Sentence/Ken
Before the start of the season, not many people would believe how thrilling the Los Angeles Clippers were in order to qualify for the playoffs, and they did not survive the playoffs until the last day. This season Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have played a total of 108 games, which is the most since they joined the army (two of which were shortened seasons). They have a more abundant bench than before, even if they fail to reach the 2020-21 The strength of the season should have been better than last season when George led alone. In fact, the number of wins was only 2 more.
The 2020-21 season is the most peak year in the history of the Clippers. The playoffs came back from 0-2 adversity twice. Even though Leonard was unfortunately injured in the second round, the Clippers were still led by George to defeat the heyday Jazz for the first time. Breaking into the Western Championship and fighting the Suns to the sixth game, there are regrets in all aspects that “if Leonard is not injured…maybe have a chance to win the championship”. Leonard was absent for the entire season last season. The Clippers turned to build up their forces and spent more time cultivating Terance Mann and Brandon Boston Jr.. In the end, he missed the playoffs, and it was really only a close call. Finally Leonard is back! Also joined Robert Covington, Norman Powell and other new forces to usher in the new season, the speedboat should be better, right? But… everything is far from expected.
.
????More latest basketball selections:
Lin Shuwei, who has played a career year, is the last mile to tear off the label of “Big Brother”?
2022-23 Rookie of the Year Prediction: Banchero’s solo show
2022-23 NBA MVP Predictions: Is fatigue a problem?
.
Weaknesses of the team: weak defense, short run-in time
The lineup is similar to 2021, but the Clippers are struggling with chemistry. If your impression stays on the “striker sea” with quick defense changes and a size advantage, you may have to correct it. Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris Sr. waited for two more years, resulting in a decline in physical fitness and defensive ability. This season sometimes encountered young teams that seemed old and slow. In many cases, even George and Leonard were not in the situation. The previous season The Covington defensive engineer, acquired through a trade, was not favored by head coach Ty Lue and failed to squeeze into the core rotation. The “sea of guards” with three or four guards present at the same time is a more common formation.
The Clippers, whose defense has always been in the top half in recent years, are weakest this season but their defense! As mentioned above, the main striker began to degenerate, and two main players were injured one after another. The offensive and defensive efficiency of the striker Hai was not as expected. However, the team had a group of guards who needed playing space and had different functions from each other. In order to make up for the deficiencies of poor offense, Ty Lue once chose to put on more guards to add firepower, and the addition of new guards such as Russell Westbrook, Bones Hyland, and Eric Gordon in the middle of the season made the tacit understanding of the Clippers’ defense and supplementary defense far worse than before. The body advantage is also gradually disappearing.
In the 21 games after the All-Star break, the Clippers have a defensive efficiency of 116.4, ranking 20th in the league. They are only better than the Kings in the Western Conference. Compared with the 112.6 in the first half of the season, they are still in the 10th place and the sixth in the first two months of the season. , the difference is very large. The Grizzlies without Ja Morant scored 51 points in a single quarter. In the last two games when the team raised their fighting spirit, the opponents were the Trail Blazers and the Suns who were pushing each other. The Clippers defense sometimes missed people and lacked concentration , were scored 125 points and 114 points respectively.
In addition to defense, the Clippers, who have alternated between experimental lineups and running-in throughout the season, have welcomed Westbrook with a distinctive style of play. Regardless of the court performance, the extremely aggressive style of play is a type of guard that the Clippers have never had in recent years, and he is also trying to adapt to play a supporting role that has never been seen in his career. How can they complement each other? The Clippers didn’t start to find the answer until February. With such a late start, and George’s accidental sprain against the Thunder on March 22, until the day of the playoffs, they are still struggling to figure out which set of key lineups is the strongest.
.
????More latest basketball selections:
From traditional inside star to “Spray Mountain”: Brook Lopez’s near-impossible career evolution
Lin Shuwei, who has played a career year, is the last mile to tear off the label of “Big Brother”?
