Clippers: Coach Ty Lue Necessitates Team’s Dire Need After Late Comeback Win vs Rockets

The Los Angeles Clippers recently faced the Houston Rockets. The first team looked to maintain their unbeatable streak, while the second looked to build momentum and move up from their position of 12th. seed. Initially, the Rockets seemed to have the upper hand after taking a 27-19 lead against their rivals. With players like Alperen Sengun, Cam Whitmore, Aaron Holiday and Amen Thompson at the helm, the Rockets led 57-44 at halftime. Ultimately, though, the Clippers took matters into their own hands and put together a great offensive front thanks to Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and James Harden. The match ended with the Los Angeles team winning by a score of 122-116.

During the post-game press conference, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue highlighted his team’s delay in taking the lead. Looking to improve future matches, he strategized for the next time his players chose to go for a ‘pick-and-roll’.

“Let’s go with 17-18 on the clock and not 11-12” Lue said. “When we’re under 12, we become one of the worst offenses in the league if we don’t go about our business quickly enough. When we do it 12 seconds or faster, we’re in the top 3. That’s a huge difference. 29th in the championship then 3rd. That’s a big gap. We need to understand, let’s get down to business faster”.

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James Harden, who scored 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists during the game, received praise from Tyronn Lue for his handling of the ‘pick and roll’ during the second half. Although the coach didn’t have many complaints about what happened after halftime, he continued to argue that the need to have an early lead is essential.

Under the leadership of Tyronn Lue, James Harden and Ivica Zubac flourished with their “pick and roll”

The Los Angeles Clippers are currently listed as the 4 top seed on the Western Conference points table. While much of the same can be attributed to Tyronn Lue’s new ways of leading his team, another factor that has contributed to the team’s success is the scoring prowess developed by James Harden.

At the start of the current NBA season, the 34-year-old Clippers new addition was reportedly seen working alongside teammate Ivica Zubac to work on the ‘pick-and-roll’ strategy. Everything they concocted ultimately worked in favor of the Clippers as a whole. Although the team reportedly had the 24th most efficient offense in the league, it began to improve game after game until its offense became one of the best in January. The Clippers ‘pick-and-roll’ would have become one of the Los Angeles team’s most formidable weapons, providing not only a way for Zubac and Harden to score, but also a way to ensure the team was covered on one side if Kawhi Leonard and /or Paul George were bench.

With a few games remaining before the playoffs, fans will have to wait and see if Tyronn Lue’s players will heed their coach’s advice and manage to get into their “stuff faster”.