I was determined to be bad, but I went straight to the Basketball Hall of Fame

Chapter 506 Why is it so difficult

After the first quarter of the game between the Clippers and the Spurs, the score between the two sides was 24:26, and the Spurs led the Clippers by 2 points.

The Clippers didn't take advantage of the start, and the Spurs obviously made very good preparations before the game.

Playing seventh against second is an absolute disadvantage, but the Spurs are a tough team, and their desire for revenge is very strong.

Being hacked last season was a great shame for Duncan.

And Popovich's reconstruction plan was repeatedly cut off, which made him full of hatred for the Clippers.

It stands to reason that in the interview before the start of the game, everyone should be polite and say something nice.

As a result, when Popovich was asked what he thought of the depth of the Clippers' lineup, he shrugged his shoulders at the reporter and said: "I don't watch the Clippers' games very much, and I don't know much about them."

He said this half jokingly, half with a little disdain.

As we all know, Popovich is a coach who hates three-pointers.

In public, he never concealed his distaste for three-pointers, thinking that the existence of three-pointers destroyed the beauty of basketball.

Of course, on the court, Popovich's use of three-pointers is absolutely pioneering, and his suppression of three-pointers is also master-level.

In the first quarter of today's game, the Spurs played their defensive strengths and guarded the low post and wing three-point positions very strictly.

After Duncan lost weight, he moved faster on the defensive end, covered a larger area, and had a stronger delay ability.

Facing the Clippers' pick-and-roll, the Spurs will be delayed if they have a pick-and-roll, destroying the Clippers' ball speed.

Splitter has grown inside, and the low-post defense against Randolph is effective, and Fatty Lan didn't let him penetrate.

On the wing, Richard Jefferson didn't work hard, Popovich let him play an outpost, and then put James Anderson on the bench at the third position, using a tough expansion to press the defense to lower the Clippers' three The shooting percentage does not give the Clippers a chance to easily make a three-pointer.

With such a defensive strategy, the most feared thing is of course the middle distance.

The large open space between the three-point line and the three-second zone will be the stage for top mid-range shooters to play.

But no one on the Clippers side stands out in the middle distance.

Curry was defended to the core, unable to open the inside line, and the Clippers' offensive efficiency was low.

During the break, Tyronn Lue and Steve Kerr discussed what tactics and lineups to use in the second quarter.

The regular season and the playoffs are completely different.

In the regular season, a large rotation can be played, the personnel status is relatively loose, and the offensive feeling is very important.

If there is another big rotation in the playoffs, problems are likely to occur. Once the players cannot find their status, the entire game may collapse.

Therefore, Jeremy Lin, who played well in the regular season, was not sent to play at a fixed time.

Originally, the middle of the first quarter and the beginning of the second quarter were the periods when Jeremy Lin led the second team.

Now, after the first quarter, Jeremy Lin didn't even get a chance to play.

He is still eager to try, wanting to prove himself in the playoffs.

However, there were some differences of opinion between Cole and Director Lu.

"It's not a good idea to play Jamie. He has no advantage against the Spurs. It would be better to use Golan."

Cole believes that Dragic or Fisher is a better choice, and their style of play and experience are more suitable for dealing with the Spurs.

Director Lu has a different view. He said: "The rhythm of the game has been robbed by the Spurs, and we must regain the rhythm. Jamie should be on the first quarter, let him bring up the speed, and let the game return. Get into our rhythm."

The advantage of two-headed coaches is that they complement each other, but the disadvantage is that sometimes you don't know who to listen to.

In this game, the Clippers obviously did not do a good job of coordination before the game.

It should be said that Sterling's recording leak still had some impact.

The minds of the coaches and players are a little wandering, not as full of hunger and thirst as the opposite Spurs.

After a brief argument, Steve Kerr still respected the coach's intentions and made a concession.

Therefore, Tyronn Lue let Jeremy Lin come off the bench, replaced Curry, and partnered with Harden in the backcourt.

Director Lu's idea is very clear, using Jeremy Lin's impact and speed to bring the offensive rhythm.

For the Clippers, offense is their foundation. They are younger and more able to run than the Spurs.

Jeremy Lin's performance in the regular season went from stunning to gradually stabilizing.

As a substitute, he can contribute 15 points and 5 assists per game.

As the Clippers' offensive speed changer, he can often bring changes and surprises to the Clippers after his debut.

He played under pressure tonight, his first career playoff appearance.

The opponent is still the seasoned Spurs. It has to be said that Director Lu still has a lot of trust in Jeremy Lin.

Many rookies who played well in the regular season will not understand what a real NBA game is until the playoffs.

