Chapter 113: The Tenacious Memphis Grizzlies

Jason Kidd always hoped there would be more old-school point guards.

He didn't much like the way the League was becoming unrecognizable.

But in truth, everything is in a process of change. It is an indisputable fact that the focus of the game in today's League has shifted from the interior to the perimeter.

In American schools, most kids grew up watching Kobe, watching McGrady, and even watching LeBron; they yearn for the feeling of being flashy and charging straight into the fray. Conversely, former court destroyers like Duncan and O'Neal are not as highly regarded.

The conversation between Fan Xi and Jason Kidd was interrupted by Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba walked over and said to Jason Kidd, "Man, we finally found your replacement. I've finally woken up from the regret of never being able to team up with you."

The topic Kobe was referring to was when the New Jersey Nets proposed trading Jason Kidd for the Lakers' Andrew Bynum years ago.

However, the Lakers ultimately did not agree. They felt Andrew Bynum had greater potential, while Jason Kidd was already aging.

At the time, Kobe was furious and even had a major falling out with the Lakers' front office. It wasn't until the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol midway through the 2007-2008 season that he finally calmed down.

Now, with Fan Xi descending from the heavens, Kobe Bryant has finally experienced the joy of "having someone in the backcourt."

Jason Kidd raised an eyebrow and said to Kobe, "Congratulations, Kobe. However, I have a feeling your front office will have to make another choice."

After saying this, Jason Kidd left with a mysterious smile.

Old players always like to speak in riddles.

Fan Xi didn't quite understand, but Kobe's expression turned heavy. He knew what Jason Kidd meant.

As Fan Xi rises, he is becoming stronger and stronger.

Who is the person inside the Lakers feeling the greatest crisis? Andrew Bynum.

Bynum joined the Lakers at 17 and had been a favorite of the Lakers' management since 2005, who arranged for the team's legendary center, Jabbar, to be his personal coach and gave him the best treatment.

When it came time to renew his contract, they gave their all.

It can be said that before Fan Xi arrived, he was always the first heir to the Lakers' scepter.

Now, in the hearts of some, he is still the first heir.

Therefore, this will certainly become a problem that must be solved.

Kobe took the opportunity to put his hand on Fan Xi's shoulder and said to him, "Jack, you won't leave me in the future, will you?"

Fan Xi was stunned by the abrupt question. "Why say something like that?"

Kobe smiled and said he was joking.

Then reporters rushed over, and the Dallas reporters asked the two: How do you feel?

Kobe said, "Super good, especially teaming up with Jack to dominate the final moments. We are the best backcourt duo in the world; we can easily lock down any point guard, even if his name is Jason Kidd."

Bryant was a bit smug tonight.

He hadn't been this "carried away" in many years. For years, he had maintained a "serious" image with the media; as the face of the League, he inevitably always gave official statements.

But tonight, he showed his true colors.

His hand remained on Fan Xi's shoulder, which allowed the audience in front of the TV to intuitively feel the intimate relationship between them.

By comparison, Fan Xi was somewhat official. He said, "... Jason Kidd has always been an idol I admire. I'm very happy to have learned valuable experience from him tonight."

Then, Kobe talked about the Rookie of the Year issue. "If I had a vote, I would definitely vote for Jack."

The Dallas reporter said, "Jack's stats in these few games have dropped too much compared to before; it seems like he's hit the rookie wall."

"Rookie wall? No such thing exists." Kobe answered for Fan Xi.

The Lakers achieved victory in the three devilish away games in Texas, and the calls for the Lakers to win the championship this season are getting louder.

On the plane to Memphis, Lamar Odom, sitting in the front row, kept muttering, "Brothers, if we complete a three-peat this season, we can practically walk sideways in Los Angeles. This is a true dynasty. All of our commercial value will take off."

Since Lamar Odom got connected with the Kardashian family, he has become the Lakers' "King of Ribbon-Cutting," "King of Parties," "King of Nightclubs," and "King of VCRs."

Khloe Kardashian has taken on many, many business deals for him. They are all local Los Angeles gigs: cutting ribbons for certain merchants, getting paid to attend parties, hanging out at nightclubs, and recording videos for money... and the like.

