Milwalkee, Fiserv Forum
"Giannis, what have you been doing these past few years?!"
Sitting on the bench, Jeff Green cursed helplessly, "A few years ago, he was just a scrawny player, but now he's so damn strong!"
"Jeff, your defense was already very good!"
Kai Chen patted Jeff Green's shoulder. "That's already enough!"
The 2018-19 season was arguably the year Giannis started going crazy.
That year, he not only won his first career MVP trophy but also the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Giannis is not only an All-Star vote leader but also received the most votes from players, fans, and media.
Because in addition to his dominance on the court, he himself is the embodiment of an "American Dream."
Before coming to the NBA, he was not a well-known presence in Europe.
But he trained tirelessly day after day, constantly improving his stats every season.
He used his performance to tell the players that if you are always timid or inactive because you are afraid of putting in effort.
Then when will you ever stand out?!
He is tenacious and inspiring, worthy of a championship.
As soon as the second quarter began, Lou Williams and Harrell led the Clippers' bench lineup in a fierce battle against the Milwaukee Bucks' rotation.
Here, Lou Williams made a three-pointer, ignoring the defense.
Turning around, Bledsoe, after a pick-and-roll, drove in and completed an "and-one."
Both second units fought fiercely, and both teams scored rapidly.
Midway through the second quarter, the Los Angeles Clippers still held a 55:54 lead, but the difference was already down to 1 point.
"Beep!"
The game entered its official timeout in the second quarter, and both Head Coaches briefly explained their team's tactics.
Immediately after, the timeout ended, and the Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, with great tacit agreement, changed their on-court personnel.
The Milwaukee Bucks kept Bledsoe, who performed well in the second quarter, and brought in Brogdon + Middleton + Connaughton and Giannis.
The Clippers' lineup also made Smith's eyes light up.
Lou Williams + Carmelo + Grayson Allen + Jeff Green, and Kai Chen!
"The Los Angeles Clippers have brought out their killing move in the middle of the second quarter!"
O'Neal was also a bit surprised. "The Clippers' lineup will have a hard time stopping Giannis's attack!"
"But the Clippers' lineup also has an advantage."
Smith forced an explanation. "Their transition offense can be played very quickly."
Without Lopez in the lineup, the Clippers could speed up the game as much as they wanted.
But the problem is that the most crucial aspect of a fast break is that you must limit the opponent's offense.
Only then can more transition offenses be created.
But with the Clippers now lowering their interior height, can they really limit Giannis's full-force attack?
The answer came in the first possession after the timeout!
Milwaukee Bucks offensive possession!
Brogdon brought the ball up from the backcourt and passed it to Middleton.
Middleton, facing Kai's defense, called for a pick-and-roll, then decisively chose to pass the ball to Giannis, who had a height advantage in the paint.
Giannis, with the ball, bumped Jeff Green.
To be honest, in such a confrontation, Jeff Green could hardly gain any advantage.
After pushing Jeff Green away, Giannis effortlessly rose, relying on his height and long arms for a low-hand layup!!
"Bang!!"
No sooner said than done!!
Behind Giannis, a pair of merciless iron hands directly slapped the basketball out of his hands.
The basketball collided violently with the backboard and bounced out.
Carmelo, ahead of everyone else, secured the rebound!
"Kai Chen!!!"
At the broadcast table, Smith said with some shock, "This is Kai's second block on Giannis in this game!"
Fast break!
Carmelo quickly passed the ball to the accelerating Kai.
Kai brought the ball up from the backcourt in a fast break, with Grayson Allen, Lou Williams, and others spread out on both sides beyond the three-point line, waiting for an opportunity.
After attracting the Milwaukee Bucks' defensive attention, Kai jumped and dished the ball to Grayson Allen on the left three-point line.
That was precisely the open spot!
"Thump!"
With the ball in hand, Allen didn't hesitate, shooting from beyond the arc!
Swish!
58:54!
Turning back!
The Milwaukee Bucks moved the ball to Giannis in the high post!
Giannis, facing Jeff Green, completely ignored his opponent, quickly turned with the ball, took a step forward, and shot another low-hand layup!
But he was not only facing Jeff Green in front of him but also Kai, who came over for help defense from the wing!
"It's Chen again; his help defense once again successfully interfered with Giannis's shot!"
O'Neal stood up excitedly. "The Clippers' small-ball lineup's defense is starting to affect the game because of Kai's help defense!"
Help defense is all about judging the timing of the defense.
For example, now, Kai judged that Giannis would definitely shoot himself.
So he left his defensive assignment, Middleton, and fully sprinted to provide help defense.
Giannis was indeed scared by Kai's continuous help defense, but he still did a mid-air scoop to avoid Kai's long arms and shot the ball at the last second.
"Clang!"
Unfortunately, Giannis's off-balance shot in the air missed.
In the rebound scramble, Grayson Allen leaped high and stubbornly secured the rebound.
"Go!"
With a shout from Grayson Allen, the Clippers' counterattack came again.
Giannis and Brogdon quickly retreated on defense, and Lou Williams, dribbling the ball, made a fancy behind-the-back pass to Kai!
Everyone thought that the Clippers' fast break would end with Kai Chen, but he chose to pass the ball to Carmelo, who was positioned beyond the three-point line!
Wide open, Carmelo did not let down Kai's trust!
"Swish!"
Another make!!
"Bang bang bang!!"
After making the three-pointer, Carmelo also performed his signature celebration — the three-finger head tap!!
No one would have thought that the defensive core of the Clippers' small-ball lineup would be Kai.
And after increasing his defense to 99 points, Kai Chen, in cooperation with his teammates' defense + his own large-area sweeping, successfully limited the Milwaukee Bucks' entire team's rotation.
Giannis + Middleton are indeed very talented!
Even if the team's offense wasn't flowing smoothly, they still relied on their strong individual abilities to open up the game.
However, with the ebb and flow, the Clippers still extended their lead to double digits by halftime, 72:62!
==========
Thank you for the support.
100 power stones = Bonus Chapter
Check my P@treon for 25+ advanced chapters
[email protected]/JustTranslate