After a comfortable win over the Pacers on the road, the Clippers ushered in a crazy eight-game winning streak, and they have gone from 11th place in the West to the top 6 in the West. According to the momentum of the Clippers, not to mention the top 4 in the West, they may even threaten the Timberwolves' No. 1 position in the West, after all, the competition in the West is extremely fierce, and a short period of time may cause violent turmoil in the rankings. And the current situation of the Clippers seems to be going through a sweet period after a painful run-in, and the players are excited and in full form. They're so strong that any team that touches them will get into trouble. Give up your trade margin, join the Clippers, find the perfect spot to compete for the championship, and prove that you are not wrong.
After a six-game losing streak, the Clippers quickly made adjustments, and Wei Shao was not only taken to the bench, but with the addition of Theis, the Clippers also had their own space all-around interior line. According to statistics, in the recent wave of 8 consecutive wins, Harden, George, Leonard, and Wei Shao, a group of four, they did not play together for even a second, and Tyronn Lue fundamentally solved the rotation problem of the Clippers. However, the key point is still in Harden, to put it bluntly, if there is no Harden, maybe the Clippers will not experience that painful 6-game losing streak, but they will never be like now, winning 8 consecutive wins, and even the winning streak can continue. Despite the painful period, Harden has definitely raised the ceiling of the Clippers, not to mention that they have not yet entered the ranks of the top 4 in the West, but the Clippers have indeed shown a certain championship appearance.
When the Clippers suffered a six-game losing streak, there was an overwhelming wave of doubts that were slandering Harden. There are many Clippers fans who believe that the team traded for Harden, which is a mistake. However, that voice, with the Clippers' winning streak and Harden's recovery at the top level, slowly faded away. Against the Pacers, Harden shot 12-of-16, including 8-of-11 from three-point range, and with only 3 free throws, Harden still needed only 16 shots to return 35 points and handed out 9 assists. This kind of performance is what a top superstar should do. In addition, Harden also used his performance during this period to clear his doubts.
Over the years, Harden has been burdened with more infamy than can be counted. He first fell out with the Rockets and joined the Nets. then forcibly forced the Nets to send him to the 76ers, and this time, Harden had a showdown with the 76ers, and the two sides had a lot of trouble. Three times in a row, he has been in a mood with his old club for three consecutive years, and even some die-hard supporters of Harden will inevitably wonder if Harden is the root cause of the problem? After all, Harden is the protagonist of all this farce. However, it turned out that Harden was nothing more than bad luck. Leaving the Rockets, Harden should not be blamed, after all, he gave everything to the Rockets, the management was unwilling to pay the luxury tax, the team had no championship hopes, and Harden held on for so many years and finally wanted to leave, which is understandable.
Leaving the Nets, it's no wonder that Harden is even more to blame. On the one hand, Harden was bent on competing for the championship, and he also sacrificed one of his hamstrings for the Nets, resulting in a serious decline in form. And what about the Nets? They have always connived at Irving, and even within the team, blocking all trade rumors about Irving, and have no determination to change. Of course, Durant also has to take responsibility, as the boss of the team, his attitude towards Irving is not tough enough, and he brings his personal private relationships and emotions to the team's contradictions in dealing with the incident, causing the Nets management to be at a loss and always care about Durant's emotions. This is Irving's problem, and it is also the problem of Durant, the team boss, as a player who is bent on competing for a championship, Harden is not willing to waste time and go through this, which is not to blame Harden.
Not to mention the 76ers, Harden looked away at Embiid, and at the same time, in order to compete for the championship, Harden sacrificed more than 10 million dollars in salary to strengthen the team, but the management is still avoiding the luxury tax, and at the same time, he has not fulfilled his promise to give Harden a big contract. Thankfully, Harden persevered, and he came to a team that really aimed for a championship, and he came to a team that was very suitable for him and believed in him.
Wei Shao is willing to substitute for himself, George Leonard, as the leader of the team, is willing to give Harden the ball, Harden also has absolute autonomy, he really solves the organizational problem of the Clippers, and Harden can also take the initiative to attack when he is in good shape, he can also give the ball to Leonard at a critical moment when he is in average condition, and the latter will assume the responsibility of the leader and lead the team to victory. Instead of being required to connect the team on the one hand, and catering to Embiid on the other hand, as in the 76ers period, when the team is in trouble, he is forced to stand up, which makes Harden very uncomfortable. Even if joining the Clippers required Harden to give up his $5.1 million trade guarantee, Harden, who had lost a lot of money, did not hesitate. Because he knows that staying with the 76ers is just a waste of time, and once he succeeds with the Clippers, the big contract is naturally in his pocket.