Quietly rose to the first place in the league, and the shortcomings were successfully solved! Thanks to Harden, Tyronn Lue and Xiaoka for choosing the right one

Halfway through the NBA regular season this season, the overall situation in the East and West has also stabilized, and the Celtics in the East have been able to ride the dust, while the Bucks have been thrown off by the Cavaliers since the old Rivers took office, and the Knicks have caught up, and the situation is not optimistic. With the fall of Embiid, there are fewer and fewer competitive teams in the East, including the Celtics, who are also unable to use their strength in the face of Western teams, especially high-end games, and the overall competitive landscape in the West is obviously more intense. Since Harden came to the Clippers, except for the first wave of 6 consecutive defeats, the team is running in, and after 40 games, the Clippers are 31-9, especially since December last year, the Clippers have won 26 in 32 games, and in the same period, including the winning rate, offensive efficiency, three-point shooting rate and other numerical statistics, they are all ranked first in the league! But is this Clippers really perfect?

If you want to go to the end, you must solve the shortcomings, and the Clippers have lost 6 of the last 32 games, and the shortcomings have been exposed. Let's take a look at the losing process of these 6 games. At the end of December last year, the Clippers lost to the Thunder by 19 points, including a 37-point defeat to the Celtics, when Leonard was not there, George felt unstable, and the opponent could receive miraculous results by wrapping Harden with all his might, the Clippers not only fell into weakness on the offensive end, but also struggled on the defensive end. The 3-point defeat to the Lakers didn't have much reference value, and then the 4-point loss to the Timberwolves, the 10-point loss to the Cavaliers, including the 11-point loss to the Pelicans, the opponent was either a twin-tower combination, or had a top-level forward impact, Leonard and George had no substitutes, Theis or Plumlee played, directly into a sieve.

During the trade deadline window, the Clippers did not take any action, which is reasonable, because the Clippers' active chips (Tucker, Hyland) level cannot be exchanged for their favorite star (PJ Washington), and the key is that even if it is exchanged, it needs to be re-run-in, with the Clippers' current tactical system, the status of new signings may not be higher than Mann, Coffey and others. But there are two points that are easy to ignore: First, the Clippers have held the top spot in the power rankings for two consecutive weeks, although Leonard is only one in the top 10 of the MVP list (still sixth), and only Leonard is the top 15 nominees, but the system blessing that Harden brings to the team is obvious. Second, the Clippers still struggle against teams with twin towers or top-tier forward impact, and apart from Zubac, who can barely cope, Theis and Plumlee can't be relied on.

So what to do? Actually, the Clippers and Tyronn Lue have already given the answer. At the trade deadline, the Clippers didn't move, and they didn't choose to rush to send PJ Tucker away, and Tucker himself vented on social platforms: It's all a joke. But according to the Clippers media, Tucker attaches great importance to his player option contract next season, and even if the Clippers keep him, he will not seek a buyout, after all, from Wei Shao, Jr., George including Tyronn Lue, and Tucker have a good relationship with Tucker privately, and Tucker will execute next season's player option worth $11 million no matter where he is. After all, the Clippers think more, and if they force Tucker away, once he joins teams like the Suns, Heat, and Bucks, he will backstab the Clippers. But Tyronn Lue also spoke: "It's the consensus of the team that we keep Tucker, and he'll get a chance!"

Where's the opportunity for Tucker? Since the Big Three got on the right track, although the Clippers are the first in the league in all offensive statistics, Leonard has the most pressure on the defensive end: including steals, interceptions (destroying the ball), steals/blocks/fouls and personal foul ratios, all of which are the first in the team; As for the difficulty of alignment, Mann is the first, which is precisely the reason why the Clippers' defense is not so good, because Harden + Kapepper + Zubac is around, and there is only one player who can flexibly fill the position. In addition, in the 0-6 foot rim block percentage, Zubac is first, Theis is second, followed by small cards and Harden. Did you find it, there really is no substitute to use.

This is Tucker's chance! Although Tucker will be 39 years old this summer, in the playoffs, in certain games or some key moments, Tucker can grab key rebounds, or a few rounds of low-post card people, and that is enough! When Tucker signed this 3-year, $33 million contract, it was Harden's $15 million salary cut based on this, Tucker knows this, as Harden's best brother, Tucker will not abandon all the way. Secondly, when the 76ers traded to the Clippers, Harden voluntarily gave up the $5.1 million trade guarantee, which allowed the Clippers to take Tucker away from the 76ers. Tucker definitely didn't come to help the Clippers solve the regular-season puzzle, and after he left the Rockets, whether it was with the Bucks, Heat, or 76ers, the regular season was average. But in the playoffs, Tucker is different.

In the final analysis, thanks to Harden's selflessness at the beginning, he left a back hand for the current Clippers, and this back hand is the same as Budenholzer's strategy for Tucker during the Bucks, but this time, even Tucker himself was kept in the dark and thought that he had no chance. Whether it's Tyronn Lue or Leonard, judging by their level of support for Harden, they have unconditionally trusted Harden. Harden's biggest contribution to the Clippers is his ability to guarantee the regular season, including the second round of the playoffs. And then, there is Tucker with Harden, who really hopes that the Clippers can stay healthy this season and finally win the championship as they wish!