A wave of 9 consecutive wins, the Clippers' first "Northern Expedition" journey, extremely smooth. After a series of changes such as trades, 6 consecutive losses, Willis off the bench, and Theis's signing, the Clippers finally played a championship-level team. They give people the feeling that they are just a blockbuster. At the time of the 6-game losing streak, the outside world was full of sarcasm, slander, and questioning voices about the Clippers, and some people even believed that the Clippers team was not far from disbanding. As a result, after making changes in several areas, they quickly turned the situation around, and now they are soaring and have no intention of stopping. 94.4 million in 2 years, low-key explosion, the strongest teammate Harden has encountered in his career, you are the hope of three superstars to win the championship.
The Clippers were able to reverse the decline and play a long winning streak, and the momentum is strong, and the key points are the sacrifice of Wei Shao and the decentralization of Leonard George. With maximum autonomy in his hands, Harden slowly regained his former form and re-emerged as the top two-way superstar. However, having said that, letting Harden control the ball is only the first step for the Clippers to learn the lessons of the 76ers, who don't want to be like the 76ers, on the one hand, depriving Harden of the ball to take care of Embiid to win the MVP, and on the other hand, hoping that the ball-handler will step up and save the team at a critical moment without the ball in hand. In addition, the biggest difference between the Clippers and the 76ers is the difference in the core boss. It's clear that Kawhi Leonard is the better superstar than Embiid.
Take this victory over the Mavericks as an example, Harden has a sluggish state on the offensive end, poor shooting efficiency (4-of-12, 2-of-8 three-pointers), plus George's absence, according to Harden's situation in the 76ers, when he is sluggish and another tactical core in the team is absent, they will often suffer losses, and Harden will take the blame. But now it's different, with Leonard's existence, the Clippers have the capital to go back. At critical moments, Leonard dominated the offense and defense, and he took over the Clippers' offense as Jordan and destroyed the opponent. That's the biggest difference between him and Embiid, Leonard doesn't talk much, he never complains about the environment, he only plays his best individual performance from his own point of view.
As the Clippers' winning streak increases, more and more people are starting to think that Harden chose the Clippers, and he chose the right one this time. The sacrifice of Wei Shao, Leonard George's willingness to give up the ball, and the players of the Clippers are bent on the championship and the atmosphere is united, which is key, but it is only secondary, and if there is no superstar who can really save the team in a time of crisis, the championship is also hopeless. Embiid of the 76ers is not such a person, but Leonard, who has won two championships and was voted MVP of the Finals, is such a ruthless character. Perhaps, at the end of his career, Harden met the strongest teammate he had ever partnered with in his entire career.
Of course, from the perspective of historical status, Durant is the highest-ranked player Harden has partnered with. But if it is really a comprehensive ability at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, Leonard really does not necessarily lose to Durant, he does not have the blessing of MVP, scoring champion and other titles in terms of honors, but fans also know that after Leonard entered the peak, he was limited by injuries and attendance, and there were few personal honors, but Leonard is indeed a player who will make opponents feel fear on the court. Even James, the peak of the Heat period, felt a headache when he saw Leonard play and play against him, which is enough to show Leonard's influence on both offensive and defensive ends.
This season, though, not only has Leonard matured, but he's also fitter. After all these years of questioning, Leonard no longer has any load management, and so far this season, Leonard has maintained full attendance, which is also the first time in seven years that he has maintained full attendance in the first 25 regular season games of the season. still remember that after leading the Raptors to win the championship, Leonard's limelight was unmatched in the whole league, and he once became recognized by the media as the strongest player in the league. However, that was 5 years ago. With the slump in the park, coupled with repeated injuries later, in the discussion of the strongest players, we basically have not seen Leonard's figure.
If the Clippers still can't succeed this season, most people believe that they will be disbanded on the spot, and one of the reasons is that the Clippers did not complete a contract extension with Leonard. He has 2 years and 94.4 million left on his contract, but considering that Leonard has a player option in the final season, that is, after the end of the season, Leonard is eligible to jump out of his contract and test the free agent market. It stands to reason that any team should renew his contract with a player of his level as soon as possible, but there is no way, the Clippers have also been tormented by injuries over the years, and they dare not take it easy, causing the team to fall into darkness for many years to come. However, judging from Leonard's current performance, he, the Clippers, and Harden are all expected to reverse the situation, and Leonard is also the key core of the three superstars of Wei Shao, Harden, and George.