Tyronn Lue explains the reason for winning + Harden is praised and admitted to being slapped in the face
On April 22, Beijing time, the NBA playoffs continued. In today's Western Conference matchup, the Clippers defeated the Mavericks 109-97 at home to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Two hours before the start of the game, the Clippers cast a shadow over the Clippers' determination that Leonard would not be able to play. However, the Clippers played very well today, with George, Harden and Zubac scoring 20+ points, while successfully limiting the Mavericks to just 8 points in the second quarter and eventually winning a big game. Suffice it to say, without Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers played flawlessly.
After the Clippers won, coach Tyronn Lue explained why they won without Kawhi Leonard. "Towards the end of the regular season, Leonard was out with an injury, and I spoke to Harden to hopefully Harden scoring more, and that mentality carried over to this game," he said. I started with Coffey instead of Leonard for defensive purposes, and Coffey did a good job and he could have done even better!"
Harden was undoubtedly the biggest contributor to today's victory, he played 38 minutes and 33 seconds today, shooting 8-of-17, 6-of-11 three-pointers, 6-of-6 free throws, and chipped in 28 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks, with a plus/minus of +7. After the game, Clippers reporter Farbod Esnaashari posted the Clippers' game stats and wrote: "That's why the Clippers chose to trade for Harden. ”
"We trust each other as a team, and we miss Leonard, but we still have to win," Harden said after the game. It is worth mentioning that since 2019, Harden's team has never lost a series of G1, and the last time he lost G1 was the Rockets against the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals in '19.
The Clippers' performance made Skip willing to be slapped in the face, writing: "I don't think the Clippers can win G1 at home without Kawhi Leonard, and I'm wrong. Now he'll be back on Wednesday night to play G2, and the Clippers have a big advantage. ”
According to the schedule, the Clippers will host the second round of the series against the Mavericks on April 24. Will Leonard be able to make a comeback, and will the Clippers be able to take a 2-0 series lead?