.
Speedboat advantage: individual combat capability
If you observe the Clippers this season, you can find that there is a huge gap between the first half and the second half of the season. The team used to be relatively poor in offense and relied on defense, but in the second half of the season, its firepower has been rising steadily. The offensive efficiency value after the star game is 117.6. 9th in the league, previously only 112 fell to 21st in the league. This is undoubtedly the boost brought by Westbrook. In order to speed up its integration into the team, the Clippers increased their offensive speed, tried to strengthen offensive and defensive transitions, and the number of counterattacks. In addition, they have always been very efficient three-pointers. This season, the average shooting rate reached 38.1%. , even if it fails to create a huge space for the shooter, it can continue to find opportunities to shoot with its excellent individual combat capabilities. Grasp the slight gap, or find a shot opportunity by continuing on the periphery or by cutting in.
In addition to Leonard and George, two all-round forwards capable of inside and outside, the Clippers guards also have above-average ball-handling offensive skills, including Westbrook, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann, who have all scored more than 30 points in a single game this season. , the newly joined Gordon and Hyland are good players who can cut into the offense in addition to their outside range. Even the veteran Morris Sr. can also launch singles in the mid-range and low post alone. Therefore, as long as the Clippers have one or two players who can fire relay, they do have the explosive power to open the score instantly.
Finally, the Clippers have sufficient manpower. Regardless of the coaching controversy of head coach Ty Lue this season, at least there will always be additional options on the bench. There is still Amir Coffey, a young striker, who has sufficient resources and combat power to cope with different battle situations.
Key player: Kawhi Leonard
Finally led by Kawhi Leonard alone! It must be quite new for Clippers fans. In the 2021 playoffs, we saw Paul George refresh his personal ceiling height in one fell swoop and become an all-round all-around forward, averaging 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists against the Suns! This time it’s Leonard’s turn to shoulder the responsibility and wait for George to return to the team. In the past, he was mostly used as a defensive lock and scoring robot. Can he further grow and show more versatile skills? It will be the key to whether the Clippers can break through the first round.
Although Leonard was on and off due to injuries in the first half of the season, he returned to superstar skill at an astonishing speed in the second half of the season. After the star game, the average increased from 22.1 points to 27.1 points, and maintained high-end shooting percentages of 53.8%, 47%, and 87.3%. Not only brought back the incomprehensible shooting ability, but even physical confrontation became no longer unfamiliar with the playing time, and many wonderful scenes of dunking defenders were staged many times. In the 2021 playoffs, the scoring machine who averaged over 30 points per game with a 57.3% field goal percentage seems to not be absent this year.
.
????More latest basketball selections:
Besides Dillon Brooks, who is the biggest villain in league history?
The Dangerous DNA of Damian Lillard’s Near-Perfect Projectile Weapon
How did Stephen Curry and other superstar guards go from scoring aces to defensive targets?
.
Matchup Analysis: Phoenix Suns How to Win?
The way to the playoffs for the Clippers in 2021 is to lose to the Phoenix Suns. At that time, the Clippers lost a main player, and this year also, but this time…the Suns have one more Kevin Durant. The season between the two sides is 2 wins and 2 losses. The reference value is not great. The Clippers have serious injuries and the lineups of both sides have also changed a lot. When it comes to health, the Suns are undoubtedly at the upper hand. On the other hand, the Clippers George is unable to play healthy (the current news is that he is absent in the first round) at a disadvantage. The degree of running-in between the two sides is almost the same. Even if the Suns did not lose when Durant was on the court, they only had 8 team experience. It is certain that the tacit understanding is not good, but the Clippers cannot take advantage of this point, because George’s injury is also troubled. How to fill the offensive and defensive gap left by him.
