NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 525 New Version: Los Angeles Derby

That evening, celebrities from all walks of life in Los Angeles gathered here, a star-studded event.

Kobe and his family were also present. As a special representative of the NBA who is "one man, one city," the Lakers are his home, and he is the totem of the Lakers.

Vanessa remains as alluring as ever, embodying the charm of a mature woman. Lakers fans eagerly anticipate her giving birth to a healthy baby boy for Kobe, a son to inherit the Mamba mantle and continue playing for the Lakers, thus writing Kobe's legendary story.

But isn't Vanessa trying? Can you blame her for not getting pregnant? It's just that Kobe keeps refusing to pass on his Y chromosome! It's like how he's most reluctant to pass the ball in crucial moments on the court…

The Lakers' head coach is the infamous "tanking guru," Luke Walton. Walton Jr. played for the Lakers during his playing career, but his performance wasn't great, nowhere near as good as his father's; he was always a role player. After retiring, he went to learn from Kerr, played with a maxed-out account for a while, and thought he was good enough. He suddenly became head coach, and you've seen the Lakers' record in the last two years—it's absolutely abysmal… What's most unacceptable to fans isn't just the poor record, but also the fact that no young players have truly blossomed under his coaching, and he's not exactly adept at developing young talent. He's always fiddling with his small-ball lineup, never considering the team's actual situation. "Randall at center," "Ingram at center," "Kuzma at center"... Doesn't he know these players are completely unsuitable for center?

Not everyone is Draymond Green, capable of playing center in small lineups! Also, do you think a small lineup is easy to play without the Splash Brothers? Just putting a bunch of short guys on top makes it a small lineup?

Lakers fans are too tired to even comment anymore. This guy just doesn't have Kerr's talent, but he's got Kerr's problems! And he won't learn until he hits a brick wall. If the Lakers want to rise again, firing this guy is the first step!

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

"Teacher Su, what are your thoughts on the Los Angeles derby?" Wang Zixing asked.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses as usual, speaking slowly and deliberately: "The Lakers acquired LeBron James this summer, which certainly increases their strength compared to last season. But to say that they can now compete with the Clippers is unlikely. The Clippers are still much stronger. As for who will ultimately win the game, it's hard to say. I can only say that the Clippers have a higher probability of winning."

Practice before the match; the match is about to begin.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Lakers' starting lineup for the home game is Runner-up, Ingram, Zubac, Pope, and Ball.

The Clippers' starting lineup for the away game is Jia Fei, Paul George, Beverley, Jeff Green, and Art Mayork.

The Clippers' injury problems persist. Beverley will return for this game, but Gallinari and Olynyk are still recovering and will not play.

After the opening ceremony, the starting players from both sides began preparing to enter the field.

The Running Man cast is still doing the same thing, throwing magnesium powder before the game. In terms of building a personal brand, he's truly unique in the NBA. Who else would do this before every game, both home and away? Doesn't that get tiring?

But he enjoys it immensely!

The Running Man members jogged around, hugging and exchanging pleasantries with Jia Fei and Paul George, making him seem exceptionally hospitable. In reality, he had no personal relationship with either Jia Fei or Paul George; he was more like a businessman, the NBA's top socialite.

The other Lakers starters were all shy. Lonzo Ball had a face full of acne and looked like a high school student. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope looked like a goofy guy. Ivica Zubac looked silly and would scratch his head, making him look like he was carrying a ton of rice. Brandon Ingram had sleepy eyes and looked like he hadn't woken up yet.

Zubac and Art Mayork are preparing for the jump ball near the center circle; the game is about to begin.

The jump ball began, and Art Mayok won the jump ball against Zubac, giving the Clippers possession for the first offensive possession.

Beverley dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.

Pope braced himself in a horse stance, intently defending against Jia Fei.

Art Mayork sets a screen, Jia Fei dribbles the ball up the court, and passes to Jeff Green on the weak side.

Jeff Green faced his former teammate, Running Man, and after a triple threat, he broke through and passed to Art Mayok under the basket.

Art Mayork's strong move was blocked by Zubac!

The Running Man team immediately launched a counterattack after getting the ball!

When they counterattack, the Running Man members' speed is comparable to that of athletes in a 100-meter sprint, and at that moment you seem to forget their age.

The Clippers' defense was quick, and the running man leaned against Paul George for a "mechanical Euro step" layup...

Jia Fei arrived in a flash, swatting a huge block that bounced off the backboard!

Ingram got the ball, made a dunk and tried to dunk over Paul George, but the latter chopped the ball away with a chop!

Pickled pepper gets the ball, Jia Fei scores!

Jia Fei dribbled the ball forward, cut into the middle, faced Zubac, and after a glide, switched to his left hand and scored with a bank shot!

2-0, the Clippers score first!

A large number of Clippers fans were present, and cheers immediately erupted. If the Clippers previously had virtually no standing in Los Angeles, their fan base there has grown significantly, with last season's championship winning them many fans. This has contributed to the immense popularity of the Los Angeles derby.

The Lakers are on offense. Lonzo Ball dribbles the ball over and, after a screen, passes it to the right wing.

After a three-threat attack, the Running Man player broke through and passed to the corner.

Pope's three-pointer was disrupted by Jia Fei and missed!

Art Mayork grabbed the rebound.

Art Mayork immediately passed the ball to Jia Fei!

Jia Fei receives the ball and advances, then passes it to Beverley in the frontcourt!

Beverley's three-point attempt missed!

The Running Man player grabbed the rebound, then drove the length of the court, drove to the basket, and passed to Zubac for a dunk!

2-2, the Lakers have scored!

Beverley dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei gave the pickled peppers a portion and told him to hit Yingge.

Ingram's defense is so-so. Despite his long arms and legs, his defensive effort is about the same as that of the current Running Man cast. They're all lazy and just putting on a show, saving their energy for offense.

Paul George used a few fakes and the opponent gave up on defense, but Paul George himself didn't make the shot!

The Running Man player grabbed the defensive rebound under the basket and launched a fast break!

The Clippers' defense was very quick, and Ball was on the run.

But Ball isn't good at shooting three-pointers! He continued to pass the ball to Pope, but Pope was firmly controlled by Jia Fei.

Pope had no choice but to pass the ball back to his brother, and at that point, there was no chance for a transition.

Coach Budenholzer's strategy was to lock down Pope, the Lakers' only reliable three-point shooter in the starting lineup, give up some offensive rebounding, and focus all his efforts on getting back on defense to limit the opponent's transition offense. As long as the transition offense was limited and the opponent was forced to take one-on-one shots, their offense would not be as threatening.