NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 628 Sweeping Away the First Advancement

The Trail Blazers didn't change their lineup for this game. To be precise, they couldn't change it anyway. This is the team they have; the starting five are already their strongest 5 overall. Of course, another option would be to play Trent Jr. in place of Whiteside, but Coach Stotts felt that with Whiteside, the team would at least have some advantage in rebounding and rim protection, while playing Trent would mean they would be at a disadvantage in every aspect.

Trent Jr.'s defense is so-so; his strength lies in offense, while this team needs defense, especially perimeter defense. And clearly, the team doesn't have a single perimeter defender of any caliber.

—That's the most embarrassing part! Facing the Clippers with Jia Fei and Paul George, the Trail Blazers didn't have a single decent perimeter defender to contain them. You can imagine how badly their defense was exposed.

This isn't hard to understand, of course. After all, when you spend maximum salaries on two offensively strong but defensively weak guards, your team's roster will inevitably lack balance, because the NBA has a salary cap; you can't sign an unlimited number of players. And even if you wanted to, two-way players are highly sought after, and you might not be able to sign them.

Looking at it this way, the Trail Blazers team with Aminu and Harkless on the wing was probably the most balanced lineup on offense and defense in recent years. The backcourt duo was complemented by two athletic wings, plus a center, Nurkic. Although the two wings weren't very consistent with their three-point shooting, they could at least shoot, and they were athletic and had decent defensive abilities, able to cover for the two guards.

Therefore, the Blazers' ceiling, built around Lillard and CJ, is already visible, and it's likely that one of them will leave soon.

There is no such thing as absolute loyalty. Unless you are a superstar, you are entitled to talk about loyalty with the team. For ordinary players, including All-Stars, there are not many good ways for the team to trade you after you have signed a contract.

The outcome of the game was never in doubt. Although it was a do-or-die situation for the Trail Blazers, all their efforts seemed futile in the face of absolute strength.

Therefore, Jia Fei still doesn't believe the story of Wu Song fighting the tiger. No matter how strong a person is, how could they possibly be stronger than a tiger?

With this game over, the series score is now 3-0, and the Trail Blazers' elimination is imminent.

On August 25th, the Clippers faced the Trail Blazers in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs.

The competition is still held within the bubble, and one advantage of playing within the bubble is that you don't have to worry about the travel fatigue of playing away games, because you're always playing in the bubble. Playing here, you sometimes lose track of time and date.

Jia Fei is a perfect example. These days he's been training and playing games non-stop. Basketball has become his other half, and he's forgotten what the outside world is like.

These seemingly monotonous yet fulfilling days made him feel that they were truly an unforgettable part of his life.

The Trail Blazers haven't changed their lineup; they've already given up and are waiting for the moment they'll be eliminated.

The game was a foregone conclusion; the Trail Blazers players had lost their fighting spirit. Apart from veteran Carmelo Anthony, the other players' minds were no longer on the court.

The Clippers swept the Trail Blazers 4-0, becoming the first team in the bubble to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

For Jia Fei, defeating the Trail Blazers is nothing to brag about, and his goal is not to advance to the second round of the playoffs. He has only one goal: the championship!

If they can win the championship, they will achieve a three-peat and become another team to establish a dynasty after the Lakers with the OK combination.

Several teams have established dynasties in NBA history, the earliest dating back to 1957. After winning their first championship, the Celtics were unstoppable. Led by Russell, they won the title in 1957, finished as runners-up in 1958, and then achieved an unprecedented eight-year winning streak from 1959 to 1966, which remains the longest winning streak in NBA history.

The Celtics' eight-year championship streak occurred in the early days of the NBA, a long time ago. Furthermore, the NBA back then didn't have 30 teams like it does now; there were only eight, making the competition incomparable to today's level. Even so, eight consecutive championships are enough to make them the undisputed champions of the league.

When talking about the Celtics, one cannot ignore the Lakers. The "Celtics-Lakers rivalry" was incredibly famous, and any fan familiar with NBA history should know it well.

The Lakers acquired Magic Johnson in 1979, and he and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the championship in their first season together. They followed this up with another title in 1982, but failed to win another championship in the next three years, preventing their early partnership from establishing a dynasty. With the arrival of James Worthy, the Lakers formed a "Big Three," which revitalized their team. They won the championship in 1985, followed by back-to-back titles in 1987 and 1988, achieving three championships in four years and establishing a dynasty.

After that came the dynasties of the Bulls and Lakers. The Spurs won a total of 5 championships, but none of them were consecutive, so it doesn't feel like they had a dynasty. However, if you look at the bigger picture, all 5 championships were won under Popovich and Duncan, so they can be considered a dynasty in that sense.

The Clippers are now presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They will have the chance to win their third championship and then build a dynasty of their own. All the players and coaches in this dynasty will become part of history, and this is their ultimate goal this season.

Jia Fei knew that the real challenge was yet to come, but it was already imminent...

In the Western Conference, apart from the Clippers' sweep, the other matchups have not progressed. The Clippers' next opponent will be the winner between the Rockets and the Mavericks.

The Rockets and Mavericks are currently tied 2-2 and will face off in a pivotal Game 5. Although the Rockets have a higher probability of winning, the Mavericks are not without a chance.

Judging from this series, the Rockets are no longer the Rockets of yesteryear. Not only have the role players' abilities declined, but Westbrook is no longer the Westbrook of the past...

Harden is still just Harden; you can't win a championship with just one player. Even Jia Fei at his peak couldn't do that, so Harden certainly can't either.

The Clippers were sitting on the sidelines watching the tigers fight, but in reality, they were the tigers. Neither of those two teams would be able to make much of a difference. Although the NBA is a competitive sport, that's how it is when you compare rosters.

The Rockets and Mavericks ultimately went the full seven games… In Game 7, the Rockets narrowly defeated their opponents and finally advanced. Their next opponent will be the defending champion Clippers.

What's meant to happen will happen eventually...