Chapter 121

Charles Barkley believed that this shot by Fan Xi was just luck.

Barkley had faced Anfernee Hardaway; although he saw that Fan Xi's move was shockingly similar to Hardaway's, he was unwilling to believe that Fan Xi truly possessed this kind of ability.

Because he was on the opposite side of Fan Xi.

By comparison, Phil Jackson's expression was much more interesting.

Once, during the two years Jordan retired, the Orlando Magic were the Chicago Bulls' main opponent in the East; Hardaway was in his prime those two years, making the Bulls' perimeter defense look very miserable.

This move had appeared in Phil Jackson's nightmares for a long time.

He had thought of many ways to limit it.

But now, when this signature move was used by Fan Xi, the surprise in his heart surged out immediately.

This treasure of a boy, Jack, is truly... full of joy.

Phil Jackson said to himself, feeling wonderful inside.

This goal by Fan Xi made Chris Paul feel as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

Paul is a very outstanding defender; he is very good at stealing and using his strength to hold his ground against opponents.

However, his defensive ability is insufficient when facing opponents who are tall and change direction quickly; Deron Williams could always bully him, not just because of Deron's weight, but because Deron was taller than him, had a sharp change-of-direction rhythm, and possessed a steady mid-range jump shot ability.

Fan Xi was previously locked down by Paul because Fan Xi's low-center-of-gravity dribbling mastery was insufficient; once it reached ninety percent, it became very difficult for Paul to limit his dribbling rhythm.

But at that time, it was still possible to hinder Fan Xi's offense; Fan Xi lacked a stable off-the-dribble jump shot, and his finishing moves in the paint were also few.

But now.

With little Jenner's confession and kiss, with Taylor Swift secretly pinching his palm.

Fan Xi activated the energy halo and obtained Anfernee Hardaway's signature change-of-direction, breakthrough, jump-step, and floater ability.

Fan Xi's finishing in the paint immediately had something to rely on.

Moreover, this move is simply a natural counter to small guards like Paul.

Bang!

After Paul screened with David West, he passed the ball to Ariza, but Ariza missed the jump shot.

The Hornets' roster had changed significantly this season; after Peja was gone, Paul's assist efficiency dropped quite a bit.

Turning back, Fan Xi was still playing one-on-one against Paul.

And this time, he followed the same pattern.

He sharply completed a change of direction from right to left, then his body invaded quickly, getting half a body length past Paul; before Paul could reach out to steal the ball, he had already jump-stepped into the free-throw line, followed by a natural floater... Swish!

Fan Xi scored again.

Lacking Tyson Chandler, the Hornets' interior defensive ability was much weaker, and their ability to protect the rim plummeted.

This gave Fan Xi the best platform to level up.

Anfernee Hardaway's move has very strict requirements for the sharpness of the breakthrough and the steadiness after the jump-step.

These two major thresholds made it impossible for many brilliant guards to complete it.

Yet Fan Xi possessed these two conditions; it was simply tailor-made for him.

After all, he had the speed of prime Iverson, the explosive power of prime Kemp, the body control of prime Jordan, and the breakthrough technique and low center of gravity of prime Isiah Thomas.

Therefore, Fan Xi could easily pierce the defensive line of top defensive player Chris Paul.

However, what Fan Xi lacked was experience with the floater.

If he encountered strong help defense, his shooting percentage would not be very high.

But the Hornets didn't have that.

Isn't this a leveling opponent delivered to his door?

It couldn't be better!

Fan Xi hit two consecutive floaters, and Chris Paul was furious.

But he simply didn't have the ability to defend.

He felt helpless.

This helplessness was something he hadn't anticipated before the game.

This helplessness was exactly the same as when he faced Deron Williams.

Deron Williams used his strong body, superior height, and complex, sharp ball-handling rhythm to leave Paul with no solutions.

Now, Fan Xi was about the same. His height, his sharp breakthroughs, his precise jump-step floaters.

Fu-ck!

Paul even cursed, telling the interior players to watch out.

Turning back, Paul launched an attack directly.

Known by basketball experts as Saint Paul, he was a bit hot-headed; he drove into the paint, but was followed from behind by Fan Xi. Just as he jumped up for a layup, Fan Xi flew over from behind... using amazing jumping ability... Slap!

Paul's layup was directly swatted against the backboard by Fan Xi.

Staples Center was energized by this.

Saint Paul was ruthlessly suppressed by the Miracle Child.

