NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 687 Clippers vs. Suns

58's face revealed his stubbornness. He was already 36 years old and his career was coming to an end. Of course, he hoped to win the championship, but to make it to the finals, he had to defeat his opponent.

In other words, the Clippers' opponents in the Finals are likely to be less difficult to handle than those in the Western Conference Finals. In terms of both team strength and star power, the Clippers are currently the best in the league.

The Suns' head coach is former NBA player Monty Williams, who retired only a few years ago. While Williams was just a role player during his playing career, that didn't stop him from taking on a head coaching role and coaching veteran stars like 58.

A star player's retirement doesn't necessarily make them a great coach, while many current head coaches were once unknown figures in the league. Being a good coach and being a good player are truly two different things.

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

"Mr. Su, could you please analyze this series between the Clippers and the Suns for us before the game? Do the Suns have a chance to beat the Clippers?" Wang Zixing asked.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses and answered slowly, "Judging from the rosters of the two teams, the Clippers are obviously stronger. Paul is getting old, although he's been in good form this season. But whether he can maintain that form against the Clippers' level of defense is questionable. The Clippers have too many defenders in Booker's position, so his ability to score consistently against that level of defense is crucial for the Suns. If the Suns want to win, Ayton absolutely needs to step up."

"What's your prediction for the final score?" Wang Zixing continued to ask.

"4-0 or 4-1, the Clippers will win!" Su Qun said decisively.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Clippers' starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of JaVale Bridges, Paul George, Grant, and Olynyk.

Their starting lineup has remained unchanged since the start of the playoffs, which means they haven't faced any real challenges yet.

The Suns' starting lineup consists of 58, Booker, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, and Deandre Ayton.

The Suns' backcourt is relatively short, but their frontcourt is quite tall, not inferior to the Clippers at all.

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the team's leader, the man with the team logo, sat together in the VIP section to watch the game. Ballmer's joy was palpable; he certainly had reason to be happy. This arena belonged entirely to them, and the championship banners hanging in the rafters symbolized the team's glory—it belonged to this team.

Although there were only 5000 fans in attendance, the cheers during the Clippers DJ's entrance ceremony were incredibly powerful, making it seem as if there were 20,000 fans present.

The fans' enthusiasm is evident!

In the front row courtside, Lin Ning and NBA reporter Zhou Ling'an watched the game together, along with Art Mayok's girlfriend, Rose!

Lin Ning's presence at the game meant the Clippers were undefeated, and such a lucky charm was naturally highly welcomed by the team.

As the starting lineups of both sides took to the field, 58 and Booker looked at Jia Fei with eyes practically spitting fire.

Everyone in the league knows that 58 hates Jia Fei, and it's common knowledge that Booker, as a member of the Mamba group, wants to defeat Jia Fei and become the league's best shooting guard.

Ayton, who looks like a center from ancient times, and Olynyk, with his blond hair and blue eyes, jump for the ball near the center circle; the game is about to begin. The two of them together surprisingly don't look out of place at all; their contrasting appearances even give off a feeling of the grim reapers.

PS: Aiton: "Xie Bi'an, I am Fan Wujiu!"

At the start of the jump ball, Ayton's speed was far superior to Olynyk's floor-bound style, and the Suns gained possession of the ball on their first offensive possession.

After dribbling 58 past half-court, Bridges was assigned to lead the defense for the entire court.

Here, Jia Fei is guarding Booker, Paul George is guarding Crowder, Grant is guarding Huang Zhong, and Olynyk is guarding Ayton.

Bridges put a lot of defensive pressure on 58. With a height difference of nearly 20cm and wingspan, Bridges could practically wrap 58 up like a dumpling.

But 58 is also a renowned guard, with constant subtle moves, steady dribbling, rich experience, and a big butt full of boundless energy, making him much more reliable than the two guards on the Nuggets.

PS: 58: "Damn it, you're comparing me to those two pieces of trash? Pighead's son used to be my substitute, didn't you know that? Without his father's connections, he wouldn't even be qualified to be my substitute!"

When Ayton and 58 run a pick-and-roll, the Clippers' strategy is to opt for a large delay. Why not switch? It's simple. It's not that Ayton's mismatch ability is particularly strong, but rather that Olynyk would really be like an eagle catching a chick if he faced 58. 58's ability to exploit mismatches against bigger players is underestimated; he's very strong in that area.

58's playmaking ability is historic; he still managed to get the ball to Ayton thanks to his excellent vision and passing skills.

Ayton immediately hit a mid-range jumper, giving the Suns the first points!

Jia Fei dribbled the ball over, and he was being defended by Lao Huang Zhong.

Jia Fei knew why Coach Monty had sent Old Huang Zhong to defend him. 58 was old and slow, Booker was not good at defense and might get into foul trouble, Crowder was slow to move laterally, and Ayton was a center, so after considering everything, Old Huang Zhong was the only option.

In his previous life, Bridges was with the Suns, and he would have been a good choice to defend Jia Fei. However, the Clippers snatched him up, so I can only apologize!

58 guards Bridges, Booker guards Grant, Crowder guards George, and Ayton guards Olynyk.

The Suns used their two best defenders in the starting lineup to defend against the Fernando George duo, showing Coach Monty's thoughtful approach. When one of your two core players is older and the other isn't good at defense, your defensive setup becomes very difficult. A core duo like the Fernando George duo, who excel on both offense and defense, makes the lineup much simpler.

Old Huang Zhong is considered fast on foot among forwards, but he's still too tall.

It's really difficult to defend against Jia Fei. You can't find anyone as fast as him in the same position. Even if you're a short guard who's 1.9 meters tall and fast, he can easily pull up over you and you have no way to stop him.

Sending a big forward to defend him is a recipe for him to blow past in one step. The only better way to defend him right now is by double-teaming. But double-teaming is extremely risky; he can easily disrupt the offense with his passing.

Jia Fei dribbled the ball to the right wing, passed it to Olynyk in the high position, and then made various off-the-ball runs.

Jia Fei used off-the-ball screen to dribble into the penalty area, where Olynyk passed the ball!

Jia Fei received the ball, and the player who had rotated to the basket was now number 58!

Unfortunately, Ayton was transferred out by Olynyk!

Jia Fei turned around and couldn't even see anyone, easily putting the ball into the basket!

58 tried to subtly influence Jia Fei's layup from below, but it was to no avail.