The league arranged for the Clippers to be the opponent for the Sonics in the opening game in order not to harm the popular team.
Since Yang Jian entered the NBA, the SuperSonics have never lost in the opening game and have beaten their opponents for three consecutive seasons. For a team that originally had hopes of making it to the playoffs, a disastrous defeat in the opening game may affect the morale of the entire season.
The 76ers this season is an example.
The 76ers have famous coach Larry Brown and super scorer Allen Iverson. They have to find some reason why they didn't make the playoffs in the end. Otherwise, the media has been promoting the two of them for so long, which is too shameful.
It doesn't matter how badly the Clippers lose in their home opener. This team has never won much anyway. It has almost always been a bad team from the time it was founded until now.
This is an incredible thing, because the Clippers are located in Los Angeles and have a natural geographical advantage. If the Clippers succeed, president David Stern will be happy to promote the "Los Angeles Derby."
Owner Donald Sterling failed to take advantage of the situation at all. He just wanted to mess around and never thought about running the team properly.
In addition to what statistics Yang Jian can produce, the biggest highlight of the opening game promoted by the media is the first game of the career of No. 2 pick Steve Francis. Regardless of whether the high-ranking rookie can be promoted, the league will definitely make a wave of speculation at the beginning of each season, and the top 10 will be promoted.
Those who have three or four good statistics in their name are successful.
Francis was not selected by the Grizzlies and did not refuse to report to Vancouver. Now no one regards him as a thorn in the side, but as a very potential new star. If a rookie player does something to force the palace, he will basically be finished in his life and will be blacklisted by the league.
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As a result, Francis showed the characteristic of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers at the beginning.
He doesn't care about the characteristics of his teammates or how strong his opponent is. He just plays according to his own habits and sprints back and forth.
Francis' outside partner is Derek Anderson, a third-year ordinary shooting guard who was traded from the Cavaliers in the summer. They faced the league's recognized strongest outside combination and actually chose to fight for the fast break.
Francis has played like this in college. As a point guard, he can only play at the rhythm of "fast whirlwind". It is of course a tragedy for him to face Yang Jian's defense. The impact he relies on to survive is not as good as Yang Jian's, and he cannot break through.
The defense made strong shots and hit the ground running.
In a parallel world, Francis has only used his body to bully people and shot inaccurately throughout his career. He is like a weakened version of Westbrook. His style of play attracts fans, but he is not good at leading the team to win. He has only played in the playoffs once.
He was eliminated in the first round of the tournament, and after his physical fitness declined, he had no ball to play with.
Under Yang Jian's full defense, Francis could hardly make a move and forced a layup that was blocked by a nail board.
If you want to use one word to describe Francis' style of play, the most appropriate one is "playing blindly". Wherever he goes, he must be the core, but he cannot give back to the team with his record, but only exchanges a large number of inefficient shots for a considerable amount.
data.
He is the kind of "cancer" on both offense and defense that makes teammates speechless, makes coaches sigh, and makes real fans see internal injuries. To say that he is a star is a bit overestimating him. From the perspective of winning, he is more like an undercover. His fans
I just like watching him dunk, that's all.
If Francis joins the Rockets, with Olajuwon and Barkley suppressing him, he will not dare to make mistakes at least at first. In the Clippers, he will be a franchise player from the moment he comes and let himself go.
The Sonics' counterattack efficiency is much higher, and Yang Jian can always pass Francis like a toy to complete the breakthrough.
Francis defended Yang Jian in the same way he did in college, rushing forward to confront him and waiting for opportunities to steal. Yang Jian just relied on him many times, then turned around and drove to the basket next to him.
The Clippers inside players did not cover up the defense, and Yang Jian made a layup by himself. The inside players covered up the ball, and Yang Jian took advantage of the situation and distributed the ball to his teammate who was far away.
Anthony Mason Jr. and Brad Miller can both shoot from the inside when paired together, but their shooting range is not far enough, and they are useless from beyond the three-point line.
Last season, it was not very reasonable for Miller and Ben Wallace to partner inside. Both of them are actually centers. Ben Wallace likes to stay close to the penalty area to defend mainly, and to help defend and block shots as a supplement. Miller also has to be in the penalty area.
