The Clippers swaggered out of the playoff stage again this time, which is really laughable. Their showdown with the Lone Ranger is simply a drama of going high and going low. First of all, he performed well in the first few games, making people think that this year's Clippers could go further, but the final score of 2-4 made everyone's hopes come to naught, and he was sent home directly by the Mavericks.
Speaking of which, we have to pick up the four so-called "giants" of the Clippers. As we all know, gathering is a fire, and scattering is a sky full of stars. But how did this fire become a star at a critical moment? Xiaoka, the "shameless rotation card" we are familiar with, can be described as "stealth" in the playoffs. If it weren't for seeing him walking around the field, I really thought he wasn't playing. As for the other "giants", they either make mistakes in passing, or shoot iron, and they seem to have forgotten how to play basketball.
Tyronn Lue, the coach, looked like he had just been doused with cold water after the game, and fully accepted the fiasco. In his post-game reflection, he not only paid tribute to the Mavericks' performance, but also admitted that he had made a big compromise in tactical adjustments. At the press conference, his expression was as uncomfortable as if he had eaten a fly. But to be honest, in this game, the Mavericks did execute their tactics beautifully, and Doncic and Irving were scoring on the court vigorously, as if they were shooting at home.
And we Clippers fans, it's hard to put into words. From the soaring progress at the beginning of the season to the current gloomy sadness, the mood ups and downs in the middle are really not comparable to ordinary roller coasters. Every time I hold on to hope, the result is still a mess of chicken feathers. The future of the Clippers now seems to be a huge question mark. The combination of the Big Four is obviously short-lived, maybe the boss has to think about whether it is time to dismantle and reorganize and start again.
This exit is not only a big test of the Clippers' tactics, but also a challenge to the team's patience. The expectations of the fans have been broken again and again, and the taste in my heart is really mixed. The history of the Clippers has been stopped in the playoffs, each time stopping at the first round or a little farther away, making one wonder, "What else can we expect from a Clipper like this?"
In short, the performance of the Clippers this time is not only a wake-up call for the players, but also a reflection on the management. Can high investment really pay for high returns? Perhaps that's the question the Clippers need to find the answer to next. But at the end of the day, basketball is a five-player team game, and you can't win the game alone. The Clippers still have a long way to go, and I hope they can learn from this failure and find a way to succeed that really suits them.