NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 227 Escape Plan

May 19, Eastern Conference Finals Game 1, American Airlines Arena.

Before the match even started, fans entered the stadium, and it quickly filled all the seats...

Many Heat fans are looking forward to witnessing the team reach the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive time, and their opponent is the young Hawks, which shouldn't be too much of a challenge.

The mascot Bernie, brimming with energy, runs along the field with the team flag, much like men and women who have lost a bet and are now streaking...

There were quite a few fans wearing Hawks jerseys at the stadium, including a significant number wearing the number 3 Hawks jersey.

Miami is a big city, and the number of Chinese people here is much larger than in Indianapolis...

The sidelines were filled with Heat legends, including Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O'Neal. Running Man's agent, Rich Paul, was also present, as was pop star Rihanna…

Practice before the match.

The Hawks players looked calm, and the whole team exuded a relaxed atmosphere. Having reached this point in the playoffs, they have already exceeded their season expectations. At the start of the season, few would have predicted that they would be the ones advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Heat.

Team leader Jia Fei sported a heartwarming smile, which many Chinese fans have turned into GIFs of, becoming popular emojis in chats. In an era where "good looks are everything," the Hawks should already be considered superior to the Heat by many fans in this respect alone.

Heat president Pat Riley still exudes the "Godfather" aura, with his slicked-back hair and impeccably tailored suit, his every gesture reminiscent of a movie scene. He's a legendary man, a ruthless one.

"Jay, catch!" Art Mayork tossed the ball into the air...

Jia Fei had already taken to the air, caught the ball mid-air, and completed a between-the-legs dunk! For him, it was as easy as using a BBK e-reader!

This match was broadcast live on China Sports Channel, with commentators Yu Jia and guest commentator Zhang Weiping.

Yu Jia adjusted his glasses and asked, "Coach Zhang, what are your thoughts on the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals?"

Coach Zhang gestured with his hands, displaying his professionalism as a former men's basketball head coach: "This is the first game, and the Heat are playing at home. I think they definitely won't want to lose at home, so the Hawks need to play good defense, protect the rebounds, and on offense, they need to play more inside-out plays. They need to be reasonable, otherwise it will be difficult to win on the road!"

"What do you think Jia Fei needs to do when facing the Heat's Big Three? Will he be completely contained by the Big Three?" Yu Jia continued to ask.

Coach Zhang seemed very serious: "It's still too difficult for Jia Fei at his age to beat the Heat's Big Three. He's already done very well, but of course, he can't compare to Kobe. Kobe had already won a championship at his age! But it's okay. Even if he loses, he gains experience and can learn from it. I think he needs to play more aggressively, that is, play with aggression. He shouldn't just go in and drive recklessly. He needs to play more strategically. I strongly suggest that Jia Fei learn from Kobe's style of play and see how Kobe plays."

The starting lineups for both teams were displayed on the big screen at the stadium.

The Heat's starting lineup, playing at home, consisted of Chalmers, Big Man, Running Man, Popovich, and Haslem.

The Hawks' starting lineup for the away game was Teague, Korver, Jafi, Mills, and Antić.

Both teams fielded fairly standard starting lineups. The Heat opted not to use a small-ball lineup, instead fielding a larger lineup with Haslem in the paint. The Hawks' starting lineup remained unchanged this season, and they didn't face any real challenges in the first two rounds of the series.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups of both teams prepared to take the field, and the match was about to begin.

The Running Man cast is still the same as always, throwing magnesium powder on the sidelines like a gymnast. This guy really goes all out to create a sense of ritual, build a persona, and cultivate a commercial image. Some players are born businessmen, and he is one of them.

Looking at the three championship banners and five Eastern Conference championship banners hanging in the sky above the court, Jia Fei wondered when his own championship would come.

No one in the NBA doesn't want a championship; championship rings are genuinely cool. Why is it that Barkley sometimes hesitates to challenge Jordan? Jordan simply holds out his hand, a handful of rings, and you're left with nothing.

For a role player, a championship isn't everything; a big contract is what life is all about. But for a superstar, without a championship, a career without one is naturally filled with immense regret. Like the actor who ran away from home, he had everything with the Cavaliers except a championship. For a championship, he was willing to have his jersey burned and be verbally abused, choosing to leave – that's the point.

Jia Fei disagreed with the notion that Running Man was "riding on the coattails" of the other two. He argued that among the three, Running Man members, including Wade and Bosh, were the strongest, so the accurate description should be "forming a group," a rather disgusting example of peak-level teamwork.

This is a typical example of short-sightedness and a desire for quick success, which the league dislikes because it disrupts the league's balance. Fans also dislike it, as it diminishes their sense of belonging and passion.

Jia Fei finds the idea of ​​forming superteams disgusting, but he has to admit that this commercial league does have many frustrating aspects. For example, teams in major cities like Los Angeles and Boston, with their illustrious team histories, easily attract big names in free agency. Teams in cities like Cleveland, Minneapolis, Memphis, and Charlotte, on the other hand, are much less competitive. Many players simply don't consider these cities; they might not even be able to retain players they've developed themselves, and without strong free agents joining, even if the championship window opens, it might be very short. This is a very real problem.

When Running Man was in Cleveland, he really didn't have any help, and the team's management was also incompetent, which meant that no matter how good he was personally or how much the league promoted him, he couldn't win a championship.

But you can't just run off to join a super team! You should stay and wait for others to join you. It just looks weird for a top superstar to go to another team. People would probably be more accepting if you went to a rebuilding team to start over.

As the starting players from both sides took to the court, Running Man, acting like a social butterfly, greeted each of the five Hawks players.

When he walked up to Jia Fei, he smiled and patted him on the back, saying, "Enjoy tonight's game!"

Jia Fei chuckled, inwardly speechless. Enjoy the game? This is the playoffs, the Eastern Conference Finals, a battle between two teams. You expect me to enjoy it?

After fighting wars my whole life, can't I at least enjoy myself? But my career hasn't even been going on for very long!

Bosh and Antić are preparing for the jump ball near the center circle; the game is about to begin.

The American Airlines Arena was packed, and the atmosphere was fantastic.

Jia Fei was very excited. He loved this kind of big stage, which made him extremely excited and allowed him to concentrate for a long time.