Publicly tearing his face, Rivers bullied others! Harden did not deceive people when he topped the first place in the West
After the All-Star break, Harden and Rivers had another argument. If we look back at the timeline, it started when Harden was just traded to the Clippers, and in an interview with the media, he talked about Harden's status with the 76ers at that time. Harden said he took on the playmaker function with the 76ers and that he sacrificed some of the ball. He doesn't want to be a system player because Harden has a system himself. And the 76ers' repeated losses in the playoffs are not Harden's offensive problems.
Subsequently, Harden spoke directly with the Philadelphia coaching staff. Harden could have done more, but the coaching staff was like an invisible net that constrained Harden from playing. He didn't fully display his scoring and playmaking talents with the 76ers at all, and Rivers Sr. was the direct cause and effect.
When old Rivers heard it, it was okay. After taking over the Bucks, he relied on the money saved by Coach Griffin to get the qualification to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star. There was a platform to speak, and he was also unceremonious, and replied directly: "Listen, I'm not Harden's coach anymore, I don't need to answer these questions, no matter what he wants to say, you should ask him, these words are not what I said." ”
From the master-apprentice relationship in the past, to today's public tearing face. What Harden said, and what Rivers responded to, has been reflected this season. Let's start with the conclusion, Harden is not lying, he can indeed do more. When I first arrived at the Clippers, I was unaccustomed to the water and soil, and my luck was a little worse. The sky collapsed to a start, 3-7, 11th in the West, and everyone wanted to see Harden jokes. But the second brother Wei Shao stepped up and released Harden's organizational talent for supplemental points. Then the Clippers went all the way to the north, and when the Timberwolves and Thunder lost at the same time, they briefly topped the first place in the West.
Today's record is 36-17, third in the West. Two teammates: George and Xiaoka have also entered the All-Star ranks, and the Clippers have upgraded from the original small wrecked ship to the current Galaxy giant ship.
Harden has played in 48 games for the Clippers this season, averaging just 17.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, a drop from previous seasons. But it's also understandable given the reality of the Clippers. Although he scored less, Harden was much more efficient, shooting 45 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three-point range, and 87.4 percent from the free-throw line. Among them, the true shooting rate is 64.1%, which is higher than when the Rockets landed.
As the team's ball-handling core, Harden's assist-to-turnover ratio is also improving. He averaged just 2.5 turnovers per game this season, including a career-high 3.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. The addition of Harden allows George and Xiaoka to concentrate on both offense and defense, without having to worry about tandem. They also got good numbers, and Harden was half the credit for being selected as an All-Star.
And looking back at Rivers, with the big and small king combination of Brother Alphabet + Lillard, how much Rivers is capable of? 3-7, the worst in the East in the same period, and the same level as the Pistons. Lost to many fish belly teams: Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, etc., if they lose again, will the Wizards and Pistons be far away?
As the essence of humanity's reversal, Rivers can always give his opponent a chance to advance. led the Celtics to win the championship before, and it was also a fluke. As someone who has been convinced by the Rockets, I really hope that the Clippers can meet the Bucks in the playoffs and speak directly with strength.