lcionline Chapter 668 Katarina Exchange
Chapter 668 Katarina Exchange
In today's league, it's indeed difficult for blue-collar centers to sign max contracts, but many blue-collar centers still sign contracts worth tens of millions or more, such as the Thunder's Danny Stark, the Rockets' Chris Paul, and the Cavaliers' Tristan Thompson.
This brings us to Hartenstein's contract. On the first day of free agency on the 21st, the Clippers signed young center Hartenstein to a four-year, $15 million contract extension, with the fourth year being a team option!
In retrospect, this was an incredibly cheap contract!
Such a young, blue-collar center earns less than 4 million a year and can still be used for 400 years, what more could you ask for!
Surprisingly, the Clippers' second unit, without Jia Fei and Paul George leading the team, actually crushed the Lakers' second unit!
After being blocked by Hartenstein, the Running Man member looked dejected and used one of his signature moves—spreading his hands—to address the baseline referee.
The baseline referee naturally remained unmoved. You made a fool of yourself, so go back and get your revenge. Asking me to do it for you is just ridiculous.
The Running Man turned back to defend, but instead of seeking revenge, he simply shrugged at the referee. It truly was a case of "LeBron James shrugs off his hands."
The Lakers' second unit struggled on rebounds, and Anthony Davis returned early. Soon after, Lucas Moody also returned.
Anthony Davis and Faker are back, but the Clippers' two core players are not.
The Lakers' Big Three together certainly had an advantage against the Clippers' rotation lineup, and the Clippers' score advantage was gradually closed.
But Coach Buden was really patient. He didn't send Jia Fei and Paul George back until there was a dead ball with 6 minutes and 54 seconds left in the second quarter.
When Paul George and Jia Fei returned to the game, the Clippers led by 2 points at 36-38.
The two teams' key players clashed again, and the game was extremely close. Both sides displayed excellent defense, making scoring difficult and giving viewers the feeling of a playoff-like match.
The unexpected happened before halftime. During a Lakers offensive possession, Durant dribbled the ball and drove into the paint against Paul George. The two collided, and both fell to the ground clutching their knees...
Both team doctors came onto the field to examine the players, and then the two were helped off the field by their respective teammates... The scene was simply unbelievable...
Both players went to the locker room for a check-up, which added a strange element to the game.
Tencent Studio.
“Teacher Su, George and Leonard have both gone for checkups. They should be fine, right?” Wang Zixing asked.
Su Qun adjusted his glasses: "Judging from the slow-motion replay, neither of them showed any obvious twisting of their knees, so there shouldn't be any major problems. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"However, both players have a history of serious injuries, which may lead to other injuries. We need to wait for the post-match examination report. To be on the safe side, neither team should let these two play again. Both sides are aiming for the championship and are not in a hurry for short-term results," Su Qun explained.
At halftime, the Clippers led 49-52 by 3 points.
Intermission.
As Su Qun predicted, both the Clippers and the Lakers announced that Paul George and Anthony Sinisuka would not be playing in this game.
The third quarter began quickly.
Both teams made personnel adjustments. The Lakers started Caruso alongside James and Davis, while the Clippers started Dillon alongside George.
The Clippers initiated the attack.
Jia Fei dribbled over, facing Caruso's defense.
Starting in the second half, the Lakers changed their matchups. Caruso guarded Jia Fei, while AB guarded Dillon. It was obvious that AB was at a significant disadvantage against Jia Fei's pull-up jumpers and post-up moves in the first half. If it weren't for Davis's ubiquitous help defense, it wouldn't be surprising at all that AB was outplayed.
Although Caruso looks white with very little hair and wears a strange headband, his physical attributes are extremely explosive; he's the type who can suddenly deliver a powerful dunk.
As an undrafted player, Caruso is an excellent defender with some playmaking ability. His overall offensive ability is average, but his height of 196cm and his outstanding physical strength make him a good defender who can guard multiple positions.
Caruso is clearly a classic example of the Lakers' successful bargain. This type of player can defend and shoot, which is loved by all the top teams in the NBA, and the contract is very small, making him an excellent value for money.
Caruso wasn't afraid of the challenge; he was excited to have the chance to defend the league's top superstar.
Jia Fei passed the ball to Olynyk in the high post, and then used an off-ball screen to score.
Olynyk received the ball high up and handed it to Grant.
Grant dribbles against Davis, but can't score; he passes to right wing player Jia Fei!
Jia Fei received the ball and threatened it three times. He took a step with his left hand, pressed Caruso down, then changed direction and went to his right hand. When Caruso swiped to help, Jia Fei gathered the ball, turned, leaned back, and then rose again to shoot a fadeaway shot...
After that series of moves, Caruso couldn't reach it. The ball went in easily! 49:54, a 5-point difference!
The running man dribbled over, set a screen with Davis, and then drove and passed to Caruso in the corner.
Caruso misses a three-pointer!
Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, brought the ball over himself, and passed it to Di Long for a three-pointer, but Di Long missed!
The running man grabbed the rebound, and the quarterback made a long pass to Davis in the frontcourt, but Jia Fei saw through it and intercepted the ball!
Caruso committed a foul to stop Jia Fei...
"The Lakers tried to make several long passes today, but the Clippers figured them out!" Wang Zixing said.
Su Qun nodded: "The Lakers' half-court offense is limited by poor spacing, so they will try to play transition offense as much as possible. The Clippers' defense is quick and they pay close attention to the Lakers' long passes. It is obvious that they have planned this before the game."
The Clippers inbound the ball from the sideline. Jia Fei receives the ball, and Olynyk comes up to screen. He dribbles past Gasol and Caruso!
As Anthony Davis came over to help defend, Jia Fei slowed down near the free-throw line, did a quick crossover, then accelerated again, got past Davis, and dunked with one hand!
49:56, a difference of 7 points!
Art Mayork on the sidelines was as excited as a 200-pound child.
The Running Man player brought the ball over and lobbed it to Anthony Davis.
Anthony Davis singled out Grant.
Anthony Davis drove hard to the basket, and the Clippers immediately double-teamed him!
Davis passed the ball out, and it ended up in AB's hands in the corner!
But AB3 missed!
The Clippers secured the defensive rebound and passed it to Jia Fei to advance the ball!
Jia Fei advanced and directed traffic at the top of the arc. Suddenly, he delivered a surgical through ball to Bridges, who was cutting in!
Bridges received the ball and made a layup!
The guy who was supposed to be guarding Bridges was Running Man, but he was directing his teammates' movements and ended up leaving his own man exposed...
This isn't the first time something like this has happened. The Running Man cast has gotten into the habit of directing traffic, whether they're attacking or defending. They've been directing traffic with gestures and gestures for ages, but then they realize the clown is actually himself...
49:58, the point difference is 9 points! The Lakers call a timeout!
Since the start of the third quarter, the Lakers have yet to score, while the Clippers have already scored 6 points, bringing the score close to double digits, and the situation remains unclear.