NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 196 First Injury

Jia Fei hopes that Art Mayok, while focusing on defense and rebounding, will also develop shooting ability on offense and avoid being completely left open by opponents. He needs to be reliable when finishing pick-and-rolls and avoiding giving away easy baskets. As for isolation plays, forget about them; his priority should be surviving in the NBA. That's the most important thing.

Art Mayork took Jia Fei's advice to heart. He knew Jia Fei meant well, and he himself was determined to train hard and improve. He didn't want to leave his beloved NBA court. Playing with Jia Fei was wonderful; he didn't want to lose this opportunity.

On February 19, the Hawks faced their first opponent after the All-Star break, the Pacers.

In this match, they narrowly lost to their opponent, marking their fifth consecutive defeat.

During this five-game losing streak, the Hawks' starting center was Ayon, who played like a headless chicken, making a complete mess on both offense and defense. Coach Budenholzer was also very frustrated. There was no other way, as Horford and Antic were both on the injury list. He had previously used the veteran captain as the starting center with terrible results, so he had no choice but to use Ayon, but who knew that his performance as a starter would be even worse than the veteran captain's.

After a five-game losing streak, the Hawks' record dropped to 33 wins and 19 losses, falling to fourth place in the Eastern Conference after being overtaken by the Raptors.

The following day, the Hawks suffered a back-to-back home defeat to the Wizards, marking their sixth consecutive loss.

That wasn't the end of it. Two days later, the Hawks lost to the Pistons on the road, suffering their seventh consecutive defeat!

After a seven-game losing streak, the Hawks' record stands at 33 wins and 21 losses. The Bulls have caught up in the standings, and their fourth place in the Eastern Conference is in jeopardy.

No one expected the Hawks to suffer a seven-game losing streak. During this period, the coaching staff and players faced great pressure, and a sense of frustration permeated the entire team.

Fortunately, their previous record was good, allowing them to maintain a decent ranking in the Eastern Conference despite a string of losses. With more than half of the regular season completed, their chances of making the playoffs are still very high; the only difference lies in their final seeding. If they enter the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed in the East, they will most likely face the Pacers or Heat in the first round, making a first-round exit highly probable. If they finish 3rd to 6th in the East, they will have a fighting chance against the Raptors, Bulls, and Wizards.

But none of these are the most important things right now. The most important thing is to end the losing streak. The losing streak is too damaging; it's a huge blow to the team's morale. The locker room is completely silent. This team already lacked passion, and now it's even more listless.

The blame for the Hawks' losing streak has been placed on the coaching staff and JaVale McGregor. Many believe the Hawks shouldn't have appointed a rookie like Mike Budenholzer as head coach. Furthermore, the coaching staff is considered inadequate; neither Jenkins nor Hamm are particularly capable, and the poor coaching team deserves the blame. As for McGregor, many media outlets have joked that his All-Star starter selection seems to have taken away all the team's luck. His stats are still decent, but the team's record is abysmal. He has gone from being the team's savior to a cancer, and the Hawks, built around him, are doomed.

The Hawks' next opponent is the Knicks, a back-to-back home game. Before this game, the team held an internal meeting and decided to make some changes to their lineup.

On February 23, in the home game against the Knicks, Ayon was DNP, the veteran captain started, and Art Mayok entered the rotation.

This tactical change paid off. In this game, the veteran captain played much better than when he started. He rediscovered his signature mid-range shot, and although his defense was still lacking, his enthusiasm was commendable.

Art Mayork's passion surprised the Hawks, injecting much-needed energy and passion into the team's second unit, helping them to a resounding victory over the Knicks and ending their embarrassing seven-game losing streak.

The victory in this game was a huge relief for Coach Buden. He knew very well that if the losing streak continued, such as 10 consecutive losses or more, then he would not be far from being fired.

This is the risk of being an NBA head coach. Players can indeed be traded, but when a team has problems, replacing the coach is often the first change most teams will make.

This victory was not enough to completely pull the Hawks out of their predicament. In their last two games of the month, they lost to the Bulls and the Celtics, suffering two consecutive defeats.

After two consecutive losses, their record is now 34 wins and 23 losses, and they have been overtaken by the Bulls, dropping to 5th place in the Eastern Conference.

To make matters worse, Jia Fei injured his thigh in a collision with the Celtics' Bayless during the game. Although the MRI test result was negative, the team doctor still recommended that he rest for a week and then be observed.

Jia Fei's injury will have a significant impact on the Hawks. With both of their key players injured, it will be even more detrimental to their already poor record and the hope of turning things around.

Jia Fei was also frustrated. Of all times, he got injured during the team's losing streak. This was the first time he had missed a game due to injury since entering the NBA. He felt the injury wasn't serious, but the team still wouldn't allow him to play in the upcoming games.

At home, Jia Fei spent all the points he had accumulated recently, raising his "Iverson Peak Skill Integration" from 56% to 58%!

Jia Fei was injured, and those despicable reporters actually said he was injured in an explosion, called him "intelligent thigh," and even said that he deliberately injured himself to avoid taking the blame. It was extremely despicable, and it made him quite depressed.

Good things weren't all bad; Sharapova showed concern for him and even came to Atlanta to see him, and the two reconciled.

It had been a long time since they'd seen each other, so naturally, they were full of enthusiasm. Jia Fei came again and again, and Sharapova couldn't help but exclaim, "I really wonder if you're injured? Why are you still so fierce?"

Jia Fei laughed and said, "I injured my thigh, not my third leg..." After saying that, he fired another shot.

February has arrived...

The Hawks made no moves at the trade deadline; they didn't want to give up assets to acquire anyone at that time. Their focus is on the future, not just this season.

Jia Fei also felt that the team's considerations were correct. There were no big names worth sacrificing future assets for by the trade deadline, and making a trade would leave insufficient time for team integration. The team's overall personnel this season hasn't been a major issue; the fluctuations in performance are mainly due to injuries, not a problem with the team's roster.

The Hawks failed to turn things around in early March. Jia Fei's absence lowered their perimeter defense and left them without a key scoring option on offense, resulting in significant losses on both ends of the court and severely weakening their fighting power.

They then lost to the Suns and the Trail Blazers, suffering their fourth consecutive defeat.