“Middle distance” is the key area that the speedboat must defend. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, Deandre Ayton, and Chris Paul are all top players who are good at scoring a lot in this area. However, due to the lack of effective small ball lineup this season, the Clippers tend to retain Mason Plumlee and Ivica Zubac. In the penalty area, they do not have the mobility of the front line to switch defenses. Although the habitual retreat defense can ensure the penalty area, it is difficult to resist the sun’s mid-range sniper. Can they find a corresponding way? Will be the first key of the series. If you choose to replace Zubac, can Covington and Batum, who came off the bench, withstand Ayton’s penalty area attack? And Batum’s physical strength is not as good as before this season, and the small ball will be a limited move with a time limit. .
The Clippers also need to accurately balance the offense and defense of the lineup. In order to maintain the firepower against the Suns, they must deploy players such as Powell and Westbrook. However, neither of them is good at defense, and they have to face the Suns. Challenges, without George, who is excellent in offense and defense, will be a huge wound for the Clippers to continue to hurt in this series. The functionality of existing players is relatively unbalanced. Some players can only attack but cannot defend, or the reverse is true. This problem is not only for defenders, but also for Covington and Morris on the front line. Compared with the Suns who only need to put 4 main players on the field, the Clippers have to spend more time on lineup scheduling to gain an advantage.
If they want to win in the first round, the Clippers have to try their best to extend the series, hoping to gain a physical advantage. With a richer lineup, aiming at the weaker bench strength of the Suns, recovering/extending the score in one go, reducing the breathing time of the main Suns, mastering the rhythm and taking them away, and trying to attack Durant and Booker at the same time, consuming two human physical strength. Speeding up the offensive rhythm may help the Clippers to master the rhythm, especially with players such as Westbrook, Powell, Mann and Hyland in the team. The speedboat’s disadvantage in the lineup.
.
????More latest NBA featured articles:
“2023 NBA Playoffs Analysis” Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers──Upgrade and start again
Too much trust?Warriors Jordan Poole Instruction Manual
The raging flame that is about to be extinguished in “Fengling Essays”?Miami Heat Last Stand
.
Playoff X-Factor: Ty Lue, Russell Westbrook
When I wrote this part in the past, I would like to write and list some surprise soldiers, such as expecting Hyland as a crazy shooter to kill a bloody path for the Clippers, or Mann as a defensive champion to block key players. The first thing that comes to mind this year is head coach Ty Lue. The reason is not that he expects better performance, but that the coaching this season is full of controversies, using a lot of three guards, and freezing Mann and Covington’s various decisions. Solution, I want to pray that Ty Lue really has a hidden trick for the playoffs, or develops a trump card lineup.
At this stage, the Clippers do not have a stable signature lineup. Fortunately, this team has enough material, and Ty Lue is a coach who is willing to use surprise soldiers in big scenes. In the regular season, he dared to use the sophomore Hyland to replace Westbrook. In the series against the Lone Ranger in the past, he also relied on bold changes to find the key to victory. Can he find a unique move to vent his grievances? In the playoffs, formulating a tactical policy to defeat the opponent will be the X-Factor that the Clippers will win.
The player is played by Westbrook as the key! After the injury to the versatile George, Leonard undoubtedly needs to take on more responsibilities. However, in terms of playing style, he is like the strongest individual soldier, with super offensive and defensive dominance, but he is not the Master Chief who can dominate everything with the ball. Fortunately, Westbrook, who used to be an all-round guard, has such an ability to jump out and share. This will also be a role he is more familiar with. If he can reproduce the former MVP skills and serve as the spiritual leader of the team, it will greatly increase the ceiling of the Clippers.
Prediction: 4-2 Suns advance
.
????More latest basketball selections:
From traditional inside star to “Spray Mountain”: Brook Lopez’s near-impossible career evolution
Lin Shuwei, who has played a career year, is the last mile to tear off the label of “Big Brother”?
The raging flame that is about to be extinguished in “Fengling Essays”?Miami Heat Last Stand