NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 216 Help Me Get Revenge

The playoffs are the best place for young players to hone their skills. There's no throwing the game here, no tanking teams letting you pad your stats. It's all real competition. If you want to rack up points in the playoffs, you have to be capable of doing so.

Jia Fei is the only player on both the Bulls and Hawks teams to average more than 20 points per game. His strength on both ends of the court is obvious. Even the haters will think twice before criticizing him this round, because it is really hard to find fault with him.

The Hawks became the second Eastern Conference team to advance to the semifinals after the Heat, who swept the Nets in the first round.

The Pacers and Bobcats are still locked in a tie, with the Pacers currently leading 3-2.

The Raptors and Wizards are locked in a tight battle, currently tied 2-2, and it seems like the two teams are headed for a Game 7.

After Game 5, the Hawks had no more games to play, so they were able to relax and left Chicago on a chartered plane on May 1st, returning to Atlanta.

The Hawks players were in high spirits, all with smiles on their faces. They had achieved their season goals, and their playoff journey could go anywhere, even if they were swept in the next round; their season could not be called a failure.

As Jia Fei disembarked, a scene he witnessed deeply moved him. At the exit, a large group of fans wearing Hawks jerseys held flowers and waved posters and KT boards to welcome him. This instantly gave them a feeling of "heroic return." It was a wonderful feeling.

"Jia, the fans are so enthusiastic!" Art Mayork said excitedly to Jia Fei.

"Yes, Artest, embrace the fans' love! We'll repay them with our performance on the field!" Jia Fei said.

“Yes, that’s for sure!” Art Mayork replied without hesitation.

The Hawks returned to Atlanta and had a day off. The team scheduled to watch Game 6 of the Pacers vs. Bobcats series in the team's tactical room on May 2.

The winner of the Pacers-Bobcats series will be the Hawks' opponent in the next round, and their Game 6 could very well determine the ultimate winner. This game is definitely worth watching.

On the 2nd, Jia Fei and Art Mayork came to the team's tactical meeting room to watch the game with their teammates.

Their feelings were somewhat complicated. They hoped that Kemba Walker's Bobcats would win, but they weren't sure, because it was clear that the Pacers were the stronger team.

The Bobcats' ability to drag the Pacers to Game 6 is already an achievement, and if they can push it to Game 7, anything can happen.

The Pacers have a very strong defense; their inside and outside defense is among the best in the league. Coach Vogel is a defensive coach, and he has trained this team exceptionally well.

However, this team also has its problems. While their defense is decent, their offense is mediocre, and they struggle to close the gap when behind. They also have a dominant center, which makes their pick-and-roll defense and recovery defense weak.

Kemba Walker of the Bobcats is very good at pick-and-rolls. His pick-and-rolls with the big men relentlessly target the Pacers' center Hibbert, making the latter suffer.

Moreover, Kemba Walker is too fast. George Hill and Paul George are both defensive stalwarts, but they can't guard such a fast small guy. This team lacks a defender to guard such a small guy.

Therefore, Kemba Walker's presence was a key factor in the Bobcats' ability to hold off the Pacers and reach Game 6.

But the Pacers still had an impact on Game 6. Coach Vogel finally started double-teaming Kemba Walker, and very decisively at that. I accept the idea of ​​double-teaming him, leaving the others open, and letting them shoot themselves to death.

The Bobcats' other players couldn't shut down the Pacers' offense; their offensive capabilities were still limited, while the Pacers' defensive rotations were very effective.

With a score of 4-2, the Pacers, who are ranked first in the East, have successfully advanced. Their next opponent will be the Hawks, played by Jia Fei.

That evening, Jia Fei called Kemba Walker, trying to comfort him.

Unexpectedly, Kemba Walker's first words were: "Jay, help me get revenge!"

"Of course!" Jia Fei agreed without hesitation. Even without Kemba Walker's connection, he absolutely wouldn't want to lose to the Pacers and end the season. In his opinion, the Pacers, the top seed in the East, weren't that strong. The only team in the East that he truly found troublesome was the one with the superteam.

Sharapova has been busy with matches lately and hasn't argued with Jia Fei, which makes him feel comfortable. He wants to analyze the Pacers team carefully and see where the breakthrough lies.

Game 1 of the series between the two teams will be played on May 5 at the Pacers' home court.

Even before the Pacers vs. Hawks game has started, predictions are already being made. ESPN predicts the Pacers, with home-court advantage, have a 64.7% chance of advancing, with six games being their most likely path to the next round.

Not only ESPN, but also other media outlets such as Sports Illustrated generally favor the Pacers to advance.

Jia Fei didn't care about any of that. He felt that these media outlets were basically just analyzing the odds of advancing based on regular season records, or looking at the reputations of the star players on both sides. What was the point of such analysis? In the last round, they also favored the Bulls, but what happened? The Bulls were swept by the Gentlemen's Basketball Team, and the series was a foregone conclusion.

On May 3, the Hawks' players departed for Indianapolis.

Indianapolis, the largest city in Indiana, was founded in 1820 and is the state capital. It is home to several institutions of higher learning, including Butler University and the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Joint Campus.

This place is naturally not as bustling as New York or Los Angeles, but Jia Fei didn't feel anything. He wasn't like Harden, who liked to go to nightclubs. Whether the away team's city was bustling or not, he didn't really care.

The Hawks held their final practice before the semifinals on the 4th. Head coach Budenholzer also consulted Jia Fei about the game.

"Coach, I think our strengths are shooting, speed, and overall offensive cohesion, while their strengths are height and defense," Jia Fei said to Coach Buden.

"How is your physical condition?" Coach Buden asked.

Jia Fei nodded: "My physical fitness is perfectly fine, Coach, feel free to push me to my limits, I'm all set!"

Jia Fei's confident smile gave Coach Buden confidence. Ultimately, how far this team can go depends on Jia Fei. His ceiling is where this team can likely go.

On the evening of the 5th, in the hotel room, Jia Fei asked Art Mayork, "Do you think we can avenge Kemba?"

Art Mayork answered without hesitation: "Of course, even if we die, we'll die on the field!"

"Alright, Art, that's what I've been waiting for. With Kemba's expectations in mind, let's go and fight!" Jia Fei said with a smile.