The fans in the City of Angels were excited to the extreme.

They had watched from the very beginning of the game.

The Miracle Child was crushed by Saint Paul from the start.

Subsequently, the Miracle Child gradually gasped for air under heavy pressure.

After the second half, the Miracle Child was like a sharp blade unsheathed, blooming with sharp edges; he broke through Saint Paul twice in a row to complete his offense.

Now, he was actually brutally suppressing Saint Paul on the defensive end.

The momentum of offense and defense had shifted!!

The screams and cheers of Lakers fans permeated from all directions.

"Now, do you know what the Miracle Child is?"

Kenny Smith leaned back, his tone full of wisdom.

Charles Barkley was truly stunned.

It felt like ten thousand thunderbolts were exploding in his head at the same time.

He only felt the world spinning; in the dark, he seemed to have realized a certain law: Could it be that I am destined to be suppressed by the Miracle Child? Is it impossible for me to ever defeat Jack Fan?

This heavy sense of fate made him sadly think of his old rival, Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan entered the League at the same time as him, but he lived in Jordan's shadow for his entire career; even when he chose to join the Rockets on a minimum salary at the very end of his career, he failed to win a championship, which was the tragedy of his entire career.

After finally retiring and finding a job as a commentator, he thought the nightmare was over.

But who could have known that Jack Fan would appear so brilliantly?

This guy had already become the nightmare of his commentary career; every time he made a bet because of him, he would lose. His lips had even developed an immunity to donkey butts.

This year, he hadn't even kissed his own wife as many times as he had kissed donkey butts.

"No!"

After being silent for a long time, Charles Barkley finally let out a cry from the bottom of his heart. This cry was filled with the tragic heroism of "my fate is determined by me, not by heaven."

"I believe in Saint Paul; Saint Paul is the League's number one point guard. How could he lose to a rookie like Jack Fan?"

"Besides, a block doesn't count as betting data."

Barkley argued sophistically.

However, before he finished speaking, Fan Xi on the court completed an assist.

When Fan Xi got half a step past Paul, David West immediately helped defend like a frightened bird; Fan Xi quickly passed the ball out, and Odom received the basketball to complete a jump shot.

Fan Xi's assist +1.

When Fan Xi's offensive ability with the ball improved, the threat of his passing naturally increased greatly.

Passing, driving, and shooting; this is a mutually reinforcing relationship.

Seeing Fan Xi's stats getting closer and closer to his own, Paul became anxious.

He continued to charge into the paint; this time he dodged Fan Xi's block, but when he passed the ball out, it was stolen by Pau Gasol.

Point guard is a position that requires high-intensity coordination with teammates.

The Hornets' roster became weaker this season, and Paul's performance was also weakened.

Conversely, Fan Xi's teammates were far stronger than the Hornets' players.

So, this is why when Fan Xi charged into the paint again, the Hornets didn't dare to help defend anymore.

Thus, Fan Xi's floater went in.

Fan Xi had one signature move, but it opened up a whole new world, and he held Paul firmly in check.

Someone once described Deron Williams as "eating, sleeping, and beating Paul," meaning that every time Deron met Paul, he could make Paul very passive.

In fact, it was just so; Paul ruled the entire League, and Deron ruled Paul.

Now, Deron had gone far away to Salt Lake City, and because of injury, his physical fitness had greatly decreased, making him unable to perform such sharp changes of direction as he did back then.

Therefore, Paul had lost his "natural enemy."

However, what he didn't expect happened tonight.

He had originally come to wipe out this so-called Miracle Child; he wanted to remove the inner demon in his heart.

But... this Miracle Child was not only not wiped out, but instead grew rapidly in the time of half a game, actually growing into an existence that "specifically counters him."

The inner demon turned into a nightmare.

Chris Paul felt the same helplessness he had when facing Deron Williams.

He couldn't accept it.

He wanted to resist.

However, a natural counter cannot be resisted by willpower.

Fan Xi's "stats" caught up to Paul 2 minutes before the end of the third quarter, and the Lakers, driven by Fan Xi, played incredibly smoothly; at the end of the third quarter, they were already leading by 10 points.

If they continued to play according to this trend, Paul would not only lose the personal battle with Fan Xi, but the Hornets would also lose this team battle.

When Chris Paul walked back to the bench, he glanced at the stat sheet.

Fan Xi: 23 points, 13 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocks.

Chris Paul: 25 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals.

