NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 447 First Team Meeting

On October 31, the Clippers will host the defending champion Warriors.

This was the first meeting between the two teams since last season's Western Conference Finals, and the game garnered the most attention of the day. Naturally, it was a nationally televised game, and everyone wanted to see if the Clippers, who had strengthened their roster this summer, could challenge the Warriors' dominance.

At the start of the game, the Clippers displayed great focus and high defensive intensity. However, their old problems resurfaced: their offensive system was not functioning smoothly, resulting in numerous turnovers and a poor offensive rhythm.

Conversely, the Warriors players were in great form, even Green, who is usually bad at three-pointers, hit three three-pointers in this game, breaking down the Clippers' defense.

In the end, the Clippers suffered a crushing defeat at home, losing 130-111.

After this game, the Clippers' record came to 4 wins and 2 losses. Although the record is not bad, the two games they lost were against playoff-level teams, while most of the teams they won were weak teams.

The sentiment that "the Clippers are still no match for the Warriors" began to circulate after the game. Indeed, the outcome of the game is the only true measure of success. No matter how much you boast before the game or how strong your roster looks on paper, if you lose, you're simply not good enough.

Everyone in the home team's locker room was frustrated after the game, especially the players who were with the Clippers last season. They didn't want to lose to the Warriors, even though it was just a regular season game.

Paul George also felt guilty. He had been full of confidence, but his addition to the team didn't help them win; instead, they suffered a crushing defeat. If his presence or absence made no difference, he would doubt his worth and wonder what he was even doing there. Although he scored 22 points in this game, he committed 6 turnovers, which alone allowed the opponent to score many points.

Jia Fei knew that it wasn't surprising that they, still in the process of getting to know each other, lost to the well-established and powerful Yu Zhou Yong, but losing in this way was still hard for him to accept.

The Clippers did not practice the following day, and Coach Buden gave the players a day off. Their next game will be a home game against the Mavericks on November 2.

Jia Fei invited Pao Jiao to a bar. Since they were both locals in Los Angeles, they didn't need to bring any guides when they went out.

After a few drinks, Paojiao started talking a lot. He said he came here to win, he hated losing, and he didn't want a crushing defeat like last night.

“Paul, we all need to adjust ourselves,” Jia Fei said, seizing the opportunity.

"Adjust yourself? What do you mean?" Paojiao asked rhetorically.

“We need to do what we’re good at. You’re good at jump shots and one-on-one, and I’m good at driving and organizing. We each have our own roles. You should be the finisher more often, do more one-on-one and less organizing. I’ll organize!” Jia Fei said.

Paul George nodded, agreeing with Jia Fei's opinion. He was indeed not good at playmaking. When he was with the Pacers, playmaking was always done by Jiao Zhixi and his junior teammate, while he was responsible for offense. Many people criticized him for not being able to break double teams because his passing vision was not wide enough. Although he was reluctant to admit it, it was indeed the truth.

Paojiao was able to agree with Jia Fei's words partly because he found Jia Fei's way of speaking more acceptable. Jia Fei didn't say that he wasn't good at organizing, couldn't break through, or couldn't break double teams. Instead, he said that he was good at jump shots and one-on-one play, which sounded very pleasant.

Even when expressing the same meaning, a skilled speaker can say one thing in a different way than another. For example, if you want to tell someone they're fat, you can't just say it directly; you should say, "You really are a pig, you're Pigsy (Zhu Bajie), you could go sell meat..."

"Yes, I've had too much ball in these past few games and made too many mistakes. It's my responsibility for the losses!" Paul George took the initiative to take responsibility. His average number of turnovers per game in these past few games has reached a new career high.

Jia Fei shook his head: "The mistake isn't entirely your responsibility; it's everyone's responsibility. We're a new team, and we're not familiar with each other yet. Sometimes you make a good pass, but I don't realize it or get to the right position, resulting in a mistake. That can't be attributed to you alone. Losing is everyone's responsibility. We need to unite now, not blame ourselves too much, and certainly not pointlessly blame each other. I'd like to hold a team meeting. What do you think?"

Pickled Pepper nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I agree!"

"Okay, it's settled then. I'll talk to Coach Buden!" Jia Fei said.

Jia Fei wanted to call a team meeting, and Coach Budenholzer readily agreed. Budenholzer had been under immense pressure these past few days, practically on edge. The team fired championship-winning coach Doc Rivers to acquire him, and Rivers' record last season was undeniable: over 60 wins in the regular season and a run to the Western Conference Finals. If Rivers had led the Clippers to a dismal performance and an early playoff exit, not only would he have faced dismissal, but Jia Fei would have been in a bad position as well. Jia Fei was undoubtedly a major reason for Jia Fei's move to the Clippers. While there was no conspiracy between them, it was clear to everyone that the Clippers wouldn't have gone to such lengths and expense to acquire him if their successful partnership with the Hawks hadn't been so successful.

That evening, Jia Fei invited his teammates to dinner. After the meal, he arranged for everyone to go to a quiet bar. In a private room at the bar, the team held its first internal meeting.

The team meeting was chaired by Jia Fei, who encouraged everyone to speak freely, discuss, and offer suggestions for the team's current problems.

The meeting was generally relaxed, and everyone spoke their minds. Paul George admitted in front of everyone that he had made too many mistakes and played poorly. He expressed his hope that Jia Fei would handle the ball more and that he would play more off-ball.

Jia Fei said he will be more involved in the team's organization, and he will let Paul George do more of his own thing and focus on offense, while he will devote more energy to defense.

Art Mayork, who was on the bench, also said that the team's bench needs to work harder on defense and that everyone needs to work together.

Coach Buden was very satisfied with the team meeting. He was surprised that the issue of ball distribution between Jia Fei and Paul George, which had been somewhat difficult to resolve, was solved so quickly. He didn't know that Jia Fei had already convinced Paul George before the team meeting.

At the end of the meeting, Jia Fei addressed everyone present: "Ladies and gentlemen, we achieved excellent results last season, but that's all in the past. A hero doesn't dwell on past glories; we can't live in the past forever. Don't be burdened by past honors and achievements. My goal isn't just the conference finals; we want to contend for the championship! The season is long, and it's only just begun. We're still in the adjustment period. Losing once or twice doesn't mean we're finished. We will adjust, and then it will be the nightmare for the other 29 teams!"