Clippers G7 - An expected defeat but also a surprise

In this game, the Clippers' Kawhi was injured due to overuse in the past, and Bill continued to be absent due to injury management. The Clippers, who lacked two main players, were fighting back-to-back. Facing the defending champion and the league's top team, the Thunder, it was not surprising that the Clippers lost by a huge score.

The course of the game was unexpectedly good, especially in the first half, the Clippers' performance could be called their best performance since the start of the game.

1. Clear tactics in the half

Harden Zubac initiates a pick-and-roll. Sometimes Batum will participate in a three-man pick-and-roll, or transfer the ball on the weak side.

The defense of Dunn and Jones vaguely regained the feeling of last season, and the team did not make many mistakes in the first half. The overall ball movement is smooth.

Harden received a three-pointer

Harden was double-teamed, Collins responded at the free throw line, and assisted Zubac to score inside, a very rare team cooperation

2. Harden's magical touch in the first half

Harden continued the good touch from the start of the game, almost relying on one person's offense to stop the Thunder.

Harden played 19 minutes in the first half, making 7 of 14 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, and scored 22 points.

Of course, the game is not just about one person winning the game.

The consumption of transition has caused Harden's efficiency to begin to decrease, which is also expected. Even so, excluding the period when Harden lost points in garbage time in the fourth quarter, Harden's plus-minus for the entire game was still positive.

This shows how important Harden is to the team.

Harden made a three-pointer

Harden held the ball and challenged Carson Wallace, a perfect reflection of his personal ability

Third, the role players performed well

The role players performed well in the first half, and Collins continued his efficient performance.

Collins received Harden's pass and finished at the basket

Collins was full of energy and broke through Chet's defense for a layup.

Bogdan made the first three-pointer of the game and played

both on the organizational end and on the rebound. An improvement compared to previous performance.

Dunn and Jones performed well on both offense and defense. It's a bonus after the team regains its familiarity with the system.

Dunn assisted Harden for a three-pointer

Bogdan made a three-pointer. I hope he can get back to his form as soon as possible.

If the Clippers want to reverse their losing streak, they must allow role players to participate more in the game.

4. Poor rotation

During the rotation period in the second quarter, points were lost as usual. The combination of Paul and Lopez has failed in 6 games.

Paul has no ability to penetrate deep and is only suitable for playing slow positions. He is not suitable to be paired with Lopez who cannot enter the penalty area. The head coach should pair him with Zubac so that he can take advantage of passing the ball inside.

When Harden is paired with Lopez, Harden can use his personal offensive threat to create better shooting space for Lopez.

Harden was double-teamed, and Lopez hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc. The cooperation between the two was effective.

Bogdan was once in charge in the first half, which should have been good, but he was quickly abandoned.

Bogdan found Collins who was open in the opposite corner and hit a three-pointer. This is the only player on the team besides Harden who has some ability to dominate the ball.

I don’t know if it was the head coach’s arrangement.

5. Who will break through the aging Clippers?

The only Clippers player who can tear apart the opponent's defense is the 36-year-old Harden. The other players basically have no ability to dominate the ball.

Bogdan's current state can only be considered half.

Even if Kawhi is healthy, he is not good at breakthroughs.

Bill may be the only player who can help Harden.

It is difficult for a team that has no breakthrough and plays with a firm stance to be efficient offensively.

In the positional battle, the Clippers lacked scoring methods even more than last season, which was also an unexpected situation at the start of the game.

6. Zubac's regression is obvious

Zubac continued his sluggish start to the game, with obvious gaps in rebounding, frame protection, and offense compared to last season.

The previous hook king was completely inaccurate. He couldn't put the rebound in the basket. All kinds of buttery hand throws.

Zubac’s performance at the start of the game was extremely poor.

He has a lot of responsibility for the Clippers' performance not meeting expectations.

Zubac, who has lost weight, has lost his dominance as a giant under the basket. This is also the reason why the Clippers' offensive basics are very unstable.

7. The coach’s inaction

The substitutes lost points in many consecutive games. Previously, the main team lost every game. It was not until this return to correct tactics that the efficiency of the starting lineup was maintained.

It shows that it’s not that the team can’t play a good game, it’s just that the tactics and defense are very confusing.

The team lacks energy and athletic ability, does not use young people, and calls for challenges, which is even more criticized.

The head coach should be the Clippers' biggest shortcoming.

The Clippers' next schedule is still not too difficult, but with the current state of the team, it is not surprising to lose to anyone.

Generally speaking, today's game feels much better than yesterday, especially the team's performance in the first half, which is enough to prove that correct tactics can greatly improve the team's combat effectiveness.

Batum transfers, Harden catches the ball and hits a three-pointer

If the Clippers can find their defense and let Bill (Bogdan) increase the ball-holding rounds, Kawhi reduces singles, Zubac regains his dominance inside, and uses less or no Paul in the rotation. The team still has a chance to get back to where it was before.

Of course, for an elderly team, the poor start of the season has cast a shadow on the prospects of this season.

The edge of the play-offs is the true level of this team.