NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 491 Revenge is Imminent

The Clippers won on the road, bringing the series score to 3-1. They are just one win away from their first-ever NBA Finals appearance.

The Warriors are facing elimination once again, falling behind 1-3 in the series, just like in the 2016 Western Conference Finals!

That year, the Warriors, thanks to the outstanding performance of their star players and the mistakes of their opponents, ultimately reversed the situation and won the Western Conference Finals. Although they lost the NBA Finals, they acquired Kevin Durant, the core player of their Western Conference Finals opponent, during the offseason.

Will history repeat itself? Nobody knows. The Warriors certainly hope history repeats itself. If things go according to plan, even if they lose the Finals, they will gain the core player of their Western Conference Finals opponent. In other words, Jia Fei will be joining them in the near offseason.

If things really go according to plan, the Warriors won't lose out even if they fail to defend their title. Because next season they will be able to field their "super team" lineup of Curry, Klay, Jahlil Giannis, Durant, and Green, truly becoming the "super team" Warriors.

This lineup will be the game-changer in this patch: 3 MVPs + 1 DPOY + Buddha. Even a god would have to kneel before it!

Unfortunately, history doesn't simply repeat itself. This time, the Warriors face a much more difficult situation than two years ago. Two years ago, although they were down 1-3 in the Western Conference Finals, Game 5 was played at home, and Game 6 saw Klay Thompson's explosive performance, with Game 7 also at home. This time, however, they lack home-court advantage. Game 5 will be played at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and they might not even get to see Thompson's performance; they might lose in Game 5…

Furthermore, winning three straight games against the Clippers is extremely difficult. The real problem is that the Warriors haven't found a way to counter their small-ball lineup, which is the real challenge.

The opponent's small lineup is certainly not invincible. While Jia Fei played almost perfectly in this game, flawlessly fulfilling his role as a small-ball center, he's ultimately not a big man, and his rebounding and rim protection aren't strong enough to dominate the paint. Gallinari's defense is far from being a defensive stalwart, and the Clippers' second unit also has defensive issues. As for offense, besides Jia Fei, the Clippers' other players, including Paul George, aren't particularly consistent, while the Warriors have Durant and Curry as consistent options. Besides consistency, the Clippers' perimeter shooters aren't as lethal; players like Dillon Beverley with three-point shooting could be put to the test.

The Warriors' problem is that their strengths can't be exploited to exploit the Clippers' weaknesses. The Clippers' rim protection and rebounding are mediocre, but the Warriors' small lineup lacks a penetrating post-up specialist and a rebounding machine. Iguodala and Green's shooting weaknesses and mediocre offense allow Gallinari to avoid being heavily targeted, and Jia Fei can also free up his hands for help defense rotations.

The Clippers' biggest contributor in this game was undoubtedly Jia Fei, but the unsung hero was Dillon, the surprise hero of the game.

Dillon, as a rookie, started in such a crucial Western Conference Finals game and played 39 minutes, performing exceptionally well, especially on the defensive end. Whether it was guarding Klay Thompson one-on-one, switching on Durant, or chasing Curry, he performed remarkably well. Even on his less consistent offense, he still hit two three-pointers, providing excellent support for Jia Fei and being a major contributor to the Clippers' victory.

The Clippers' acquisition of a 3-and-D player like Dillon Arnold with just a second-round pick is absolutely astonishing. It seems the "Logo Man" (Jackson's nickname) is truly extraordinary; Arnold's arrival at the Clippers has fundamentally transformed the team.

After the Clippers won, Art Mayork, who was DNP'd (Did Not Play), was the happiest, which made Harrell and Lou Williams, who had been somewhat unhappy about their limited playing time, unable to say much. Jia Fei's good friend was DNP'd, the team won, the new roster performed well, even the rookie starter Dillon played exceptionally well—what more could be said?

The post-game news was a bloodbath, with fans of both teams hurling insults at each other online, and various media outlets reviewing and discussing the game every day. The most discussed topic was whether the Warriors could replicate their 2016 Western Conference Finals performance.

The funny thing is that some fans even photoshopped a Warriors jersey onto Jia Fei's body, and this picture went viral online.

The happiest people are of course the fans of the Celtics and the Cavaliers, especially the Cavaliers fans. If the script from 2016 had been followed, they would have defeated the Warriors in the Finals to win the championship. The scene is too beautiful to bear.

However, the Cavaliers are currently tied 2-2 with the Celtics and will travel to Boston's TD Garden for Game 5. Whether they can advance to the NBA Finals is still uncertain.

The Clippers have returned to Los Angeles to prepare for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors. They are currently in a very favorable position, with ESPN predicting a 97% chance of advancing to the NBA Finals.

On May 25, the NBA officially announced the All-NBA Teams for the 2017-18 season.

Jia Fei, Harden, Running Man, Durant, and Davis were selected for the All-NBA First Team.

This marks Jia Fei's fourth selection to the All-NBA Team in his career, with three of those selections being to the First Team.

Jia Fei's teammate, Paul George, was selected for the third team.

For Jia Fei, being selected to the All-NBA First Team no longer aroused the interest of his fans. Everyone's attention was on the Western Conference Finals. Everyone wanted to see if he could lead the Clippers to defeat the Warriors and complete their revenge, making it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history!

One win is all that's left for the Clippers to make their first-ever NBA Finals appearance!

The Clippers held a practice on May 26, and Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals will be held at Staples Center on the evening of May 27.

Time flies, and it's already the 27th.

That evening at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, in the home team's locker room.

Jia Fei gave another speech in the locker room before the game.

"Brothers, I don't need to say anything, everyone knows how important tonight's game is. Last year in the Western Conference Finals, we were eliminated by the Warriors, and I still remember that night of defeat vividly. I don't want to lose to the same opponent for the second year in a row, and I think you all feel the same way. Tonight, we have a chance to close out the series. You all need to know that this Warriors team hasn't lost a single series since KD joined. I hope we can be the first team to do that. If we beat them, we'll make it to the NBA Finals, we'll set a team record, and everyone will become part of the team's history! Let's fight together, brothers!" Jia Fei's words were incredibly inspiring, and many players in the arena felt their adrenaline surge.

Staples Center felt completely different tonight. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the team's operations manager, the man with the team logo, appeared courtside, eager to witness a new franchise record. The Clippers may soon see their first-ever division title banner, and the arena will no longer be empty when the Clippers are at home. Looking further ahead, perhaps this team will win its first NBA championship trophy this June!