Chapter 767 [Injuries and Opportunities]
This year's NBA mid-term trade has been a backwater, and former National Players Association executive chairman Billy Hunter is troubled by this. Not only has he resigned indefinitely, but he is also considered to have contributed to the tepid trade deadline of the 2012-13 season. The culprit.
Experts do not shy away from saying that the policies implemented by former chairman Hunter are the main reason for the sharp reduction in the interest of various teams in trading. Since the newly launched collective bargaining agreement has increased the collection of luxury taxes, every team president Managers are walking on thin ice when making or considering lineup adjustments. After all, any move may result in huge fines. In comparison, in previous years, the policy of levying luxury tax on teams on a 1:1 basis was indeed much more relaxed than it is now.
Some people also believe that it is the Clippers' excessive strength that has caused other teams to lose confidence in the playoffs and be unwilling to make big trades.
On March 1, the Clippers defeated the Suns with 27 points and completed the regular season sweep.
The Suns are ready to rebuild. It is impossible to have a future with Dragic and Evans in the backcourt, because neither of them is a top three-point shooter and is good at breakthroughs.
The Clippers have obvious advantages inside, and their running and gun play is better than that of the Suns back then.
On the 3rd, in the home game against the Thunder, the Clippers won 114 to 108, but there was bad news. Paul was injured by Perkins when he was misplaced in the third quarter to defend the pick-and-roll.
Injuries are an unavoidable topic in the NBA. After an MRI examination, Paul was diagnosed with a third-level dislocation of the acromioclavicular joint. Although he did not require surgical treatment, Paul will still miss six weeks of the game.
The team doctor suggested that Paul give up the regular season and come back directly in the playoffs to try to get back to his best condition. The coaching staff held a meeting and Yang Rui decided to let Paul rest.
After the Clippers issued the official announcement, Clippers fans were full of concerns about the team's prospects. It was really unlucky that the core fell on the way to hit the best record in the regular season.
If the Clippers miss out on injuries and records, it won't be a perfect season. Of course Yang Rui doesn't want this to happen. All he can do is try his best to make up for Paul's absence by arranging tactics.
Yang Rui is confident that the winning rate will be guaranteed. This Clippers is different from the previous life. The players do not completely rely on Paul's organization. And even without Paul, the team's lineup is definitely not weak, with organizers and scorers.
Yang Rui made adjustments to the lineup. Curry entered the starting lineup and increased his playing time. Barbosa came on as a backup point guard in the second quarter.
Curry no longer plays the 2nd position, and the Clippers abandoned the two-back tactic. The 2nd position is rotated by Danny Green, Tony Allen, and Korver. The defense is stronger than when playing with two backs.
Two guards are a double-edged sword. It's okay if one of the opponents is not good at shooting from the outside. If you encounter a shooting guard who can attack with the ball, Curry's main defense will definitely be targeted. Paul is not here, and Curry is 190cm tall to defend the No. 1 position. There is a slight advantage.
As a result, the Clippers continued to remain strong, and Curry successfully replaced Paul. Although he was slightly inferior in organization, his personal offensive power was stronger and he could attract double-teams and drive the team.
No team dares to underestimate Curry. Whether he takes the ball in the center or the corner, he must arrange a partial attack. Otherwise, Curry can make a jumper and hit a three-pointer if he leaves a little space, and he may hit the ball if he can't cover it; Curry faces a big opponent. He is tall and can break through with the ball, so he is very skilled.
Curry broke out against the Magic. He played 34 minutes, made 20 of 27 shots, 10 of 16 three-pointers, 1 of 1 free throws, and scored 51 points, 3 rebounds and 8 assists.
It took him three quarters to defeat the Magic almost with his personal ability, leading the Clippers to a 130-112 win.
The Clippers' bench is still strong. Yang Rui asked veteran Battier to serve as the starting small forward, and Gay led the bench to ensure a strong offensive point with the ball in the second quarter.
