NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 209 Dominated G1

Even with Rose on the team, the Bulls weren't an offensively-oriented team. Their lack of scoring explosiveness was common knowledge. Their core strength remained defense, but when the playoffs arrived and opponents relentlessly targeted their defensive weaknesses, even if Noah and Jimmy Butler were made of iron, what could they possibly achieve?

Of the Bulls' starting five, Hinrich's defense was so-so, slightly better than the Hawks' star player "Mayor of New York," but not much better. Boozer was never a defensive stalwart in his youth; he was slow, short, and his defensive commitment and awareness were average. Such a player wasn't meant to be a defender; his selling point was always offense. Dunleavy Jr. was a better defender than Korver in his youth, but now that he's slower, his weakness in physical strength has been magnified. Facing the ferocious wing talents, he looked helpless in one-on-one situations.

The Hawks' starting five have defensive weaknesses after Horford's season-ending injury. Korver's poor defense often makes him a target, center Antic is also a defensive liability and prone to fouls, and Millskin is too short to protect the rim. However, apart from Korver, the other four players are not often targeted defensively. More importantly, the Bulls lack someone like Jia Fei who can find weaknesses one-on-one and accurately exploit them.

As a rookie in the same cohort, Jia Fei is clearly far superior to Jimmy in terms of both current ability and speed of progress.

At the start of the second half, Jia Fei started setting screens for Boozer relentlessly, forcing Thibodeau to bring on Gibson.

Gibson is superior to Boozer in both height and defensive ability, but his weakness is his lack of shooting range. Noah already lacks shooting range, and with another center lacking range, coupled with Jimmy Butler's poor shooting, the offensive spacing becomes extremely limited.

The Hawks are very experienced. After Gibson came on, Mills and Antić stayed in the paint, letting those two great players shoot us to death.

The momentum of the game has completely shifted to the Hawks. Noah can certainly defend, but he can't guard five players by himself. He can also facilitate on the court, but his individual offensive ability is too limited to change the opponent's defensive formation.

On the Eagles' side, thanks to Jia Fei's single-target burst damage, they steadily gained points.

Thibodeau hopes that Jia Fei will come off the court around the 7-minute mark in the third quarter, just like he did in the first half, so that they can replicate their first-half performance, catch up again, and even take the lead!

Unexpectedly, Jia Fei didn't leave the court at all and played the entire third quarter!

After three quarters, the visiting Hawks led the Bulls 75-65 by 10 points!

Many people think 10 points isn't a big deal, especially in the era of small-ball, and against a team like the Warriors with their explosive three-point shooting, they can close the gap quickly. But what kind of team is the Bulls? This team has a very average three-point shooting percentage, a slow offensive pace, and one of the worst offensive efficiency teams in the league. For a team like that, a 10-point deficit is really hard to overcome.

Jia Fei only rested for two minutes in the final quarter before immediately returning to the court. During those two minutes, the Hawks were narrowed to three points by their opponents, leaving them with a seven-point lead.

After Jia Fei came up, he ordered food from Little Dunleavy. His strategy was very clear: if Little Dunleavy and Boozer were present, he would selectively order food; if only one of them was present, he would order heavily from that person.

Thibodeau is in a dilemma. He has reduced Boozer's playing time and given Gibson more playing time. But he can't stop Dunleavy from playing, as the team needs his shooting, and Snell is the only player who can rotate at that position.

Snell may look like a tough, muscular guy, but he's actually a skinny dog. His physique, like a bamboo pole, is no match for Jia Fei. Putting him on the court is just a matter of Jia Fei choosing him, and his performance is about the same as that of Little Dunleavy.

The Hawks steadily pressured the Bulls, eventually forcing the Bulls to employ a double-team strategy. However, the Hawks moved the ball quickly, and Ying Jiafei, drawing the double team, accurately found the outside shooters, ultimately securing the victory.

Ultimately, the Hawks easily defeated the Bulls 101-89 on the road, securing their first win in the series.

Jia Fei played for 38 minutes and 45 seconds, setting a new record for his highest playing time in a single playoff game since entering the NBA (his previous record was 15 minutes and 32 seconds).

本场比赛他全场砍下25分12个篮板7次助攻3个抢断2个盖帽，完全统治了比赛。

25 points is nothing in NBA history, not even in a single year's playoffs, but that doesn't stop it from being the highest scorer of the game. Jia Fei's 25 points were not only the highest of the game, but also the only player from both teams to score over 20 points.

这场比赛贾飞刷新了多个个人记录，25分自然是他NBA季后赛职业生涯的单场新高（之前最高是13分）；12个篮板、7次助攻、3个抢断也是单场最高记录。

After the game, Jia Fei's public image underwent another 180-degree turnaround. Many who had previously mocked him for not being able to win in the playoffs after leaving the Thunder fell silent. Those who said he could only rely on other teams were relentlessly attacked online.

Jia Fei gave an interview after the match.

When asked by a reporter which opponent he would like to face in the next round, Jia Fei replied seriously, "Is the first round over? It's only one match. Don't give up until the very last moment. I'm thinking about the next match, not the next opponent."

"Do you set limits for yourself?" the reporter asked.

"No!" Jia Fei blinked. "Because... the sky's the limit for me!"

It was already late when they arrived at the hotel. Jia Fei shared a room with Art Mayor, who was still very excited, even though he hadn't had a chance to play the entire game.

"Art, you didn't play tonight, don't be discouraged, your chance will come soon!" Jia Fei said mysteriously.

“Jay, I’m not discouraged. I’m happy even though I didn’t play. It’s good that you led the team to victory. By the way, why did you say I would have a chance to play soon?” Art Mayork asked curiously.

Jia Fei smiled slightly: "It's a secret! I can't guarantee it either, but if we lose, the most likely place to make adjustments is the inside game. So, you need to be prepared and ready to go into battle at any time!"

"Yeah, I'm ready! Let's go!" Art Mayork flexed his muscles, his mind already on the court, battling it out with the Bulls' big men in the paint. The paint was his favorite place.

Come on, baby! I'm here!

After Game 1 of the series between the Hawks and the Bulls, many Bulls fans posted online reminiscing about Rose. They truly miss Rose, and they miss the Bulls' number 1 who could change direction without slowing down.