Riaan 
I Ama-Clippers‘ ukungakwazi ukwenza kahle okudidayo emasontweni asanda kwedlula kufihle intuthuko enkulu eyenzeka ngokusobala.
Kawu Leonard usebuyise indawo yakhe njengomunye wabadlali abahamba phambili ku-NBA.
Uthole amaphuzu angu-28.4 emidlalweni engu-22 ayidlalile kusukela ngoJanuwari 8, eguqule u-52.6% wamagoli akhe asenkundleni, okuhlanganisa no-49.6% kwamathathu akhe. Okubaluleke ngokulinganayo: Uphuthelwe imidlalo emine kuphela kuleso siqephu futhi wenza isilinganiso cishe imizuzu engama-37 emqhudelwaneni ngamunye.
ULeonard ukhiqize ubuciko bakhe bakamuva ngeSonto ebusuku ngesikhathi amaClippers eqeda ukuhlulwa imidlalo emihlanu. ULeonard uthole amaphuzu angu-15 kwangu-34 engxenyeni yesine ye ukunqoba kweClippers 135-129 phezu kweqembu le-Memphis Grizzlies elinesandla esifushane kakhulu.
Lokhu bekungelona ipulani yempumelelo noma imephu yomgwaqo eya emqhudelwaneni, nokho. Ubuqhawe bukaLeonard kwakuyibhandishi elalivala amanxeba amaClippers.
Ukuze kucace: I-Clippers ayinayo a Russell Westbrook inkinga. I-Clippers inenkinga ye-Clippers.
Bangene kusizini njengabaqhudelana nesicoco, nokho sebefikile, umdlalo owodwa ngaphezu kuka-.500 futhi abasamile kahle ukuze bathole indawo emqhudelwaneni wokudlala. Yimaphi amanye ama-franchise angaphansi kwalokhu, unyaka nonyaka?
Njengoba nje ukunqoba okubuyile kuma-Grizzlies kubonise amathalente kaLeonard kanye UPaul Georgeumdlalo uphinde wadalula izinkinga ezishaqisayo, ezingase zichaze ukuthi kungani lezi zinkanyezi ezimbili zigwema ukwenza noma yiziphi izibikezelo ngekusasa.
Ingabe ukunqoba kungaholela ekushintsheni okuthile okuhle engqondweni noma ukuzethemba?
“Angazi okwamanje,” kusho uLeonard.
Ingabe ukuwina kongile isizini yeClippers?
“Sizobona,” kusho uGeorge, othole amaphuzu angu-42.
AbakwaClippers babengekho esimweni sokwenza izithembiso, futhi uLeonard noGeorge babekwazi lokhu. Iqembu belisanda kulahla amaphuzu angu-51 ngekota yesithathu kunguqulo ye-Grizzlies engazange Ja Morant.
“Nalapha, lokhu akusho lutho uma singathengi esingakwenza nalokho esingaba yikho,” kusho uGeorge. “Ngakho sizobona. Uma imidlalo elandelayo singayiphathi ngendlela efanayo [urgency] ukuthi siphathe leyokota yesine kulobubusuku, manje-ke senzani lapha? Yebo, sizobona.”
I-Clippers bekufanele iwunqobe lo mdlalo, obubukeka njengegimme ephepheni. UMorant ubephenywa yiligi ngevidiyo ayisakaza bukhoma ku-akhawunti yakhe ye-Instagram lapho akhanyisa khona okubukeka njengesibhamu ngenkathi ese-nightclub. U-Dillon Brooks umisiwe ngokuthola amaphutha amaningi ezobuchwepheshe. UBrandon Clarke noSteve Adams bebengekho ngenxa yokulimala.
Futhi aqala kanjani amaClippers? Ngokugeja amashothi ayisishiyagalombili kwangu-12 okuqala bese besalela ngemuva, 20-13. Kakhulu ngezimemezelo zabo zakamuva mayelana nokudlala ngomfutho owengeziwe.
Ukushoda kwamandla kuholele ekutheni kube nemiphumela emibi kwikota yesithathu okube yikota yokuzivikela embi kakhulu yeqembu eliphonselwe inselelo yesizini.
“Kufanele kube irekhodi endaweni ethile,” umqeqeshi Tyronn Lue kusho.
I-Clippers yehle ngamaphuzu angu-16 ngekota yesithathu. Bangene kweyesine beshodelwa ngamaphuzu angu-15.
ULeonard uthe, ngamafuphi nje, “Ngeke sikwenze lokho.”
Ama-Clippers nawo abukeke ngendlela ecasulayo engxenyeni enkulu yomdlalo, okuwumphumela wesinqumo sawo sokuphindisela ekubeni nomqaphi wephuzu ukuze abe nonogada. Njengonogada we-tempo-pushing ongakwazi ukudubula, John Wall ubengeyena umdlali ofanele wamaClippers, akhelwe eduze komdlali kuLeonard oncamela ukudlala ngokukhululeka. I-Clippers ihwebe ngoDonga, kodwa yafaka umdlali esikhundleni sakhe iphrofayili efanayo e-Westbrook.
Umdlalo weWestbrook awunayo inkinga njengoba iClippers icabange ukuthi imdinga kwasekuqaleni. I-Westbrook iyisibonakaliso. Isizathu kwaba ukwehluleka kwabo okucatshangwa ukuthi ukujula ukukhulisa amakhono kaLeonard kanye noGeorge ngendlela ababecabanga ngayo, ukusebenza kahle kukaLeonard ezinyangeni ezimbalwa ezedlule engakwazi ukushintsha ingcebo yeqembu.
AbakwaClippers bebenethemba elikhulu lokuthi bathole okuthile ngesikhathi bebuya ngolaka wadlula amaGrizzlies kwikota yesine, 38-17.
“Ngiqonde ukuthi, sidlale ngokuzikhandla,” kusho uGeorge. “Sisanda kuletha elinye izinga. Sidlale nge-grit. Ngizizwele nje kulobubusuku sinomoya wokunqoba.”
Ukudlala kanje bekuyisifiso sesizini yonke. Yini eyenze umdlalo wangeSonto wehluke emidlalweni yabo engu-66 edlule?
“Ngicabanga ukuthi amaphuzu angu-51,” kusho uGeorge, ekhumbula isibalo samaphuzu amaClippers awalahle ngekota yesithathu. “Amaphuzu angamashumi amahlanu nanye azokwenza lokho kuwe.”
Kunento edidayo ngeqembu okumele lilahle amaphuzu angu-51 ngekota ukuze ligcine lizibuke esibukweni. Khona-ke futhi, yini enye ama-Clippers okufanele akhe phezu kwayo? Akukho okunye okusebenzile, futhi manje basalelwe yimidlalo engu-15 kuphela kwisizini evamile.
