NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 160 The Second Place Winner Gets Exposed

Sports Channel Studio.

Yu Jia said, "Jia Fei played very aggressively in that play. It felt like he was provoked by Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's full-court press."

Su Qun said, "I'm afraid it wasn't just Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who provoked him; I think the fact that Jordan didn't want to draft him before has been provoking him as well."

The Bobcats are on offense. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist receives the ball and faces open shots from Jia Fei, continuing to attempt mid-range jump shots!

The ball keeps missing...

Jia Fei continued to close the position...

Fortunately, the Hawks didn't make a shot either!

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist grabbed the rebound and drove the length of the court. Facing Jia Fei, he retreated to inside the three-point line and unleashed a powerful three-pointer... He wanted to prove that he wasn't without a shot, that he did have a shot, and that he could even shoot three-pointers!

This is what happens when a player gets carried away!

The ball continues to miss, and Jia Fei continues to grab rebounds!

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist committed a foul while attempting to steal the ball!

The Bobcats fans at the stadium couldn't stand it anymore. What the hell was this game?!

Bobcats head coach Jamal Crawford has called a timeout!

Team owner Jordan looked embarrassed on the sidelines... but he quickly regained his composure, started chewing gum, and was talking to his female companion.

Jia Fei also saw the image of Jordan chewing gum on the big screen. He recalled that when he watched the NBA, many stars chewed gum, and it seemed that Jordan and his teammates started this trend.

Jia Fei sat on the bench, and Mi Shen next to him said with a smile, "Jia, that move you just made was amazing! The second pick was almost driven crazy by you!"

Jia Fei smiled and said nothing. To be so easily angered would have a terrible mentality. As a professional player, if you want to become a superstar, you have to be prepared to be provoked. To avoid being provoked, mentality is one aspect, but you also can't have such significant weaknesses. With such a poor wing shot, don't blame others for leaving you wide open.

The game continues.

Kemba Walker dribbled over and passed the ball to Jefferson in the low post.

Jefferson, with his large backside, used his skillful footwork to isolate and attack Horford one-on-one. Although he was slow, his footwork was truly excellent and very solid, making him a rare type of post-up center in today's league.

Howard and Ewing tried to learn from him, as did Hakeem Olajuwon, but they really learned nothing. Let alone Olajuwon, is his footwork even 1/10 of Jefferson's?

The score was tied in Jefferson's singles match.

The Hawks played a passing and cutting game, moving the ball around, while the Bobcats played Jefferson in the low post, using pick-and-rolls between Kemba Walker and Josh McRoberts.

After missing three consecutive shots, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist stopped taking risky shots, even when Jia Fei left him completely open. Clearly, Bobcats coach Jamal Crawford must have said something to him during the timeout.

The two sides have different styles, and the lead has changed hands frequently. Neither side has a particularly high offensive efficiency, but the score difference remains narrow.

Jefferson can post up against everyone on the Hawks roster, but he is also a weak link on the defensive end, especially when defending pick-and-rolls.

Jia Fei's offensive efficiency was also poor in the first quarter, and Michael Kidd played very hard on defense, showing a strong hatred towards him!

When both sides rotated their squads, the second unit on both sides had very limited offensive capabilities, and the game became extremely stagnant.

This state continued into the second quarter, and when both teams' starters returned, everyone was playing with a lot of frustration.

At halftime, the Bobcats led by one point, 45-46.

Intermission.

Jia Fei only scored 4 points in the first half, but he already grabbed 9 rebounds. After leaving Michael Kidd open, he picked up two rebounds on his own.

At halftime, Hawks assistant coach Jenkins suggested that Coach Budenholzer try collapsing the paint to test the opponent's shooting. The purpose of collapsing was, of course, to limit Al Jefferson's dominance in the paint as much as possible.

The third quarter began quickly.

The Lynx launched the first attack, and the ball came to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's hands. However, despite being left wide open by Jia Fei, he resisted the urge to shoot and passed the ball out instead!

Jia Fei secretly gave a thumbs up in his heart. A real man can hold back from ejaculating!

The ball got to Jefferson in the low post, and the Hawks immediately collapsed their defense!

Jefferson didn't expect Korver to steal the ball!

Korver scores quickly!

Jia Fei dribbled down the court and, facing Michael Kidd's pursuit, used a nitro boost to shake off his opponent and dunked the ball!

47-46, the Hawks take the lead!

The Bobcats continued to try to exploit Jefferson's weakness, but Jia Fei anticipated their moves and intercepted the ball!

Jia Fei made a solo run down the court, using a crossover to get past his former teammate Kemba Walker who came to steal the ball. Facing Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's defense, he forced his way to the basket, the whistle blew, and the ball went in!

"2+1! Jia Fei scores a 2+1!" Su Qun exclaimed excitedly in the sports channel studio.

49:46, Jia Fei scored 4 consecutive points, helping the team extend their lead to 3 points!

The Bobcats immediately called a timeout!

The Time Warner Center was unusually quiet, as the Hawks had clearly changed their defensive strategy, shifting from their standard first-half defense to a more compact, collapsing approach. The Bobcats seemed unprepared, committing several turnovers and allowing the Hawks to capitalize on fast breaks.

Fans also noticed that while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could indeed limit Jia Fei in positional play, the speed difference between the two was obvious once Jia Fei started running and transitioning between positions.

Moreover, whether considering the difference in their talent or their current skills, 21-year-old Jia Fei is far superior to 20-year-old Maijiji by more than one level.

Bobcats fans are heartbroken to think that drafting Jia Fei only required a second-round pick, while drafting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist cost the team's precious second overall pick.

If Michael Jordan had been even slightly more sensible and used the second-round pick to acquire JaVale James, the team wouldn't have used the second overall pick to select Michael Kidd-Gilchrist last year. Instead, they would have drafted Bradley Beal, starting with Kemba Walker, Beal, and JaVale James on the perimeter, and the team would have truly had a chance to rise to prominence.

There are no "what ifs" in this world. Even a blind Jordan was chewing gum... Please stop chewing gum! Go chew betel nut instead!

After the timeout, the game resumed.

Jia Fei missed the free throw, and Jefferson grabbed the rebound!

The Bobcats continued to target Jefferson, but instead of letting him force his way through the attack, they used his presence to pass the ball out and create opportunities for his teammates.

The Hawks' defense was very flexible. Jia Fei completely left Michael Kidd-Gilchrist alone and frantically helped and covered like an octopus, making it impossible for the Bobcats to find good shooting opportunities!

The ball was back in Michael Kidd's hands, and once again there was no one guarding him. With the shot clock about to expire, he had no choice but to shoot—and it was another block of metal!

To make matters worse, Jia Fei snatched the rebound again!

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist committed a foul while attempting to steal the ball, and he was clearly devastated! His face was filled with frustration. The scene then switched to owner Michael Jordan, whose eyes were brimming with pride.

So what if the second overall pick got upset? Do you want me to hold up six fingers for you to see?