In the NBA playoffs, this set of matchups between the Clippers and the Lone Rangers became the most intense confrontation in the first round. This is the two teams meeting in the playoffs for two consecutive years. Similar to the last matchup, this time the Lone Rangers gave The Clippers created a lot of trouble. The Lone Rangers G1 and G2 broke through the Clippers' home game, and G5 won the battle of Tianwang Mountain at the Clippers' home court, pushing the Clippers into a corner. The Clippers, who were in a desperate situation, fought their last battle, and finally won two cities in a row, and it was difficult to advance to the next round through the tiebreaker.
The Clippers were able to advance in the tiebreaker, and Leonard was undoubtedly the most dazzling player. After G5 missed the key three-pointer, Leonard G6 was unstoppable. As long as the ball was in his hands, he had a way to score, and he felt that as long as Leonard shot, the basketball would be firmly in the pocket. In the whole game, Leonard made 18 of 25 shots, 5 of 9 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 45 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, helping the Clippers drag the game into the tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Leonard continued to maintain an efficient performance, making 10 of 15 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, and 66.7% of the shooting percentage contributed to the team's highest shooting rate. 28 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
Leonard took the Clippers out of the quagmire with an efficient and inexplicable personal offense, and the performance of another core of the team, George , was also remarkable. He incarnated as playmaker , G6 and G7 in total He sent out 16 assists and became the engine for the Clippers to get out of the quagmire. The lack of people in the backcourt has always been a headache for the Clippers. Although Rondo and other experienced veterans have been introduced to enrich the backcourt staffing this season, the effect is not ideal, so in G6 and G7, Rondo has His playing time dropped again and again. At this time, George stepped forward, took on the important organizational responsibility of the Clippers, and received miraculous results.
Taking G7 as an example, in the first quarter of the game, George made full use of his restraint to attract the Lone Ranger's defense, and then quickly shot the ball to find a teammate who was in the open position, Batum received George's pass scored easily , Leonard hit a three-pointer after receiving a pass from George, Batum hit an open three-pointer after receiving a pass from George... After the first quarter, although George did not score, he sent 4 assists. Under his leadership, The Clippers played a smooth offense, so although Doncic felt hot and scored 19 points in a single quarter, the Lone Ranger still failed to widen the point difference. In the whole game, George sent a total of 10 assists, and became the player with the most assists in the Clippers team for 2 consecutive games.
It can be said that the Clippers were able to be reborn from desperation and advance to the tiebreaker. George contributed greatly. He stepped forward at a critical moment to block the team's shortcomings and became the engine of the team's progress. This time George really didn't pull his hips. Now the Clippers are on the channel again, and they keep going at full speed. Of course, how far the Clippers can go in the end, in addition to requiring George to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the organization, more importantly, it also requires George to quickly recover on the offensive end.
George has always been the most criticized for his unreliable offense at critical moments. This problem has appeared again this season. G6 George made 6 of 15 shots and only 40% from the field, 2 of 7 from 3-point range and 28.5% from the field, G7 George made 5 of 15 shots and shot as low as 33.3%, 2 of 8 from 3-pointer, and only 25 from the field. %. During the regular season, George's three-point shooting rate reached 41.1%, but after entering the playoffs, George's three-point shooting rate is only 30.6%, and the efficiency has dropped by a full 10.5%.
