Eight Hundred and Fifty-Seven: Repeated Criminals (2/5 4K)

Doc Rivers clearly understands the Clippers' strengths. Of course, he can also see the Clippers' biggest weaknesses.

Matt Barnes is the Clippers' weakest link right now. What's even worse is that Rivers can't find a more suitable starting wing than Barnes.

Due to the departure of Dudley and Caron Butler, the Clippers' wing reserves this year are very weak. On the bench, only Turkoglu and Crawford can fill the third position.

However, Turk Turkoglu has long lost his former courage, and Crawford is a pure scorer again. If they relied solely on the wings, the Clippers would have no way to defend Link.

If Barnes and Link were to go one-on-one, Rivers estimated that Link could score 60 points again.

Rivers naturally would not turn a blind eye to this, so today he prepared a luxurious "double-team package" for Link.

"Once he breaks through, everyone shrinks around him! Be tough and finally let him know what pain is! I know that Link's passing is very powerful. But I believe that the rest of the Grizzlies' offense cannot match ours. Comparable!"

Before the game started, Rivers once again emphasized to the players how to contain Link today.

To put it bluntly, it means forcing Link to pass the ball. I would rather let him pass the ball to others than let him score easily.

Rivers believes that the Clippers' offense is more powerful than the rest of the Grizzlies.

It's impossible to completely lock down the Grizzlies. But locking down the Grizzlies' strongest offensive point and then overwhelming the opponent with a more sophisticated offense, Rivers believes this is the only feasible way.

Everyone nodded solemnly, and Chris Paul, who was eager to win, was even more eager to win.

Letting others know about pain is his specialty!

With the cheers of Grizzlies fans, the game officially started.

The starting lineups of the Grizzlies and Clippers were the same as in the previous games. On the first attack after the game started, Paul successfully formed an alley-oop with DeAndre Jordan.

On this shot, Paul deliberately played a pick-and-roll with Jordan in the high post. Matt Barnes was in the left corner and pulled Link far away, preventing him from getting in and causing trouble.

Although Barnes' condition has declined, he still shot 36.2% from three-point range this season.

And the average number of three-point attempts and three-pointers made per game both hit career highs. Outside the three-point line, Link really didn't dare to let him go.

Without Link to cause trouble, the cooperation between Paul and Jordan would be much easier.

After the screen, Jordan quickly cut in. Compared with his athletic ability, Gasol is indeed no match for Jordan. Whether it is movement speed or bounce, there is a big difference between the two.

DeAndre Jordan quickly cut into the penalty area after covering the screen. Just as Gasol turned around and prepared to chase back, DeAndre Jordan was already running towards the basket and taking off.

Paul found the right moment to throw the ball lightly, and Jordan easily caught the basketball in the air and completed a dunk!

Gasol can only look up to him, and there is nothing he can do about this kind of cooperation.

Although Jordan is not a scoring center, he has scored 20+ points twice this season.

With Paul by his side, Jordan can have his fill.

From the beginning, the Clippers used their inside advantage to score successfully. Rivers clapped with satisfaction on the sidelines. This was a signal that the Clippers were controlling the rhythm of the game!

After the attack was completed, the Clippers did not take it lightly and immediately retreated. Paul reminded everyone to focus. Their entire team's defense was almost all prepared for Link.

Link wanted to equalize the score as soon as possible, and the Clippers' defense at the third position was already weak. So in the first round, Link wants the ball and plans to take Barnes alone.

Barnes was tortured enough by Link in the playoffs last season. In the past, whenever he played against Link, Barnes would feel anxious.

But today is different. Barnes knows that he is not fighting alone.

Link made two tentative steps and then suddenly accelerated, trying to pass the elderly Barnes in one step.

Although Barnes was unable to block Link immediately, he gave Link a very rough physical confrontation!

At the same time, Little Jordan immediately lifted up, blocking Link's way like a high wall!

