Riaan I Ama-Clippers nginethemba lokuthi le sizini izophela ngendlela engakaze ibonwe.
Lawo maphupho okuwina isicoco sokuqala se-NBA se-franchise aseyafiphala, kodwa awacimeki, njengoba iqembu libhekene nenselelo ejwayeleke kakhulu – umdlali oyisihlabani ubekwe eceleni ngesikhathi esibucayi.
I-All-Star phambili UPaul George uzophinde ahlolwe emasontweni amabili kuya kwamathathu ngemuva kokufiphala idolo langakwesokudla ngoLwesibili 101-100 ihlulwa yi-Oklahoma City e-Crypto.com Arena, iqembu lamemezela. UGeorge uthathwe izithombe edolweni ekuseni ngoLwesithathu, kusho abakwaClippers.
Njengoba ukulimala okubi kakhulu kungazange kutholakale, lokho kungaphakamisa ukuthi uGeorge kungenzeka ukuthi ugweme ukuhlengwa kabusha kwesikhathi eside. Nokho, njengoba kungekho mininingwane eningiliziwe mayelana nokuthi yini ngempela eyayicindezelwe edolweni, nokho, ubude bokungabikho kwakhe kunzima ukububona. Ngaphakathi kwama-Clippers, isibuyekezo sithathwe ngesilinganiso esithile sethemba.
Noma kunjalo, isikhathi sisho ukuthi ama-Clippers azozulazula yonke isizini ejwayelekile – kusasele imidlalo eyisishiyagalolunye – ngaphandle kwe-All-Star yabo, ebithole amaphuzu angama-28 emidlalweni yayo eyisithupha edlule. Futhi asikho isiqiniseko sokuthi uzobuya ku-postseason.
Isizini evamile iphela ngo-April 9. Umqhudelwano wokudlala ohlanganisa imbewu yesikhombisa kuya kwezi-10 – ama-Clippers abesakwazi ukuhlehlela kuwo – uqala phakathi nezinsuku. Umzuliswano wokuqala we-postseason kulindeleke ukuthi uqale ngempelasonto ka-Ephreli 15.
“Sisenomqeqeshi omuhle, iqembu elihle, ngakho-ke i-PG iwukhiye omkhulu kithi,” phambili Nicolas Batum kusho ngoLwesibili ntambama. “Uma kufanele sidlule isikhathi ngaphandle kwakhe, kufanele siphumele lapho futhi siwine eminye imidlalo.”
Idolo likaGeorge langakwesokudla lishaye uLu Dort wase-Oklahoma City njengoba laba ababili belwela ukuphindela emuva ngemizuzu emi-4 namasekhondi angama-38 esele kwikota yesine yangoLwesibili base begobela emuva. UGeorge wahlala phansi enkantolo imizuzu embalwa.
Nakuba ukulahlekelwa ekugcineni kwaba yingozi – kushiye irekhodi leClippers ku-38-35 endaweni yesihlanu kuNgqungquthela YaseNtshonalanga futhi kwanikeza i-Oklahoma City, esemuva ngemidlalo engu-1½ kuphela, i-tiebreaker yochungechunge lwesizini – ithuba lokulahlekelwa uGeorge. ukonakala eqenjini ngemuva kwalokho. Igumbi lokushintshela selicishe lavalwa futhi amaphasishi enkundla acishe athule.
UGeorge ushiye inkundla ngemuva kwenqola, umlenze wakhe wesokudla uqondile njengoba egibele, ephelezelwa ilungu labasebenzi bezokwelapha bakwaClippers. Uphume ngemuva kwemizuzu umqeqeshi uTyronn Lue ehambe kancane ebheke endaweni ephumayo, ikhanda libheke phansi, ngesikhathi ekhuluma nesinye sezikhulu zeqembu.
“Sineqembu labafana abasafuna ukuwina, abathanda ukudlala i-basketball, ngakho sizobona ukuthi kwenzekani,” isihlabani sikaClippers. Kawu Leonard kusho uLwesibili.
Iqembu belicophelela ukuphatha umsebenzi kaGeorge ngezikhathi ezithile ekuqaleni kwesizini ngenxa yezinkinga zangaphambilini, ezingashiwongo ngedolo lakhe langakwesokudla, kodwa muva nje ngoMashi 8 umemezele ukuthi usengcono kakhulu.
“Ngizizwa sengathi ngingenza noma yini nakho konke engifuna ukukwenza,” kusho uGeorge.
Umgadli weClippers uPaul George unakekelwa ngemuva kokulimala edolweni langakwesokudla ngoLwesibili bedlala ne-Oklahoma City.
