NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 399 "Tribute" to MJ

After the game, Isaiah Thomas said in an interview, "I have nothing to say about Ja's performance tonight except to tip my hat to him."

In an interview, head coach Stevens said, "The players played very well. It's my responsibility to lose. Tonight we tried everything we could to help Jia Fei, but he still put on an epic performance. All I can say is that we did our best, and the Clippers deserved this victory."

Jia Fei appeared very calm after the match. In Art Mayor's words, he now has the aura of a king, unfazed by praise or criticism, calm and composed, even more reliable than Jesus.

After defeating the Celtics on the road, the Clippers improved their record to 37 wins and 12 losses, continuing to compete with the Spurs and Rockets for the second and third seed in the Western Conference.

On February 7, the Clippers faced the Raptors in a back-to-back game.

In this game, thanks to Jia Fei's 42 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals, the Clippers defeated their opponent on the road, achieving their second consecutive victory.

Two days later, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Knicks on the road, achieving their third consecutive victory.

After this game, they will face the Hornets, their fourth opponent in a five-game road trip.

In Charlotte, Jia Fei and Art Mayork met their familiar old teammates Kemba Walker and Lamb.

The Hornets' record this season is not as good as last season. They are currently ranked 10th in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Bulls who are currently 8th in the East. It will not be easy for them to catch up.

Jeremy Lin's departure still had a significant impact on the team's second unit offense. The Hornets did not retain Lin, but instead gave "French Pippen" Batum a nine-figure contract. Jordan was once again heavily criticized online and offline for not knowing how to manage a team and being the worst manager.

Kemba Walker treated Jaf and Art Mayor to dinner at an upscale restaurant in downtown Charlotte.

"Kemba, we're so glad we didn't come here. Angel City on the West Coast is really wonderful. I don't want to leave now!" Art Mayork said, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Don't even mention it. Ja didn't come, and MJ gave Nicolas a huge contract. Our chances of making the playoffs this season are slim!" Kemba Walker sighed.

"MJ, the God of Basketball, he's been belittling me so many times!" Jia Fei sighed. He really didn't understand whether Jordan understood basketball or not. If he did, why did he keep belittling him, and why did he give a role player like Batum a max contract? If he didn't understand basketball, he was still the God of Basketball. If you say he didn't understand basketball, are you even more knowledgeable than him?

"Jacques, I feel like you made the right move. On the Clippers, you're the only core player, the owner trusts you so much, and you can build the team according to your own wishes. You're really amazing right now, averaging close to 40 points per game, my god!" Kemba Walker's eyes widened, as if he had peeked at a girl taking a shower.

"Jay is now omnipotent, I think he can surpass MJ in the future!" Art Mayork said with a fanboy expression, and he wasn't joking at all, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

"Surpass MJ—" Lamb pondered these words. To surpass MJ, he would need at least six championships and five regular season MVPs. That was too difficult...

The NBA is incredibly competitive these days. You can't win a championship with just one star player. Jia Feili is amazing, incredibly amazing, but he still finds himself isolated and helpless when facing the Warriors.

Jordan was indeed amazing, but he was also incredibly lucky. The NBA back then wasn't nearly as competitive as it is now. A team with a two-man squad was already considered exceptional; a Big Three was unheard of. The Bulls' roster was truly formidable: Scottie Pippen, one of the NBA's 50 greatest players, the most well-rounded small forward before the "Running Man" era; Phil Jackson, a legendary coach; and a host of excellent role players like Dennis Rodman and Harper.

Did teams like the Warriors exist back then?

Those who idolize the old days still think the NBA was incredibly strong back then, but basketball is constantly evolving. The biggest difference between today's NBA and the NBA of yesteryear is the skill level of role players; today's role players are much stronger than they were back then.

Furthermore, as world basketball has evolved, the NBA today has many foreign players, whereas in the past, due to political and other reasons, there were very few foreign players in the NBA.

On February 12, the Clippers easily defeated the Hornets on the road, achieving their fourth consecutive victory.

贾飞本场比赛三节打卡砍下全场最高的38分，外加7个篮板7次助攻4个抢断2个盖帽，全面又强大。

A very interesting scene occurred during the game. After stealing the ball and launching a counterattack, Jia Fei glanced at Hornets owner Jordan watching the game from the sidelines, then smiled slightly and performed the move that Jordan used to win the Slam Dunk Contest – a dunk from the free-throw line.

To complete such a dunk in a real game without traveling, Jia Fei's ability is beyond doubt.

Footage from the scene shows that Jordan's expression turned very unpleasant after he saw this scene after making eye contact with Jia Fei!

When asked by reporters after the game if he was provoking Jordan, Jia Fei shook his head and then answered seriously, "No, I was paying tribute to him. He is the god of basketball, and he is the direction I strive for."

Jia Fei's words were so eloquent, they were absolutely flawless and impeccable.

Jordan refused to give interviews after the game and left the arena surrounded by bodyguards and assistants before the game was over. His expression showed that he was very unhappy as he left.

On February 13, in Salt Lake City, Art Mayor asked Jia Fei curiously, "Are you really paying tribute to MJ?"

"What do you think?" Jia Fei blinked at his roommate.

Art Mayork immediately understood that Jia Fei was certainly not paying homage to Jordan, but it wasn't exactly provocation either. It was more likely that he was just showing off his muscles and putting on airs in front of the basketball god.

Not everyone has the ability and opportunity to show off in front of the basketball god, but Jia Fei is the one who has the opportunity to do so.

So what if you have a ring? You look down on me, so I won't play for your team. I'll go to your turf, cause trouble, and show off in front of you—that's my choice!

On Valentine's Day, February 14th, the Clippers narrowly defeated the Jazz in Salt Lake City, extending their winning streak to five games.

After that game, the Clippers returned to their home court and faced the Hawks, Jia Fei's former team, on February 16.

The Clippers easily defeated their opponent in this game, achieving their sixth consecutive victory.

After a six-game winning streak, the Clippers' record improved to 42 wins and 12 losses, surpassing the Spurs to rise to third place in the Western Conference, just one game behind the Rockets.

After the game against the Hawks, the All-Star Weekend will begin, and Jia Fei and DeAndre Jordan will be the Clippers' only two All-Star players to participate in the upcoming 2017 New Orleans All-Star Game.

This is the second time New Orleans has hosted the All-Star Game since Jia Fei joined the NBA. Back in 2014, the city hosted the All-Star Game, which Jia Fei also participated in.