NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 758 Steady Torture

The Timberwolves' offense was stalled, and their defense was caught out by fast breaks, putting them at a significant disadvantage...

Hua Zi was getting impatient. It was already difficult for him to fight Pao Jiao alone, and he also had to deal with Jia Fei's card-swiping defense from time to time, which made him particularly uncomfortable.

Why can't we just let him have a comfortable one-on-one fight? Don't you understand one-on-one? Why do you have to double-team and coordinate defense? Are you really that afraid of me?

Offensively, Gobert is practically useless except for his decent screen setting. His hands are incredibly stiff, and he frequently butterflies. He hasn't fully mastered the hook shot and bank shot that are essential for a center. His main offensive weapon is dunking, and unlike DeAndre Jordan, he doesn't have the height for alley-oops; he needs teammates to practically feed him the ball to finish.

The problem is that the Clippers' defense is very strong, so they don't give you many good opportunities to slowly score easy baskets.

Towns is still disappointing. He's too soft and can't dominate Grant Williams one-on-one. That means the team's biggest matchup advantage can't be utilized, and the outcome of the game is unlikely to change much.

The Timberwolves' biggest matchup advantage against the Clippers is Towns. If he can dominate Grant Williams in the low post and change the Clippers' defense, he can ignite the team's offense. However, he's too soft, always facing the basket on the perimeter. When you face the basket, you're easily swatted away and stolen by help defense. He also doesn't have the ability to instantly find open teammates like Jia Fei, making the offense very awkward.

The Timberwolves were completely dominated by the Clippers, and when the Clippers deployed their five-outside lineup during the rotation, their defense couldn't keep up...

In order to acquire Gobert, the Timberwolves gave up a large number of draft picks and immediate contributors, which indirectly damaged their roster depth.

The management's thinking at the time was simple: acquiring Gobert was to free up Towns and strengthen the team's defense. This worked fine in the regular season, but in the playoffs, Gobert's strengths couldn't be maintained, while his weaknesses were fully exposed.

Frankly, it's unreasonable to use so many assets to find a blue-collar center who can only play in the regular season. In this small-ball era, traditional centers like this are too easily targeted in the playoffs. Unless it's someone like Anthony Davis or Adebayo who can play small-ball, what will Gobert do when the team plays five outside players?

The Clippers didn't specifically target Gobert. If they had just used a small lineup and relentlessly ganked Gobert, the Timberwolves would have simply collapsed.

The Clippers' second unit, led by Brunson, crushed the Timberwolves' second unit, giving the Clippers a 15-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

The game's tone was set from the first quarter; the Timberwolves' offense is significantly weaker than last season. Last season, their offense was explosive, and with Towns at center, they had ample spacing, though their defense was a weakness. This season, their defense has improved, but their offense has encountered major problems.

In the second quarter, the Timberwolves tried to run pick-and-rolls between Dwight Howard and Karl-Anthony Towns, but the Clippers immediately countered with local help defense, double-teams, and rotations.

The Clippers have consistently avoided playing small lineups, which, while allowing the Timberwolves to avoid Gobert being heavily exploited, has also resulted in a weaker interior offense and a less significant rebounding advantage.

At halftime, the Clippers were leading by 22 points.

Judging from the course of the game and the score, the Timberwolves had no chance.

The second half saw no changes. The Timberwolves' roster structure limits their flexibility, limiting them to one style of play. Changing their lineup is difficult; you can't exactly bench Gobert. The twin-tower setup of Towns and Reed was tested last season, but neither could effectively dominate their matchups. Furthermore, the Clippers' defense was simply too strong; their ability to handle double-teams and help defense was too weak. Unable to capitalize on their advantages, they were destined for defeat.

Jia Fei finished the game in just three quarters, easily racking up a near triple-double of 30 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. In this kind of game, he didn't even need to exert much effort; the game was already won.

Ultimately, the Clippers defeated the Timberwolves at home, winning Game 1 of the series!

Hua Zi was thoroughly humiliated, but not many people actually mocked him, because his "newborn calf is not afraid of tigers" spirit was at least a good thing; after all, he was young, just lacking in skill. Towns, on the other hand, didn't even have that kind of drive, playing like a civil servant in basketball, and so softly, that he offered no hope.

On April 20th, Game 2 of the Clippers vs. Timberwolves series.

The Timberwolves made a lineup change in this game!

The Timberwolves demoted Walker to the bench and started Prince!

Whether it's Gobert or Towns, no matter how badly they play, the coaching staff wouldn't dare bench them, otherwise it would be a slap in the face to management. So, to make lineup changes, they can only touch other players. Among those other players, Hua Zi and Conley's positions are very secure; one is the team's leader and a key scorer, while the other plays a crucial role, responsible for controlling the game and facilitating open shots. Therefore, the only player they can touch is Walker at the small forward position.

Walker and Prince aren't significantly different in ability; Prince is slightly better at converting open shots, while Walker has better driving ability. However, neither of them are particularly outstanding 3-and-D players; they're just average role players.

Indeed, that's how the game went. The Clippers dominated the Timberwolves throughout the game, and Prince couldn't save the team. The Clippers were still destined to be crushed.

The series score is now 2-0, and based on the two games played so far, the Clippers have a greater advantage over the Timberwolves than last season. Despite losing Grant and Kelly, the Clippers' strength has actually increased, partly due to Paul George's good attendance and form this season, and also due to the growth of their young players.

Brunson, Hartenstein, Grant Williams, and Jaden McDaniels have all made progress to varying degrees. This kind of internal improvement has the most direct and positive impact because you don't need to invest in additional assets.

The Clippers' two signings this summer, Brunson and Bridges, have proven to be invaluable so far. Brunson is the top candidate for Sixth Man of the Year this season; he clearly has starting ability, but he's only a substitute, and his playing time exceeds 30 minutes. His consistency even surpasses Paul George's. Many experts believe that although the Clippers are nominally a two-star team, they are actually a Big Three team, with Brunson as that third star! Many even believe that based on his performance this season, Brunson is the team's second-best player after Jia Fei; he's just too low-key and doesn't show off.