Harden only has 7 points, and it is Wei Shao who knows him best

"The Clippers and Nuggets are the best series of the first round, and if you like basketball, real basketball fans and not fake basketball fans, these are the games you should watch."

Jokic said this after the G6 game, and after the first two games of the series, Jokic also emphasized that if you're a basketball fan, you'll love the series.

It's a series full of physical confrontations, but not too much controversy; This is a series in which the stars are full of color, each star is not too stretched, and there are corresponding highlight moments; This round of the series gave birth to the famous scene of 0.1 second dunk slam kill, and this round of the series also came to the tie-break.

Tyronn Lue made a change, with Jones Jr. starting in place of Dunn, increasing the size of the starting lineup. In fact, after G6 Batum's brave play, Dunn should not have appeared in the rotation lineup, but today Coach Lu still let him play 4 minutes.

Whether it is Dunn or Jones Jr. starting, it is a fake starter, and the Clippers' main rotation at this position is Batum. However, Lue's change of formation did work, and Jones Jr. scored seven straight points in the opening game, and the Clippers took the initiative in the first quarter.

Both sides have their own defensive strategies for each other's core, and Harden's Jokic statistics in the first quarter are also similar, with 2 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, but Jokic used 5 shots, and Harden only had one shot.

Nuggets' defense of Harden; First wrap the clip, you let others shoot the ball, the most exaggerated is the clip after the middle circle; The last moment of single defense, do not give the left side, force you to take the right hand, and let you make an uncomfortable shot.

Harden only took one shot in the first quarter and almost didn't take a shot in the first half of the second quarter, and by the time Harden started to play the main offense, the Nuggets were already adept at limiting him. What I want to say for Harden today is not that he doesn't have a strong desire to attack, but that the Nuggets' strategy is to let Harden play the ball and let others attack.

Jokic is also facing the same situation, but the Nuggets have others who can step up, Gordon has a strong grasp on the inside, Braun, Westbrook, and Watson all shot excellent three-pointers, and Watson's only three-point shot was written on his face with confidence.

Wei Shao played 12 minutes in the second quarter, with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, and played the best quarter of the series and even as a role player. Wei Shao hit two three-pointers to punish the Clippers' defense, steal Harden's long pass and assist Gordon dunk, and his presence on the court exploded.

In the second quarter, the Nuggets outscored the Clippers by 16 points in a single quarter, and Willis's all-out output changed everything, when Jokic was only 1-of-7 at one point, and when Murray was also held down, it was these role players of the Nuggets who stepped up and survived the most difficult period.

On the Clippers' side, the support provided by role players outside of the twin stars is limited. On the last offense of the half, Harden singled out Braun and walked to a 45-degree angle while going heads-up. At this time, Wei Shao decisively gave up the defender to contain Harden, who made a hasty shot and violated the 24-second violation. The one who knows Harden best and what Harden will do has to be his second brother.

The Nuggets' 17-0 run in the third quarter completely nailed the Clippers' coffin board. Even when leading by 28 points, the referee blew Jokic's fifth foul, which did not change the overall situation.

How did the Nuggets' 17-0 run come about? Jokic hit a long two-point shot on his first shot, forcing Zubac to free up the box to defend Jokic, and then was dunked by Gordon. Braun was still hitting a three-pointer, and then it was Porter Jr.'s arrows raining down.

Comparing the lineups of the Nuggets and the Clippers, it is clear that the Clippers are the better side on the bench. But this game the Clippers were wildly punished by the Nuggets' non-shooters, and there was a clear gap in the vitality of the role players on both sides, which was enough to change everything in a game like a tie-break.

And where are these sources of vitality for the Nuggets? Of course, it's the man we know well, Westbrook, who has been breathing life into the Nuggets all season and blossoming today. In the fourth quarter, Wei Shao's steal and fast-break dunk completely ended the series. Wei Shao got a technical foul on the frame, and then roared to meet the cheers of the audience.

In Wei Shao's career, the only time he lost the tie-break was against the Warriors in the '16 Western Conference Finals, which was also the last game he played with Durant. Whether he is a role player or the core of the team, in a key game like a tie-break, Wei Shao's hand will definitely not be soft.

Today, Wei Shao had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, and he took the base salary and played a game that was no less influential than the top salary. In a game in which Jokic scored only 16 points and Murray scored only 16 points, the Nuggets actually beat the Clippers one quarter earlier.

In this round of the series, Wei Shao killed the game with a steal in the first overtime game, and became the winner and loser of the Nuggets in the seventh game, averaging 13.5 points per game in the entire series, shooting 41.9% from three-point range. In the next game, he will return to Oklahoma.

For Harden, although he dished out 13 assists and only made 2 turnovers, it has been mentioned many times that the Clippers need his offense to break the game. The Nuggets actually didn't wrap Harden all the time, and they also gave Harden some heads-up opportunities, but Harden's hand was still cold and cold.

I wouldn't say it was the worst game of the Harden series, and while only 7 points was the lowest in the series, the hesitation of the Battle of Kings is still fresh in my mind. Harden G1G3G6 all played well, but the other four games are hard to say.

I wouldn't dismiss Harden's efforts throughout the season because of a game like this, but for a player like Harden, does it really matter how well he plays in the regular season?

Harden needs to make a name for himself in the playoffs, but the time and opportunities left for him are running out of time.