NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 343 Failed to Defend the Title

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, the Hawks also made the playoffs this season, but their ranking was even higher. But the situation is different now. His absence has a significant impact on the team, especially at the beginning of the season, when the team, from the coaching staff to the players, struggled to adapt. This ultimately affected the team's record.

这赛季东部的竞争并没有那么差，可以说算是近几个赛季以来最卷的一个赛季了。前几个赛季38胜44负就能进季后赛，这赛季42胜40负的公牛以及41胜41负的奇才都无缘季后赛。

The top 8 teams in the Eastern Conference are ranked as follows: Cavaliers, Raptors, Heat, Celtics, Hornets, Pacers, Pistons, and Hawks.

As a result, in the first round, the Hawks will face the Cavaliers, the two teams that faced off in last season's Eastern Conference Finals, and will meet again in the first round of this season.

Given the current strength and roster flexibility of both teams, there is no doubt that the Hawks will be avenged by the Cavaliers; it is almost impossible for them not to be avenged.

There is still a huge variable for the Hawks: whether Jia Fei might make an emergency comeback.

However, many experts say that even if Jia Fei makes an emergency comeback, can he guarantee that he will be in top form? If he is not in top form, the Hawks will still not be able to compete with the Cavaliers.

It's worth noting that after changing head coaches mid-season, the Cavaliers have demonstrated extremely strong competitiveness and are currently the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Jia Fei underwent a full medical examination arranged by the team before the start of the series against the Cavaliers, but unfortunately, he was still unable to play due to his physical condition.

This also means that in this series, the Hawks will face off against the Cavaliers head-on without him.

Cavaliers fans online have already chanted the slogan "revenge." When the Running Man cast was interviewed, they said that Jia Fei's absence was a huge loss, and it was a real pity that he didn't have the opportunity to play against such a top player.

When Jia Fei saw this interview, he thought to himself, "You must be secretly thrilled. You're such a hypocrite, all talk and no action. If I beat him up and chase him away, you'll be crying again."

On April 17, Game 1 of the first round of the Hawks vs. Cavaliers series was held at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavaliers' home arena.

The Cavaliers' starting lineup consists of Kyrie Irving, JR Smith, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson; the Hawks' starting lineup consists of Al Horford, Jordan Middleton, Chris Bosh, Kyle Korver, and Jeff Teague.

After the game started, the Cavaliers came out strong, with O'Neal relentlessly attacking the Hawks' interior, while Love and JR Smith hit three-pointers from the perimeter. TT, a rebounding machine, relentlessly attacked the Hawks' defensive rebounds.

The Hawks struggled to keep up and were dominated by their opponents. Neither Mills nor Horford could match the firepower of the opposing Big Three, and they were also outrebounded, making the game extremely difficult.

Coach Buden was in a panic. He made changes to his lineup, using players like Black and Art Mayork, but he still couldn't match the opponent's firepower.

The Cavaliers' offensive firepower is too fierce. In this league, apart from the Warriors, I don't see any team whose offensive firepower can match theirs.

The Hawks quickly succumbed to defeat and lost Game 1.

Three days later, on April 20, the Hawks adjusted their defensive strategy, double-teaming and attacking O'Neal, but were outmaneuvered by the opponent's outside shooters, losing another game and falling behind 0-2 in the series.

After two games, the Hawks were left with little chance to fight back. Even though they led in the first half of Game 2, the Hawks were pulled away by the opponent's run at the start of the third quarter and couldn't catch up until the end of the game.

These two games highlighted the Hawks' lack of superstars, their inability to mount a strong offensive response, and their poor ability to close out points when behind.

The Hawks returned to Atlanta from Cleveland in disgrace.

The situation is completely different from last season. Although the opponents suffered serious injuries last season, they had Jia Fei, who could limit the running man on the defensive end and serve as the team's main attacker on the offensive end.

Alas, it seems we only learn to cherish what we have after we lose it. Without Jia Fei, the eagle is truly turning into a chick...

On April 23, at the Hawks' head coach Philips Arena, Game 3 of the series between the Hawks and the Cavaliers officially began.

The Eagles made a tactical change, replacing Cup Cat with Sefolosha.

But the course of the game revealed that this tactical change was largely ineffective. Sefolosha still couldn't stop the running man, and his offense was even worse than Cup Cat's.

Running Man was practically invincible in this series. He drove into the paint and the Hawks' rim protection couldn't hold him back. They double-teamed him and passed to his teammates on the outside for three-pointers. His inside-outside combination dismantled the Hawks' defensive system.

Irving's one-on-one game remains unstoppable. Although Love can't beat Horford and Mills in one-on-one situations, his three-point shooting as an outside artillery is also very powerful, relentlessly attacking the poor Hawks.

The Hawks put up a strong fight for most of the game, but ultimately succumbed to defeat, falling behind 0-3 in the series.

Clearly, both the team and the fans understand that the series is over and their title defense this season is essentially finished.

The fans at the scene chanted "We want Jia Fei," but to no avail. Jia Fei was dressed in a suit and sitting upright, and there was nothing they could do.

On April 25th, Game 4 of the series between the Hawks and the Cavaliers.

No more miracles. The Hawks lost another game, suffering a 0-4 sweep by their opponents, ending their season indefinitely!

The Cavaliers avenged their loss to the Hawks and advanced to the second round. The Hawks' title defense failed, and they are now preparing for the new season.

Jia Fei walked dejectedly into the players' tunnel, waving to the fans...

Many Hawks fans had mixed feelings after seeing this. This series showed everyone what the Hawks are like with and without Jia Fei.

Clearly, those who claim the team would be better without Jia Fei are either pure haters or genuinely blind.

The defending champions were eliminated in the first round, but this didn't spark much heated discussion. Ultimately, the Hawks weren't championship contenders this season. Without Jia Fei, they faced the title favorite Cavaliers in the first round, and few believed they could pull off an upset.

So it was a series with little suspense to begin with, so what's so shocking about it?

What everyone is more concerned about is the Hawks' roster for next season after their elimination. Jafi, Art Mayok, and Horford all have player options and will obviously opt out of their contracts. Can the Hawks keep them all? It's hard to say. If Jafi recovers well after opting out, he will undoubtedly become a super-sub in the offseason, attracting fierce competition from other teams in the league.

Where will Jia Fei go next season? Will he choose to stay in Atlanta on a 5-year maximum contract?

Many people are already paying attention to which teams have cap space next season. According to the rules, if he opts out of his contract and becomes a free agent, he can be signed without any additional cap space. He can also join the team in a sign-and-trade deal, in which case you need to have enough assets.

But one thing is certain: whether Jia Fei leaves or stays, Art Mayork will stay in step with him.