(Izithombe zika-Allen Berezovsky / Getty)
U-George usekele imizwa ngoLwesibili ngokumelene ne-Thunder ngokusika ebheke kupende, eqoqa iphasi bese ephotha ama-degree angu-360 ukuze athole i-dunk egqamile. Kodwa ngaphansi kwekota kamuva uGeorge wayelele eshwabene enkantolo, isimo sase sishintshe kakhulu.
Ebhekene nokungaqiniseki ngoLwesibili ebusuku ngesikhathi elinde uGeorge ukuthi ayohlolwa, u-Batum noLeonard bakhombe ukujula kohlelo uma kwenzeka uGeorge engase aphuthelwe isikhathi.
Isipele sonogada Norm Powellongakaze adlale kusukela alimala ehlombe langakwesokunxele ngoMashi 2, “uzobuya maduze,” kusho uBatum.
Isipele somgadli u-Robert Covington, osetshenziswe okungajwayelekile kule sizini ngemuva kwabadlali abaphambili u-Batum no-Marcus Morris Sr. eshadini elijulile, angavala isikhala samaphuzu amathathu nesokuvikela. Isipele sonogada U-Eric Gordon angangena ohlwini lwabaqalayo, njengoba enzile ngaphambilini esikhundleni somqali ongekho.
Kodwa njengoba sekusele imidlalo eyisishiyagalolunye kwisizini ejwayelekile eqenjini elinokuqhubeka kancane kohlu, amaClippers azophoqeleka ukuthi abhekane nesinye isigaba sokulungisa.
“Kufanele sikunqobe, kufanele, ikakhulukazi kuye,” kusho uBatum. “Kufanele sihlale sigxile ekutheni sinabani enkantolo. Uyazi, sinabafana abahle, abadlali abahle noma kunjalo, ngakho sike saba lapho ngaphambilini. Iqembu elilodwa ebelikhona ngaphambi kwethu.”
U-Batum ukhulume ngokuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe, njengoba ebone isizini ngayinye yamasizini amathathu edlule ephazanyiswa ukulimala.
Ngo-2021, uLeonard wabhekana nengxenye yokuphela kwesizini ukudabuka kwe-anterior cruciate ligament edolweni ngesikhathi sochungechunge lwama-playoff womzuliswano wesibili bebhekene ne-Utah. I-Clippers iwine uchungechunge ukuze idlulele Kowokugcina Yenkomfa YaseNtshonalanga yokuqala ye-franchise, kodwa yehlulwe e-Phoenix ngemva kokulimala okwengeziwe phakathi kuka-Ivica Zubac nomgadli u-Marcus Morris Sr. bajulisa ukumiswa kohlu.
ULeonard uphuthelwe isizini yonke ka-2021-22 ngenxa yokululama kwakhe njengoba abakwaClippers bangena “onyakeni wegebe” elizichaza ngokwalo, bezungeza u-2022-23 njengesizini lapho ukuphishekela isicoco sabo kuzophinde kuqale khona ngobuqotho.
UGeorge uqale isizini edlule eshisa izikhotha njengokhetho lweqembu loku-1 waphuthelwa yizinyanga ezingaphezu kwezintathu ngenxa yobunzima bendololwane. UGeorge ubuyile ngasekupheleni kukaMashi futhi wadlala imidlalo eyisithupha, kodwa wangena ezivumelwaneni ze-NBA ze-COVID-19 ngosuku lomdlalo weqembu wesibili nowokugcina wokudlala womqhudelwano, owaba ukulahlekelwa kokuphela kwesizini.
Manje, njengoba nje abakwaClippers babekholelwa ukuthi sebeqala ukwenza izinto ngezengezo zamaphakathi nesizini Russell Westbrook, Mason Plumlee kanye noGordon, isihlabani kanye neqembu baphinde babhekana nesinye isithiyo – nokho esingakamsusi uGeorge ngokuphelele ezinhlelweni zangemuva kwesizini.
UGeorge uthole ukukhethwa kwakhe kwe-All-Star okwesishiyagalombili kule sizini, okulinganiselwa ku-23.9 amaphuzu, nama-rebounds angu-6.1 nabasizi abangu-5.1 nokwenza u-37% wamaphuzu akhe amathathu. Kusukela maphakathi noFebhuwari ikhefu le-All-Star uthole amaphuzu angu-25.8, kanye nama-28.3 emidlalweni yakhe yokugcina eyisithupha njengeClippers, ekhuthazwa impilo engcono kaGeorge noLeonard, idlule ngo 5-1 ukuze ivuselele umfutho njengomuntu ongase abe yimbangi yesicoco.
