NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 499 Sweeping the Knights

The Cavaliers famously rallied from a 1-3 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals to defeat the Warriors and win the championship. Two years later, they face another tough challenge, this time trailing 0-3.

1:3和0:3，可是完全两个性质的。1:3落后在NBA季后赛历史上是有过被逆转的，像快船前任主场里弗斯就多次被人逆转过。

However, in the entire history of the NBA playoffs, no team has ever been able to come back from a 0-3 deficit.

The logic is simple: if you are truly stronger than your opponent, would you still be down 0-3? Even if the two teams are evenly matched, the probability of a team being down 0-3 needing to win four consecutive games to secure a victory is extremely low.

Ultimately, the NBA playoff format, aside from factors like injuries, is basically designed so that the strongest team wins the championship.

In contrast, NCAA March Madness is a single-elimination tournament, which greatly increases the element of chance.

These days, everyone's talking about the Clippers' championship win, both online and offline—things like the date of the victory parade and its route. Very few people are discussing the game itself anymore; it's as if the Finals are already over.

There's another issue that hardly gets discussed: the Finals MVP award. Indeed, it doesn't need discussion, because the Clippers' best performer was Jia Fei, while the Cavaliers' was Running Man. And according to the current established rules, only the winning team has a chance to win the Finals MVP trophy. Therefore, if the Clippers win, Jia Fei winning the trophy is a foregone conclusion.

Some Clippers fans have even suggested that in order to win the championship at home, they could intentionally lose Game 4, then return to Staples Center for Game 5 and win the championship on home soil, which would be even more perfect.

Cavaliers fans were fed up; the opposing team was treating them like meat on a chopping board, cutting them up however they wanted—it was infuriating. But there was nothing they could do; the situation had become like this, what else could they do but let them talk?

June 9th, Game 4 of the Grand Finals.

Neither side made any changes to their formation, and the Knights had no further options.

The game was largely predictable, and the Cavaliers players were somewhat demoralized. The intensity of the game was even less than that of Game 3. The Clippers defeated their opponents with little resistance and ultimately swept them 4-0 to win the championship!

The moment the final whistle blew, the substitutes rushed onto the field, and Jia Fei and Art Mayork embraced and wept. Everyone was so excited!

This is the Clippers' first NBA championship in franchise history!

Jia Fei was indeed very excited. After leaving the Hawks, he faced tremendous criticism, with many believing he would never win a championship again, especially after joining a team that had never reached the conference finals.

But Jia Fei did it. He led the Clippers to the championship and will win his second championship ring!

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was also present tonight. He received the Larry O'Brien Trophy from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and then raised it high!

Everyone cheered. Since it was the Cavaliers' home court, most of the home team fans had left, and there weren't many Clippers fans, so the scene was rather quiet.

But it doesn't matter; the Clippers are unlikely to intentionally lose a game just to win the championship at home.

After lifting the championship trophy, Ballmer handed it to Jia Fei. Ballmer was truly overjoyed tonight; he knew very well who the real hero was who had helped the Clippers reach such heights. It's no exaggeration to say that without Jia Fei, the Clippers might never have made it to the Western Conference Finals!

Moreover, the Clippers haven't mortgaged their future. They have the most draft picks among the championship contenders, and they have the assets to go all in and bring in another star to form a Big Three. That's their current situation—they're rich and can do whatever they want!

Next came the presentation of the FMVP trophy. Bill Russell, with his white beard, personally handed the Most Valuable Player trophy, symbolizing the highest individual honor in the Finals, to Jia Fei.

"Congratulations, Jia! This is your second time winning this trophy!" Bill Russell said with a kind smile. Jia Fei respectfully accepted the trophy from him, repeatedly saying thank you.

Upon receiving the trophy, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. Jia Fei smiled and raised the trophy with both hands.

Back in the locker room, the Clippers players sprayed champagne and enjoyed their happy time.

This moment also signifies the complete end of the 2017-18 season.

The Clippers are undoubtedly the biggest winners of this season. They not only made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, but also won their first NBA championship, achieving a historic breakthrough from scratch.

There are 30 teams in the NBA, and many of them have never won a championship. Starting tonight, the Clippers are no longer among those teams. While they may not have as many championships as the Lakers and Celtics, they still have one and are considered championship teams.

That night, the Clippers players went out to celebrate, and everyone drank quite a bit.

Jia Fei didn't wake up until noon the next day. He was still dizzy and his throat was very dry.

They returned to Los Angeles on a private plane that afternoon, arriving in Los Angeles in the evening.

But seeing a large number of fans coming to greet me at the airport was a really great feeling.

Clippers fans can finally hold their heads high in Los Angeles; their team has won a championship. Although it's only one now, there will be many more in the future.

Coach Budenholzer was particularly moved. He had previously led the Hawks to a championship, but after the team's performance declined, he was booed by fans. Now, he has proven himself again, showing that he wasn't just riding the Hawks' coattails; he truly has the ability. And now, he's won another championship with another team. Is this just luck again?

When Jia Fei and his team returned to Los Angeles, they were greeted with another round of celebrations. From the night they won the championship, he felt like he had never sobered up, that he had been drinking, celebrating, and basking in joy the whole time.

The Clippers' championship parade is scheduled for June 16th. Los Angeles fans are no strangers to championship parades; during the Lakers' heyday, such scenes were commonplace.

However, it has been eight years since they last watched the championship parade.

Jia Fei already has two championships, and he's only 26 years old. Many predict he can win six, matching Jordan's record. Some even say he can surpass Jordan and become the greatest player in NBA history.