NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 329 G6 is the decisive battle

44 points – this is Jia Fei's highest single-game score in his NBA playoff career! In the long history of the NBA playoffs, 44 points in a single game is nothing special, but that doesn't diminish the significance of this score for Jia Fei.

This score not only propelled him into the ranks of "40+ point scorers in the playoffs," but also marked his first time scoring 40+ points in a single playoff game. Keep in mind that his previous playoff high was only 35 points! On the Hawks, a team where everyone contributes, scoring high points is never easy. But when opponents employ a switch-everything defense, breaking through requires star players to step up, delivering one-on-one explosions, and racking up high scores and unleashing a barrage of attacks.

The Achilles' heel of team basketball is the ability to score from a single point, and superstars are the patch that fills this gap.

Jia Fei set a new career high in the playoffs, which is of extraordinary significance to the Hawks. This was a must-win game; his explosion in Game 5 couldn't have come at the perfect time!

When the final buzzer sounded, Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer almost burst into tears. He excitedly hugged Jia Fei tightly, as if a drowning person had grasped a lifeline.

"Jia, thank you, thank you!" Coach Buden's gratitude was heartfelt; he was clearly overwhelmed with emotion!

"Thank you for trusting me, Coach! Without your trust, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to perform like this!" Jia Fei was also very grateful for Buden's trust. In such an important game, if Buden had let him run more pick-and-rolls, more plays, or draw more defense for his teammates off the ball, he definitely wouldn't have had the opportunity to perform like this.

Back in the locker room, the Hawks players were going crazy. They were cheering and shirtless, and you'd think they had already won the championship.

"Jia, you kept your word, you did it, you are the Goat!" Cup Cat shouted excitedly.

Jia Fei laughed and scolded, "You dare to call me GOAT? What do you think the league's executive vice president GOAT will think?"

“But Goat, the league’s executive vice president, has already gone fishing!” Art Mayork joked from the side.

"The league's Goat wouldn't even give up a second-round pick back then, he was blind!" Cup Cat said with a look of disappointment.

"Hahaha..." Jia Fei and Art Mayork laughed so hard their balls hurt.

Jia Fei knew very well what this victory meant. It meant the Warriors' fate was essentially sealed. The team's ultimate adjustment was the "death lineup"—Kerr's small-ball lineup was his trump card. This small lineup combined speed, shooting, athleticism, and defense, making it truly unstoppable.

It's not completely unsolvable, but rather rather unsolvable. One problem with this small lineup's offense is that while the Splash Brothers have historic shooting ability, Green, Iguodala, and Barnes are all inconsistent shooters, and their ability to punish open shots isn't actually that strong. In other words, the lineup has shooting flaws. Another problem is that when opponents also use a small lineup to increase speed and reduce height, and employ switching defense to cut your pick-and-roll and off-ball screens to force you into isolation mode, the only player they can consistently score in isolation is Curry.

Curry's threat has never been his unstoppable one-on-one game, but rather his shooting, his long-range shooting threat. In terms of one-on-one ability alone, Jia Fei, Beard, Ou Shenxian, Running Man, Xiao Shuai, and the expressionless are all above him, and even Cousins, DeRozan (one of the Trash Brothers), and Paul George's ability to break through defenses is no less than his.

When the game turned into a one-on-one battle between Jia Fei and Curry against their respective matchups, the Warriors were already at a disadvantage. Not to mention that Jia Fei was sometimes even targeting Curry in pick-and-roll situations.

This Warriors team has fewer defensive weaknesses than offensive ones. Even Curry's defensive ability is far underestimated; his individual defensive ability is at least mid-tier among point guards in the league, and his defensive awareness and help defense are among the best. The Warriors' "Death Lineup" has no real defensive weaknesses. Green and Iguodala are two all-around defenders, intelligent defenders, tough and resilient, with strong versatility and rich defensive experience. Most star players simply can't beat them one-on-one.

Barnes and Klay are also excellent defenders, capable of guarding multiple positions and with outstanding switching ability.

The "Death Lineup" is decent on the defensive rebounds. If we had to pinpoint a defensive weakness in this lineup, it would be that Curry, at only 191cm tall and lacking a strong physique and exceptional wingspan, struggles against mismatches between opposing forwards and centers. The absence of a big man ultimately limits their rim protection.

Another point that cannot be ignored is that playing center is very taxing for Green. If he plays the whole game, his defensive intensity will decrease in the second half after he has exhausted his energy.

Therefore, the "death lineup" is best used in crucial moments, and should not exceed 20 minutes, otherwise it is impossible to guarantee that the offensive and defensive strength will be fully maximized.

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, the Warriors used their "death lineup" to outrun the depleted Cavaliers in the Finals, ultimately winning the championship. But unfortunately, the team that made it to the Finals now wasn't the Cavaliers, but his own Hawks.

At the post-match press conference, reporters from various media outlets showered Jia Fei with compliments in all sorts of direct and subtle ways. Jia Fei remarked that the Americans lacked cultural depth and couldn't compare to the splendid civilization of China. Even if it were still compliments, expressing them subtly and indirectly would still be compliments, but this approach would be far more sophisticated, wouldn't it?

Does prestige not matter? It might not seem so important for role players, but for superstars, it seems quite important. Otherwise, why would Jordan and Larry Bird care so much about their prestige? Ultimately, being able to show off is a kind of capital.

Game 5 of the Finals will be held on June 17 at the Warriors' home court. For the Warriors, who are already down 2-3 in the series, they have no choice but to win.

But for the Hawks, their options are limited except for winning. It seems they have two lives while the opponent only has one, but if they lose, everyone only has one. Game 7 is indeed played at their home court, but anything can happen in Game 7, and their home-court advantage will be significantly diminished.

The Eagles' players boarded a chartered plane on the 16th and headed to the Bay Area.

Before setting off, Jia Fei said to Art Mayork, "Art, Game 6 is the final battle. Don't think that the atmosphere will be better if you win the championship at home. People who think like that are likely to not win the championship in the end."

"Yeah, we're going to celebrate our championship win on their turf!" Art Mayork grinned, flashing a bright white smile. He had reason to be happy. Before entering the league, he didn't quite believe he could make it. Before joining the Hawks, he thought he no longer belonged in this league. And before this, he never imagined he could win a championship so quickly.