frightfiction Chapter 291 A Crushing Struggle
Chapter 291 A Crushing Struggle
In a one-on-one situation against Jia Fei, Qiao faked a move and then broke through, leaned in and turned his back, followed by a series of footwork and another fake before jumping and shooting...
With a series of one-on-one moves, his speed was no match for Jia Fei, but he still managed to get a chance to attack by using his experience and finally hit the target!
The Nets took the lead, 2-0.
Teague dribbled over, but Jia Fei was tightly guarded by Mackie Brown and couldn't get a chance to receive the ball. But he wasn't just about running to receive the ball; he moved to the left wing, backing down to call for it!
Mackie Brown relentlessly guarded Jia Fei, immediately opting to front him and aggressively restrict his ability to receive the ball.
Jia Fei confidently pointed his finger into the air!
Teague lobbed the ball over, but it was a bit high. Mackie Brown jumped high and tried his best, but he couldn't reach it!
Jia Fei also jumped, extended his long arm, and got the ball! After landing, he made a light turn, seized the position, and dribbled into the paint in one step. Facing Big Lopez's help defense, he made a feint and passed the ball to Horford on the other side!
Horford easily made a layup under the basket!
2-2, the Hawks have scored again!
Jia Fei also focused his defense on Qiao the entire court, not giving him an easy chance to receive the ball.
Deron Williams sat down on Teague, but his turnaround jump shot missed!
Horford grabs the rebound and passes to Jia Fei for a fast break!
Jia Fei received the ball and quickly drove to the basket, forcing Mackie Brown to commit a tactical foul to disrupt the play.
The Hawks inbound the ball in the frontcourt, and Jia Fei continues to post up!
Mackie Brown didn't dare to go around the front easily anymore. While he hesitated, Teague passed the ball to Jia Fei, who then turned and pulled up for a jump shot in front of the rookie. It was an unreasonable and aggressive attack that left the opponent helpless!
But the ball missed!
However, Jia Fei grabbed the rebound himself and scored a putback layup!
The Hawks easily took the lead, 2-4.
Wang Meng exclaimed, "Jia Fei's matchup advantage is just too great. This rookie from the Nets is too slender and too easy to overpower."
Su Qun nodded: "The Nets should implement some double-teaming and help defense, and have young players like Jia Fei, who lack height and weight, defend him. Double-teaming is inevitable."
The Nets were on offense, and Brook Lopez was sitting down under the basket against Horford, but the Hawks immediately double-teamed him on the strong side!
Brook Lopez passed the ball, and the Hawks rotated very quickly. Makélé Brown received the ball but immediately found himself in an open position.
With limited offensive time, the ball fell into Joe's hands. Facing Jia Feiyun, he couldn't create any space and forced a jump shot, but missed!
Mi Shen finished the play and handed it to Jia Fei for a counterattack.
Jia Fei launched a fast break, and Macel Brown tried to commit another tactical foul, but Jia Fei accelerated again, and the opponent didn't even touch the edge of his jersey!
Jia Fei took off directly from the free-throw line and dunked the ball into the basket amidst the screams of the fans!
2:6, the score difference isn't big, but the scene was somewhat brutal.
The Philips Arena erupted in cheers. Jia Fei dunked from the free-throw line during the game without traveling. It was absolutely awesome!
Tencent Studio.
"My God, this is amazing!" Wang Meng exclaimed.
Su Qun adjusted his glasses and said slowly, "The Nets can't afford to make mistakes. They need to work hard on defense. Once they get caught on a fast break, their defensive speed is really not up to par. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson are getting old, and they're really starting to struggle."
The saying "youth has an advantage" is truly apt. When you're older and can't compensate for the gap in athleticism and impact with experience and technique, the situation can be quite brutal.
The Nets' problem right now is that they can't beat the Hawks when playing as a team. They can only score one or two points against Joe in isolation, and they can only score against Teague or Korver in pick-and-roll mismatches. Trying to repeatedly attack Jia Fei is like exhausting his energy prematurely.
Makélé Brown was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Jia Fei, prompting the Nets to double-team him. However, Jia Fei then assisted Korver and Millsson to hit three-pointers, causing the Nets to hesitate again.
The Nets' own offense also faltered. Facing the opponent's fast rotations and well-timed double-teams, they began to make mistakes.
Every Nets turnover led to a fast break, their defense was riddled with holes, and the point difference reached double digits in just one quarter...
The Hawks set the tone for the game in just one quarter.
Brook Lopez has a height advantage in the paint, but he's not Shaquille O'Neal; he can't one-on-one dominate Al Horford. Not to mention the Hawks' quick double-teams and help defense, and his passing ability isn't at the level of James Harden, so his advantages can't be fully utilized.
As for power forward Thaddeus Young, he is indeed a very good piece of the puzzle, but he cannot punish the Hawks on the offensive end. On the defensive end, it is already difficult enough for him to limit Mills, and he does not have much energy to help his teammates on defense.
19:32, a 13-point lead in just one quarter.
贾飞首节轻松砍下9分3篮板4助攻1抢断1盖帽，表现非常稳定。
Fortunately for the Nets, their second unit performed admirably, with Jack and Bogdanovic narrowing the gap to single digits.
However, the gap between the starting lineups on both sides was too large, and when the Hawks' starters returned, the point difference widened again.
At halftime, the score was 42-56, with the difference becoming 14 points.
The second half was pretty much a foregone conclusion. The Hawks played methodically, neither letting up nor holding back, and ultimately defeated the Nets by 20 points, winning Game 1 of the series.
贾飞全场砍下24分10个篮板9次助攻2个抢断1个盖帽的准三双，这数据还是他仅仅出战29分钟的情况下获得的，可谓是效率极高。
There wasn't much discussion about the game afterward; the gap in strength between the two teams was obvious, and the Nets had little hope of pulling off an "upset" in this series. Their only hope was to avoid being swept.
On April 22, the NBA officially announced the winner of this season's Coach of the Year award, with Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer receiving the honor!
This is Coach Budenholzer's second season as an NBA head coach. This season, he led the team to a new franchise record, ranking first in the league with a record of 68 wins and 14 losses.
Coach Budenholzer attended the awards ceremony and delivered an acceptance speech. He remained humble and modest, stating that the credit for the award wasn't entirely his own, and that his coaching staff, players, team management, and staff all deserved significant credit. He also mentioned that his focus is now on the playoffs and he hopes for a good result this season.
On April 23, Game 2 of the Hawks vs. Nets series officially tipped off. The Nets, who lost the previous game, made lineup changes, with Makélé Brown dropping from the starting lineup and Bogdanovic, who performed well in the previous game, entering the starting eleven.
Bojan Bogdanovic's move to the starting lineup to primarily defend Jia Fei has proven much more effective than Marcel Brown's. He has sufficient size, good physicality, and a reliable shot, providing the Nets with significant offensive firepower.
Jack continued to play efficiently and consistently off the bench, which kept the Nets close in the score throughout the game.
However, the gap in strength between the two teams was still too obvious. The Hawks did not widen the gap, but they maintained the advantage in the game and finally narrowly defeated their opponents, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.