NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 630 Small Lineup vs. Small Lineup

As usual, Su Qun adjusted his glasses first, and then began to explain: "Both teams have their own strengths, but if you ask me which team I favor more, I would say the Clippers. The Rockets are good at small lineups, but the Clippers aren't afraid of small lineups. Even the Warriors, who are good at playing the 'death lineup,' lost to the Clippers, so it will be difficult for the Rockets to win."

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Clippers' starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of Jia Fei, Dillon, Beverley, George, and Gallinari. The Clippers went straight for a small-ball lineup, clearly targeting the Rockets' small-ball strategy.

This isn't the first time they've used this lineup; the only question is, who will play center? Gallinari, or Jia Fei?

Gallinari is the tallest player in this lineup, while Jia Fei previously played center in the Clippers' small lineup.

"Teacher Su, the Clippers are playing a small lineup now. Do you think Jia Fei will play center in this lineup?" Wang Zixing asked excitedly.

“That’s possible. Jia Fei played center in a small lineup in last season’s playoffs and performed very well. I think he might be more effective playing center than the other players!” Su Qun said confidently.

This game also has special significance, as it is the first time Jia Fei has faced his former teammates Westbrook and Harden on the playoff stage.

Thunder fans must be absolutely furious with the team's owner. If the owner weren't so stingy with money, the team could have assembled a super-luxury roster of Jahlil Giannis, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant. Even if the owner worried about the salary cap and decided to release one of the four, like Harden, the Thunder could still field a Big Three of Westbrook, Giannis, and Durant. No team in the league could compete with that lineup, including the Heat's Big Three and the later 73-win Warriors.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs," so the Thunder began rebuilding again, searching for their core players once more...

Jia Fei and Covington went to the center circle to prepare for the jump ball; the game was about to begin.

It's hard to imagine that neither team started with a proper center, or even a proper power forward like they did 10 years ago. Instead, a bunch of wingers and guards were playing together, with Jia Fei, as a wing, directly acting as the center in the jump ball.

In the era of small-ball, regardless of how many three-pointers are taken, the players on the court are getting shorter and shorter, and they are starting to abandon the inside game in order to create space.

This doesn't mean that interior players are useless; it just means that an interior player who lacks shooting ability, defensive switching ability, and playmaking and finishing ability is useless. The demands on interior players have increased in the small-ball era, especially in the playoffs. If you have significant weaknesses, you're more likely to be targeted.

The jump ball began, and Jia Fei won the jump ball against Covington, giving the Clippers possession of the first offensive possession.

Beverley dribbles the ball across half-court.

Westbrook and Beverley are like "enemies meeting with intense hatred." Back when Westbrook was playing alongside Durant with the Thunder, he was injured by Beverley in a series against the Rockets, causing him to miss the rest of the season. His current poor jump shot is largely related to that injury.

Beverley is a scoundrel; he doesn't care if people hate him. On the contrary, he especially enjoys seeing his opponents angry, as that excites him even more.

Beverley was trash-talking, which angered Westbrook, who then rushed forward to contest the ball and nearly knocked Beverley over.

Beverley immediately passed the ball to Paul George, but he couldn't handle organizing the offense. His forte is defense, and when it comes to organizing the offense, he's a complete novice compared to Paul George.

Paul George has the ball, faces Tucker, and performs a series of crossovers, dribbling smoothly into the paint!

Tucker's defense was very tough, and his physical confrontations made Paul George uncomfortable, ultimately resulting in him missing shots!

Covington grabbed the rebound and passed it to Westbrook who brought the ball over.

Beverley switched to a full-court press, relentlessly attacking the defense. Although he's relatively thin, he's fearless! He used to be Harden's mad dog, but now he's switched sides and become Jia Fei's mad dog.

Westbrook passed the ball to Harden, who then faced Dillon.

Dillon was no pushover either; he not only slept with Harden, but also used trash talk to provoke the nightclub prince.

"James, all you do is go to brothels. Tell me how many big asses you've fucked?" Dillon muttered to himself.

Harden didn't want to pay any attention to Dillon's big mouth. He rarely paid attention to those guys in the league who liked to talk trash. He knew they were all trying to provoke him and challenge him, but he wouldn't fall for it easily.

Westbrook is much worse in this respect. He is easily provoked, too emotional, and too prone to losing his temper.

Harden had the ball and ran a pick-and-roll. He and Covington set a pick-and-roll, but the opponent switched to defend Jia Fei!

WTF? What a waste of time...

Harden continued the pick-and-roll and finally found Gallinari, who was a weaker defender, but the Clippers showed no sportsmanship and double-teamed him!

Harden's passing ability is amazing. He quickly passed the ball to the round-faced Harden who was not far away. The latter received the ball and then passed it around to Westbrook, who was open in the corner!

But when they got here, the Rockets were surprised to find that the Clippers weren't rotating aggressively. Aren't you afraid of Westbrook's three-pointers? Aren't you afraid?

Westbrook thought to himself, "You guys left me open? I'll make you regret this!" He leaped into the air and unleashed his signature zombie-style three-pointer...

But the result was a loud "Duang!" as the ball slammed into the rim, causing a painful thud!

Jia Fei positioned himself well, secured the rebound, and brought the ball over.

Although Westbrook delivered a tough performance for the Rockets, their defensive speed was quite good, which is indeed a unique advantage of a small lineup.

Jia Fei couldn't find a suitable opportunity to pass the ball, so he slowed down and played a positional game.

He was being defended by the opposing team's defensive stalwart, Covington.

Covington is the Rockets' 3-and-D player and also the tallest player on the team. Unlike the Trail Blazers, the Rockets' wing defense is decent; their defensive problem is the lack of an inside presence. Without an inside presence, there isn't enough rim protection, and rebounding won't be very good either.

Although Covington is tall, he is very fast and good at defending speedy perimeter players, and Jia Fei happens to be a speedy player.

Jia Fei had the ball but didn't ask for a screen. For him, Covington or Tucker were essentially the same. No team could stop him without double-teaming him. He had enough confidence in his offensive abilities.

Holding the ball in his left hand, he suddenly slowed down and made a breakthrough.

Covington wasn't shaken off, but Jia Fei had a follow-up move: leaning on his opponent and then turning to cut into the paint!

The Rockets collapsed their defense, and Jia Fei jumped for the ball and passed it to Beverley in the corner!

Beverley then passes to Gallinari on the other side!

Gallinari faked a shot, then pulled up and attempted a mid-range jumper—but it didn't go in!

A fierce battle ensued under the basket!

Jia Fei used his speed and rebounding ability to repeatedly put the ball back into the basket...

Wow, he grabbed 5 offensive rebounds in one go!

Covington eventually fouled...