NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 411, 58 Not Fighting

"Mr. Yang, the Western Conference semifinals are about to begin. What's your prediction for who has a better chance of advancing in this series?" Wang Meng asked.

"If Paul can play and is at 100%, then I still favor the Rockets. Jia Fei is very good, extremely good, but he's only one player. Harden and Paul are both playmakers here, so they can take turns playing. But if Paul can't play, then I still favor the Clippers. Harden is also very good, but Jia Fei is even better than him!" Yang Yi rattled off a whole bunch of things.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Rockets' starting lineup for the home game was Harden, Eric Gordon, Ariza, Ryan Anderson, and Capela.

It is said that 58 decided not to play before the game, a fact that the Clippers, as the opposing team, only just learned.

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

The Clippers' roster has been very stable, remaining unchanged from the regular season to the playoffs.

58 didn't greet his former head coach, Lao Li, and the world knows about their long-standing feud. Lao Li wanted to give his son, Xiao Li, special training, and 58 had been unhappy about it for a long time. Now that 58 has been kicked out of the team, while Lao Li is still there, their conflict has naturally become public. Neither wants to play along; after all, not everyone is a "Running Man" (a popular Chinese sports commentator known for his shrewdness and cunning).

Beverley and the other players who were traded before the season didn't exchange pleasantries with their former teammates. They were all unhappy about being traded as bargaining chips and wanted to prove themselves to their old teams.

Even before the match began, the tension between the two teams was already palpable.

Jia Fei and Harden exchanged brief greetings. They didn't have a deep relationship during their time with the Thunder, and now they are direct competitors, both wanting to eliminate each other.

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

The jump ball began, and DeAndre Jordan won the ball, giving the Clippers possession for the first possession.

Beverley dribbles the ball across half-court.

The player guarding Jia Fei was Ariza, a 3-and-D player for the Rockets.

When Tracy McGrady left the Lakers to join the Rockets, he was groomed to be the next Tracy McGrady. However, the Rockets quickly realized that he simply didn't have the talent to become a superstar. His best role was 3-and-D, with excellent defense and a reliable spot-up outside shot. As for ball-handling and facilitating his teammates' offense, he wasn't up to the task.

After the departure of the wealthy and handsome player, the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady for less than $1000 million a year, which is arguably their best move in recent years.

Ironza perfectly plays the 3-and-D role alongside CP3. While his offensive creativity and talent may not match that of Gary, but he's better defensively, making him a better 3-and-D player. Most importantly, he's cheap! Gary, on the other hand, costs a fortune, and he even faked an injury.

Tieza's defense is still excellent. He closely guards Jia Fei on the off-ball side, and he and Roberson are among the top in the league in this aspect. Like Roberson, he is a fast wing player, good at guarding speedy wing players like Jia Fei, but he is more vulnerable against muscular players.

Beverley initiates a pick-and-roll, drives in and passes to Harris in the corner, who then drives again, but misses a mid-range jump shot!

Harden grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball up the court himself. He was being defended by his former teammate, Beverley.

With 58 out, Harden became the point guard. In fact, even with 58, Harden handled the ball more often. This guy has a characteristic: he's incredibly lazy when he doesn't have the ball. He often just stands at a 45-degree angle or in the corner, completely motionless. Off-ball movement, cuts, baseline runs—none of that applies to him. Sometimes it makes you wonder if he's not good at catch-and-shoot (CS). But actually, when he first joined the Rockets, his catch-and-shoot percentage was very impressive. But later he just didn't like that anymore. He enjoyed having the ball himself, scoring and racking up assists. He got used to being a ball-dominant playmaker and didn't like doing catch-and-shoot.

Not only is he lazy on offense, but Harden is also incredibly lazy on defense, especially during the season he was dating Khloe. He was described as having "eye-only defense," "Sharingan," and being a member of the Uchiha clan.

Jia Fei suspected that Harden was having too much fun with women off the court, which was draining his energy and spirit, so he didn't support Harden giving his all on the court. Therefore, Harden would choose to stroll around and conserve energy on defense, then take a shot on offense, and even when off the ball, he would still conserve energy.

Compared to players like Humphries who were completely drained, Harden's physique is truly excellent, and he genuinely possesses the ability. Regardless of his attempts to manipulate the rules and become a "one-point king" in the regular season, he can still score even if you don't actually try to foul him. You have to admire that.

Harden's ball-handling and Cardiff's pick-and-roll are the same old formula, the same old flavor. The Clippers' response is to have Beverley squeeze through the screen.

Harden stepped back and attempted a three-pointer, almost making it!

Mike D'Antoni's offensive system, inherited from his time with the Suns, involves a guard handling the ball, starting with a high pick-and-roll, a V-shaped post-up, and the wings spreading out. This offense is simple and direct, offering ample spacing, but it demands a certain level of team composition. It requires shooters to create space and a competent ball-handler. Steve Nash defied expectations and won two MVPs within this system, Jeremy Lin became "Linsanity" with it, and James Harden reached the peak of his career statistical performance within it.

DeAndre Jordan grabbed the rebound.

Neither side managed to hit a shot at the start, so everyone was a bit cautious and tense.

Tieza guarded Jia Fei the entire game, sticking to him like glue. It was as if Jia Fei was the only person in Tieza's world. This "I only have eyes for you" attitude really resembled Lao Wang, who was still endorsing Wahaha Pure Water.

Jia Fei can certainly still receive the ball; his ability to get rid of defenders is far superior to Harden's. Harden may be lazy, but Jia Fei isn't. With an off-ball screen, he'll have a chance to receive the ball!

Beverley passes the ball to Jia Fei, who receives it, and DeAndre Jordan comes up to screen.

The card's movement speed is really fast. As a center forward, he can move up and delay very quickly. Together with Tieza, he made it difficult for Jia Fei to get the ball out for a while.

DeAndre Jordan can only roll to the basket after a pick-and-roll; he can't pop out to shoot three-pointers. This makes it easier for the defense to target him. As long as they don't let him cut into the paint, he can shoot mid-range shots however he wants.

Jia Fei dribbled the ball and missed a shot. He drove in and encountered help defense near the free-throw line. He passed the ball to Wesley Johnson in the corner, but the shot missed!

However, Jia Fei grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to DeAndre Jordan under the basket, who was fouled when he went up for a strong drive!

But DeAndre Jordan missed both free throws...

Jia Fei was speechless. A center whose free throws are worse than Shaq's? What have they been practicing all this time?

PS: Shaquille O'Neal: "I'm a center too, Jia Feigege!"

Harden continued the pick-and-roll with Cardiff, drove in, made a pocket pass, and Cardiff caught the ball and slammed it home with a two-handed dunk, giving Cardiff the lead!