NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 685 Advancing to the Western Conference Finals for 5 Consecutive Years

Without Murray, there is no Jokic-Murray pick-and-roll. Whether it's Jokic and Campasso or Rivers' pick-and-roll, its effectiveness is greatly reduced.

The Jokic-Murray pick-and-roll was originally a major headache for the Clippers. Last season, they defeated the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, not because of their defense, but because of their offense. They have never been able to truly solve the Jokic-Murray pick-and-roll. Jia Fei can play the 5 position in other teams and use unlimited switching to break up the opponent's 15 position pick-and-roll, but he just can't do it against the Nuggets.

In the low post, Jia Fei couldn't defend Jokic. Jokic's height and weight were too much for Jia Fei, a wing player, to handle. Double-teaming Jokic meant giving others easy open shots. Jokic's passing ability was outstanding, his ball-handling was superb; if you dared to double-team him, he'd dominate the paint... But leaving him open wasn't a good option either; he had a consistent touch and could shoot from almost anywhere in the half-court...

It's fair to say that, as a center, Jokic is almost perfect on offense, except for his defense, which isn't perfect.

He is Larry Bird, a center. Although he is white, he is very durable. He looks like a piece of meat, but his stamina is better than many American centers with muscles. It's amazing!

In this game, the Clippers' strategy was to guard Jokic one-on-one, with Olynyk and Hartenstein taking turns guarding him to wear him down, but without double-teaming him. Even if Jokic scored 50 points by himself, they wouldn't double-team him; their goal was to limit the other players.

Without Murray, the Nuggets' other players simply couldn't break through the Clippers' defense. Aaron Gordon, the uncrowned dunk champion acquired from the Magic this season, has already proven himself incapable of leading a team independently, lacking the opportunity to become a ball-handling scorer. Offensively, besides dunks, he has no other effective weapons; his jump shot is inaccurate, his three-pointers are practically nonexistent, his dribbling speed and variations are limited, and his post-up game is mediocre. Now he's just a role player, playing alongside Jokic, responsible for finishing plays on offense and guarding the opposing star wing and sweeping plays on defense.

As for Michael Porter Jr., his pull-up jumper is undeniably stylish, with a remarkably high release point, reminiscent of Tracy McGrady in his prime, making him virtually unstoppable. However, the problem is that this seems to be his only offensive weapon. His other skills, such as off-ball and on-ball offense, are mediocre, making it difficult for him to become an All-Star scorer. Against the Clippers' frontcourt defense, his height advantage becomes negligible; he struggles to find mismatch opportunities and can't shake off defenders, leaving him reliant on Jokic to feed him the ball.

This Nuggets team relies entirely on Jokic to defend against the Clippers.

In the first half, Jokic was on fire and could keep up with the Clippers, but in the second half, once his energy waned, the Nuggets couldn't stop him...

The Clippers look for pick-and-rolls with their center on almost every offensive possession, just to wear down Jokic. As long as Jokic is off the court, the Nuggets are at their mercy.

But the Nuggets only have Jokic, and he can't be benched. If he goes out, the team loses points like crazy.

Ultimately, the Clippers played steadily and defeated the Nuggets to win Game 1 of the series!

The Nuggets were dominated throughout the game and saw no hope of winning. Their only bright spot compared to the Warriors was that they lost by a smaller margin, given their absolute advantage at the center position…

The outside world is starting to discuss who can stop the Clippers in the West. At present, it seems that the Nuggets have little chance, so we can only pin our hopes on the two teams in the other group.

The Lakers originally had the best chance, but their key player, Kawhi Leonard, is out for the season, and Anthony Davis is also injured, leaving them with only one player. They will have a hard time getting past the Suns, let alone competing with the Clippers.

As for the Suns, the idea that the combination of Booker and 58 could defeat the Clippers and the Flying Paul-George duo is simply unbelievable. 58, Booker, and Ayton together could really take down the Clippers? Even the Warriors couldn't do it, so you expect 58 and his team to?

Of course, not being able to beat the Clippers is not a bad thing for 58, as he will soon end his embarrassing personal record of reaching the Western Conference Finals.

Although they capitalized on the opponent's key player's injury, which was a bit... well, it still gave them a chance to reach the Western Conference Finals.

Results are what matter most!

June 6th, Clippers vs. Nuggets, Game 2 of the series!

Neither side changed their formation!

The Nuggets aren't unwilling to change their lineup, but they have virtually no room for maneuver...

Jokic, Aaron Gordon, and Porter Jr. are definitely starters; there are no substitutes. As for the two guards, it seems that bringing in any of them from the bench won't make much difference. Barton's defense as a starter is terrible, Monte Morris is better suited to the bench, and the others are simply insignificant.

The Nuggets made adjustments to their offense in this game, increasing their drives and attacks on the basket, putting considerable pressure on the Clippers' paint. Olynyk and Hartenstein both had foul trouble, leading Coach Budenholzer to bring in Art Mayok.

Even though the Nuggets gained an advantage in the paint, they still couldn't get many opportunities on the perimeter. The Clippers shut down their outside shooting, taking away their three-pointers, and apart from Jokic, it was also difficult for anyone else to score in the paint.

As expected, the Clippers won the game and now lead the series 2-0!

After this game, even fewer people believed the Nuggets could turn the tide. Ultimately, the Clippers truly have no rivals in the West. Aside from a fully healthy Lakers team that could offer some resistance, other teams proved last season that they couldn't stop them.

Game 3 of the Clippers vs. Nuggets series on June 8th.

The game was largely predictable, with the Clippers securing a decisive victory over the Nuggets and winning Game 3 thanks to Jia Fei's triple-double and Bridges' record-breaking six three-pointers!

After this game, everyone was already dreaming about the Western Conference Finals. Nobody thought the Nuggets could do anything more; in fact, many felt that if the Nuggets could win just one game, they could brag about it for six months…

June 6th, Clippers vs. Nuggets, Game 4 of the series!

The Nuggets fought hard, and Jokic gave it his all, but they only held on for three quarters. In the final quarter, the Clippers sped up, and the Nuggets were utterly defeated…

In the end, the Clippers won another game, eliminating the Nuggets 4-0 in the series, sweeping their opponent for the second consecutive season and advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive season!

Since Jia Fei joined the Clippers, they have not missed the Western Conference Finals for five consecutive seasons. This kind of dominance is truly incredible!

Many people say that Running Man has made it to the finals in the East for many years, which is impressive. But the question is, is it the same difficulty for the East to reach the finals as it is for the West?

Of course, Running Man is also impressive. Even though it's easier for the Eastern Conference to reach the finals, they still made it to the finals. But the problem is that they formed a super team. If they hadn't formed a super team, how could they have made it to the finals so many times?