Chapter 137: Shame is close to courage

This was an extremely bold plan: Kobe assists, Fan Xi attacks hard.

The Lakers had never had such a design.

Kobe frowned, looking at the serious Fan Xi, he was sure the little guy wasn't joking with him.

However, this was simply too fantastical.

If Kobe's ball-holding attack power was 99 points, Fan Xi's current was at most around 78 points, and the two were far apart.

Moreover, the Mavericks' shooting guard was far less strong than their point guard. Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Jose Barea, Dallas's three point guards had different styles and each had their own merits.

In comparison, their shooting guard was relatively weak. They didn't even have a proper shooting guard. Shawn Marion and Peja Stojakovic were both small forwards, and although Stevenson was a shooting guard, both his fame and strength were below elite players.

Kobe felt Fan Xi's idea was too bizarre. He said to Fan Xi: "Don't be surprising just for the sake of being surprising."

Kobe politely rejected Fan Xi's proposal.

This didn't exist in Kobe Bryant's basketball philosophy. He might let go in the regular season, but in the playoffs, he always believed in himself.

Fan Xi didn't persuade Kobe Bryant, nor did he pester him.

He was not a nagging person.

The plane landed in Dallas, and the Lakers' bus drove from the airport expressway to the city center.

On the expressway, Fan Xi looked at the large billboards outside the window. The playoff atmosphere in this city was very strong. Large billboards of Dallas players and the Mavericks' official publicity could be seen everywhere.

When he was about to reach the city center, Fan Xi saw a sentence on a huge golden billboard: A dream that will be mocked when spoken out has the value of realization. The Mavericks want to win the championship!

This advertising slogan shocked Fan Xi's heart.

Below the slogan, there was also a text introduction about the Mavericks being swept before and being reversed 0:2 by the Miami Heat in the finals.

So-called shame is close to courage.

This city of Dallas and their team had reached a real point of no return this year.

For them, this was a battle with no way out.

Their team soul Nowitzki was gradually getting old, and the emotional boss Mark Cuban had formed the strongest team for him under the conditions.

Fan Xi's gaze retracted from outside the car to inside the car.

He saw Lamar Odom still shaking his head and listening to hip-hop music, Andrew Bynum leaning against the window taking selfies of his new hairstyle, Pau Gasol chatting with his child in Spanish... The whole team was exuding a lazy atmosphere.

The media gave the Lakers too much praise.

These praises made everyone think that the three-peat dynasty was already within reach.

Fan Xi was worried.

"Why don't you come to Dallas?"

Dirk Nowitzki met Fan Xi, who was warming up, at the American Airlines Center. He had a good personal relationship with Fan Xi. Whenever Fan Xi encountered trouble off the court, he could receive Nowitzki's text message encouragement. The German Tank had a delicate soul.

"Here, you can focus on playing basketball. You won't be disturbed by paparazzi, and our boss appreciates you very much. He is a true man of temperament."

"Most importantly, come here, you can become a leader. Do you want to play in Kobe Bryant's shadow for the rest of your life?"

Nowitzki always conveyed such thoughts to Fan Xi, which translates into Chinese as: How can a great man live under others for a long time?

Fan Xi responded with a smile, and he said to Nowitzki: "My old buddy, your alienation strategy is too low-level."

At this time, Mark Cuban walked from behind. He was an IT elite, and he achieved financial freedom when he was very young, so he now put a lot of energy into his beloved basketball career... except for Michael Jordan, of course, Michael Jordan's deep operation was a disaster.

He might not be the richest owner in the NBA, but he must be the owner who participates most deeply in basketball operations.

"This is not an alienation strategy, Jack. Come to Dallas, you can get everything you want. Leader position, top salary, all the helpers you need. Believe me, becoming the leader of a team is more commercially valuable than becoming the second-in-command of a championship team. The Lakers will always be Kobe's team, and the Mavericks will become your team..."

Mark Cuban was a charismatic speaker, and he could always make his words ups and downs. If this was a recruitment party, he could definitely let the most people join him.

However, Fan Xi obviously didn't want to discuss this topic.

He said to Mark Cuban with a smile: "Before I defeat the Mavericks, I don't want to become a member of the Mavericks."

