NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 759 Another sweep

As for Bridges, he continued to play every game this season, completing all 82 games, demonstrating his endurance once again. Compared to last season, his defense remained excellent, and on offense, while maintaining his core 3-and-D skillset, he also developed some ball-handling offense, which was a pleasant surprise.

Bridges and Brunson's outstanding performances were a key reason why the Clippers achieved an impressive 79-3 record in the regular season. These two players are not only capable but also durable, and together with Jia Fei, they are the backbone of the team.

April 22, Clippers vs. Timberwolves series, Game 3.

The Timberwolves have little room for adjustment. They dare not start Reed alongside Towns, firstly because this lineup was already used against the Clippers last season and proved ineffective. While Reed can shoot as a big man, he can't change the Clippers' defensive formation, so his impact isn't as significant as expected. Most importantly, Gobert can't be on the bench. He played so well in the regular season, a defensive anchor; putting him on the bench would displease both the management and Gobert himself.

Coach Finch isn't stupid. Adjusting Gobert would be a slap in the face to management, whether they win or lose. Losing to the Clippers without making adjustments isn't shameful; nobody believed their team, which came through the play-in tournament, could beat the dominant Clippers. Losing is normal; winning is abnormal. So, they should proceed methodically, make the necessary adjustments, and accept the loss as long as it gives fans and management hope and proves they tried their best.

Being an NBA head coach is a high-risk job. If you don't get along with the team's star players or they're not happy playing with you, you'll likely be fired. If you can't satisfy the management, you'll likely be fired. If the team's record is terrible, you'll likely be the scapegoat and leave!

Because superstars are rare assets in the NBA, management is not easily replaced, and changing the head coach is the easiest and most direct way.

Prince remains in the starting lineup; the Timberwolves have made no further adjustments.

Looking at the course of the game, even with preferential treatment from the referees, the result remained the same: the Timberwolves still lost. They just lost by a smaller margin compared to Games 1 and 2. That's all!

The Timberwolves are down 0-3 in the series, and their elimination is almost certain. Even if they are swept, ESPN gives them a probability of over 90%!

April 24th, Clippers vs. Timberwolves Series Game 4!

Similar to the previous game, the referees tried to give the Timberwolves a win to extend the series, but the gap between the two teams was too large, and such efforts were in vain.

In the end, the Clippers won another game, sweeping the Timberwolves 4-0 in the series and advancing strongly to the second round!

This is the umpteenth time they've swept their opponents in the playoffs; they've almost lost count. Their last playoff loss was years ago. The Clippers have been incredibly brutal in the playoffs these past few years, practically unstoppable!

This series has shown the world Hua Zi's strengths and weaknesses. He is passionate, possesses comprehensive offensive skills, and has explosive athleticism, making him a true rising star. However, his basketball IQ is worrying, his passing vision is narrow, and his tendency to get carried away has, to some extent, limited his potential.

So if you want to build a team around Hua Zi to compete for the championship, you need a very good and complete team so that he can just do what he's good at. Otherwise, you can only hope that he will transform and turn his weaknesses into strengths.

But at least for now, Hua Zi is not suitable to be the leader of a championship team; his weaknesses are too numerous... and their team is not a championship team either.

The Clippers are now the only team in the Western Conference to achieve a sweep, while the other three matchups are still ongoing. Their next opponent will be the winner between the Grizzlies and the Warriors.

The Clippers sat comfortably, while the Nuggets slowly but surely eliminated the Lakers, the Grizzlies eliminated the Warriors, and the Suns eliminated the Kings.

Therefore, the second round matchups will be Clippers vs. Grizzlies, and Nuggets vs. Suns.

The Grizzlies are a very arrogant team. As soon as the matchup was announced, "Gun King" Morant said he would let the Clippers players smell the "smoke of gunpowder". What a load of bull! If I don't sweep you little punks, it means I'm going easy on you. I will definitely not go easy on you. I'll let you go home and play with guns!

On May 2th, the Clippers vs. Grizzlies series will play Game 1!

The Clippers' starting lineup remained unchanged: Jia Fei, Bridges, Paul George, Grant Williams, and Hartenstein.

The Grizzlies' starting lineup consists of Ja Morant, former Clippers player Dillon Brooks, Bayne, 3J, and Dillman.

The Grizzlies have a pretty good roster, with both defense and offense. They have an excellent ball-handler – Markieff Smith, with exceptional penetration ability, a top-3 player in the NBA, outstanding jumping ability, and fearlessness. His weaknesses are poor shooting and being too thin, making him vulnerable to screens; Alan Bain, the "Tyrannosaurus Rex," has accurate shooting, good ball-handling skills, and is a good secondary scorer, but his weaknesses are slightly lower natural talent and a small defensive range; Dillon is a defensive stalwart, but as a 3-and-D player, his three-point shooting is inconsistent; 3J is an excellent modern basketball center, capable of protecting the rim, shooting threes, and having some scoring ability, but his weaknesses are poor rebounding and a tendency to foul; and Dillman is a workhorse center, specializing in doing the dirty work.

This Grizzlies team has excellent athleticism and is strong on both offense and defense, but their offensive spacing is somewhat unstable (only Bain is a reliable shooting point); they lack strong offensive capabilities in the paint, and although they start with twin towers, their rebounding isn't that strong; apart from the Gunner, they don't have any strong ball-handling offensive options, and the Gunner also has shooting deficiencies.

Therefore, the defensive setup is quite simple: Bridges will lead the defense, squeezing through or going around screens to give him a chance for a three-pointer. When he drives in, the wing players will help with the defense, while the others rotate, leaving Tillman open, occasionally leaving Dillon open, and tightly guarding Bane. 3J's three-pointers can also be given some space to protect the paint.

The Clippers are easy to defend against the Grizzlies, but the Grizzlies are not easy to defend against the Clippers.

Jia Fei can take on anyone; Dillon can't stop him. He can also target Gun King, Tillman, or Bane.

The Grizzlies lack height in the backcourt, while the Clippers have a five-forward lineup, allowing for more open offensive spacing.

The Grizzlies dared not expand their defense too much because Jia Fei's drives were too aggressive, and Hartenstein was decisive in cutting inside and scoring easy baskets.

3J is not Anthony Davis after all. He can switch to defend the perimeter, but he can't defend Jia Fei. His fouls and rebounds are a big problem.

In the first game, the Clippers shut down the Gunners and Bane. Although they missed some three-pointers from Dillon and 3J, it was not a big deal. With the opponent's main attacker and secondary attacker both shut down, the game was pretty much a foregone conclusion.

Jia Fei was unstoppable, easily scoring 44 points and leading his team to victory in Game 1!

After the game, the shooting star stopped talking about the smell of gunpowder and angrily criticized the referee for favoring the Clippers, saying he felt he was fouled many times.

As a result, the shooting champion received a fine of $2.5!