NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 279 End of Winning Streak

On January 31, the Hawks faced their last opponent of January – the Trail Blazers.

The game went on until the very end, and in the end, thanks to Jia Fei's game-winning shot, the Hawks narrowly defeated the Trail Blazers, achieving their 24th consecutive victory!

Before the break after the game, Jia Fei entered the system and used up all the points he had accumulated during this period to raise his "Iverson Peak Technique Integration" from 83% to 87%!

February has arrived...

The Hawks went undefeated throughout January, a performance that will go down in franchise history!

On February 1st, the NBA officially announced the Players of the Month for January. In the Eastern Conference, all five starters of the Atlanta Hawks won the Player of the Month award, while in the Western Conference, James Harden continued to lead the way.

This makes history, with five players simultaneously winning Player of the Month, the most players to win the award since its inception.

Jia Fei won his second Player of the Month award this season, and it was hardly a surprise that he won the award.

Jia Fei was riding high, and the Hawks became one of the league's top contenders. This was something unimaginable at the beginning of the season.

At the beginning of the season, the Hawks were envisioned as a strong team in the East, but who could have imagined that they would now be the top team in the East and closely follow the league's top team, the Warriors.

On February 1st, the Hawks easily defeated the 76ers at home, achieving their 25th consecutive victory!

The entire league is watching the Hawks; they all want to see if they can surpass the Heat's 27-game winning streak!

On February 3, the Hawks narrowly lost to the Pelicans on the road, ending their 26-game winning streak!

The Hawks' winning streak has finally come to an end...

Although we knew this day would come sooner or later, when it actually arrived, it still left us with a sense of regret, because they were so close to making history.

Of course, the Hawks' 25-game winning streak has already set a franchise record, without a doubt. Even compared to the long history of the league, their 25-game winning streak ranks among the top, having already made history for themselves.

The Hawks lost this game because a lot of debuffs piled up. Their offense suddenly stopped working, and their outside shooting was terrible, extremely cold.

With their outside shooting off, the Pelicans double-teamed Jia Fei, creating a vicious cycle in their offense.

The Pelicans had an unusually good shooting touch in this game, which is sometimes just luck. Shooting touch is sometimes unpredictable and a bit mysterious.

After this loss, the Hawks' record improved to 40 wins and 9 losses, maintaining their second-place ranking in the league.

After the loss, the Hawks didn't seem too frustrated or disappointed; instead, they felt a sense of relief. Yes, that's true. Winning streaks bring pressure, just like losing streaks. Fan expectations, media discussions, and high personal expectations—these factors combined create pressure, and once that pressure builds, it only intensifies.

With the winning streak over, the pressure on everyone suddenly disappeared. They were able to start afresh with a lighter heart, and everything became different.

It's often said that "no pressure, no motivation," but not everyone can withstand that much pressure. Most people prefer to play when there's very little or no pressure, as this allows them to perform at their best.

On February 5th, the Hawks will host the Wizards. This will be their first game after their winning streak ended.

Before the game, Wizards star John Wall said he didn't care whether the Hawks had a 25-game or 30-game winning streak; he just wanted to hand them two consecutive losses.

Veteran Paul Pierce said he was never afraid of players like Jia Fei when he was younger, and even now, he is confident that he and his team can beat the Hawks.

The reporter relayed Wall and Pierce's pre-game comments to Jia Fei, who simply smiled and said, "Let's give it a try!"

The Philips Arena was packed that night. The Hawks' market performance this season has been phenomenal, thanks to the team's outstanding record. As the top team in the Eastern Conference, they have a strong team and superstars, and they have the potential to make a big splash this season, making them highly anticipated.

The Wizards also have a good record, with 31 wins and 18 losses, currently ranking 4th in the Eastern Conference.

At the beginning of the season, many media outlets predicted that the Hawks and Wizards would have similar records in the Eastern Conference and would be considered rivals. However, as the season progressed, their records were no longer on the same level.

But the Wizards players were not convinced by the Hawks. They always felt that the team only had a good regular season record and would only make it to the second round at most in the playoffs.

Last season, the Hawks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Wizards believed that this was because they encountered the Bulls and Pacers, whose playing styles were relatively effective against them. They thought that if they had faced those teams, they might have been the ones to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Even before the match started, the tension between the two teams was already palpable, and the anticipation for the game was building.

This match was broadcast by Tencent, with commentators Wang Meng and guest Yang Yi providing commentary.

Wang Meng smiled and asked Yang Yi, "Mr. Yang, what are your thoughts on this match?"

Yang Yi smacked his lips, twirled his pen, and replied, "Of course the Hawks have the advantage in this game! For the Wizards to win, their interior defense must dominate the Hawks' interior. The Wizards' advantage is height! Gortat and Nene are both 7-footers, hey, they're tall! But even if you're tall, they're fast and accurate, so you have to defend them and then use your height advantage to attack the interior. Only then will you have a chance."

The atmosphere at Philips Arena was fantastic. Even before the game started, the fans had already started making several loud noises, making it seem like a decisive Game 7 of the playoffs was about to begin.

The DJ was creating an atmosphere in various ways, and the match was about to begin.

Wizards head coach Randy Whitman appeared somewhat serious. He wasn't as arrogant and optimistic as his players; he knew better than anyone how strong the Hawks were.

It's always good to keep a low profile; getting proven wrong is never a pleasant experience.

PS: Yang Yi: "Who are you talking about?"

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced. The Hawks' starting lineup remains unchanged, consisting of the five players who will be the Players of the Month.

The Wizards' starting lineup for the away game was Wall, Beal, Paul Pierce, Nene, and Gortat.

The Hawks' starting lineup entrance ceremony was exceptionally cool.

Pierce said to Bill, who was standing next to him, "When the cat's away, the mice will play (this isn't the exact quote, but it's roughly the idea)."

Bill nodded: "I can't stand his arrogant attitude either. All-Star starter? If it weren't for his yellow skin, he would never have become a starter!"

The starting players from both sides took to the field, with Horford and Gortat preparing for the jump ball near the center circle; the match was about to begin.

The jump ball began, and Gortat won the jump ball against Horford, giving the Wizards the first possession.

Wall dribbled the ball over.

John Wall, a former number one draft pick, is incredibly fast. Fortunately, Jeff Teague, who was guarding him, is also known for his speed, which meant the Hawks weren't at a significant disadvantage in this matchup.