NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 637 Fourth Advancement to the Western Conference Finals

On September 11, the Clippers and Rockets played Game 4 of their series.

For the Rockets, trailing 0-3 in the series, they are basically out of the game. The only suspense is whether they can win one or two games to avoid being swept.

The Rockets have not changed their lineup. They did not change their lineup in Games 2 and 3, and there is really no need to change it in Game 4, because statistically speaking, their chances of advancing are almost zero.

Moreover, this starting lineup is indeed their strongest lineup. If they can't beat the opponent with this lineup, changing their lineup will also make it very difficult to win.

Many Rockets fans are hoping their team can show some manliness, even if they are ultimately swept, at least they will die standing.

But once the game started, Rockets fans were already in despair because they found that the team, from Harden to Covington, seemed to lack fighting spirit.

Ironically, the most determined player was Westbrook, who had been constantly criticized by Rockets fans. He remained incredibly spirited, showing no signs of being down 0-3 in the series. He didn't give up and remained extremely passionate!

"Sneaker King" Tucker and Round Face Harden are still tough and haven't given up, but Harden looks listless and it's no different from giving up, which makes them lose any chance of winning.

The team's strongest player is Harden. If Harden gives up, then the game is over.

Therefore, the Clippers did not encounter much resistance and easily defeated the Rockets, sweeping their opponents 4-0 and advancing strongly to the Western Conference Finals.

This marks the Clippers' fourth consecutive season advancing to the Western Conference Finals. In 58's entire career, he had never even touched that floor, but Jia Fei has led the Clippers to victory four times now.

The Clippers' victory over the Rockets in this manner indirectly helps teams that want to acquire Rockets players. Some have already predicted that the Rockets will dismantle their roster in the offseason; who will leave is still unknown, but the probability of Harden leaving is definitely increasing.

Harden is still under contract, and theoretically, as long as the Rockets don't actively trade him, he will continue to play for Houston next season. But the problem is, what if he requests a trade? This isn't without precedent. Once he requests a trade, the Rockets will almost certainly have no choice but to give him up. Otherwise, holding onto him will not only prevent them from contending for a championship, but will also reduce his trade value.

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, Harden had requested a trade, but the Rockets didn't want to make one and kept dragging it out until mid-season before completing the trade. The Nets then made their move, going all in to form a Big Three. Of course, that's another story.

The Clippers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face the winner between the Lakers and the Nuggets.

The Lakers and Nuggets are currently locked in a fierce battle, tied 2-2, setting up a pivotal Game 5. However, the biggest problem for the Lakers isn't the crucial Game 5, but rather injuries. One of their Big Three, Kawhi Leonard, has suffered a recurrence of his knee injury. After only a few games back, he's already back in the game, wearing a suit and tie and watching from the sidelines again – a particularly devastating blow for the Lakers.

For Jia Fei, it doesn't matter whether the Lakers or the Nuggets advance; he has only one goal: the championship. Winning the championship, achieving a three-peat, and establishing a dynasty is his sole objective.

There aren't many entertainment options in the bubble, which, in Art Mayor's words, is great for men without wives, as they can fully immerse themselves in basketball games.

The Lakers and Nuggets game continued. Without Jamal Murray, the Lakers' lack of roster depth was exposed. Even though they had McGee and Howard in the paint to deal with Jokic, they lacked suitable players to match up against Murray on the perimeter, causing the series momentum to tilt towards a Nuggets victory.

Ultimately, the Nuggets defeated the Lakers 4-2 to advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face the Clippers!

Fans hoping for a Los Angeles derby in the Western Conference Finals are going to be disappointed. The Lakers didn't come, Jokic didn't call for Game 7, and the Lakers advanced directly with a 4-2 victory.

The Western Conference Finals featured the Clippers against the Nuggets. While the Nuggets weren't considered favorites to win the championship this season, they were an extremely resilient team. Jokic and Murray delivered impressive performances in the playoffs. Murray, in particular, didn't stand out much during the regular season, but in the playoffs, he transformed into "Mamba," fully utilizing his formidable offensive abilities. As for Jokic, despite his somewhat chubby appearance, his stamina was truly remarkable. He played 40 minutes with ease, while Anthony Davis was exhausted.

In the Clippers vs. Nuggets matchup, the Clippers are naturally favored by many, but some believe the Nuggets are the only team besides the Lakers among the current playoff contenders that could stop the Clippers from building a dynasty. This is because the Nuggets have an MVP-caliber center like Jokic, while the Clippers, although possessing the best perimeter defense in the league, have consistently underperformed in interior defense.

If Jokic can dismantle the Clippers' interior defense, the Clippers might actually be defeated! Players like Olynyk? They'll likely become Jokic's toys!

In the last round, even Anthony Davis almost became Jokic's toy. How could Olynyk not get destroyed?

In the East, the Heat and the Celtics have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. Many experts and media figures believe that whichever of these two teams advances to the Finals, if the Clippers advance, they will become the stepping stone for the Clippers to build a dynasty!

The Clippers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the fourth time, steadily progressing on their path to a dynasty. Good news also came from outside the bubble: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer announced that construction has begun on the Clippers' own arena, which is expected to be operational next season.

This is naturally good news for the Clippers. As we all know, they have been sharing the Staples Center with the Lakers for a long time. Even though their record has far surpassed the Lakers' in recent years, Staples Center is still seen by most people as belonging to the Lakers and is a label associated with the Lakers. To get rid of this label, building their own home arena is a matter that doesn't require much thought from the Clippers.

For an owner of Ballmer's stature, having a team on the verge of establishing a dynasty while still sharing a home stadium with others isn't exactly a prestigious thing. He'd actually been thinking about this for a year, but building a stadium isn't just about having money; it involves site selection, approvals, and many other things. Fortunately, all the difficulties have now been resolved, and all that's left is to wait for the project to be completed.

If the investment in the new arena and the Clippers' rise to dynasty happened in the same year, there couldn't be a better thing. This should be the best gift the Clippers' dynasty could ever receive!

Of course, the prerequisite for building a dynasty is winning a championship, so the Clippers must first advance to the Finals, and their opponent is the Nuggets!