NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 120 Distrust

Back home, Jia Fei immediately logged into the system to check the task completion status.

In this game, he accomplished two tasks. The first task was to "achieve a double-double in the playoffs," and the second was to "rebound 10 times in a single playoff game."

Claim your task rewards immediately. There are two tasks, each rewarding 2000 points.

Jia Fei was very happy; the rewards for the playoff tasks were obviously higher than those for the regular season. But this was actually quite reasonable, because the playoffs were much more difficult.

Scoring 30 points in the regular season is definitely not as valuable as scoring 30 points in the playoffs. This can be seen from the NBA's highest single-game scoring record: Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points in the regular season, while Michael Jordan's 63 points are the playoff record.

Both are single-game records, but the regular season record is 37 points higher than the playoff record!

Jia Fei earned 4000 points through the mission rewards, but the Grizzlies showed little anger. Firstly, he couldn't find anyone to confront, and secondly, the Grizzlies players were like robots, rarely speaking.

So he only received two angry shouts in this game, both from the opposing coach, Lionel Hollins. It's understandable that Coach Hollins harbors resentment towards him; he played well, helping the Thunder secure the victory, and the opposing team lost, so it's perfectly normal for the coach to be unhappy. It's not like Coach Hollins actually has any affection for him!

Spare the baby! Coach Hollins has such a face. If you were to make him fall in love with you, what kind of taste would he have?

Jia Fei redeemed these 4000 points, raising his "Iverson Peak Technique Integration" from 35% to 36%!

Two days later, Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals continued between the Grizzlies and the Thunder!

The Grizzlies did not change their lineup in this game!

Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins is not a coach who likes to change lineups. He is often criticized by fans for not having any tactics, only relying on the "Grit and Grind" duo, failing to develop the team's young players, and lacking strength in the team's second unit.

The Thunder will certainly not change their lineup. They didn't change their lineup even when they lost the Finals, so the possibility of them changing their lineup when they win is almost zero. The reason it's not completely zero is because there are still unexpected events, such as players getting injured.

The Grizzlies did not make any changes to their rotation or tactics in this game; their only adjustment was to increase the playing time of their starters.

In the previous game, both the Black and White Bears only played for a little over 30 minutes, with Tony even playing only 22 minutes. In this game, both the Black and White Bears played for over 40 minutes, with Conley playing for a full 43 minutes.

With these three players on the court the entire time, the Grizzlies were able to maintain near-total dominance over the Thunder's interior defense. The Thunder's countermeasure was to relentlessly overpower Durant.

In this game, Durant played for 42 minutes. He was exhausted before the fourth quarter was over, and his offensive efficiency was abysmal.

Ultimately, the Thunder suffered a narrow defeat at home to the Grizzlies, bringing the series to 1-1!

In this game, Jia Fei and Reggie's playing time was reduced compared to the previous game. Coach Brooks preferred to have Durant dribble and play point guard rather than let Reggie play, which shows that he does not trust him enough.

Jia Fei also failed to gain the trust he deserved. His playing time did not increase despite his outstanding performance in the previous game. In this game, he only played 11 minutes, scoring 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Even though his plus-minus was the highest on the team, he was still unable to earn further trust from the head coach.

The Thunder lost their home-court advantage, and the outside world's optimism about their advancement to the Western Conference Finals has turned into pessimism after the first game.

On the way home after the game, Reggie complained bitterly to Jia Fei, feeling that the two of them had not received the respect they deserved.

Jia Fei was also very unhappy. Was Brooks trying to get fired? The rotation in the first game was quite good. Logically, he should have increased Brooks' and Reggie's playing time and reduced Sefolosha's and Fisher's playing time, instead of reducing their playing time and overworking Durant. The funniest thing was that the team clearly had a point guard, yet he still made the 211cm Durant dribble the ball across half-court before initiating the offense. Was he trying to wear him out quickly?

Durant is the league's top scorer. Using him like LeBron James is simply a crime!

Game 3 of the Thunder vs. Grizzlies series will be played on May 12 at the Grizzlies' home arena. Both teams will have a three-day rest period before then.

After the team practice on May 10, Coach Brooks told Jia Fei not to worry about his playing time, but to give 100% when he's on the court and not to focus too much on his personal stats, but to consider the bigger picture.

On the surface, Jia Fei agreed, but inside he was seething with anger, and he really had a "mmp" he didn't know whether to say or not. "I haven't said anything, and you're already saying it? Don't worry about anything? Worry about what? Worry about my ass! If I really cared so much about data, couldn't I be a little more unique? Why do all this dirty work?"

At that moment, for the first time, he considered leaving. He had never thought that way before; he still wanted to stay with the team that drafted him (if possible). In the eyes of some fans, the "One Man, One City Award" is equivalent to two MVPs, and it remains to be seen whether it can help him elevate his historical status.

But now it seems how naive my thoughts were! Am I really in the team's future plans? Would the team really be willing to give me a long-term contract next season? Is the coaching staff's lack of regard for me just their opinion, or was it authorized by the management?

To take it a step further and be more conspiratorial, is it possible that management wants to lower the contract price and renew it at a bargain price?

Regardless, the fact remains that he was suppressed, even though the Thunder are a championship contender. Previously, it could be argued that the team had many capable players, but with Westbrook out for the season, he still didn't get much playing time, which speaks volumes.

On May 11th, after a day of training, Jia Fei and Reggie chatted idly together. The atmosphere during training was heavy; Durant remained silent, and while the head coach spoke, the players rarely responded. A sense of frustration permeated the team, which was not a good sign. Even Fisher, usually a locker room leader, had little effect when he spoke. Clearly, there were some unspoken tensions within the team, but these issues hadn't been properly resolved.

"Jia, I don't think our playing time will increase no matter how well we play!" Reggie was also frustrated. Why can't our playing time increase even if we play well, while the starters play more than 30 minutes every game no matter how badly they play?

"There's nothing we can do about it. We'll just have to play our best whenever we get the chance, and show those people that we have the ability!" Jia Fei said.

Reggie nodded. Although he was older than Jia Fei, he had been listening to Jia Fei like a younger brother these past few days.