NBA's King of Talking

On February 1st, the Thunder defeated the Grizzlies at home, avoiding a two-game losing streak. Since their initial three-game losing streak at the start of the season, they haven't suffered another consecutive loss. For a championship contender, a losing streak can severely damage team morale, and avoiding it demonstrates their strong control over the game.

Two days later, the Thunder suffered a narrow defeat to the Cavaliers on the road, marking their 10th loss of the season.

In the following two games, the Thunder defeated the Mavericks and the Warriors, bringing their record to 39 wins and 10 losses, maintaining their second-place ranking in the league and first place in the Western Conference.

On February 8th, TNT broadcast the NBA All-Star Rising Stars Draft live at 8 AM. After rounds of selection by general managers Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, the rosters for both teams are as follows:

The Shaq team consists of Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Andre Drummond, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Chandler Parsons, Dion Waiters, Michael Kidd Gilchrist, Tyler Zeller, and Kemba Walker.

Team Barkley consists of: Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, Ricky Rubio, Tristan Thompson, Nikola Vucevic, Brandon Knight, Isaiah Thomas, and Jia Fei.

Jia Fei didn't care whether he was assigned to O'Neal's team or Barkley's team. What he found amusing was that Barkley had previously criticized him on the show for his shortcomings, but why did he choose him during the team selection process? Some people say one thing and do another; there are such people all over the world, and sometimes it's really quite funny when you think about it.

As soon as the list was announced, Kemba Walker immediately contacted Jia Fei by phone.

"Jia, it's such a shame, we weren't put on the same team!" Kemba Walker said with regret.

"Yeah, I thought I could be with you!" Jia Fei shrugged, expressing his helplessness.

"It's good that you were selected. How's Jeremy's mindset?" Kemba Walker still cares about his junior.

“He’s doing alright. He’s accepted reality now. His competitor is Kevin Martin, and unless Kevin gets injured, he can’t compete with him in his current situation,” Jia Fei said.

“Yeah, it’s only the first season, no need to rush!” Kemba Walker said.

The All-Star Game starts on the 17th this year, and the Thunder have four games to play before that.

In these four games, the Thunder played the Suns twice (home and away), the Jazz away, and the Heat at home. The Heat game, in particular, was not only nationally televised but was also considered a potential preview of the NBA Finals.

The last time these two teams met was on Christmas Day, a game the Thunder lost to. This time, playing at home and as their last game before the All-Star break, they certainly don't want to be swept by their opponents in the season.

On the 9th and 11th, the Thunder swept the Suns both at home and away, but on the 13th, they lost to the Jazz on the road, suffering their 11th loss of the season.

February 14th is Valentine's Day in the West, and many people went on dates. Even Lamb went out to hunt for prey, while Jia Fei trained alone in the training hall.

He suddenly remembered an old song: "On Valentine's Day without a lover, there's bound to be a sense of loneliness, because the one you loved doesn't understand, and the longing still lingers in your heart..."

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

That evening at home, Jia Fei received a message from Sharapova.

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

"The same to you!"

"Aren't you going on a date?" Sharapova probed.

"No, I'm training today. I won't go out since I don't have a girlfriend!" Jia Fei replied.

"Me too, I went shopping today and I'm at home now," Sharapova replied.

The two started chatting again. In these kinds of situations, with these kinds of emotions, the atmosphere inevitably became somewhat ambiguous. It's unavoidable. It's like always trying to get in but never actually going in—that's dangerous too!

On February 15th, the last game before the All-Star break was against the Heat.

The Thunder took this game very seriously. Durant arrived at the arena early to practice his shooting, eager to beat James and defeat him fair and square. He hates being constantly called "the eternal runner-up" by the media. He wants to become the league's star player.

In this game, Jia Fei was not DNP'd, but Reggie, who had performed well for a period of time, was DNP, and Coach Brooks began to trust Mayo again.

This was a highly competitive game. The Thunder's starting lineup couldn't keep up with their opponents, and Kevin Martin's performance off the bench was mediocre, offering limited help. Jia Fei had a decent game, but his playing time was very limited, only 9 minutes. Coach Brooks started playing conservatively again, using a 9-man rotation, but in reality, only 7 players played more than 15 minutes.

Throughout the game, only Westbrook and Durant scored in double figures for the Thunder. Westbrook played 44 minutes, and Durant even played 48 minutes... But even so, they still lost the game in the end...

Their offensive firepower couldn't keep up, and against the opponent's small lineup, the Thunder's interior players, apart from Ibaka, seemed incredibly slow.

The Thunder suffered their second consecutive loss of the season, and this time the blow was clearly more severe...

In the home team's locker room after the game, everyone's faces were filled with frustration. Durant played the entire game, yet they still couldn't win.

Jia Fei was also frustrated. He felt the gap between the two teams wasn't that big; the main issue was the head coaches' lineup and tactics. Coach Brooks was thoroughly outmatched by Coach Spoelstra in this regard.

There's always the expectation that the Heat can be limited by their interior height, but in reality, the Heat's most lethal weapon isn't their inside dominance, but rather their small-ball transitions and three-pointers.

Jia Fei also sensed the coach's lack of trust in him, but there was nothing else he could do. All he could do was become stronger and give his best performance in the limited opportunities available. There was no other choice.

Finally, a short holiday has arrived. In any case, let's enjoy the full star weekend first.

After being swept by the Heat at home, the Thunder's record before the All-Star break improved to 41 wins and 12 losses, maintaining their second-place ranking in the league and first in the Western Conference.

Jia Fei, Durant, and Westbrook flew to Houston on the 16th to participate in the annual All-Star Game.

After arriving in Houston, Jia Fei separated from Du Wei and reunited with his old teammate Kemba Walker.

Upon seeing Jia Fei, Kemba Walker jumped onto him like a child.

"Watch your influence, Kemba! You're the Bobcats' starting point guard!" Jia Fei couldn't help but remind him.

"It's okay, everyone knows about our relationship, I'm not afraid!" Kemba Walker said calmly.

Our relationship... what kind of relationship do we have? Jia Fei thinks Kemba Walker is talking more and more gay these days.

I'm angry.