NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 601 The Forward Reserves Came in Use

Ultimately, the Clippers defeated the Jazz 112-101 on the road, achieving their fifth consecutive victory.

贾飞本场比赛出战39分钟，砍下全场最高的40分，外加10个篮板7次助攻3个抢断2个盖帽，依然是全队表现最好的球员。

The standout player in this game was Kyle Anderson, who replaced Gallinari in the starting lineup in the second half. Although he only scored 5 points, he grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 9 assists, and also had 2 steals and 1 block. He was the absolute X-factor of the game and a true surprise weapon.

Now everyone finally understands the benefits of trading Harrell and draft picks for Kyle Anderson. He may not have the same scoring ability and explosive dunks as Harrell, but his versatile role has injected more variability into the Clippers.

Some players' contributions aren't reflected in their scoring, like Andre Iguodala of the Warriors. He's averaging less than 10 points per game, but his defense, playmaking, defensive flexibility, experience, and ball-handling skills are all valuable assets to the team.

Kyle Anderson is the kind of player whose value isn't reflected in the statistics. His versatility is exactly what this team needs. In fact, the Clippers only have two truly all-around players on both offense and defense: Jia Fei and Paul George. If Paul George doesn't play, the team's strength will drop significantly.

February has arrived...

Gallinari's sprain was not serious, but the team, just to be on the safe side, followed the principle of "treating minor injuries with full care" and gave him a week to rest.

With both Paul George and Danilo Gallinari on the injury list, the Clippers are suddenly missing two starting forwards, posing a significant challenge to their strength. Fortunately, their forward depth is truly abundant. Kyle Anderson, Dillon, Bridges, rookie Grant Williams, Bruce Brown, and Hart can all be used as forwards.

On November 1st, the Clippers, back in Los Angeles, will face their old rivals, the Spurs.

The Spurs are in a very delicate situation right now, stuck in the middle of the Western Conference. With the veteran coach Gregg Popovich at the helm and All-Stars like LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan leading the team, their record isn't too bad. However, lacking a true superstar, their chances of breaking through in the highly competitive Western Conference are slim.

This illustrates that "even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice." In the NBA, what truly determines a team's ceiling is not the coach, but the superstars.

Only superstars can raise the ceiling; a coach's system and coaching ability are important, but not the most important.

This brings us to former Clippers head coach Lee, nicknamed "Pighead Lee." He coached the Celtics and won the championship in the 2007-08 season, leading many to mistakenly believe he led the Big Three to victory. The Clippers paid a hefty price to acquire him, offering him a high salary and involving him in team operations—essentially a coach and part-time general manager. But as it turns out, he was a complete idiot!

It wasn't him who led the Big Three to the championship, but the Big Three who led him to the championship! Aside from shouting and giving pep talks, he couldn't do anything about on-the-spot adjustments or reasonable lineup arrangements.

The Clippers have won two consecutive championships since trading him away. This is certainly due to the addition of Paul George and the growth of Jia Fei, but you rarely see the Clippers losing a lead of dozens of points now. The current Clippers' control of the game is top-notch in the league. You almost never see them lose after leading by a large margin; on the contrary, they often come back to defeat their opponents.

But with his championship with the Celtics, the "championship coach" aura and label made it easy for him to find a job. After all, in today's NBA, good coaches are extremely rare, while there are a whopping 30 teams. Good coaches are in high demand, which means that even a coach with obvious flaws like him can find a new job immediately.

Popovich is undoubtedly a much better coach than Pighead, but without his trump cards, his magic fades. No matter how skilled a chef is, it's all for naught if the ingredients are bad. Good ingredients, however simple in preparation, can bring a peak enjoyment.

That evening, the Clippers hosted the Spurs at Staples Center.

Although this match wasn't a high-profile one, it was still broadcast live across the United States.

The Clippers are the defending champions, and two-time consecutive champions. They have the league's best player, Jia Fei, and enjoy the huge market of Los Angeles. They have both popularity and strength, and have the most nationally televised games among all 30 teams in the league.

Staples Center is naturally a gathering place for stars, and you can easily spot celebrities here, which is unimaginable in many NBA home arenas.

Lin Ning got a fantastic ticket, sitting right next to pop icon Taylor Swift and football heartthrob David Beckham—something she would never have dared to dream of before. She knew it was all because of Jia Fei; if she hadn't known this man, she would never have had the chance to watch a game with such stars.

If she doesn't have any feelings for a man who is so handsome, skilled in combat, and considerate, then there must be something wrong with her orientation...

But there's nothing wrong with her orientation. She finds herself increasingly drawn to Jia Fei, an uncontrollable attraction. Yet, she feels uneasy because Jia Fei has never explicitly told her he likes her. He has held her hand, but what does that mean? Does holding hands mean they have to be together? Sometimes, even after sex, they don't necessarily end up together.

Keep in mind that this is in the U.S., where people are very open-minded.

She is rather conservative in her thinking. She didn't have a boyfriend while studying in the U.S. She doesn't like relationships that have no future, and she prefers slightly more mature men.

Could Jia Fei be her boyfriend?

Lin Ning dared not think about it and was not sure, but the only thing she was sure of was that he was very good to her. Based on a woman's intuition, she believed that his kindness to her was not the kind of kindness a brother would show to his sister.

During pre-game practice, Clippers head coach Mike Budenholzer proactively greeted Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Budenholzer is Popovich's protégé, a fact known worldwide. The popularity and renown of coaches from the "Spurs system" is largely attributed to Popovich.

Harrell whistled; he didn't want to talk to his former Clippers teammates. He was furious; he hated them. He felt his abilities were more than what they offered, and to be kicked out of the team was simply unacceptable!

Kyle Anderson still took the initiative to greet the Spurs coaching staff and players. He left the Spurs peacefully. Although he was traded, he was grateful to the team for sending him to the Clippers and to the side of Jia Fei, the league's best player.