NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 147 Youthful Strength Prevails in Boxing

Jia Fei smiled and said, "Sean is getting old, and his movement speed isn't as good as it used to be."

The Mavericks also brought in their rotation players, with DeJuan Blair, Vince Carter, Jae Crowder, Wayne Ellington, and Gar Meeker taking to the court.

The Hawks also have a 10-man rotation, with the second unit consisting of veteran Captain Brand, Schroder, Mike Scott, Shelvin Mark, and Antić.

Watching the second unit battle from the sidelines, Jia Fei had a strange feeling. Back with the Thunder, this was roughly when he'd be on the court, but now with the Hawks, he was already resting on the bench.

NBA rotations are indeed very advantageous for starting players. They start the game, play a few minutes in the first quarter, then rest for a few minutes, plus the mid-quarter break and the early second quarter rest, resulting in a long stretch of rest. After the rest, they come back to play the second quarter, followed by halftime, and then the second half begins. This arrangement is very comfortable, but if you're a substitute, even if you play very well, increasing your playing time means playing for extended periods consecutively. While you can rest in between, the rest time isn't continuous, which is a test of stamina.

The Mavericks' second unit isn't that great; they don't have a super sixth man. If these bench players were on a championship-contending team, they would have a very hard time getting into the rotation.

The Hawks' second unit also has issues. Neither of their two point guards are good shooters, and their interior players, the veteran Captain and European center Antić, are both relatively slow. This disparity between their inside and outside game creates a disconnect.

Fortunately, the starting lineup has accumulated a significant advantage, so the second lineup should be fine as long as they don't lose by too many points.

The first quarter ended quickly, with the Hawks leading 29-25 on the road.

The second quarter saw a dramatic turn of events. Vince Carter of the Mavericks suddenly found his rhythm, his hands were on fire, and he was making every shot. The Hawks, on the other hand, couldn't respond, and the score was quickly reversed.

Coach Buden quickly called a timeout to try and break the opponent's momentum, but the effect was not ideal. By the time Jia Fei and the starting lineup returned, the Hawks were already down by 8 points.

Fortunately, the Hawks quickly regained the advantage after a battle between the two teams' key players, resulting in a 55-55 tie at halftime.

The match has entered halftime.

贾飞上半场出战16分47秒，得到10分2个篮板2次助攻1个盖帽，正负值和霍福德并列全队最高，表现还算不错。

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Yang Jian said, "Carter's shooting percentage was 80% in the first half. Yang Yi, do you think that shooting percentage can be sustained?"

Yang Yi shook his head: "Such a shooting percentage obviously can't be sustained. If the Hawks specifically defend him in the second half, I don't think he can be that accurate. He's just too accurate; he can make any shot!"

"How would you rate Jia Fei's performance in the first half?" Yang Jian continued to ask.

"I'd give him an 8 out of 10. Overall, he performed quite well. He seized his opportunities well, didn't hold onto the ball too long, was decisive when it was time to attack, and his passes were timely. Let's see how he does in the second half," Yang Yi said.

The second half unfolded remarkably similarly to the first half… The Mavericks' starters dug themselves into a hole, which was then filled by their reserves, including veteran Carter. By the time Jia Fei and the others returned, the Hawks were already down by 8 points.

Vince Carter's shooting percentage in this game was terrifying. He's already scored 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, without a single free throw – all mid-range and long-range jump shots. He's made you forget he was once the man who dominated the rim, the man who could dunk over any center.

Carter went to the bench for a rest, and the starters from both sides returned for the decisive battle.

The Hawks turned the tide as soon as their starters returned. The defensive gap between the two sides was too big. Except for Korver, the Hawks' other four players were on the defensive end. On the other hand, all five of the Mavericks' starters were off the defensive end.

With the score closing in, Mavericks coach Vince Carter replaced Shawn Marion in the final showdown.

此时距离比赛结束还剩2分22秒，场上比分为97:99，小牛队领先2分。

The Mavericks have possession of the ball, and Calderon holds it at the top of the key.

Since Vince Carter came on in hot form, the Hawks have found it difficult to defend him. Apart from Dalembert, the Mavericks' other four players all possess three-point shooting ability, and they're all quite accurate. Carter, in particular, has been on fire this game.

The Mavericks' defense is completely reliant on luck, but their offense is indeed very strong.

The Hawks' defense still revolves around Jabeur to guard Monta Ellis.

While Carter is accurate, his speed has also slowed down. Korver can use his height to limit him, but if it were Monta Ellis, Korver could easily get past him in one step.

Nowitzki called for the ball, Calderon passed it to him, and the other players immediately spread out, allowing him to go one-on-one.

Millsap has a solid lower body, but he's short. Playing at power forward, he's often mismatched against the 213cm tall superstar.

Dirk Nowitzki's signature one-legged fadeaway jumper – sinks cleanly!

The Hawks are down by 4 points, 97-101!

The American Airlines Center erupted in cheers, with chants of "MVP" even ringing out.

Yang Jian exclaimed, "Nowitzki is really amazing!"

Yang Yi also exclaimed, "It's really impressive; even one-on-one defense is difficult to defend against."

Teague dribbled over, and Carter became the defender on Jia Fei's side. There was no other way; Marion was off the court, so guarding Jia Fei meant knowing Carter was coming. Choosing Carter's hot hand meant facing a defensive challenge.

Teague and Horford set a pick-and-roll, but the ball went dead after they drove in!

He managed to pass the ball to Korver, but the latter was tightly marked by Monta Ellis and had no chance to shoot!

Korver passed the ball to Jia Fei on the other side, with less than 10 seconds left on the shot clock!

Facing Carter, Jia Fei dribbled between his legs, then pulled the ball to his left hand and suddenly made a wide crossover!

Carter hadn't expected the opponent to pull off such a move. Even if he had anticipated it, with his old, rheumatic legs, how could he possibly keep up?

Carter was completely cleaned up by Jia Fei!

Jia Fei drove straight to the basket!

Dirk Nowitzki's leg pain is even slower than Vince Carter's. If you're expecting him to help on defense, it's more reliable to hope that Coach Pan doesn't give Dirk any medication.

Horford tightly guarded Dalembert under the basket, creating offensive space for Jia Fei!

Jia Fei starts, violently smashing the rim with both hands!

99:101, the score difference has narrowed to 2 points again!

The Mavericks fans in the arena could only lament the passage of time when faced with such a brutal drive and dunk. The Carter of yesteryear was so full of youthful vigor, but now he's relegated to the background.

Carter turned to look at Jia Fei, who had landed gracefully from the basket, and gave a wry smile…