NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 234 The Relationship Ends

The Hawks' season is over...

They defeated the Bulls 4-1 in the first round, the Pacers 4-1 in the second round, and lost to the defending champion Heat 1-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Looking at the results, their playoff performance exceeded expectations. The Eastern Conference Finals were somewhat disappointing, but it truly reflected the difference in their actual strength, so there's not much to be upset about.

If Horford were still playing, the two teams would likely still have a chance, but injuries are part of the game, and there are no "what ifs" in the NBA.

After the game, Kemba Walker immediately called to comfort him, saying that the season was over and everyone could get together to go fishing.

Sharapova didn't come to comfort him; she was still sulking because she felt that Jia Fei hadn't comforted her in time after her previous defeat!

Jia Fei didn't blame her. He never felt that comforting someone was necessary; he wasn't that sentimental.

The Hawks did not return to Atlanta immediately that night; they stayed overnight in Miami and did not leave until the morning of the following day to return to Atlanta.

Jia Fei used up one of the points in his account to raise his "Iverson Peak Skill Integration" from 65% to 67%!

The recently concluded Eastern Conference Finals proved that even at around 7% of his peak Iverson skills, it wasn't enough to lead a team to a championship in the playoffs. Jia Fei plans to focus on practicing his ability to break double teams and his mismatch back-to-the-basket techniques during the offseason.

Even at his peak, Iverson wasn't a top-tier player in terms of passing ability. Limited by his height and his pass vision not being exceptional, his playmaking ability was weaker compared to top playmakers, making him more like a shooting guard.

Jia Fei felt that he needed to take his game to the next level, and he couldn't afford to have so many weaknesses. Passing the ball was a crucial step for a super scorer to become an offensive core player; without developing that ability, he could only remain a super scorer. To maximize his potential, he needed a playmaker to support him.

As for post-up ability, this is a skill that most swingman scorers develop later in their careers. As you get older, your speed slows down, and your explosiveness isn't what it used to be, so you need some post-up skills to contribute to your scoring. Jordan and Kobe are examples of this. Even the "Running Man" (a nickname for a player) was thoroughly outplayed by Puerto Rico in the 2011 NBA Finals, prompting him to diligently learn post-up techniques from Hakeem Olajuwon.

Jia Fei felt that he didn't need to rely entirely on back-to-the-basket skills to score right now. As a skill, he needed to have it, keep it in his arsenal, and it didn't matter if he didn't use it. He just needed to be able to use it in crucial moments.

This Eastern Conference Finals completely exposed his two technical weaknesses. His current main skills are derived from Iverson, but Iverson is not known for his passing or back-to-the-basket skills. However, he is a wing player, and opposing guards defending him in the low post create a clear mismatch. It is a waste if such a mismatch cannot easily make the opponent pay the price.

It is clear that if he does not improve in these two aspects after this series, it is entirely foreseeable that more teams will use double-teaming rotations and mismatch defense to deal with him next season.

The NBA is not a fairy tale. Your opponents won't let you play the way you like. This is an arena where everyone wants to win, and the way to win is to beat your opponents.

The Hawks' elimination by the Heat hasn't extinguished the heated discussions following the series. Haters have resurfaced, claiming that Jia Fei's potential is limited and that without luck, he wouldn't have reached the conference finals. They argue that his true abilities were exposed against the defending champions.

Jia Fei's fans say that at only 22 years old, leading his team to the Eastern Conference Finals, and doing so with their key center out for the season, is a remarkable achievement. The last player to accomplish this feat was LeBron James while still with the Cavaliers. Jia Fei's future is limitless; the sky's the limit. He will undoubtedly become stronger and make a triumphant return.

Mainstream media rarely criticized Jia Fei. Being eliminated by the defending champions is not a shameful thing. The Hawks were just a complete underdog in this series, it's just that there was no upset. It can't be called an unacceptable defeat.

Jia Fei didn't care about the comments online. If he kept dwelling on what the haters said, he might as well have committed suicide long ago. Haters can attack you from any angle. A-Tan is a prime example of this: if he's a strong leader, they say he ruins his teammates; if he performs poorly, they say he's riding on someone else's coattails; if he teames up, they say he's riding on someone else's coattails; if he dominates the East, they say he's afraid to go to the West; if he passes to an open teammate in crucial moments, they say he's a softie and doesn't have the Mamba Mentality; if he takes a shot in a crucial moment, they say he's trying to show off and steal the credit…

You wouldn't understand the world of Kuroko...

If you use chopsticks to eat, they'll ask why you don't use a knife and fork. If you do use a knife and fork, they'll say you're a Western-worshipping person, wondering why you don't use the chopsticks passed down from your ancestors.

No matter how I look at it, it's wrong! So why should I bother with you guys?

On May 30, the Hawks players met up one last time after returning to Atlanta before going their separate ways.

Art Mayork and Jia Fei hadn't left Atlanta, and they had nowhere to go. Kemba Walker invited them to New York for a fishing trip, but they hadn't left yet.

On May 31, Jia Fei and Sharapova had a heated argument on the phone. This argument was different from the previous ones, and the two officially broke up over the phone.

Surprisingly, Jia Fei wasn't very sad after the breakup; instead, he felt a sense of relief. In the six months prior, the two had frequently argued, and their relationship had grown increasingly strained with each quarrel. Now that they were truly broken up, he wasn't as heartbroken as he had imagined.

Jia Fei is heartbroken, and Art Mayork keeps him company at a bar in Atlanta.

"Jia, don't do anything rash! You can find another girlfriend. You're so handsome, I'm sure lots of girls like you!" Art Mayor said with concern.

Jia Fei smiled and said, "Ate, thank you for your concern. I'm fine. I won't do anything rash. It's okay if I don't have a woman. I still have you guys as my good friends, I still have basketball, and I have money in my pocket."

“Yes, I won’t leave you!” Art Mayor said sincerely.

"Yes, of course I believe you," Jia Fei smiled. He wasn't worried that the sky would fall. For a man, brothers, career, and money are, in some ways, more important than women. He despised those who forgot their friends for the sake of women, and he was determined not to be that kind of person.

The Hawks are out of the playoffs, but the NBA playoffs are still ongoing. In the Western Conference, the Spurs eliminated the Thunder and will face the Heat in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.

June has arrived...

After the Hawks' elimination in the Eastern Conference Finals, the management began to take action for next season. They were busy scouting rookies and evaluating free agents in preparation for the upcoming season.