Compared with the regular season, the confrontation intensity of the game is not at the same level.

Jeremy Lin took a deep breath and appeared confidently.

He thought back to Tyronn Lu's arrangement just now in his mind.

It is required to drive the offensive rhythm of the whole team and increase the speed.

This is Jeremy Lin's specialty, fast-paced offense.

Five minutes later, the Clippers called a timeout. The score was 5:34, and the Clippers were still 37 points behind!
The situation on the court did not change. Jeremy Lin was sweating and returned to the sidelines to drink water.

In 5 minutes, Jeremy Lin didn't score a point, and missed 2 three-pointers from the outside.

There was a mistake in the fast break, and a layup was missed. The only gain was an assist in Harden's catch and layup in the positional battle.

There were several bloodstains on Jeremy Lin's arm, which were caused by the collision with his opponent.

The confrontation in the playoffs was so fierce, and the referee didn't give Jeremy Lin a whistle.

Although he set off Linsanity for a while in the league, he is not a star after all, and he will not have whistle protection.

The Spurs' perimeter defense was extremely tight and full of aggression. The game was not as Tyronn Lue thought, and Jeremy Lin easily led the rhythm.

In the playoffs, a player will not be given too many opportunities for trial and error.

Jeremy Lin was immediately put on the bench, and Tyronn Lue sent the experienced Fisher on the stage.

The two sides fell into a tough positional battle, which is the rhythm of the game that the Spurs are used to.

Duncan set up a good barrier in the paint, and Split stared at Randolph.

Until the end of the second quarter, the Clippers were still 45:48, 3 points behind the Spurs.

If it weren't for the Spurs' lack of offensive power and the Clippers players' strong single-defense ability, the Clippers should fall behind even more.

Seeing such a game process, Min Congda was very satisfied.

"Don't mention it, the Spurs are still quite capable. Maybe they will get black seven and take revenge? Then you will be happy!"

Seeing the Spurs' oppressive performance in the first half, Min Congda began to wonder whether the Clippers could be eliminated in the first round.

If so, this result is simply fantastic.

Last year's black eight, this year's black seven, the ups and downs of life are too exciting.

Shelley Sterling looked at the performance of the Clippers in the first half and said: "The Clippers didn't play very well today. It seems that the Spurs are not easy to deal with."

"Of course the Spurs are difficult to deal with. Which team in the NBA is easy to deal with?"

"It is much stronger than the previous Clippers. By the way, Smart, I heard that you have been raising funds for the construction of the new arena recently. How is the progress?"

Shelly suddenly shifted the topic to the construction of the new arena.

This has been a headache for Min Congda. If it wasn't for this, he wouldn't go around thinking about changing the owner of the Clippers.

"Uh...don't have a clue yet, it would be great if you could provide some help."

Min Congda just said that casually, he didn't expect the Sterling family to come up with any money.

At that time, Sterling will just sign the various agreements and it will be over.

Shelley Sterling said: "If the Clippers can grow rapidly, it would be a good thing to invest in fixed assets. Real estate is always the most worthwhile investment project. Smart, in this place in Los Angeles, wants to raise 12 billion U.S. dollars, it’s not a very difficult thing.”

The Sterling family made their fortune in the Los Angeles real estate market, and Shelly was a discerning woman who followed her husband in the business world.

She realized that although the investment of 12 billion U.S. dollars was expensive, once it was completed, it would be beneficial to the Clippers and Sterling's personal wealth appreciation in the long run.

The main concern now is the issue of risk.

12 billion US dollars, the Sterlings cannot afford it.

Financing, liabilities, and even some agreements have to be introduced.

In the future, if the Clippers can maintain an excellent record and the commercial value of the team continues to increase, then building a luxury arena with US$12 billion will be a good deal.

I just don't know what will happen to the Clippers' playoff results this year.

Min Congda turned his mind and thought that Donald Sterling would not provide any help if he became a puppet.

But Shelley Sterling is different. This woman has wrists and connections, and may be a good help.

Min Congda suddenly realized that he had made a mistake. He was looking for a long way to go, and went to the president for help in financing, hoping that Silva could help.

But isn't the ready-made benefactor right in front of him?
Sterling can't, but his wife can!
Min Congda said that he was fooled, and his wife's politics have always been very important.

Shelley Sterling, the low-key and hidden second boss, has been ignored by Min Congda.

Therefore, Min Congda was more inclined to let the Sterling family keep the Clippers.

"Mrs. Sterling, if you have any great opinions or ideas, feel free to bring them up. I am doing things for the Clippers, and even more so for the Sterling family."

