NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 419 Jia Fei's Ingenious Plan

"The main problem is that the head coach lacks decisiveness. Isn't it obvious? I think I would be better than DeAndre, at least I wouldn't get beaten up like that by pick-and-rolls!" Art Mayor looked disappointed. He really couldn't stand the team's head coach, Old Lee. What kind of amazing coach is this? He's completely indifferent to this problem. Two games have passed, two more games, and they'll be going fishing.

“Art, you have to remember, sometimes it really is about where you stand that determines your perspective, but you're not in Coach Rivers' position, so it's hard for you to understand his intentions. DeAndre is a team veteran, an All-Star center, a former All-NBA First Team center. Do you think it's appropriate to bench a center like that? If he really is benched and gets DNP, if we win, maybe it's okay, but if we lose, whose responsibility is it? Not yours, not mine, but the head coach's. But if we keep using him and we end up being eliminated, the responsibility definitely can't be solely on the head coach. We were basically playing like dogs against a healthy Rockets team, that's obvious, so losing isn't surprising. The coach's responsibility isn't that great.” Jia Fei patiently explained to Art Mayork. He might not have been so patient with anyone else, but Art Mayork was his best friend, and he didn't want his best friend to lose sleep over this.

"But isn't winning the game the most important thing?" Art Mayork still didn't quite understand.

"Winning the game is certainly important, but for some people, their contracts are more important. It's like how some players will take a pay cut to join a strong team for a ring, while others will leave a strong team for a weaker one for a bigger contract. Everyone has their own pursuits; that's the reality of society!" Jia Fei remarked with some emotion. The NBA is also a workplace, and being a head coach is a job. Team honors are important, of course, but keeping your job comes first.

"Oh dear—" Art Mayork sighed, "Are we going to waste a whole season's worth of effort on these two?"

"Art, don't be so discouraged, I've found a good way!" Jia Fei blinked, looking mysterious.

"What brilliant idea?" Art Mayork blindly trusted Jia Fei, believing his buddy must have some brilliant plan. If anyone could save the Clippers, he would never believe in Doc Rivers or DeAndre Jordan, but only Jia Fei.

In fact, not only Art Mayok, but even Clippers fans have given up on Doc Rivers. Hoping he'll suddenly become wiser is like trying to buy a lottery ticket. This guy's brain is like a pig's brain; he's Pighead Li, not a civet cat.

“I’ve discovered that 58’s injury hasn’t fully healed yet…” Jia Fei’s smile deepened. He already had a plan, which was certainly not evil, but rather perfectly aboveboard. However, whether it would be enough for some people to call it “Mamba” was another matter.

After all, some players will take the final shot even when guarded by five people, because that's called the Mamba Mentality—never giving up. But in reality, whether on a pickup court or in a professional game, players with the Mamba Mentality aren't very popular. On a pickup court, if you keep shooting and getting on the defensive, your teammates will get sick; in a professional game, if you're selfish and the team loses but you don't, your teammates get no stats and no contracts, so who wants to play with you?

May 8th, Game 4 of the Clippers vs. Rockets series. Jia Fei felt that today was quite meaningful; May 8th, hmm, pretty good.

This is a must-win game for the Clippers. A win will put them on the road to Houston for Game 5; a loss, and it's basically game over. Some people think there's a chance to come back even after a loss, but you have to remember, their coach isn't Rivers, yours is…

Rivers is destined to be overturned by others. It's more realistic to expect the Chinese men's basketball team to win the Olympic gold medal than to have him come back from a 1-3 deficit.

Neither side made any changes to their lineups. The Clippers, who had lost two games in a row, did not change their lineup after starting Redick in the previous game.

The Rockets will naturally not change their lineup on their own initiative. The 58.com combination has made their opponents scream. Unless there are major problems, they will not change their lineup on their own initiative.

Staples Center was packed with stars as usual. Kobe and his family were there tonight, along with his close friends Kemba Walker and many other Hollywood celebrities, sports stars, NBA legends, and more.

If you want to get exposure and traffic, then this is the perfect place. However, the tickets for the front row of Staples Center are really too expensive, and most people simply can't afford them.

Jia Fei's ex-girlfriend, Maria Sharapova, was also in attendance at the match. She wore brown sunglasses and a stylish outfit, looking both casual and fashionable.

The reporters at the scene gave her a lot of screen time. Undoubtedly, her status as the tennis queen was the focus of attention. Her relationship with Jia Fei made her the focus of the event, even surpassing Avril Lavigne and Taylor Swift who were also present.

Jia Fei did not interact with Sharapova before the match, clearly not giving paparazzi a chance to exploit the situation.

Los Angeles truly lives up to its name; Staples Center is like a film festival, with so many celebrities. Some of them you might not recognize by name, but they look very familiar.

The starting lineups for both teams have been deployed, and the match is about to begin.

DeAndre Jordan is still in the starting lineup. He hasn't lost any confidence despite being thoroughly outplayed in the past two games. He remains confident and still believes he's the team's second most important player after Jia Fei if they need to win this series. The Clippers can't do without him, like fish can't live without water. Without his rim protection and rebounding, the Clippers' defense is like an open road in the early morning.

Tencent will continue to broadcast this match live, with Wang Meng and Yang Yi providing commentary as usual.

"Mr. Yang, the Clippers have lost two games in a row. Do you think they have a chance to win this one?" Wang Meng asked.

Yang Yi smacked his lips and said, "It's really hard to say, it's hard to win! If DeAndre Jordan doesn't play, the Clippers can't stop the Rockets."

“But DeAndre Jordan can’t be benched, he’s starting again!” Wang Meng shrugged, looking quite helpless.

"That's why the Clippers are hard to beat. Paul and Harden are both excellent at pick-and-rolls, and DeAndre Jordan can't defend pick-and-rolls. If he doesn't go off the court, the Clippers' defense will be passive. Actually, I think even if Art Mayok comes on, he would be better than DeAndre Jordan. Even if we play a small-ball lineup and switch on Mbah a Moute whenever there's a pick-and-roll, we won't give them so many three-point opportunities!" Yang Yi explained.

DeAndre Jordan and Marc Jacobs jumped for the ball, with Jordan easily winning and the Clippers gaining possession of the ball on their first possession.

Beverley dribbles the ball across half-court.

The Rockets' defensive setup is as follows: 58 guards Beverley, Harden guards Redick, Ariza guards Jia Fei, Ryan Anderson guards Harris, and Cardiff guards Jordan.