Mark Cuban laughed out loud and said Fan Xi was a smart guy.

"I like dealing with smart players."

Cuban patted Fan Xi on the shoulder and finally said: "You will definitely join Dallas."

May 2, 2011, evening.

The American Airlines Center was brightly lit, and the fans in the whole arena were wearing water-blue T-shirts. The arena was full of passion, and the cowboys in the wild Texas used their thick voices to cheer for the home team.

The Lakers' starting lineup tonight was Fan Xi, Kobe, Dunleavy, Odom, and Gasol.

Phil Jackson was very dissatisfied with Bynum's behavior of carrying two female models to the nightclub to practice squats.

Moreover, Bynum's performance in the last series was also very bad.

This was the reason he didn't get the start.

Bynum was oil and salt-resistant. Being canceled as a starter didn't even make him show any regret or anger. He cared more about whether his green explosion hairstyle was messy and whether the arc on the top of his head was messy.

The Mavericks' starting lineup was: Jason Kidd, DeShawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tyson Chandler.

Beep!

The whistle sounded, and the battle between the two traditional Western powerhouses began.

Slap!

Tyson Chandler easily defeated Pau Gasol and patted the basketball to Kidd.

Kidd received the basketball and pushed forward steadily. When he arrived outside the three-point line, Fan Xi was about to defend, but found that Kidd passed the basketball directly to Nowitzki. Nowitzki faced Pau Gasol at the free-throw line.

This was a European civil war.

Kidd took Fan Xi and ran around the half-court.

His running route was very cunning, taking Fan Xi away from the core position of the battlefield.

Swish!

Nowitzki quickly hit the first goal for the Mavericks with his iconic fadeaway.

Nowitzki's jump shot was recognized as the most unblockable shot in the league. In fact, the only thing that could defend him was his own state.

Nowitzki was one of the few offensive nuclear weapons in the NBA.

Although his technical means were not as many as Kobe's, nor as gorgeous as Kobe's, it was just this shot that you couldn't defend against.

Looking back, Kobe Bryant opened up for a one-on-one.

Fan Xi roamed on the weak side, just like the last series.

However, the tactical changes in the NBA have timeliness and "exclusivity."

First of all, every team will crazily study the opponent's style of play. If you can't change moves in time and adapt to local conditions, just copying, it is easy to be restricted.

Secondly, the Mavericks' lineup is completely different from the Trail Blazers.

The same style of play, naturally, is not effective.

Jason Kidd didn't rush to crush Fan Xi like Andre Miller.

He didn't even challenge Fan Xi one-on-one. His ball-holding time didn't look like a point guard. He passed the basketball out as soon as he crossed half-court, and then ran quickly.

Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler made a cooperation.

Nowitzki clicked lightly, the fake move tricked Lamar Odom's defense into jumping, then he killed into the paint and assisted Chandler to complete the dunk.

The lineup of Odom plus Gasol couldn't handle Nowitzki plus Tyson Chandler.

Back to the offensive end.

Kobe Bryant continued to fall into one-on-one. After turning and deep into the paint to attract a double-team, he passed to Fan Xi. Fan Xi quickly transferred to Dunleavy outside the three-point line.

But just as Dunleavy jumped to shoot, Shawn Marion soared like a monster... and slapped Dunleavy's basketball out of bounds.

Marion was a terrifying defender, and his defensive influence was everywhere. When he was with the Phoenix Suns back then, he was the strongest defender on the wing.

After re-serving, Kobe Bryant forced a jump shot, but missed.

The Lakers entered a scoring drought.

The Mavericks played better and better.

Phil Jackson paced back and forth on the sidelines, making three defensive changes in the first quarter.

However, the effect was minimal.

19:27.

In the first quarter, the Lakers trailed by 8 points.

In the second quarter, Kobe Bryant's touch recovered, his one-on-one lethality increased, and he formed some pick-and-roll effects with Gasol. Coupled with Fisher and Dunleavy's support outside the three-point line, the Lakers stabilized the situation.

Trailing by 7 points at halftime, 43:50.

Fan Xi didn't play in the entire second quarter because Phil Jackson wanted to try last season's lineup.

