boyutpedia Chapter 642 Playoffs: Playing All Positions
Chapter 642 Playoffs: Playing All Positions
Jia Fei scored 7 consecutive points, taking the lead and making Art Mayok on the sidelines extremely excited. He shouted excitedly, waving a towel and acting as a water cooler.
Beverley, sitting on the bench, was clearly frustrated. He was originally a starter, but was suddenly relegated to the bench. Judging from the situation, he might even be disqualified later. Coach Buden really did that. Doesn't he have any dignity?
"Jia Fei is really amazing! That pick-and-roll three-pointer was so decisive, Jokic didn't even have time to react!" Wang Meng exclaimed.
"Jokic's defense of pick-and-rolls has always been a problem. He was shot a lot of mid-range shots by Paul when he was defending an older Paul pick-and-roll, and he was in a bad mood in that game. Jia Fei has noticed Jokic's defensive problems. It's not just Jokic who has this problem; most big centers have issues with defending pick-and-rolls," Yang Yi explained carefully.
Nuggets offense: Grant drives to Paul George, passes to Harris on the right wing, but the ball is stolen by Jia Fei!
Jia Fei intercepted the ball and launched a counter-attack, passing to the left wing where Pao Jiao followed up!
Paul George hits a three-pointer – Bang!
The Clippers lead 62-66, and the Nuggets call a timeout!
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone had no choice but to call a timeout. Their defense was in trouble right now. Their offense was actually okay, but their defense was being blown out by Jia Fei, who kept disrupting their momentum. He didn't think there was any better way to deal with it.
The Clippers' lineup change in the second half had a significant effect, visibly limiting Murray's effectiveness. In the first half, Murray not only dominated Beverley, scoring 17 points, but he also connected with Jokic, benefiting other players as well.
It's true that "whoever is missing is embarrassed." Beverley was even more frustrated. It wasn't that he wanted to see the team lose, but this situation made it hard for him to be happy. He never expected that he was the clown.
The game continued, and Beverley watched his teammates battle it out on the court, longing to join in, but he had no chance. Then, he noticed Art Mayork, who had been waving a towel and screaming moments before, sitting down next to him and starting to talk.
Although Art Mayork was just a benchwarmer on the team, his relationship with Jia Fei was obvious; they were practically inseparable. This meant that Beverley could be dissatisfied with many other players on the team, but he dared not ignore this guy's presence.
Art Mayork began to persuade Beverley to adjust his mindset and not let his emotions get the better of him. He talked a lot, starting with his own situation and then mentioning some of the coach's thoughts. In short, he hoped that Beverley could consider the bigger picture.
Beverly was still dissatisfied, but Art Mayor's words of advice made her feel much better. Sometimes people struggle with themselves, and without anyone to advise you, it's easy to get stuck in a dead end.
That's human nature. No matter how objectively and rationally one analyzes a problem, they still need someone to give them a way out. Art Mayork's role as a locker room leader in the team is exactly that.
Giving Art Mayok face is giving yourself a way out, which is also giving Jia Fei face. Not giving Art Mayok face is equivalent to not giving Jia Fei face, and not giving the owner face. A player like that is highly likely to be traded. The last man who didn't give Jia Fei face played for the Pistons for several seasons; that man was once considered a darling of Los Angeles, and his name was Blake Griffin…
Back to the game.
The Nuggets are indeed very resilient, even against such a strong opponent!
Morey dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jokic in the low post.
Jokic aggressively attacked Olynyk in the low post, eventually drawing a double team deep into the paint. He then passed to Milwaukee, who was lurking on the other side, for a layup that drew a foul from Jia Fei!
Miguel stepped up to the free-throw line and made both shots, narrowing the gap to 2 points!
"Double-teaming Jokic is really dangerous, his passing ability is too outstanding!" Wang Meng exclaimed in the Tencent studio.
“Double-teaming Jokic is very dangerous, but if you don’t double-team him, he’ll just score on his own. So it’s a choice between two poisons. The Clippers obviously opted for single defense. That last play was because Jokic was positioned too deep, already under the basket,” Yang Yi explained.
Jia Fei brought the ball over and organized an attack from the top of the arc.
Olynyk continued to move up to set a screen.
The Nuggets' strategy is to delay, avoid switching defenses easily, or adopt a defensive retreat.
If they switch defense and Jia Fei faces Jokic at the high post, he's going to get completely dominated. Jokic is slow and clumsy, while Jia Fei is known for his incredible speed; he can easily get past him with a single burst of speed. But if they defend a lower defense, as we saw earlier, even a slight delay will result in a direct hit, without even needing to try.
Ultimately, it's just that Jia Fei is such a high-level scorer, and his pick-and-roll threat is too great; there's nothing that can be done about it.
The Nuggets delayed, and Jia Fei immediately passed the ball to Olynyk, then suddenly cut inside!
Olynyk passed the ball to Jia Fei, who was cutting inside!
Jia Fei cut inside, and Murray was already trying to draw an offensive foul on him on the way. But at high speed, he made a sudden stop and change of direction, like passing a wooden stake, and then, facing his old teammate Milwaukee, leaned on him before shooting...
The whistle blew, and Jia Fei, taking advantage of his hang time, flicked the ball with his fingers and wrist, sending it spinning around the rim before it fell into the net!
And one!
64:68, still a 4-point difference, Jia Fei needs to add more penalties!
Jia Fei made the free throw, making it 64-69, a difference of 5 points!
The Nuggets were on offense. Murray set a screen against Olynyk, but his step-back jumper missed!
But Jokic overpowered Dillon under the basket and put the ball in!
The score remained close at 66:69!
The match between Jia Fei and Jokic has reached a fever pitch!
Jia Fei brought the ball over and continued the pick-and-roll with Olynyk!
This time, Jokic switched onto the court!
Harris was afraid that Jokic would get a beating from Jia Fei, so he let Olynyk come over to double-team him!
Jia Fei calmly passed the ball to Olynyk, who received it and took an open three-pointer—and it went in!
66:72, a difference of 6 points!
This is the value of a five-outside lineup; having a superstar like Jia Fei maximizes its power. The Nuggets' biggest problem is that Jokic, as a center, is too vulnerable to this kind of lineup. Jokic is almost undefendable on offense, but on defense, he's a prime target for pick-and-rolls.
Olynyk has no advantage in any skill against Jokic, but he can shoot three-pointers, has decent screen quality, and can hold his own in the paint, which is enough to make the Nuggets pay.
"The game was so exciting! Neither side could defend the other, but the Clippers seemed to have a higher offensive success rate, making more three-pointers!" Wang Meng exclaimed excitedly.
Wang Meng's words were very clear: the Clippers have a higher success rate, and the Nuggets are the only opponent they haven't been able to completely defend in the playoffs, but they can seek an advantage in an offensive duel.