NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 249 Core Showdown

The essence of the triangle tactic lies in creating one-on-one opportunities. Once the opponent double-teams you, it's easy to pass the ball to find an open space, and the opponent won't dare to double-team you because the risk is too high.

The two teams that best utilized the triangle offense were the Chicago Bulls during Michael Jordan's era and the Los Angeles Lakers during the Shaq-Kobe era. Coincidentally, both teams were coached by Phil Jackson.

Many fans think the triangle offense is simple: three corners where star players execute one-on-one plays. However, mastering the triangle offense is actually very difficult. This offensive system demands a high level of skill from its players, requires excellent execution, and takes a long time to gel.

This is why, despite the triangle offense having been around for so long, very few teams truly master it. The same applies to Princeton offense, which also demands a high level of skill from its players.

The current popular tactic in the league is to initiate the game with a high pick-and-roll by the ball handler. This tactic does not require as much skill from the players and is more universally applicable.

Anthony calls for the ball in the low post.

Larkin immediately passed the ball to Larkin. He was called a point guard on the court, but he was actually just a dribbling guard, much like the point guards on Running Man. He would dribble the ball across half-court, pass it, and then crouch in the corner or on the wings to prepare to receive the ball and shoot a three-pointer.

Of course, the triangle offense also weakens the point guard. The core of the tactic is superstar isolation plays, which requires the team to have at least two isolation players, and the strong player must have the ability to control the ball.

To put it bluntly, if you want to play the triangle offense well, forget about having a single star player. Your star player will most likely be double-teamed, whether you play the triangle offense or not.

Anthony played power forward in this game, and he was guarded by Mills.

Anthony sat down with his big butt. Milwaukee was a short forward, not tall but very strong, and Anthony didn't have much of an advantage over him.

Anthony, refusing to accept defeat, turned and attempted a jump shot, but missed...

Horford grabbed the rebound and passed it to Teague as they advanced.

The player guarding Jia Fei was Iman Shumpert, a defensive stalwart from the Knicks.

Shumpert got a Sendoh-style hairstyle, which made him look 210cm tall instead of 196cm... It really is a case of "if you're not tall enough, make up for it with your hairstyle." But the problem is, fake is always fake, just like some girls get breast implants, are those really yours?

Shumpert guarded Jia Fei the entire game. For him, as long as he could contain Jia Fei, he would be satisfied even if he didn't score a single point.

Here, Milwaukee tried to shoot Melo from the low post, but missed.

Both teams started off hitting their shots repeatedly, making it sound like a high-intensity playoff game!

More than two minutes have passed in the game, but the score is still 0-0!

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

Shumpert lowered his center of gravity, and Horford came out to cover for him!

Shumpert quickly bypassed the cover, but Jia Fei only needed a little delay, and that would be enough time!

Jia Fei quickly pushed off the ground and accelerated, rushing towards the basket. He took a step and cut to the basket, feinting, but Dalembert had already taken off. He took advantage of the timing, jumped up and dunked with both hands!

2-0, the Hawks score first!

On the Knicks' offense, Anthony isolated in the midfield, and after a series of jab steps, he pulled up for a jump shot and made it. The two superstars started trading baskets.

Jia Fei cuts out off the ball, Teague passes the ball, and Horford sets a screen for him off the ball.

Jia Fei received the ball and took a three-pointer—it went in smoothly!

5: 2!

Anthony hits another unstoppable jump shot! 5-4!

Once the two superstars took over, the fans started to get excited, as if the missed shot had never happened.

Jia Fei continued his off-the-ball movement, received a pass from Horford in the high position, made a triple threat after receiving the ball, and cut in, passing to Milwaukee who was following up in the middle!

But Milwaukee's layup missed!

However, Jia Fei has rebounding ability!

Jia Fei grabbed the offensive rebound and immediately passed it to Teague at the top of the key!

But Teague missed his three-pointer...

Although the Hawks are a team that relies heavily on five outside shooters, neither Teague nor Schroder at point guard possesses outstanding shooting ability. This is a significant reason why their pick-and-roll plays are sometimes less effective. With Jia Fei in the starting lineup, the team doesn't lack driving ability, and many opportunities arise from Teague, whose job is simply to make open shots.

Anthony tried to continue his shooting spree, but the Hawks double-teamed him!

Anthony was annoyed and had no choice but to pass the ball to Shumpert. Shumpert hesitated for a moment before driving and passing to Hardaway Jr.!

Jia Fei rotated very quickly. Little Hardaway received the ball and shot angrily, but the Eagles' number 3 blocked the ball from the front court to the back court like a spike in a volleyball match!

The fans in the stadium sighed. That play was too brutal. From the speed of rotation to the nose for blocking shots, it was full of talent.

"You fouled!" Little Hardaway felt embarrassed and sneered at Jia Fei.

"Yes, you can slowly savor the slow-motion replay of me serving you the hot pot after the game, it's very exciting!" Jia Fei smiled slightly.

Mike Brin exclaimed, "Bang—the big hat from the new Eagle King!"

Looking at Jia Fei, Old Melon saw a reflection of his own youth...

The same goes for Dalembert!

Mi Shen glanced at the two men with a mocking look, as if to say, "Were you two this good at blocking shots when you were young?"

The Knicks inbound the ball from the sideline with little time remaining on the shot clock. Shumpert takes a drifting mid-range shot. The ball, of course, misses!

Shumpert's offense and JR's defense are a source of endless regret for Knicks fans... Wouldn't it be great if these two teamed up? Shumpert's on-ball defense is decent, and when JR isn't making blunders, he has the potential to be a high scorer. If they teamed up, they could probably create a poor man's Kobe!

Jia Fei grabbed the rebound, dribbled the ball up the court, and made a solo run down the court. Facing Shumpert's defense, he immediately accelerated!

The two accelerated almost simultaneously, and Shumpert, who was 5 centimeters shorter than Jia Fei, was swallowed whole!

Jia Fei dunked successfully and didn't forget to let out an excited roar!

The Knicks fans in the arena could hardly bear to watch, while many Chinese fans wearing Jia Fei jerseys cheered excitedly. The scene was indeed too brutal, and many people were immediately reminded of the image of Bolt eating Pelé raw in the 4x100m relay at the 2012 London Olympics.

Mike Brin exclaimed repeatedly, "Bang—Bang—"

Jeff Van Gundy exclaimed, "Jia Fei seems to have improved again! In the previous few games, he played methodically, and many people thought that was all he could do. But judging from today's game, his technique has improved, both in terms of ball possession and off-the-ball ability. He plays aggressively without holding onto the ball, which is really impressive!"

The score was 7-4, not a big difference, but from the game, the Knicks' triangle offense was ineffective. Although the Hawks' shooting percentage was also not good, judging from the performance of the two teams' key players, Jia Fei was very present on both ends of the court, while Anthony could only make a contribution on the offensive end.