NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 295 Gradually Becoming a True Leader

Kenny Smith remarked with some emotion, "Charles, Jia Fei is really quite capable. Look, after he joined the second unit, the Hawks players seem to have found their own roles and are playing much more freely."

Barkley looked unconvinced: "It's mainly because the Wizards' second unit is too weak, allowing Jia Fei to launch such an easy counterattack. In our era, you wouldn't get so many easy counterattack opportunities. If you want to dunk in front of me, I'll foul you out!"

The timeout ended, and both teams returned to the game.

Sessions dribbled the ball over and passed it to Beal.

Instead of continuing his one-on-one attack against Jia Fei, Bill ran a pick-and-roll with Seraphin, brought the ball over, and passed it to Gooden in the paint!

Gooden leaned on Art Mayork and hooked him, but the latter unexpectedly jumped up and blocked him right in the face!

The ball fell into Seraphin's hands. He feinted and went up again, but Jia Fei delivered another block!

The ball got to Sessions, and with little time left on the shot clock, he opted for a jump shot, only to have it blocked by a foul from the guard...

As the 24-second countdown ended, the fans in the arena felt a series of climaxes. Those three blocks were so exciting, one after another, it was unbelievable. Is this still the team's disappointing second unit that we know?

The Wizards players were somewhat unwilling and embarrassed, having been blocked 3 times in one offensive possession. This is an extremely explosive occurrence in the entire league!

Bill didn't get to eat hot pot, and he was complaining about Serafin and the others who did.

As Jia Fei passed by, he said in a serious tone, "You just got lucky, and now you're teaching others how to defend?"

"What did you say?" Bill glared at Jia Fei.

"I said defense wins championships, and your defense... well, let's just say it's not great!" Jia Fei smiled slightly.

"Don't get too excited!" Bill said, looking displeased.

"I've always been happy, there's no such thing as too early or too late. By the way, when are you planning to come and guard against me?" Jia Fei asked tentatively.

Beal couldn't explain it. The team was worried he wouldn't be able to defend Jia Fei and would get blown out, so they assigned the better defender Okon Porter to guard him. When he was starting, they preferred to have the older veteran Bao Pi guard him instead. To put it bluntly, they thought his defense was terrible.

Beal's poor defense is well-known. His physical attributes don't allow him to be a defensive anchor, and he doesn't put enough effort into defense. He hasn't seriously honed his defensive skills and has used all his energy on offense. He gets repeatedly exploited when facing tough opponents, which is no longer an isolated incident.

Sessions dribbled the ball over and passed it to Beal.

Bill faced Jia Fei and continued to look for a screen.

The Hawks did an excellent job with their rotation and help defense, and the players were incredibly aggressive on defense, leaving the Wizards with virtually no good scoring opportunities!

That's truly "playoff-level defense"!

Sessions managed a weak jump shot, but it was an airball...

The atmosphere at the stadium was fantastic, with the home fans cheering wildly for the players, which gave them even more confidence.

Art Mayok, under the basket, grabbed the ball and passed it to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei brought the ball over, and Art Mayork came up to set a screen!

The opponents tried to double-team him, but he suddenly dribbled past them, passing between them!

Jia Fei, like a sharp sword, pierced straight to the opponent's heart, drawing almost all of the Wizards' defensive attention. Just then, with a calm head, he flicked the ball with one hand to Carroll in the corner!

Huge empty space!

Carroll lived up to expectations, swishing in a three-pointer to make it 26-31, extending the lead to five points!

Carroll's three-pointer brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch...

Wizards head coach Randy Whitman looked serious. More than the score deficit, he was worried about the players' mentality and form. After all, they hadn't scored for a while. Whether the players could withstand the immense pressure and interference from the away fans would determine the outcome of this game.

The Hawks' defensive pressure intensified, making it even more difficult for the Wizards to pass the ball. Sure enough, Sessions' pass to Seraphin went out of bounds...

The two started complaining to each other, but sometimes it wasn't the passing technique that was the problem, but the opponent's defensive intensity was too high. Some opportunities that were clearly there could turn into mistakes if the opponent interfered with the pass.

Frustration began to spread within the Wizards. The game is all about momentum. Sometimes you may not be behind in the score, but if you lose momentum, it is easy for the opponent to launch a run.

Xiao Hei dribbled over, and Jia Fei came over to set a screen for him.

After providing cover, Jia Fei suddenly cut inside!

Xiao Hei quickly passed the ball to Jia Fei, who was cutting inside!

Jia Fei received the ball, changed direction, accelerated to shake off Okon Potter who was defending him, and then, facing Gooden who came to help defend, gently passed the ball through the air...

On the other side, Art Mayork jumped with perfect timing, caught the ball in mid-air with one hand, and slammed it into the basket!

Wow—an aerial relay! A buddy relay!

At 26:33, the point difference has widened to 7 points, and the Wizards have called another timeout!

The Philips Arena erupted in cheers...

Kenny Smith glanced at Barkley, said nothing more, and everything was understood without being said.

Barkley is stubbornly refusing to admit his mistake, but he clearly knows how to manipulate online traffic.

The Wizards players seemed a bit dejected. That last run was really devastating; they were completely overwhelmed on both offense and defense, and they looked like headless flies on the court, not knowing what they were doing.

The Hawks, on the other hand, are quite the opposite...

Coach Buden was very satisfied with the results of Jia Fei leading the second unit. Not only did it improve the defense, but the offense also became more targeted. Art Mayork was carried by Jia Fei, and even Xiao He and Carroll were playing their own games and were playing very well.

Jia Fei is indeed becoming more and more like a true leader, rather than just a defensive stalwart and offensive spearhead.

After the timeout, the Wizards immediately switched back to their starting lineup. The game no longer allowed them to continue with that lineup; once the score gap widened to double digits, a comeback on the road would be virtually impossible. Keep in mind that their opponent was the league's best team, possessing a complete offensive and defensive system, superstars, and depth. Against a team like that, making too many mistakes is unacceptable, or a loss will be inevitable.

Jia Fei rested for two minutes midway through the second quarter, then returned to the court and played with the starters until halftime.

Coach Buden doesn't intend to push him too hard. He's already done a good job by using his backup plan today. Pushing Jia Fei hard is something he has to do out of necessity, and it's clearly far from that point yet.

The Wizards' return of their starters halted their losing streak, but they still couldn't regain momentum. The Hawks are like a precise machine, rarely making mistakes; clearly, the loss of their second unit has severely damaged their chances, making it extremely difficult for them to reclaim their lead.