Link was almost knocked into Jordan by Barnes. After a series of rough collisions between the two people, Link's center of gravity was unstable and he fell to the ground.

At this moment, Chris Paul was the first to pounce actively. He directly overwhelmed Link and used the "Tarzan Crush" move, and competed with Link for the floor ball!

In the chaos, Link's ball was snatched away by Paul. Paul, who jumped on Link, passed the ball to Redick, and the Clippers counterattacked!

The three Clippers teamed up to attack roughly, causing Link to make his first mistake.

"Holy crap!" Link really didn't expect things to turn out like this. The Clippers were completely wrestling! In the blink of an eye, he was knocked down.

Link was just about to get up from the ground, but he felt someone was dragging him from behind. When I turned around, I saw Paul was pestering me on the floor!

Link and Paul are now like Rodman and Karl Malone in the 1990s. They compete with each other on the ground and no one can remember them.

Okay, it was free wrestling just now, now it's mud wrestling.

Link finally got rid of Paul and stood up. Over there, Griffin fought back against Harris and succeeded.

Harris's weight and strength are still worse than Griffin's. When Griffin charges, Harris does suffer more.

The Clippers relied on their inside advantage to score two goals in a row, and just now relied on a rough double-team that caused Link to make a mistake.

Rivers nodded with satisfaction. For now, the Clippers have the advantage!

"Damn, is this your strategy?" Link looked back at Paul angrily. The Clippers' defense made it clear that they would not hesitate to injure themselves.

"If you can't stand it, don't fight. This is a man's game." Paul naturally wouldn't say anything nice to Link.

In terms of small moves, Paul is no worse than the players in the 1990s.

On the big screen at the scene, Griffin's goal was not replayed, but the entanglement between Link and Paul on the floor was replayed.

All Grizzlies fans are scolding Paul for being dirty again, but as long as it helps the team gain an advantage, Paul doesn't care.

The Clippers' rough double-teaming just now gave Link a taste of its power. Link is not a tough guy either. Since you are double-teaming me, I will use the pass to deal with you.

Once again, Link bravely breaks through. Once again, Barnes made the first trip, and then Jordan came up to him rudely.

The Clippers' defense was exactly the same as before.

Link feels like he is not playing basketball now, but playing rugby! As soon as he starts up, a bunch of people will rush up and want to press him to the ground and rub him.

Link passed the ball to Gasol before he fell. Gasol was about to shoot, but Jordan quickly blocked it.

It has to be said that Jordan is indeed one of the best defensive centers this season. His movement speed allows him to quickly escape from Link's double team and return to Gasol.

Gasol's mid-range shot was blocked by Jordan's interference, and the Clippers' defense was successful again!

Just as Link was about to run back with all his strength, he found that his leg was imprisoned by something, and he pulled hard!

"Fuck!" A sharp pain suddenly came, and Link fell to the ground instantly.

Looking back, it's Paul again!

At the moment when Link was about to return to defense, Paul "accidentally" became entangled with Link's legs again. On the surface, Paul ran past Link, and the two accidentally became entangled.

But through the slow-motion playback, we can see that Paul inserted his leg between Link's legs very accurately, and held him down the moment Link exerted force.

Two huge forces pulled at Link's legs, causing Link to fall to the ground.

After Link fell, he was unable to return to defense in time, so Redick immediately took the ball and passed the ball to Barnes who was already in the bottom corner.

The latter took a three-pointer without being marked and hit it easily!

7-0, the Los Angeles Clippers had a great start!

Paul stood up and ran away as if nothing had happened, high-fiving his teammates. Link gritted his teeth and tried to stand up, but found that his calf was in unbearable pain.

Seeing Link limping, Qiaogel immediately called a timeout.

"That trash!" Tony Allen gritted his teeth and stood on the sidelines. Paul wanted to win today and wanted to go crazy.

If once was an accident, then twice in a row is definitely not a coincidence.

