NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 697 Returning to Single-Core Leadership

$2.5 is certainly not a small sum, but the value of a championship depends on who it is. For a rookie, it's a lot of money, but for a league veteran like Jia Fei, it's just a drop in the ocean.

In an interview, Jia Fei stated that he would pay the fines for several of his teammates. He dislikes hurting opponents on the court and prefers to let basketball decide the outcome.

On July 11, Game 3 of the Finals was moved to the Bucks' home arena, Fitzgerald Arena.

Milwaukee is Wisconsin’s largest city and lake port, located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, and is a major industrial and commercial city in Wisconsin.

Milwaukee enjoys a mild climate year-round and a comfortable lifestyle, earning it the reputation of "a beautiful place by the lake."

Most Chinese fans don't know much about this city. Many people know Milwaukee only because the Bucks used the 6th pick in the first round of the draft to select Yi Jianlian.

Clearly, Milwaukee isn't a big city, and the Bucks aren't a dynasty team, otherwise why would no one want to go there in free agency?

The Bucks have a long and distinguished history. The team was founded in 1968 and entered the NBA, making it one of the oldest teams in the league.

In the 1970-71 season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to the NBA championship in just three years, becoming the team that won the title in the shortest time since joining the NBA.

Therefore, the Bucks are not a team without a championship history. Their ancestors were not wealthy, but they were certainly well-off.

Although the Bucks are down 0-2 in the series, the attention surrounding this series has reached unprecedented levels. This is mainly due to the physical altercation in the previous game, which has added a lot of uncertainty and tension to the series.

If Paul George doesn't play, the impact on the Clippers will be greater than the impact on the Bucks if Khris Middleton doesn't play; at least, many experts believe so. After all, the Clippers have a two-star system, while the Bucks have a Big Three.

This means that Jia Fei will lead the team alone. Everyone certainly recognizes his abilities, but he will also face many challenges.

On the evening of the 11th, at the Bucks' home arena, Fitzgerald Arena.

In the away team's locker room, Paul George, dressed in a suit, was also present.

At this moment, locker room leader Art Mayork was giving his teammates a pep talk, urging them to have passion and the like. He's quite adept at this now, after all, he once worked under the "founding father of pep talks," Pighead Lee. Even if he hasn't done it himself, he's seen it all, so with a little practice, he can get the hang of it; it's not actually that difficult.

The Clippers players were indeed furious. Damn it, the Bucks really have no sportsmanship. They've started to cripple players. Are you the only ones who would do that?

Fortunately, the Clippers have a lot of trump cards up their sleeve. Olynyk and Dillon are MVP-caliber players who are good at this. With them on the court, the Clippers can protect themselves and the Bucks won't gain much of an advantage.

This match was broadcast live on Tencent, and the hosts Wang Zixing and Su Qun were responsible for closing the game.

"Teacher Su, Paul George isn't playing in this game. Who do you think will start in his place?" Wang Zixing asked.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses and said, "I feel that Dillon Brooks is most likely to start, while Lee Kyle will probably still come off the bench."

"Middleton is also out injured on the Bucks' side. Do you think DiVincenzo will start?" Wang Zixing continued to ask.

Su Qun nodded: "It's very likely. Connaughton isn't as well-rounded as DiVincenzo, and Jeff Teague won't start."

The Bucks' home arena, Fitzgerald Arena, was not fully open either, with only about 5000 people attending the game.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced.

The Bucks' starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, PJ Tucker, Donte DiVincenzo, and Jrue Holiday.

As expected, Di Vencenzo started!

The Clippers' starting lineup for the away game is Jafi, Bridges, Dillon Brooks, Grant, and Olynyk.

Dillon replaces Paul George in the starting lineup!

Both teams started, their eyes burning with rage, and there was no friendly embrace whatsoever.

Olynyk and Brook Lopez are near the center circle preparing for the jump ball; the game is about to begin.

This match has garnered a lot of attention, and there is great anticipation for it, even though both sides have key players absent.

There are many points to watch in this game. First, it's a must-win game for the Bucks. What better way will they come up with to solve the problems on both ends of the court when they return home? Second, can Jia Fei fully carry the team and defeat the powerful Bucks without Paul George? Third, will this game see violent incidents outside of basketball, like the last game?

Due to the incident in the previous game, security was significantly strengthened at the Bucks' home arena, Fitzgerald Arena, for this game. The league also sent important officials to the scene to oversee the proceedings and ensure the game proceeded peacefully.

According to Adam Silver, the occasional violent incidents in the NBA are a huge blow to the NBA brand, and such incidents must be prevented from happening again!

The jump ball began, and Olynyk, perhaps motivated by the fine, surprisingly won the jump ball against Brook Lopez, giving the Clippers possession of the first ball.

Jia Fei dribbled the ball across half-court.

Olynyk set a screen, and the Bucks' strategy was to double-team Jia Fei!

This is not hard to understand. With Paul George out, Jia Fei is the only All-Star. If they don't double-team him, who else would they double-team?

However, the risk of double-teaming Jia Fei is also considerable. Many teams have suffered from this. His passing ability is excellent, his vision is superb, and even if Paul George doesn't play, the Clippers still have a deadly five-outside lineup with great offensive spacing, making him a formidable threat!

Jia Fei passed the ball to Olynyk, who then passed it to Dillon on the other side. After a series of passes, Grant's jump shot missed!

Giannis Antetokounmpo grabbed the rebound and immediately drove to the basket!

Dillon blocked the attack directly, while Bridges chased back from the other side!

The small basketball court turned into a chase!

Jia Fei seized the opportunity and swiftly stole the ball from the side!

Jia Fei stole the ball and launched a fast break, using an in-out move to get past DiVincenzo, then gathered the ball under the basket and, leaning against Brook Lopez, finished with a layup!

2-0, the Clippers score first!

"Jia Fei's steal and fast break layup was really impressive!" Wang Zixing exclaimed.

The Bucks were on offense. Holiday passed to DiVincenzo, who then drove and passed to Giannis after a screen!

Giannis Antetokounmpo made a strong sprint, but missed the layup!

Jia Feifei grabbed the rebound and dribbled the ball over.

Facing Holiday's close defense, he dribbled the ball to the left wing, turned his back to the basket, moved inside, suddenly made a half-turn fake, cut in, and then took a jump shot...

Holiday couldn't block him at all, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's help defense was too late. Jia Fei calmly made the jump shot!

4: 0!

Giannis Antetokounmpo drives hard to the basket, drawing a foul from Kelly Olynyk!

Giannis made one of two free throws, and the Bucks scored!

Jia Fei brought the ball over and passed it to Olynyk in the high post!

As soon as Olynyk touched the ball, the crowd erupted in boos...

Olynyk handed the ball to Dillon, who took it, and wow, there was a chorus of boos...