Chapter 154: The Thunder won't last until the fifth game

96:86.

The second game of the Western Conference Finals was a defensive battle; this was the method Coach Scott Brooks had devised. He likely drew inspiration from Ron Artest's mouth.

Ever since being traded by the Lakers, Ron Artest had been doing his utmost to brush up his presence, much like a bitter woman abandoned by her ex, saying the Lakers were bad at this and bad at that, and claiming Fan Xi was mediocre, ordinary, and just a flash in the pan.

After easily defeating the Thunder in the first game of the Western Conference Finals, