NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 644 Advancing to the Finals for the Third Consecutive Time

In the first quarter alone, the Clippers hit 6 three-pointers, and Jia Fei personally dished out 6 assists in the quarter, dominating the Nuggets on offense.

Although the Nuggets fought hard and scored 32 points in a quarter led by Jokic, they still trailed the Clippers by 10 points in the quarter!

Judging from the first quarter, the strategy of double-teaming Jia Fei failed. But Nuggets head coach Michael Malone refused to back down. He's a combination of Jordan and Malone; how could he give up so easily? He had to fight! Fight to the bitter end! He didn't believe the Clippers could stay this accurate. If they could, he'd accept it!

In the second quarter, the Nuggets maintained their strategy, continuing to double-team Jia Fei. Meanwhile, the Clippers' shooting cooled off, and their offense became stagnant. Led by Jokic, the Nuggets narrowed the gap to just 3 points by halftime.

However, the tide turned dramatically in the third quarter. The Clippers' role players regained their touch, hitting eight three-pointers in the quarter and completely crushing the Nuggets.

The outcome of the final quarter was no longer in doubt, and the Clippers won again, taking a 2-0 lead in the series!

Compared to the previous game, the Clippers won this game much more smoothly, leading for the entire game from start to finish.

After the game, many experts predicted that the Nuggets had little hope. The reason was simple: they had tried both one-on-one defense and double-teaming Jia Fei, and both had failed.

The Nuggets never solved their defensive problems, and it's unrealistic to expect to outscore the Clippers offensively if they can't stop them—even the Warriors, considered a super team, lost…

May 23, Western Conference Finals Game 3.

Jia Fei felt somewhat dazed. Normally, this time of year would be around the time of the new season's media open day, but they were still playing in the regional finals. According to this year's schedule, the finals wouldn't end until October.

Both teams changed their lineups. It's understandable that the Clippers, having won, didn't change their lineup, but the Nuggets haven't changed their roster since the Western Conference Finals, which has frustrated many Nuggets fans. They feel Coach Malone is too stubborn. Why keep having Harris guard Jia Fei? He could have tried the defensive stalwart Craig off the bench!

After the game started, the Nuggets abandoned the strategy of blatantly double-teaming Jia Fei as they had in the previous game. Instead, they opted for a strategy of single-player defense plus help defense, which can be considered a compromise defensive strategy.

However, this strategy cannot contain Jia Fei, because he not only has explosive personal abilities, but is also more than just a scorer.

Harris tried his best, but he just couldn't stop him.

Coach Malone has tried having other players guard him, including Jeremy Grant and Craig, but the results haven't been ideal.

Being overwhelmed by single-man defense and getting shot down in double teams – this painful choice is causing Coach Malone a lot of distress.

The Clippers also struggled to defend Jokic; they haven't really contained the big man in any significant way in these past few games. Their wins weren't due to limiting Jokic, but rather to effectively defending other Nuggets players, including Jamal Murray.

Murray was repeatedly "served" by several of the opponent's toughest defenders throughout the game. Dillon, Bridges, Jia Fei, and Paul George all guarded him. It's already quite an achievement that he can still average 19 points per game so far. We can't ask for too much more.

Jokic scored 30+ points again in this game, but they still lost. The Clippers allowed him to score, but they couldn't get him to lead his teammates. It was a game of either him single-handedly defeating them, or they were going to close out the game.

贾飞全场砍下44分9个篮板9次助攻6个抢断3个盖帽，一场40+准三双带走比赛。

The series score is now 3-0, and the Nuggets are not far from following in the footsteps of the Trail Blazers and Rockets...

Jokic played 40 minutes, scoring a team-high 39 points, but it still wasn't enough to help his team win. His offensive prowess was simply too strong, but his weakness in defending pick-and-rolls was mercilessly exposed to the world.

If he had defensive abilities like Anthony Davis, he would be the greatest all-around center in history, surpassing Hakeem Olajuwon.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Jokic's defense certainly has the potential and room for improvement, but not now.

The future is yours, but the present is mine!

Jokic was shocked to discover that Jia Fei, the man who might tell him "the future is yours," was only two years older than him... Damn it, who is the future between us? I might even retire before him!

They're all liars, they're all liars!

May 25, Western Conference Finals Game 4.

The Nuggets didn't give up in this game, but their adjustments weren't enough to change the outcome, and they ultimately lost, ending their season.

The Clippers swept the Nuggets 4-0, advancing to the NBA Finals!

This is their third consecutive season advancing to the finals. They are just four wins away from achieving their first three-peat in franchise history and establishing their own dynasty!

Having swept all three series, the Clippers are only the second team after the Lakers in the 2000-01 season to achieve this. Their opponent in the Finals will be the winner between the Heat and the Celtics.

On paper, regardless of whether the Heat or the Celtics emerge victorious from the East, they possess a significant advantage. It's fair to say the Clippers' chances of winning the championship are quite high.

The Heat-Celtics series is still going strong, and it seems like either team could be the Clippers' opponent.

Jia Fei knew that in his previous life, the Heat had made it to the NBA Finals, but he wondered if things would be any different this time.

The Clippers ended their series early, and the players had nowhere to go in the bubble. They either trained or played video games in their rooms, enjoying their stay-at-home days.

Everyone says that overrated teams are doomed to fail, but Jia Fei knows that as long as they don't underestimate their opponents, the chances of them being defeated by a weaker team are not high. The NBA playoffs are series, not a single game, so the element of chance is minimal. As long as they don't encounter any major surprises and play steadily, they still have a good chance.

Meanwhile, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who was in Los Angeles at the time, was very satisfied with the team's performance. He updated the players in real time on the progress of the new arena construction and once again brought up the topic of championship bonuses.

This made the Clippers players even more excited. Who would turn down money? Everyone loves money! Money really is a good thing! This made the players even more motivated to lift weights, and their training was full of energy.

The Eastern Conference has finally decided the winner, with the Heat defeating the Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in six years!

The NBA official website immediately announced the Finals matchup: Clippers vs. Heat.

Jia Fei vs. JB, Pao Jiao vs. Reba, wow, two Baba!

The last time the Heat made it to the Finals was back when Running Man was still active! Six years have passed in the blink of an eye, and in that time Running Man has covered two different teams…