A $43 million salary cut, the first in history! What James is difficult to do, but let Xiaoka do it
Halfway through the NBA regular season this season, the situation in the West has gradually stabilized. In addition to the Timberwolves, Thunder and Nuggets, who led at the beginning of the season, the Clippers have caught up strongly, and are expected to top the first place in the West before the All-Star weekend! Especially the Suns, who often collapse suddenly in the fourth quarter, and Durant's desire to be the main force to pull up the market is useless. The third group includes the Lakers, Jazz, Rockets and Warriors, and the Lakers are in turmoil, and there are even rumors that they are going to trade James. To tell the truth, the most anticipated thing in the West today is the Clippers, Harden, Westbrook, and George, all of whom need a championship too much.
Since Harden arrived with the Clippers, he has played in 42 games without a break, from the initial six consecutive losses (playing in five of them) to the 29-8 record in the next 37 games, and the Clippers quickly got on the right track after Harden became the metronome of the ball. There are three main reasons: First, the Clippers have played 43 games and George have played 44 games, and the two have even reached the point where the coaching staff refused to let them rest. Second, Harden's average of 17 points, 5 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game looks average, but Harden has really done the most in these more than 40 games, including Kofi, Mann, Powell, Zubac, Theis and other role players. In Mann's words, Harden is playing like a god. And the third point is easy to overlook.
Remembering the Clippers' 6-game losing streak when Harden first arrived, the Big Four starts, no matter what, they can't win, and Tyronn Lue is under pressure from reporters, but it takes time. At this juncture, Wei Shao made a decision: I will play as a substitute. To put it simply, Wei Shao's choice is a decision that benefits everyone in the team and only suffers a big loss. Wei Shao can't play without the ball, and he lacks projection threats to affect the opponent's defensive system, and Harden's rhythm is even more heaven and earth, compared to Harden leading the team to ensure the lower limit, Wei Shao chooses to sacrifice himself. But after Wei Shao came off the bench, his style of play changed again: he traveled to the wrong peak with Harden, after he came on the court, it was either a simple pass, the opponent would shoot three points when he was empty, get the ball, and his offensive round, accelerate and rush inside!
Taking the last few games as an example, the three brothers have been spinning in a row, plus the away trip, and their physical fitness has reached a bottleneck, Wei Shao stood up: played 10 of 16 for the Nets, scored 23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, and completed a super reversal with the small card; Playing the Raptors, Wei Shao got 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 7 of 14, and turned the tide on the court; Playing the Pistons, Wei Shao was 10 of 13, scored 23 points, 9 assists and 2 steals, and ushered in the milestone of 25,000 points in his career. Wei Shao is 35 years old, compared to last season's salary of 47 million, this season Wei Shao only took a contract of 3.84 million US dollars, a salary cut of 43 million US dollars. In Wei Shao's own words, I'm grateful to be a part of the Clippers, I don't take it for granted, we all strive for a common goal. And Tyronn Lue's response was that the Big Four all knew how to sacrifice.
The Clippers reporter raised his own question, is this still the Wei Shao who was considered a "vampire" and "locker room cancer" in the Lakers one year ago? Wei Shao during the Lakers period was forced to become a substitute, the key is that every time he loses, Wei Shao has to bear all kinds of pressure from the Los Angeles media, and even in the words of royal reporter Wenderhorst, after the Lakers sent Wei Shao to the Jazz, many people think that Wei Shao's NBA career after him is coming to an end, and he can no longer adapt to this league. So why can he be reborn in the Clippers and become the cohesive agent and engine of the team's locker room? Wei Shao averaged 11.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season, shooting 47.2%, the same shooting rate as Irving, and even better than stars such as Tatum, DeRozan, Fox, Mitchell, and Edwards!
The answer wasn't difficult, and after the Clippers beat the Pistons, Leonard said something like this: The road trip can indeed be tiring, but during this time, we are all playing on talent and doing poorly defensively. We have to figure out what we're trying to aim for and give it our all, and we've got to start defending. Leonard has a distinctive characteristic: he takes the initiative to take responsibility for losing, and only when he wins does he find the team's shortcomings. With Xiaoka, he won't blame you if you can't shoot, just like when he continued to support Harden. But if you don't defend, that's embarrassing. Harden and Wei Shao can quickly integrate into the Clippers, and the small card can delegate power and drive everyone to work towards the goal together, not just limited to the results of one or two games. And Wei Shao is a player who can contribute energy on the court, and Harden can completely liberate Leonard's ball pressure.
James is difficult to change, but he has a new life here with the Clippers and Xiaoka, and he has won back respect. I still remember the previous game when the Clippers lost to the Timberwolves by 4 points, Wei Shao got 12 points, 8 rebounds and 13 assists, and a reporter asked Wei Shao about the topic of triple-doubles (198 triple-doubles, the first in history), Wei Shao's response was: No, no, no, you know that my goal and our team's goal have never been this, and I don't care. Stay healthy, maintain a sober competitive attitude, and build on the selfless sacrifice of the Big Four, this season it's the turn of Harden, Wei Shao, and George to follow Xiaoka to realize their dreams!