NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 403 Clippers vs. Thunder

On April 15, the Clippers held a training session at their home facility in Los Angeles. The playoffs are different from the regular season. The regular season is more like a series of encounters, with less time and energy for comprehensive preparation. The playoffs, however, are series, with at least four games, allowing for much more targeted preparation.

Like the Clippers, the Thunder are a team with only one superstar. Westbrook has the highest usage rate in the league during the regular season; he basically has the ball all the time. Whenever he's on the court, the ball is in his hands. He initiates all the offense, so limiting him is paramount.

Both teams have dominant centers with excellent athleticism, so there's no doubt this will be a thrilling and exciting series.

Most predictions favor the Clippers, who won three of the four regular-season matchups against the two teams. While regular-season records aren't the sole basis for a series, head-to-head matchups do offer insights into each team's strengths and weaknesses, as well as matchups.

The Thunder's weakness in offensive spacing will not change. Whenever they field a big, defensive lineup, spacing becomes very difficult, and they become heavily reliant on Westbrook's shooting touch. Conversely, when they use a stretch lineup, their defense suffers significantly, making it impossible to balance both offense and defense.

The key to winning this series is undoubtedly the star players, Jia Fei and Westbrook. If Westbrook can outperform Jia Fei, then the Thunder have a chance to upset him. Conversely, the Clippers have a higher probability of advancing.

On paper, the Clippers have the advantage, but NBA games are competitive sports, and injuries and on-court performance can all affect the final result.

Furthermore, the coaching factor cannot be ignored. Coach Doc Rivers' "glorious record" of being reversed in the playoffs has become a topic of conversation among fans. The Clippers do not want to become the backdrop for being reversed by their opponents again with a score of 1:3. That would be too painful!

After training that day, they went to eat. During the meal, Beverley suddenly asked Jia Fei a question: "Jia, how do you feel about facing your former team in the playoffs?"

Jia Fei thought for a moment and said, "It might be a little strange at first, but it won't affect my desire to win. Playing for different teams in the NBA is like working in a workplace. It's just work. When you change companies and compete with your former company, you might have some feelings, but that's all."

"Will you go easy on me?" Beverly asked.

Jia Fei shook his head: "If I go easy on them, it would be disrespectful to myself and to others. To respect others, you must defeat them fairly and squarely."

Games 1 and 2 of the Clippers-Thunder series will both be played at Staples Center, and tickets for both games sold out well in advance. With the Lakers eliminated from playoff contention early, the Clippers are the sole remaining Lakers team in Los Angeles. Many Lakers fans, hoping to watch NBA games in late April and May, have no choice but to support the Clippers.

Last season in the playoffs, the Thunder reached the Western Conference Finals, even leading the 73-win Warriors by 3-1. The Clippers, on the other hand, were eliminated in the first round due to injuries. Based on last season's playoff records, the Thunder are definitely the favorites in this series.

However, last season's Thunder still had Durant, while last season's Clippers were led by 58 and Blake Griffin. In fact, both teams have changed quite a bit since last season, so last season's playoff games are not very relevant.

On April 17, Game 1 of the Clippers vs. Thunder series took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In the home team's locker room, Coach Li was giving a long and eloquent speech. His playoff experience is undeniably extensive. As a championship-winning coach, his resume has its highlights, but the 1-3 series deficit that led to a comeback is definitely a black mark. This wasn't the only time he'd been reversed; back in the 2002-03 season, his Magic team was also reversed by the Pistons after leading 3-1.

You can’t step into the same river twice, but it’s entirely possible for someone to fall in the same way in different places.

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, Old Li's Clippers were leading 3-1 in the series in the bubble but were ultimately reversed, with Old Li completing a hat trick...

Many teams have a 3-1 lead in the playoffs, which basically puts them in the next round. But if your head coach is Doc Rivers, you might be the one who's getting the short end of the stick, which is truly unique in the NBA.

Staples Center was packed with people and buzzing with excitement that night. The Clippers had indeed outshone the Lakers this season, a first for both teams in many years.

The Lakers have been truly awful this season. Since Tim Duncan's retirement, the team has lost its appeal; they're tanking again, and genuinely badly. Several high-drafted talents have also performed poorly. As head coach, Walton hasn't done anything particularly memorable except for his suicidal small-ball lineup. The team's management has made a series of disastrous decisions, spending huge sums to acquire players like Mozgov and Luol Deng – it's like they've lost their minds.

In contrast, the Clippers achieved their best record in franchise history this season, boasted MVP favorite and superstar Jia Fei, and completed a generational overhaul in just one season, with a bright future ahead.

And most importantly, the Clippers are currently in the playoffs, while the Lakers are already out of contention!

Staples Center is still full of big names. For many fans, playoff tickets are expensive, but for the wealthy, watching a game is equivalent to an ordinary person buying a lighter.

During pre-game practice, Jia Fei and Westbrook hugged and exchanged pleasantries. The Thunder are Jia Fei's former team, but currently, only Westbrook and Collison remain as his former teammates on that team.

The Thunder have truly become the Arsenal of the NBA, specializing in developing outstanding players for other teams.

This match was broadcast live on Tencent, with commentators Wang Meng and guest Yang Yi providing commentary.

"Mr. Yang, the pre-game predictions favored the Clippers to win. What do you think?" Wang Meng asked with a grin.

Yang Yi twirled his pen and said, "I'm afraid that if I make this prediction, the game will be a complete mess, and my nickname 'Yang Huahua' will be well-deserved. There's no need for too much analysis of this game. The Thunder can't beat the Clippers. Westbrook and Jia Fei are not even in the same league."

"Mr. Yang, what you said is likely to attract a lot of criticism! Many Wei fans and Lei fans will keep hounding you!" Wang Meng said with a somewhat suggestive smile.

Yang Yi said in a serious tone, "We're not afraid. Even if we're making a prediction, we're being realistic. Young Master and Jia Fei are not even in the same league."

"So what are your predictions for this series?"

"The Clippers win 4-2, that's the best they can do!"

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced. The Clippers' starting lineup remains unchanged from the regular season: Jia Fei, Beverley, Jordan, Harris, and Wesley Johnson.