If you are not strong, you will become a data brush and deceive the whole league! Harden, you may have chosen the wrong person
The NBA regular season has entered the final stage, although the overall situation in the West is still changing, but the general pattern is basically settled: the Thunder and the Timberwolves are competing for the first place, the Nuggets are judging the situation and finding the easiest playoff route; the Clippers' opponent is likely to lock the Mavericks, and the Pelicans may also want to pick opponents to at least avoid the Clippers. The Kings and the Suns, if one team declines, the Lakers have a chance to get the seventh seed, and the Warriors can be regarded as holding the tenth place in the West. As Kerr said, the competition in the West this season is indeed too fierce, and last year, the Warriors could compete for the top six in the West, but this season they have to work hard for a play-off ticket. But with the rise of supernovas such as Edwards and Alexander, the Nuggets are playing steadily, and the Clippers' Big Four configuration, it is normal for other teams to slip out of the top six if they are a little careless.
The Clippers have been on a rollercoaster ride this season. Harden first came with a wave of 6 consecutive defeats, during December and January, the Clippers had a winning rate of more than 80%, once playing a 26-5 record to top the first place in the West, followed by another wave of 13-12, although they stabilized the fourth position, they could only wait for the opponent to take the initiative to pick themselves. From the perspective of alignment probability, the Mavericks will definitely become an obstacle to the Clippers, not to mention that the Mavericks have Gafford + Lively, two highly athletic pie masters, the Clippers can not limit Irving and Doncic except for the Ka Pepper combination, the center is named, not the center, and the Clippers' small lineup has no interior frame protection and defense at all. So what should I do? For the sake of super maximum salary, become a data brush, and deceive the whole league! Harden may have chosen the wrong person.
The Los Angeles media specifically calculated the Clippers' starting triumvirate Harden + George + Leonard, the proportion of sluggish hands (less than 40% shooting rate in a single game), of which Leonard had 10 of the first 68 games below 40%, George was 19 games, and Harden was 27 games. Secondly, in the past 3 months, the NBA player BPM value ranking, Doncic and Jokic dominated the top two without suspense, Paul George unexpectedly averaged 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals + 67% true shooting rate, rising to 7th in the league!, while Leonard's BPM value ranked 22nd in the league, and Harden ranked 29th in the league. In addition, this season, Paul George ranks 9th in the league in offensive efficiency, Harden ranks 13th, and Leonard ranks 40th. Judging by the data, George has performed really well overall, even better than Leonard. But it doesn't stand up to scrutiny, so let's take a look at a few examples.
Against the Hornets, George scored 41 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, played two games against the Trail Blazers, 27 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in one game, and 31 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in one game. Including 33 points against the Pistons and 37 points against the Grizzlies, since the Clippers are on the right track, George has scored 30+ games, and the opponent's record is basically the bottom ten in the league! George is different from Harden and Leonard, Leonard is rarely sluggish, Harden has many sluggish shots, but the assists are stable, and the rhythm of control is irreplaceable. George's job is scoring, and defending. To put it simply, in the high-end game, George can't count on it.
What impressed me the most was that in November last year, the Clippers played against the Nuggets in a row, George scored 35 points in one game, but forced himself to shoot three points at the last moment, ignoring the vacant Harden, and finally lost; in another game, George scored 2 of 13 in a game, and only got 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists! When George felt good, all kinds of difficult goals were scored in a series of three-pointers. But when the feel is not good, it can't help at all, and it will even become a burden. George is averaging 22.6 points per game this season, and probably the highest contribution rate is among the bottom 10 teams in the league.
Therefore, the American media "Bleachers" columnist Berry analyzed, including the 76ers who have expressed strong interest in Paul George (willing to give George a very considerable contract offer this summer), and the Magic (the team's young people are rising and growing rapidly, but they lack a veteran to lead the team, and they are also very interested in George), as well as the Pistons, hoping to equip Cunningham with helpers, and George has become the focus of investigation. After Leonard's contract extension, George always wanted the Clippers to renew his contract, but revealed his attitude that he could test the free market. Therefore, George faced a heavy punch in the belly, and data became his biggest bargaining chip, which is equivalent to deceiving the whole league! At the same time, George's high percentage of ball possession has invisibly made Harden more and more negative, and the Clippers are not strong in the face of strength.
In fact, the Clippers' struggles in the past 2 months, whether it is Harden or Tyronn Lue, including the shortcomings of the team's ineffective offensive and defensive lines, all exist objectively. But the core that really affects the Clippers moving forward is George's attitude. George may not really care how far the Clippers go in the playoffs, but the stats must be available, and this is the negotiating capital for his next big contract. Leonard is doing his best, Harden is conscientious, but some are submissive, and combined with George's attributes of not being strong, the Clippers are actually very difficult this season. Needless to say, Leonard is worthy of dependence, but George may really be the wrong person and the wrong person for Harden!