northernbook Chapter 598 Bullying the Big Preacher
Chapter 598 Bullying the Big Preacher
Jia Fei's shot easily reminds people of the Shohoku vs. Hainan match in "Slam Dunk," where Rukawa Kaede dunked while dodging Maki's block.
The Jazz were also helpless, as their rim protector Gobert was still scrambling back on defense! He was just too slow. Of course, you can't blame him, as Jia Fei was indeed too fast.
The Jazz's offense continued with a pick-and-roll between Conley and Gobert. After a series of passes, the ball reached Bojan on the weak side, who drained a three-pointer!
2-3, the Jazz hit a three-pointer to start the game!
The cheers from the crowd immediately erupted. Although the Jazz's lineup did not have an absolute superstar, each player had a clear role on offense. Gobert, who lacked shooting ability, focused on pick-and-rolls and finishing at the basket, and could also grab offensive rebounds. The other four players all had three-point shooting ability and could quickly form double teams or help defenses before passing the ball to open teammates.
This is a very modern lineup. Although it's not a five-outside lineup, it still provides enough space for offense.
Beverley dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei had the ball and faced Royce O'Neal, who immediately double-teamed him.
Jia Fei calmly passed the ball to Dillon, but Dillon missed the open shot!
Gobert grabbed the rebound and passed it to Mitchell to bring the ball up the court.
Mitchell dribbled the ball forward and accelerated towards Dillon, drawing a foul in the backcourt!
Jazz's frontcourt ball.
Although Mitchell is only 185cm tall, he has long arms, excellent jumping ability, and strong muscles and explosive power, making him like a small cannon with explosive scoring power.
There's a saying in the NBA: if you have the 13th pick in the first round and don't know who to choose, pick a shooting guard; you might be pleasantly surprised. Mitchell was the 13th pick, Booker was the 13th pick, and the NBA's all-time leader in missed shots was also the 13th pick…
The 13th pick in the first round is truly a magical position; sometimes you have to believe in some kind of mystical power.
The Jazz inbounded the ball in the frontcourt, and Gobert drove to the basket, drawing a foul from Olynyk!
Gobert made both free throws, giving the Jazz a 3-point lead at the start!
Beverley brought the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei.
Jia Fei received the ball, and the opposing team double-teamed him again!
Jia Fei passed the ball to Olynyk in the high position, and then suddenly charged into the penalty area!
Olynyk tossed the ball into the air!
Jia Fei leaped high into the air, caught the ball with one hand in mid-air, and slammed it into the basket!
4-5, the Clippers' first two baskets both came from Jia Fei, and both were highlight-reel dunks!
The fans in the stadium immediately erupted in screams. This play was too cool! Gobert was pulled out by Olynyk, which meant that the Jazz's paint was full of short players, and no one could stop Jia Fei's attack.
"Teacher Su Jia Fei's play to break the double team was really cool! This play reminded me of him during the Men's Basketball World Cup. When he faced a double team, he would run off-ball and use off-ball screens to receive the ball and attack while moving. It's really not an easy thing to double team against him!" Wang Zixing exclaimed.
Su Qun nodded: "Jia Fei played very smartly. I knew you were going to double-team me, so I passed the ball to my teammate first, then ran to receive the pass, and then attacked. At that point, the opponent couldn't double-team me in time."
The Jazz's offense still revolved around Gobert's cut to the basket, but on this play, Gobert committed a traveling violation upon receiving the ball...
While Gobert is one of the league's top rim protectors, his offense is prone to butterfingers and often involves dirty footwork, including traveling. Compared to Jokic, whose offense is like a waltz, the two are fundamentally different beings.
The Clippers were on offense. Jia Fei continued to run off the ball, and Olynyk, supporting from the high post, lobbed the ball to Jia Fei in the midfield position!
Jia Fei received the ball with his back to the basket, facing Royce O'Neal's one-on-one defense, and Bojan from the strong side came over to double-team him!
Jia Fei, holding the ball with one hand, cleverly bounced it to Gallinari, who was cutting inside.
Gallinari received the ball and dunked with both hands, Jia Fei added an assist!
With a 6-5 lead, the Clippers took the lead thanks to an assist from Jia Fei!
Jazz offense, Royce O'Neale misses a three-pointer!
Long rebound! Jia Fei gets it!
Jia Fei launched a counter-attack with the ball, and while moving forward, he made a no-look pass to Di Long, who was cutting inside!
Dillon dunked with one hand, and the Clippers went on a 6-0 run!
8-5, Jazz timeout!
Jazz head coach Snyder frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the team's performance. His strategy was to use double teams to limit Jia Fei, and on offense, to get the ball to the basket as quickly as possible, since the Clippers' defensive weakness was in the paint. However, things didn't go as planned. Gobert was truly disappointing, struggling to finish plays, constantly getting blocked or committing traveling violations, and allowing the Clippers to launch consecutive fast breaks.
Double-teaming is difficult during counter-attacks. With a star player like Jia Fei, if you try to double-team him during a counter-attack, he can easily break it with a brilliant assist. Double-teaming him is only possible in your own half, and you need to rotate quickly after double-teaming him; otherwise, he can easily dismantle your defense with his passing.
After the timeout, the game resumed.
The Jazz are a highly disciplined team. Even when trailing, even against a weaker opponent, they methodically execute the tactics laid out by their coach. Therefore, their floor is very high, but their ceiling rests in Mitchell's hands. The level Mitchell can reach determines the potential level this team can achieve. Gobert is the team's defensive anchor, responsible for their floor, but their ceiling cannot be determined by him; his offense is simply too unreliable.
Conley continued the pick-and-roll with Gobert, drove in with the ball, and took a floater, but missed!
Gobert did get the offensive rebound, but he fumbled the ball when he went up for the basket, and it went out of bounds...
The Jazz fans at the scene were really at a loss for words. This big baguette was a pillar of the team on the defensive end, but he couldn't even finish easy baskets on offense. It reminded people of Omer Asik, the Turkish center who was traded all over the league by the Rockets. There was also a similar European center, Mozgov, the Russian center who played for the Cavaliers and Lakers.
Looking at Jokic, Sabonis, and Nurkic, who are also from Europe, Gobert, Asik, and Mozgov seem like African centers—their offensive skills are too rough…
The Clippers were on offense. Jia Fei drove in and made a behind-the-back pass, which landed perfectly in Olynyk's hands at the top of the key.
Gobert didn't make the save, and Olynyk decisively sank a three-pointer...
The ball hits the bullseye!
11:5, the Clippers are leading by 6 points!
The Jazz's worst fears have come true: the opposing team's stretch big men have started hitting three-pointers, a fatal blow to the Jazz who have a dominant center.
Teams with a center who can guard the rim in the paint are most afraid of teams with five outside shooters. Once the opponent gets going with their three-pointers, their defense will struggle.