NBA: The God of Basketball Begins with Precise Scoring

Chapter 71 The semifinals officially begin, and the Warriors make another starter adjustment!

In the past few days, in addition to following the team's tactical training, Li Xingchen has also done some extra training on his own.

After all, new training tasks are already in front of us, and even if we know that it is unlikely to be completed before the end of this series, we must still proceed steadily.

Who knows, they might come in handy in the Western Conference Finals—provided, of course, that they make it to the Western Conference Finals.

However, this training session was indeed much more difficult than the last one, especially since it required frequent assistance from trainers or other players, making it almost impossible to advance the game when we went to away games.

Therefore, after three full days of rest, Li Xingchen had only completed about 15% of the progress, and there was still a long way to go before completing the mission.

Of course, the system's training tasks do not necessarily have to wait until they are completed to bring changes to Li Xingchen. In fact, through repeated training, Li Xingchen can also feel that he has made some progress in breaking through the final stage.

On the one hand, I learned some breakthrough techniques that I had never encountered before, and on the other hand, I honed some commonly used breakthrough footwork and feints to a higher level.

There hasn't been any major leap forward, but we're making steady progress step by step.

We'll see how much of it they can utilize at the competition today.

The starting lineup introductions revealed that the enthusiasm of the Los Angeles fans was no less than that of the San Francisco fans.

Almost everyone's appearance brought a tsunami of cheers and applause.

As expected, they continued to use the small-ball lineup from the first round: point guard Reggie Jackson, shooting guard Paul George, small forward Kawhi Leonard, power forward Nicolas Batum, and center Marcus Morris.

Morris was originally a stretch four. He was moved to the starting five position by head coach Tyronn Lue to play a small-ball lineup after the Clippers' original starting center Serge Ibaka was sidelined for the season. The results were surprisingly good, so he has been used ever since.

At first glance, the Clippers' current roster doesn't seem to have any obvious weaknesses, and it's definitely much stronger than Kerr's small-ball lineup.

Their small-ball lineups typically consist of three or even four forwards, giving them a speed advantage while ensuring they aren't too disadvantaged in terms of size.

Only Cole's small-ball lineup, which always starts with three defenders, is at a significant disadvantage in terms of size, needless to say.

Of course, this can't be entirely blamed on Kerr. The main reason is that the Warriors prefer to sign small guards, and even if Kerr wanted to use more forwards, he couldn't find anyone...

Next, the Warriors players entered the court.

Point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard Li Xingchen, small forward Andrew Wiggins, power forward Draymond Green, center Kevin Looney!

Although the Warriors don't have many fans in person, they still have a larger online fanbase than the Clippers.

The moment this starting lineup was announced, the discussion surrounding it skyrocketed.

"Holy crap! Kerr changed the starting lineup again?"

"The small-ball strategy worked so well in the first round, so why switch back to the twin-tower strategy?"

"Kerr understands basketball. The Clippers' small-ball lineup is stronger than the Warriors' small-ball lineup, so sticking to the small-ball lineup is not advantageous. It's better to use twin towers, at least you can better limit the opponent in the paint and prevent them from being overwhelmed in every area."

"While what the person upstairs said makes some sense, isn't it a bit ridiculous for you to judge whether Kerr understands basketball?"

"Guys, is this the important point? The important point is that although Kerr has switched back to the twin-tower lineup, our Chen is still in the starting lineup! Cup Cat is now on the bench!"

"This is not surprising at all. With Li's performance in the first round, how could he not continue to start? He is much better than Cup Cat on both offense and defense."

"Oh right, it's not just Cup Cat. I saw on the news yesterday that Kyle Oubre has recovered from his injury and will be cleared to play today."

"Doesn't that mean that when Lee killed Bazemore, he also killed Oubre?"

"That's even less surprising. When Oubre returned last season, Kerr had already made him Bazemore's backup..."

"Yes, he didn't mesh well with the Warriors. He always liked to play one-on-one, and he's a typical example of someone whose stats look good, but whose playing style actually hurts the team. Bazemore may not have as much volume as him, but his efficiency is way better, and he also plays much better with the rest of the Warriors team."

"Back then, after Klay's serious injury, Cole was short-handed at the shooting guard position. Now, unexpectedly, there are three options: Li Xingchen > Cup Cat > Oubre... This is truly a happy problem."

In the live stream, fans were commenting on the Warriors' roster. Some thought that playing with twin towers against the Clippers was a wise move, while others said that Kerr must have been out of his mind to abandon the small-ball lineup.

The truth of who is right and who is wrong can only be revealed on the field.

In the center circle jump ball, Looney unsurprisingly helped the Warriors secure the first offensive possession.

Although he was only three centimeters taller than Morris, his wingspan was a full fourteen centimeters longer, giving him a significant advantage in this aspect.

After gaining possession, Curry again dribbled the ball up the court, while the others took their positions.

The Clippers' defensive matchups were also quite impressive.

Kawhi Leonard immediately set his sights on Curry, personally leading the defense on the perimeter; while Paul George moved in front of Li Xingchen, clearly regarding him as the second offensive threat!

Reggie Jackson, who is not as tall, instead moved to the small forward position, wearing goggles and positioned himself in front of Wiggins.

The remaining matchups were normal, with Batum facing off against Draymond Green, and Morris battling Looney in the paint.

It seems that although the Clippers have just gone through a Game 7 and have had little time to rest, they have still done a thorough study of the Warriors.

This defensive matchup makes it very clear!

If you only look at the data, Wiggins' average points per game are currently higher than Li Xingchen's; however, if you watch their actual performance on the court, you'll know that Li Xingchen is definitely a greater offensive threat.

Putting everything else aside, just in terms of scoring explosiveness alone, Mouth Bro's performance is completely incomparable to Li Xingchen's, and this is one of the most important abilities on the offensive end of a basketball game.

How many games are wiped out in an instant because a role player suddenly explodes?

In the first round against the Jazz, Li Xingchen scored consecutive points at crucial moments when the situation was very delicate, either saving the team from a slump or helping the team widen the gap.

This kind of explosive attack is what opponents need to be most wary of in a match.

The Warriors' offensive tactics are still very simple: Curry directly calls on Looney to run a pick-and-roll at the center and center positions.

The opponent's current center, Morris, has very obvious strengths and weaknesses.

The advantages are strong shooting ability, which can help the team create space on the offensive end. In addition, the core strength of the lower body is good, and on the defensive end, it is not at a disadvantage when playing the five position to defend the big center. It can completely hold its own with its core strength and defensive experience.

However, the weaknesses are also obvious. On the offensive end, it is inconsistent, with a shooting percentage of over 60% in one game and less than 30% in another. As for the defensive end, it is slow footwork and poor rebounding.

If it's against the Jazz, it might be okay, but against the Warriors, he will definitely become the Warriors' offensive weak point.

Because what small guards like Curry like best is to exploit the screens set by the center and five, specifically targeting players in the paint who are "slow-footed"!

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There will definitely be an extra update today, see you at 8 PM!