Barbosa can also attack with the ball, run fast breaks, has speed, and can shoot; Korver is accurate with three-pointers from the bottom corner and is responsible for opening up the space; Parsons plays as a point forward and combines sudden points and shots, which can easily cause mismatches. Make it difficult for opponents to defend in a zone.
The most critical person on the bench is Farid.
He guest-starred as a center and played in the "Five Smalls of Death", which no other team could break.
Farid averaged 11.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0.7 blocks in 25.3 minutes per game, with a shooting percentage of 55.2%. His guard-like speed gave all big men a headache inside. From the same distance, he could reach the goal in two steps. Can get rid of.
When a big man is in the paint, if he misses a shot, the Clippers will counterattack; if he runs and bombs hard, he will fall into the Clippers' rhythm.
In order to ensure the winning rate, Yang Rui gave up cultivating new players and mainly relied on the rotation of Griffin, Chandler, and Faried in the interior. In the second quarter, Parsons made a guest appearance at the 4th position.
Throughout March, the Clippers lost to the Mavericks 102-109 away from home on the 26th.
Nowitzki and Gasol were in great form, making whatever shots they wanted. Outside OJ Mayo also scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and hit 4 three-pointers.
The Clippers were all misfired on the outside. Curry made 4 of 16 shots, 1 of 8 three-pointers, and 5 of 5 free throws. He only had 14 points and 6 assists. Korver, the strongest shooter, made 1 of 8 shots, 0 of 5 three-pointers, and failed to make any three open shots.
In back-to-back away games against the Hornets, Korver exploded, hitting 5 three-pointers and scoring 17 points in only 21 minutes. Help the team win easily.
When Korver is in good condition, carrying him is like carrying sunshine, and it will be sunny no matter where he goes; when Korver is in bad condition, his transformation is like a broken string, and no matter how he picks up the sound, it will not be right. Fans can tell the difference.
At the end of the month, even though Duncan made 12 of 19 shots, 10 of 10 free throws, and scored 34 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, as if he was back at his peak, the Clippers still won.
The Clippers played a terrifying running game, with 8 players on the team scoring in double figures, and they defeated the aging Spurs 122 to 104 with their speed.
Curry scored a team-high 28 points. After the All-Star Game, his playing time increased to about 38 minutes, and his average playing time also increased immediately. He averaged 23 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Curry still shot 46.5% from the field, 44.3% from three-point range, and 89.4% from free throws. As long as he maintains this state, his data will improve in April, and he is likely to eventually be elected as the regular season MVP.
No player wants to win this award, so after Paul was injured, Curry often had fun at home.
In the first half of the season, he didn't think about competing for the core, he just wanted to win the best sixth man again. So he will miss two games because of his marriage. Now that a major opportunity is in front of us, even if Yang Rui doesn't say anything, Curry will take more shots.
Yang Rui temporarily changed his plan and tried his best to help Curry win the prize. He was very popular before and won the All-Star vote. Now as long as he wins another MVP, he can consolidate his popularity and become a superstar in one fell swoop.
Curry has a regular season MVP and a championship ring, but the only difference is a FMVP.
The Cavaliers' strength has declined due to the injury to center Varejao. Even if they find a winning feeling in the mid-term and have a 16-game winning streak, their record is still behind the Nets and ranked second in the Eastern Conference. After the restructuring, the winners are usually the teams with the top three records in the league. There are very few exceptions for players with outstanding statistics, unless their statistics are astonishing and they have made a particularly large contribution to the team's record.
Moreover, it was James who won the regular season MVP last season. With the Big Three still controversial, allowing him to win the best again will definitely cause greater controversy, and the league will not do that.
The Nets play team basketball. The three core players of Yao Ming, Deron and Joe Johnson average less than 20 points per game. It is impossible to win the MVP if the data is not good. The Clippers were an example last season.
Therefore, if Curry wants to win the MVP, he only needs to produce reasonable data.