NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 474 The Best Friends Connection Reappears

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by 9 points, 22-31.

The Clippers' strength lies in their league-leading perimeter defense and top-three offense. This gives the team not only a very high floor, but also a clear advantage against strong perimeter teams.

If the Spurs were the Spurs of yesteryear, with Tim Duncan, the Clippers wouldn't have had it so easy. But the current Spurs, in pursuit of spacing and speed, have abandoned their twin towers, leaving the defensively mediocre and aging Aldridge as a lone center, while Mills provides a defensive liability on the perimeter. This leaves them vulnerable both inside and out.

The entire league knows that the Clippers' weakness is their interior defense. Their rim protection and rebounding are average, but these days very few teams can really hurt them.

The small-ball era has led most teams to abandon traditional centers, with many forwards moving to the power forward or even center positions, making it much harder to make the Clippers' interior defense pay the price.

Early in the second quarter, Manu Ginobili and Defensive's teammates combined to help the Spurs go on a mini-run and close the gap.

It has to be said that the pick-and-roll duo of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell is really good offensively, but their defense is really bad. Lou Williams, needless to say, is 183cm tall and weighs less than 90kg, so it's hard to expect him to contribute much defensive energy based on his physique alone.

Of course, it's not that players who are 183cm tall can't be good defenders; 58 is only 183cm, but his defense is outstanding. However, that's a minority. Most players' defense is limited by their size.

Lou Williams' problem is that his size limits him from being an excellent defensive player, and he seems to take defense less seriously, focusing almost all his energy on offense.

Harrell is a bit of a problem. Lou Williams, while a poor defender, is an outside player, and can be contained if there's an inside player to cover for him. Harrell, on the other hand, is an inside player, and a forward-sized one at that. Offensively, he can drive and rebound, much like Kenneth Faried of the Nuggets back in the day. Defensively, he's short and has poor rim protection, and most importantly, his defensive awareness is lacking. Whether defending pick-and-rolls or helping on defense, he always seems a bit slow on the uptake.

It's well known that poor interior defense is more fatal, and it's hard to find someone to cover for you. This is why many offensively gifted interior players with terrible defense don't get big contracts, while offensively gifted perimeter players with terrible defense do.

Art Mayok and Dillon can be considered defensive patches for Harrell and Lou Williams' pick-and-roll duo, but patches are still patches, and they are prone to problems when faced with targeted offense.

The Spurs specifically targeted Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell during this transition period, and they were the ones who were targeted...

The score advantage disappeared in an instant, but Coach Buden was not in a hurry and only substituted Harrell and the others when it was time to leave the game.

"Coach Budenholzer should have substituted Harrell and the others sooner!" Wang Zixing was even more anxious than Budenholzer. Who would have thought that the Clippers' second unit, which had been playing very well all season, would be blown out by the opponent?

“Substituting someone immediately if they don’t play well will ruin the team’s atmosphere,” Su Qun paused and said. “The situation isn’t that bad yet; Coach Buden knows what’s going on.”

When Jia Fei and Paul George returned, the score was already 35-34, and the Clippers had only scored 3 points in that minute of the second quarter...

At this time, the Clippers' lineup consisted of Jia Fei, Beverley, George, Gallinari, and Art Mayork.

Jia Fei was also somewhat surprised that Harrell, despite his poor defense, was completely outplayed by Gasol; it really shouldn't have happened.

The Spurs' lineup at this time consisted of Ginobili, Manu Ginobili, Bertans, Parker, and Rudy Gay.

The demon sword is old, it's gone bald; the sports car is worn out, it's become a vintage car...

But this backcourt duo was just relentlessly attacking Lou Williams; the scene was too brutal...

It has to be said that Popovich's authority within the team is truly high. Even during his peak, Manu Ginobili was relegated to the second unit as the sixth man, and Clippers, as he got older and faltered, was benched. There were no constraints like "legendary basketball" or anything like that; everything was for the team's benefit...

When Jia Fei entered the game, the fans in the arena seemed to see a savior. They shouted "MVP" and "MVP" again. Those few minutes had been truly agonizing. The pick-and-roll duo, who had been dominant all season, were being beaten down by a few old men.

If Jia Fei and the others don't step up, the fans will start booing head coach Budenholzer. Damn, are you possessed by Old Li?

The ball is inbounded from the sideline, and Beverley dribbles it over.

The player guarding Jia Fei was the veteran sports car Parker.

Jia Fei didn't understand Bo Bo's intention in arranging the old sports car to guard against him. Perhaps in the old thief's eyes, the old sports car was faster even though it was old!

Manu Ginobili went to defend Beverley.

Instead of setting off off the ball, Jia Fei positioned himself directly in the waist position and backed down to attack.

Parker immediately moved in front of him; there was a clear height difference between the two, and he would be even more at a disadvantage if he were behind Jia Fei.

Beverley's lob was too low, and Parker intercepted it immediately!

Parker immediately shifted into gear and started moving at high speed, with Jia Fei following behind!

Parker didn't choose to go straight for a layup; he clearly understood that he was no longer the French sports car he used to be!

The ball was passed to Rudy Gay who was following up, but as Gay was preparing to dunk, Jia Fei stole the ball!

A gasp of amazement rippled through the crowd…

After cutting the ball, Jia Fei launched a counter-attack, throwing the ball directly into the air from the backfield!

The fans at the scene were completely dumbfounded. What are you trying to do?

Unexpectedly, Art Mayok, under the basket, understood perfectly, leaped high, caught the ball in mid-air, and then slammed it into the basket over his wife's hands!

Wow—that was brutal! It was almost as brutal as when Blake Griffin dunked over Gary Oldman's wife back in the day!

A true "bros' online chat"!

35-36, the Clippers immediately took the lead after Jia Fei entered the game!

Although Jia Fei didn't score, his steal and assist were both brilliant, showcasing a perfect transition between offense and defense.

Art Mayor pointed at Jia Fei, and Jia Fei pointed at him in return. The two smiled at each other, their understanding unspoken.

The crowd erupted instantly; the fans at Staples Center are incredibly enthusiastic. The giant screen above the stadium was repeatedly replaying the incredible connection between Jia Fei and Art Mayork. It was a very difficult play because of the long distance; a slight lapse in attention could easily result in a mistake.

"Teacher Su, that was amazing! How did Jia Fei pass it? It was a stroke of genius!" Wang Zixing was so excited he forgot himself.

"Only Jia Fei dared to pass like that. Anyone else would have slowed down and played a positional game, at most launching a counter-attack. He has absolute confidence in his passing, and his understanding with Art Mayor is also an important reason!" Su Qun explained.