freenovelworld Chapter 588 The Clippers' Roster Depth
Chapter 588 The Clippers' Roster Depth
The cheers at Staples Center were deafening and never subsided. Although it was the Clippers' home court, Staples Center has never lacked Lakers fans. If it weren't for the Clippers' outstanding record and the Lakers' poor record in recent seasons, the city derby would always be a Lakers home game, regardless of whether it was the Lakers' or Clippers' home game.
"My God, Jia Fei's shot was absolutely amazing!" Wang Meng exclaimed.
Yang Yi smiled but remained silent.
The Clippers' bench was in an uproar, with Art Mayok leading the charge to a fever pitch. Does Jia Fei's shot look familiar? Yes, you read that right. This is the signature move of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Clippers' best sixth man of the year: a behind-the-back dribble followed by a step-back layup. The fact that Jia Fei can pull this off in a real game is proof of his excellent ball-handling skills.
Jia Fei's move differed somewhat from Ke6's; it was more expansive and impactful. Ke6's move, on the other hand, was more agile and graceful.
The Running Man brought the ball over and, using McGee's screen, attacked the basket, drawing a foul from Olynyk!
Running Man's ability to read the game is quite strong. He knew that the opponent was double-teaming Davis, that the opponent was starting to collapse, and that they were starting to launch another offensive surge. So he needed to let the Lakers score as well, and of course, the best way was to draw fouls.
The Running Man member stepped to the free throw line and made one of two free throws!
However, Davis grabbed the offensive rebound and drew a foul from Gallinari!
Gallinari had already committed two fouls and could only slink off the field.
The one who came up was Kyle Anderson, known as the "essence of human sluggishness".
The Clippers have an incredibly deep bench and one of the best talent pools in the league at the forward position. Don't think that taking Gallinari out of the game will cause problems with their rotation; in fact, it just means they can get more players into the rotation.
Anthony Davis made one of two free throws, making it 10-8, and the Lakers regained a two-point lead!
Jia Fei dribbled the ball past midfield and passed it to Olynyk in the high position.
Olynyk received the ball high up and passed it to Paul George, who had cut inside.
Pickled Pepper uses cover to break through, and Jia Fei dives to the bottom corner!
After feinting, Jia Fei passed the baton to Da Chui, then suddenly cut inside, taking away a large number of defensive troops!
The big man dribbled the ball slowly, making a layup as if in slow motion. Davis jumped to block, but the big man had already landed and still hadn't released his shot...
Big Hammer still took the shot, but it missed!
Good grief, they've finally made their move!
But don't worry, Jia Fei has offensive rebounds!
Jia Fei's offensive rebound and putback attempt also missed!
Beverley has offensive rebounds!
Beverley's strong layup attempt was blocked out of bounds by McGee...
The Lakers' interior defense this season is probably one of the best in the entire league!
The Staples Center erupted in cheers, and McGee even mimicked Dikembe Mutombo by wagging his finger...
Beverley was furious that he had been blocked by a brainless center like McGee, and trash-talked McGee.
McGee wasn't very bright, and his trash-talking repertoire wasn't as good as Beverley's, so he could only smile and wag his finger at the little guy in front of him.
Beverley was speechless. He couldn't beat them in a fight, so he could only continue to "greet" them.
This was a minor incident during the match, adding more topics and interest to this highly anticipated, nationally televised clash between two strong teams.
The Clippers inbound the ball from the baseline, a cross screen off the ball sets up Paul George, giving him an opportunity!
Jia Fei passed the ball directly to Pao Jiao, which was very timely!
Paul George received the ball and immediately unleashed a three-pointer – a clean shot!
10:11, the Clippers have taken the lead!
Clippers fans at Staples Center began to applaud and cheer. The shot seemed simple, but without Jia Fei's passing vision and Paul George's ability to catch and shoot, the three-pointer wouldn't have been so easy to make.
"Mr. Yang, it seems that the Lakers' offense is closer to the basket, while the Clippers rely more on three-pointers!" Wang Meng said.
Yang Yi agreed: "The Lakers are actually playing with twin towers. Their three-point shooting isn't great, but they're tall! The Clippers have good shooting, but their interior defense isn't very good. Both sides have their own advantages, and so far they've played to them."
The Lakers' offense still revolves around targeting Anthony Davis!
Anthony Davis dribbled inside, but was still double-teamed. He passed the ball to the outside player on the perimeter!
The Running Man member scores Caruso, but Caruso misses a 3-pointer!
Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, brought the ball over, and faced Caruso's defense. He accelerated and broke through, leaning on his opponent, and drove to the basket, drawing a foul!
Jia Fei will go to the free throw line.
With two successful free throws, Jia Fei's rock-solid free throws helped the Clippers change the score to 10-13!
The Lakers attacked, the Clippers continued to collapse their defense under the basket, and the Clippers' three-point attempt missed!
McGee grabbed the offensive rebound, drove to the basket but was stripped, and the ball hit his leg and went out of bounds...
Clippers have possession!
The Clippers' adjustments after the timeout were effective. They exploited the Lakers' lack of shooting ability by packing the paint with players, forcing them to face multiple defenders there, while their loose perimeter defense lured the Lakers into three-point attempts.
This is the Clippers' adjusted strategy, while the Lakers, despite acquiring Anthony Davis in the paint this season, still have a really poor offensive spacing.
Of course, the Lakers are a team with limited spacing, but they have the ability to score in tight spaces and also have offensive capabilities.
Soon after, Olynyk also committed two fouls, and the Clippers substituted Art Mayok.
The Clippers aren't afraid of foul trouble; as long as their core players don't get into it, the role players don't really matter. Their roster depth is just too good. Whether Olynyk or Gallinari are benched, they can simply leave; there are plenty of other players available!
The bench alone boasts Dillon, Hammer, Bridges, and Grant Williams. Hart and Bruce Brown, while guards, can also fill in at the forward position.
In terms of the frontcourt, the Clippers traded Harrell this season, but Hartenstein has already entered the rotation. Although he is a late rotation player, he is a truly usable blue-collar center.
Hartenstein is physically strong, has a great ability to finish plays, and is hardworking, filling the Clippers' gap in blue-collar center.
As the game progressed, it entered the rotation phase.
During the start of the season, the Lakers were not behind the Clippers, but when it came to the rotation, they couldn't maintain their intensity.
Because the Lakers used all their salary cap space to sign Kyle Kuzma, their rotation is basically made up of minimum-salary players, non-guaranteed contracts, and rookies. Kuzma, Howard, Cook, and Dudley make up that roster.
In fact, Howard is no longer the Howard of yesteryear, and Cook and Dudley simply cannot make the rotation on many teams.
Brunson led the Clippers' second unit to a mini-run at the end of the first quarter against the Lakers' rotation players.
At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by 6 points, 24-30.
At the start of the second quarter, the Clippers' second unit dominated the Lakers' second unit, forcing Coach Vogel to bring back the Clippers' star player and Anthony Davis early.