The los Angeles Clippers' final playoff against the New Orleans Pelicans staged a plot of ups and downs in the spotlight: from the Pelicans' all-round suppression in the opening period, to the re-use of the Clippers' small lineup to fight a 20-2 shockwave, to the exhausted and exhausted Clippers in the final quarter as Ingram took the game in front of him. In the end, the score was fixed at 105-101 at the end of the song, which meant that Tyrone Lue missed the playoffs for the first time in his coaching career (he was sacked by the Cavaliers at the beginning of the 2018-19 season), and it also meant that Brandon Ingram finally touched the playoff floor and visited the Playoffs for the first time in his career, rather than watching the series with an envious look on the TV as a third party.
Six years to sharpen a sword! Born in such a famous door as Duke University, you are the 2016 list of the show, at the beginning of his debut, he enjoyed the reputation of "Little Durant" because of his tall body, a pair of long arms and a soft shooting feel, and came to such a giant as the Lakers, enjoying the high exposure brought by the spotlight of the City of Angels, it can be said that Ingram got the script that many young players dreamed of.
However, who could have predicted that Ingram experienced what purple gold fans hailed as the darkest and most chaotic years in the history of the Lakers; when LeBron James settled in Los Angeles and the team began to build a winning culture, the damn injury came unexpectedly, the old Jan's groin injury brought everything back to square one, and worse, the trading rumors that plagued the Lakers' young players accelerated the process of disintegration. As a result, although Ingram is a high-ranking person, he cannot escape the fate of being sent away with Langzo Ball and Josh Hart.
After coming to the Pelicans of New Orleans, joining forces to surpass their own Zion Williams, the outside world's expectations for the twin stars of tomorrow are like a bright moon hanging high in the sky, it seems that success is taken for granted to them, and Ingram can play the role of two masters with peace of mind. The truth is, Ingram won the Fastest Improving Player Award and was named to the All-Star Team, but there was still no way to break through the last layer of window paper and the playoffs. Before the season even started, the team received bad news - the Fat Tigers were out indefinitely, and almost everyone decided that Ingram and the Pelicans were finished again.
The team's trend in the first half of the season seems to confirm everyone's thinking: from the Grizzlies to the big Varlan has become the team's thickest thigh, but the Grizzlies, who are determined to make the lineup younger, have begun to soar, and the Pelicans have become the laughing stock of everyone. In the face of adversity, Ingram did not sink, but instead began to work silently. The real turnaround came when CJ McCollum came to the city just before the trade deadline, and even though he lost four of his five games at the beginning of the franchise, CJ proved that "gold always shines". In the 26 games since joining the Pelicans, he helped the team win 13, with a winning percentage of just 50%, which is not worth mentioning in the eyes of the strong team, but for the Pelicans, it is enough for them to overpower Ingram's old owner, the Lakers, and secure a play-off ticket.
If in the first game of the playoffs, Ingram's limelight was slightly overshadowed by McCollum of 7 of 7 in this quarter, then the final showdown with the Clippers in the second game, Ingram can be said to be his own efforts to choke the throat of fate, in the case of CJ's inaccurate, still continuing the efficient play of 21 shots and 14, his mid-range makes the Clippers' incomparably solid defensive resources beyond reach, Morris Jr., Mann, Covington, Powell staged a wheel war, all of which have no way to improve Ingram. In this scene, Ingram used his impeccable performance to play the shadow of the man - little Durant was not blown out, but played with performance.
As CJ McCollum said after the game: Ingram can finally prove himself on a higher stage. In this regard, Ingram also officially stated in the post-match connection with TNT Studio: "I have never achieved a record of more than half of the victory rate before, and I have not been able to show my talent on a bigger stage, which feels really wonderful." We set a goal at the beginning of the season to make the playoffs, we never forgot, we stayed calm, even after ten consecutive defeats at the beginning of the season, but Coach Willie Green kept us optimistic, as the season progressed, we found the goal within reach, and after All-Star Weekend we said to ourselves, we have to be the hardest team every day. ”
Ingram did not forget to humbly say that the credit belonged to his teammates and coaches, and in the face of Charles Barkley's questions, he specifically mentioned CJ McCollum's strong scoring ability, high ball quotient, sharing the pressure on his defensive end, allowing him to cause trouble to opponents in one-on-one. Interestingly, Buckley didn't intend to let Ingram go, joking: "You and Zion must not play together, right?" Because you look completely different, surely you don't eat in one place, right? Ingram smiled and said, "I have to go, buddy, I really have to go." "How many sincere words are spoken in the form of jokes, and I have to say that Lord Barge's joke is a bit straight to the heart."
Next, Ingram, who is on the playoff stage for the first time, will challenge the Phoenix Suns, which are invincible in the regular season, with his teammates. Because, as one of the few gods who has touched CP3's head, Ingram and Paul's enmity also adds to the focus of this group of duels. Can Ingram continue to play without solution and give us more surprises? Let's wait and see.