(1天内)Stating the obvious: Jazz need Mike Conley to win this series, and Game 3 was a big reminder由asjkfj 发表在翻译团招工部 https://bbs.hupu.com/fyt-store
But, back to the wrap: It was in its final stages when the All-Star in the gold letterman sweater approached him, leaned in and provided the sort of sage advice that has helped the backcourt tandem bloom into one of the most dynamic and versatile backcourts in the league. There they were, two All-Stars, one with his ankle buried somewhere beneath mountains of ice and plastic and wrap, and the other still unable to suit up, that unforgiving hamstring strain still lingering, discussing the ins and outs of Game 3. It was the game in which the Los Angeles Clippers, finally, made their long-awaited announcement into these Western Conference semifinals.
“This is a series,” Mitchell said bluntly.
No doubt. And by the time Mike Conley approached Mitchell, the Clippers’ lead was even bigger than the wrap around Mitchell’s ankle. The ABC broadcast Saturday night captured the teammates seated next to one another as LA arrived, slicing the Jazz’s series lead down to 2-1 with a 132-106 win, but those shots on live TV were also just a sour stomach moment for Jazz fans. The No. 1 seed in these NBA playoffs, the best team in the regular season this year, has questions to answer.
Some, surely, about defensive schemes. About how to make life harder on Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who willed the Clippers and made it look pretty simple.
Others about finding a way to chase Reggie Jackson and Nic Batum off the 3-point line more often.
But most pressing, of course, is how quickly they can get Conley into the starting lineup. Even to the most die-hard delusional Jazz fan, they knew that in order to beat these Clippers four times, they needed Conley. It was true before Mitchell went full supernova in the first two games and it was even more true after the Jazz dropped Game 3 Saturday evening.
What’s described as a mild right hamstring strain is nothing new for Conley. He’s dealt with it for most of the year. It’s sidelined him off and on. The Jazz often resorted to giving him the front or back end of games in close succession on the calendar this year off because they knew pushing that hamstring might result in what transpired in Game 5 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
Another strain that keeps their All-Star point guard sidelined for who knows how long. Only the Jazz and Conley know. The strain happened on June 2. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday. The Jazz won the first two games against the star-studded Clippers without him. They rode the wave of the madness of a capacity crowd inside Vivint Arena, of Mitchell’s 30-foot-something 3s, of Rudy Gobert’s elite defense to a 2-0 lead. Jazz coach Quin Snyder said prior to Game 3 Saturday night that taking the first two at home had nothing to do with Conley missing his third straight game.
“It has nothing to do with us feeling any form of accomplishment, having won a couple of games. Mike’s not ready to go yet,” Snyder explained. “He’s working hard every day to try to get back. But, in no way are we feeling even some small form of success. Obviously, you’re glad you won a couple of games, but seeing we lost Game 1 against Memphis last series, and the Clippers obviously lost against Dallas and then won the series — we know how difficult a series this is going to be. And when Mike’s ready, he’ll be back.”
The clock is ticking. Conley missed 15 games from February through May due to tightness in the same right hamstring. What they’re missing is a point guard who can make life even more difficult for the Clippers. Conley averaged 17.8 points per game and 8.6 assists per outing against his former team in the first-round win. Beyond the surface-level statistics, he makes the Jazz operate at their most optimal level. With Conley, they hum. The historically good offensive season the Jazz had from beyond the arc doesn’t happen without Conley’s assimilation into Snyder’s style of play cultivated to fit this roster.
The Jazz will miss a player of Conley’s ability in any playoff game against any opponent, but Game 3 was obvious how much his absence hurt. Mitchell pushing on through the ankle pain hasn’t limited his shooting ability from distance — he’s made 17 3s in the series — but he’s not as elusive attacking the basket and it’s evident his leaping ability is hindered. The Jazz miss Conley because he can force the opposition into being entranced by the flow of the game he wants to dictate. It’s why he’s such a perfect backcourt partner to Mitchell: One typically wants to attack and expose a crack in the armor, the other is waiting for the crack in the armor to expose itself.
Conley is a meticulous point guard, an old school throwback who has transformed from the “Grit and Grind” era in Memphis to this fire-away-at-will-from-distance approach that has the Jazz at this place in the postseason. The Clippers dialed up defensive pressure on the Jazz in Game 3, which, when exposed, could’ve played to Utah’s strength — a healthy Conley can shake defenders, draw weakside defenders and kick it to open 3-point shooters just as he has all year. When healthy.
“They turned it up,” forward Joe Ingles said of the Clippers. “It showed what they wanted to do.”
The Jazz prepare for Game 4 with their backcourt inching further away from a 100 percent full bill of health. And Leonard, George and the Clippers are very much present. Mitchell said postgame he’s good, but the poker face wasn’t perfect. He did say if he needed to, he could’ve gone back in the game, but by the time he tweaked that right ankle again, the Clippers were up 18 in the fourth quarter. Soon after, Conley approached Mitchell and the two talked about what went right, what went wrong and everything in between.
Conley doesn’t sugarcoat much. And that’s the way Utah’s main man wants it.
“Having it in real time, I think, is huge,” Mitchell said. “To have a guy like that who has been here, who’s seen this in so many games so many times, it definitely helps not just myself but the team as well.”
