NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 407 Thunder's Infinite Switching Defense

The Ford Center was packed. Even though the Thunder aren't championship contenders this season, it didn't dampen the fans' enthusiasm. Westbrook's lone-wolf hero image this season has been so explosive that the fans here have temporarily forgotten the pain of Durant's departure.

For Thunder fans, Westbrook is their MVP. Durant, who has won the MVP, is seen as a complete traitor.

Tencent continued to broadcast the match live, with commentators Wang Zixing and guest Su Qun providing commentary.

"Mr. Su, the Thunder are currently down 0-2 in the series. What do you think they need to do to influence this crucial game?" Wang Zixing asked, adjusting his glasses.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses: "The Thunder are in a tough spot right now. Their starting lineup has a great defense, but their offense is terrible. Westbrook needs to play smarter, and the shooters need to capitalize on their opportunities. They need to play perfectly to have a chance of winning this game. I still don't really believe they can win this series."

The starting lineups for both sides have been announced, and neither side has made any changes.

It's not surprising that the Clippers didn't change their lineup after two consecutive wins, but the Thunder's continued lineup changes after two consecutive losses have puzzled many fans, who are wondering what Thunder head coach Donovan is up to.

Has Donovan also been possessed by Old Li and started openly managing the company?

Old Li said, "I won't take the blame for this. I'm a champion coach, resourceful and full of tactics. How can you say I have no tactics?"

The Thunder players all looked very serious. Westbrook's eyes were very determined. No matter how much you criticize him, saying that he is prone to getting carried away and lacks basketball IQ, there is one thing that is really great about him: he never slacks off, he is always full of energy and spirit.

Westbrook is a talented leader, and he needs a true mentor to guide him, but Durant is clearly not that kind of mentor.

Jia Fei might be that kind of older brother, but he has no interest in pushing such limits. Isn't being the boss in Angel City better?

DeAndre Jordan and Aquaman are preparing for the jump ball near center court; Game 3 of the series is about to begin.

The jump ball began, and Aquaman won the jump ball against DeAndre Jordan, giving the Thunder possession of the first ball on offense.

Westbrook dribbled past half-court and faced Beverley.

Boos erupted from the crowd. Back then, Beverley injured Westbrook, causing him to miss the rest of the season. Oklahoma City fans had no liking for this fierce defensive player. If they could, they would even want to rush onto the court and beat him up to vent their anger.

Beverley's mental fortitude is unparalleled. Back when he played overseas, he experienced everything. Fans hurled all sorts of insults at him, but for him, such boos were nothing. Far from affecting his performance, they actually motivated him.

Westbrook used Aquaman's screen to forcefully attack Warren, drawing a triple team attack, and passed the ball to Oladipo in the corner!

Oladipo took a three-pointer—but missed!

Westbrook went on a scoring spree, grabbing offensive rebounds, forcefully shoving Harris aside, and making a layup...

But Jia Fei, who was helping on defense, blocked the ball!

Beverley grabbed the ball, protected it tightly, and passed it to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei brought the ball over and set a screen with DeAndre Jordan, who immediately switched onto him.

Jia Fei was somewhat surprised. In the previous two games, the Thunder's defense against his pick-and-rolls consisted of either delaying plays or double-teaming. It was quite rare for them to switch on him so directly.

Could it be that the Thunder are trying to break the Clippers' pick-and-roll by switching on defense?

If the Sea King switches to defend Jia Fei, it means that DeAndre Jordan in the paint will have a mismatch opportunity.

Jia Fei lobbed the ball to DeAndre Jordan in the paint!

DeAndre Jordan, facing Roberson's defense, tried to push past him to attack the basket, but the ball was stolen by the opponent after he got the ball!

Westbrook retrieved the ball and immediately launched a fast break, driving the length of the court and passing to Oladipo for a layup in transition!

The Thunder scored first!

The Ford Center erupted in cheers. Westbrook's energy was truly formidable. He shifted gears and sprinted straight ahead. Americans love this simple and direct style.

The Clippers were on offense, and Beverley initiated the attack with a pick-and-roll. The Thunder, on the other hand, opted to switch on defense.

Jia Fei realized that the Thunder's strategy of using delaying tactics combined with double-teaming had led to losses in the first two games. Although they didn't change their lineup in this game, there were noticeable changes on both offense and defense. Coach Donovan is known for his skill in using switching defense; last season, the Thunder almost used this tactic to defeat the 73-win Warriors.

Switching to break a pick-and-roll is more direct, requiring less communication between defensive players like delaying a screen, and less aggressive and accurate rotations like double-teaming. However, its drawbacks are also obvious: it directly creates mismatches, such as exposing defensive weaknesses to the opponent, allowing them to exploit your center, or enabling them to mismatch against your guards or forwards.

Therefore, teams that like and excel at switching on defense usually have many versatile players, such as the Warriors, the Thunder last season, and the Hawks during the Josh Smith and Joe Johnson era.

The constant switching defense forces you into isolation plays because the opponent won't double-team you; if you set a pick and roll, they'll switch you to a different defender. They'll switch on off-ball screens too, basically switching on every screen, breaking the game down into localized one-on-one situations.

To put it bluntly, it's forcing you into one-on-one situations. The Thunder are betting on the Clippers' one-on-one ability, and it's a last resort, since their previous double-teaming strategy failed, and the Clippers' role players are clearly better shooters than theirs. Jia Fei's passing is also perfectly capable of withstanding the challenge; blindly double-teaming him is tantamount to giving the opponent an open shot, which is a huge loss.

Beverley went one-on-one against Aquaman, but after a series of spins and a somersault jump, he still missed!

Westbrook leaps to grab the rebound and immediately pushes the fast break from the backcourt, drawing a tactical foul from Beverley!

On a Thunder offensive possession, Gibson received the ball in the low post and forcefully shoved Harris to score, giving the Thunder a 4-0 lead and raising the decibel level in the arena to its highest point since the start of the season!

"Teacher Su, the Thunder's switch-everything defense is so powerful! They were really determined today, and Westbrook's rebounding and fast breaks were incredibly fast!" Wang Zixing couldn't help but exclaim.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses: "The Clippers still need to rely on Jia Fei. Jia Fei's one-on-one performance will determine whether they can win this game. No one else can score 30 points under this level of defensive intensity!"

Beverley dribbled over, no longer going to set screens and isolate his opponent. He knew his own limitations; he knew his offense was inadequate to dominate his opponent, so letting his older brother take the lead was the smartest thing to do.

Jia Fei has the ball, and DeAndre Jordan comes up to screen.

The opponent switched defenses again, and Aquaman reappeared in front of Jia Fei.

The fans at the stadium were encouraging Aquaman. If Aquaman could contain Jia Fei, how could they not defeat the Clippers!

This scene is quite interesting. Jia Fei is facing Haiwang's defense at the top of the arc. Whether it will be a "military training" or not depends on the effect of the one-on-one battle!