Scored 35+10+11! I really can’t stand it anymore. Harden expressed his frustration. The ship’s reporter talked about Kawhi’s words and made it clear.

The Clippers lost 102-105 to the Hawks, suffering a five-game losing streak. Their record dropped to 3 wins and 7 losses. The team is teetering on the 13th spot in the Western Conference. The team's morale and competitiveness are on the verge of collapse. There seemed to be a heavy haze hanging over the Clippers' new arena. The disappointment and uneasiness of the fans intertwined into harsh boos. What's even more worrying is that Leonard fell down again after the Heat and has been absent so far. Bill has been injured and stopped. Paul and Lopez are old. The championship puzzle that once had high hopes is now like a piece of loose sand. The only one who can barely support the situation is James Harden.

In this game, Harden used up almost all his energy. In the first 39 minutes of the game, he made 12 of 23 shots, 6 of 14 from beyond the arc, and 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 35 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 blocks, a near-quadruple-double. Although he made 6 turnovers, in such a fragmented team, his performance could be called a lone battle. Countless times today, the Clippers relied on Harden's personal ability to bite the score. He used his iconic step-back three-pointer to tear apart the Eagles' defense again and again, and sent scalpel-like passes into the crowd to activate his teammates again and again. But when the game entered the second half, especially the fourth quarter, Harden's physical warning light came on completely. Every time he held the ball, he seemed to be carrying a weight, and every defense seemed inadequate. After the game, Harden dragged his exhausted body to an interview with the media, his eyes filled with helplessness and exhaustion.

When asked why the team has never been able to perform stably, Harden's voice was low but true: "We have always been unstable. The lineup has changed too much due to injuries, and there are too many people coming in and out of the rotation. "The situation of the players is very confusing. Some players have never played before, some players have just been assigned to the rotation, and some players are new."

This statement is not so much an explanation as a naked accusation against the management. The Clippers' rotation has been a revolving door this season, with injuries and Tyronn Lue experimenting with the lineup. Tyronn Lue has also been unable to establish a stable tactical system. Leonard's injury became the last straw for the Clippers.

Kazi is the core of the team's offensive and defensive tactics. His absence has caused the Clippers to lose their fulcrum on both ends of the offense and defense. Bill should have been one of the alternatives, but his attendance rate was equally dismal, averaging less than 25 minutes per game, and his efficiency was far lower than expected. He was unable to replace Powell's open shooting and defensive intensity. The veteran combination of Paul and Lopez is even more limited than capable. Although Paul's organizational ability is there, his speed and explosive power are long gone; Lopez can protect the frame but can move slowly.

After the game, Clippers team reporter Farbod Esnaashari was blunt on social media. He said: "The whole team is supported by Harden alone. He may not be able to play in the next game. What else is there to do?"

This sentence expresses the cruel reality-Harden's load has reached the limit. According to statistics, Harden has averaged 36.8 minutes of playing time per game this season and a usage rate of 32.7%. Both statistics rank in the top five in the league. Whenever he takes a break, the Clippers' net rating will instantly plummet by 15.2 points, the offensive end will be paralyzed, and the defensive end will be riddled with holes. At the beginning of the season, the outside world was optimistic about the depth of the Clippers' lineup, thinking that they had a championship configuration of "Big Four + luxury substitutes", but now it seems that that is just a dream on paper.

This is not a problem that can be solved by replacing Tyronn Lue. There is no doubt about the tactical quality of Lu's guidance. He once led this team to the Western Conference Finals in 2021, but now he is facing an old team with an average age of over 30 years old and is riddled with injuries.

Now the Clippers have neither the current situation nor the future. The Clippers' salary space has been locked up, and there is almost zero room for operation. The only thing they can do is to pray for health-and this is precisely the most unreliable bet. The draft picks were taken by the Thunder and 76ers from 2026 to 29. Harden's future has become the biggest suspense. He took the initiative to apply to leave the team and join the Clippers in 2023. This was originally to pursue his dream of a championship, but the current situation has put him in a dilemma. On the one hand, he still has feelings for the team and has expressed in public many times that he "want to retire here"; on the other hand, the continuous losses and high load have made him physically and mentally exhausted. If the Clippers continue to sink, it is not ruled out that he will apply to leave the team again before the trade deadline.

At the last moment of today's final quarter, Harden sat on the sidelines, holding a towel with both hands and looking at the scoreboard with empty eyes. At that moment, everyone understood: the Clippers' season had reached the edge of the cliff. The five-game losing streak is just a symptom. The deeper crisis lies in the complete imbalance of the team structure. If the management does not take action soon - whether it is to clear redundant contracts through trades or completely rebuild the system around Harden - the Clippers are likely to enter "bad mode" early this season. For Harden, at the age of 36, he does not have much time to waste.

Should Harden stay and continue to struggle, or wave goodbye again and go to a truly competitive team to pursue his dream? The answer may soon be revealed. But the Clippers' championship light is extinguishing little by little. Harden stood alone at the entrance of the players' tunnel, his back lonely and heavy. He was once the king of Houston, once the savior of Brooklyn, and now he is the last standout in Los Angeles. This city once boiled because of him, but now it is silent because of him. Winter for the Clippers is coming.