Although the money earned is small, it can be considered eating off his fame.

During this period, seeing the Lakers' momentum growing stronger, the Kardashian family began to ponder a new plan.

They rejected all commercial activities for Odom and made him focus on playing basketball. This group of women has a very good business sense; they know that if the Lakers reach the Finals and defeat LeBron James, the commercial value of everyone on the Lakers will skyrocket.

Thus, they are playing the long game.

With Lamar Odom's brain, he is nothing more than a marionette to them.

However, his words truly moved the Lakers players.

A three-peat is not just an honor, but tangible benefits.

Who would turn their back on money?

That night, everyone was more or less letting their imaginations run wild.

Memphis is the last stop of the Lakers' Southwest Division trip, and the Grizzlies' record this season is quite good.

Back then, when they traded Pau Gasol, the media mocked it as "letting the Lakers openly break open the safe and take what they wanted."

But in these two seasons, with the rapid rise of Pau Gasol's younger brother, Marc Gasol, people realized that the general manager at the time, Wallace, did not make a wrong trade.

Marc Gasol was the chip the Lakers gave up in that trade. Although Marc Gasol doesn't have the same flair as his brother Pau Gasol, he is very tough.

He has a strong body and resilience like a Spanish matador; he often brawls with opposing centers, and he also has some playmaking ability.

When Memphis brought Zach Randolph to the Grizzlies, a wonderful chemical reaction occurred.

Before coming to the Grizzlies, Zach Randolph was an elite player mocked by the entire League.

The chubby Zach Randolph debuted in Portland. When he first entered the League, the Portland Trail Blazers were known as the "Portland Jail Blazers." At that time, the Portland locker room was full of problem players, and not a single one was easy to deal with.

Their news could only be found in the social section: either speeding, carrying drugs, or getting into fistfights with teammates in the locker room. Stoudamire even did the absurd thing of inviting the police to the team's training facility for a urine test... only for it to turn out that he himself had a problem on the spot.

During that time, although Randolph won the NBA's Most Improved Player award and rapidly became the Trail Blazers' leader, he was still a problem.

His troublesome news was constant: speeding, carrying guns, hiding gambling... and so on. He even absurdly held a memorial service at a nightclub.

The Trail Blazers finally couldn't take it anymore. After drafting Brandon Roy in 2006, they sent Randolph to New York the following season.

When he arrived in New York, New York was also a mess. At that time, the internal situation in New York was like a palace intrigue; the team's head coach, general manager, and former legendary superstar Isiah Thomas were at odds with the team leader and Son of New York, Marbury. Isiah himself was also involved in a scandal within the team regarding the harassment of a female cleaner.

It was another two years of chaos.

Randolph was subsequently sent to the Clippers, and then to the Memphis Grizzlies.

At the time, everyone thought Randolph would soon be bought out by the Grizzlies.

As a result... who could have imagined that Zach Randolph, who had been wild for a decade and often chased offensive rebounds on the court, would actually turn over a new leaf here.

He formed a traditional twin-tower lineup with Spain's Marc Gasol, something the League hadn't seen in many years.

And complementing Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Tony Allen, and others, they played better and better, smoother and smoother.

He is now the "Black Bear Baby" in the hearts of the people of Memphis.

Before the game started, Fan Xi looked at the opponent's data given to him by the team leader.

His opponent tonight is mainly Mike Conley; additionally, it's possible the Grizzlies will have Tony Allen defend him, and the 2008 third overall pick OJ Mayo also has a high probability.

Mike Conley entered the League in 2007. At the time, he was noticed as the assistant to the Great Emperor Oden. He was selected by Memphis with the fourth overall pick, and public opinion was in an uproar, feeling he would soon disappear.

However, the fact is... the Great Emperor Oden of that year gradually faded into obscurity, while the little brother by his side, Mike Conley, played better and better.

Mike Conley is a very, very, very smart player.

His defense is tenacious, his style is traditional, and he doesn't hold onto the ball... although he doesn't seem to have much flair, he can always play within the correct system.

And most importantly.

Although his style is plain and unadorned.

