Originally compiled from: The Athletic
Written by Law Murray
原标题：Why the Clippers lost Game 2: The Suns obliterated them in the midrange
With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Suns were already leading 119-109 and point guard Chris Paul gave Ayton a cover. Los Angeles Clippers center Zubatz switched defenses in front of Paul while Ayton was running, and Paul's original defender, Eric Gordon, was taken away. As the countdown to shooting approached, Zubac stayed ahead of Paul in an isolated situation. It's too late to pass. But Zubac was not going to foul Paul.
But Paul was able to create enough space to complete a 19-foot shot. Not long enough, not shooting threes, not close enough. But it doesn't matter. Paul scored two points under Zubac's defense. In Game 2, the Suns defeated the Clippers 123-109 and tied the series to a 1-1 draw.
A contest between two pitching teams
As long as a team hits more than 16.7 shots (i.e., mid-range shots and three-pointers) from outside the box, they exceed the NBA average this season. During the 2022-23 regular season, NBA teams averaged 4.4 mid-range shots and 12.3 three-pointers per game.
This season, the Chicago Bulls lead the NBA with 7.9 mid-range shots per game, and the Suns are second with 6.9 mid-range shots per game. The Clippers finished fifth with 5.6 mid-range shots per game.
In the eight regular-season games since Kevin Durant joined in the mid-season trade, the Suns averaged 9.3 mid-range goals per game. In Game 1 of the series, the Clippers shot 8-of-27 from the field for 29.6 percent. The league averaged 42 percent mid-range shooting this season.
Paul's goal against Zubac was the Suns' 21st two-point goal from outside the box of the game. Overall, in Game 2, the Suns shot 21 of 29; Close to the same number of attempts as the first game, but with an efficiency of 72.4%. By comparison, the Washington Wizards lead the NBA with 72.0 percent shot from the box.
Leonard aptly described the Suns' mid-range shooting: "They're mid-range shooters. They're good at this. It's like a layup for them. ”
Booker led the Suns and all four shot more accurately
The Clippers did well in Game Two, consuming most of the Suns' offensive resources. The Suns had just seven offensive rebounds and the Clippers led the Suns 21-15 in second-chance scoring. The Clippers led the Suns 28-13 at the free throw line, leaving the Suns on just 14 shots. After conceding 50 points in the box in Game 1, the Suns only scored 38 points inside the box in Game 2.
The Suns shot 10 of 24 from three-pointers and the Clippers shot 11 of 30 from three-pointers. Although the Clippers had more turnovers (15) than the Suns (11), the Clippers won the offensive rebounding battle 12-7. The point of victory or defeat in this game is not the control of the ball.
It's all about the Suns' offensive volume and efficiency in mid-range. The Clippers couldn't stop them throughout the game, and the Suns scored on at least four mid-range shots per quarter. In Game 2, only Durant, Ayton, Devin Booker and Paul scored on mid-range shots, and all four stars improved their efficiency, and all three except Booker improved their scoring compared to the first game.
Suns player mid-range hit/shot vs Clippers in the playoffs
All the Clippers can do is consume as much as possible
'They scored 11 goals in the first half.' Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said, "In the first half I think we did well, our big guys came on. Then Ayton, he started, he went in four or five, and then we tried to close the holes. Then Booker, Durant and Paul also started to make a difference. So we try to strengthen the defensive coverage and try to get them out of balance. I think our zone defence has been doing well for some time, but we have to keep trying to get them out of balance as much as possible. ”
In this series, the key for the Clippers is to try to consume the Suns' offensive end. They had some success in race two, but as Russell Westbrook pointed out, the Clippers missed too many mid-range. Now, the third game in the series will begin Thursday night in Los Angeles.
"They're a good mid-range team," Wilson said. "I think it's their tradition. We want to make sure that we can give enough confrontation. I think a lot of them have a lot of space tonight and that's because we don't have a chance to play against them. If they're shooting, that's fine, but we just have to make sure to give them enough intensity to make sure we don't lose position and build on that. ”
What do you think will happen in this series?