met free Chapter 527 Teams from Two Eras
Chapter 527 Teams from Two Eras
"Teacher Su, the Lakers' record isn't bad either, they're currently ranked 5th in the West, so why do they seem to have such a tough time against the Clippers?" Wang Zixing asked.
"The Lakers' offense is currently limited to three main tactics, relying heavily on fast breaks. They lack space in half-court sets, and it's difficult for James to penetrate them!" Su Qun explained.
After the timeout, Zubac was taken off the court...
The player who came on was Josh Hart, a guard who is just over 1.9 meters tall. It looks like Running Man or Ingram will be playing center.
Removing the center is indeed a common practice for many teams to maximize offensive spacing, but it also carries significant risks. While the center's role is diminishing, you still need a tall player to protect the rim on defense. Sometimes it's not about blocking shots; having a tall player under the basket, providing a deterrent or intimidating presence, is far more effective than having a shorter player there.
To put it simply, if you only consider offense, a team could field five guards. But why do almost no teams do that? Simply put, basketball isn't just about offense; defense is crucial. How do you defend the paint with five guards?
Even with the "Moreyball" theory, the area under the basket is a crucial part and will always be a battleground.
Ball dribbled the ball across half-court and passed it to Running Man.
The Running Man has the ball, and Hart comes to screen for him.
Because the opposing team removed their center, the Clippers had Art Mayok guard Hart. The Running Man team's decision was clearly aimed at specifically targeting Art Mayok.
Of the Clippers' starting five, the only ones that the Running Man cast could name are either Beverley or Art Mayork.
Since Lonzo Ball is guarding Beverley and his three-point shooting is ineffective, the pick-and-roll tactic may fail. Therefore, picking Art Mayork is the most suitable option.
It has to be said that Running Man's ability to read the game is truly impressive. He is indeed a sophisticated egoist, his career is too heavily planned, lacking passion and emotional resonance. However, his basketball IQ is completely inversely proportional to his appearance. He looks like a brainless, big black guy, but this guy is incredibly shrewd!
The Clippers opted to switch defense, with the running man facing off against Art Mayok.
The Running Man player dribbled to the three-point line and took a running start. Jia Fei knew he was going to drive hard. This was a preparatory move, and those who are used to his style of play know it.
The Clippers made a strong drive, forcefully attacking Art Mayok. The Clippers did not choose to help defend, and eventually the referee blew the whistle.
In a one-on-one situation like this, Art Mayork is prone to fouling if he makes even the slightest mistake.
The Running Man member went to the free throw line and made one of two free throws!
Art Mayork grabbed the rebound and passed it to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei dribbled over, and Art Mayok came up to set a screen.
The Running Man members defended Art Mayok, which delayed Jia Fei!
Jia Fei pulled the ball behind his back, suddenly accelerated, and passed between Running Man and Pope!
That happened too fast; Pope and Runner didn't have time to recover and protect the basket!
The Lakers opened their defense wide, and Jia Fei launched a spectacular one-handed dunk!
11-3, the Clippers' offense remains unstoppable.
Lakers on offense, Running Man's 3-pointer misses!
But Hart dove and grabbed the offensive rebound!
Hart passed the ball back to the running man, who made a brilliant pass to Ball, who cut to the basket and finished with a layup!
11-5, the Lakers only managed to get that chance back thanks to Hart!
Jia Fei grew to like Hart more and more, thinking that choosing Hart instead of White would have been a good choice. Hart was perfectly suited to play alongside the superstars, didn't hog the ball, could steal and drive, was strong enough to defend three positions, and was as durable as a donkey.
Hart is quite popular with the Lakers. Both Hart and Kuzma were low draft picks, but they've performed very well, making them excellent value for money. So the Lakers' ability to find gems in the draft isn't the problem; the issue lies in their high draft picks not living up to expectations. Looking at the Celtics' two young stars, Brown and Tatum, the Lakers' second picks are completely overshadowed.
Beverley brought the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei distributed the pickled peppers and then cut them into pieces himself!
Art Mayork set an off-ball screen for Jia Fei!
Paul George passed the ball to Jia Fei, who received it and faced the runner trying to protect the rim under the basket. He made a sudden stop and a mid-range jumper, easily scoring 2 points!
13-5, the Clippers scored steadily, and the Lakers' small lineup's defense was really hard to watch.
Lakers on offense, Hart misses a three-pointer!
Turning around, Jia Fei drove to the basket and easily completed a dunk over the running man who had given up on defense!
15:5, that's a double-digit score difference!
"Jia Fei is really amazing. After the Lakers substituted Zubac, he kept attacking the rim. James couldn't protect the rim at all!" Wang Zixing exclaimed.
“You don’t need to doubt Jia Fei’s ability to read the game. The Lakers want to use a centerless lineup to create offensive space, but the problem is that they lack height under the basket on the defensive end. Neither James nor Ingram have enough rim protection ability!” Su Qun explained.
After a few more rounds, the Lakers' interior defense was severely weakened, and Walton couldn't sit still any longer, so he brought out the veteran boxer Tyson Chandler.
It has to be said that boxing legend Tyson Chandler is getting old, but with him anchoring the paint, it's really difficult for the Clippers to attack the basket. The veteran boxer has a wealth of defensive experience; it was his presence in the 2011 NBA Finals that repeatedly frustrated the "Running Man" and "Big Cheeks," turning the "Dragon King" into a rebounder.
Tyson Chandler was a defensive big man who finished off lobs in the early days of the NBA. He can be considered the grandfather of players like DeAndre Jordan and Colin Capela. He didn't have much individual scoring ability in the low post, but he was incredibly good at finishing lobs, had great jumping ability, good rim protection, and was fast.
However, he is already 36 years old, older than the Running Man members. Not everyone has the same physique as the Running Man members, able to endure for such a long time.
Centers are generally past their prime at 36, and Tyson Chandler was no exception.
Tyson Chandler came on, and Jia Fei started to speed up, trying to overpower the veteran center.
The Lakers struggled to cope with Jia Fei's targeted tactics. When Zubac was on the court, they exploited his slow movement in pick-and-rolls, isolated Pope, and fed him passes to his defenders, taking advantage of his tendency to grab rebounds. When the veteran was on the court, they sped up the pace and played transition offense, trying to shut down the veteran.
The Clippers' starting lineup maintained a lead throughout, and when the rotation came in, with Lou Williams Harrell coming in, the scoring continued to increase.
The Lakers' second unit consisted of Lester Hudson, Stephenson, Caruso, and Hart (Kuzma was sidelined with an injury in this game). Their defense was decent, but their offense was terrible. Stephenson was also a show-off, dribbling around for ages without any real offensive efficiency; Hart and Caruso were both very active and defensively sound role players, but their offense was simply too weak.
If Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell's defense can't be made to pay the price, then it will be very difficult to catch up in the score.
The first quarter ended with a score of 36-20, a 16-point difference, making the two teams seem like they belong to two different eras.