NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 182 First Round of Voting Pre-Election 3

On December 7, the Hawks will host the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers have been in a slump ever since DeAndre Azkarov left. You can say that Azkarov didn't have the Mamba Mentality and couldn't stay with one team for the long term, but you can't criticize his leadership ability. Kyrie Irving, who was also a number one draft pick, is now leading this team like a pile of crap.

Kyrie Irving and Jia Fei were rookies in the same draft class. Both were talented point guards who made their debut with flashy dribbling skills and offensive prowess from every angle on the half-court. Such talent made him the number one pick in today's world where scoring point guards are prevalent.

As the number one draft pick, he showcased his talent, but lacked any particularly outstanding leadership performances. Since entering the league, he has never demonstrated the potential to be a team leader. He is obsessed with individual offense, lacks playmaking ability; his one-on-one defense is passable, but his defense against pick-and-rolls and off-ball movement is mediocre, and he lacks focus.

Jia Fei knew that in his previous life, Irving was never a team leader. Putting aside his disruptive behavior and his eccentric, almost superhuman, actions, his performance on the court showed that he was more like a highly talented offensive weapon in the backcourt. Such a player is best suited to playing alongside a leader who can keep him in check. If your team doesn't have a player like that, he might cause trouble and add a lot of uncertainty to your team.

这场比赛，贾飞主防欧文，防得后者12投只有2中。而贾飞自己则是20+4+5+2的数据。

Thanks to Jia Fei's outstanding performance, the Hawks also achieved a resounding victory over the Cavaliers at home, securing their second consecutive win.

There was a lot of discussion about the game afterward, with many experts believing that Jia Fei's current momentum is comparable to Irving's, and that he is even superior to Irving in terms of overall offensive and defensive strength.

On December 11, the Hawks will continue to play at home against the Thunder.

This is Jia Fei's first time playing against his former team since the transfer, where he will face his old teammates, Du Wei and his two young protégés, at home.

This game garnered immense attention, being broadcast live across the entire United States. Everyone was eager to see how Jia Fei would perform against them after leaving the Durant-Westbrook duo.

Jia Fei started the game and was matched up against Durant for the entire match.

The game went down to the wire. Ultimately, the Hawks suffered a narrow home defeat to the Thunder, missing out on a three-game winning streak.

杜兰特全场贡献28分10个篮板5次助攻1个抢断1个盖帽，威少贡献14分9个篮板11次助攻的准三双，球队第2阵容的雷吉和兰姆合砍24分，是本场比赛的X因素。而让雷霆获胜的最关键因素是伊巴卡本场比赛命中率奇高，砍下20分。

Jia Fei scored a team-high 25 points, along with 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block, showcasing a well-rounded stat line. He held his own against veteran Kevin Durant, which has earned him even higher praise from the outside world.

Although he lost the game, Jia Fei demonstrated his strength in this match against his former team, which increased his chances of winning All-Star votes.

After losing to the Thunder at home, the Hawks' record improved to 15 wins and 7 losses, continuing to rank 3rd in the Eastern Conference.

On December 13th, the first round of voting results for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game were released. Miami Heat's LeBron James was voted the top vote-getter in the first round with [number missing] votes, Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant came in second with [number missing] votes, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant came in third.

It's worth mentioning that Jia Fei ranked third among Eastern Conference forwards with one vote, behind only Running Man and Carmelo Anthony.

The voting rules for the NBA All-Star Game are different from the past. Separate voting for the center position has been eliminated, and voting is now divided into frontcourt and backcourt players, with three spots for frontcourt players and two spots for backcourt players.

Jia Fei was very satisfied with the result. His performance was indeed good, and his popularity was also good. It seems that as long as his performance doesn't falter and the team's record doesn't decline too much, his chances of being selected for the All-Star team for the first time in his career are becoming increasingly greater.

After the first-round results came out, Art Mayork exclaimed, "Ja, I think you're definitely going to be an All-Star this season. Even if you don't make the starting lineup, the coaches have no reason not to pick you. Just look at who's in the Eastern Conference frontcourt: DeMar DeRozan, Chris Bosh, and even our Paul Millsap—none of them have performed as well as you this season!"

Jia Fei smiled but remained silent. Indeed, what Art Mayok said made perfect sense. It was a golden age for point guards; the competition for All-Star spots was far fiercer for guards than for wings. With centers becoming less prominent, the three frontcourt spots were almost always filled by wing players. Since he was competing as a frontcourt player, the pressure on him was actually less.

On December 14, the Hawks narrowly defeated the Wizards at home, avoiding a losing streak.

The following day, the Hawks suffered a narrow home defeat to the Knicks in a back-to-back game, failing to secure a two-game winning streak.

In the following three games, the Hawks defeated the Lakers, Kings, and Jazz, achieving a three-game winning streak.

After a three-game winning streak, their record stands at 19 wins and 8 losses, maintaining their third-place ranking in the Eastern Conference.

On December 25th, Jia Fei faced his first Christmas game since joining the Hawks.

The Hawks hadn't been scheduled for a Christmas Day game before because of their relatively low profile. However, since Jia Fei joined the team, their popularity has been steadily increasing. Due to practical considerations, the league revised the schedule, scheduling them to play the defending champion Heat in Miami on Christmas Day.

Jia Fei vs. James – this was a matchup that was unthinkable before. One was a second-round pick who was just a bench player for the Thunder, while the other, despite running around, was ultimately a top superstar in the league.

But now, the two are indeed facing off. Jia Fei is currently very popular and in excellent form. In his last 7 games, he has averaged 25.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks, which is exactly the performance of an All-Star.

Of course, few people believe that Jia Fei can defeat James now, but he is not yet 22 years old, has unlimited potential, and is an important figure in the future Eastern Conference that has the opportunity to dethrone James.

Besides the matchup between Jia Fei and James, the two teams are currently ranked 2nd and 3rd in the Eastern Conference, respectively, and are in direct competition for their rankings. Both teams hope to defeat their opponent and strive for a higher ranking.

The two teams faced off in a Christmas Day game broadcast nationally at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

The Hawks suffered a crushing defeat to the Heat in their last game, and they are eager to get revenge in this game.

The game started with both sides engaging in a fierce battle, displaying high offensive efficiency. The Hawks played much better than in the previous game. They were no longer flustered by the Heat's defensive strategy of double-teaming the ball handler, and instead used their overall offense to contend with their opponents.