NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 149: Horseshoe disease in the spring breeze

Riding a swift horse in the spring breeze, I saw all the flowers of Chang'an in one night.

Jia Fei's season opener was nothing short of perfect. He played 35 minutes and 14 seconds, shooting 9-for-16 from the field, including 2-for-4 from three-point range, and a perfect 4-for-3 from the free-throw line, scoring 24 points, grabbing 6 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists, making 2 steals, and blocking 1 shot, all without a single turnover. With such high efficiency on both ends of the court, he hit a near-game-winning shot in the final moments and grabbed a crucial rebound, making him a key contributor to the victory.

Jia Fei performed well on both offense and defense. Under his defense, Monta Ellis scored 17 points, but only made 7 of 21 shots, which was not a satisfactory performance.

The away team's locker room was filled with the joy of victory. Although this game was just an ordinary regular season game, the process was full of ups and downs, thrilling and exciting, and the final result was good, leaving people with endless memories.

"Jay, you're so great!" Coach Buden excitedly gave him a hug. This was his first victory in his NBA coaching career, which was quite significant for him.

"Coach, thank you for your trust!" Jia Fei said sincerely. Indeed, without the coach's trust, he would not have had so many opportunities, and he would not have been able to make that game-winning shot at the crucial moment of the game.

Jia Fei and Coach Buden even had a sense of mutual respect, as both were outsiders making their first game with the team, and such a victory truly meant a lot.

Coach Buden gave a brief summary of the game in the locker room, and the players present applauded in response.

As soon as Coach Buden finished speaking, Jia Fei walked up to him with a basketball in one hand, held it with both hands, and handed it to him.

Coach Buden looked at Jia Fei with suspicion, guessing what was going on, but he needed to verify it.

"Coach, this is your first victory as an NBA head coach, it's very significant. This is the game ball that Artest helped me get, and I'm giving it to you as a token of my appreciation. I think this ball means more to you than to me. Please accept it!" Jia Fei said sincerely.

Applause erupted in the locker room again, this time even louder than before.

Coach Buden hadn't expected this. He was clearly touched and wanted to refuse, but seeing Jia Fei's unwavering gaze, he swallowed his words. He took the basketball and shook hands with Jia Fei: "Thank you, Jia!"

Jia Fei smiled slightly. Compared to his predecessor Brooks, he clearly preferred this coach. This coach might be a bit slower in tactical decisions, but otherwise, he did a really good job. He paid special attention today; none of the team's key players played more than 36 minutes. Coach Buden did a good job controlling the playing time of the key players.

This brings us to Thibodeau. If you're playing your starters under him, be prepared to be relentlessly pushed. He'll let you experience the sheer exhilaration of playing 40 minutes a game on a regular season basis. Why use them so heavily even in the regular season? It's to give you a taste of the playoff intensity early on…

What? You have a minor injury? You can still play even with a minor injury! Don't you know what the Mamba Mentality is?

After the game, the Hawks players stayed overnight in Dallas, preparing to return to Atlanta the next day.

In the hotel room, Jia Fei shared a room with Art Mayork, and he was video chatting with Sharapova.

"Oh, honey, I just watched your game, it was amazing! Your three-pointer was crucial!" Sharapova was clearly still basking in the joy of the game and looked very happy.

“I’m so happy for you, Maria. How is your injury healing?” Jia Fei began to inquire about Sharapova.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better, but the recovery is just too slow, Jia Fei. I feel so bored being constantly recovering without competing. I don't like this kind of life!" Sharapova started complaining.

Jia Fei chuckled inwardly. This kind of life without having to go to work was something many office workers dreamed of. But for a star of Sharapova's caliber, in her prime, it was understandable that she would feel restless watching others compete on the court while she was confined to her sickbed.

"Why don't you come to the United States for treatment in a while, then we can meet!" Jia Fei extended an invitation.

"Well, your idea is good, but my doctor said it's best if I don't travel around too much lately. Going to your place would just mean more trouble, so let's wait a while!" Sharapova said, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Jia Fei was also a little embarrassed. This was the difference between Chinese and foreign girls. Foreign girls often spoke too directly, not understanding the concept of "subtlety" in Chinese culture. For example, they would directly tell you what they wanted to do, but Chinese girls would ask if you wanted to come over for a while, or if your computer or light bulb was broken and they could help you fix it. And so on…

If you had a foreign mindset or a typical straight male mindset, you'd think the other person was crazy. Shouldn't a broken computer be taken to a repair shop? Shouldn't a broken light bulb be replaced by an electrician? "Come sit at your place for a while?" Why would I go? Wouldn't going to Starbucks be more classy? "If I come to your place, is there a honey trap?"

Suddenly, Sharapova screamed, and Jia Fei was startled. She immediately covered her eyes, and a dark figure appeared in the camera's view.

Jia Fei turned around and saw that it was Art Mayork. To his amusement and exasperation, the guy came out of the bathroom naked, having just performed a "sexual scene".

Art Mayork clearly sensed something was wrong; he heard a girl scream and instinctively looked around.

"Hey Art, stop looking around. Can you cover up your precious thing? I'm still on video!" Jia Fei couldn't help but complain.

Art Mayork then realized the crux of the problem, but to his dismay, he couldn't find his underwear anywhere!

Jia Fei was truly speechless. Was this guy really missing a screw in his head? He got up, grabbed a bath towel from the bathroom, and tossed it to him: "Quickly wrap this around yourself!"

Art Mayork then realized what was happening, wrapped a towel around his lower body, and said embarrassedly, "Sorry, Ja, I'll go find my underwear right now!"

Jia Fei really didn't know what to say. What a terrible teammate! He clearly told him he wanted to video chat, but he forgot after taking a shower. How bad is his memory?

"Alright Maria, Art is already putting on his pants!" Jia Fei laughed.

"Jia, why isn't Arter wearing pants? Are all you guys this casual in hotels?" Sharapova asked.

"Uh... well..." Jia Fei couldn't answer either. When he lived alone, he did indeed not wear pants after showering...