Paul makes his Clippers return debut! A huge 47-point victory over Guangzhou! Welcome to the NBA!

The second installment of the CBA Guangzhou Long-Lions’ upward challenge series.

Today’s opponent was the Los Angeles Clippers, an NBA team highly expected in the new season.

The final score was decisive, with the Clippers dominating the Long-Lions 142-95, winning by 47 points.

Key player statistics were as follows:

Oladipo scored 24 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals; Chen Guohao had 13 points and 5 rebounds; Liu Yancheng posted 12 points and 1 rebound; Frazer contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists; Holiday added 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals; Kaminsky recorded 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 5 assists; Guan Ziyu had 6 points and 1 rebound.

Leonard put up 18 points and 2 assists; Paul had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks; Zubac scored 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists; Collins contributed 15 points and 4 rebounds.

Except for Beal, the Clippers played all available players today.

One major highlight was Paul’s debut back with the Clippers— the veteran captain has returned to lead the team.

In the first half, both teams were fairly even, with only a 5-point difference.

However, with a surge in the third quarter, the home team quickly pulled away. The third quarter score was 42-8, with Guangzhou only making one field goal in that period, an outside shot by Oladipo...

The driving force behind this surge was none other than the 40-year-old veteran.

The two teams are simply not on the same level.

NBA is NBA; the reason they earn so much money is justified.

So there’s no need to go into the game details; basically, when the Clippers’ bench came in during the second half, they intensified their effort, and once defense kicked in, Guangzhou struggled to keep up.

Offense became a big problem.

In matches like this, star players tend to be less pressured; from Kawhi to Harden, they mostly put in minimal effort.

But when the bench players come in, their hunger to prove themselves and compete for minutes kicks in...

Don’t even mention the domestic players; even the main foreign players couldn’t hold up.

Based on previous impressions from the Asia Cup and EuroBasket, combined with Yang Hansen’s performance yesterday and Guangzhou’s today, there’s a strong feeling I want to share with everyone.

Compared to high-level players, our local players have one clear gap:They are slow.

This “slow” doesn’t just refer to speed or quickness in running and jumping...

Most importantly, it’s slowness in thinking.

In games, this is reflected in the ability to make quick decisions.

Basketball is dynamic; players must perceive changes every second on the court, receive various information, process it mentally, then choose one option from many to execute.

The stronger the perception and faster the information processing, the quicker the decision-making.

This thinking efficiency translates into instantaneous instincts on the court.

Top players, from Paul to Curry and Harden, never run plays just for the sake of running them...

From football to basketball, Chinese players often make passing errors under high pressure; for example, Guangzhou was called for many traveling violations today during their initial moves.

Why is that?

A major reason is that the domestic league’s slower pace and weaker physicality cause both cognitive and physical delays in international competitions.

Players lack proactive thinking during games; on offense, they often show mechanical passing and passively wait for instructions, a trait gradually worn down by standardized training.

When playing at NBA preseason level, players realize there isn’t much time to think; chances vanish in an instant.

While our players are still processing, Clippers players have already passed them...

It’s not just Guangzhou; even national team players face the same issue.

Yang Hansen was slow in decision-making yesterday as well, wasn’t he?

How can decision speed be improved?

I once saw former Clipper Jamal Crawford share his main idea:Focus on real-game situations to develop instant decision-making skills during matches.

Training should always center on real gameplay, observing different defenders’ tendencies to build corresponding offensive plans.

Simply put, it means playing more games and improving through competition.

Back to the Guangzhou Long-Lions, after experiencing the Clippers’ intensity, returning to the CBA pace should make these young players more comfortable.

This is one of the key benefits of participating in the NBA preseason.