NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 195 Asia's Strongest Man

Kyrie Irving is engrossed in his flashy dribbling. Players like him need a leader who can anchor him and allow him to utilize his one-on-one strengths. As for playmaking, as a point guard, his playmaking ability is often inferior to some forwards. His passing is decent, but his court vision is lacking; his assists mostly rely on his powerful offense drawing double teams and then simple ball handling.

Ultimately, the East team defeated the West team by a large margin, and Kyrie Irving, the East team's highest scorer, was awarded MVP.

Jia Fei didn't show much offensive desire in this game, but he managed to complete a few impressive dunks in the limited opportunities available, which satisfied his fans' expectations.

Kyrie Irving held up the AMVP trophy, looking as innocent as a child.

Kyrie Irving is clearly not a scheming guy, but such an unconventional player is unlikely to become a team leader. Being a team leader isn't just about leading the charge on offense; you need to set an example for other players, acting like a leader both in practice and in games, on and off the court.

In this respect, Irving is far behind his idol, The Blacksmith. The Blacksmith's desire for victory, his dedication on both offense and defense, and his fierce determination are truly something young people should learn from.

After the games, All-Star Weekend officially came to a close.

Jia Fei and Art Mayork returned to Atlanta to continue preparing for the remainder of the season.

On the way back, Art Mayork voiced his question: "Dude, I don't think you're that interested in AMVP."

Jia Fei smiled and asked in return, "Why do you say that?"

“I sense you don’t have a strong desire to attack!” Art Mayork said frankly.

Jia Fei nodded: "I really don't want to fight for this."

“This is an honor, I think the Heat’s Big Three are all giving way. If you go for it, they will give you all the shot attempts. I don’t think you can beat Kyrie!” Art Mayork said.

"As a rookie in the All-Star Game, do you think I would want to give up my pride and grovel before a disciple of the Mamba?" Jia Fei retorted.

“But you need honor now. Carey can disregard his pride, so why do you care so much about your pride?” Art Mayor still didn’t understand.

"How do you think the All-Star MVP trophy compares to the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP?" Jia Fei didn't answer his friend's question directly, but asked something else.

"There's definitely no comparison."

"More important than the scoring champion, the All-Star team?"

"It seems like it can't compare!"

Jia Fei smiled slightly: "The intensity of the current All-Star Game is even lower than the preseason games. How much value does an MVP award from this kind of game have? It's just a show, a show for the fans, a product unique to commercial leagues, because fans are the fundamental source of the league's livelihood. Michael Jordan is known as the God of Basketball, but how many All-Star MVPs has he won? Think about it, if this award were truly valuable, wouldn't someone as self-serving as LeBron be vying for it?"

Art Mayork was convinced. Indeed, if an award truly elevates one's historical standing, James would absolutely strive for it every time. The same applies to individual competitions like the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest. If they are truly prestigious, why has James, considered the best active player, never participated? And what is Nate Robinson's historical standing, despite winning the Slam Dunk Contest three times?

"If it's something I really want, I'll do everything I can to get it. I'm not saying I don't want it at all; if I have the chance, I'll take one. But if I have to compete with the Mamba disciples for it, forget it, I'll just give it all to them!" Jia Fei said calmly.

After returning to Atlanta, Jia Fei and Art Mayork began preparing for the games following the All-Star break.

Although Jia Fei played in the All-Star game, he barely broke a sweat, and his physical exertion was negligible. Given his current physical condition, and with Coach Buden strictly controlling his playing time this season, he hasn't shown any signs of fatigue so far in the regular season.

After the All-Star Game, interviews with Jia Fei and his performance on the court were broadcast on television and the internet, reaching every corner of the world.

His fans are all over the world, with the largest number in North America and Asia. In Asia, China has the most fans, and their biggest regret is why such a handsome and amazing All-Star player isn't Chinese, but of Chinese descent. They've given him many nicknames, such as "Flying Man," "God Jia," and "Yellow-skinned AI."

Of course, compared to the style of nicknames given to Jia Fei by Chinese fans, the nicknames given to him by fans from the second-largest Asian fan base are much more interesting.

"Asia's strongest man", "the most enduring hunchback", "the most handsome man"... It's full of ACG chuunibyou style, it feels like they have their comments on.

Jia Fei recalled seeing a news report on the Chinese table tennis team by Japanese media on a website, the content of which was both laughable and absurd.

Malone – The Strongest Man on Earth

Zhang Jike – The Fierce Tiger of the Empire

China – The Strongest Billiards Empire

Li Xiaoxia—almost a man

Jia Fei felt that compared to the members of the table tennis dream team, netizens' evaluation of him was quite low-key.

The "Linsanity" era ignited the passion of basketball fans across Asia. Now that Jeremy Lin has become more ordinary, the rise of Jia Fei has allowed them to rediscover the joy of supporting "their own people."

Regardless of their nationality, they are both of Asian descent, and it's so rare to see Asian players in the NBA these days.

On the 18th, Jia Fei invited the team's shooting coach and sharpshooter Korver to train together in the training facility.

Art Mayork also came; Jia Fei specifically called him in, hoping his skills could improve. The NBA certainly doesn't lack nepotism; teams might continue to offer him contracts out of consideration for his talent, but if his skills are truly lacking, they might abandon him and sign someone else. The NBA is incredibly competitive; too many talented players want to make a name for themselves here, and it's not uncommon for those who can't adapt to leave. Let alone second-round picks going undrafted, almost every year lottery picks can't survive and leave.

Jia Fei asked Korver to help him and Art Mayok improve their shooting skills, believing that having one of the NBA's top shooters help them would be more effective than them practicing on their own.

Art Mayok has good athleticism and speed as an inside player, but his offensive skills are too rough. He's ineffective in one-on-one situations, lacks a consistent shot, and can only score easy baskets near the rim, impacting the team's spacing. The Hawks' current system requires an inside player who can create space, which is the main reason he hasn't received consistent playing time despite the team's lack of depth in the paint.