lcionline Chapter 361 A Deadly Strike in the Opening Match
Chapter 361 A Deadly Strike in the Opening Match
Both sides still have one timeout left, both teams are using their starting lineups, and the game has entered the crucial final minute.
Many of the Trail Blazers fans in the arena stood up. You could say that both sides had their flaws in this game, but you definitely can't call it a clash of weaklings, because Jia Fei and Lillard's individual performances were really great.
The Trail Blazers were pressing hard on the inbound pass, and the Clippers almost committed a turnover.
The ball got into Jia Fei's hands, and a double team immediately came up!
Jia Fei handled the ball calmly and composedly. He had already developed excellent ball-handling skills during his time with the Hawks, and he had his own insights into dealing with this kind of early double-team.
The ball was passed to Harris, who then passed it to Wesley Johnson in the corner.
Wesley Johnson got an open look, but he missed the three-pointer!
As a 3-and-D player, his offense and defense were both mediocre in this game. Of course, he's not a particularly outstanding 3-and-D player; otherwise, given the current high demand for 3-and-D players in the league, he wouldn't have only received a minimum salary contract.
Aminu got the rebound, and the ball immediately went to Lillard.
The fans in the stadium started clapping and cheering for their star player.
Beverley led the defense the entire game, not giving Lillard any easy opportunities to dribble the ball up the court.
But Lillard is no pushover. After dribbling the ball up the court, he used Plumlee's screen to set a screen for him.
The Clippers opted to double-team Lillard from the high post.
Lillard wasn't contained either, and he passed the ball to Plumlee who was cutting down the court!
4 against 3!
Green is very good at handling these kinds of balls!
Plumlee didn't choose to pass; he wanted to take the shot himself! He wasn't only confident in his dribbling skills, but also firmly believed that his finishing ability was among the best of all centers in the league. With the opposing center already moved out of position, why would he pass the ball? Even though Harkless was open in the corner, the question remained—why should I pass?
It's better to do it yourself than to pass it to this kind of ice archer!
The logic is sound; the closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage will be!
Jia Fei had already guessed what the oyster was thinking, so he left his defender behind and went to help defend under the basket!
Plumlee was on fire, completely ignoring Harris under the basket. A center beating a forward—there's no logic to it in the paint!
But... he forgot that some people can transcend height, like Jia Fei! For these people, the sky is their limit!
Plumlee thought he was about to succeed, but he suddenly noticed a Gundam in front of him, and a person appeared in the air like a roc, completely covering him!
He almost shouted it out. At this point, there was no way he could pass the ball anymore. The arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released. So be it!
Plumlee slammed the ball into the basket, but in that instant, he realized that someone had swatted the ball away; he had only managed to dunk it on the rim!
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd! The ball had gone out of bounds...
"My God, Jia Fei actually blocked Plumlee's dunk! That was a dunk! Jia Fei blocked Plumlee's dunk!" Wang Meng passionately commented in the Tencent studio.
Despite the spectacular block, Jia Fei remained calm, merely shrugging without much excitement. His teammate, Beverley, on the other hand, was ecstatic, rubbing against him like a husky eager to please its owner.
Plumlee protested to the referee, arguing that Jia Fei had committed a foul!
The referee explained that it was a good block, but Plumlee still insisted that it was a foul.
Beverley slipped over and, rather untimely, taunted, "You get blocked and then you say it's a foul? Anyway, you're not wrong, everyone else is!"
Plumlee glared at Beverley; if eyes could kill, Beverley would already be dead.
The referee signaled for play to continue, and the ball was served from the baseline. The attack time was still 6.3 seconds!
Lillard inbounds the ball from the baseline to CJ at the top of the key!
Jia Fei single-handedly defends against CJ!
There's not much time left on offense, and there's no chance to organize another attack. CJ has to attack as soon as he gets the ball!
One on one!
CJ forcefully breaks through with his right hand!
Jia Fei remained in front of him, his steps clear and steady, using his height and reach to shield his opponent.
CJ possesses excellent ball-handling and offensive abilities. Unlike Lillard, his offense is more traditional, featuring solid face-up skills, a consistent mid-range shot, and the ability to finish inside. His weaknesses are obvious: he's only 190cm tall, his physical attributes are relatively average, he lacks a lightning-fast first step, and his explosiveness can't compare to a powerhouse like Westbrook.
CJ couldn't shake off Jia Fei, and with little time left on the shot clock, he opted to fake a shot and then force a shot!
He was almost blocked, but the ball didn't hit the rim, and the 24-second shot clock went off...
"It's Jia Fei again! My God, Jia Fei stopped the Trail Blazers' offense twice with his defense! His defense is definitely underestimated, he is fully capable of becoming DPOY!" Wang Meng shouted excitedly.
There are 36 seconds left in the game!
The Clippers are on offense, and Beverley dribbles the ball over.
Jia Fei didn't deliberately try to receive the ball; he lurked on the weak side.
Beverley and Jordan ran a pick-and-roll, but Beverley drove in and then came out again; he couldn't finish the shot!
Suddenly, Jia Fei made a U-turn and left Harkless behind!
Beverley immediately passed the ball over!
Jia Fei received the ball but didn't dribble. He adjusted in mid-air and immediately jumped to shoot...
This choice left the Trail Blazers with no time to double-team. But wasn't this play a little too difficult?
But often it comes down to the result, because he scored!
A goal is a good goal if it goes in. Some players make a lot of impressive moves, but if they miss, it's all for nothing. Everything revolves around scoring; if you don't score, it's all nonsense!
Jia Fei scored! On the bench, Art Mayork practically broke his towel in celebration! Goodness, he was happier than if he had scored himself!
The vast Rose Garden Arena fell silent. There was no other way; the best way to deal with the noise from fans when playing away was to beat them into submission.
101-99, with 14.6 seconds left in the game! The Trail Blazers used their final timeout!
With enough time remaining on offense and a killer like Lillard on the roster, the Trail Blazers should have a chance to either tie or take the lead.
The home fans at the stadium also pinned their hopes on Coach Li, a man who once hit a game-winning shot against the Rockets in the playoffs and has made multiple game-winning shots in the regular season, a true clutch player.
The timeout is over and the game continues.
The ball was served, and Lillard came to receive it, but he was double-teamed!
Lidner passed the ball out, Aminu tried to pass it back but couldn't find an opportunity, so he passed it to CJ on the other side!
CJ passes to Harkless again. With little time left on the shot clock, Harkless has no choice but to shoot!
The result... was a failed attempt!
DeAndre Jordan grabbed the rebound, and the game ended!
Ultimately, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Trail Blazers thanks to Jia Fei's game-winning shot on the final possession, securing the opening game victory.