But, back to the wrap: It was in its final stages when the All-Star in the gold letterman sweater approached him, leaned in and provided the sort of sage advice that has helped the backcourt tandem bloom into one of the most dynamic and versatile backcourts in the league. There they were, two All-Stars, one with his ankle buried somewhere beneath mountains of ice and plastic and wrap, and the other still unable to suit up, that unforgiving hamstring strain still lingering, discussing the ins and outs of Game 3. It was the game in which the Los Angeles Clippers, finally, made their long-awaited announcement into these Western Conference semifinals.
“This is a series,” Mitchell said bluntly.
No doubt. And by the time Mike Conley approached Mitchell, the Clippers’ lead was even bigger than the wrap around Mitchell’s ankle. The ABC broadcast Saturday night captured the teammates seated next to one another as LA arrived, slicing the Jazz’s series lead down to 2-1 with a 132-106 win, but those shots on live TV were also just a sour stomach moment for Jazz fans. The No. 1 seed in these NBA playoffs, the best team in the regular season this year, has questions to answer.
Some, surely, about defensive schemes. About how to make life harder on Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who willed the Clippers and made it look pretty simple.
Others about finding a way to chase Reggie Jackson and Nic Batum off the 3-point line more often.
But most pressing, of course, is how quickly they can get Conley into the starting lineup. Even to the most die-hard delusional Jazz fan, they knew that in order to beat these Clippers four times, they needed Conley. It was true before Mitchell went full supernova in the first two games and it was even more true after the Jazz dropped Game 3 Saturday evening.
What’s described as a mild right hamstring strain is nothing new for Conley. He’s dealt with it for most of the year. It’s sidelined him off and on. The Jazz often resorted to giving him the front or back end of games in close succession on the calendar this year off because they knew pushing that hamstring might result in what transpired in Game 5 against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.
Another strain that keeps their All-Star point guard sidelined for who knows how long. Only the Jazz and Conley know. The strain happened on June 2. Game 4 is scheduled for Monday. The Jazz won the first two games against the star-studded Clippers without him. They rode the wave of the madness of a capacity crowd inside Vivint Arena, of Mitchell’s 30-foot-something 3s, of Rudy Gobert’s elite defense to a 2-0 lead. Jazz coach Quin Snyder said prior to Game 3 Saturday night that taking the first two at home had nothing to do with Conley missing his third straight game.
“It has nothing to do with us feeling any form of accomplishment, having won a couple of games. Mike’s not ready to go yet,” Snyder explained. “He’s working hard every day to try to get back. But, in no way are we feeling even some small form of success. Obviously, you’re glad you won a couple of games, but seeing we lost Game 1 against Memphis last series, and the Clippers obviously lost against Dallas and then won the series — we know how difficult a series this is going to be. And when Mike’s ready, he’ll be back.”
The clock is ticking. Conley missed 15 games from February through May due to tightness in the same right hamstring. What they’re missing is a point guard who can make life even more difficult for the Clippers. Conley averaged 17.8 points per game and 8.6 assists per outing against his former team in the first-round win. Beyond the surface-level statistics, he makes the Jazz operate at their most optimal level. With Conley, they hum. The historically good offensive season the Jazz had from beyond the arc doesn’t happen without Conley’s assimilation into Snyder’s style of play cultivated to fit this roster.
The Jazz will miss a player of Conley’s ability in any playoff game against any opponent, but Game 3 was obvious how much his absence hurt. Mitchell pushing on through the ankle pain hasn’t limited his shooting ability from distance — he’s made 17 3s in the series — but he’s not as elusive attacking the basket and it’s evident his leaping ability is hindered. The Jazz miss Conley because he can force the opposition into being entranced by the flow of the game he wants to dictate. It’s why he’s such a perfect backcourt partner to Mitchell: One typically wants to attack and expose a crack in the armor, the other is waiting for the crack in the armor to expose itself.
Conley is a meticulous point guard, an old school throwback who has transformed from the “Grit and Grind” era in Memphis to this fire-away-at-will-from-distance approach that has the Jazz at this place in the postseason. The Clippers dialed up defensive pressure on the Jazz in Game 3, which, when exposed, could’ve played to Utah’s strength — a healthy Conley can shake defenders, draw weakside defenders and kick it to open 3-point shooters just as he has all year. When healthy.
“They turned it up,” forward Joe Ingles said of the Clippers. “It showed what they wanted to do.”
The Jazz prepare for Game 4 with their backcourt inching further away from a 100 percent full bill of health. And Leonard, George and the Clippers are very much present. Mitchell said postgame he’s good, but the poker face wasn’t perfect. He did say if he needed to, he could’ve gone back in the game, but by the time he tweaked that right ankle again, the Clippers were up 18 in the fourth quarter. Soon after, Conley approached Mitchell and the two talked about what went right, what went wrong and everything in between.
Conley doesn’t sugarcoat much. And that’s the way Utah’s main man wants it.
“Having it in real time, I think, is huge,” Mitchell said. “To have a guy like that who has been here, who’s seen this in so many games so many times, it definitely helps not just myself but the team as well.”
推荐
评论
收藏
分享
举报
只看楼主