NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 670 Single Core Sustained Leadership

The Clippers faced two strong teams on the road, and Paul George only played half of both games. The opponents were extremely strong: the Lakers and the Nuggets.

The value of Jia Fei leading the team single-handedly continues to rise...

In these two games, Jia Fei's performance as the team's starting point guard was absolutely stunning, truly explosive. Fans and others who were worried that he wouldn't be able to handle the role can now breathe a sigh of relief. His ball-handling skills are even better than everyone imagined, and his ball control and passing vision are also outstanding. We only knew he could pass before, but we didn't expect him to be such a great passer.

Is there anything he can't do?

Shrugging? Missing a man? Traveling? Padding stats? Manipulating the team?

On December 28, the Clippers will host the Mavericks.

After acquiring Doncic in a trade, the Mavericks finally found their core player. The transition from Dirk Nowitzki to Luka Doncic, between two generations of European superstars, has been remarkably smooth. Doncic is precocious and outstanding, and his ball-handling, dominant style of play is perfectly suited to the modern NBA, promising a bright future.

The better Doncic is, the more ridiculed the Suns and Kings become when they draft Ayton and Bagley.

It's often said that "one of the top two picks must be a bust." Judging from the current situation, while Ayton isn't an outstanding number one pick, he's not quite as bad as Olowokandi and Bennett, but there's little doubt that Bagley will be a bust.

Why not pick Doncic? His talent is obvious to everyone, he has such outstanding immediate impact and is so young, it's unbelievable that he wasn't chosen.

To put it bluntly, NBA scouts are indeed professional. They knew Doncic was excellent; otherwise, he wouldn't have been the third overall pick. The Mavericks paid a considerable price to acquire him, and everyone acknowledges his outstanding abilities.

However, many NBA teams are somewhat worried about European players and dare not use the first or second overall pick to select them, mainly because the rate of busts is not low and European players do not have explosive physical talent.

Many people have forgotten who the second overall pick was in 2003. That year, the first overall pick was a member of Running Man, the third overall pick was Carmelo Anthony, the fourth overall pick was Chris Bosh, the fifth overall pick was Dwyane Wade, but who was the second overall pick?

Number 2 is Darko Milicic, a European center forward.

Using the second overall pick in a strong draft year to select a European talent, only to have it go to waste, is an unbearable pain. If the Pistons had selected Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane Wade that year, they might have dominated the Eastern Conference for several more years. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs," and they squandered such a valuable second overall pick in a strong draft year.

2018 was undoubtedly a great draft year, especially for big men. Not only did it produce Ayton, but also a series of outstanding big men like Bagley, JJJ, Banbury, and Carter Jr.

Even in today's small-ball era, many NBA teams still prioritize interior players when selecting top talent. Great giants are still too rare; relatively speaking, perimeter stars are easier to develop.

That night, the Clippers' new home arena, Intuit Dome, hosted their second home game of the season. Although no fans were allowed to enter the arena to watch the game, the arena's big screen still displayed the ratings for the opening game, with many scenes showing Clippers fans watching the game at home or elsewhere.

Many Clippers fans left messages on the team's official website, saying that once they recover from their severe cold and the league allows in-person attendance, they will not hesitate to buy season tickets to support their team in person; the number of fans attending games is simply enormous. Los Angeles is no longer just home to Lakers fans; Clippers fans constitute a very large group as well.

This game was broadcast live on ESPN, with ESPN's chief commentator Mike Breen and guest commentator Mark Jackson, a former NBA star guard.

"Mark, the Clippers are 2-0 now, and the Mavericks are also 2-0. Who do you think is more likely to win tonight's game?" Mike Breen asked.

Mark Jackson smiled shyly and touched his shiny forehead: "This is really difficult for me. If I had to answer, I would favor the Clippers because they have home court advantage, and also because Jia Fei is better than Luka."

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Clippers' starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of Jafi, Bridges, Dillon, Grant, and Olynyk.

This is the second game that Paul George has missed. According to the injury report before the game, there is no specific timetable for his return, and his next medical test will be in a week.

The starting lineup for the Mavericks, playing on the road, consisted of Luka Doncic, Josh Richardson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Finley Smith, and Dwight Powell.

The Mavericks have a very standard "one big man and four small men" lineup.

This lineup boasts impressive offensive firepower. Luka Doncic, Josh Richardson, and Tim Hardaway Jr. are all capable of both driving and shooting, with Doncic and Hardaway Jr. being particularly explosive offensively.

The weaknesses of this lineup are also obvious. Both individual and team defense are mediocre. Apart from Josh Richardson, no one else can be considered a good defender. Josh Richardson is a decent defender, while players like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Luka Doncic are simply offensively strong but defensively weak.

The starting players from both sides took to the field, and Dwight Powell and Olynyk prepared for the jump ball near the center circle. The game was about to begin.

The jump ball began, and Powell won the jump ball against Olynyk, giving the Mavericks possession for the first possession.

Doncic dribbles the ball across half-court.

Doncic dribbles slowly and looks slow, but his rhythm is really good.

Therefore, some men don't need to always pursue rapid thrusts. Slow is not necessarily a bad thing. If the rhythm is well controlled, you can still reach the peak, with one climax after another, and a surging wave.

Dillon dominated the defense against Doncic throughout the game, constantly using physical contact and occasionally unleashing a torrent of profanity. A truly excellent defensive player is not only skilled in action but also a master of verbal sparring. "The Glove" Payton and "The Wolf King" Garnett are prime examples of this.

The pick-and-roll between Doncic and Dwight Powell was specifically targeting Olynyk. The Clippers' starting four forwards are all excellent defenders, making center Olynyk clearly the worst defensively.

The Clippers' strategy was to double-team Doncic and rotate their defense.

Doncic's passing is unmatched by Davis. Not only does he have excellent vision for passing, but his passing skills are also outstanding. He made a behind-the-back pass to Dwight Powell, who was cutting down the middle.

Dwight Powell received the ball and passed it to the corner fan, who got a wide-open three-point opportunity!

However, the electric fan missed the target for three minutes!

The "electric fan" shot is a useful point when the Clippers' rotation is stalled. His three-pointers aren't that lethal, and it's okay to let them run their course if necessary.