NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 165 Facing the Former Eagle King

Josh played power forward (4) for the Hawks last season, which is also his most comfortable position. Playing power forward gives him an advantage against taller players with his speed and agility, and his shooting ability allows him to draw opposing centers out to the basket. However, with the Pistons, Drummond and Monroe are key players the team is developing and are expected to start. If he wants to start as well, it means he'll have to play small forward (3).

Josh had no choice; he was an outsider, while Drummond and the others were the team's favorites, so he could only accept it.

"You think you can be the new Hawks King? This team has no hope. I thought they would find a superstar better than me after I left, but it turns out it's you." Josh mocked Jia Fei.

Jia Fei had naturally seen similar news, with many media figures comparing him to the "new Eagle King," praising his incredible abilities. He always dismissed such news with a laugh. The media's words could be completely contradictory; they would lavish praise on a good performance and fiercely criticize a bad one, turning him from a god to a monster in a single game.

"So what if it's me? You can be the Eagle King, but I can't?" Jia Fei was certainly not going to back down; when it came to arguing, he rarely met his match.

“You’re not qualified!” Josh said coldly.

"Yes, you're qualified, but you've already run away... Sigh, what can I say? It's your fault too. You didn't learn from a good person, but instead became a runaway. Do you think you can be the 'Pistons King' in the Pistons? I think you've been doing too much Pistons sports!" Jia Fei said nonsense with a straight face.

Josh's mind went blank for a moment. What was "Piston King"? And what was "piston motion"?

The Hawks were on offense, and Teague missed a mid-range shot.

Drummond closes the board!

Both teams started the game in a state of constant missed shots, with extremely low offensive efficiency.

The Pistons' frontcourt possesses height, size, and athleticism, making it very difficult for Horford and Millsap to score one-on-one or under the basket.

Pope practically clung to Korver, taking the sharpshooter's defense very seriously.

Jennings brings the ball over, Josh calls for it!

Jennings passed the ball to Josh, who received it and faced Jia Fei!

"Let me show you the true power of the Eagle King!" Josh received the ball and faced Jia Fei, taking a jab step!

Jia Fei remained unmoved. He had watched too many of Josh's videos. Josh's offense consisted of only three moves: fast breaks, alley-oops, and three-pointers. His actual ball-handling offensive ability was quite average. His first step wasn't quick enough to shake off defenders, and he basically lacked the ability to pull up and shoot a jump shot. Unless the opponent was too small for him to drive to the basket, his finishing at the rim was just so-so. As for his three-point shot, it was like a mystery. When he was in, it would go in even if the ball was right in his face; when he was out, he would airball even with a wide-open shot. It was almost like magic.

Jia Fei didn't completely let go of his opponent, but he didn't stick too close either; he just defended normally.

Josh made a probing step and then made a strong breakthrough. He is a left-handed player, so he chose to break through with a left-handed step.

Jia Fei blocked the left side, and the two men's bodies came into contact.

Josh is stronger in combat, but not enough to overwhelm Jia Fei.

Josh pushed his way into the paint but couldn't go any further; the paint was packed with players.

This is also where the Pistons' offense falters: their frontcourt trio can't create space. Monroe and Drummond have absolutely no shooting ability, not even a mid-range shot, let alone a three-pointer. If both of them start, unless you have the Splash Brothers on your roster, even a miracle won't solve the spacing problem.

Many people have a misconception that twin towers always encounter spacing problems, citing the Spurs' twin towers as an example. However, the reality is that both Duncan and David Robinson possessed a mid-range shot. While neither of them had a three-pointer, they did have a mid-range game and could both execute a powerful hook shot with their back to the basket.

In contrast, Drummond and Monroe are incredibly rough on offense. They are practically useless outside the paint, with Drummond sometimes even struggling to score easy baskets.

Josh had no choice but to force a pull-up jumper, but it didn't work!

Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, and facing Josh's attempt to steal it, he dribbled past him behind his back! He continued to advance the ball and passed it to Korver on a fast break!

Korver received the ball on the left wing beyond the three-point line, feinted a shot that sent a chill down the spine of his opponents! Then he suddenly launched a through ball!

The ball is passed to Jia Fei, who is making a quick run down the middle!

Jia Fei caught the ball and immediately launched a powerful dunk!

Wow--

Many Hawks fans at the scene were amazed. Jia Fei grabbed the rebound in the opponent's paint, pushed the fast break pass, and then ran to the frontcourt to dunk. It seemed like he did it all in an instant. He was like someone who had pressed the accelerator button.

Josh, who was defending him, was incredibly athletic, but he still couldn't catch up with him.

4-6, the Hawks lead by 2 points!

Sports Channel Studio.

Yang Jian exclaimed, "Jia Fei is too fast! The camera can barely keep up!"

Yang Yi nodded: "Korver's pass was also very well made. He didn't shoot himself, but passed the ball to the middle, letting Jia Fei dunk. No matter how accurate a three-pointer is, it's not as effective as a dunk!"

Pistons offense, Jennings pulls up for a jump shot but misses!

Drummond grabbed an offensive rebound under the basket and drew a foul from Millsap!

Drummond's offensive rebounding is truly impressive; he single-handedly grabbed rebounds from two Hawks players, yet they couldn't out-rebound him.

However, Drummond then missed both free throws...

Hawks assistant coach Darwin Cefaclor couldn't help but laugh out loud. He had also played for the Pistons, but he really couldn't help laughing. Drummond's technique was just too rough, rougher than the hands of a guy who had been masturbating for 20 years.

Teague dribbled the ball over.

Jia Fei stood in the bottom corner, still guarded by Josh.

"If it were me, I would initiate a pick-and-roll at the top of the key. Only role players stand in the corner!" Josh continued to mock Jia Fei.

“Then you’re standing in the bottom corner too, so you’re also…” Jia Fei hesitated.

"I...I was guarding against you!" Josh hadn't expected the boomerang to hit him so quickly, and he quickly tried to deny it!

"I'm leaving!" Jia Fei had barely finished speaking when he suddenly cut inside along the baseline!

Teague tossed the ball into the air!

Jia Fei leaped high into the air, caught the ball with one hand, and slammed it into the basket!

Wow--

With two consecutive dunks, Jia Fei helped the Hawks extend their lead to 4 points!

These two dunks ignited the Philips Arena, instantly enlivening the atmosphere.

Pistons head coach Cheeks, standing on the sidelines, looked disappointed. He had warned Josh before the game to be careful of Jia Fei and not to be distracted, but it seemed that the guy hadn't taken it to heart at all.

Underestimating your opponent comes at a price. Jia Fei is not the kind of opponent you can underestimate; he is a formidable player!