NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 661 My Best Friend Finds His Own Love

The offseason break allowed Jia Fei to regain his physical fitness and fully recover from his injuries. He has gradually begun to return to training in preparation for the new season.

As the team leader, he shoulders the responsibility for the entire team. He needs to excel in all aspects, not just play well himself.

Jia Fei and Lin Ning got together, and their days of dating were truly sweet. Unlike Sharapova, Lin Ning had no dating experience. Although she lacked some of the sexiness and wildness, she possessed more shyness and innocence, which made Jia Fei feel very happy.

One day in November, Jia Fei and Lin Ning were watching a show together at Jia Fei's house.

Lin Ning, dressed in pajamas, nestled in Jia Fei's arms, as docile as a kitten.

What a blissful home life!

"Jia Fei, we're so happy now, but I still feel a little guilty!" Lin Ning nestled in Jia Fei's arms, drawing circles on his chest with her slender fingers.

"What guilt?" Jia Fei asked, puzzled.

“You and Art used to be really close, just like what people say... like that... that gay man. Now that I'm here, he spends less time with you. And I feel like I've taken away someone else's most precious thing, and I don't feel comfortable about it…” Lin Ning explained slowly.

"Uh... what gay men? You actually believe that?" Jia Fei was speechless.

"I don't believe it, but it's true that my presence has reduced the time you spend together!" Lin Ning said.

“It’s rare that you’re so considerate of others. Actually, it’s alright. We still have plenty of time together. Back in the bubble park, we hung out together every day—training, competitions, meals—we’ve been like one person for so many years. We won’t grow distant just because we haven’t seen each other for a few days. If your presence really causes our friendship to fade, then it’s because you don’t believe in our friendship,” Jia Fei said.

"It's good that you think that way. Art is really a good brother. I'm really shocked that he would accept naturalization from China because of you!" Lin Ning said.

"Yes, Art is a good brother. Having such a good brother makes this life worthwhile!" Jia Fei smiled, his mind filled with memories of the two of them.

"Let me gossip a bit, what kind of girl does Art like?" Lin Ning asked tentatively.

"What type? Um... He told me before that he prefers people with the same skin color as him, preferably Africans. He doesn't really like white people or Asian people," Jia Fei said.

“We have many African American women in our company. I can introduce a few to Art so he can get to know them!” Lin Ning’s eyes lit up.

"That's great! Art should have a girlfriend too!" Jia Fei exclaimed excitedly. "Let's arrange a blind date for him and let him choose for himself."

"Okay, I'll get started right away!" Lin Ning was very happy. She really wanted to help Art Mayor find a girlfriend so that she could alleviate her guilt.

After Jia Fei told Art Mayork that Lin Ning wanted to introduce him to a potential partner, Art Mayork agreed without any hesitation.

Jia Fei was very happy; he truly hoped that Art Mayork would find his own happiness.

The 2020-21 NBA season will officially begin on December 23, and Jia Fei has also begun his training phase.

During this offseason, he mainly focused on improving his core strength and low-post back-to-the-basket game.

Jia Fei is already 28 years old, and he needs to gradually transition. In the past, he could rely on his league-leading first step speed and amazing explosiveness to get past opponents, but as he gets older, he needs to reduce his reliance on speed for offense.

They rely more on rhythm and technique, moving away from simply overwhelming opponents with physical prowess.

Even someone as physically gifted as Running Man started practicing shooting later in his career. In the early stages of his career, Ronnie O'Neal was a high-flying, high-flying player, but during his three-peat, his main offensive method became the mid-range jump shot.

Jia Fei doesn't need to make a career change in advance, but he does need to plan ahead and improve his skills to avoid being unable to make the transition when the time comes and ending up like Westbrook, a tragic figure.

Jia Fei's post-up skills are mainly learned from Hakeem Olajuwon and Kobe Bryant, both of whom are masters of the technique. Excellent post-up skills can help him reliably exploit mismatches when facing smaller defenders, increasing his offensive options and making him even more difficult to guard.

Moreover, with a stable and excellent back-to-the-basket technique, one can not only attack on the offensive end, but also serve as a pivot in the corner or low post, attracting double teams and creating opportunities for teammates.

Therefore, post-up skills are not only something that inside players can learn; perimeter players also need to learn them. Many point guards possess post-up skills. For example, the big-backed Mark Jackson used his back to the basket to attack opposing guards, creating a large number of assists and becoming a unique sight in the NBA at the time. There are also two point guards who look very similar to Karen Mok: Shaun Livingston and Andre Miller, both masters of post-up offense and playmaking.

Besides his back-to-the-basket skills, Jia Fei needs to focus on improving his core strength this season.

He's been doing strength training all these years, but he hasn't specifically focused on core strength training. Core strength is extremely important; Kobe Bryant emphasized core strength training in the later stages of his "Running Man" career. Core strength helps players maintain balance when driving to the basket, makes shooting more consistent, and helps resist injuries, reducing reliance on explosiveness and speed.

As for shooting and finishing techniques, Jia Fei naturally wouldn't neglect them. For an outside player, shooting skills are something that needs to be practiced throughout their life, and this skill won't weaken with age or a decrease in explosiveness or speed; it can be maintained and even improved through training.

Art Mayok's blind date went exceptionally smoothly. Lin Ning introduced him to a second African-American girl, and the two hit it off immediately.

This girl is also from Africa, although she is not from Sudan like Art Mayok, but from Cameroon, but the two have almost the same dark skin and white teeth.

The two fell in love almost at first sight and quickly became good friends.

Jia Fei was even happier than Art Mayork; his good friend had finally found love.

December has arrived, and the start of the new season is getting closer and closer...

Although this season is also a shortened season, there are still quite a few regular season games, so it's necessary to manage and control physical fitness and other aspects.

For Jia Fei, this is his 9th NBA season, and he is aiming for a four-peat that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of.

No NBA team has ever won four consecutive championships in recent decades, and Jia Fei's attempt to create this impossible task has been accomplished.