NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 418 Suddenly, they found themselves in a dangerous situation.

On May 6, Game 3 of the Clippers vs. Rockets series was held at the Clippers' home arena, Staples Center.

Staples Center was packed tonight. The Lakers have been tanking all season and are out of the game, so Los Angeles fans who want to watch NBA games in their own backyard have no choice but to watch the Clippers. The Clippers have been exceptionally competitive this season, achieving their best regular season record in franchise history and currently holding a 1-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. They still have a great chance to make history in the playoffs.

The Clippers made a lineup change for this game, with Redick replacing Wesley Johnson, who had a poor performance in Game 1, in the starting lineup, and Jia Fei was moved to the small forward position.

It was no surprise that Redick started for Jia Fei. The night before the game, head coach Rivers called to ask for his opinion, and he said he had no objection.

If he were the head coach, he might do the same. Compared to Wesley Johnson, Redick at least has a consistent shot. His defense isn't as good as his opponents, but it's not that much worse.

The Clippers have sufficient perimeter defensive resources; the presence of two All-Defensive First Team caliber players like Jia Fei and Beverley is enough to mask Redick's defensive shortcomings. Their biggest defensive problem isn't on the perimeter, but in the paint. DeAndre Jordan is being relentlessly targeted by opponents in pick-and-roll situations, which is the root cause of their defensive passivity.

The Rockets made no changes to their lineup, with the 58.com duo continuing to start and Harden remaining on the bench.

D'Antoni is also a very stubborn coach. His tactics are not complicated; he uses the high pick-and-roll routine to the extreme. However, in the playoffs, this simple, direct, and modern tactic actually results in fewer mistakes and a higher margin for error.

After the game started, the Rockets continued to target DeAndre Jordan with pick-and-roll plays.

DeAndre Jordan was also quite angry. "Damn it, this is never going to end, is it? You're targeting me all day long. I'm an All-Defensive Team center, not a defensive liability."

But 58.com doesn't care about you; they're just targeting you and trying to ruin you, because you can't defend against pick-and-rolls.

The Clippers' defensive strategy was to have Beverley guard Harden, 58 be assigned to Redick, and Jia Fei guard Ariza and help with the defense.

The Rockets spread out their offense very wide, setting pick-and-rolls from high positions, which prevented Jia Fei from helping DeAndre Jordan on defense because he couldn't get back to the court.

Both of them are capable of shooting three-pointers with the ball. Their ball-handling skills are excellent. If you dare to double-team the other person, they will make a second pass and then make an open shot.

If you don't double-team, you'll just watch DeAndre Jordan get utterly humiliated; it's like choosing between two poisons.

The Clippers' offense improved somewhat in this game, with Jia Fei continuing to be double-teamed, but Redick's presence made the Rockets pay the price.

However, unlike DeAndre Jordan who is completely unable to defend pick-and-rolls, Kawhi Leonard can switch on defense and help out in rotations. Although he is short, he is tough in one-on-one defense, uses many subtle moves, and has a very high defensive IQ. The Clippers have one strength: he uses his defensive experience and intelligence to break down the opponent's offense, becoming a huge obstacle for the Clippers' offense.

The Clippers fans at the scene felt a little sad watching 58 work so hard to help the Rockets. If it weren't for the fact that they wanted to get Jia Fei, they would really be reluctant to let 58 go.

58's ability is still unquestionable; the reason his partnership with Blake Griffin failed ultimately stems from Griffin's lack of skill. Griffin's dunking ability masked his fatal flaws: inadequate defense and a lack of a killer offensive weapon. The team's consistent absence of a top-tier small forward is also a significant factor limiting their potential.

If the Clippers had acquired Jia Fei before the Hawks, the scene would have been too beautiful to bear.

But back to reality, 58 has already put on a Rockets jersey, and the two sides are now rivals.

The game unfolded similarly to the previous one, except the Clippers' offense improved somewhat. However, it still couldn't change the course of the game; DeAndre Jordan was simply a disaster on the court.

The Clippers lost 119-109, suffering their second consecutive defeat and falling behind 1-2 in the series. From 1-0 to 1-2, the situation is completely different. The Clippers have lost their home-court advantage and are now on the brink of elimination. If they lose the next game, they will lose two consecutive home games and face a 1-3 deficit. At that point, it's hard to imagine them winning three straight games to stage a comeback, so Game 4 of the series is a must-win for the Clippers.

The Clippers' locker room was deathly silent after the game. They made adjustments and changed their lineup for this game, but the result was the same as the last one. If the last game could be attributed to poor shooting and some home-court advantage, what about this one? The Clippers had a great outside shooting night, few turnovers, and were playing at home, yet they still lost. What other excuses can they offer?

Everyone can see that the reason for the loss is the defense. The Clippers allowed their opponents to score 119 points in a single game, making it incredibly difficult for them to win. The root cause of the team's poor defense lies with DeAndre Jordan, but no one dares to say it. Jordan's performance in the last round was quite good; it's not a matter of attitude, but rather that he was effectively neutralized by the opponents. He has never been able to defend pick-and-rolls, and he's always struggled to guard smaller players.

DeAndre Jordan is targeted when he plays, but he can't not play either; it's a real dilemma.

After the game, many Clippers fans angrily criticized Coach Doc Rivers online for nepotism and incompetence. They pointed out how DeAndre Jordan was being targeted, and even if he wasn't allowed to start, could his playing time be reduced? It was still over 30 minutes, and his plus-minus rating was abysmal. Didn't Coach Doc Rivers, as the head coach, see that?

Many media reporters have also criticized DeAndre Jordan for no longer being suited to the small-ball era. They argue that a pure defensive center who relies on easy baskets shouldn't have such a large contract, and that such an inside player is no longer suitable for playing an important role in matches against top teams in the league.

Many people are already imagining 58.com touching the Western Conference Finals floor: 58.com vs. the Splash Brothers. Isn't that a clear picture?

That evening at Jia Fei's house, Art Mayor paced back and forth, looking very anxious: "Jia, aren't you worried at all?"

Jia Fei laughed: "Art, stop walking around, my eyes are getting blurry."

"I don't know what Coach Rivers is thinking. DeAndre is almost beaten to death, why doesn't he make any adjustments?" Art Mayork was very puzzled.

“Art, Old Li is indeed not the best coach, and his tactics are quite ordinary, but don’t think he’s a fool. Does he not see that DeAndre’s role on the field is negative? Of course he knows, but he would never bench DeAndre or DNP him. At most, he would just slightly reduce his playing time, that’s all!” Jia Fei said.