NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 425: A Slightly Unfavorable Start

The Warriors' lineup is very stable. Although Kerr's trump card is the "death lineup," they will use a large lineup in the regular season and only use a small lineup in the final stages of the season.

In fact, since Durant joined the Warriors, they have filled the last gap in their "Death Lineup." Durant has been a huge boost to Barnes. Whether it's off-ball movement, on-ball scoring, or defense, Durant has almost completely dominated Barnes.

Barnes' only advantage over Durant is that he is younger, but Durant is not much older either.

And since Durant joined the Warriors, their "death lineup" has truly lived up to its name. Durant's official height is only 206cm, but he doesn't want to play inside, so his height reaches 211cm. He's clearly taller than Cousins ​​when standing next to him. So, with Durant at 211cm, Chauncey at 201cm, Klay at 201cm, Iguodala at 198cm, and his brother at 191cm, wow, the average height is over 2 meters! This isn't a small lineup; it's a very standard lineup.

This is what makes the Warriors so formidable: five players who can shoot threes, each capable of handling and controlling the ball, and defensively unafraid of being shut down, able to switch on any situation. Moreover, two of these five are Defensive Player of the Year caliber players (Jayson and Andre Iguodala), two are all-time great three-point shooters (Klay Thompson), and one is an all-time great one-on-one scorer (Durant). With such a lineup, they can easily dominate most teams, possessing virtually unlimited margin for error.

The Clippers' starting lineup for the away game is Jia Fei, Beverley, Jordan, Harris, and Wesley Johnson.

Wesley Johnson returned to the starting lineup. It was clear that the opponent's offense was very strong, and his presence on the court was to help Jia Fei share the defensive burden.

Tencent Studio.

"Mr. Yang, the Western Conference Finals have finally begun. Which team do you predict is most likely to advance to the NBA Finals?" Wang Meng finished his advertisement for a certain company first, and then returned to discussing the game.

"Here's the thing, although both teams are in the Western Conference Finals, their roster strength is quite different on paper. The Warriors have four key players, the Splash Brothers, Draymond Green, and on the bench are Iguodala and Livingston. The Clippers don't have that kind of lineup. So the Clippers' chances of winning this series aren't great. Their only hope is Jia Fei. Beverley can defend, but he can't shut down Curry. Basically, no one in the league can do that." Yang Yi rattled off a whole bunch of things.

The starting lineups of both sides took to the field. Zazar stood tall and looked righteous, but when you watch the video of him tripping and kicking, this guy is just a dirty bastard.

After a brief greeting, it was clear from the sharp looks in their eyes that both sides were determined to win this match.

DeAndre Jordan and Zaza Paco Albion are preparing for the jump ball near the center circle; the game is about to begin.

The jump ball began, and DeAndre Jordan easily won against Zaza Paco. In this jump ball segment, his dominance over Zaza Paco was beyond doubt.

But that noob's going to compete with you. He's not a jump ball expert, why would he jump so high? Won't you land? Watch your feet... oh...

Beverley dribbles the ball across half-court.

Klay was guarding Jia Fei.

Beverley dribbles the ball over and passes it to Jia Fei!

Jia Fei dribbles the ball and faces Klay Thompson; DeAndre Jordan comes up to set a screen!

The jerk delayed the game and deliberately bumped into Jia Fei with his shoulder, which infuriated Jia Fei. This guy was always trying to injure the opposing team's star player. Having such a dirty player on the court was an insult to basketball!

Jia Fei dribbles the ball and drives forward, drawing a double team before passing to Wesley Johnson in the corner!

As expected, Wesley Johnson missed his three-pointer!

Chase the ball to the basket, then dribble it forward and look for a splash at the top of the arc!

The Clippers assigned Jia Fei to guard Klay Thompson, Wesley Johnson to guard Durant, and Beverley to guard Curry.

The problem with the Warriors' starting lineup is that neither of their two big men has a consistent shot, which allows the defense to focus on the Splash Brothers. Even with their small-ball lineup, Iguodala and Chase's three-pointers are still open. So the Warriors aren't a true all-layup lineup. Their strength lies in the Splash Brothers' offensive prowess, the team's system, superstars, excellent defensive support, and explosive players like Green and Zach LaMelo as assets—they're simply terrifying.

The Warriors' offensive system is based on passing and cutting, so even if Durant comes, he still has to run the plays diligently. With the Thunder, Durant only needed to ask for the ball, but that won't work here. This is Curry's team, and Kerr is the one in control of the offense.

Because of Zaza Pachulia's presence, DeAndre Jordan can comfortably stay under the basket, as Pachulia lacks shooting ability. The player who initiates the pick-and-roll is Green, and Harris, who defends Green, is quick enough to switch with Beverley to break down the Warriors' Curry-Cheerley pick-and-roll.

Curry passed the ball to Green, who was cutting to the basket. Green tried to outmaneuver Beverley's defense, but his offensive accuracy was far inferior to his defensive accuracy. His turnaround jump shot almost missed the rim.

DeAndre Jordan grabbed the rebound and passed it to Jia Fei to push the ball over.

Jia Fei dribbled the ball up the court and faced Klay Thompson. He cut in after a crossover step at the top of the arc, but his layup was blocked by Green and missed!

Even if you dislike Zhui Dan as a player, you still have to pay tribute to his defense. His defense is truly exemplary in terms of all-around ability, defensive awareness, and intelligence, making him a model for modern basketball centers. Standing at less than two meters tall, he can play center, switch onto speedy guards, and is both tough and smart. On the defensive end, Zhui Dan is a perfect presence.

Both sides had a poor start, feeling a bit tight, perhaps because the foreplay wasn't done well enough.

The Warriors scored first, with Curry acting as bait, Durant cutting to the basket to receive a pass from Green and scoring a layup.

Durant then blocked Wesley Johnson's jump shot, Green pushed the fast break, and Curry hit a three-pointer, giving the Warriors a 5-0 run over the Clippers!

For the Clippers, DeAndre Jordan received the ball in the paint and traveled. Zaza received the ball under the basket, faked a move, and drew a foul on Jordan, making both free throws, making the score 0-7.

The Clippers called a timeout, and Oracle Arena erupted in cheers.

Old Li held the tactical board (which was actually of little use to him), and he had a lot to say to the players.

Tencent Studio.

"Mr. Yang, it seems like the Clippers' offense is having some problems. What do you think we should do to solve this?" Wang Meng asked.

Yang Yi twirled his pen and said, "To be honest, on a stage of this level, apart from Jia Fei, it's really difficult for the Clippers to score on their own. Jia Fei can just keep shooting; whatever the outcome, that's what matters. The opponent is too strong; losing isn't shameful!"

Jeremy Lin and his family were also present at Oracle Arena. He previously played for the Warriors, and the Bay Area is his hometown.