NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 443 Getting Beaten Up at the Start

"Laval, tonight Lonzo might be guarded by Patrick Beverley, that guy is a fierce defender." His companion was a little worried for Ball.

"This little guy can stop my son? Lonzo just prefers to play play. It's not that he can't score. If he really wanted to score, let alone Beverley, even if Jia Fei came, he would be destroyed by my son!" LaVar Ball looked very confident.

The Clippers' starting lineup consists of Jia Fei, Beverley, George, Gallinari, and Olynyk.

Head coach Budenholzer, dressed in a suit and tie, looked very refined. Apart from Cassell, all the other assistant coaches were new faces.

The Clippers are showcasing their new roster to the entire league, not just the team roster, but also the coaching staff.

Finally, Staples Center no longer had to see Old Li's smug face; the "Lob City" had truly become history.

In Los Angeles, Lakers fans naturally make up the majority. Even at Clippers home games, more than half the audience are Lakers fans. There's no way around it; the Clippers' presence in the NBA is simply not strong enough, and when it comes to historical accolades, they're not even worthy of shining the Lakers' shoes.

The starting lineups of both teams took to the court, and the Lakers' height was indeed intimidating. Wow, Ingram at 208cm playing shooting guard! In this small-ball era where 1.9-meter guards playing shooting guard are commonplace, a 208cm shooting guard has arrived.

In this light, it's not surprising that the 211cm Durant plays small forward. As long as the coach dares to put up a lineup, all sorts of bizarre rosters can be formed.

Brook Lopez and Olynyk are preparing for the jump ball near the center circle; the game is about to begin.

The jump ball began, and Brook Lopez won the jump ball against Olynyk, giving the Lakers possession of the ball on the first possession.

Jia Fei chuckled. When DeAndre Jordan was on the team last season, the Clippers rarely lost jump balls, so now they had to get used to losing them frequently. Olynyk isn't good at running and jumping; he's a floor-bound white player, so losing the jump ball is highly probable for him.

Ball dribbled the ball across half-court and directed traffic at the top of the key.

LaVar Ball was thrilled. In his eyes, it seemed as if his son, dribbling the ball, had already taken control of the entire court, and the opponents were just a bunch of lambs to the slaughter.

But his cool demeanor lasted only three seconds before Beverley immediately swarmed him, leaving Ball struggling to cope and even stumbling while dribbling. Ball is nearly 198cm tall, making him a tall guard, while Beverley is 185cm. The difference in height, with one having a higher center of gravity and the other a lower one, naturally makes dribbling more difficult for the taller player.

Brook Lopez came up to set a screen, but Beverley's screen-setting skills were also top-notch, and Ball couldn't shake him off.

Ingram came over to receive the pass, and Ball had no choice but to pass it out.

Ingram, holding the ball against Jia Fei, finally got a chance to go one-on-one against last season's league scoring champion. He was eager to prove himself and let everyone know that he was Kobe's true successor. The cornerstone that the team had been searching for was actually already in the team.

The cheers from the fans in the arena came at just the right time. They were eager to see which of their highly drafted talents, after a summer of hard work, had truly lived up to expectations. And this litmus test was fantastic: Jia Fei, last season's regular season MVP, a true top-tier superstar in the league. To dominate such a superstar or deliver a spectacular performance in front of him would be incredibly significant.

Brook Lopez wanted to set a screen, but Ingram shook his head and refused. The Black Mamba was there; what kind of talk is it for a player with the Mamba Mentality to constantly set screens? Are you some kind of running man? Just endless screens, screens, screens! Los Angeles doesn't need screens; one-on-one isolation plays can solve all the problems.

The other Lakers players spread out in a 1-4 formation, allowing Ingram to solo against Jia Fei.

Without giving Ying Ge a chance to use her skills, Jia Fei completely defied expectations and went straight up to force a steal!

Ingram's center of gravity is high too! Like Ball, he's taller than his opponents, and significantly taller. When a tall player plays against a shorter player, the best way to utilize height advantage is to post up and shoot, but since he's an outside player, you can't just back down and drive in from beyond the three-point line, can you?

Jia Fei knows Ingram's offensive habits very well. Ingram is a bit like Durant when he first entered the league. He has a high center of gravity and an unstable lower body. He can hold the ball but is afraid of close marking. He has a pull-up jumper, but he needs to be in the sweet spot to take advantage of his high and accurate shooting point. If he is closely marked in this position, it is really hard to get rid of him.

Yingge attempted a step-through, but Jia Fei had already positioned himself to defend against her right hand.

Ingram could only turn around and try to drive to the left, pulling up for a shot near the free-throw line, but Jia Fei wouldn't give him that chance. He seized the opportunity and snatched the ball from Ingram's hand!

Paul George reacted quickly, intercepting the ball and launching a counter-attack. He attempted to pass to Jia Fei in the middle, but the pass was too high and went astray...

After the mispass, Paul George patted his chest sheepishly, as if to say it was his fault and that he hadn't passed well.

Ball brought the ball over, and this time he was smarter. He didn't dare to expose the ball too obviously, but instead tried to dribble with his back to the basket, protecting the ball very carefully.

The advantage of this conservative dribbling style is that it's not easy for smaller defenders to swat the ball away. The downside is that it limits the team's vision, because people's eyes are in the front, not on their backside.

The ball was passed to Luol Deng on the other side.

Luol Deng was still running pick-and-rolls, setting a screen with power forward Larry Nance Jr., and the Clippers immediately switched on defense.

Luol Deng's turnaround jumper against Gallinari missed! Clearly, he's declined far from his peak with the Bulls. The reason Mozgov was traded this summer is because, relatively speaking, his contract was less toxic; it was truly a terrible contract, the worst of the worst. Fortunately, the Lakers are still rebuilding, so salary cap pressure isn't too high. So what if it's terrible? It makes tanking easier for the team, and sometimes it's not all bad.

Brook Lopez grabbed the offensive rebound under the basket and forced the ball in.

The Lakers scored first!

Beverley dribbled over and passed the ball to Jia Fei on the right wing.

Jia Fei drives to the basket with a pick-and-roll, then passes to Paul George on the weak side.

Paul George doesn't have a step-back jumper when he's dribbling and attacking one-on-one!

Nance Jr. grabbed the rebound and passed it to Ball to push the fast break. Ball drove the length of the court and passed it to Nance Jr. who followed up in the middle!

Nance Jr. unleashed a fiery dunk and scored!

0-4, the Lakers lead by 4 points at the start!

The Clippers made another mistake, calling a screen foul on Olynyk!

But then, Luol Deng hit a difficult bank shot three-pointer!

0-7, the Lakers went on a 7-0 run, forcing a Lakers timeout.

Staples Center erupted in cheers. The Clippers, the favorites to win the championship, were unexpectedly defeated by the Lakers right from the start. Their star-studded lineup looked rather vulnerable.