NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 696 NBA Becomes UFC

After the first game of the Finals, many media figures and experts are already predicting that the Clippers will win their fourth consecutive championship. This is because, based on the course of the game, it is almost impossible for the Bucks to find any advantage over the Clippers, and it seems unlikely that the underdog will win a series.

But Jia Fei and the entire coaching staff remained calm. During training the day after the game, Jia Fei said to everyone: "Everyone is saying that we will win the championship. Of course, I am also confident that we can win the remaining games. But everyone must not underestimate our opponents. The game is won through hard work. Victory will not come easily. If you want to win the championship, you have to step over the corpses of your opponents!"

Jia Fei's words gave everyone on the Clippers a jolt! Indeed, the series was far from over, and anything could happen until the end of the game.

Take the Eastern Conference Finals for example. The Nets seemed to have such a clear advantage, but they still lost to the Bucks. You could say Giannis Antetokounmpo used dirty tactics, but judging from the outcome, they truly lost!

Nets fans were the happiest, even happier than Clippers fans. As long as Giannis Antetokounmpo has no chance to win a championship, what's wrong with letting Jia Fei achieve a four-peat?

On the evening of July 8th, at the Clippers' home arena, Intuit Dome, Game 2 of the NBA Finals took place.

Neither side made any lineup changes. The Bucks, who lost the previous game, did not, as many predicted, remove Brook Lopez and start Portis.

The Bucks made adjustments on both offense and defense in this game.

On offense, they added pick-and-rolls, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the other two stars setting pick-and-rolls specifically to target Kelly Olynyk!

On the defensive end, Brook Lopez doesn't stay in the paint all the time; he'll rush out. But if the opponent breaks through, he'll immediately return to the basket to protect the rim. If that's not enough time, Giannis Antetokounmpo will come back first to delay the attack.

The Clippers' strategy was to use pick-and-roll to chase down Brook Lopez.

Brook Lopez is the Bucks' best rim protector, but also their slowest player. Their guiding principle for this game was to have their fastest player, Jia Fei, set screens for Lopez.

Whoever Brook Lopez was guarding, Jia Fei would set a screen for him – it was Lopez specifically targeting him. The Bucks tried various defensive tactics. They dared not switch and let Lopez dominate Jia Fei. They tried having Holiday squeeze through screens, they tried having Lopez participate in double-teaming Jia Fei, and they even tried excessive delays. None of these methods could solve the problem of Jia Fei relentlessly guarding Lopez.

Jia Fei exploited Brook Lopez's weakness, bringing the Bucks' defensive system to the brink of collapse. The Bucks' coach, nicknamed "Pig Head," had no choice but to bench his beloved center, Brook Lopez, and bring in Portis.

With Portis on the court, the Clippers began to attack the paint more frequently.

Giannis Antetokounmpo can indeed protect the rim, but asking him to both sweep and protect the rim is too taxing on him, making it difficult for him to be 100% committed on both offense and defense.

Jia Fei's isolation plays are a problem the Bucks can't solve. When Brook Lopez is on his screens, he looks for Lopez; when Lopez isn't there, he looks for Portis on his screens.

Portis was quick on his feet, but his switching defense was no match for Jia Fei.

Holiday couldn't stop him either, but he was more effective at it.

At halftime, the Clippers led by 10 points!

The score difference wasn't large, but judging from the course of the game, the Bucks were being dominated and didn't seem to have much hope of winning.

In the second half, the situation did not improve significantly. The Bucks had really given their all, and their Big Three were fighting hard, but they still couldn't close the score gap.

Just then, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Portis finally made their move...

Giannis Antetokounmpo first extended his leg towards Jia Fei as Jia Fei dunked, but Jia Fei reacted quickly and dodged it. Then, Portis elbowed Jia Fei while switching onto him, resulting in a technical foul from the referee!

That wasn't all. When Giannis Antetokounmpo was shooting, he stuck his foot under Paul George...

Paojiao didn't have Jia Fei's quick reflexes, nor was he as durable, and as a result, he got injured...

Paula was injured and had to be helped off the field by his teammates!

At this moment, a conflict nearly broke out between the two sides. Giannis's innocent expression was truly disgusting. Portis's glaring eyes, ready to fight, completely enraged the Clippers players.

Soon, Olynyk took the shot, pushing Brook Lopez under the basket and "accidentally" stepping on his foot...

Brook Lopez was forced to leave the field due to injury, while Olynyk was ejected from the game...

The finals turned into a war of attrition, a situation no one could have predicted before the competition began.

The game wasn't over yet. After that, Portis was ejected for intentionally colliding with Jia Fei during a screen, accumulating two technical fouls. Meanwhile, the Clippers' Dillon immediately executed a spectacular dunk, sending Middleton to the team doctor...

This isn't a basketball game anymore, it's practically a UFC match...

Fortunately, Jia Fei was very resilient and was not injured by the opponent. In the end, he maintained his composure and led his team to defeat the opponent and win Game 2 of the finals!

The Clippers lead the series 2-0 against the Bucks, but everyone's attention seems to have shifted away from basketball...

Unexpectedly, the NBA game turned into a UFC fighting tournament. The fighting was far more exciting than the game itself, which made the NBA an instant sensation across the United States. Those who had previously mocked the current NBA games for being too effeminate and lacking in physicality all expressed their approval, saying that this was the basketball of the 1980s and 90s.

Draymond Green, the Warriors' defensive anchor who was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, went live that night. He said that this kind of game is suitable for a player like him, and he really wants to play. If he were to face Giannis Antetokounmpo, he would shut down the Greek beast in every way.

Former Lakers champion and philanthropist Peace said that after watching the game, he had the idea of ​​making a comeback, and the idea was so strong that he couldn't stop. He wanted to fight with boxers Dillon and Portis, saying that James Harden was too weak back then and he wanted to fight with real boxers.

The following day, the Clippers officially announced that Paul George would miss Game 3 of the series due to a foot injury, with no immediate plans for his return... This practically means that George's season is over...

This introduces uncertainty into the series. If Paul George doesn't play, and Jia Fei faces the opposing Big Three alone, the outcome is truly unpredictable.

However, the Bucks then officially announced that Middleton, who was injured in the previous game, has sprained his knee and will miss the rest of the season...

This……

Who would have thought that Paul George and Middleton would exchange cards remotely...

No one else had any major injuries. Jia Fei was healthy, and Big Lopez was fine. The ones who were injured were Paul George and Middleton.

The league quickly issued a statement!

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has stated sternly that violence is prohibited on NBA courts. He warned that any instances of intentional injury or fighting that damage the league's image during the upcoming Finals will be severely punished. Following the previous game, Dillon, Olynyk, Portis, and Giannis each received a $25,000 fine.