Basketball Legend: When Pride Still Matters-Chapter 1108 - 618 The Murderer is the Clippers_3

Chapter 1108: Chapter 618 The Murderer is the Clippers_3 Chapter 1108: Chapter 618 The Murderer is the Clippers_3 Leonard indeed has a big heart, but the problem is, guards are always the controllers of the ball on the court.

And Lillard is a guard with overly strong initiative.

That kind of trait that could alleviate the pressure on Leonard, at this moment, felt like American heroism getting into one’s head, attempting to answer the Clippers’ counterattack with consecutive difficult three-point shots, hoping to respond in an inconceivable way.

“This kind of moment makes it hard to believe the Warriors are a championship-contending team,” Jeff Van Gundy gave a sharp criticism. “When they need someone to stand up and stabilize the troops, what you often see is not Kawhi Leonard, but the reckless Damian Lillard. Last year he destroyed the Spurs with that kind of three-pointer, which gave him endless confidence, but is this confidence good or bad? I can only say, tonight it is bad.”

Originally, the Clippers were only leading by 4 points. After Lillard repeatedly missed difficult shots, the Clippers firmly controlled the rebounds, with Yu Fei completing a fast break, then assisting Thompson for a trailing three-pointer, followed by Antetokounmpo showcasing a coast-to-coast one-man fast break dunk.

The gap promptly reached 11 points, and the Warriors’ morale dispersed.

3 to 0

The current big score is painful to witness.

...

Over the past three seasons, the Warriors seem unable to escape the curse of being eliminated by the Clippers.

For a young team, paying tuition is normal, after all, reaching the division final two years in a row is already an achievement many teams have never realized.

However, teams that make it this far all possess ambition.

Even if reaching the division finals is proof that they are one of the top four teams in the league, they won’t consider “making it to the semifinals as a success.” Because of the ring culture, if they don’t win the championship, all achievements seem meaningless.

Especially for a team like the Warriors who have mortgaged the future early on.

If that mortgaged future never arrives, beliefs will collapse, and they will doubt if it’s possible, the management will also reassess the team’s composition, especially whether their core players have the potential to win a championship.

Now, this unavoidable outcome will only intensify those doubts.

0 to 3 is already a checkmate.

But when they first met the Clippers, they lost with a score of 1 to 4. This year it looks very likely to be swept. Does it mean they are even worse than they were two years ago?

“Looking at the process, our performance has been better than the past two years,” Steve Kerr defended weakly. “I know, most people only look at the outcomes, but the process is important. We believe these kids will eventually defeat the Clippers just like they defeated the Spurs, maybe not now… but when that day comes, the world will still only care about the outcome, they will never know that the process is what is most important.”

For over a decade, transmigrators have been flapping their wings in the professional basketball world, changing many people’s fates.

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Steve Kerr is also one of those changed.

He no longer has the fortune of coaching Curry or the wonderful start of winning the championship in his first season; he inherited a young yet impatient team.

The pairing of Lillard and Leonard looks like a less luxurious version of the Curry-Durant duo, but even if both of them were at their peak, they wouldn’t complement each other as well Curry and Durant did.

Most importantly, the Warriors’ owners and management believe their young core has made significant progress. Yet why are they so powerless in front of the Clippers?

The same opponent, the same outcome, even the scores are nearly identical.

Patience has run out, and trust has completely dissipated.

What about the future of one of the NBA’s top fifteen coaches in history?

It can be asserted that it has nothing to do with Kerr anymore.

That’s not something he needs to consider.

Kerr hopes the outside world values the process, but the 76ers’ fans beg to differ.

They now hate the word “process” the most.

The process is ugly.

“The process” deprives the season of its meaning, with each year’s highlight being the few minutes of the draft lottery, and if you miss out on the top pick, it’s like a deeply unsatisfying premature finish—you spend hours downloading the related scene, but your ‘little brother’ tears up before the climax arrives, which is utterly disappointing.

But sometimes, a younger brother’s disappointing performance is just a night of gloom; the “process” of defeat could bury an entire season.

That’s an entire year.

For teams aiming for the championship, the same principle applies.

A season without a championship is a failed “process”.

The people of Golden State have already been through three such years, as if fortunate enough to be selected to watch the premiere of the “Tiny Times” trilogy.

Game 4 of the series, the Clippers return to the Oracle Arena.

Before the game started, Antetokounmpo’s shooting felt off during the outside practice, Jokić seemed intent on aggravating him, scoring one after the other.

Antetokounmpo grumbled, “It’s just a hot hand, anyone can make shots from this close.”

Jokić stepped back a meter, still scoring.

“Stand over there and shoot if you dare!” Antetokounmpo pointed to the backcourt.

“What if it goes in?”

Antetokounmpo clenched his teeth, “I’ll give you one hundred thousand US Dollars!”

Thinking there was no penalty for missing, why not give it a shot, Jokić mused.

Thus, he casually made a skyhook in front of everyone, except it was an ultra-long skyhook aimed at the frontcourt basket.

For people with unbelievably good skills, when the touch is on, even miraculous things can happen.

Right before everyone’s eyes, Jokić won Antetokounmpo’s one hundred thousand dollars.

“This…” Antetokounmpo exclaimed, “This isn’t even a shot!”

Jokić smiled, “You didn’t say I couldn’t use a hook shot, did you?”

“!#￥!@#￥”

Not far away, Yu Fei said to Rivers, “I like this process.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Rivers retorted.

That night, nothing went right for the Warriors Team.

Their main advantage in Game 3 was the referees’ support through defense that forced the Clippers into a tight spot. If they could’ve won that game, the referees might have continued their support, as the League wanted a more intense division final.

But they missed the opportunity, so the Clippers swept through, lifting the defending champions’ spirit, and then let Durant lead the Knicks to meet Yu Fei in the finals, the most ideal script for this season.

Thus, the last hope of the Warriors Team vanished.

The opponent’s honorable battle was turned into an exhibition match by the Clippers.

Yu Fei, who dominated the first three games, started to support the young players, Antetokounmpo attacked the basket violently after losing one hundred thousand dollars, and Jokić played like a fusion of Magic Johnson and Bird, with extraordinary passes, unusual shots, post-up plays, simply doing it all.

When everything went smoothly, the rest of the Clippers team joined in, turning the game into a playground, with the Warriors Team losing the final game of the season at home in the most embarrassing manner.

136 to 88

The moment the referee blew the final whistle, Steve Kerr closed his eyes as if resigned, taking a deep breath.

He knew his coaching career had been murdered tonight.

The killer was the Los Angeles Clippers.