NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 321 The wall fell and everyone pushed it

Art Mayork nodded in agreement: "Ja, what do you think we should do?"

Just then, Jia Fei received a phone call. Shortly after hanging up, there was a knock on the door.

Jia Fei opened the door, and outside stood their head coach, Budenholzer.

Coach Buden was still dressed in a sharp suit, as refined as ever. He was holding a notebook, clearly not just visiting casually.

"Please come in!" Jia Fei, shirtless and a little embarrassed, immediately put his short-sleeved shirt back on the chair.

The head coach must have come to talk to Jia Fei. Art Mayork knew this, and he immediately got up to serve them tea and water and do the logistical work.

"Thank you!" Coach Buden was as polite as ever.

"Coach, you called me to talk about the game?" Jia Fei asked tentatively.

Coach Buden nodded: "I'd like to hear your understanding of the game. Your previous suggestions were very forward-thinking and targeted, and they have been a great help to our coaching staff."

Jia Fei didn't mince words or waste any time, getting straight to the point: "The Warriors started with a small-ball lineup to speed up the game, free up Stephenson, and limit our outside shooting, and they succeeded. They used Andre to guard me, and I struggled a lot."

Coach Buden nodded in agreement: "Their small lineup will definitely weaken their interior defense. Should we use a larger lineup to specifically attack their paint area and gain an advantage on the boards?"

Jia Fei thought for a moment and said, "We can give it a try."

The two talked for a while longer before Coach Buden got up and left.

After Coach Buden left, Art Mayork asked, "Ja, the coach really trusts you!"

Jia Fei smiled wryly: "This will put even more pressure on my shoulders. I need to study the video of today's game now. If I can't break down the defender in one-on-one situations, it will be very difficult for us to win."

Art Mayork nodded, not thinking Jia Fei was bragging. He believed Jia Fei was the core of the team, and if Jia Fei didn't play well, the team would indeed have a hard time winning.

Against the Warriors, the Hawks' only advantage in matchups is Jia Fei; they have almost no advantage in other areas.

June 12th, Game 4 of the Grand Finals.

The Hawks did not make any changes to their starting lineup for this game.

However, the Hawks made adjustments on both offense and defense. On offense, they started attacking the opponent's basket more often, avoiding taking too many three-point shots and driving to the basket more often; Jia Fei no longer constantly went head-to-head with Iguodala, opting instead to use pick-and-rolls and switches to defend Barnes or Klay.

On the defensive end, the Hawks abandoned their aggressive double-teaming of Curry and instead used delaying tactics, switching on pick-and-rolls more often to force their opponents into one-on-one situations.

During the rotation phase, the Hawks reinstated Antic and dropped Sefolosha out of the rotation, playing a twin-tower lineup during the transition period.

The Hawks performed much better in this game than in the last one. They lost less defensively and made fewer mistakes on offense, giving their opponents fewer opportunities for counterattacks.

However, the offensive efforts have not yielded much improvement.

Iguodala's defense continued to make things difficult for Jia Fei, preventing him from launching single-target attacks. Other players showed some improvement, but they couldn't consistently punish their opponents.

The Hawks' weaknesses have become apparent. Aside from their superstar, JaVale, the rest of the team struggles to contribute offensively. Horford is a versatile player, but not a scoring machine; Millsson can score, but his consistency is inconsistent, fluctuating greatly against opposing defenses, and he hasn't yet found his rhythm; Carroll, and substitutes like Sefolosha and Scott, haven't provided much offensive support. Teague and Schroder haven't been as effective at penetrating the opponent's highly adaptable small-ball lineup as expected.

The twin towers were not very effective during the rotation phase. With Bogdanovic on the Warriors' rotation, the Hawks' two big men did not gain any advantage and instead hindered their defense, failing to achieve the expected results.

94-99, although the loss was small, the Hawks suffered another defeat, tying the series at 2-2!

Jia Fei's efficiency improved in this game, but he still couldn't match the performance of the previous two consecutive wins. He scored 21 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, but he couldn't help the team win. He was contained by Iguodala for the second consecutive game.

From a 2-0 lead to a 2-2 tie, the series has seen a dramatic shift. While the Hawks still have home-court advantage, the momentum has shifted to the Warriors.

It's no exaggeration to say that if the Hawks can't break the Warriors' "death lineup," then it seems only a matter of time before they are reversed.

This game was a huge blow to the Hawks. They thought that making adjustments and using a larger lineup would allow them to suppress their opponents, but they were unable to do so.

Jia Fei was also very disappointed with his performance. He failed to play up to his potential as the team's primary star, and was once again contained by Iguodala. As a league MVP and two-time All-NBA First Team selection, it's simply unacceptable for him to be contained by an opponent who is over 30 years old.

Many Hawks fans are also puzzled, as Jia Fei seems to have had very few, if any, games this season where he was truly contained. He had a few poor performances in the regular season, but those were mostly due to his own shortcomings, such as a bad shooting night, and very rarely because the opponent's defense was too strong in limiting him.

Two games have passed now, and Jia Fei has visibly struggled and been inefficient against Iguodala's defense; this is no longer an isolated incident. Is he facing a mental block or is his technique truly being countered? It's incredibly frustrating.

The post-game comments were explosive. Jia Fei had been completely demoted, with many considering him a bust who couldn't even handle a veteran like Iguodala. His success was purely based on luck; if the Cavaliers hadn't suffered serious injuries, he wouldn't have even had a chance to reach the Finals.

At this juncture, Charles Barkley, a well-known critic of Jia Fei, also stepped in, criticizing Jia Fei on his show: "Jia Fei, this is Charles. I hope you can step up and beat Andre Iguodala, who is guarding you. Aren't you the league MVP? You can't even break down the defense of a veteran over 30 years old. Just accept that you've only reached this level because of your popularity! I'll say it again, in our era, you wouldn't have averaged more than 20 points per game, I just guarantee it!"

Wizards forward Paul Pierce also gave an interview, saying, "Jia Fei's ability has indeed been overhyped. He has never won a championship; he's just an ordinary All-Star. If I were five years younger, the Wizards would have made it to the Finals."

Clippers All-Star forward Blake Griffin said in an interview: "Jaffy was just lucky, I'm sure he was just lucky! The Hawks are a great team, any All-Star on a team like that can have a great record, he was just lucky!"