NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 207 Roll Call Tactics

Before Jia Fei left the court, the Hawks were leading the Bulls by 2 points. After he left the court, Jimmy and Noah were still on the Bulls' side, and Gibson, who came on as a tough guy, also came on. For a moment, the Hawks were not able to match the Bulls in terms of toughness.

The old captain was completely outmatched in his head-to-head matchup with Gibson. He's really getting old, you can't deny it. Not only is his signature mid-range jumper gone, but he was also repeatedly bullied on the defensive end by Noah and Gibson.

At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks trailed by 3 points, with the score at 20:23, having gone from a 2-point lead to a 3-point deficit.

Coach Buden looked somewhat serious on the sidelines; he was under pressure. If they lost the game after using three other interior rotation players instead of Art Mayok, he would face a lot of criticism and accusations. Furthermore, the relationship between Jia Fei and Art Mayok was also a factor that couldn't be ignored. Even setting aside that relationship, Art Mayok's performance after entering rotation late in the regular season made it difficult to deny him opportunities.

Ultimately, the limited number of roster spots in the playoffs makes it more difficult for coaches to arrange their lineups when using a 10-man rotation, forcing them to make trade-offs.

Sports Channel Studio.

Yu Jia asked, "Teacher Su, Bulls coach Thibodeau played Noah for the entire first quarter, while Hawks coach Budenholzer only played Jia Fei for 7 minutes. As a playoff game, isn't that a bit too little playing time for him?"

Su Qun nodded: "Coach Buden is from the Spurs system, and Spurs coaches have always been very strict about controlling players' playing time. This season, Jia Fei's average playing time is less than 35 minutes per game, which is really well protected. He should play more in the playoffs. Jia Fei is so young, his stamina is not a problem!"

At the start of the second quarter, Jia Fei was still on the bench. Sitting next to him, Art Mayork watched as the substitutes, including Xiao Hei, were being physically dominated by the opponents, and he was extremely anxious.

Art Mayork understands that the coach is using the veteran captain instead of him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to play! He really wants to go all in; it just depends on whether the coach gives him the chance later.

一直到第2节还剩7分钟的时候，贾飞才被派上场。此时老鹰队已经以29:36落后7分了。

The veteran captain couldn't make his shots on offense and was bullied on defense, resulting in a very poor performance on the court. Other Hawks players also performed poorly; Schroder struggled against Augustin and even got caught out of position, committing two fouls. Scott and Carroll didn't get many opportunities; they lacked independent offensive capabilities, and with no star players on the second unit drawing defenders, they didn't have many good shot attempts.

In another Bulls offensive possession, Augustin dribbled over, ran a pick-and-roll with Gibson, drove to the basket, and passed to Gibson on the roll!

Gibson drove to the basket, faked a shot, went up again, scored, and drew a foul from Antić!

29:38, the score difference has reached 9 points!

Gibson will go to the free-throw line.

Antić committed two fouls, but thankfully he managed to control his fouls fairly well.

Gibson missed the free throw, and Jia Fei grabbed the rebound.

Teague dribbled the ball over and passed it to Jia Fei, who came out to receive it!

Jia Fei had the ball and faced Jimmy. Antić came out to screen, but Noah's delay was excellent.

Furthermore, Noah is incredibly mobile, able to quickly regain his position after a delay, denying you mismatches while also keeping his own defender on track. There are reports that he's a strong contender for this season's Defensive Player of the Year award; as an inside player, such a defender is indeed troublesome.

Jia Fei suddenly had a flash of inspiration; he remembered the classic "call-out" tactic from Running Man. Why did he insist on forcing a one-on-one against Jimmy, a player on the All-Defensive Team? Was it merely to prove that he also possessed the Mamba Mentality?

Picking on the weak is something every adult should know! He immediately signaled for Korver to come and set a screen!

Bulls head coach Thibodeau on the sidelines was shocked. "You're having Korver set a pick-and-roll? Is Korver an inside player? Can Korver even roll to the basket?"

Korver's screen quality can't compare to that of interior players; he's still a bit too small. But Jia Fei doesn't need him to completely shut down Jimmy. He just needs to delay him a little, and he'll have a solution.

Korver made a slight delay, and Jia Fei immediately advanced rapidly in the opposite direction of the retaining wall.

Even though Jimmy was quick enough to get to the screen, they had no choice but to switch on defense just to be safe!

Jia Fei found Little Dunleavy!

Dunleavy Jr. wasn't a complete liability, but he was never a defensive stalwart. As a white player, he was naturally less physically imposing than Black players, and he also lacked speed and toughness.

Without any hesitation, Jia Fei chose to charge straight in!

Little Dunleavy was still fast enough that he wasn't completely outpaced. His goal was clear: to drive Jia Fei towards Noah's side so that the two of them could surround him.

Unexpectedly, Jia Fei stopped abruptly to gather the ball before they could close in, then jumped and launched a mid-range jump shot. At that moment, neither Dunleavy nor Noah could form an effective defense.

The ball went in perfectly!

31:38, the score difference has narrowed to 7 points!

The Bulls' offense still involved pick-and-roll between Augustin and Gibson. This time, the Hawks opted for a collapse, leaving Gibson with no opportunity. He passed the ball to Jimmy on the perimeter, but the latter's jump shot missed!

Antić secured the rebound and passed it to Teague to advance the ball.

The Bulls' defensive transition speed is very fast, making it difficult for the Hawks to create a numerical advantage in the frontcourt immediately. They can only slow down and play a half-court game.

Teague passed the ball to Jia Fei.

Jia Fei continued to seek screens from Korver.

It was a fake screen. Korver blocked for a moment and then suddenly moved to the left, causing a communication problem between Jimmy and Dunleavy Jr.

Jia Fei immediately passed the ball to Korver!

Korver got an open look and quickly took the shot; the Bulls' rotation couldn't keep up!

The three-pointer went in smoothly, making it 34-38, the gap was narrowed to 4 points!

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau frowned slightly on the sidelines; this was the last thing he wanted to see. They had defended very well before, but Korver had still managed to sink a three-pointer. He could allow Jia Fei to score one-on-one or forcefully against Jimmy, forcing him to score and wearing him down, but he couldn't allow Korver to get going. If Korver found his rhythm, their defense would be in serious trouble.

This is the threat a top shooter poses to the defense, and the positive impact a top shooter has on the team's offensive space is very significant once they open up opportunities.

Jia Fei and Korver had excellent chemistry; they knew what the other was going to do with just a glance. It's like having sex with a partner you have a good understanding with—you pat your butt, and she's already in position.

Coach Buden on the sidelines relaxed his brow. That was really dangerous; the opponent almost pulled ahead by double digits. If the gap had reached double digits, considering the opponent's defensive strength and home-court advantage, it would have been very difficult to come back.