NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 624 The First Playoff Game in the Park

In the Clippers-Trail Blazers series, the Clippers are naturally the more favored to win. Even Barkley, who is known for criticizing Jia Fei, doesn't think the Trail Blazers can beat the Clippers. After all, the Clippers are famous for their explosive perimeter defense. Dealing with perimeter teams is like a Tibetan Mastiff playing ping-pong – they have it all under their control.

Even the peak Warriors were defeated, so how can the Trail Blazers compare to the Warriors?

Therefore, even Lillard, who has been wearing a watch all this time, is somewhat lacking in confidence. He stated on social media that he will challenge the Clippers and will not let them have it so easy.

On August 19, Game 1 of the Clippers vs. Trail Blazers series was held at the Clippers' home arena.

Although it's called the Clippers' home court, it's really just that the court floor is owned by the Clippers. So, essentially, it's played on a third-party court, like a cup match.

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

"Mr. Yang, the NBA has finally resumed. What are your thoughts on this playoff series?" Wang Zixing asked.

Yang Yi smacked his lips and said, "The core of the Trail Blazers is Lillard and CJ. Their offense relies entirely on the two of them. Players like Nurkic won't score many points. But we know that the Clippers are best at shutting down small guards. They are afraid of the inside game. But Nurkic can't shut them down, so the Trail Blazers don't meet the requirements for defeating the Clippers in terms of roster structure."

"Mr. Yang, can Lillard score as many high points as he has in the previous games?" Wang Zixing asked.

"It mainly depends on the Clippers' defensive strategy. If they use a double-team strategy on the ball handler, it will be difficult for him to score high points," Yang Yi said.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Clippers' lineup consists of Jia Fei, Beverley, George, Gallinari, and Olynyk. As with most regular season games, this is the third consecutive season that this roster has been their primary starting lineup.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup consists of Lillard, CJ McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, Gabriel, and Nurkic.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup was a bit strange. To improve their offense, they put Anthony in, and to strengthen their defense, they put Gabriel in.

Gabriel was born in South Sudan, a country ravaged by war. Many fans may not know much about this country, but you must know about this African nation that is full of players with Kevin Durant's physique...

Gabriel is 206cm tall but weighs less than 100kg, similar to Kevin Durant's build. He is purely African, so he looks much darker than most African Americans, comparable to Art Mayok.

Gabriel attended Kentucky University, but went undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft. He had previously signed a two-way contract with the Kings before being traded to the Trail Blazers.

Jia Fei knew Gabriel very well. In his previous life, this South Sudanese basketball warrior later went to the Lakers and played for them on a two-way contract.

Gabriel is too thin for an inside player and a bit too slow for a forward. His best position is power forward; it's a stretch to put him at center in a small-ball lineup. He has the ability to shoot and attack the rim, but his technique is still somewhat rough.

But he's ultimately a player on a two-way contract. As long as he can play, that's enough. What more could you ask for?

The fact that the Trail Blazers are able to start Gabriel in the playoffs shows just how poor their depth at the forward position is...

With Gabriel, an aging Anthony, and a center like Nurkic who's easily outmaneuvered, how can this frontcourt lineup possibly clean up the mess left by the two stars' defense? They need others to clean up their own messes!

With no fans present, the stands were completely empty during such an important playoff game, making it seem rather desolate.

Olynyk and Nukaku are near the center circle, ready for the jump ball; the game is about to begin.

Nurkic was a starter for the Nuggets, and his backup was Jokic. Later, the Nuggets realized that the two couldn't coexist, so they traded Nurkic and kept Jokic.

As it turns out, the Nuggets' management was incredibly wise...

The jump ball began, and Olynyk unusually won the jump ball, giving the Clippers possession for the first possession.

Beverley dribbled the ball across half-court and immediately looked for Jia Fei in the frontcourt.

CJ is defending Jia Fei!

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup lacks defensive stalwarts. They don't have a suitable player to match up against Jia Fei. Putting CJ in that position is basically a double-team strategy. Otherwise, if CJ were to defend one-on-one, the probability of him getting blown out would be extremely high.

Beverley passed the ball to Jia Fei, and sure enough, a double team immediately came over!

Jia Fei passed the ball to Pao Jiao, who then passed it to Gallinari!

Gallinari got an open shot, but he missed!

"What a pity about that goal!" Wang Zixing exclaimed.

Yang Yi nodded: "But the opportunity has come. Gallinari was right to take that shot; if you hadn't, the double-team on Jia Fei would have been even more intense."

The crossbow bolt is retracted, and Li dribbles the ball over.

Lidley dribbled at the top of the key, and Nurkic came over to screen.

While the crossbow didn't have particularly strong projectile capabilities, its cover quality was truly exceptional. It provided incredibly solid cover, even stopping a relentless, dog-like pursuit like Beverley's.

Beverley was caught off guard by a screen, forcing Olynyk to switch on defense.

Lillard switched to defend Olynyk, using a series of crossovers to shift Olynyk's weight, then suddenly stepped back and unleashed a difficult three-pointer—which went in cleanly!

3-0, the Trail Blazers score first!

There were no cheers from the fans in the stadium, only cheers from the substitutes on the bench. In this huge arena, the cheers from such a small group sounded rather strange, cold, desolate, and utterly forlorn!

The Clippers were on offense, with Jia Fei acting as bait to draw double teams and then create opportunities for other players.

Paul George gets the ball, faces Anthony's defense, makes a smooth crossover and cuts in, fakes out his opponent and jumps – almost there!

However, Jia Fei grabbed the offensive rebound and dunked it with one hand!

3-2, the Clippers have scored again!

Although Jia Fei was double-teamed, he could still grab offensive rebounds, organize the offense, and defend; he could do many things on the court.

The Trail Blazers were on offense, and Lillard continued to run pick-and-rolls with Nurkic, but this time the Clippers double-teamed him!

Lillard passed the ball to CJ on the other side, but the Clippers' rotation kept up, leaving no open looks. Compared to Jia Fei, Lillard's passing speed and vision are somewhat inferior, while the Clippers' rotation speed is faster than the Trail Blazers', so the same double-team followed by a pass had very different effects.

CJ used Gabriel to run a pick-and-roll, and the Clippers switched on defense.

CJ hit a pull-up jumper against Gallinari, but it didn't go in!

Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, dribbled the ball forward, and before the opponent could regain his footing, he suddenly accelerated into the paint, forcefully attacking Gabriel, drawing a foul, and scoring!

"2+1! Jia Fei's shot was absolutely amazing!" Wang Zixing exclaimed.