NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 465 is truly a combination of offense and defense.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd!

That athleticism!

58 had clearly started running ahead, and Jia Fei was several body lengths away from him! So why was 58's layup blocked?

Sometimes you really can't explain things on the basketball court with logic, which is why talent is so coveted. Take the 100-meter dash, for example: Bolt only needs 9.58 seconds, while you can't even finish in 9.58 seconds. Some people can bring a woman to orgasm with just their fingers, while you're just tickling her with your manhood.

Even with his solid basic skills, he's only 183cm tall. It's rare for someone his age and height to maintain such a physique. But every inch counts, and in open areas, a gun is more advantageous than a dagger.

After Jia Fei fouled 58, he immediately advanced from the backfield. 58, annoyed, tried to press him, but couldn't take the ball away from the man.

Jia Fei effectively uses the width of the court to protect the ball; his only problem is his high center of gravity, not his dribbling skills. His dribbling is even better than that of the man who scored 13 points in 31 seconds on this very court years ago.

Jia Fei dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and continued to lob the ball to Paul George.

Paul George might miss some shots, but he can't miss them forever, especially when Harden is on the defensive.

As a defender, Harden is passable in both one-on-one and help defense, except for his top-and-bottom defense. There's only one Ariza. The Rockets can use 58 to keep an eye on a point guard and Ariza to keep an eye on one of the two or three-point guards. But the Clippers have star players at both the two and three-point guard positions. Besides them, there's only the Warriors in the league, but compared to the Warriors' two two-point guards, the Clippers' two can handle the ball, making them significantly harder to defend.

Paojiao was very grateful for Jia Fei's trust, as he had just missed a shot and they were now down 0-7.

Paul George dribbled past Harden, making a smooth dribble to shake off his opponent and drive straight to the basket!

Jia Fei suddenly made a direct cut from the middle lane!

Pickled Pepper spotted Jia Fei and passed the ball to him!

Jia Fei received the ball and immediately unleashed a powerful one-handed dunk!

2:7, the Clippers have scored!

"That was an explosive play! Jia Fei's block and dunk show he's a true all-around superstar!" Wang Meng exclaimed repeatedly.

“If Harden had just stood there watching, he wouldn’t have moved. Jia Fei’s strength lies in his ability to create opportunities even off the ball. This is what sets him apart from Harden and James. Only Curry can match his off-ball skills!” Yang Yi explained.

58 dribbled over, and Harden came out to ask for the ball.

Jia Fei will primarily defend Harden.

Harden held the ball facing Jia Fei, his face completely calm. Jia Fei knew that Harden was always like this, even in the Finals back then, he was the same, as if nothing had anything to do with him.

Nene came up to set a screen, and Olynyk delayed.

Nene cuts to the basket, Harden makes a pocket pass!

But Jia Fei made the right judgment and stretched out his long arm to intercept the ball!

There's only one cylinder inside, missing one cylinder. The four-cylinder engine has become a three-cylinder engine, resulting in less torque and slower starting speed.

But there's nothing we can do about it. Would a budget-conscious team like the Rockets be willing to use Nene as a role center during his prime? Impossible!

Jia Fei launched a counterattack, advancing through the middle. Ryan Anderson tried to grab a piece of the pie, but couldn't even get a hair out of it.

Gallinari and Paul George were flying down the wings. Jia Fei made a passing feint, making the opponents think he was going to pass to Paul George, but he actually passed to Gallinari on the right wing.

Gallinari received the ball and immediately launched a three-pointer, a shot reminiscent of Li Yunlong's Italian cannon, which directly blasted down Wanping City!

The ball went straight in, making it 5-7, the 7-point difference was instantly reduced to only 2 points.

The Rockets fans in the stands really got a blast! And the one who led this counterattack was Jia Fei, who contributed 2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block in this counterattack. He was just 1 rebound away from filling the stat sheet. He was simply unstoppable.

The game was now evenly matched, and the Clippers' offense picked up.

In the following games, both sides targeted each other's weaknesses. The Rockets exploited Olynyk's pick-and-roll, taking advantage of his slow footwork and weak perimeter defense. The Clippers, on the other hand, focused on Nene/Ryan Anderson's pick-and-roll, with Paul George isolating Harden, exploiting his weaknesses.

With the Rockets' starting lineup not playing, their interior movement speed is slow and their defense is just so-so. They are not good at defending pick-and-rolls and their transition defense is slow. The team's overall defensive ability is very average.

Because of Paul George's presence, the Rockets dared not double-team Jia Fei easily. In addition, with the opponent's five-outside formation, they seemed somewhat hesitant in defending the opponent's key players and shooters.

The Clippers no longer have DeAndre Jordan for the Rockets to target. Olynyk's defense isn't great either, but he never drags the team down. The reason they can't defend him is simply because 58 and Harden's individual abilities are too strong, so their defense is adequate.

In this comparison, the Clippers have a clear advantage, and they are superior on both offense and defense.

The score was quickly reversed, and when the Clippers players regained their offensive rhythm, their dominance on both ends of the court was truly impressive. Beverley and Olynyk made them less effective in one-on-one situations than many foreign players in the CBA, but these two know how to play alongside star players, and they look incredibly useful.

It wasn't until this point that Rockets fans realized just how significant the Clippers' acquisitions of Paul George and Kelly Olynyk were. George's presence greatly reduced the effectiveness of double-teaming Jia Fei, while also increasing the risk of being outplayed by other players. Olynyk's presence made it extremely difficult for traditional centers to choose their defensive positioning: if they didn't go out, the opponent would simply shoot; if they did go out, they had to guard against the opponent's backdoor attack.

During the rotation phase, the Clippers fielded the Houston-native Lou Williams/Harrell duo, while the Rockets used Harden, Black, and PJ Tucker. The Rockets used an eight-man rotation in this game, a characteristic of D'Antoni's style even in the regular season. In D'Antoni's dictionary, there's no such thing as a long rotation; he frequently uses an eight-man rotation in the regular season, and in the playoffs, he goes straight to a seven-man or even six-man rotation. Are you scared yet?

Jia Fei suspected that Thibodeau learned his personnel management from Mustache, not from Pighead, because Pighead wouldn't do it that way.

The Rockets' short rotation allowed them to use 58 leading the team against the Clippers' bench players, which allowed them to close the gap. And speaking of Harden, his ability is truly not to be underestimated; he's both accurate and tough.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by 2 points, 32:30!

In the second quarter, the Clippers brought back Jia Fei and Paul George early, stopping the opponent's comeback. Both sides' offenses were somewhat biased towards "Moreyball," relying heavily on inside shots and three-pointers, with fewer mid-range shots.

Those familiar with the Clippers know that the Clippers favor a more "Moreyball" style in the regular season, but will rely more on mid-range shots in the playoffs, and their playing style will change.