The season has now reached a critical stage, each team wants to work hard for their own goals, and then I am afraid that many teams will have to make roster adjustments, after all, some teams have not met expectations since the beginning of the season, and whether the next trade market can complete the adjustment is the key to determine how far they can go in the end this season. Earlier, the Lakers were once again rumored to be interested in a trade with the Bulls. And the same is true for the Warriors. As the Lakers, the Suns, and the Warriors, as traditional powerhouses, have not been ideal so far. The Clippers, who are at their level, have completed a strong recovery.
The Clippers are one of the teams with the largest operating lineup in the offseason, they completed the trade for Harden, and formed a combination of Leonard, George, Harden and Wei Shao after getting Harden, but the team's initial record after Harden arrived was not ideal, and the team lost more and won less during the run-in period. Under the leadership of the Big Three, the Clippers have won eight consecutive games in the past period, and the most important thing is that during this period, Leonard, George and Harden are gradually picking up.
In the last game, Harden ushered in a strong recovery, hitting 6 consecutive three-pointers in the last 5 minutes to score 21 points, and his signature step-back three-point shooting reached 3+1, leading the Clippers to an absolute lead, and finally won the game against the Pacers. contributed 35 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in the whole game, which was also Harden's first 30+ points so far this season. In the past 10 games, he has averaged 20.5 points, 9.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 52% from the field, 51% from three-point range, and 90% from the free throw line. The data of these 10 games has been qualitatively improved compared to the data of the previous 11 games, and the familiar Harden is returning, in which the Clippers have a 9-1 record, and Harden's strong recovery has also led to the improvement of the team's record.
The most important thing is that Leonard, who used to rotate and rest, still maintains an efficient playing rate so far this season, maintaining full attendance in 26 games, and has a stable and efficient output in the past period, Leonard averaged 29.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4 assists per game during the team's 8-game winning streak, shooting 652% from the field, 55% from three-point range, and 95% from the free throw line This is also the key to his appearance in the All-Star starting lineup that was previously discussed by the ESPN, after all, his strong resurgence and the most terrible Leonard when maintaining efficient attendance.
Not only that, George still has a consistent output, in the team's last five games, he can average 20.2 points and 2.4 steals per game, shooting 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range, and 92% from the field. It can be said that the current Clippers have gradually entered the run-in and chemistry between the Big Three, and have also formed the rise of the Clippers they will lead, and for Harden, he ushered in the best championship season of his career this season.
His performance is undoubtedly a slap in the face of the 76ers, you must know that in the 76ers, he has no tactics at all, and the team is not even willing to give him the contract he wants, and there is a big conflict. Now Harden has arguably become the best helper next to Leonard and George, and his arrival has revitalized the entire Clippers' offense. Now Harden has become a sweetheart.
One thing to say, the Clippers are really expected to be the biggest spoilers in the West this season, of course, provided that they are healthy, after all, injuries have been their biggest problem in the past few seasons, and if they can stay healthy and the performance of the Big Three, then the rise of the Clippers is logical.