NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 146 starts with output.

Millsap tried to post up Nowitzki, but his turnaround jumper missed!

Both teams struggled to find their rhythm at the start of the game. The long offseason seemed to have prevented the players from getting into form immediately, with their shots either too short or too long, never quite hitting the mark.

With 9 minutes and 33 seconds left in the first quarter, the score was still 0-0!

The Mavericks were on offense. Dirk Nowitzki went one-on-one and made a layup like an old man, which drew a foul from Paul Millsap!

Nowitzki steps to the free-throw line.

On the sidelines, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at the German team, which resembled the Silver Horn King from the classic Chinese TV series "Journey to the West." His gaze, however, wasn't the typical owner's look at players; it was more ambiguous and unclear...

Dirk Nowitzki's shooting form is very smooth, with exceptionally fluid finger and wrist movements, clearly indicating an elite shooter. Some big men in the paint have hands as stiff as forks, making it impossible for them to become elite shooters.

After making both free throws, the Mavericks scored first.

Teague dribbled over and started an attack from the top of the key.

With Jia Fei and Korver making cross-cutting runs, the Mavericks' perimeter defense seemed a bit chaotic.

Teague passed the ball to Jia Fei, who had cut out from the left wing.

Jia Fei received the ball and immediately took a three-pointer—but the shot was a bit too short…

Jia Fei reacted very quickly, grabbing the offensive rebound before Marion, and then pulled up for a mid-range shot—this time it worked!

Even Jia Fei himself laughed at this play; it was quite dramatic!

The Mavericks were on offense, and Monta Ellis was having a hard time getting the ball under Jia Fei's defense, which frustrated him. The ball then fell to Nowitzki, but this time his one-on-one shot missed!

Jia Feifei grabbed the rebound, dribbled the ball up the court, and passed it to Korver who was following up in the middle!

Korver received the ball and the Mavericks got nervous!

Jia Fei suddenly made a cut to the basket!

Korver flicked the ball!

Jia Fei took off, caught the ball in mid-air, and slammed it in with both hands!

Jia Fei scored 4 consecutive points, putting the Hawks ahead 4-2! The entire play, from pass to cut to dunk, was executed flawlessly, so spectacular that the fans in the arena couldn't help but want to grab a drink, only to discover that Jia Fei was actually an opposing player…

Sports Channel Studio.

Yang Jian exclaimed, "Jia Fei seems to be in great form! That dunk was amazing, he jumped so high!"

Yang Yi laughed and said, "Marion is getting old, and his footwork can't keep up with Jia Fei anymore. If the Mavericks continue to let him defend like this, Jia Fei has a good chance of scoring a lot of points in this game."

The Mavericks were on offense when Monta Ellis finally received the ball. He dribbled against Jia Fei one-on-one, trying to use his speed to shake off his opponent, but it was no use; the opponent remained in front of him.

Monta Ellis used a change of direction to drive, but he still couldn't shake off the defender completely! With little time left on the shot clock, he opted for a pull-up jumper—but missed!

Horford grabbed the rebound under the basket, and the Hawks launched a counterattack!

Horford passes the ball to Teague, who then passes it to the fast-moving Jia Fei!

Jia Fei made a solo run down the court, heading straight for the basket and drawing a foul from Calderon!

Marion was panting heavily, his hands on his knees. He was starting to feel the strain of the continuous sprints. Youth has its advantages, and seeing Jia Fei moving like the wind, he realized that even in his younger days he couldn't keep up, let alone now.

Jia Fei stepped to the free-throw line and made both shots, giving the Hawks a 6-2 lead!

The Mavericks were on offense. Monta Ellis had the ball and faced Jia Fei. This time he was smart and called for a screen!

However, Dalembert's pick-and-roll was poor, and Jia Fei easily squeezed through!

Monta Ellis passed the ball to Nowitzki, who then passed it to Marion!

Marion drives past Korver but misses the layup!

Dalembert grabbed the offensive rebound, but missed the dunk...

The Mavericks fans at the scene were truly exasperated; how could they not even get a shot like that?

But Jia Fei knew that back in Philadelphia, for Dalembert, this kind of shot was commonplace.

Millsap collected the rebound and passed it to Teague for the drive.

Teague passes the ball to Horford in the high post!

Horford passed the ball to Korver, who then passed it to Jia Fei!

Jia Fei then made another breakthrough and passed the ball to Millsap near the baseline!

Millsap received the ball and easily scored 2 points!

8-2, the Hawks went on an 8-0 run, easily forcing the Mavericks to call a timeout!

Who could have imagined that the 2011 champion Mavericks would be in such a sorry state now? Facing the young and team-oriented Hawks, their defense seemed utterly ineffective. Only two years have passed, but this team looks like it's 80 years old, exuding an aura of age, especially on the defensive end, where their legs seem like they're made of lead, which is particularly noticeable.

Yang Jian said, "Yang Yi, what exactly is wrong with the Mavericks' defense?"

Yang Yi laughed and said, "Does the Mavericks even have a defense now? There isn't a single player in the starting lineup who can defend well one-on-one. Monta can't defend on the perimeter, Marion is too old, Nowitzki is too old to defend inside, and Dalembert looks like he can defend but he's not that great. The only player in the starting five who doesn't drag the team down defensively is Calderon. Can you believe it?"

Jia Fei was in a good mood; he definitely had more opportunities with the Hawks than with the Thunder. The starting five consisted of Teague at point guard, Horford, who wasn't particularly aggressive offensively and often facilitated, Korver, a sharpshooter responsible for spacing, and primarily him and Millsap handling the offense. The team's emphasis on ball movement and team basketball made them incredibly difficult to defend, a true game-changer against teams with poor defense.

After the timeout, the game resumed.

"What else can you do besides stealing chickens?" Monta Ellis was very unhappy with Jia Fei's six consecutive points. "Kobe wasn't like that. He beat you fair and square!"

"If I can beat you guys even by stealing chickens, it just means your defense is really weak. You're putting me on par with Kobe, so I guess I'm actually not bad, right?" Jia Fei retorted with a laugh.

“You’re shameless. You think you can compare to Kobe?” Monta Ellis sneered.

"I can't compare to him, he's done much more blacksmithing than me. By the way, I can compare to you, why aren't you afraid to defend against me? Is it because you're afraid I'll smash you?" Jia Fei retorted.

"I don't even need to lift a finger to defend against you!" Monta Ellis was starting to lose confidence.

The Mavericks' offense was still decent; after returning to the court, Nowitzki and Calderon frequently connected, and Monta Ellis also scored by exploiting Millsap's slow footwork through pick-and-rolls. However, they were completely unable to stop the Hawks.

The Hawks maintained their lead until a little over four minutes remained in the first quarter, when Jia Fei was substituted by Scott.

When he left the field, head coach Budenholzer gave him a high-five and said "Thank you for your hard work," which made him feel a little uncomfortable.

After sitting down, a staff member handed him a bottle of sports drink, and Artmayok handed him a towel.

"Jia, you played exceptionally well just now! Sean couldn't stop you at all!" Art Mayork exclaimed excitedly.