspense whether he is the first player in the 2009 class. Don't forget the Warriors' Curry. He also broke out this season."
Another middle-aged man also joined the discussion.
"Curry should forget it. He has no body, no defense, and potential injuries. He only relies on three-point accuracy to become a super giant? Are you kidding? He can reach the heights of Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. Disaster."
The popcorn young man snorted coldly. He was not optimistic about Curry.
Xu Xin sat behind the team's bench. This time he did not choose to go to the box to watch the game. He always watched the game alone in the box. After a long time, Xu Xin felt lonely and lonely. This time I sat with the team and felt the excitement of the game up close.
On the field, players from both sides are ready and jump the ball in the middle circle.
For the Rockets, Garnett continues to play as the team's main power forward. Several other players are immovable, including Jeremy Lin, Harden, Butler, and Asik.
For the Clippers, Billups is still in the recovery stage, and the starting five are: Paul, Willie Green, Caron Butler, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
