NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 691 Terrifying Lineup Depth

Since the Clippers introduced their five-forward lineup, the Suns' offense has been completely stifled. Ayton, 58, and Booker can score, but their efforts are sporadic and lack effective teamwork. Crowder and Huang Zhong lack individual ball-handling skills; under constant switching defense, they can't break down their opponents and don't get many open looks, making their offensive presence extremely low.

The Clippers maintained control of the game, extending their lead to 11 points by halftime.

In the second half, the Clippers started Dillon and came off the bench with Olynyk, unleashing their trump card – a five-forward lineup – giving their opponents no chance.

The Clippers consistently maintained five forwards on the court, and when any player committed fouls, Lakers and Hart immediately filled the gaps. Their three interior players didn't play a single minute in the second half, completely stifling the Suns' offense.

The Suns' second unit also primarily used pick-and-rolls at positions 1 and 5, with Payne handling the ball and running pick-and-rolls with Saric and Kaminsky. However, the Clippers' switch-everything defense prevented Saric and Kaminsky from penetrating the paint, and Payne's one-on-one ability was limited, resulting in his defense being completely shut down.

The "switch-everything" defense, in essence, is to give you a one-on-one opportunity, but you can't break through, and you can't get the rebounds, so you can only wait for the opponent to launch a fast break.

The Clippers have a relatively easier time against the Suns in a half-court offense. Jia Fei creates mismatches against everyone, and Paul George has a significant advantage in pick-and-rolls against Ayton, 58, and Booker. Even Dillon often uses his strength to overpower Booker in the low post, taking advantage of the Mamba's smaller frame.

The playoffs are a brutal competition; if you can't find a matchup, your opponent will easily chase you down and you'll be helpless.

The turning point of the game was when the Clippers pulled their center and played a five-forward lineup. From that moment until the end of the game, the Suns were unable to turn the tide.

Ultimately, the Clippers easily defeated the Suns 93-108 at home, winning Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

贾飞全场贡献44分10个篮板8次助攻5个抢断5个盖帽的准三双数据，完全统治比赛。

Booker was tightly guarded by Jia Fei and Paul George throughout the game, making only 4 of 16 shots and scoring only 11 points, while also committing 5 turnovers, resulting in a dismal performance.

He scored a team-high 20 points and dished out 10 assists, but he alone couldn't defeat the powerful Clippers.

After leaving the Clippers, the 36-year-old 58 tried many teammates, but none could beat Jia Fei. In the end, he was shocked to discover that the most reliable ball-handler for this powerful Suns team was still himself.

This is truly a sad thing! Back when he was with the Clippers, 58 and Blake Griffin teamed up. At that time, there were also defensive stalwarts and rim-runners like DeAndre Jordan, sharpshooters like JJ Redick, and a super-6 bench player like Jamal Crawford. But when the game came down to the final stages and when it really needed to break through, 58 was still the first choice, and the only reliable choice.

Now, so many years later, 58 is still facing this situation. Does it really need to rely on Jia Fei to win the championship?

58 dared not think about it. He didn't want to defect, but now it seemed that if he didn't do so, he might never win a championship in his life! After all, he was already 36 years old, and the rest of his professional career wouldn't be very long. Could he really play until he was 40? Even if he did, he probably wouldn't be able to get a starting position then, and what would be the point of winning a championship then!

After the game, the outside world remained relatively calm. Although the Suns were strong in the regular season, their best star, Booker, was not even in the top 10 of the league, let alone the top 5. It was extremely difficult to win the championship in the playoffs with such a star.

The playoffs are all about star players. Teamwork is important, but without strong enough stars, matchups become very difficult. The Western Conference Finals Game 1, where Jia Fei and his teammates stepped up, rendered Booker unable to perform; this is a prime example.

The discussion centered on how much room there was for the sun to adjust, and after much analysis, everyone agreed that the room for adjustment was very, very small.

The Suns have always been a team that plays its cards straight; their system is what it is, but their bench depth is insufficient, leaving little room for adjustment. The Clippers, on the other hand, are a formidable team in terms of both star power and bench depth. There's a significant difference in the two teams' flexibility in terms of adjustment.

The Clippers' roster can be either big or small, while the Suns can only play with a big lineup. Their small lineup lacks strong enough defense, and their athleticism is far inferior to their opponents. Playing with a small lineup against them is simply asking for trouble.

Ultimately, the Suns' only real matchup advantage lies at center. Ayton has a slight edge whether he's playing Olynyk or Hartenstein.

The problem is that Ayton's advantage is not big enough to make the opponent change their defensive strategy. What's worse, he can't make the opponent's five-forward lineup pay the price, allowing the opponent's small lineup to play better and better, completely stifling their offensive initiation.

May 21, Western Conference Finals Game 2.

The Clippers started with a lineup of five forwards, while the Suns made no changes.

This is indeed a bit strange. The Clippers, who won the last game, changed their lineup, while the Suns, who lost, chose not to change their lineup.

The logic is simple: the Clippers have the initiative and plenty of room to adjust, while the Suns have very little room to adjust, so changing their lineup wouldn't make much difference.

The Clippers started with a lineup of five forwards, which means they don't want this series to drag on. They want to end the series early to reduce energy expenditure and save their strength for the Finals.

After the game started, the Suns made adjustments, running a lot of off-ball screens, including screens for Ayton to roll to the basket and handoffs at the top of the key. They also set screens for Booker, encouraging him to attack the basket more often.

The Clippers adjusted quickly, packing the paint more often and selectively leaving veterans like Huang Zhong and Crowder open on the perimeter to speed up their rotations. On offense, they continued to increase the pace, exhausting the opponent's stamina. Jia Fei and Paul George relentlessly targeted Ayton and Booker, attacking the paint and drawing fouls from Ayton.

When both teams ran into foul trouble, the Clippers' bench depth became apparent again...

With Ayton accumulating too many fouls, there's no reliable backup. Saric's interior defense is too poor; aside from being better at three-pointers, he has no advantage over Ayton. When he's on the court, the Suns' defense suffers a significant setback.

The Suns put in a tremendous effort in this game, but their lack of roster depth ultimately led to another loss, putting them down 0-2 in the series.

May 24, Western Conference Finals Game 3.

The Suns couldn't come up with anything new. G2 had already shown all the adjustments they could make, but they still lost. This game was just a repetition of their previous strategies.

The Clippers have won another game, taking a 3-0 lead in the series!