NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 326 Individual Heroism

The timeout is over, and the game continues.

It was clear that neither the Warriors' coaching staff nor the players on the court looked as composed as they had before the game started. They had already assumed that Jia Fei would be contained by Iguodala, because the newly crowned MVP had struggled in the past two games, with his offensive performance showing a significant decline compared to previous games.

But from the very first round of this match until now, his body language, expression, and the domineering aura he exudes have all changed.

Despite their two-game winning streak, the Warriors have little room for error. The series is now tied 2-2, with their opponents still holding home-court advantage. Even if both teams win their home games, they will still be the losers. Although this game appears to be at the opponent's home court, this pivotal Game 5 is equally important for both teams if they want to win the series.

The Warriors are on offense, and Curry dribbles the ball across half-court. You can't see any tension or anxiety on his face. He dribbles the ball, chewing on his mouthguard, looking just like a primary school student chewing bubble gum and bouncing a ball during PE class.

Green sets a screen, Curry isolates Horford, uses the rhythm to drive in, and hits a floater—it's in!

With the Hawks strictly adhering to pick-and-roll switching and avoiding double-teaming, among the Warriors' starters, Curry is the most likely to be one-on-one!

With a score of 2:9, the Warriors finally broke their scoring drought.

Kerr was yelling at his players from the sidelines to play serious defense. He knew very well that if you couldn't stop the opponent, it wouldn't mean much even if your team scored.

Teague dribbled the ball over and continued looking for Jia Fei in the frontcourt!

Iguodala is increasing his intensity in defending the ball, not giving anyone an easy chance to receive it!

With the help of a screen from Milos, Jia Fei received a pass from Teague. He continued to face Iguodala with the ball.

"Hit him! Hit him!" the Hawks fans in the arena shouted excitedly. These one-on-one battles between star players are really exhilarating, maximizing the sense of individual heroism.

In the US, many fans admire individual heroism and fantasize about becoming Superman, Batman, or Spiderman, which reduces the popularity of team basketball. When the Pistons won the championship, the journey to the finals received very little attention and fan support; people wanted to see superstar showdowns, not egalitarian team basketball.

Of course Jia Fei had to beat him. If he didn't, was he supposed to wait until he was eliminated to beat him in the NBA 2K game? He grabbed the ball with one hand, got into position, and prepared to beat the number one player again.

The Warriors couldn't resist double-teaming, and Curry flanked them!

Jia Fei calmly tossed the ball to Teague, who was being defended by Curry, with one hand.

Teague drives in and passes to Carroll in the corner!

Big open!

Carroll ended the offensive possession with a crisp clang of metal hitting the rim amidst the screams of the home crowd!

A collective sigh rippled through the room...

But wait!

A figure wearing a white home team jersey flew through the air, caught the ball with one hand, and slammed it into the basket!

The sigh instantly turned into a scream...

This reunion, with its twists and turns, left fans' emotions fluctuating wildly, leaving them feeling ecstatic!

The Hawks led by 9 points at 2:11, and all 11 of those points came from Jia Fei!

Jia Fei has made all 5 of his shots and hasn't missed a single one!

This is insane! If you don't double-team me, I'll just beat my opponent; if you double-team me, I'll pass to an open teammate, and even if they miss, I can still dunk. How the hell can you defend against that?

"MVP", "MVP"... The fans at the scene were completely excited. Jia Fei's performance from the start of the game to now has been perfect and amazing. It's a great game to watch!

Yu Jia, who was commentating on the scene, couldn't help but exclaim: "Jia Fei truly deserves to be the MVP of the regular season. In such a crucial game, he was able to take the lead and set the tone for the game, showing the responsibility of a superstar!"

Coach Zhang chuckled: "We always say that winning teams don't make changes! The Warriors won two games because they relied on Iguodala to guard Jia Fei one-on-one. Now the situation has changed; it seems Iguodala can't guard Jia Fei anymore. And you know what? Jia Fei's finish was spectacular!"

Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer, standing on the sidelines, had a ruddy complexion, looking as if he'd been nourished by some powerful stimulant, and appeared quite energetic. He certainly had reason to be happy; Jia Fei was simply too good, so good that he almost wanted to call him "daddy." Such a capable man being single was practically a huge waste of talent.

The Warriors' defense appeared very passive. The more aggressively Jia Fei attacked in isolation, the more troubled they became. It's worth noting that although the Hawks lost their sharpshooter Korver, it doesn't diminish their status as a versatile five-outside team. In the entire league, very few teams can field such a lineup, and even fewer possess a high level of defense.

With such ample offensive space, double-teaming Jia Fei is extremely risky. Based on past experience, among the league's top offensive players, Jia Fei's passing ability surpasses that of Durant, Anthony, and Leonard. Double-teaming him is incredibly risky!

The Warriors are not a team that likes to double-team; their strongest defensive strategy is switching. Their wing players have flexibility in switching and excellent one-on-one defense, while their interior players are rim protectors and help defenders. Combined with their excellent execution and a stable, mature system, they have great confidence in their individual defensive abilities.

But Jia Fei's relentless isolation plays from the start made them doubtful. If Iguodala was completely outplayed, winning the game would be impossible. So, they decided to gamble on the open looks of the other Hawks players.

Choosing between two bottles of poison seems like a simple choice, but the consequences of making the wrong one can be unbearable.

The Warriors continued to opt for one-on-one defense. After Iguodala picked up his second foul and left the game, Barnes became the one guarding Jia Fei.

Thanks to Jia Fei's one-on-one plays and strong defense, the Hawks maintained their lead in the score.

At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks led by a full 13 points, 17:30!

Jia Fei had a phenomenal first quarter, scoring 20 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, making 1 steal, and blocking 1 shot without a single turnover, but unusually, he didn't have a single assist.

If his opponent gives him a one-on-one opportunity, he accepts it without hesitation.

This is a new career high for Jia Fei in a single quarter during the NBA playoffs (his previous high was 17 points). He completely carried the team's offense, shouldered the responsibility of scoring, and severely hampered the opponent's one-on-one defense strategy.

The third quarter of the game.

Both sides used their rotation players. The Hawks' lineup consisted of Jia Fei, Art Mayork, Sefolosha, Xiao Hei, and Scott; the Warriors' lineup consisted of Bogut, Green, Livingston, Barbosa, and Klay.

The Warriors are on offense, and Livingston dribbles the ball across half-court.

The Hawks' strategy was to have Dwight Howard guard Barbosa, Thabo Sefolosha guard Livingston, Jaffee guard Klay Thompson, Scott guard Green, and Art Mayok guard Bogut.