NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 412 Let's Hurt Each Other

Card's ability to finish on the pick-and-roll is indeed stronger than DeAndre Jordan's. Jordan excels at alley-oop dunks, but due to his slower movement, his speed on the roll is relatively slow, requiring him to be a significant threat near the paint. Card, on the other hand, has faster speed on the roll and more options for finishing at the rim, whether it's an alley-oop or a catch-and-go. Both players lack shooting ability and independent scoring ability, relying entirely on finishing on the rim for offense.

Neither of them were butterflies, and they rarely spilled their food.

However, this style of play relies heavily on excellent ball handlers to feed them the ball, making it unsuitable for dealing with small-ball lineups that switch on defense.

Harden continued to run pick-and-rolls with Cardiff, and DeAndre Jordan's weakness of not being able to close out when defending the pick-and-rolls was exploited by the opponent!

Beverley's ability to set screens is already top-notch in the league, but unfortunately, Cardiff's screen quality is very good, and Harden's speed in initiating offense with the screen is too fast. He only needs a little screen time to get into position. Considering his status as the "image ambassador of Jingdezhen", you can't be too aggressive on defense, which makes their screen-and-roll very difficult to defend.

Harris was helping defend the basket, but Harden made a quick pass to Ryan Anderson in the corner!

Ryan Anderson decisively took a three-pointer—and it went in cleanly!

The Rockets started the game with a 5-0 run!

The Rockets fans at the Toyota Center erupted in cheers. It was fantastic that they were able to execute such a classic play right from the start. Even 58 on the sidelines couldn't help but applaud. Although he couldn't play, defeating his former team, the Clippers, was the top priority. It was a bit of a pity that he couldn't personally take to the court, but compared to the "main problem" of the Clippers being eliminated after reaching the Western Conference Finals, these were only secondary problems.

Jia Fei also remarked that this lineup is indeed difficult to defend. There's a reason why the Rockets achieved such results in the regular season. In terms of ball-handling and creative ability alone, Westbrook is clearly inferior to Harden. While the Rockets' defense may not be top-tier, their offense is strong. They have ball-handlers who can finish and shooters, and their offensive spacing is excellent. The Clippers can't use the same strategy they used against the Thunder to deal with them, otherwise they'll definitely be the ones who suffer.

Clippers offense, Beverley made a mistake when passing to Jia Fei, and it was stolen by Tieza!

The Rockets launched a counterattack, and Harden received a pass from Teza and successfully drew a foul, giving him a chance to go to the free-throw line!

The Clippers have called a timeout. The team's offense is having problems, and their defense is also a bit disorganized. The players need a pep talk to calm down.

The Toyota Center erupted in cheers, with chants of "MVP" ringing out everywhere. Everyone knew that Jia Fei and Harden were MVP contenders, and the home fans naturally hoped Harden would win. If they could defeat Jia Fei and the Clippers on home soil, there would be nothing better. Even if Harden didn't win, he could use it to criticize the league and his rivals, just like Westbrook was criticized if he had won, despite being eliminated from the competition.

Old Li is naturally just offering platitudes; otherwise, why would you expect him to explain complex tactics? Those skills aren't innate, and you probably won't acquire them later in life—of course, this only applies to him. Coaches don't necessarily become more tactically adept with age. Some young coaches are brimming with tactical knowledge, like the young general. And some people, while not necessarily having accumulated years of experience, have spent their time honing their communication skills and interpersonal relationships instead of focusing on tactics. You can't say they haven't tried hard enough.

After all, sometimes talent is also a kind of strength. Just like Jia Fei's former teammate Ibaka, he has 18cm when he's soft, but you only have 8cm when you're hard. Can you compare them?

P.S.: Ibaka: "Stop using me as an example all the time, it makes people feel embarrassed!"

Tencent Studio.

"Mr. Yang, the Clippers' offense and defense seem to have some problems!" Wang Meng said.

Yang Yi nodded: "DeAndre Jordan can't defend pick-and-rolls. He can't get out and can only stay inside. When he's on the court, the opponent will have a hard time if they target him with pick-and-rolls."

"DeAndre Jordan wasn't targeted that much when they played the Thunder!" Wang Meng said.

"The Thunder's offensive spacing is poor. The Clippers can help defend, and Adams' shooting ability isn't as accurate as Harden's, nor is his passing ability. Adams is slow, while Capela is much faster!" Yang Yi explained.

The timeout ended, the motivational speech was over, and the Clippers starters had regained their energy, so the game continued.

Uchiha Den stepped to the free-throw line and, using his Mangekyou Sharingan, made both free throws, upholding the glory of Konoha Village.

0:7, and the Clippers' score was even Westbrook's jersey number!

Beverley dribbled the ball across half-court and gestured wildly at the top of the key, trying to direct traffic, but it was all for naught. He wanted to experience being a backcourt playmaker, something he never had the chance to do with the Rockets.

He felt more comfortable with the Clippers. Jia Fei often gave him more freedom, and he had a significant amount of off-ball offense, allowing him to rack up assists. Jia Fei's good defense also meant he didn't have to guard the opponent's star perimeter player every time, resulting in fewer foul trouble and more consistent offensive playing time.

In Beverley's opinion, partnering with Jia Fei is much better than partnering with Harden. As a star player, Jia Fei takes the lead in defense, trains hard, doesn't ask for special privileges, and is definitely a high-quality leader.

Jia Fei came out from the baseline to receive the ball after a screen, and this time he got it.

DeAndre Jordan wanted to come up and screen again, but Jia Fei shook his head, signaling Harris to come up and screen.

Harris came up to set a screen, forcing a switch.

Jia Fei hit Ryan Anderson.

Ryan Anderson can definitely shoot and create his own shot on offense, but his defense is truly a nightmare to defend. When he was with the Pelicans, at least Anthony Davis helped him out, but with the Rockets, he's on his own.

Jia Fei had the ball, and Ryan Anderson didn't dare to move forward.

Jia Fei feinted a step, then suddenly made a very realistic shooting fake, and Ryan Anderson was still caught off guard!

Jia Fei drove in very quickly, reaching the basket in just a few steps. Facing the card protecting the rim, he chose to force his way in!

The two made physical contact in mid-air, and Card jumped vertically without committing a foul!

However, Jia Fei still managed to score the ball steadily thanks to his excellent hang time and core strength!

2:7, the Clippers have scored too!

The Rockets continued to rely on Harden's pick-and-roll offense against Jordan, while the Clippers used double teams!

Harden passed the ball quickly. Ariza handled the situation 2-on-1, and Jia Fei defended 2-on-1. He wanted to pass to Harden, but Jia Fei saw through his plan!

Jia Fei intercepted the ball and launched a counterattack from the backcourt, but it was thwarted by a tactical foul from Round-faced Deng!

The Clippers inbounded the ball in the frontcourt, and Jia Fei continued to run a pick-and-roll with Harris!

This time the opponent didn't switch, and Jia Fei accelerated and drove in. He encountered a help defense from the card player and passed to DeAndre Jordan to complete an alley-oop!

4-7, the Clippers responded with a 4-0 run, their offense is picking up, and the target is Ryan Anderson!

You hit my DeAndre Jordan, I'll hit your Ryan Anderson, let's hurt each other!