NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 211 The Essence of Human Cinema

Time flew by, and it was the evening of the 26th at the Philips Arena.

Hawks fans gradually entered the arena, while Jia Fei and Art Mayok arrived early to practice shooting.

Art Mayork was extremely excited. The match hadn't even started yet, but he was already incredibly excited, much like a brooding man about to go for a massage.

"Art, how many times have you gone to the toilet?" Jia Fei asked.

"Uh, it's happened several times!" Art Mayor scratched his head sheepishly. When people are nervous, they don't know why, but they suddenly feel the urge to pee.

"Calm down, will you? You're my brother, Jia Fei's brother. I'd lose face if word got out!" Jia Fei said with amusement.

"Uh... Ja, I'm not going to the toilet!" Art Mayork said as if he had made a huge decision!

"Uh..." Jia Fei thought to himself, "Go ahead and go if you want. But if you ruin your bladder or develop prostate problems, I, as your good brother, will feel guilty!"

In the home team's locker room before the game, Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer gave his final pre-game pep talk: "Guys, we're at home, we've got home-court advantage, let's fight for this victory, we're going to defend our home court!"

Ham, standing nearby, clapped at the opportune moment and added, "Come on, guys, we'll win this game! Come on!"

Jia Fei almost burst out laughing. It seemed that even though Lao Li wasn't here, his influence was just as great. He was the granddaddy of motivational speeches and the icon of all Black coaches in the league. As a head coach, you might not have a wealth of tactics and techniques, but if you can't deliver motivational speeches or manage your relationships with the team's star players, then sorry, you can't make a living in this industry.

Old Li and his star pupil Tyronn Lue are both top performers in this area. Taking good care of star players? So easy!

Although Coach Budenholzer is relatively slow to adapt on the spot, his tactical and technical skills are still higher than those of many motivational coaches. After all, he has worked with Popovich and is one of the representatives of the "Spurs system".

"Jia, we need your energy in this game!" Buden said to Jia Fei as he prepared to go on stage.

Jia Fei smiled slightly, giving the coach a confident look: "Don't worry, coach, I'll treat this game as if it were my last!"

"That's good!" Coach Buden breathed a sigh of relief. He was still uncertain, though. The Hawks didn't have an overwhelming advantage against the Bulls; the two teams were evenly matched. The Hawks' advantage lay in having Jia Fei, a star player, while the Bulls didn't have one of that caliber. Therefore, Jia Fei's performance was crucial to winning the series.

Before the game, Jia Fei practiced very diligently. The importance of this game was self-evident. If the Hawks lost, the series advantage would return to the Bulls, but if they won, their psychological advantage would be significant.

At Philips Arena, Hawks fans were incredibly enthusiastic, wearing the white T-shirts provided by the arena, creating a sea of ​​white.

Today, a familiar face to Hawks fans was present: Dominique Wilkins, known as "The Human Highlight Film"!

Wilkins, a former Hawks player, has his number 21 jersey retired and displayed prominently in this arena. An NBA legend, he won the Slam Dunk Contest, a scoring title, and was selected to the All-NBA team. Although not included in the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, he is widely considered a major overlooked talent. His arrival has excited many Hawks fans.

The on-site director was also very professional, immediately focusing the camera on Wilkins, who then stood up and waved to the fans.

Wilkins is 54 years old and has gained a lot of weight compared to his younger days, but he still looks very strong.

Jia Fei greeted Wilkins warmly, and the two shook hands and bumped shoulders in front of the cameras. Wilkins patted Jia Fei's arm and said, "Jia Fei, I really enjoy your game, and I hope you can lead the Hawks to victory!"

"Thank you, Dominic, thank you for coming to support us. We will definitely win!" Jia Fei said with a smile.

This game was broadcast live on TNT, with former NBA superstar Charles Barkley and his longtime partner Kenny Smith providing commentary.

“Charles, Dominic is here today too, he’s here to cheer for the Hawks. Do you still think the Bulls will win?” Kenny Smith asked.

"Of course!" Barkley said with certainty. "I don't think Jia Fei can do anything against the Bulls' strong defense. It will be difficult for them to win the series. They won't have the same good luck as in the first game."

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced. The Hawks did not change their starting lineup, which remains the same: Antić, Mills, Korver, Jafki, and Teague.

The Bulls will naturally not change their starting lineup, which will remain Noah, Boozer, Dunleavy Jr., Jimmy Butler, and Hinrich.

As the starting lineups of both teams took to the court, Noah, while high-fiving Jia Fei, muttered to himself, "I'm going to give you three big blocks today!"

Jia Fei nodded: "By the time you block my three shots, I'll have already dunked on you more than three times!"

“You’re quite humorous!” Noah shrugged.

"Likewise, I mean what I say!" Jia Fei said with an annoying smile.

"What is Jia Fei talking to Qiao Jin about again? That guy is all talk and no action, he has no real skills at all!" Barkley couldn't help but say.

Kenny Smith was speechless. Barkley seized every opportunity to criticize Jia Fei. In his eyes, Jia Fei was nothing but a pile of shit, no, even less than shit...

Noah and Antić jumped for the ball near center circle, setting the stage for Game 3 of the series.

The jump ball began, and Noah won again, giving the Bulls possession of the ball for the first possession.

Hinrich dribbled over and passed to Noah in the high post.

Noah, positioned high up, passed the ball to Jimmy.

Jimmy drove and passed to Boozer in the paint!

Boozer received the ball, turned, and launched a jump shot—it went in cleanly! His jump shot is somewhat similar to that of Liu Yudong, the Chinese War God. He raises the ball behind his head and shoots with a wide arc. However, compared to the War God, his backward angle is much greater, making it even harder to block.

Teague dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei, who came out to receive it.

Jia Fei received the ball and, with the help of Mi Shen's screen, was immediately double-teamed!

As if he had been prepared, he immediately passed the ball to Mi Shen.

Misty immediately cut to Antić in the corner!

Antić blasted a three-pointer—but missed!

Unexpectedly, Jia Fei leaped to grab the offensive rebound and banked the ball into the basket before landing!

2:2, the two sides are tied at the start!

The Hawks fans in the stands immediately erupted in cheers. Jia Fei's play was absolutely brilliant; from the pass to the offensive rebound and putback, it showcased his various abilities.

The Bulls are on offense. Noah assists Dunleavy Jr. to hit a three-pointer, making his first three-pointer of the game!