Min Congda said it nicely, but he thought in his heart, if the team goes bankrupt in the future, don't blame me, at least I will leave you a super luxurious arena.

Shelly said: "I don't know how Donald talked with you. He wanted to build an arena, but he didn't provide you with any financing channels. The bank that serves the team probably won't be able to raise that much money. I can recommend One way is to issue bonds. You need to unite with multiple banks to issue a bond for the Clippers project, using some things as the target. I will give you a way for the specific method... However, you have to wait for this turmoil Just go in the past."

As the wife of a billionaire, Shelley Sterling is not a vase.

Instead, she used her status and wealth to build a fairly rich network of relationships and contacts in Los Angeles.

To a certain extent, Shelley Sterling has stronger connections than Donald Sterling.

Because Donald Sterling is really not a likable guy.

The elegant and decisive Xie Li has better popularity.

The two reached a preliminary cooperation intention on this issue.

The second half of the game has already begun.

The Clippers, trailing by 3 points, really wanted to make adjustments in the third quarter to reverse the situation on the field.

However, once a trend is formed, it is not so easy to change it.

The rhythm of the game has been controlled by the Spurs.

It can be seen that these old guys really want revenge.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Duncan succeeded in consecutive low-post attacks.

There is a 45-degree wiping board, a small hook for turning around, all of them are available.

When the Clippers wanted to strengthen their defense on the inside, the Spurs' offensive focus immediately shifted to Parker and Ginobili.

Ginobili has recuperated and recovered well from his injury.

Both he and Parker are quick, quick guards.

To say that it is fast, it is indeed fast, but it does not depend entirely on speed.

They have a wealth of experience and a tenacious will to fight, and they can always find gaps in the Clippers' defense, tear open, enter, score or cause damage.

The two took turns leading the Spurs' offense, while Duncan did a good job of pick-and-roll, support, and defense steadily.

Although the parts of this Spurs machine are a bit old, some parts are still missing.

But the machine runs more and more smoothly and lubriciously.

The Clippers didn't run smoothly from the beginning, and they played lack of purpose from the first half to the third quarter.

Although there are many offensive points, there is no one focus.

During the regular season, you can play as a team.

But in the playoffs, it is not easy for the team to perform well.

There must be a sharp spear to pierce the opponent's strong defense.

Both Curry and Harden can be this spear, but both of them played mediocre tonight.

Curry made 6 of 1 three-pointers from the outside, and Harden made 11 of 2 shots.

Harden is a guy who plays very well when he is strong, and he pulls to the end when he is pulling.

Harden is pulled tonight. I don't know if the regular season is too smooth for him to drift, or he went to the villa to attend the party yesterday and drained his energy.

However, even if the Clippers played mediocrely with the 09 double guns, the Clippers still clung to the score. The two sides entered the fourth quarter with a 74:74 tie.

Dragic and Fisher's two three-pointers helped the Clippers and Spurs get back to the same starting line.

But in the fourth quarter, the game was still in the rhythm of the Spurs.

The offensive rhythm of both sides is extremely slow, and the offensive efficiency is very low.

After playing until the last 3 minutes, the score between the two sides was tied at 83:83.

In other words, neither team scored double digits in the fourth quarter.

At the critical moment, Tim Duncan stood up again, holding the ball in his ribs to eat Randolph alone, and after turning around, he made a jumper!

This key ball gave the Spurs the lead.

Then Duncan successfully blocked Curry's layup on the defensive end!
One offense and one defense, Tim Duncan still showed his superstar qualities.

At the same time, he also told everyone that although he looked dumb, in fact he was very vengeful!

The Clippers tried an outside three-pointer at the last moment, but Curry made 8 of 1 three-pointers and missed!
Randolph can't hit the inside line either. It's not so easy to let him play key tactics after not focusing on him for a season.

As a result, the Clippers, the second in the Western Conference, lost to the Spurs in an upset at 84:89 in the first game!
The Spurs, who were hacked last year, were temporarily out of breath!
And Min Congda was really surprised when he saw that the Clippers lost in the end!

It's not easy to see the Clippers lose a game now.

If it wasn't for Shelley Sterling in the VIP room, he would really be dancing.

Shelly was obviously dissatisfied with the upset result. She reminded Min Congda: "Smart, I can tell you that whether the construction of the arena can be successfully financed has a great relationship with the Clippers' record. If the Clippers If you get out early, I don't think any bank will underwrite your bonds. But this is the first game, let the boys cheer up."

Xie Li's words immediately put Min Congda in a difficult position.

It's not enough to win, and it's not even good to lose.

Why is it so difficult to complete this task?
(End of this chapter)