After Paul George's injury, few were bullish on the Clippers' second showdown with the Thunder in three days. However, the result was a big surprise, the Clippers won a big victory, and the substitutes Batum, Mann and Highland all exceeded 30 plus-minus, and Plumlee reached 28.
You must know that Hyland has not played in 7 consecutive games before, and such a victory as the Clippers is completely an atypical victory. It is naturally important to consolidate the qualifying advantage in the playoffs, which is gratifying and thought-provoking.
As the Clippers with the highest total salary and the highest luxury tax in the 2022-2023 season, after three or four operations before the trading deadline, the roster is more luxurious and thicker, and the shortcomings have been effectively strengthened, and are regarded by many industry insiders as a strong contender for the championship.
After a five-game losing streak after a trade, the Clippers' game is getting better, and the opponent is actually only left with age and injury. The Kings and Timberwolves are typical youth storm teams, and the average age of the Nuggets and Warriors is much lower than that of the Clippers.
The older Clippers, although the roster is luxurious enough, is often hard to win in the face of the impact of young teams, most of which can only be decided in the fourth quarter, and there are few big wins.
Whether it is a losing streak or a winning streak, Lu's military use mode is almost "old-fashioned": it is always those few people who play on the field, others play less time, and a few are even difficult to play. George Leonard averaged more than 35 minutes per game, Zubac also played more than 30 minutes, and the poor performance reached about 25 minutes. Covington and Highland struggled to get playing time.
Holding a lot of good cards, but not daring to use them boldly, this is actually self-defeating martial arts. For the aging Clippers, in order to minimize the troubles of age and injury, it is necessary to let more people play, reduce the playing time of the main players through "wheel wars", and ensure that there is an abundant system that can "use good steel on the blade" in the decisive moment. This is obviously the best way for the Clippers to play, and it is also a must.
Don't forget that the team's star players Leonard and George have suffered serious injuries, and letting them play too long can easily lead to old injuries and new diseases.
In the previous article of this issue, the hidden worries of the Clippers in terms of age and injury have been expressed, and a more in-depth analysis has been made, and it is proposed that the "wheel war" + "good steel used on the blade" tactics should be boldly tried.
It's unfortunate! During the March 22 game against the Thunder, George was injured again, shocking Clippers management and many fans into a cold sweat. The Clippers also regrettably lost the game, and in fact the entire game was caught in the onslaught of a younger Thunder's youth storm, and it was not surprising that the bitter defeat was not surprising.
After the injury of Pepper, the Clippers lost a big player who was both offensive and defensive, and the game against the Thunder was undoubtedly more difficult, and I am afraid that it is difficult to escape the fate of defeat.
What is surprising is that the Clippers not only won, but also won by a big margin. Such a strong contrast seems unexpected, but it is actually reasonable.
Leonard's terrifying offensive scoring efficiency is certainly breathtaking. However, compared to the previous score, there is no significant increase. The Clippers mainly won the big explosion of the bench players, and directly beat the Thunder before the end of the third quarter, which is also the fundamental reason why the positive and negative values of the four main players of the Clippers exploded.
After George's accidental injury, Mann and Batum gained more playing time. Hyland who has not played seven consecutive games also received 25 minutes. So they broke out, and the Clippers defeated the Thunder by a big margin.
It can be said that George's injury accidentally forced Lu and other Clippers management to adopt a "wheel war" style of letting more players play, which stimulated the potential of substitutes such as Highland. Overall, the Clippers' luxury lineup still has a lot of potential to tap.
Such a result may not only be beyond the expectations of Clippers management such as Lu Coach, but also unimaginable to most industry professionals and fans.
Americans, in particular, are unlikely to understand the philosophy of "losing one's horse and knowing that it is not a blessing."