The effect was okay, able to maintain a balance.

Therefore, after the second half started, the Lakers continued this style of play.

However, the Mavericks' new point guard Jose Barea, who just came on, didn't talk about martial arts. He grabbed Fisher and beat him up, scoring 11 points in 4 minutes.

Helping the Mavericks expand the score to 12 points.

Beep!

Phil Jackson hurriedly requested a timeout, and then substituted Fan Xi onto the court.

After Fan Xi came on, Jose Barea was controlled, and the Mavericks quickly substituted Jason Terry.

Jason Terry won the Sixth Man of the Year, nicknamed "The Jet." He was a famous microwave-type player in the NBA: meaning he could score as soon as he came on, without adaptation time.

However, under Fan Xi's defense, his two forced shots didn't hit, which created a breathing opportunity for the Lakers.

Kobe seized the opportunity to hit two shots.

Afterwards, Fan Xi assisted Bynum to complete a layup.

The Lakers stabilized the situation.

At this time, Nowitzki went berserk.

Nowitzki killed into the paint with a lone courage. The whole world said he was a soft egg, saying his playing style was soft.

However, tonight, in the wildest Texas in the United States, in Dallas, the wildest in Texas, he went berserk.

He first killed into the paint, and in the double-team of Bynum and Gasol, he forced the basketball in.

Then, he pushed away Gasol and completed a dunk.

Next, he plucked the basketball from the top of Bynum's green explosion head.

Driven by Nowitzki, the game tilted toward Dallas.

The Mavericks players were spiritually summoned. They were a group of "losers."

Tyson Chandler played basketball for 11 years without a championship.

Shawn Marion was longer, and also had no championship.

Peja Stojakovic, played for 15 years, also had no championship.

Jason Terry and Nowitzki floated and sank together, being mocked together, without a championship.

Jason Kidd was even more so. He even entered the industry in 1994, and he even witnessed Jordan's glory.

Now, empty-handed, they erupted with extraordinary combat power.

In the fourth quarter, they not only suppressed the Lakers' counterattack but also expanded the score.

Under their tenacious fighting state, the Lakers were defeated without suspense.

Although Fan Xi launched a suicide attack in the fourth quarter, killing into the paint many times.

Although Kobe Bryant was fighting bravely until the last second before being substituted.

But... besides them, who else stood up for the Lakers?

Odom was panting after three quarters, and his rest time was even more than Fan Xi's.

Little Shark Bynum paid attention to his hairstyle all night, and was taken away many rebounds on his head, all of which were subconsciously protecting his hair with both hands.

And other players, they seemed to exude a kind of leisurely and self-satisfied emotion.

When Fan Xi returned to the locker room with his head down, he actually heard Lamar Odom say: "Hey, brothers, don't be too sad. We have always been turning defeat into victory, besides, this is their home court, losing one game is nothing... the advantage is still in our pockets."

Lamar Odom originally wanted to let everyone put down their psychological burden.

However, Fan Xi was really angry.

He said to Odom: "Lamar, losing one game today, losing one game the day after tomorrow, we are 0:2 behind. We only need to lose three more games to go home and fish."

Odom was a bit stunned.

He didn't expect the little brother he had brought up to speak to him like this. He stared at Fan Xi, hoping Fan Xi would give him an explanation.

Fan Xi shook his head and didn't continue speaking.

At this time, Kobe continued: "Lamar, go and practice with me later, and Andrew Bynum, I don't care what you think. In the next game, we must win. Also, tonight is our shame."

Kobe Bryant said very strongly.

Half an hour later.

Fan Xi appeared on the court, along with Kobe and Lamar Odom.

They started practicing.

About 10 minutes later, Andrew Bynum also ran over reluctantly.

Obviously, the Little Shark still didn't realize what was wrong.

He felt that the game had nothing to do with him anymore.

He felt the game had nothing to do with him anymore.

He was just a center who had lost favor.

Seeing him like this, Fan Xi's eyebrows became tighter and tighter.

He decided to have a good chat with Little Shark Bynum.

But at this time, Kobe lost his temper first, and he threw the basketball at Bynum's back.

... ===== CHAPTER 138 =====

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