He plays close by and can't defend pick-and-rolls when he's out.
Now the Sonics have a clear division of labor inside. On the defensive end, Miller is mainly responsible for resisting people in the penalty area, and Mason is responsible for guarding pick-and-rolls. The two are not weak in rebounding ability. They can protect backcourt rebounds and almost grab offensive rebounds.
The SuperSonics led 36-19 in the first quarter and 71-40 at halftime. The game entered garbage time early.
Yang Jian played another 6 minutes in the second half, totaling 25 minutes. He made 8 of 14 shots, 4 of 8 three-pointers, and 9 of 9 free throws. He scored 29 points, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
The team was leading too much, and Yang Jian went off the court to rest before he could score 30 points.
The Clippers players were already anxious and their defensive actions became more and more intense. Because they found that this place was not like their home court at all. The Los Angeles fans present were cheering for Yang Jian. When Yang Jian made a free throw, many people shouted "mvp"
"!
Since the mid-1980s, the Clippers have been the "old underdog" in the league. Part of the reason for the Clippers' poor strength is not that the team lacks outstanding talents, but that their management mechanism has serious problems. Even though
After selecting a high-ranking rookie, the Clippers were unable to develop stars. This place can be said to be a graveyard for rookies.
In this context, the Clippers' coaches change very frequently. Since Sterling bought the Clippers in 1981, the Clippers have had 12 head coaches. The only famous coach in the history of the Clippers is Billy Fitch.
, is a typical representative of the "practical school" among the older generation of coaches. The other coaches are not worth mentioning. They are "bargains" bought by the boss, and cheap goods generally do not mean good goods.
It is no exaggeration to say that the Clippers have no die-hard fans at all. People who come to watch Clippers games usually come to watch their opponent's stars.
The SuperSonics fielded an all-substitute lineup, and Francis played for a while longer before taking a break after the third quarter. No. 1 center Olavokandi was benched earlier. It wasn't that the Clippers coach didn't want to help him improve his statistics, but that he
He only played 25 minutes and was sent off for 6 fouls.
Olawokandi's performance was not as good as Brad Miller, the last pick of the SuperSonics in the same period, which surprised everyone. Olawokandi beat Miller several times with the ball in isolation, but was ineffective. After being blocked, he could only stay away from the basket.
He shot from the basket and only scored 6 points and 8 rebounds on 3 of 7 shots. He also made 5 turnovers.
Miller was able to pull out and make mid-range shots, and he could catch the ball on air cuts. He made 5 of 7 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 12 points and 5 rebounds.
In the final quarter, the two sides competed with substitutes, but the SuperSonics still had the upper hand, with undrafted Anthony Carter performing well.
Anthony Carter is a point guard who can control the rhythm. He does not play randomly and works very hard on the defensive end. He and Cuttino Mobley work well together. They can not only run fast breaks together, but also play positionally to allow runs without the ball.
Moving Mobley pass.
The other three are Bruce Bowen, Stephen Jackson, and Mark Blount. Two players over two meters tall ensure the flank defense, plus a 213cm tall man guarding the penalty area.
The Clippers' backup perimeter offense was very poor. Against the Sonics, their swingmen were limited and had to take turns. Eric Murdock, a 31-year-old point guard who is 185cm tall, is said to be experienced, but his performance is not as good as Carter's and his organization is not good.
launch an effective attack.
Originally, the SuperSonics coaching staff did not have any hope for Blount, but after the training camp started, George Karl decided to train him. In the first game, veterans Dale Ellis and Damon Jones were not included in the roster, and Blount was brought along.
Blount weighs only 104 kilograms, but given his height, it is not easy for opponents to beat him alone.
If the Clippers' backup point guard Troy Hudson can play, someone can break through. But today, with Hudson absent, the team is left to play alone in various positions.
In the final quarter, the Clippers only scored 14 points. The SuperSonics relied on Mobley and Jackson to score 23 points in a single quarter, widening the point difference.
At the end of the game, 123 to 78, six members of the Sonics team scored in double figures, and the away game got off to a good start with a 45-point victory.