"It's not a master for no reason." If you don't have teeth, use your gums... Clippers, the standard of bee basketball
"It's not a master for no reason." If you don't have teeth, use your gums... Clippers, the standard of bee basketball
Blog Article
The Clippers, who were expected to have a gloomy outlook, are doing unexpected well.
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Sacramento Kings 107-98 in the 2024-2025 NBA regular season held at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California on the 9th (Korea time). With this victory, the Clippers have won three games in a row and moved up to seventh in the Western Conference. They also surpassed the 50% winning rate with five wins and four losses.
Even though it's early in the season, the Clippers have been amazing. The Clippers were projected to be at the bottom of their pre-season expectations. The reason was that Russell Westbrook and Paul George left the team as free agents in the Big Four last season, and even the remaining Kawhi Leonard was out of power with indefinite injuries.
Of course, James Harden is still alive, but Harden is an aging player who no longer won the MVP award in his heyday. Except for Harden, there are Norman Powell and Ivica Zubaci. In the offseason, Chris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Nicholas Batum were reinforced, but they were evaluated as having a greater history of departure.
The Clippers have displayed outstanding performance. The offense is completely centered on the ace, Harden. Harden leads the offense and coordinates the game. Even in clutch situations, Harden is responsible for finishing the game. Harden has displayed impressive performance as the ace this season with 20.9 points, 9.2 assists, and 7.7 rebounds.
On top of that, Powell and Zubacchi, who assist Harden, are doing great. In particular, it is safe to say that Powell is fully skilled. He is bombing points with his signature simple attack. Powell has an average of 25.7 points and 3.4 rebounds this season. The field goal success rate is also very high at 51.6 percent. Powell has completely erased the gap between George and Leonard.
Zubacic is also enjoying the best season in his NBA career. Zubacic has been showing off his image as a top big man by scoring 16.7 points and 12.8 rebounds on average this season. He has been dominating most of the matches under the basket.
However, the reason for the Clippers' performance is not offense. It is defense.
The Clippers have lost an average of 106.7 points per game this season. This is the second-best record in the NBA. They also ranked fourth overall in defensive ratings with 109.1.
The core of the Clippers' defense is none other than coach Tyrone Lue. Lue has been well-known for his defensive tactics since his coaching days. He displayed various defense tactics, including one-on-one defense and complex regional defense. Lue's leadership is shining again this season.
Of course, the team was accompanied by excellent recruitment. It seems that the team recruited mostly outstanding defense players including Jones Jr., Batum and Dunn, which was requested by Coach Lu. Coach Lu is fully utilizing the three players he has acquired. 스포츠토토
Jones Jr., who played a critical role in advancing to the final in Dallas last season, is using him as a versatile defender, while Batum, who returned to his old team as a Clippers, is taking charge of the forward defense. On top of that, Dunn persistently harasses opponents in his previous defense.
It is a basketball in which the three players who are recruited focus on defense, and the three players of Harden, Powell and Jubachi focus on offense. Indeed, the harmony of attack and defense is ideal.
There is a saying that offense attracts spectators, but defense creates performance. The Clippers are exactly like that team this season. With solid defense, they are ready to emerge as the dark horse of the Western Conference.