NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 272 Brotherhood Basketball and Hometown Basketball

There are many Chinese people in California, and there are obviously more Mercedes-Benz and BMWs on the road than in other cities. Jia Fei understands Chinese people all too well. They care a lot about face and always feel that driving a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi is prestigious, making them feel superior. This is not surprising, as they always want to be above others and never think that people should be equal.

In the eyes of most Americans, a car is just a tool. Those who link buying a car with patriotism are either truly patriotic or truly stupid, and the person who comes up with this concept is a bad guy.

The climate on the West Coast is indeed more pleasant. Los Angeles has a temperate Mediterranean climate with mild temperatures year-round. It has Hollywood, Disney, and Universal Studios; its entertainment industry is incredibly developed.

But if you don't have money, you might live worse than a dog in this extravagant city. It's a harsh reality; here, money is truly a wonderful thing. With money, you can basically have everything!

In China, having money only gives you a certain degree of power, because there are also the Celestial Dragons.

After the team checked into the Hilton Hotel, Jia Fei treated the entire team to dinner at a luxury restaurant near the hotel that evening.

The Hawks have had a really good team atmosphere lately, and Jia Fei, arguably the team's strongest player, is completely down-to-earth. The veteran captain has also accepted his role as locker room leader and is willing to contribute his remaining energy to help these young players strive for even higher goals.

Head coach Budenholzer is very low-key and hardworking. Other members of the coaching staff are responsible for tactics, logistics, and motivational speeches, each doing their own job and forming a close-knit team.

Jia Fei really likes this atmosphere. The atmosphere in the Thunder was actually quite good, but he never got a chance to be used. Now in the Hawks, he has truly become the core of the team, allowing him to be himself.

That evening, at the hotel, Jia Fei shared a room with his best friend, Art Mayor.

Jia Fei stared blankly at the bustling night view outside the window for a moment.

"Jia, are you homesick?" Art Mayork knew that there was no one else in Jia Fei's family, but this was still his hometown. Was he homesick now?

Jia Fei snapped out of his daze and shook his head: "Art, do you really believe in this so-called 'hometown basketball'?"

Art Mayork was momentarily stunned, but he still shook his head: "I don't believe it. Take LeBron for example. If he really believed in his hometown basketball, he wouldn't have chosen to leave the Cavaliers."

"What about basketball?" Jia Fei continued to ask.

“That depends on the person. If it were LeBron, I wouldn’t believe it either. He loves himself more than his brothers. But if it’s you, Ja, I believe it!” In the night sky, Art Mayork’s eyes shone brightly, like a lighthouse in the darkness, guiding a drifting ship in the right direction.

Jia Fei laughed: "Do you think we have a chance to play basketball as brothers in the future?"

Art Mayork's eyes widened: "Jia, are you really going to do this?"

Jia Fei didn't answer, but instead smiled meaningfully...

Brothers basketball, hahaha...

The Hawks did not practice on the second day. The players were exhausted from the previous back-to-back away games, so Coach Buden canceled practice. He is a coach who is very good at managing player playing time and rest. For him, overworking the starters is almost a crime.

Coaches like Thibodeau and Van Gundy really don't understand: if the core players are all exhausted and injured, who will play in the later games?

When it comes to managing player playing time and rest, Popovich is like a doctoral supervisor. Why have the GDP trio's careers been so long? It's not necessarily because they all possess the physical attributes of a running man, but rather because of their effective management of playing time and training. Of course, a rest rotation plan is also indispensable.

Budenholzer, a student of Popovich, naturally wouldn't allow his key players to be overworked. Many say Rose is injury-prone and Westbrook is durable, but you should consider who Rose is working for.

Thibodeau! What else can this guy do besides ruthlessly exploit his players? Just like Doc Rivers only knows how to give motivational speeches, it's really amazing that a coach like him can keep working in the NBA without any problems.

That evening, at Staples Center.

Staples Center is the shared home arena for the NBA's Lakers and Clippers, but it seems that fans in Los Angeles and elsewhere don't really agree that the Clippers are also the owners of this arena.

There's no way around it; the Lakers' history in the NBA is just too glorious. Apart from the Celtics, no other team in the entire NBA has a history that can compare to theirs.

The Clippers, one of the oldest teams in the NBA, were founded and joined the league in 1970. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and has remained there ever since.

But to date, this team has never won a championship, not even a conference title, let alone a national championship, and hasn't even reached the conference finals...

In terms of team history, the Clippers can't even draw fouls from a small-market team like the Cavaliers, let alone their crosstown rivals, the Lakers, since the Cavaliers have at least reached the NBA Finals.

Since 58 joined the team in the 2011-12 season, the "Lob City" has risen to prominence, and the Clippers have consistently dominated their crosstown rivals, the Lakers. However, several seasons have passed since then, and although the team has made it to the playoffs every year, they have never been able to achieve a real breakthrough in the playoffs.

So far this season, the Clippers have maintained a good record, currently ranking 3rd in the Western Conference with a record of 23 wins and 11 losses.

Staples Center was practically packed to capacity that night… Los Angeles has a huge basketball market, and the fans here are truly lucky; even without a Lakers game, they can watch the Clippers. Sometimes it feels like there's a game to watch every day—it's simply amazing.

Many Chinese fans came to the stadium tonight, and many of them were wearing Jia Fei's number 3 jersey, clearly indicating that they came for Jia Fei.

Besides Chinese fans, there were also a lot of celebrities at the event.

Adele, Unbeliev, Rihanna, David Beckham, Taylor Swift, Jazz, and others. Staples Center, as a renowned NBA arena, is a regular gathering place for celebrities.

During pre-match practice, Jia Fei didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. His old acquaintance Zhou Ling'an came to the venue for a pre-match interview, which gave him a sense of familiarity.

"Jia Fei, I heard you're from Los Angeles. What's it like playing basketball in your hometown?" Zhou Ling'an asked.

"Uh...it's okay, I'm actually fine!" Jia Fei didn't know how to answer. What could he possibly feel? Like the Running Man cast, expressing their love for their hometown?

"You've already won 10 straight games. The Clippers are a very strong team in this game. Are you confident that you can beat them and get an 11th straight win?" Zhou Ling'an asked.

"Of course, we are very confident!" There's not a single difficult question to answer.