Paul couldn't help but start doing these little tricks again. During the NCAA period, Paul was already well-known in the United States as a dirty player. When he was still playing in the NCAA in 2005, he once directly hit his opponent Julius Hodge in the crotch without the ball. , a precise explosion, which was national news at the time.

His team, Wake Forest University, took the initiative to suspend Paul without even waiting for official punishment. A team took the initiative to ban its star player, which shows how bad that incident was.

Paul entered the NBA with a "dirty" label. He is a repeat offender with a long history. In the scouting report when Paul participated in the draft, the scout even wrote this down among his shortcomings.

People who like Paul can say that this is a symbol of his fighting spirit, but it is indeed a bit far-fetched to say so.

Now, facing his opponents who swept him 4-0 last season and facing the team's recent poor situation, Paul seems to be showing his fangs again. He didn't blast the balls directly with his hand, so he was very restrained.

After the timeout, Link limped off the court. After examination, the team doctor said that Link only had a slight strain and was not serious. He could continue to play after a short rest.

But at least for the rest of the first quarter, Link will definitely not be able to play.

Link was very angry. He actually didn't dislike Paul very much before. Although Paul's actions were rough and his trash talk was unpleasant, these were within Link's acceptance range.

In order to win, is it possible to be gentle with your opponent?

But intentionally hurting someone would touch Link's red line.

Not only does Link not know how to do it, he also hates it when others do it.

But I have to admit that what Paul did did give the Clippers a huge advantage.

After Link came off the court, the Clippers essentially solved their biggest problem.

So throughout the first quarter, the Clippers played smoothly. Jimmy Butler works hard to score, but his scoring explosiveness has never been comparable to Link.

Paul, along with Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, made consecutive shots and dunks, allowing the two inside teammates to eat as much as they could. At the last moment, he led the team to an 8-2 run, which ultimately allowed the Clippers to enter the second quarter with a 28-20 lead.

"Without Link, the Grizzlies' offense lacked aggressiveness. Although Jimmy scored 7 points in the first quarter, it was not enough. The Clippers took full advantage of their inside advantage. Now, all suspense is Link. Whether he can play in the second quarter and how well he can play will determine the trend of this game."

Of course Qiaogel also knew this. During the break, he immediately squatted in front of Link to confirm Link's health.

"We can't fight with them head-on anymore. It's too dangerous. The Clippers made it clear today that they did it deliberately. They want to use this method to restrict you." Joger didn't want to take risks with Link. He just hurt Lan. Dolph and Iguodala put the Grizzlies in so much trouble.

If Link is injured, he won't be able to find someone to fill his shoes in the free agent market.

Link nodded in agreement. Although he could play now, his legs were still weak and he was not in the best condition. If we try hard to attack, I'm afraid it will do more harm than good.

The Clippers' attitude was very clear today. They didn't care even if Link was injured. To argue with them head-on is to hit the mark.

If the Clippers don't want to double-team Link, the rest of the Grizzlies' offense must be able to suppress the Clippers.

But just now, the Clippers' offense clearly suppressed the Grizzlies without Link, especially in the paint.

DeAndre Jordan tightly guarded Gasol, preventing Gasol from performing. Harris was also pressed closely and did not have an overwhelming advantage over Griffin in terms of flexibility.

On the offensive end, Jordan relied on his athletic ability and Griffin relied on his greater tonnage and strength to play happily.

Only by reversing the disadvantage inside can the entire offense be reversed.

"I have an idea..." After thinking for a long time, Link looked up at Jogel.

"If we can have players attacking Griffin in the paint, DeAndre Jordan will have to cover up the basket. DeAndre Jordan will cover up the basket, and Gasol will have a lot of mid-range shooting opportunities. Gasol will shoot, and DeAndre Jordan will have to cover up the basket. I will be at my wits end. At that time, I will no longer encounter double teams."

Having said this, Link set his sights on Gasol and Whiteside at the same time.

The Clippers' 30 million insiders may not be so scary.