NBA's King of Talking

On the sidelines, Thunder head coach Brooks stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought. It's undeniable that the team's second unit's defense and energy improved after Jia Fei entered the game. Reggie and Jia Fei also seemed to have no issues with their chemistry. If it weren't for Mayo's injury, Reggie would likely still be on the bench, and this combination would never have been seen.

Is it wrong to give young players more playing time? Do these two young players deserve the coaching staff's trust?

At the end of the first quarter, the game ended with Collison missing a mid-range shot and Telfair missing a buzzer-beater.

The Thunder have a clear advantage at 20:28.

Reggie was having a blast, regardless of the strength of the opponents; what mattered was his regular rotation playing time. He had been dreaming of playing alongside Jia Fei for a long time. He genuinely hoped the coaching staff and management would recognize him as the best backup guard for the team, and that his partnership with Jia Fei in the second unit could help the team go further.

The second quarter began.

The Thunder's roster remained unchanged, while for the Suns, PJ Tucker replaced Dudley.

Reggie dribbles the ball across half-court.

After Tucker came up, Shannon Brown became the one guarding Jia Fei.

Shannon Brown finally came to his senses. It was obvious Jia Fei had been subtly criticizing him. As one of the leading figures in the dunking world, he looked down on Jia Fei from the bottom of his heart. He felt that Jia Fei's victory in the dunk contest wasn't based on any outstanding dunks, but rather on hype. Yes, hype—the hype of being Asian. He always believed that the NBA was a thoroughly commercial league, and David Stern and Adam Silver would do anything to expand the market. After Yao Ming retired, fearing the loss of the Asian market, they created Jeremy Lin and Jia Fei, but neither of them had any real talent.

"Are you implying that I'm not as good as the blacksmith?" Shannon Brown asked.

Jia Fei was slightly taken aback, thinking that this guy probably didn't know who Little Blacksmith was! That's right, unless someone who frequents Chinese forums and is an expert on sports would know, it's unlikely that people in the US would know. They don't have that many memes there. Even when they give nicknames, they're very simple and childish, like "Flying Man," "Superman," "Shark," "Warcraft," "Flying Pig," "Little Emperor," "Mailman," etc. There's nothing like "Los Angeles Little Blacksmith," "Akron Running Man," "Golden State LaVine," "Egg-Chasing Green," "Backpack Durant," "Uchiha Harden," "Westbrook Turtle," "Giannis," "Silver Horn King," "Gao Yuanyuan," "Karen Mok," "Bo Yibang," "Emperor Father," "Eighth Prince," "Great Emperor," "Cake King," etc. These are so vivid, so meaningful, and so endearing.

"Your shooting has always been inaccurate, do I need to be sarcastic? That's just a fact!" Jia Fei said seriously.

Shannon Brown seemed to have been hit where it hurt. His skills were indeed lacking, quite rough, and his shooting had never improved. He knew his shortcomings, but that didn't mean he could accept others pointing them out. He instantly flared up: "Watch how I score on you!"

Jia Fei looked cautious: "I'll wait!"

Seeing Jia Fei's attitude made Shannon Brown even angrier. He had tolerated being scolded by Kobe during training when he was with the Lakers, but he couldn't stand being looked down upon by a nobody like Jia Fei. It was like being criticized for his sexual prowess by a eunuch, his height by Guo Jingming, his Mandarin by Nick Cheung, his traveling by Running Man, his missed shots by a blacksmith, and his free throws by Shaquille O'Neal.

Shannon Brown started calling for the ball in the midfield position, clearly intending to go one-on-one against Jia Fei.

Telfair hesitated. He knew what Shannon Brown was capable of, but he was too embarrassed to refuse. It wouldn't be right to refuse someone who had finally decided to fight.

Let's give it to him; the ball successfully landed in Shannon Brown's hands.

After receiving the ball, Shannon Brown wanted to use his superior strength to overpower Jia Fei. Although he was shorter and had a shorter wingspan than his opponent, he felt that he was stronger, so overpowering him would be very effective.

Jia Fei lowered his center of gravity to hold off Shannon Brown. His physical strength was not a problem. Although he weighed less than 100 kilograms, he was not a paper doll. If you wanted to overpower him with your body, unless you were as strong as a running man, it would be difficult for a typical guard or wing to have a significant advantage.

Shannon Brown was also quite surprised. He thought that Jia Fei, as a yellow-skinned person, was all show and no substance and would be very weak in combat, making it easy to crush him. But he didn't expect that this guy was so tough and he couldn't withstand it.

Shannon Brown's attempts to defend the baseline were largely ineffective. His attempt to turn and walk along the baseline was anticipated, denying him another chance. With little time remaining on the shot clock, he reluctantly opted for a turnaround fadeaway jumper!

His jumping ability was truly impressive; he jumped very high and leaned back with a significant range. But what he didn't expect was that even after jumping so high, his opponent almost managed to block his shot!

Holy crap, what level of talent is that!

"Duang—" The rim made a crisp sound, clearly indicating that Shannon Brown had missed the shot!

Thabeet easily grabbed the rebound thanks to his height and passed it to Reggie to dribble over.

Reggie dribbled the ball past half-court and, after a screen, passed it to Jia Fei in the corner!

Jia Fei received the ball and faced Shannon Brown, immediately launching a three-pointer – which went in easily!

After hitting the three-pointer, he didn't forget to blow the other person a kiss...

At 20:31, the score difference had reached double digits.

The fans at the Ford Center were really into the game. The first game of 2013 was surprisingly interesting. The opponent was a bit weak, but it was still great to watch the home team crush them. It was relaxed and comfortable. Sometimes it doesn't have to be a close match. It feels great to beat the opponent like this. Especially the young players on the team performed exceptionally well, showing everyone the depth and unlimited potential of the home team's lineup.

Coach Gentry still hasn't called a timeout; he's still holding back...

Suns offense, PJ Tucker misses a three-pointer from the corner...

Thabeet grabbed the rebound again and handed it to Reggie to push the ball forward.

Reggie pushed the ball up the court, and Jia Fei stood in the corner. Suddenly, he started moving towards the baseline, and with Thabeet's off-ball screen, he made a back-and-forth drive to the basket!

Reggie flicked the ball into the air!

In front of 20,000 fans, Jia Fei leaped high and completed a one-handed alley-oop dunk over the aging Jermaine O'Neal!

Wow—without a doubt, that shot ignited the entire stadium!

At 20:33, the point difference had reached 13 points, and Coach Gentry finally couldn't hold back any longer and called a timeout!

The Ford Center erupted! Jia Fei's shot perfectly showcased his prowess as a dunk contest champion; his hang time and jump height were astonishing.