NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 424 Clippers vs. Warriors

The Clippers vs. Warriors matchup is no longer a three-on-one battle; with Green included, they have a solid four All-Star players.

Of course, besides Jia Fei, the Clippers also have All-Star center DeAndre Jordan! But since the start of the playoffs, Jordan's contribution to the team has been quite limited, especially in the last round. Forget about being a defensive anchor in the paint; he was practically a liability. He couldn't score on easy baskets, his defense was constantly being shut down, and aside from consistently winning the jump ball, he was truly useless.

As for Green, those who don't understand basketball might think he's just an ordinary role player with limited scoring ability. But in reality, he's the Warriors' offensive axis and defensive core, a true superstar.

You could say he wasn't as great after leaving the Warriors, because in reality, it would be difficult for him to be the focal point of the offense on other teams, or to handle 4-on-3 situations after pick-and-rolls. It was precisely because of the Splash Brothers that he had so much space to operate. But his ball-handling ability is useful anywhere, and his defense is his core asset, even if it sometimes appears a bit dirty.

DeAndre Jordan's impact is nowhere near that of Draymond Green; he's inferior on both offense and defense. Green can guard positions 1 through 5, is omnipresent on defense, and can also double as a scorer, provoking opposing star players. Offensively, he can run fast breaks, shoot threes (though not very accurately), has excellent playmaking ability, can set off-ball screens, and possesses a very high basketball IQ. If it weren't for Jia Fei, Green would be arguably the best second-round pick in recent years.

The last time a lone hero like Jia Fei was seen was during the 2000-01 season with Allen Iverson. Back then, the Philadelphia 76ers were essentially a one-man team, with everyone else responsible for defense and the offense relying entirely on Iverson.

Now, Jia Fei has an even heavier burden on his shoulders. He is not only the team's biggest offensive weapon, but also the shield for the team's perimeter wing defense, carrying the team forward on both offense and defense.

Even though the Western Conference Finals seem to have little suspense to outsiders, there are still many interesting aspects to watch. With three of the league's MVPs facing off, Jia Fei's performance against the dominant Warriors is definitely something to look forward to.

A year ago, in the summer, Jia Fei led the Atlanta Hawks to victory over the Warriors in the Finals, winning his first NBA championship. Now he's in the Western Conference, and his opponent is still the Warriors, but this time he's wearing a Clippers jersey. The opponent has become even stronger, with the Splash Brothers, Draymond Green and Curry Green both at their peak, and even his former Thunder teammate, Kevin Durant, has joined the team. They're ridiculously strong.

Therefore, the matchup between Jia Fei and Durant is highly anticipated. Will the Grim Reaper teach his former teammate a lesson, or will the new league's number one player show the former leader who truly reigns supreme?

There's not much suspense in the East either. No matter how strong Isaiah Thomas is, he can't compare to Running Man. Running Man is best at playing against smaller players like him...

On May 14, the Clippers prepared for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors at their training facility in the Bay Area.

DeAndre Jordan was overjoyed. He'd played with Blake Griffin for so many years, but they'd never made it to the Western Conference Finals. Then those two guys were gone, and he made it. Sometimes fate plays tricks on you like that; you chase your whole life for your dream girl, and then you meet her in a bathhouse…

In this Clippers team, DeAndre Jordan only truly respects Jia Fei. As for the others, he feels they deserve their respect. He can't do anything about Jia Fei; Jia Fei has a championship, an MVP award, is a two-way player, and is the team's cornerstone handpicked by the owner. Although much younger, Jia Fei's ability is undeniable. Therefore, he considers himself the team's number two star. Some people said he was being "trained" by the 58.com group and should be benched; he really wants to hold a press conference to emphasize that who dares to bench him? Who deserves to be benched?

Coach Li is giving the players another pep talk, and he's under no pressure. The team has already set a new franchise record this season, so his position as head coach should be secure. If they can win one or two games against the Warriors, he should be a strong contender for Coach of the Year.

Art Mayork's biggest complaints were about DeAndre Jordan and Doc Rivers. Jordan considered himself a veteran, acting like the team's number two despite playing terribly; Rivers had no tactics, just talked a lot of nonsense, and thought he was amazing as a coach because he was riding on Jia Fei's coattails. Essentially, both of them were just riding on Jia Fei's coattails and had no real ability.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr stated in an interview that the Clippers are very strong, citing Doc Rivers as a championship-winning coach, Jia Fei as a Finals MVP player, and the league's strongest star, among other things...

Jia Fei certainly didn't believe that this was Kerr's true thought. He had indeed won the Finals MVP, and Lao Li had led his team to a championship, but it was obvious that Kerr was just jinxing the team before the game, so there was nothing to pay attention to.

San Francisco, formerly known as San Francisco, is in California, just like Los Angeles, so the climate is very similar. Playing away games there is not far, and neither side has to endure the fatigue of travel.

This area boasts famous attractions such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Lombard Street, San Francisco's Chinatown, and Fisherman's Wharf, making it a world-renowned tourist destination and one of the areas with the highest density of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, second only to New York in total Chinese population.

Jia Fei and his teammates certainly didn't have the time or inclination to appreciate the beautiful scenery of San Francisco; they were seriously preparing for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors.

On the evening of May 15th, at Oracle Arena in Oakland, the Warriors' home arena.

Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals is about to begin.

Jia Fei and Art Mayork went to practice early, and they made full preparations for the match.

Tencent was responsible for broadcasting the entire match live, with host Wang Meng and guest commentator Yang Yi providing commentary.

In the away team's locker room, Coach Li was giving his final pre-match pep talk. His pre-match declaration was quite inspiring, making you feel that he was truly prepared, but the players had heard it too many times and were already immune to it.

Jia Fei donned his battle uniform, bumped chests with Art Mayork, and then with Beverley. The opponents were strong, but they were never afraid. In fact, such opponents excited them even more; the ultimate test had finally arrived.

Everyone on the Clippers knows how strong the Warriors are. In the regular season, the two teams faced off four times, with the Clippers winning only once. The Clippers' overall offensive and defensive strength, and their relentless shooting, are simply unmatched by most teams. Durant's addition provides the team with a reliable "cheat sheet" when their plays falter, making them even more unstoppable.

The Clippers players practiced at Oracle Arena, and many Chinese fans came to the event. Some of these fans came for the Warriors, while others came for Jia Fei.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Warriors' starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of Zaza Pachulia, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and LeBron James.