NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 166 The Classic Crossover Returns

Jia Fei knew that although both Drummond and Monroe were big men in the paint and were good at rebounding, their movement speed was relatively slow and their rim protection ability was actually quite average.

In the NBA, some players excel at rebounding, while others excel at shot blocking. Many players who are good at rebounding aren't actually good at shot blocking, or rather, they don't want to. This is because shot blocking and rebounding are sometimes mutually exclusive. If you try to block, the rebound might go to your teammate. If your teammate tries to block, then the rebound might be yours.

This is why some players with impressive rebounding stats are constantly criticized for their terrible defense. Take Kevin Love, for example; he basically doesn't block shots, he's already boxing out for the rebound before the opponent even shoots. And then there's Whiteside, obsessed with blocking shots. He doesn't care about losing his defensive position or getting fooled by fakes; he just wants to block shots.

That's why players like Duncan, who never won a rebounding title or a block title, have always been considered top-tier interior defenders.

Josh was furious after Jia Fei made two consecutive dunks, and he decided to get his revenge on the offensive end.

Unfortunately, Drummond and Monroe had the same idea. Jennings dribbled the ball upcourt, and all three of his forward teammates turned their backs and started calling for the ball. This put him in a dilemma – who should he pass the ball to?

Jennings' brain wasn't working properly; he couldn't solve this problem, so he reluctantly chose the fourth option—to do it himself! He tried to take on Teague one-on-one, but his pull-up jumper still wouldn't come through!

Horford retrieved the rebound and handed it to Teague to push the ball over.

Josh muttered in Jia Fei's ear, "All you do is steal chickens, why don't you try fighting me one-on-one!"

Jia Fei was speechless. Does knowing only one position mean I can't have sex? Do I have to use many positions? What kind of rule is this?

Teague sets a screen and passes to Jia Fei on the left wing!

Jia Fei receives the ball and faces Josh, Horford comes over to screen!

Jia Fei dribbled down the middle, Josh circled around from behind the screen, and Drummond simply didn't come out to delay!

Jia Fei took an open three-pointer from the middle and easily made it!

4:11, Jia Fei scored 7 consecutive points, instantly forcing the Pistons to call a timeout!

Pistons head coach Cheeks looked serious, dissatisfied with both his team's offense and defense. Despite dominating the paint, he couldn't see any advantage beyond rebounding. On the contrary, the perimeter defense was a major problem. Jia Fei was wide open after just one pick-and-roll; didn't you know he's shooting 40% from three this season? Do you think he's Rondo?

Sports Channel Studio.

Yang Jian exclaimed, "Jia Fei's shooting is really decisive. He doesn't hesitate at all. He shoots when he has an open shot. The three-pointer has become his trump card!"

Yang Yi said, "The responsibility for this shot lies with Josh and Draymond. Jia Fei is capable of shooting; it would be abnormal if he missed it when you let him shoot like that. Josh should be like Pope, sticking to Jia Fei like glue."

After the timeout, the game resumed.

Monroe attacked Millsap in the low post and scored with a strong drive to the basket!

Teague dribbles the ball over, looking for Jia Fei in the frontcourt!

Jia Fei had the ball, and Josh taunted him: "Come and hit me!"

Jia Fei pulled up for a three-pointer and fired it in...

The ball hit the net!

At 6:14, the point difference has reached 8 points!

Jia Fei shrugged, not even glancing at Josh, and casually remarked, "I've never seen such a request before!"

Josh was so angry he almost died on the spot!

Monroe continued to attack Milwaukee in the low post, but was then double-teamed by the opposing team!

Monroe passed the ball to Pope on the outside!

But Pope missed his three-pointer!

Josh leaped to grab the offensive rebound, but his strong drive was blocked by Horford!

Jia Fei grabbed the ball and immediately launched a counterattack, hitting a three-pointer—and there it was!

At 6:17, the point difference has reached 11 points; Jia Fei is on fire!

Coach Cheeks had no choice but to call another timeout. He had used many timeouts in the first quarter, so naturally he would use fewer later, but he couldn't care less anymore. If the game was blown out in the first half, what was the point of saving timeouts? To buy lollipops?

As Jia Fei left the field, he made a "3" gesture to Josh, who looked extremely displeased.

Less than six minutes into the first quarter, Jia Fei had already scored 13 points. The team had a total of 17 points, and he had scored 13 of them, his shooting touch was absolutely red-hot.

In stark contrast to him was Josh, who scored only 1 point from free throws...

After the timeout, the game resumed.

Jennings has the ball at the top of the key, and Monroe comes out to set a screen.

Jennings surged forward, only to find the paint area completely surrounded! Josh was left wide open! He passed the ball to Josh!

Josh received the ball and saw that Jia Fei wasn't guarding him, while the Hawks fans booed him. He got excited and immediately took a three-pointer—but he missed!

Mi Shen retrieved the ball and passed it to Jia Fei!

Jia Fei dribbled the ball past half-court and, seeing no opportunity for a counterattack, controlled the pace at the top of the arc. He had indeed intentionally left Josh open; Josh's three-pointers were always like Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword in its early stages—sometimes effective, sometimes not. So he tried to leave him open, but whether it was because his touch was really bad or because he was provoked, he just couldn't make it.

Jia Fei held the ball at the top of the arc, while Josh kept his center of gravity low and stared intently at his opponent.

Josh's gaze energized Jia Fei; he didn't want to pass the ball anymore, he just wanted to score another one!

The Hawks fans in the arena immediately started jeering, and some even stood up!

Jia Fei vs. Josh: a head-to-head matchup between two generations of Hawks kings! Many veteran fans are still in disbelief, unable to accept that Josh is now wearing another team's jersey.

But it is true that Josh is no longer a member of the Hawks at this moment; Jia Fei is the Hawks' player!

With 10 seconds left on the shot clock, Jia Fei got going! He pulled the ball from his left hand to his right, then from his right hand to his crotch, and suddenly made a wide crossover, instantly getting past Josh. Then he pulled up for a mid-range jump shot and made it cleanly!

Wow--

The DJ at the scene exclaimed, "AI—this is the crossover that AI used to shake off MJ!"

Instantly, Hawks fans were reminded of Allen Iverson's signature crossover dribble past Michael Jordan for a jump shot. The move was so similar—not just similar, practically identical. The difference was that the man using the move was 201cm tall, and the opponent wasn't Jordan, but rather former Hawks legend Josh Smith, a Slam Dunk Contest champion!

If anyone is the most suitable candidate to be Jia Fei's backdrop in this game, it's undoubtedly Josh. One is the former Hawks King, and the other is the new Hawks King. Both have won the Slam Dunk Contest, but one represents the past, and the other represents the present and the future.

At 6:19, the score difference had reached 13 points! Coach Cheeks certainly couldn't call another timeout. What made him even more desperate than the score gap was that his own players seemed to be completely overwhelmed by the opponent's momentum.