In this bet, their stats were both 38.

However, if placed in the game, Fan Xi's performance was undoubtedly superior to Chris Paul's.

Therefore, at this moment for Chris Paul, he needed to make a decision.

He was incredibly arrogant inside.

Saint Paul is a proud person, a stubborn victory-seeker, and has always been proud of his identity as a "traditional point guard."

He never cared to compare himself with the new generation of standouts like Derek Rose or Westbrook; he felt he was superior.

However.

He now needed to face his inner demon, needed to face himself from two hours ago.

At that time, he was high-spirited and had declared on TV that he was going to take down the Miracle Child.

This thought had been born since the All-Star Game and was deeply rooted.

If he couldn't take Fan Xi down in this game and couldn't take off his "Miracle Child" hat, his conscience would be uneasy.

Therefore, Saint Paul gritted his teeth and made a decision to "betray himself."

He wanted to give up on the game.

He wanted personal stats.

He wanted to defeat Fan Xi and strip Fan Xi of his "Miracle Child" status.

To help Barkley defeat Kenny Smith in that bet.

Only by doing this could he remove his inner demon.

The head coach came over to ask if Chris Paul needed a rest; Paul shook his head and said, "No, I will fight to the end."

As the team's superstar and only trump card, he had the reason to decide his own playing time.

Conversely, Fan Xi did not.

Fan Xi was pressed onto the bench by Phil Jackson, forcing Fan Xi to rest.

He didn't want his precious treasure to be exhausted.

Thus, after the fourth quarter began.

Paul walked onto the court, and Fan Xi remained on the bench.

Charles Barkley was already very silent at this time; he felt he was doomed to lose.

Based on his understanding of Chris Paul, such a proud person would definitely disdain padding personal stats while ignoring the team's failure. Even if doing so could win him the game.

However, he underestimated Paul's hatred for Fan Xi.

Saint Paul went berserk.

The first ball Paul held after arriving at the front court was a jump shot after shaking off Derek Fisher... Swish!

Chris Paul hit a three-pointer.

He clawed back 3 points for the Hornets.

But when the ball went in, Phil Jackson narrowed his eyes slightly.

He was very surprised; he didn't expect Paul to do this.

In his heart, Paul had always been a player with a strong sense of the overall situation.

But that ball just now, the Hornets' interior players hadn't even fully stood in position yet.

He is not a player who is very confident in his own three-point shot.

The Zen Master was very puzzled.

Charles Barkley roared on TV; Paul's regained lead made him excited, and he shouted: Chris, seize the opportunity of Jack Fan resting and hurry up to pull the stats up.

This was Barkley's urgent hope.

But it sounded a bit shameless.

Kenny Smith watched Barkley's shamelessness very calmly; he was very certain in his heart, feeling that the Miracle Child needed no questioning, so let them pad their stats.

The Lakers were running very calmly.

Mike Dunleavy hit a three-pointer, maintaining the lead.

Paul turned back and continued to attack the paint, but this time, his floater was off-target under Gasol's defense, and the rebound was grabbed by Odom.

When this play was over.

Barkley also understood that Saint Paul was deliberately chasing stats.

If it were the Saint Paul of the past, he definitely wouldn't do this. He would definitely complete a beautiful coordination with Landry, or even assist Landry to complete an alley-oop.

But now, he was so impatient and so selfish.

Barkley felt an unprecedented sense of strangeness.

The game continued like this.

Paul's shooting percentage wasn't high, but by the fourth minute of the fourth quarter, he had scored 9 points in the single quarter.

He led Fan Xi by 9 in stats.

However, the Hornets were trailing the Lakers by 13 points, which meant his scoring didn't help the team, but instead dragged it down.

"Jack, I feel that Chris Paul is a bit abnormal tonight; he cares very much about winning or losing against you. Why don't you... just rest." Lao Wente advised Fan Xi.

Fan Xi smiled and shook his head, saying, "I also care very much about winning or losing. Tonight, I not only want to help the team defeat the Hornets, but also defeat him in personal stats. I have to make him yield, so he doesn't offend me again and again in the future."

"A great man from our side once said a sentence: throw one punch to avoid a hundred punches."

"I've got Chris Paul tonight, even God can't save him, I said it."

Fan Xi was filled with heroic spirit.

He was also a majestic and awe-inspiring killing god.

For a moment, Phil Jackson and Lao Wente watched, dumbfounded.