NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 486 The Clippers Will Change Their Strategy

Olynyk has been a key player for the Clippers in the playoffs so far. Offensively, he can stretch the floor with three-pointers, facilitate from the top of the key, and provide excellent screens, making him a true finisher for traditional centers. Defensively, he's intelligent, providing reliable rim protection and rebounding. Furthermore, he possesses strategic deterrence; his presence has made players like Zaza Pachulia and Draymond Green much more disciplined, and Green's improved behavior is largely attributed to him.

However, starting with Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, when the Warriors used their "Death Lineup" to speed up the game, Olynyk's weaknesses became apparent. A five-forward lineup is a nightmare for traditional lineups, and the "Death Lineup" is equally a nightmare for centers. Olynyk couldn't keep up with the opponent's pace, and their quick switching and rotations rendered his ability to create space and facilitate defense ineffective.

It's fair to say that Olynyk used his abilities to neutralize the Warriors' traditional centers, McGee and Zazan. The Warriors, in turn, neutralized Olynyk with their "Death Lineup."

As the NBA playoffs progress, with teams relentlessly targeting each other, bench depth is shrinking, and many players are gradually becoming unable to play.

In the previous series, the Rockets eventually switched to a six-man rotation, and even "Card" Card couldn't get playing time against the "death lineup".

In the end, it's all about fighting tooth and nail, it's that simple. Not only did the Rockets use a short rotation, but the Warriors did too. The Rockets' small-ball lineup with five outside shooters ultimately prevented Zaza and McGee from getting playing time.

In the current NBA, championship-contending teams are all using small lineups in the final stages.

The question is, if Olynyk is traded, who will the Clippers replace him? Art Mayok? Harrell?

Art Mayork is Jia Fei's best friend, as everyone knows. He's fast, has good rebounding ability, and a decent shot. But he's never been a true stretch four. When he's on the court, the Warriors will definitely leave him open on the perimeter. This will prevent the Clippers from playing a five-outside lineup. This allows Green to comfortably stay under the basket and help protect the rim, which will somewhat hinder Jia Fei and Paul George's drives to the basket.

Furthermore, Art Mayork lacks playmaking ability; he seems only capable of passing to Jia Fei. He cannot distribute the ball at the top of the arc and cannot perform handoffs and pick-and-rolls like Olynyk.

On the defensive end, Art Mayok is a slightly better rim protector than Olynyk, but not by much. He's not a very good switcher, and his defensive contributions aren't necessarily better than Olynyk's.

In conclusion, many experts believe that starting Art Mayork in place of Olynyk would have limited effectiveness against the opponent's small-ball lineup.

What if Art Mayork doesn't play, and Harrell plays instead?

Harrell is 203cm tall, with an explosive, beast-like playing style, almost like a carbon copy of Kenneth Faried. He lacks shooting ability, but that doesn't stop him from relentlessly attacking the basket!

Starting Harrell to challenge the Warriors' small-ball lineup in the paint might be a viable strategy. After all, even if Green is a great defender, he's only 2 meters tall, and while Durant is tall and skinny, he might not be able to withstand Harrell's powerful drives.

However, there are two main problems. One is that Harrell's defense is also his weakness. He doesn't understand pick-and-roll defense, has poor help defense awareness, and is poor at protecting the rim. The other problem is that the Clippers can't play a five-outside lineup when he starts. The most important problem is that he can't play the pick-and-roll between Lou Williams and Harrell during transition periods.

If Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are separated, both of their threats will diminish, which could disrupt the team's chemistry to some extent. At this point, trying such a new combination might not be the best option.

Won't the Clippers make a lineup change?

That's certainly a possibility. Rather than changing their lineup, the Clippers are more likely to stick to their original lineup. Some experts believe the Clippers might adjust their rotation, shortening it and moving away from a nine-man rotation to an eight- or even seven-man rotation, maximizing the playing time of their key players.

西决G4将在5月24日晚继续在勇士主场进行，这场比赛对双方都很重要，勇士赢了将带着2:2的比分前往洛杉矶斯台普斯打天王山之战；快船赢了的话那么系列赛大比分将变成3:1，勇士将陷入绝境……

On the morning of the 24th, the NBA officially announced the 2017-18 All-Defensive Teams.

The players selected for the All-Defensive First Team are Green, Embiid, Davis, Jia Fei, and Jimmy Butler.

This marks Jia Fei's fourth selection to the All-Defensive Team in his NBA career.

Jia Fei's defensive efficiency this season is a career high, and there has been considerable talk that he has a chance to win the Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Being selected for the All-Defensive First Team is the basis for his competition for this award.

Isn't it ridiculous for a player who can't even make the All-Defensive First Team to win the Defensive Player of the Year award?

Jia Fei has never won the DPOY award in his career, but he is interested in it. He wants to prove that he is the best perimeter defender in the league, and winning the award is the best way to do so.

Jia Fei's selection for the All-Defensive First Team was just a minor incident; the main event that night was Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

For him, adding another All-Defensive Team selection wouldn't elevate his historical standing, and even winning the Defensive Player of the Year award wouldn't significantly improve it. However, if he can lead his team to end the Warriors' reign as champions and force Durant's Warriors to lose a series, even if he ultimately doesn't win the championship this season, his historical standing will be considerably enhanced.

In the away team's locker room on the evening of the 24th, Jia Fei addressed the team: "Brothers, tonight's game is a battle. Whoever can hold on until the end has a chance to win. Follow me, let's send this Warriors team home!"

Jia Fei's words received support from everyone. Everyone wanted to win, everyone wanted to play in the finals, and everyone wanted to become a part of the team's history and a part of the NBA's history.

That evening, the Oracle Arena in Oakland was packed with fans, with every seat filled.

This match was broadcast live on Tencent, with commentators Wang Zixing and guest Su Qun providing commentary.

"Mr. Su, the Clippers lost the last game by a lot of points, and now everyone is predicting that they will change their lineup. Do you think the Clippers will change their lineup?" Wang Zixing asked.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses, his expression quite serious: "The possibility of a lineup change is very high. The Clippers didn't change their lineup before because they kept winning. Now they've lost, and this starting lineup seems a bit out of their depth against the Warriors' 'Death Lineup.' A lineup change is necessary. It's just a matter of how they'll adjust and how they'll change their lineup!"

"Will Beverley be benched? Lou Williams should start. What do you think?" Wang Zixing asked.

Su Qun shook his head: "That's unlikely. Lou Williams isn't a good defender and can't stop Curry. It's unlikely that Beverley will be benched."