NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 258 Imitating Kobe

In the second quarter, both teams continued their defensive battle. The Hawks' outside shooting remained sluggish, which prevented Jia Fei from capitalizing on opportunities created when he was double-teamed and passed the ball out.

The Bulls' offense was also very stagnant. The Hawks didn't have a dominant defensive anchor in the paint, but apart from Korver, none of their five players on the court had any defensive weaknesses. Coupled with their excellent defensive system and execution, the Hawks' defense was extremely flexible, and they completely neutralized the Bulls' poor shooting ability, leaving their offense largely dependent on luck.

The close game between the two teams continued until halftime, with the Hawks leading by one point at 41-42 at the end of the first half.

贾飞半场得到11分9个篮板2次助攻2个抢断1个盖帽，看数据会让人以为他是个内线。

Although Jia Fei's offensive efficiency was not high in the first half, and he was greatly affected by the opponent's help defense, Budenholzer still only let him play for 17 minutes. This playing time was less than the Bulls' starting five.

Jia Fei was also puzzled. The Bulls only used an 8-man rotation, and they were still overworking their starters. Their defensive intensity was so high that people who didn't know better would think they were playing in the playoffs. Could they really maintain this intensity for the whole game?

No wonder Rose has been getting a series of serious injuries. Being pushed like that, even someone with the superhuman physique of a Running Man member would need regular maintenance. This is human! You can't even use a donkey in a production team like that!

Thibodeau's player management style is to use those who are already good, even to the point of exhaustion. So if you have the talent, you'll never have to worry about not getting playing time under him. He'll show you what playing 48 minutes in a game is like, he'll let you know what it's like to have your average playing time far ahead of the league, he'll show you what it means for a coach to have such trust in you…

Seeing Dunleavy leaning on his knees, panting heavily, you can tell how exhausted he is. The team's bench isn't really lacking in players; Snell and McDermott, even if they aren't the strongest, can't someone fill in for 5-10 minutes?

You know, some people can play for 5-10 minutes, they are like Jordan, this is no joke. Some people are just explosive, you can say they are not durable, but you can't say they are not fierce.

The third quarter began quickly, with the Bulls still using an eight-man rotation. The game unfolded much like the first half, while Jia Fei was secretly plotting a daring plan…

The two teams were neck and neck, making the game extremely close.

The game remained close until five minutes into the final quarter, with the score tied at 70-71, the Hawks still leading by one point. To the uninformed, this might have seemed like halftime, but in reality, the game was nearing its end…

The Bulls' starting five all looked somewhat tired. Ginobili and Dunleavy are both in their thirties; they weren't exactly stamina monsters in their prime. Asking them to play 40 minutes a game is like asking them to die! They didn't even do that in their prime! It's like asking someone who ran a half marathon when they were young to run a full marathon now that they're older—are you implying their careers are too long?

But in Thibodeau's eyes, "Letting you play for so long is my way of showing you trust. Just hang in there a little longer, the game will be over soon!"

Commentary seat.

Mike Breen laughed and said, "Mark, I feel like the Bulls' energy is almost completely depleted!"

Mark Jackson smiled and largely agreed: "The starting five have been playing for too long... but at this point we won't make any more substitutions, we'll just play them out."

Rose has the ball at the top of the key, facing Teague.

Rose gestured for his wife to come up and set a screen, but Rose shook his head slightly to indicate that it wasn't necessary.

The other Bulls players created space on offense.

Rose dribbled and changed direction to break through, his first step was still as quick as ever, but Teague was not slow either.

However, Rose isn't just about being fast; he's better than Westbrook at controlling his body.

With speed and a great rhythm, Rose drove into the paint, dodged Horford's block with a zigzag layup, and banked the ball in!

72-71, the Bulls have taken the lead!

Teague dribbled over, wanting to return the favor, but his layup was blocked by the big sister!

Gibson steals the ball and passes it to Rose.

Rose didn't immediately launch a counterattack; he had already noticed the Bulls' rapid defensive transition. He slowed down and played a half-court game!

He still focused on Teague, and this time, instead of driving to the basket, he made a floater near the paint and scored!

74-71, Rose scores consecutive points, Bulls lead by 3 points!

Hawks call a timeout!

Mike Brin exclaimed, "Everyone says Derek is completely finished, but he's still silencing those who doubt him in his own way."

Mark Jackson nodded: "He's just declined compared to his MVP self, but he's still faster and more explosive than most guards."

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; isn't that a simple truth?

Some Hawks fans at the stadium were worried. Last season, their team could easily dominate the Bulls because Derrick Rose wasn't there. With Rose on the court this game, the difference was obvious; the Bulls were much tougher to beat.

"Coach, I'll guard Derrick!" Jia Fei volunteered during a timeout, knowing he needed to step up and accept the challenge.

When Jia Fei proposed it, Coach Buden and Teague couldn't refuse, since he was the team's best perimeter defender. Having him lock down the opponent's key perimeter player was probably the most suitable solution.

"Jia, I'm counting on you for everything!" Coach Buden was still as polite as ever.

"Leave it to me!" Jia Fei reassured his coach and teammates with a smile.

He's not just a player who can only defend the wings! Coach Zhang is teaching him to play like Kobe, and he's now emulating Kobe by taking on the most challenging task—locking down the opponent's star perimeter players.

The timeout is over and the game continues.

Teague dribbled over, and instead of continuing his point-blank battle with Rose, he passed the ball to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei faced Jimmy, and Horford came up to set a screen.

Using a screen, Jia Fei suddenly accelerated and drove into the paint, while Korver quickly moved towards the baseline!

When faced with Dunleavy's attempt to use a card to assist in defense, Jia Fei glanced to the bottom corner!

Dunleavy Jr. immediately stopped and dared not help defend, because if Korver were to shoot an open three-pointer, it would be too much of a threat!

Facing Gibson's help defense under the basket, Jia Fei jumped with his right foot, leaned against his opponent, fully extended his left hand, used his right hand to block the opponent's block, and then used his left hand to dunk the ball off the backboard!

Wow--

74:73, the score difference has narrowed to 1 points!

When the team needed someone to step up, Jia Fei stepped up!

A cheer erupted from the stands, easing the tension for the Hawks fans! We have stars too, and they can step up anytime!

Mike Brin laughed and said, "The game is getting more and more exciting!"

Rose received the ball in the backcourt, only to find that Jia Fei was now in front of him!

Jia Fei was on defense the entire game!