NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 562 How long is Ibaka now?

The Raptors did not double-team Jia Fei at the start of the game; they preferred to have Green defend him one-on-one unless he penetrated deep into the paint.

Coach Nurse isn't fond of mindless double-teaming, and Jia Fei isn't like other superstars who are afraid of double-teams. His ability to break double-teams is comparable only to the "Running Man" and Harden among all the superstars in the league. The risk of double-teaming him is too great; the Warriors' experience in the Western Conference Finals was a profound lesson.

Lowry dribbled over and gestured to direct traffic at the top of the key.

West Asia is positioned here, and Lowry passes the ball.

Clearly, having Siakam play against Gallinari is part of the Raptors' game plan. Comparatively, in this matchup, Siakam, as a physically imposing African forward, has a certain advantage in physical confrontation with Gallinari, a European forward. In the other matchups, Lowry struggles against Beverley, Green is doomed against Jia Fei, and while Siakam has a slight advantage against Paul George, George's excellent defense makes a strong drive difficult. As for Gasol against Olynyk, as we just saw, it wasn't effective.

West Asia dribbled past Gallinari, forced his way inside, turned and collected the ball, then fired a shot off the backboard and scored!

2:3, the Raptors have also scored!

Siakam's offensive weakness is his over-reliance on his right hand. His left-handed attack is rather weak, making him relatively easy to defend against. However, his strong-side hand is also very powerful; even if you anticipate it perfectly, defending against it is not easy.

Beverley brought the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei continued to run pick-and-rolls with Olynyk, then split-pick Olynyk.

Olynyk's three-point attempt missed, but Beverley grabbed the offensive rebound!

Beverley passed the ball to Jia Fei at the top of the arc, and the Clippers continued their offense.

Jia Fei passed the ball to Olynyk, then used an off-ball screen to go to the baseline, and then set an off-ball screen for Paul George, letting Paul George go to the top of the court!

Suddenly, Jia Fei cuts inside, and Olynyk makes a through pass!

Jia Fei received the ball and made a reverse layup, taking away 2 points!

With Gasol pulled to the top of the key, Siakam was pinned down in the corner by Gallinari, creating a brief vacuum under the basket.

—This is the threat of a five-outside lineup! With ample offensive space, many tactics become available.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Facing the opponent's traditional lineup, the Clippers didn't need to rely on their superstars to create opportunities through one-on-one battles, as they did when facing the Rockets and Warriors' small lineups.

During the Raptors' offense, Siakam attacked Gallinari again, drawing a foul from the latter!

Siakam made one of two free throws, making it 3-5!

Beverley dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei, holding the ball, faces Iron Green and continues the pick-and-roll with Olynyk!

The younger sister-in-law shrank back to prevent Jia Fei from breaking in, but unexpectedly Jia Fei made a behind-the-back pass to Olynyk, who had cut outside to the top of the arc.

With no one guarding him, Olynyk didn't hesitate and hit a three-pointer!

3-8, the Clippers lead by 5 point!

"Jia Fei and Olynyk's combination is specifically targeting Gasol! Jia Fei is amazing, and that behind-the-back pass was really cool!" Wang Zixing exclaimed.

"There's nothing we can do about it. In the playoffs, everything comes down to matchups. With Gasol on the court, he's a sitting duck. Olynyk isn't fast either, but he has a three-point shot! With a three-point shot, does Gasol choose to stay out of his hole or extend his defense? If he comes out, he'll attack behind you. If you don't come out, he'll shoot," Su Qun explained.

The Raptors were on offense. Anthony had the ball and set a pick-and-roll with Gasol. The Clippers immediately double-teamed Anthony!

The player with the facial paralysis was a little slow in passing the ball, but it still reached the young lady's hands. However, Jia Fei's rotation was also in place!

The younger sister-in-law tried to force herself on Jia Fei, sitting inside and turning around to try to get up, but he cut her off with a chop to the ball!

Jia Fei intercepted the ball and launched a counter-attack, passing to Paul George in the frontcourt!

Paul George scored with a Euro step layup, making it 3-10!

A 5-0 run forced the Clippers to call a Raptors timeout!

Cheers erupted immediately at Staples Center. Gasol missed both of his singles attempts, and the fans mocked him, saying he was just a big, dumb guy who was useless.

In fact, Gasol is certainly useful. His rim protection and defense under the basket are outstanding. He is an excellent defensive center. Back when he was with the Grizzlies, the "Grit and Grind" duo of him and Randolph was an extremely explosive force that many teams did not want to face. However, times have changed. In the era of small ball, big centers have become the targets of many perimeter stars' training and are the main targets of pick-and-roll.

The Clippers fans in the arena were also enjoying the game. Compared to the Warriors' imposing presence, the Raptors seemed much smaller. While the Raptors players all looked tall, their perimeter threat was far less than the Warriors'. Their interior defense was strong, but they always seemed to struggle against teams with five perimeter players.

The Raptors' ability to emerge from the Eastern Conference, defeating the 76ers and Bucks both boasting dominant centers, is largely due to Gasol's stellar performance, but the presence of former Defensive Player of the Year Gasol also played a crucial role. Both the Bucks and 76ers' core players suffer from shooting deficiencies, allowing Gasol to comfortably stay under the basket and protect the rim.

But the Clippers are not that type of team at all. Their starting lineup consists of five foreign players, and even without Harrell, everyone on the bench can shoot three-pointers. When defending a team like that, you will unconsciously shrink your lineup.

After the timeout, the Raptors stopped letting Gasol go for mismatch isolation plays. Coach Nurse had to admit that with Gasol's current ability, she couldn't beat Olynyk, or even Jia Fei and Paul George in the low post.

The Raptors encouraged Siakam and Lowry to take more isolation plays and drive to the basket, creating opportunities for their perimeter teammates.

After playing for a while, the Raptors still couldn't close the gap, so they made a personnel adjustment. Ibaka and VanVleet came in, while Green and Gasol came out.

The Clippers also made personnel changes, with Gallinari leaving and Jeff Green entering.

As a result, three former Thunder players appeared on the court – Jia Fei, Jeff Green, and Serge Ibaka.

Jia Fei and Ibaka were teammates on the Thunder, and Ibaka and Jeff Green were teammates on the Thunder, but Jia Fei and Jeff Green were teammates on the Clippers...

It sounds like a tongue twister. How long is Ibaka now?

A. 18cm B. 28cm C. 38cm D. Positive infinity

Before his son was born, VanVleet was known as VanVleet, and he almost lost his place to Jeremy Lin. But since his son's birth, he has transformed into Michael Jordan, playing like a completely different person. His contribution to the Raptors' victory in the Eastern Conference is undeniable.

In NBA history, Fred VanVleet isn't the only player whose wife has given birth during the playoffs; in fact, it's quite common. Keep in mind that the NBA playoffs aren't just a day or two; they last a long time. But it's truly rare for a player's wife to give birth during the playoffs and cause such a dramatic event.