NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 392 Return to Atlanta

Seeing Jia Fei wearing the away team's jersey, many fans couldn't accept it from the bottom of their hearts. If he were still there, the Hawks would still be the top team in the East.

Jia Fei was unable to meet his old friend Korver here. Earlier this month, specifically on the 6th, Korver was traded from the Hawks to the Cavaliers, who sent their 2019 protected first-round pick and Mike Dunleavy in return.

Clearly, the Hawks are slowly but surely selling off assets and rebuilding. No one on this team is off-limits; 32-year-old Howard is obviously not the future of the team, and Millskin isn't yet a true franchise player. As for guards like Schroder, they have talent, but also obvious weaknesses; building a team around him and expecting to contend for a championship is pure fantasy. The rest are basically role players. The team hasn't explicitly tanked yet, but that day seems inevitable.

The starting lineups for both teams in this match were displayed on the big screen at the stadium.

The Hawks' starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of Howard, Milwaukee, Sefolosha, Cup Cat, and Schroder.

Of the players from the Hawks' championship-winning roster, only Millskinson remains in the starting lineup... This is quite disheartening, as that roster was very young, and many people thought it would last a long time.

In fact, with Jia Fei and Horford gone, the core of this team was no longer there.

The starting lineups for both teams took to the court. Dwight Howard, still with his muscular physique, was all smiles, radiating power. It's hard to believe he's already in his thirties. From the Magic to the Lakers, from the Lakers to the Rockets, and now from the Rockets to the Hawks, that's four teams already. At this rate, collecting rainbow jerseys won't be a dream!

Before him, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal had already collected a rainbow jersey. Will Howard be the next one? In any case, he won't be the last.

DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard are preparing for the jump ball near center court; the game is about to begin.

The jump ball began, and DeAndre Jordan won the jump ball against Dwight Howard, giving the Clippers possession for the first possession.

Ten years ago, could DeAndre Jordan, with his incredible jumping ability, have surpassed Dwight Howard? Howard was a phenomenal jumper, practically kissing the rim until it was raw. His free throw shooting might be lacking, but in terms of sheer vertical leap, he was second to none among interior players. But now, with age and less emphasis on his physicality, his beastly physique has been somewhat worn down, and he's not what he used to be.

People can't defy aging, but they also can't go too far with their lives. Otherwise, if they don't cherish their youth and act recklessly, they'll only be able to look back on their 13th birthday and shed tears in their old age...

Beverley dribbled the ball over, and the black guy guarded him the entire court. The two black boys fought like ants, which was quite a sight.

Beverley passed the ball to Jia Fei.

The defender against Jia Fei was his former teammate, Sefolosha.

In fact, many of the Hawks' roster members are former teammates of Jia Fei, but Thabo Sefolosha is more special. They were teammates in the Thunder, so they are considered former teammates plus!

Jia Fei has the ball, and DeAndre Jordan comes out to set a screen.

The Hawks double-teamed, Jia Fei passed the ball, Jordan passed it again, and Wesley Johnson missed the shot!

Mi Shen retrieved the ball and handed it to Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei brought the ball over, and Howard called for it in the low post.

Black lobs the ball to Howard.

Howard backs down DeAndre Jordan with the ball.

But DeAndre Jordan isn't a pushover either; you can't just force your way in. The sound of their muscles clashing during their low post battle was clearly audible to the fans sitting behind the baseline.

That's really impressive. Some fans are wondering if they could last 3 seconds on the court.

Howard also struggled against DeAndre Jordan. Despite his name suggesting small size, Jordan is actually quite large. In terms of both height and weight, he's closer to a center than Howard.

Howard lacks lower body strength, making it difficult for him to overpower larger and taller centers. Over the years, he hasn't developed his low-post footwork and backhand skills. In his younger days, he could easily turn and dunk, but now his explosiveness and jumping ability have declined, making it impossible for him to continue playing like that.

Howard turned and hooked his arm—but his hand was too strong, and he missed!

Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, brought the ball over himself, and was double-teamed on the right wing. He decisively passed the ball, and Beverley missed his jump shot!

"The Hawks double-teamed Jia Fei right from the start!" Wang Zixing exclaimed in the Tencent studio.

Su Qun adjusted his glasses and nodded: "Coach Budenholzer knows Jia Fei too well. He knows that he can't defend him with Sefolosha, so he's not even trying. He's going straight for a double team. Now it depends on the Clippers' other players' ability to respond to open shots. If you keep missing shots, the team will achieve its goal of double-teaming you."

The Clippers couldn't make their shots in the first quarter, and when they couldn't hit open shots, they struggled to get to the basket. DeAndre Jordan has been an All-Star and All-NBA selection, but his offense has never been reliable. He's just a pure defensive center who only knows how to finish plays on the offensive end.

Harris is arguably the strongest player in the starting lineup besides Jia Fei, but his performance is inconsistent. He's good against weaker opponents, but struggles against slightly tougher ones. Milwaukee is quite tough and also short and stocky, so Harris has some difficulty against him.

As for Beverley and Wesley Johnson, their three-point shooting is somewhat unpredictable; sometimes they're incredibly accurate, and other times they just can't seem to make a shot. Don't count on them when they have the ball; relying on them is only a last resort if you really don't want to win.

Jia Fei was caught in a pincer movement, and his offensive desire wasn't as strong today, so he rarely took shots, mostly feinting attacks to create opportunities for his teammates.

On the contrary, as long as the Hawks don't allow Horford to go one-on-one, their offense is quite impressive and well-organized. Coach Buden is still capable; his in-game management is a bit lacking, but his tactical skills are solid.

When it came time for rotation, the Hawks played more smoothly after Howard went to the bench, making Howard's presence somewhat awkward, as if he was no longer suited to the current era. If he doesn't change, let alone returning to his peak, whether he can even secure a starting position is already uncertain.

At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks led by 3 points, 23-26.

贾飞首节得到4分3个篮板3次助攻1个盖帽，罕见的单节得分不到5分。哪怕有被夹击的因素，可4分也太少了。很多球迷在猜测他是不是在放水。

In the second quarter, Jia Fei still didn't take a lot of shots, so by the end of the first half, his score hadn't even reached double digits!

半场比赛结束，47:53，快船队落后6分。贾飞半场只得到8分6个篮板4次助攻1个盖帽，罕见的得分没有上双。

This is the first time this season that he has not scored in double digits in the first half. He is currently the league's scoring champion, averaging more than 35 points per game, and his offensive firepower is currently unmatched in the league.