NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 450 Initial Formation of Integration

"MVP", "MVP"... The chants of MVP rang out in the arena. Dirk Nowitzki had won MVP a long, long time ago, but obviously, in this arena, people weren't chanting for him.

"Jia Fei is amazing! He faked out DeAndre Jordan and dunked over two Mavericks players! Teacher Su, Jia Fei is so fast! This play is definitely a top 10 play!" Wang Zixing said with admiration.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses and laughed, "DeAndre Jordan actually provoked Jia Fei, trying to defend last season's team leader one-on-one. He overestimated himself and underestimated Jia Fei's abilities. Jia Fei has a hundred ways to get past him. At least from the current situation, DeAndre Jordan's defensive problems last season were indeed very serious."

The Clippers players on the bench were all imitating Jia Fei's dribbling move. Nobody sympathized with DeAndre Jordan; he deserved it for provoking Jia Fei.

After the timeout, Jia Fei made the free throw, and the game continued.

8:13, a 5-point difference.

Dennis Smith Jr. immediately attacked the basket, but Paul George's help defense disrupted his shot, preventing him from scoring!

DeAndre Jordan fought hard to grab the offensive rebound, but his attempt to dunk was thwarted by a foul from Danilo Gallinari.

DeAndre Jordan will go to the free throw line.

Clippers fans behind the baseline used inflatable sticks and other props to interfere with DeAndre Jordan's free throws, but even without interference, Jordan had a hard time making them.

Sure enough, he missed both free throws...

Gallinari picked up a rebound and handed it to Jia Fei to push the ball over.

Jia Fei brought the ball over, while Olynyk continued to operate in the high post.

DeAndre Jordan came out to defend, and he followed Olynyk like a stalker, following him wherever he went.

Olynyk came over to screen, and DeAndre Jordan and Matthews immediately double-teamed Jia Fei!

Jia Fei made a behind-the-back pass to Olynyk in the high post!

Olynyk received the ball and immediately launched a three-pointer!

The ball went in cleanly! 8:16, the Clippers' score is exactly double that of the Mavericks!

"Teacher Su, the Mavericks chose to double-team Jia Fei, and Jia Fei's pass was incredibly fast and accurate. Olynyk didn't waste the great opportunity Jia Fei created!" Wang Zixing said excitedly.

Su Qun nodded: "Olynyk has a three-point shot ability. The Mavericks' defensive rotation is too slow. DeAndre Jordan can't get back once he goes out to defend, Nowitzki's old legs can't run anymore, and this rookie Smith doesn't know how to help on defense. There are defensive loopholes everywhere. The Clippers have five players who can shoot threes. The Mavericks' lineup can't stop them. They're hoping the Clippers won't make their shots, but they can't keep missing them forever!"

The Mavericks were on offense, and the North Carolina Blackhawk hit a difficult high-arcing shot off the backboard.

Beverley brought the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei, who then passed it to Olynyk.

Olynyk handed his hand to Paul George and shielded the latter from the North Carolina Blackhawk.

DeAndre Jordan rushed out, and Jia Fei made a back cut straight to the basket!

Pickled pepper immediately flung the ball into the air!

Jia Fei catches the ball with both hands and dunks it in!

8:18, a two-digit difference!

The Mavericks called another timeout!

Carlisle, holding the tactical board, looked serious. His team's defense was being exploited at will by their opponents. Their defensive system was practically non-existent. Olynyk could shoot three-pointers and facilitate plays, using tactics such as handoffs and pick-and-rolls in the high post to target their starting center, DeAndre Jordan, effectively shutting him down.

The Mavericks acquired DeAndre Jordan to help Dirk Nowitzki anchor the paint, much like Tyson Chandler did back in the day. However, times have changed, and centers like him struggle in this era, becoming mere targets when facing opponents with a five-outside lineup.

Coach Budenholzer on the sidelines was visibly excited; this game showed him that the team's chemistry was gradually improving. With Jia Fei handling the ball more, his teammates were playing more comfortably. This lineup still needs Jia Fei to have the ball more; Paul George isn't a playmaker. Neither is Beverley, nor Gallinari. Even Olynyk, who has playmaking abilities, can't orchestrate the offense alone; he needs to cooperate with Jia Fei.

The core of this team is Jia Fei. He previously wanted Jia Fei to handle the ball less, but it seems that this idea was wrong. Jia Fei needs to handle the ball unless the team really brings in a playmaker.

The Mavericks' two big men couldn't get out of the paint; once they did, they couldn't get back. Both are slow and have a high center of gravity, so they can only defend one-on-one in the paint.

When the Clippers hit a three-pointer, the game instantly turned one-sided.

Olynyk hit two three-pointers and dished out three assists in the first quarter. He can stretch the floor, facilitate from the high post, and has excellent pick-and-roll awareness. He proved why the team acquired him; his presence isn't just about adding outside firepower with his three-pointers, but also about his perimeter threat forcing opposing centers to come out and defend. Once the centers are out there, the Clippers' drives to the basket become very difficult to stop. This is the strategic significance of a stretch four.

Olynyk isn't the only stretch big man in the league. Many stretch big men have problems with their defense, or on offense they can only shoot and can't handle the ball, and they have poor pick-and-roll skills.

Olynyk's all-around offensive abilities are reminiscent of Horford. His defensive capabilities are also satisfactory; at least he doesn't drag the team down, and that's enough.

In this matchup between the two teams' second units, the Clippers' second unit showed significantly better defensive effort than in the previous game. Art Mayork mentioned the need to improve defense in a team meeting, and other players echoed this sentiment. This Clippers team's defense appears to have a higher ceiling than last season. As for offense, last season's Clippers team, in terms of both talent and potential, was not as strong as this season's.

At the end of the first quarter, the Clippers led by 17 points, 23:40!

Last season, the Clippers rarely scored 40 points in a single quarter. But this season, even with their chemistry still developing, the Clippers have already racked up 40 points in a quarter, making fans extremely optimistic about their offensive prospects.

The first quarter set the tone for the game, and the Mavericks never managed to narrow the gap to within 15 points again.

Jia Fei clocked out after three quarters, racking up 30+10+10+1+1, easily achieving a triple-double and defeating his opponent, ending his losing streak.

Seven Clippers players scored in double figures, ultimately racking up 140 points to crush the Mavericks and provide fans with an offensive feast.

The atmosphere in the home team's locker room after the game was much better than in the previous game. Victory is the best antidote, making the integration process smoother.

At the post-game press conference, when a reporter asked Jia Fei if he had any grudge against his former teammate DeAndre Jordan, he smiled and shook his head: "I have no grudge against him. He doesn't like me, and I don't like him either, that's all!"

When pressed by reporters about whether he was the one who got the team to trade DeAndre Jordan, Jia Fei laughed and said, "If you think I have that kind of power, then he wouldn't have been on the team last season."