NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 743 Breaks New Playoff Individual Assist Record

The Suns' offense relied on familiar tactics, such as the Spanish pick-and-roll, Booker's isolation plays, and the connection between 58 and Ayton. As an NBA team, they are indeed very modern: a lineup with one big man and four small men, a point guard who can pass and shoot, a shooting guard who is good at both isolation plays and shooting, two 3-and-D wings, and a center who can finish at the rim, protect the rim, and has a mid-range shot.

However, against the Clippers' five-forward lineup, neither the Spanish pick-and-roll nor Ayton's easy baskets could be as effective. The defensive ceiling of a five-forward lineup is simply too high; unless you have a low-post carry like Shaquille O'Neal, breaking down their defense is virtually impossible.

Jia Fei was assigned to guard Booker. He had previously guarded Edwards, Curry, and Booker in the playoffs. When he was serious about defense, he was incredibly effective. Tonight, Booker also had a very difficult time with his defense.

The Suns double-teamed Jia Fei relentlessly. They double-teamed him when he was isolation scoring, and they double-teamed him when he ran pick-and-rolls. The only time they didn't double-team him was when he wasn't on the ball.

The Clippers started strong with consecutive outside shots in the first quarter, and Jia Fei dished out 8 assists in the quarter alone.

The Clippers led by 11 points in the first quarter, 25:36!

The Suns' offense was fine, and scoring 25 points in a single quarter against the Clippers' defense was quite an achievement, considering that the Warriors and Timberwolves also struggled against the Clippers' defense.

However, their defense was not good, and the strategy of double-teaming Jia Fei in the first quarter was obviously unsuccessful.

In the second quarter, the Suns continued to double-team Jia Fei. Suns head coach Monty Williams persisted with the double-team, which was certainly a risky defensive strategy, but he genuinely didn't have a suitable candidate to guard Jia Fei.

Neither Jay Crowder nor Huang Zhong could keep up with Jia Fei's pace. Booker's defense against Jia Fei was a complete waste; 58 is only 183cm, which would make him a taller man next to Huang Zhong, but against Jia Fei, he could only smell the scent of his armpits. Jia Fei didn't even need to jump to pull up over 58's head—the height difference was too great. The worst part was that Jia Fei was so much taller than 58, yet faster and more athletic—how the hell could they possibly compete?

Many people don't really grasp the concept of a height of around 20cm. Just ask yourself, are you even 20cm tall? What does 20cm mean? If you're 170cm tall and playing on a pickup basketball court, wouldn't a 180cm player be playing inside? Do you usually encounter players who are 190cm tall on a pickup court? If you do, would you want to play against them?

Jia Fei is 201cm tall with a 220cm wingspan. When he pulls up for a jump shot over 58cm, his opponent is either forced to foul or can only kneel and sing "Conquer!" – that's pure talent dominance. I'm so much taller and faster than you, younger, and can run and jump as much as you. My technique and awareness are superior. How can you defend me without double-teaming me?

In the second quarter, the Clippers' role players' shooting touch cooled off, but Brunson's explosive performance in the second unit overwhelmed Payne and Shamet, helping the Clippers extend their lead.

半场比赛结束，49:64，15分的分差。贾飞半场贡献10分7个篮板11次助攻2个抢断2个盖帽，半场就接近三双。

In the second half, the Suns continued to double-team Jia Fei, while Paul George and the Clippers' role players worked together to win the game, ultimately securing a 20-point victory over the Suns and taking Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

贾飞全场贡献22分13个篮板22次助攻4个抢断3个盖帽，完成三双。

22 points is Jia Fei's lowest score in this year's playoffs, but anyone who watched the game knows that his offense wasn't off, but simply that he didn't take enough shots. He was double-teamed throughout the game and dished out a lot of assists.

In this game, Jia Fei delivered 22 assists, setting a new NBA playoff single-game assist record!

His previous playoff single-game assist record was 17, but after this game, it jumped to 22, an increase of 5 assists.

Since the start of this season's playoffs, Jia Fei has been constantly breaking his own records, from single-game blocks to single-game assists.

The Clippers won Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, taking a 1-0 lead in the series!

After this game, many experts advised the Suns not to double-team Jia Fei so aggressively in the following games. Jia Fei's passing ability is too outstanding; double-teaming him is just giving him assists. He already has 22 assists in this game; do you want him to continue breaking his personal single-game assist record?

On the evening of May 21, at the Clippers' home arena, Intuit Dome, Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals took place.

The Suns didn't change their lineup for this game, but they did adjust their game strategy.

It's certain the Suns won't change their lineup. There are no replacements for their starting five. Neither Biyombo nor McGee off the bench can replace Ayton's role, as Ayton has a good mid-range shot and is better at finishing at the rim than either of them. As for the other four, there are even fewer replacements.

However, this doesn't mean that adjustments can't be made without changing the lineup. The Suns adjusted their defense in this game, assigning veteran Huang Zhong to defend Jia Fei instead of blindly double-teaming him. They only rotated to help defend when Jia Fei drove in.

On offense, they still relied on their old methods: the Spanish pick-and-roll, Booker's isolation plays, initiating pick-and-rolls, and the pick-and-roll between 58 and Ayton, etc.

In the starting lineup, the Suns adjusted and kept the game close with the Clippers. However, once the rotation started, the Suns couldn't hold on...

Brunson was dominating off the bench, with the slender Payne and Shamet unable to contain him. Later, Craig was forced to match up against him, but Craig was too slow and easily beaten.

The balance of the game was broken, and the Suns fell behind again.

101-109, the Clippers win another game at home, taking a 2-0 lead in the series!

Jia Fei's performance in this game was average, with 30 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks. This kind of performance is very ordinary for him, but for many players, such a performance in the conference finals would be an absolute breakthrough.

On May 24, at the Suns' home arena, the American West Arena, Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

For the Suns, this game has become a do-or-die situation once again... How similar it is to last year, when they lost two games at the Clippers' home arena, Intuit Dome, and then lost two more at their home arena, AME West, getting swept by their opponents. If they want to stay in the series and keep the Western Conference Finals even slightly competitive, then they must win this game.

Beating the Clippers is easier said than done! How many consecutive games have the Clippers won in the playoffs? To beat an opponent like that, you need to perform exceptionally well, and the opponent also needs to have an off night. But what are the chances of that?

In this game, the Suns continued their overall strategy from the previous game, but they assigned Booker to lead the second unit to avoid falling behind due to a lack of firepower. Brunson has already attracted the Suns' attention; it's unbelievable how strong this guy with such a big head is.

But in this game, Paul George suddenly exploded...

Yes, it happened so suddenly...