Chapter 142

"The Dallas Mavericks have no way to deal with Jack Fan's attacking ability. Andrew Bynum has a certain advantage on the offensive end whether facing Haywood or Tyson Chandler. Now, it depends on the defensive end. If the two new-generation cores can hold up against the Mavericks, then the Lakers' disadvantage will be reversed in one fell swoop, and the Lakers' lineup depth will structurally surpass Dallas."

Kenny Smith made a prediction on TV.

Charles Barkley nodded in agreement.

At the same time, the game resumed on the court.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the screen.

Fan Xi retreated to the top of the three-point arc, stopped his pace, and then shouted: "Take this defense."

He instructed the players to scatter and occupy favorable defensive positions.

The Lakers players acted immediately in silence, and their defensive enthusiasm was fully improved.

This was something the Lakers hadn't possessed before.

Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle stood on the sidelines, and for a moment he was actually dazed: Is this the Lakers' rotation lineup or the starting lineup?

The Mavericks players also felt the Lakers' suddenly improved defense.

Fan Xi formed a powerful echo with the defensive stalwart Matt Barnes on the wing; the previously elf-like Barea couldn't penetrate at all, and the wandering Marion was also restrained by Dunleavy like a shadow.

Bynum in the paint was wrestling with Haywood.

Although Lamar Odom was struggling, he gritted his teeth, dealing with Nowitzki just like he dealt with Khloe Kardashian in bed.

The Lakers used all their strength.

The Mavericks' originally smooth offense was like being thrown into a big ball of glue, becoming sticky.

They had no choice but to give the ball to Nowitzki and let Nowitzki play one-on-one.

Nowitzki used his skills to shake off Odom, but just as he jumped, Fan Xi suddenly sped over from the left, soared into the air, and reached out his right arm to swat fiercely. The Nowitzki King was greatly disturbed at the moment of release; to avoid the block, he pressed his wrist down and increased the arc of his shot.

The ball was not blocked by Fan Xi.

But... "Rebound!!"

Fan Xi shouted... Bang!

Bynum forcibly squeezed Haywood away, boxed out, judged the landing spot, stretched his arms lightly, and protected this defensive rebound.

Then, he found Fan Xi at the first opportunity and passed it over.

This time, the Lakers' defense was simply a perfect essay.

Filled with the passion of young people.

The Mavericks' willpower was overwhelmed.

Kenny Smith sighed sincerely on TV: "If the Lakers didn't have Jack Fan, they wouldn't even think about touching a three-peat."

On this point, Charles Barkley also agreed.

Fan Xi's appearance was like an electric eel thrown into the aging Lakers sardine box, releasing their vitality.

Phil Jackson stroked his beard.

Fan Xi's growth rate exceeded his plan.

At the same time, Fan Xi brought the ball to the frontcourt; he played very steadily.

Sorting out the offense in an orderly manner, he then played a high pick-and-roll with Lamar Odom. Fan Xi cut into the paint, feigned a pass to Bynum to attract the Mavericks' defense to collapse, and then passed the ball to Barnes, who was running along the baseline. Barnes received the ball and made an open layup.

The Mavericks' defense fell into a passive state.

Beep!

Dallas called a timeout.

Fan Xi returned to the court and hit them with a small climax; they were originally leading, but now they were trailing.

Rick Carlisle said extremely seriously on the bench: "We must limit them, otherwise, this will be the turning point of the series."

For a team dominated by veterans, there is no need for the head coach to clap his hands and say impassioned words to give them a pep talk; they just need the severity of the problem pointed out, and they will make profound adjustments themselves.

Rick Carlisle made substitutions.

Subbing in Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler.

Before going on the court, he told the players again: This is already a life-and-death moment, please be sure to kill with all your might.

Corresponding to this were the Lakers.

The atmosphere on the Lakers' side was far from as solemn and serious as the Mavericks' bench. Andrew Bynum hummed a song all the way back to the bench and said boastfully: "The new era of the Lakers has arrived; we have the Mavericks gasping for air."

"Me plus Jack is God Almighty."

Bynum boasted to his heart's content.

No one knew whether he was intentional or unintentional, but anyway, the person he stimulated was Kobe.

Kobe admitted that his state had some gap compared to his peak, and he was also willing to gradually give up the ball, but what he didn't give, no one should try to snatch.

He regarded Bynum's remarks as a provocation and glared at Bynum coldly.

