Riaan I-Clippers iqale kule sizini ikholelwa ukuthi ukujula kanye nethalente labo kuzobenza bahluke ekilasini labo ngaphakathi kweNtshonalanga.
Benze lokho kanye. Emidlalweni yokuqala engama-67, baye baba noshintsho oluyingqayizivele, besuka kulokho abaningi enhlanganweni ababekholelwa ukuthi kungaba elinye lamaqembu ahamba phambili e-NBA kuye mhlawumbe okudidayo kakhulu. Futhi phakathi nemizuzu yokugcina yangeSonto eyi-12, i-franchise eyabonakala isondela ekwindla yakhululeka yavala yonke isizini ukunqoba obekudingeka kakhulu, ukunqoba ngo-135-129 behlula i-Memphis Grizzlies.
“Kubukeka sengathi izinto ziphezulu,” kusho umqeqeshi uTyronn Lue.
Iqembu lakhe elilandela i-14 ekhaya kumdlali odlala ngesandla esifushane olahlekelwe izinkanyezi zakhe, uLue uphakamise isihloko nabadlali axoxile nabo esidlangalaleni izinsuku ezimbalwa, njengoba ukulahlekelwa kwabo kukhule kwaba yisihlanu futhi ama-Clippers athola umehluko osabekayo – ukuphela kweNtshonalanga. Iqembu lenkomfa lisazowina kusukela ngekhefu le-All-Star.
“Ngisho nje ukuqina kwengqondo, vele ukhombise ukuqina,” kusho uLue. “Qhubeka nokulwa, qhubeka nokulwa.”
Ngemuva kwamaphuzu angama-42 kaPaul George kanye nangu-34 avela kuKawhi Leonard, okuhlanganisa nangu-15 kwikota yesine, amaClippers aqede ukushwiba kwawo ngobusuku lapho, ngesinye isikhathi, izifiso zomqhudelwano zibonakala zilahlekile.
Ngemuva kokuvumela amaphuzu angama-51 ekota yesithathu eMemphis, abakwaClippers bavumele i-17 kuphela engxenyeni yesine.
“I-Kawhi yenze umsebenzi omuhle wokuyivula ngemizuzu eyisishiyagalombili edlule,” kusho uLue.
“U-PG ubemuhle ubusuku bonke. U-Marcus [Morris Sr.] senze amashodi amabili amakhulu ngesikhathi sisamile kuleyo kota yesine.”
U-Kawhi Leonard wenza i-Clippers ihola phambili ngo-122-121 ngekota yesine ngeSonto ebusuku ibhekene neMemphis Grizzlies.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Ekuqaleni kwesizini, ukunwetshwa kweshejuli ngemva kwekhefu le-All-Star kubonakale njengethuba lokuphumula nokulungiselela ama-playoffs. Esikhundleni salokho, uchungechunge olwaqhubeka ngokulahleka kwephuzu elilodwa eDenver, eSan Francisco naseSacramento luphenduke lwaba inqwaba yokusinda ukuze nje uhlale esithombeni sesizini yangemva kwesizini.
Futhi yingakho izikhonkwane zangeSonto bezinesisindo esingaphezu kokujwayelekile, uhlu lwabo olunamandla agcwele – phansi kukaNorm Powell kuphela kanye nehlombe lakhe elingakwesobunxele elilimele – bengenazaba ngokumelene noMemphis. Ukuthuthwa kwayo kwe-All-Star e-Ja Morant kulahlekile okungenani imidlalo emibili, uhlelo lwakhe lokubuya alucaci ngaphezu kwalokho, phakathi nophenyo lwe-NBA mayelana nomdlalo. Ividiyo ye-Instagram kanogada lapho emile khona ephethe isibhamu.
Ukuqala indoda enkulu uSteven Adams yayinedolo elimele. Ukudabuka kwethenda ye-Achilles ngasekupheleni kwesonto eledlule kubeke eceleni uphiko lomsubathi uBrandon Clarke isizini yonke. Futhi ukudweba amaphutha amaningi kakhulu kuholele ekutheni umshoshozeli omkhulu u-Dillon Brooks amiswe.
