NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 688 Picking Peaches from the Sky

2-2, both sides scored at the start!

The Suns' offense was initiated by a pick-and-roll between 58 and Ayton, but this time it turned into a switch on defense.

58 mismatched Olynyk, dribbled repeatedly, stepped back and hit a mid-range pull-up jumper, punishing the opponent's switch defense!

The Clippers were on offense. Jia Fei, playing like a seasoned veteran, drove in with a crossover, changed his speed, accelerated, and drove to the basket. Facing Ayton's rim protection, he powerfully scored!

Ayton looks and has the physique of a center from ancient times, but he's a guy with a defensive obsession. He doesn't like physical contact, prefers to float and shoot, and doesn't like to box out on defense—he's a bit effeminate.

Compared to him, Nowitzki and Ayton, who were once ridiculed for playing too effeminate, are incredibly tough. In today's era, there's not much of a market for tough centers. What's needed now is a center who can stretch the floor, protect the rim, and switch on defense. So even a center like Ayton, who's known for his cleanliness, isn't necessarily targeted or punished relentlessly.

58 continued to run pick-and-roll with Ayton, but this time Ayton missed his mid-range shot!

Grant grabbed the rebound and passed it to Jia Fei to advance the ball.

Jia Fei pushed forward and suddenly split the bottom corner of the pickled pepper.

Paul George broke through again, but his turnaround jump shot missed!

Ayton grabbed the rebound and passed it to Booker for a fast break!

Booker countered with a three-pointer, but it was blocked by Jia Fei who caught up!

The ball went directly out of bounds!

The crowd erupted in cheers. Jia Fei's play fully demonstrated his running and jumping ability and his control of the timing of the block. The DPOY title is well-deserved!

Booker appealed to the referee that Jia Fei's shot had touched his hand and that he should have been awarded three free throws.

The referee insisted that Jia Fei's block was clean.

Booker shrugged helplessly, still muttering to himself.

The Suns inbound the ball from the baseline in the frontcourt, with Jia Fei defending Booker.

"You fouled just now, that's how you got away with it!" Booker sneered.

"You shouldn't be the successor of the Mamba, you should be the successor of the staged accident scammer or the stall owner!" Jia Fei retorted sarcastically.

Booker got excited and reached out for the ball.

58 passed the ball to Booker.

Booker received the ball and signaled to his teammates to pull away.

Booker vs. Jia Fei!

The crowd started to cheer, as fans love watching star players go head-to-head.

Booker dribbled the ball, took a probing step, and then suddenly broke through on the left side.

Jia Fei's lateral movement was too fast, his judgment was spot-on, and he blocked the opponent's breakthrough route in advance. He made a clean hand gesture, which was for the referee to see.

Booker, as a shooting guard, can handle the ball both on and off the ball. On offense, he can drive to the basket, pull up for a jump shot from almost any angle in the half-court, and post up against smaller players for a turnaround jumper. He's a very well-rounded shooting guard with a good shooting percentage. He can also initiate pick-and-rolls, creating opportunities for his teammates, and isn't just a pure scorer.

But compared to his idol, the little blacksmith, his physical attributes were far inferior. He looked white but was actually black because his father was black. His first step wasn't particularly fast, so he often couldn't shake off defenders; his strength and jumping ability were average, and he couldn't get rid of fast and strong wing defenders, needing to use screens; his pull-up jumper height wasn't exceptional, making him easily interfered with by taller defenders, and his release speed wasn't particularly fast either.

It's often said that if you can't pick the 13th pick in the first round of the draft, you should pick a shooting guard. Booker has lived up to his draft position, but compared to Smith Jr., the difference is huge. Smith Jr. was drafted 13th in 96 because, firstly, it was a golden generation with many talented players; even Nash was only 15th in the first round. Secondly, the recognition of high school players wasn't as high back then, otherwise his draft position might have been higher.

In a one-on-one situation, Jia Fei is better than Booker in terms of height, wingspan, strength, speed, and jumping ability. If he doesn't rely on rhythm and technique, it would be very difficult for him to overpower Booker.

So the best approach is obviously to use a pick-and-roll to exploit a defensive weakness, like center Olynyk. But young players, when they get excited, wanting to take on the Defensive Player of the Year, is completely understandable.

Youth! Passion!

Booker couldn't shake off Jia Fei. He pulled the ball between his legs and moved to his right hand, trying to create space for a shot by leaning in, but he couldn't get away!

In a moment of desperation, Booker gathered the ball, faked out Jia Fei several times without jumping, and finally forced a pull-up jump shot...

Unfortunately, Jia Fei arrived late but caught up quickly, and blocked his jump shot...

This……

The slap in the face was too much, which made Booker angry and embarrassed. When he tried to steal the ball, he hit Jia Fei, and the referee immediately called a foul!

Booker gritted his teeth, his face flushed, clearly seething with frustration. Being blocked one-on-one was already humiliating enough, but to have his opponent snatch the victory from him mid-air was an unbearable blow.

Jia Fei didn't even look at Booker. He didn't think much of young people like him who were all talk and no action but lacked real ability. Young people should have the right to be arrogant, and confidence is fine, but you can't be too self-centered. Pass the ball when you should, call on players when you should, and don't insist on pushing your limits. Your limits will tell you you don't have the ability!

"Your husband is so handsome!" Zhou Ling'an blinked her long false eyelashes and teased Lin Ning.

Lin Ning's face immediately turned red.

"When are you two getting married? Jia Fei must be really lusting after you, right?" Zhou Ling'an murmured as she approached Lin Ning.

Lin Ning fell silent. How was she supposed to answer? This was too blunt, my goodness! Zhou Ling'an really said everything, it was unbelievable.

Rose, Art Mayor's girlfriend, didn't know what they were talking about either. She couldn't understand Chinese. She only saw that Lin Ning's face was red. Was it because she was holding in her pee?

Booker's shot was blocked by Jia Fei, and Suns head coach Monty Williams on the sidelines stroked his chin thoughtfully. Reason told him Booker shouldn't have played that way, but as the Suns' core player, Booker needed to show the team's spirit, so his actions were indeed correct. It can only be said that Jia Fei was too strong; Booker rarely encounters such a tough defender, and being humiliated like this is indeed rare, no wonder he was so ashamed and indignant.

In the VIP section, Ballmer was ecstatic. He stood up to cheer for Jia Fei, and he had every reason to be happy. These kinds of exciting defensive plays were far more entertaining than ordinary baskets. He felt that investing in basketball was definitely the best decision he'd ever made. The Clippers' market value was soaring, making them one of the top teams in the NBA—a resounding success. The team was doing very well, consistently profitable since Jia Fei took over. Even though he wasn't short of money, as a businessman, making money was never a bad thing. The more profitable and joyful things like this, the better!

The game continued, and the Suns did a great job on both offense and defense. Their advancement to the Western Conference Finals wasn't due to any one player; they truly have the ability.

Although Ayton is a clean freak, his offensive skills are really good. Apart from rarely shooting three-pointers, he can score on lobs after a pick-and-roll, punish opponents' retreats with mid-range shots after a screen, and post up for one-on-one plays. His skills are quite comprehensive.