NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 761 Shipwreck Third Battle

Jokic is indeed an exceptionally talented basketball player!

Many people believe that basketball talent is determined by height, wingspan, reach, and the size of a hand's palm, which is certainly true; these are considered static talents. Others believe that jumping high, running fast, and having great strength equate to outstanding talent, which is also correct; these are considered dynamic talents.

But many people don't know that there are some talents that are not easy to see or that laymen simply don't know, such as basketball IQ, vision, the ability to control emotions, shooting touch, and... a pair of good hands!

Basketball and football are opposite sports. Basketball cannot be kicked with the feet, while football cannot be held with the hands. However, the two sports have two things in common: one is that both require running, and the other is that both are full-court competitive sports with total offense and defense.

This means that the "hands" are very important in basketball!

Skills are not just about shooting touch or dribbling ability, but also include the ability to grab the ball when rebounding, the ability to make layups or pass, and so on.

Why do some centers, despite their explosive athleticism, often struggle to hold the ball or make layups, frequently fumbling with their hands? It's not that they don't try; it's simply that they lack finesse.

Why are Asik and Mozgov's hands so hard, while Sabonis and Jokic's touch is so soft? Keep in mind that all four of them are European white centers, while Asik and the others are not the kind of big, tough inside players.

That's talent too! It's just that many people don't realize it, thinking that only height, wingspan, jumping speed, and speed count as talent!

Jokic's talent is undeniable. He doesn't have the leaping ability of typical Black centers, nor is he particularly fast, but considering he plays center, speed isn't a primary concern. His leaping ability puts him at a disadvantage in shot-blocking, but he's not exactly known for his shot-blocking skills. He rarely blocks shots, resulting in a low number of fouls.

Jokic has the height and weight to be a solid floor-bound center. His ball-handling skills are superb, his rhythm is excellent, and combined with his muscular physique, he can drive from the three-point line all the way to the paint. Watching his hook shot and Gobert's hook shot is like comparing a soft caramel pudding to a hard baguette.

Just how good is Jokic's dexterity? He can tip the ball around in the air like a magician manipulating it; it's simply amazing.

Keep in mind this is the NBA, the world's highest level basketball league, filled with all sorts of amazing players, yet he still seems so at ease, it's truly astonishing.

On May 17th, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, at the Clippers' home arena, Intuit Dome.

The Clippers and Nuggets will meet again in the playoffs!

After Jia Fei took over the Clippers, they played the Nuggets twice in the playoffs (excluding this one), and the Clippers won both times.

But the Nuggets are the only team the Clippers have beaten in the playoffs in recent years, something many other teams haven't been able to do.

The Nuggets' advantage is Jokic. As the league's best center, he has a huge advantage against any opponent's interior defense. The Clippers' interior defense, Hartenstein, is a blue-collar player. Even though he works hard and is excellent, he can't escape the fate of being Jokic's plaything.

The Nuggets not only have Jokic, but also Murray, a player with explosive scoring ability. The Clippers aren't afraid of Murray one-on-one; they possess the league's strongest perimeter defense, and even though Murray is a great scorer, he'll struggle against them. However, once Murray and Jokic run pick-and-rolls, their effectiveness increases dramatically. Jokic's pick-and-rolls are so high-quality and threatening that even the Clippers find them difficult to defend.

Besides these two, the Nuggets also have formidable players like Aaron Gordon and Porter Jr. They are considered the only team in the West with the potential to shake up the Clippers, and this is not an unfounded claim.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

For the Clippers, the starting lineup is Jia Fei, Bridges, Paul George, Grant Williams, and Hartenstein.

The Nuggets' starting lineup consists of Murray, Pope, Porter Jr., Gordon, and Jokic.

The Nuggets' roster is also very tall. Jokic goes without saying, and Porter Jr., the small forward, is 208cm tall. His height when he pulls up for a jump shot is terrifying, giving people a sense of fear reminiscent of being dominated by McGrady back in the day.

Even Murray, who plays point guard, is 193 cm tall, which is considered tall for a point guard in the league.

Of course, the Clippers' height is not a concern, as the average height of both sides is actually similar.

After the match began, both sides demonstrated their respective strategies.

The Clippers' defensive strategy was to have Bridges guard Murray, Jabeur to guard Pope, Paul George to guard Porter Jr., Grant Williams to guard Gordon, and Hartenstein to guard Jokic. It was basically positional defense, but with some emphasis.

Defending Pope and Porter primarily involves preventing them from shooting, but allowing them to drive is acceptable. Defending Gordon involves letting him shoot, with a focus on preventing cuts and alley-oops.

The Clippers' strategy against Jokic is to use one-on-one defense plus occasional double-teams, but they generally avoid full-court double-teams. They welcome Jokic to devour Hartenstein, but they won't let him get his teammates moving.

Everyone knows that one person can't stop Jokic. Even Gobert, the Defensive Player of the Year, becomes nothing more than a toy against him. Anthony Davis, considered the answer in small-ball lineups, also struggles against Jokic. Expecting Hartenstein to single-handedly defend Jokic is like hoping to win the lottery.

When defending Murray and Jokic's pick-and-roll, the Clippers' strategy is to pass Jokic some three-pointers, try not to switch on him, and when Murray drives in, the wings collapse to help defend him, while the rest of the team quickly rotates. This tests the team's defensive coordination and discipline, and the Clippers are among the best in the league at this.

The Nuggets' real ball-handling threats are only Murray and Jokic; the others can't defeat the Clippers, and they are very clear about that.

However, we can't let others get into a good rhythm, so we won't easily double-team Jokic and force him into one-on-one situations.

The Clippers' offensive strategy is to use pick-and-rolls to target Jokic, then chase him down. Jia Fei specifically mentioned Murray and Jokic.

Jokic's defense wasn't actually that bad. The Clippers' goal wasn't to specifically target his defense, but rather to wear him down. The best way was to exhaust his energy and force him into foul trouble.

The Nuggets' offensive strategy revolves around the Jokic-Murray pick-and-roll, with Jokic touching the ball in the elbow area, Murray taking one-on-one shots, Porter Jr. pulling up for jumpers, Gordon making cuts, and Pope serving as a 3-and-D player responsible for creating space to receive the ball and shoot.

The defensive strategy was for Pope to guard Jia Fei for the entire game, Murray to guard Bridges, Jokic to guard Hartenstein, Gordon to guard Grant Williams, and Porter to guard Paul George.

Defend against Jia Fei, especially in pick-and-roll situations, by using a large delay, and leaving Grant Williams open when necessary.

Both sides were very familiar with each other and came out with very targeted strategies, making for a very intense match.