NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 268 When Will the Winning Streak End?

The Hawks will embark on a three-game road trip in the Western Conference, facing the Jazz, Trail Blazers, and Clippers.

On January 3, in the first game of their three-game road trip, the Hawks narrowly defeated the Jazz, achieving their longest winning streak of the season at nine games!

The Hawks have naturally become one of the hottest teams in the league. After their two wins against championship favorites the Cavaliers this season, some media outlets have already begun to consider them a title contender.

One of the focal points of attention is when the Hawks' winning streak will end.

On January 4, the Hawks played the Trail Blazers in a back-to-back away game.

Portland is a city located in the state of Oregon, USA. It is the largest city in Oregon and the county seat of Myrtle County, situated not far south of the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. It is the second largest city in the Pacific Northwest after Seattle.

Portland, located near the Pacific Ocean, has a climate somewhere between Mediterranean and temperate maritime, with cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers. This climate is ideal for growing roses, resulting in numerous rose gardens throughout the city, earning Portland the nickname "The Rose City."

Besides being known as the "City of Roses," Portland also has another name: the "City of Rifts."

Back then, commentator Bill Shaughnessy casually blurted out, "Rip City! All Right!", and thus, the "Rip City" was born!

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the oldest teams in the NBA. The team was founded in 1970 and joined the NBA. In the 1976-77 season, led by Bill Walton, they made their first playoff appearance and won the only championship trophy in the team's history.

The Portland Trail Blazers were known as the "Prison Brigade" back then, and players like Rasheed Wallace ("The Roaring God"), Ruben Patterson ("Kobe Stopper"), and Zach Randolph ("The Black Bear") were all notorious troublemakers in the NBA.

Besides being nicknamed the "Prison Team," the Trail Blazers are also known as the "Veterinarian Team." Brandon Roy ("Yellow Mamba"), Greg Oden ("The Great One"), Domantas Sabonis, Sam Bowie ("The Second Overall Pick Who Surpassed Jordan"), Bill Walton ("The Red Giant"), and Rudy Fernandez ("White Can Fly") have all been plagued by veterinarians. The team's doctors are infamous, and the fact that their notorious medical staff is a major reason why many star players didn't consider joining the team after free agency opened is a significant factor in their reluctance to join.

The Trail Blazers and Jia Fei have a history. In the 2011 NBA draft, this team selected him in the second round and then traded him to the Thunder.

As for why the Trail Blazers didn't choose to keep him, he still doesn't know the reason. Sometimes, there might not be a reason. A second-round pick like him was traded, and many big-name reporters were too lazy to delve into the details of the trade.

Because it was a back-to-back game, and it was already past midnight when they traveled from Salt Lake City to Portland, the Hawks players were feeling fatigued and immediately rested to prepare for the game against the Trail Blazers.

That evening, Moda Center Arena.

In a pre-game interview, Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard stated that they would end the Hawks' winning streak at home, and that the top seed in the East was not a threat.

Jia Fei also gave an interview, saying that he was not tired at all, and that back-to-back games were not an excuse for losing. He would work with his teammates to defeat the Trail Blazers and continue their winning streak.

Jia Fei still arrives early to practice with Art Mayork, a habit he has maintained regardless of whether it's a home game or an away game.

“Jay, Damian said he’s not afraid of us. He doesn’t seem to know how powerful we are!” Art Mayork laughed.

"He definitely doesn't know, we haven't played against each other at all this season! Whether he knows or not is not important, what's most important is that we win the game!" Jia Fei seemed very relaxed, as if this matter had nothing to do with him.

The attendance at Moda Center tonight is definitely good. The Hawks are currently a top team in the league, Jia Fei is an MVP candidate, and they are the top team in the East, so this game will attract a lot of attention.

Whether the Trail Blazers can end the Hawks' winning streak at home is a question that everyone is very concerned about.

This game was broadcast live on TNT, with former NBA stars Reggie Miller and Chris Webber providing commentary.

The starting lineups for both teams have been announced. The starting lineup for the home team, the Trail Blazers, consists of Joel Freeland, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews, and Damian Lillard.

The Hawks' starting lineup has remained unchanged.

Reggie Miller and Webber started talking about the game: "Chris, do you predict the Trail Blazers will end the Hawks' winning streak in this game?"

Webber laughed and said, "This is really difficult for me. It's hard to predict! The Hawks are playing back-to-back games, and the Trail Blazers are playing at home. Both teams should have a chance to win."

The Trail Blazers are currently doing very well, ranking 3rd in the Western Conference. Their star player, Lillard, is even more arrogant. Now, with the game about to start, he has even declared war on Jia Fei.

“We will definitely win!” Lillard said to Jia Fei.

"Then let's give it a try!" Jia Fei said with his signature smile.

Lillard really wanted to smash Jia Fei's hateful smile. Why is this guy so good at basketball and so handsome? Why?

You know, in this league, the top stars aren't very handsome. And among those who are handsome and play very well, Love is one, and Parsons is barely one, but he's not a star.

Someone as handsome and skilled as Jia Fei is practically unique in this league!

Far ahead, that's what you call far ahead!

Joel Freeland and Al Horford are preparing for the jump ball near the center circle; the game is about to begin.

No wonder Trail Blazers fans are so upset. It's true, if Oden hadn't been seriously injured, the team wouldn't have needed to play a player like Joel Freeland in the paint.

Without a veterinarian, this team could theoretically field a terrifying lineup of Lillard, Roy, Batum, Aldridge, and Oden.

But there are no "what ifs". If I had studied harder back then, my goddess might already be under my control... It's all in the past, so let's not dwell on it!

The jump ball began, and Joel Freeland won against Horford, giving the Trail Blazers the first possession.

Lillard dribbled past half-court. He orchestrated the offense from the top of the key, using a screen to launch a three-pointer...

Almost hit!

With Mills protecting the backcourt rebound, Teague dribbled over.

Defending Jia Fei was Batum, who was known as the "French Pippen".

"French Pippen" is ultimately not the real Pippen. Batum is at best a poor man's version of Pippen. His physical attributes are still far inferior to Pippen's. In the NBA, top stars often possess not only superior skills but also abnormal physical attributes.

The Hawks continued to play team offense, and Mills' turnaround jump shot was blocked by Aldridge!