“Lobu busuku bube yisiqalo esihle kithi,” kusho uLue.
Isihlabani seClippers uKawhi Leonard udliwe kabi nguDavid Roddy weGrizzlies ngekota yesibili ngeSonto. ULeonard uqede enamaphuzu angama-34.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
“Ikakhulukazi ngemuva kokuba namabhadi, ngisho nenhlanhla yethu ibe yimbi saze sashaywa wumbani,” okubhekiselwa kuyo ngendiza yeqembu eshayiswe ngesonto eledlule libheke eDenver.
“Sekuyisonto elilodwa nohhafu, ngakho kufanele siqhubeke nokulwa nakho.”
Bakhiqize esinye isikhumbuzi sokuthi kungani benyathela amanzi – nokuthi kungani ithemba lifiphaza ekubambeni amandla abo okusala ngaphakathi kwegumbi labo lokushintshela, njengoba bethuthukela ku-34-33.
Esikhundleni sokulungisa umugqa wakhe wokuqala, uLue uphinde waphendukela ekubukekeni kwakhe okujwayelekile kukaLeonard, uGeorge, u-Ivica Zubac noMorris.
Kodwa ngenkathi ama-Clippers esabukeka entula ngesikhathi sekhefu, amandla kaMorris abe mancane ngemuva kokugeja amashothi akhe amane ngenkathi engeza i-rebound eyodwa nomsizi oyedwa, uLue uqale u-Nicolas Batum ehlula uMorris ngesiwombe sesibili.
Kungakapheli umzuzu owodwa, ukuhola kwabo ngamaphuzu amahlanu ngesikhathi sekhefu kwase kukhule kwafinyelela ku-11. Kodwa kungakapheli nemizuzu eyisishiyagalombili kamuva, ukuzivikela kwabo kuphinde kwaba muncu kanye nokuphenduka okungenakuvinjelwa okuholela kuma-Grizzlies ayisikhombisa, ama-Clippers alandela ngemuva ngo-10.
Futhi lapho ama-Grizzlies egcina u-Santi Aldama ephenduka ejikijela u-Terance Mann kulayini wokuphonsela mahhala nge-drive egcina ku-dunk, futhi u-Desmond Bane walandela endaweni yabo elandelayo ngamaphoyinti amathathu kunguqu, ukuhola kukhuphuke kwafinyelela ku-16.
I-Grizzlies iqoqe amaphuzu angu-51 ngekota yesithathu, okuyi-nadir yokuzivikela ethambekele phakathi kokubi kakhulu kwe-NBA esikhathini esiyizinyanga ezimbili ezedlule.
Phakathi kwekota yesithathu neyesine, njengoba abakwaClippers becabanga ukuthi bangazimba kanjani emgodini onamaphuzu ayi-15, uRobert Covington – owathola udumo kuLue ngemuva kwemizuzu engama-31 yesizini ngoLwesihlanu kodwa wabuyela emuva ekujikelezeni ngokumelene neMemphis – wabuka ngokubuka izinkulungwane zamayadi esihlalweni sakhe sebhentshi njengoba uLeonard ehlezi eduze kwakhe ngendlela efanayo ngaphandle kokukhuluma.
Kube sekulandela i-avalanche, ama-Grizzlies angakwazi ukushaya igoli cishe imizuzu eyisithupha kwaze kwaba yilapho kuhlangana u-Bane okuqede ukugijima kwamaphuzu angu-17 elandelana kwikota yesine kumaClippers. Ukugijima kwabo kwaphawulwa ngu-a Russell Westbrook dunk futhi kubi. Umjaho ukhule wafinyelela ku-24-2.
U-Eric Gordon uthole amaphuzu angu-17 esuka ebhentshini leClippers kwathi uMason Plumlee wengeza angu-15.