Bynum trembled at first, feeling very guilty, but then, as if he had found a source of strength, he raised his head confidently and said: "We are the new era's OK combination."

Andrew Bynum's words ignited Kobe.

Fan Xi pushed him, reminding him not to go too far.

Phil Jackson also looked at Kobe cautiously; Kobe's face was livid.

He decided not to let Kobe go up for the time being, lest the two of them fight on the court.

This was a neutralizing move.

But it didn't have a neutralizing effect.

When Kobe didn't hear the news of going on the court, his arrogant self-esteem made him even angrier.

Fan Xi witnessed everything happening.

He realized that the interpersonal relationships and power struggles within the team were really too sensitive and fragile.

This guy Andrew Bynum can always create trouble; can't he just shut up? Does he have to set up a target for himself?

Before, he was at odds with himself. Now, he is pointing the spearhead at Kobe.

Kobe is completely different from himself; Kobe doesn't tolerate sand in his eyes.

Sigh!

A sigh.

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

After the Lakers players went on the court, Phil Jackson specifically found Kobe and said to him: "Bynum is too much; let him suffer a bit. The Mavericks must have adjusted their lineup."

He was pacifying Kobe.

But Kobe was skeptical; the Zen Master had said the same thing before.

When he looked at the court, the Mavericks had subbed in all their starters; the lineup was complete and the strength was solid.

Kobe breathed a slight sigh of relief; let that guy who doesn't know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth suffer.

At the same time, Jason Kidd dribbled to the frontcourt.

The Mavericks came with the momentum of burning their boats; the players' movements were firm and decisive.

However, when Jason Kidd arrived at the arc and hadn't stopped yet, Fan Xi flew over like a wolf or tiger; Fan Xi didn't give Kidd a chance to breathe.

Poor old Kidd, he had never been pressured like this in his life; he was the league's number one point guard back in the day.

Fan Xi's unexpected aggressive defense made him only able to turn his back. Shawn Marion hurriedly came out to support, but just as Jason Kidd was about to pass the ball to Marion to transition, Fan Xi suddenly circled in front and flew out, rushing to steal the ball.

Jason Kidd turned his body to pass the ball to Stevenson on the other side, but who knew that just as he passed it, Matt Barnes flew over like a mad dog... Slap!

The ball was interrupted.

Fan Xi changed direction and ran wildly toward the frontcourt. Barnes threw the ball over; Fan Xi grabbed the ball and went straight into the paint. He soared gorgeously in the paint, and after drawing a beautiful arc in the air... Boom!

Two-handed heavy dunk.

The Mavericks' paint suffered heavy damage again.

Fan Xi wounded Dallas in an unexpected way, continuing to expand the Lakers' lead.

"It seems... the Lakers are stronger without Kobe and Gasol??"

Kenny Smith made a strange sigh.

Since 2004, the Lakers have been deeply integrated with Kobe Bryant. Is a Lakers team without Kobe still called the Lakers?

However, now.

The audience in front of the TV also had such thoughts.

Magic Johnson frowned and complained to Jeanie Buss: "What is Phil Jackson doing? Why isn't he putting Kobe in?"

At this moment, in another room of the club, Jim Buss was also complaining: "How can Kenny Smith say such things?"

No matter how Jim Buss and Jeanie Buss's two factions fought, Kobe was the banner in their hearts that could not be shaken.

The game continued.

Phil Jackson made no personnel adjustments.

The Mavericks launched a fierce attack.

However, the Lakers showed unexpected tenacity; their defensive line was incomparably tenacious, from the 1st position to the 5th position, which could be described as the whole army working together.

Therefore, the Mavericks' starters moved out in full force, not only failing to narrow the score but instead expanding it.

Fan Xi and Bynum found true tacit understanding; although their cooperation was not as dominant as O'Neal and Kobe back then, it was enough to deal with Dallas, not to mention they had three good helpers beside them.

After the third quarter.

81:77.

The Lakers overtook by 4 points.

Back from the timeout.

Andrew Bynum was exceptionally proud; he boasted on the bench with satisfaction: "I have been sinking in the Lakers for so many years, and today I have found the real me."

He played 6 minutes in the third quarter, getting 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals.

The efficiency was shockingly high.

It can be said that he controlled the paint.

Fan Xi got 5 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal in these 6 minutes, which was also extremely comprehensive.

Their magical performance made Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant fall into embarrassment at the same time.

