The two favorites in the Western Conference were defeated in the opening games by the underdogs.

After two much-anticipated opening games, the new season has officially begun. As many as 24 teams have completed their season debuts, including the Dallas Mavericks of the new No. 1 pick Flagg and the Los Angeles Clippers who introduced many All-Star players in the offseason. The two strengthened teams are regarded as the favorites to compete for the Western Conference championship. In the first game of the regular season, the two teams faced the Spurs and Jazz respectively, and originally had an excellent chance to win a good start.

But the result of the game was shocking. The Clippers sent out a starting lineup of Harden + Beal + Leonard + Jones + Zubac. New aid Collins served as the best sixth man, Paul, Lopez Ze and Batum also played in full. Such a strong fighting ability was actually defeated by the Jazz in the first quarter. They were outplayed 43:19 in a single quarter. At halftime, they were already 31 points behind. In the end, they were defeated 108:129.

The Clippers' highest-scoring starting player turned out to be blue-collar center Zubac. He made 9 of 13 shots and scored 19 points and 7 rebounds. Although Harden had a mediocre touch, he sent out 11 assists. Unfortunately, the cold touch of other starters left the team unable to counterattack. Bill only scored 5 points and 1 rebound in his first show with the Clippers.

On the other hand, the two insider twin towers of Collins and Lopez on the bench gave the fans some comfort. Collins played 27 minutes and contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds. Lopez played 16 minutes and scored 15 points and 3 rebounds, and scored 5 three-pointers from the outside. Veteran Paul only played 14 minutes and scored 4 points, 4 assists and 1 steal, which was considered quite satisfactory.

The duel between the two young No. 1 picks Flagg and Wenbanyama also presented a one-sided situation. Wenbanyama scored 40 points and 15 rebounds in only 29 minutes of playing. He made 15 of 21 shots from the field, with a very high shooting percentage. Under his leadership, the Spurs took full control of the field from the beginning of the second quarter, and finally defeated the Mavericks 125:92.

When Irving was injured and unable to miss the game, the Mavericks head coach Kidd chose a lineup that did not require a point guard. He chose Flagg + Thompson + Washington + Big Eyebrow + Lively as the starting five, allowing Flagg to serve as a point forward. It is not difficult to see that Kidd was trying the Bucks' style of play, hoping to train Flagg into the next Giannis Antetokounmpo. After all, both of them are talented and potential superstars.

Unfortunately, the effect of the first battle was not ideal. Although Flagg had a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds after playing 31 minutes, his shooting rate of 4 of 13 shots was not ideal. Not only did he not have any assists in the game, but he also made 3 turnovers. Without the tactical support of pick-and-roll screens and the containment of his teammates, Clay got an easy shot, and his shooting percentage was also dismal. Although another core insider, Big Eyebrow, scored 22 points and 13 rebounds, he seemed a little helpless.

Both the Clippers and Mavericks have strong lineups and star players on paper, but they were ultimately unable to prove themselves in the season opener. In recent years, as the Bucks, Nuggets, Celtics, and Thunder won championships by relying on their own training of players, they have gradually broken the previous model of stars teaming up to compete for the championship. Perhaps the era of the Big Three + All-Star veteran combination will come to an end this season.