NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 288 Obtaining the Alliance's Number 1 Rank Ahead of Schedule

When the Hawks first took the league's top spot, many people were pessimistic, saying that their success was just a flash in the pan. But now that they've held the top spot for almost a month, those doubts have faded over time.

On March 7, the Hawks will host the Cavaliers. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Christmas Day game.

The Cavaliers made some big moves before the trade deadline, strengthening their frontcourt by acquiring Russian center Timofey Mozgov to improve their rim protection. They also traded Dion Waiters for J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, the "New York brothers," making their roster more balanced with one offensive and one defensive option.

However, they don't have much time left to gel... Currently, the Cavaliers have a record of 39 wins and 24 losses, ranking 4th in the Eastern Conference. Surpassing the Hawks before the end of the season is virtually impossible. Even making it into the top 3 will be a significant challenge.

Fortunately, the overall playoff competition in the Eastern Conference is not fierce, and the Cavaliers have a very high chance of advancing to the playoffs from the upper half of the bracket.

The game was very close between the two teams, but the Hawks ultimately won a narrow victory over the Cavaliers thanks to Jia Fei's 30 points, extending their winning streak to nine games.

Their nine-game winning streak was their second of the season. Just as fans were expecting a second wave of wins, they suffered a narrow defeat to the Eastern Conference bottom-feeder 76ers on the road the following day, missing out on a ten-game winning streak.

While the Hawks' loss in this game was partly due to the 76ers' good performance, it was also partly due to their own shortcomings. They experienced some fatigue and their offensive and defensive rhythms were off.

After losing this game, the Hawks' record improved to 51 wins and 11 losses, maintaining their position as the league's number one team.

On March 10, the Hawks defeated the Kings at home, avoiding a losing streak. Two days later, they narrowly defeated the Nuggets on the road, achieving their second consecutive victory.

After this game, the Hawks will embark on a six-game road trip in the Western Conference, and one of the games on this road trip will be against the Warriors, whose record is very close to theirs.

This road trip will likely determine which team is currently ranked first in the league.

On March 12th, the Hawks played their first game of a six-game road trip in the Western Conference against the Nuggets. With five players scoring in double figures, they secured a road victory, extending their winning streak to three games.

On March 14, the Hawks narrowly defeated the Suns on the road, achieving their fourth consecutive victory.

Two days later, they narrowly defeated the Lakers on the road, achieving a five-game winning streak. The following day, they narrowly defeated the Kings on the road in a back-to-back game, achieving a six-game winning streak.

On March 19, the Hawks faced the second-ranked Warriors in the league on the road. They ultimately lost to their opponents, ending their seven-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, they still lead the Warriors by one game with a record of 56 wins and 12 losses, remaining in first place in the league.

On March 21, the Hawks played against the Thunder, who were missing Durant, on the road.

Thanks to Jia Fei's 39 points, the Hawks defeated their opponent on the road, avoiding a two-game losing streak and completing a season sweep of their opponent both at home and away.

After this game, the Hawks' six-game road trip in the Western Conference finally came to an end. Their final record on this six-game road trip was 5 wins and 1 loss, a perfectly acceptable result. Moreover, they remained ranked first in the league after the six-game road trip, which is a very good result.

On March 23, the Hawks narrowly lost to the Spurs at home, suffering one of their few home defeats this season.

In the remaining four games of the month, the Hawks defeated the Magic, Heat, Hornets and Bucks, ending the month with a four-game winning streak.

After March, the Hawks' record ended at 61 wins and 13 losses, continuing to rank first in the league, ahead of the Warriors.

61 wins! The Hawks have surpassed 60 wins, securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference. With eight games remaining, the only remaining question is whether they or the Warriors will have the best record this season.

In March, the Hawks had a record of 13 wins and 3 losses in 16 games, still an excellent performance. At the end of the month, Jia Fei checked his points; he currently had [number missing] points. He used 9000 points to raise his "Iverson Peak Skill Integration" from 89% to 90%!

Finally, the fusion level reached 90%, which should have been a cause for celebration. However, Jia Fei was somewhat frustrated because, in theory, each 1% increase from 80% to 90% would cost 9000 points. So, each 1% increase from 90% to 100% should cost 1000 points! Why did he still have over 20,000 points in his account, but he couldn't increase it?

This only proves one thing: the points required to increase from 90% to 100% by 1% are far more than just a few, or even a few, and could even be as many as a few.

Holy crap, this inflation is outrageous! Points aren't easy to accumulate. To get some points, he sometimes deliberately trash-talks people, but he's offended quite a few. Now it's all just a drop in the ocean.

But there was no other choice but to accept it.

Jia Fei is now wondering if he has enough points. If he does, he can always play two more seasons to extend his path to max level. If not, then what the hell is the point?!

Jia Fei was also a little discouraged. Just like when he played games, the game would get stuck at 99% and then stop loading, which was really frustrating.

August has arrived...

On April Fool's Day, April 1st, the NBA officially announced the Players of the Month for the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Ultimately, Jia Fei and Curry won the award, marking Jia Fei's fourth consecutive month as Player of the Month this season.

In the latest regular season MVP rankings, he continues to hold the top spot. Many experts predict that if the Hawks ultimately finish first in the league, his chances of winning the regular season MVP will become extremely high.

The Hawks keep winning...

On the evening of April 1st, they easily defeated the Pistons on the road, achieving their fifth consecutive victory.

Four days later, the Hawks defeated the Nets at home, achieving their sixth consecutive victory.

On April 8, the Hawks defeated the Suns at home, achieving their seventh consecutive victory.

After a seven-game winning streak, their record improved to 64 wins and 13 losses, maintaining their position as the league's number one team.

However, the Hawks dare not afford to slack off in the remaining five regular-season games. Their position is not secure; the Warriors are only one game behind them, and a slight misstep could see them overtaken. And once overtaken at that point, it's virtually impossible to catch up again.

On April 9th, the Hawks narrowly defeated the Nets in a back-to-back road game, extending their winning streak to eight games. Two days later, they cruised to a home victory against the Hornets, securing their ninth consecutive win.

On April 13, the Hawks narrowly defeated the Wizards on the road, achieving their 10th consecutive win. The following day, they narrowly defeated the Knicks at home, extending their winning streak to 11 games.

After an 11-game winning streak, their record stands at 68 wins and 13 losses, giving them a two-game lead over the Warriors. With only one game remaining in the regular season, they will secure the top seed in the league for the season.