Kobe Bryant is now facing a very cruel question: Should I go on the court? In what capacity should I go on the court?

Phil Jackson is also facing the same question: How exactly should Kobe be allowed to go on the court as a leader in a justified way.

Just at this time, Andrew Bynum suddenly shouted to Phil Jackson: "Boss, I think our lineup is performing so well, we should let us keep playing; maybe we can even beat the Mavericks into garbage time in less than half a quarter?"

Uh...

This is too crazy.

Phil Jackson was about to remind Bynum not to be proud.

Kobe had already spoken from the side: "Andrew, I don't believe you can beat the Mavericks into garbage time in half a quarter."

Bynum raised his eyebrows: "Kobe. The current me is not the me from before; Jack and I are intimate, and we can defeat any opponent. Just like in the offseason, we are together, and we will definitely sweep Hollywood."

Heh.

Kobe sneered.

He slowly put on his jacket.

Now, Phil Jackson knew what to do.

The young man is arrogant and domineering; it's good to let him suffer a bit.

Therefore, the Lakers simply didn't change the lineup.

Normally, at the beginning of the fourth quarter, both sides would change to rotation lineups.

But since the Little Shark is so confident, let him hold up; at worst, let Kobe go up to set things right later.

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

The Lakers didn't change the lineup.

Dallas, however, changed; Nowitzki, who had played the full three quarters, returned to the bench.

Jason Kidd's position was also replaced by Jason Terry.

At this time, it was Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion, and Stojakovic, plus Stevenson.

This is a fast-paced offensive lineup that leans toward run-and-gun.

Rick Carlisle saw that the Lakers' lineup hadn't changed at all, and he had a bad feeling at that moment.

Five seconds later.

Fan Xi hit a 3-pointer.

Fan Xi dribbled quickly to the frontcourt; Jason Terry hadn't reacted yet. He subconsciously collapsed inward, waiting for Fan Xi's breakthrough. Fan Xi shot his second 3-pointer of the game directly from one meter outside the three-point line.

Swish!

Hit.

The point difference expanded to 7 points.

The Mavericks were caught off guard and were stunned at the start.

Mark Cuban, behind the bench, had just sat down and hurriedly stood up again; he cheered for the players; he is a good boss.

However, turning back, Jason Terry played one-on-one against Fan Xi.

He had the nickname "The Jet" when he was young, but now he couldn't jump at all. He had briefly been the boss of the Hawks, but now he had just jumped to shoot... Slap!

Fan Xi flew over his head and swatted the ball down with one hand.

The ball was snatched by Matt Barnes.

Fan Xi grabbed the ball, made a long pass to the frontcourt; Dunleavy grabbed the ball, jumped to shoot, all in one go.

Swish!

Another 3-pointer.

13 seconds into the start.

The Lakers' lead expanded to double digits.

Rick Carlisle was stunned.

He hurriedly reminded the players to stabilize the rhythm and must not be reckless and greedy for offense.

But they are a small lineup; stabilizing is death.

Jason Terry spent 16 seconds under Fan Xi's entanglement before passing the ball to Marion; Marion is not a person good at ball handling; he is a defensive forward who relies on positioning.

Bang!

His breakthrough floater missed.

Bynum, who was hyped up, yelled, jumped up to protect the rebound, and passed it to Fan Xi.

Normally, the Lakers, with a tall center, should stabilize and play set offense.

However, Fan Xi went against the norm and launched an attack.

He rushed to the frontcourt like lightning, changed direction sharply outside the three-point line to pass Jason Terry, went straight into the paint, and soared into the sky against Marion's help defense.

Marion was old after all; the "Matrix," as he was called in his early years, could no longer intercept the young and vigorous Fan Xi in the air.

He turned his body slightly... Boom!

Fan Xi expanded the point difference to 12 points with a violent dunk.

The Dallas home court was in a daze.

It was originally evenly matched, and they were pressing the Lakers in the last game.

In this game, they actually had no power to fight back?

They didn't even sub in Kobe?

Rick Carlisle had to change the established order of going on the court; he hurriedly subbed in Nowitzki to stabilize the army's heart.

"Kobe Bryant is embarrassed."

Kenny Smith said such things on TV again: "He didn't go on the court, but the team is playing better and better."

Barkley smiled; he had always had a bit of an anti-Kobe attribute. He said: "Maybe it's because the Lakers are becoming more and more efficient."

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