In the face of a cruel win-loss format in the play-offs, the heavenly hard Lu guidance is also ineffective.
On April 13, Beijing time, the eighth Clippers in the West lost 104-109 to the Seventh Timberwolves in the West on the road, failing to lock up a place in the playoffs. If the Clippers can beat the winner between the Spurs and pelicans afterwards, they can still make it to the first round of the playoffs to play the Suns, otherwise the Clippers will miss the playoffs. In the next game, the Clippers will face a veritable life-and-death battle.
Against the Timberwolves, the Clippers led by 10 points at most, but the Clippers lost 11 points in the final quarter and were eventually reversed by the Timberwolves. The Clippers are the best team to complete a reversal this season, but this time they have become a backdrop for an opponent's reversal. Originally, in this life-and-death battle, the more experienced Lu guidance advantage was obvious, but today, his coaching ability and life hard physique did not make him and the Clippers a winner.
If you enter "Tyronn Lue" on social media and search for the evaluation of Lu Guidance by industry insiders in this game, you will find that Lu Guidance has actually received very high evaluations, and there are many highlights in the targeted defensive strategy and the platooning of key nodes.
The first is Lue's targeted defensive strategy against Timberwolves top star Carl Anthony Downs, and Lu's defensive strategy and Clippers players' execution are impeccable.
Towns' self-proclaimed "the strongest shooting ability in NBA history" is naturally confident, and everyone knows that Towns' most threatening attack area is in the middle and long distances, and he can shoot the ball in the high position. Although Towns' low-post singles shooting percentage exceeded 50%, Downs' weakness of making too many mistakes when he fell low directly reduced his low-post offensive efficiency.
In response to Downs' characteristics, Lue directed a targeted defensive strategy: Zubac opposed Vanderbilt, who had no shooting ability, and Batum defended Downs. Whether Towns is down or taking the ball from outside the three-point line, Zubac must let go of Vanderbilt as soon as possible, team up with Batum to pinch Downs, and force Downs to pass. In the face of the Clippers' defensive strategy, Towns could not find a good shooting opportunity. When he managed to pass the ball, the Clippers' subsequent rotation was complete, and the Timberwolves had a hard time forming an open shot.
The Timberwolves also lacked resilience, and when the Clippers adopted this defensive strategy, Finch should have asked Towns to take as little as possible to play the offensive endpoint rather than the offensive launch point, but Fincher did not do so. As a result, Towns' mentality gradually became unbalanced, his personal offensive efficiency was not to mention, and he fell into foul trouble.
(Of course, today there is a problem with the referee blowing the penalty scale, and one of the league's most controversial referees, Scott Foster, has once again grabbed the camera and been spat upon by mass criticism, which is another topic.) ）
In the whole game, Towns played 24 minutes to receive 6 fouls and was expelled, he only had 3 of 11 shots, 5 rebounds, 3 assists on 5 of 6 free throws, 4 turnovers, and the team had the worst plus-minus -14 points on the field.
Director Lou's preparations for Downs were perfect, and various celebrities praised him, and industry insiders such as Kendrick Perkins and Bill Simmons praised him with various meaty comments.
Coach Lu is not only well prepared, but also highlights in his adjustments during the game. When Towns was on the floor, the Clippers repeatedly launched the first and fifth positions, and in response to Towns, either Jackson and George shot directly, or Zubac received the ball to instigate the three-point shooting opportunity in the bottom corner. When Towns returned to the court with four fouls, Coach Lu gave Zubac several low-post singles opportunities, and the fight was that Towns did not dare to foul again. At the time of down five, Lue made a small lineup, which was the key to the Clippers' lead by up to 10 points.
Lue's coaching performance is so good, why did the Clippers lose?
At the end of the day, the strategy developed by a coach is two-sided, and no coach's strategy is perfect. As a bystander, you can naturally say in hindsight that "Lu Guidance should not be how, it should be like this and that", but from the perspective of Lu Guidance, every strategic arrangement of him has sufficient reasons, but it is the players who execute on the field, and the effect depends on the players' play.
For example, today, Lu Guide's use of Zubac, many people criticize Lu Guide for using Zubac for too much time. Especially at russell's breakout point, he repeatedly used the block to target Zubac. Russell hit a key shot in the fourth quarter key moments and also aimed at Zubac. But from the Clippers' standpoint, after Downs was beaten down, the 2.13-meter Zubac had an absolute height advantage over the Timberwolves inside line, and Lu's guidance put Zubac on the court in terms of logic.
For example, Lue opened today to let Morris Jr. defend Edwards, and as a result, Morris Jr. was blown up. There are many people on social media who question Lu's arrangement and the lack of subsequent adjustments. But in fact, After Lue chose Zubac to defend de Bilt, George against Russell, and Batum against Downs, only Morris Jr. could go to Edwards. This is the lesser of two evils, the Clippers blocked Downs, but was blown up by Edwards, which is the result of making a choice, but there is no need to use the result to question the strategic arrangement of Lu's guidance.
For example, in the end, Lu guided the use of three guards, many people criticized Lu guidance did not reuse Covington, but in the case of the attack can not be opened, Lu guidance with George, Jackson, Norman Powell's three-guard tactics, more attention to holding the ball to develop the resource reserves of the attack is no problem. It's just that the Clippers' outside feel is not good, and the defensive loopholes back to jackson and Powell on the defensive end have been fully exploited by the Timberwolves.
Including Lue's use of Mann, Mann was very effective against opposing centers in the playoffs last season, but today Mann's 15 minutes on the floor was a plus-minus of -16 points. If Luke Kennard hadn't injured his hamstring to play, the result might have been something else.
After the game, Director Lu also said in conclusion: "Maybe in some aspects I could have done better, but there is no point in dwelling on this, the game is like this." Who would have thought that the Timberwolves would have played far better without Towns than when Towns was on the floor. ”
That's the way the game is, especially a play-off that's a sure-win game. As a manager, all Lu has to do is make choices, make decisions, do his personnel, and obey his destiny. If the two sides fight again, the same strategy may not be useful, and the previous strategies that did not work well may become a miracle.
Fortunately, the Clippers still have hope. As long as they defeat the winners between the Spurs and Pelicans in the next game, they can still enter the playoffs as the eighth in the West, challenging the Suns in the first round.
Another piece of superstitious good news is that in the first game, Lu Always likes to be tempted, and today he sacrificed 9 people to rotate. In the next game, if Director Lu shortens the rotation like the playoffs and fills the load of the main force, the Clippers still have great hopes of entering the playoffs.