vrcanaries Chapter 665 Position 1's Debut
Chapter 665 Position 1's Debut
The Clippers' defensive matchups are as follows: Bridges guards the running man, George guards the expressionless, Grant guards Davis, Olynyk guards Gasol, and Jia Fei guards AB.
Once the Running Man and others provide cover, switch defenses immediately.
Jia Fei will match up against AB to maximize his help defense ability. The Clippers' lineup still has weaknesses in the paint defense. Although the overall height is sufficient, center Olynyk is not good at protecting the rim and his rebounding is average. He needs the other four wings to assist him.
The Lakers are a team that attacks the rim very aggressively, as evidenced by their performance last season. The Lakers' weakness is well-known throughout the league: a lack of three-point shooting and a weak roster during transition periods.
In fact, as long as Anthony Davis and Faker are both available, the Lakers wouldn't be completely without fighting power if the rest of the team were to be carried by the "Running Man" (a popular Chinese comedian). However, Faker is always taking turns to rest and manage his workload, and missing one or two months due to injury is commonplace. How can they stand that?
His year with the Raptors was arguably his highest attendance season since Zaza Paco was sidelined, but it also seemed to have taken a toll on him, using up his remaining playing time prematurely, so...
The Lakers' tactics aren't complicated, with not much off-ball movement. The team's roster is too large, and only AB is truly making off-ball runs. But AB isn't a super shooter, so Jia Fei doesn't need to stick close to him; he just needs to limit him. Therefore, their off-ball movement is almost nonexistent.
On the other side, the expressionless guy pulled away and attacked Paul George, executing a series of Jordan moves: a drive, a layup...
A figure flashed by, and Jia Fei leaped forward to block the ball out of bounds!
"Jia Fei's block was incredibly precise! He accurately predicted Leonard's timing for his drive and shot!" Wang Zixing exclaimed.
The Lakers inbounded the ball from the baseline, and the Running Man player immediately passed it to Gasol at the top of the key.
The young lady took a three-pointer—but missed!
Anthony Davis grabbed the offensive rebound, but the paint was packed with players!
Anthony Davis's strong attacks still didn't work!
Grant secured the defensive rebound and passed it to Jia Fei!
Jia Fei dribbled the ball across half-court.
The Lakers' defensive strategy was also man-to-man: AB guarded Jia Fei, Leonard guarded George, Runner guarded Bridges, Davis guarded Grant, and Gasol guarded Olynyk.
AB is only 188cm tall, but back in his Celtics days, he played the shooting guard position. He could defend most of the shooting guards in the league and rarely got outmaneuvered by opponents due to his height.
However, Jia Fei is not your average shooting guard...
Although AB relentlessly guarded Jia Fei, covering him the entire court, Jia Fei calmly dribbled the ball over, methodically and steadily. Despite his 2-meter height, his dribbling stability surpassed that of the 185cm Beverley, giving him the feel of a 201cm Iverson.
Olynyk came up to set a screen, and the Lakers' strategy was to double-team Jia Fei directly.
It's obvious that AB wanted to use a screen to chase Jia Fei, which would inevitably give Jia Fei a lot of space to shoot. And once they switch on defense, Jia Fei's sister, who's as slow as an old Sabonis, would be completely outmatched by Jia Fei.
The scene was too gruesome for most people to bear.
Jia Fei bounced the ball to Olynyk, who was in an open position.
Olynyk missed an open three-pointer!
The player grabs the rebound, pushes the counter-attack with the ball, and passes the ball to AB who is making a quick run down the court!
But... Jia Fei deftly extended his long arm and intercepted the ball!
Jia Fei brought the ball over, faced the slumped defense, and drove in with a Durant-like double crossover, passing to Grant!
Grant caught the ball and went for a layup, but lost his grip and made a mistake...
Grant felt guilty and patted his chest to indicate that it was his fault.
Jia Fei patted his bottom to encourage him.
Both sides started with a cold hand and made a lot of mistakes. They hadn't scored a single point in more than three minutes of the game. If there were fans in the stadium, some of them would definitely want to doze off. This game was so hypnotic.
"Teacher Su, the attacks from both sides aren't going well. Is it because everyone is still getting used to the opening match?" Wang Zixing asked.
Su Qun adjusted his glasses: "That's very possible, after all, it's the first game. Both sides' defenses are very good and targeted. The Clippers have a lot of opportunities but just can't capitalize on them. If the Lakers want to score in the paint, they need to make shots from the outside to pull the opponent's defense out of position."
The running man brought the ball over, but he was uncomfortable organizing the attack while being harassed by Bridges.
Anthony Davis came up to set a screen, and the Clippers immediately switched on defense.
The Running Man player passed the ball to Anthony Davis.
Anthony Davis dribbled the ball against Bridges, and the moment he passed the ball, a double team arrived.
Anthony Davis passed the ball again, but it was stolen by Paul George!
Anthony Davis is the biggest mismatch in the Lakers' roster, but his fear of double-teams is nothing new. The Clippers' double-teaming isn't mindless; they double-team only the moment Davis makes a strong attack, while the others cut off his passing lanes.
Anthony Davis struggles to find teammates on the weak side, making him prone to turnovers when his passing intentions are obvious.
Pickled peppers were given to Jia Fei to launch a counterattack!
Jia Fei launched a counterattack and spotted Grant, who was fast off the ground, as he moved forward!
Grant didn't make a mistake this time, slamming the ball into the basket!
0-2, the Clippers score first!
Lakers are on offense. The running man backs down Bridges with a strong drive, but no one is helping him defend. He turns and makes a jump shot, but misses!
Gasol grabbed the offensive rebound and passed it to Anthony Davis on the other side, who scored, making it 2-2!
Jia Fei dribbled the ball over, passed it to Olynyk in the high post, then went to the low post and called for the ball with his back to the basket!
AB frantically circled around, and Olynyk passed the ball to Jia Fei!
Anthony Davis came to help defend, and Jia Fei caught the ball in the air but didn't dribble; instead, he tipped the ball directly to Grant!
Grant dunks! 2-4!
Jia Fei's assists +2!
"Jia Fei's pass was brilliant! His reaction was incredibly fast!" Wang Zixing exclaimed happily.
Lakers on offense, the running man called out Olynyk, but he still missed the step-back three-pointer!
Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, brought the ball over, used an in-out acceleration to get past the running man, and then made a no-look pass to the following Paul George!
Pickled peppers are directly separated from A and B!
2-6, the Clippers lead by 4 point!
Although there were no fans in attendance, lacking the usual explosive atmosphere, the Clippers' bench was already buzzing with excitement. In the locker room, Art Mayork, along with his younger teammates Hart and Hartenstein, were practically flying towels around. Newcomer Jaden McDaniels seemed a bit shy; he wasn't quite used to the team's celebration style yet!
Although Jia Fei has not scored yet, he has already delivered 3 assists, each one more spectacular than the last.
Those who previously doubted his ability to become the team's primary point guard are now thoroughly proven wrong. This isn't a preseason game or a summer league; this is a legitimate NBA regular season game. And the Clippers' opponent isn't the Tanks, but their crosstown rivals, the Lakers, who boast a Big Three.
If Jia Fei can effectively orchestrate the team's offense in a high-profile matchup against the Lakers, then at least his point guard debut will be a success.
The Lakers' offense is in trouble. They've only scored 2 points in over 4 minutes and have committed 4 turnovers. It's really an eyesore.