His physical fitness is very likely the strongest among the guards of the 2007 class.

He comes from a sports family; his father is an Olympic triple jump gold medalist, and his mother is also a track and field athlete for the US team.

Therefore, his physical test data back then was extremely terrifying. Barefoot height of 1.82 meters, 3/4 court sprint speed reached an astonishing 3.09 seconds. For comparison, Westbrook, known for his explosive physical fitness, was only 0.01 seconds faster than Conley. In addition, Conley's body fat percentage was only 4.2%, his standing vertical jump was 90 centimeters, and his running vertical jump reached 1.03 meters. For comparison, the Bulls' violent point guard Rose only had a running vertical jump of 1.02 meters during his physical test.

After reading Mike Conley's data and watching the videos, Fan Xi was extremely shocked internally.

Low-key players are very scary.

Besides Mike Conley, Tony Allen is also a tough defensive player. He has nothing else to do on the court; he is always biting at his opponent like a mad dog. Many media outlets call him the "Kobe Stopper," and he is very good at defending offensive players.

In addition, the Grizzlies' backup point guard and team sixth man is OJ Mayo.

OJ Mayo has an even bigger background; it can be said that in the entire NBA, besides LeBron James, no one had a bigger reputation before the draft than him.

OJ Mayo became famous in high school.

At that time, there were dedicated documentary teams following him, and all media outlets considered him the future Chosen One, a figure like LeBron James.

However, after entering college, his stagnant height made him gradually lose attention.

It is worth mentioning that Westbrook's first fame came at the expense of OJ Mayo.

Westbrook's high school career was that of someone unknown. He spent a lot of effort to join UCLA, and in his first year of college, he was a backup for Collison.

In the second season, Collison was injured, and he finally had the opportunity to start.

At the time, UCLA and the University of Southern California, which OJ Mayo joined, were both in the Pacific-10 Conference.

OJ Mayo's every game was broadcast nationally.

Then, like every underdog, Westbrook exploded with astonishing energy as soon as he stepped on the court, making OJ Mayo look very bad.

From then on, the NBA remembered this UCLA guard with violent physical fitness, and he entered the League with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft.

These boos seemed to have gotten Fan Xi's game off to a bad start tonight.

Westbrook is already one of the Thunder's dual cores, while OJ Mayo can't even start.

The game was held at Memphis' home court.

At the start, Fan Xi was actually booed by a group of spectators.

Some rowdy fans shouted at Fan Xi: Be better to Taylor.

Fan Xi didn't understand who Taylor was at first.

Until he saw the Taylor Swift billboard.

It turns out Taylor Swift is the pride of Tennessee, and the people of Memphis have always been proud of Taylor Swift. Moreover, Tennessee is the cradle of country music, and Taylor Swift's label is still the little queen of country music.

With this connection, it was hard for Fan Xi, a player with constant tabloid news, not to be booed by the folks of Memphis.

These boos seemed to have given Fan Xi a bad start to tonight's game.

Fan Xi encountered Mike Conley's biting defense right from the start. Although Mike Conley's reputation isn't prominent, he is truly a solid player.

Moreover, his style is very restrictive to Fan Xi.

He is tenacious, he has good physical fitness, and he is conservative; he doesn't seek flashy achievements.

Fan Xi has strong explosive power, and his explosive power is not weak either; Fan Xi is fast, and his speed is also very fast. At the same time, his defense is extremely tenacious, which interferes with Fan Xi's ball-handling, penetration, and shooting.

At the same time.

Kobe Bryant was also being crazily bitten by Tony Allen, and Kobe even lost his cool; Kobe was determined to make this Kobe Stopper collapse.

Then, the ball movement stagnated.

Coupled with Pau Gasol being in a state of confusion facing his own younger brother, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol joined forces to deal a heavy blow to the Lakers' interior.

Just like that, the Lakers were stunned from the inside out.

In the first half, they were even a bit unable to parry.

In the third quarter, when OJ Mayo defended Fan Xi, Fan Xi finally orchestrated a few decent attacks.

But in the end, they couldn't hold on.

The Lakers suffered a defeat.

Ending in failure.

... ===== CHAPTER 114 =====