NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 471 Clippers vs. Spurs

The regular season is over, and the rankings for both the Eastern and Western Conferences have been released.

In the Western Conference, the top 8 teams are: Clippers, Rockets, Warriors, Trail Blazers, Jazz, Thunder, Pelicans, and Spurs.

With this, the first-round playoff matchups are pretty much set: Clippers vs. Spurs, Rockets vs. Pelicans, Warriors vs. Thunder, and Jazz vs. Trail Blazers.

The biggest highlight of the first round is the Warriors vs. Thunder series. It's not so much that the Thunder have a good chance of eliminating the Warriors, but rather that Durant and Westbrook will face off in the playoffs – a truly explosive matchup.

With Kawhi Leonard sidelined for the season, the Clippers' first-round opponent, the Spurs, is significantly weaker than the Clippers overall, so even the critics don't believe the Spurs can pull off an upset.

In the Eastern Conference, the Raptors are first, the Celtics second, the 76ers third, and the Cavaliers fourth. Jia Fei's former team, the Hawks, are completely outmatched, finishing last in the East, giving them a chance to secure a high draft pick.

It is said that several rookies in 18 have the potential to become superstars, such as center Ayton and guard Doncic.

For a team looking to rebuild, acquiring a suitable cornerstone through the draft is the safest and healthiest path. After all, not every team has the opportunity to snag a big name in free agency; such opportunities are rare and hard to come by.

2017-18赛季，贾飞的第7个赛季，他一共出场了81场比赛，首发81场。在场均35.1分钟的上场时间里，他场均得到35.5分8.1个篮板8.5次助攻3.2次抢断1.6个盖帽，投篮命中率为53.6.%，3分球命中为42.7%，罚球命中率为91.3%。

Compared to his 40.5 points per game average last season, Jia Fei's 35.5 points per game this season seems like a significant decrease. However, those familiar with the situation will realize that his lower scoring average this season is simply due to fewer shot attempts. His role has changed this season. Last season, he was the team's primary scorer, often practically their only scorer. This season, with the arrival of Paul George, his offensive burden has been reduced. While he's taking fewer shots this season, his efficiency has improved, with both his field goal percentage and offensive and defensive efficiency showing an increase compared to last season.

In addition, Coach Buden strictly controlled Jia Fei's playing time after he arrived. Although he played almost the entire season, his average playing time was only 35.5 minutes per game. In many games, he only played three quarters and then finished his shift, so the burden on his shoulders was not as heavy as last season.

This season, Jia Fei has achieved career highs in four statistical categories: rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, with all three shooting percentages also setting new personal bests. Combined with the league's best regular season record, setting a new team record, he remains the frontrunner for this season's regular season MVP.

However, the regular season MVP will be announced at the second awards ceremony after the season ends, so it is indeed too early to talk about it now.

Everyone's attention is on the playoffs right now...

The Clippers' first-round opponent, the Spurs, is a traditionally strong team. Of the current "Big Three" (GDP), only Manu Ginobili remains, and he's already past his prime. The transition from the GDP era to the DeRozan-Aldridge era was a smooth one for the Spurs, but who could have imagined that the highly anticipated Aldridge would be ruined by that dirty player Zaza Pachulia's foot-planting and is still recovering from injury?

It's said that he has conflicts with management and Popovich, and the team is already considering selling him.

Facial paralysis is a combination of offense and defense, and the patient is still young, which is naturally good. However, it is too expensive, and those who have suffered major injuries are too fragile. This is a problem you must consider.

A durable superstar is very important. Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense for you, as the core of the team, to always be sitting on the sidelines in a suit while the role players are fighting on the field!

Taking the most and hitting the least? That's outrageous!

快船和马刺的系列赛G1将在4月15日在快船主场斯台普斯中心球馆进行。G1、G2的门票早就销售一空，本赛季的快船是志在夺冠的，球迷也是信心十足。

Since the Lakers didn't make the playoffs, if Lakers fans want to be able to watch games at Staples Center during the playoffs, they either have to stay home or watch the Clippers.

On April 14, after finishing the last training session, Coach Buden gathered everyone together.

"Guys, our regular season was perfect, and now we're in the playoffs. This is my first season with the Clippers. Last season we were eliminated in the Western Conference Finals, so this season our goal is naturally to get there first, and then try to break through. The Spurs are a strong opponent, even though they're ranked 8th, we can't underestimate them. Coach Popovich is a great coach, no need to say more. What we need to do is respect our opponents, take them seriously, and then beat them!" Coach Buden said.

After Coach Buden finished speaking, all the players on the field nodded.

You can't underestimate any opponent. A team that makes it to the playoffs is no pushover. The Spurs, with Popovich on the team, are never to be underestimated; he's an absolute master of tactical deployment.

After finishing his speech, Coach Buden kept Jia Fei behind to discuss the playoffs with him.

Logically speaking, it's the coach's job to arrange the lineup, but Buden liked to listen to Jia Fei's opinions when he was with the Hawks. He felt that this star player on his team had extraordinary insight, and the two had always worked together very well.

On the evening of April 15, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Even though it's the Clippers' home arena, Staples Center was packed to capacity tonight.

Many Hollywood stars came. For them, watching a game at Staples Center, whether it's the Lakers or the Clippers, can be seen as a way to relax, socialize, or even a show.

This is a live-streamed event in the United States, and also simultaneously broadcast in numerous countries around the world. The NBA is the world's highest-level and most successful professional basketball league, boasting countless fans worldwide.

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

"Teacher Su, everyone online is saying it's going to be a black eight, do you think that's likely?" Wang Zixing asked.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses and shook his head: "The possibility is extremely small, at least judging from the strength of the two teams. We need to know that the NBA playoffs format is different from the Olympics and NCAA March Madness. A best-of-seven series means that at least four games must be played. The possibility of a team that is so much weaker winning the first four games is extremely small."

"Is there a high chance that Teacher Su will sweep the competition?" Wang Zixing asked.

"A sweep is much more likely than an upset. The Clippers are so much stronger than the Spurs. It all depends on how they perform. A sweep is not impossible," Su Qun said.