NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 550: The Huge Hidden Dangers of the Second Lineup Emerge

The Rockets' second unit was able to compete neck and neck with the Clippers' second unit, thanks to 58 leading the team. No matter how much you dislike 58, you have to admit he's incredibly good at orchestrating the team's offense. He can lead a typical lineup very well. His problem is that he can maintain a very high floor for the team, but he can't break through that ceiling; he's never been that kind of player.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by 5 points, with a score of 25:30.

The Clippers also have their problems. Their lead over the Rockets today was partly due to Tucker's poor three-point shooting. Their pick-and-roll duo of Lou Williams and Harrell, who were unstoppable in the regular season, have gradually lost their edge in the playoffs. Their effectiveness had already diminished significantly in the last series, and this time, with a player like 58 (Walter von Schweinsteiger) targeting them, both Williams and Harrell's defensive weaknesses were glaringly exposed.

Fortunately, the Rockets' second unit's offensive capabilities weren't that great, so Lou Williams and Harrell weren't targeted too severely. However, the problem remains: their defense becomes increasingly vulnerable to being exploited in higher-level games.

Moreover, the efficiency of these two players' pick-and-roll offense declined in the regular season under the targeted defense of the playoffs, which made the Clippers' second unit have no advantage.

In the second quarter, Tucker still hadn't found his rhythm. Tucker has a unique characteristic: he's not the Mamba-style player who keeps shooting until he makes a shot, believing in the philosophy that "even if I miss 20 shots, the 21st will definitely go in." After a few missed shots, he realized his shooting touch wasn't working and stopped shooting. Instead, he focused all his energy on setting screens for his teammates, grabbing offensive rebounds, and playing tenacious defense.

As a role player, he performed admirably, aggressively grabbing offensive rebounds and defending Paul George effectively. However, he hesitated to shoot, which emboldened Gallinari to provide help defense, preventing Capela from executing pick-and-rolls and making it easy for other players to be double-teamed.

The Rockets have had nights where Tucker was off his game, and their starting lineup had two spacing black holes. However, they can still win games thanks to the individual abilities of the Harden-Paul duo.

But this game is going to be tough. The opponent is the Clippers, the best team in the league. Their perimeter defense is too strong, and their offense is also strong. If we can't play perfectly, we won't be able to beat such a team.

So at halftime, the score was 49-68, with the Rockets trailing by 9 points.

"Mr. Yang, Tucker can't make three-pointers right now. Do you think they have any room for adjustment?" Wang Meng asked.

Yang Yi smacked his lips and said, "This is the problem with the Rockets losing Ariza. If Ariza were here, Tucker could step down if he didn't play well. Now, who else can you use if you don't use him?"

The second half unfolded much like the first half. Whenever the Rockets tried to close the gap, Jia Fei would step in and forcefully score to control the game.

Ultimately, the Clippers defeated the Rockets 100-113 at home, securing victory in Game 1 of the series.

Jia Fei scored a game-high 35 points, helping his team to victory.

Paul George struggled against P.J. Tucker's inability to make shots in this game, resulting in a poor shooting performance and only 13 points.

火箭这边，哈登全场得到23分5个篮板7次助攻，58得到11分4个篮板9次助攻。

The game ended, and the Clippers secured their fifth consecutive playoff win. They remain undefeated at home, having not lost a single home playoff game since the start of last season.

On April 30, Game 2 of the Clippers vs. Rockets series continued at the Staples Center.

Neither team changed their starting lineup. The Rockets, who lost the last game, still used a starting lineup with a center.

D'Antoni is not a coach who is very good at adapting to changing situations; he is good at orchestrating the team's offense. The Rockets also had a poor offense in the last game against the Clippers, who have the best defense in the league. Tucker's three-pointers were targeted by the opponent and became a turning point in the game.

The Rockets made some adjustments for this game. The starting lineup's playing style was not changed much; the main adjustments were made to the rotation lineup.

Their biggest change in the lineup for this match was dropping Nene, the "Egg Superman." Yes, you read that right, Nene was benched for this match.

However, Nene was DNP'd, and D'Antoni didn't bring anyone else into the rotation, meaning they would be using a 7-man rotation for this game...

This isn't the first time D'Antoni has done this kind of ruthless approach to his key players.

PS: Thibodeau: "Why are you all looking at me? Eat your food!"

The direct impact of the Rockets' actions was that several key players played more than 40 minutes... This is indeed a huge test of the core players' stamina, but for D'Antoni, if you're not prepared to play more than 40 minutes in the playoffs, that's your problem, not mine.

The Rockets' actions had another direct impact: they completely overwhelmed the Clippers' second unit...

In the first half, the Rockets took a 10-point lead by dominating the Clippers' second unit.

But in the second half, Jia Fei unleashed his full power...

Jia Fei scored 20 points in a single quarter, turning the score around in the third quarter.

In the second half, the Clippers' rotation players once again ran into trouble, and that's when Coach Budenholzer stepped in...

Coach Buden brought on key players like Jia Fei early, and with Jia Fei's unstoppable performance, they ultimately secured a 3-point advantage at home.

Jia Fei scored 50 points, helping his team secure a hard-fought victory.

The Clippers won another game, bringing the series score to 2-0, putting them in a very favorable position.

However, judging from the course and details of the game, the Clippers' victory in this match was exceptionally close, and given this trend, going to the away game doesn't guarantee them a comfortable series win. Jia Fei scored his first 50+ point game of the playoffs this year, but the Clippers only won by 3 points.

The main reason the Clippers struggled in this game was their second unit. Their pick-and-roll duo, who had been consistently strong throughout the regular season, were completely overwhelmed. The opposing team used a centerless lineup to relentlessly target them, and their defensive weaknesses were magnified...

February has arrived...

On May 4th, Game 3 of the Clippers vs. Rockets series was held at the Toyota Center in Houston.

The Rockets changed their lineup for this game!

This is the Rockets' first lineup change in this series. They removed center Kawhi Leonard and put House in, letting the 198cm tall Tucker play center directly, playing a desperate five-small lineup.

This is probably the shortest small lineup in the entire NBA. Although Tucker can defend, he is really only 198cm tall!

The Warriors' "Death Lineup" features a center, Draymond Green, who is only 198cm tall, while Kevin Durant is 211cm. Their average height is over 2 meters, so they're not short at all.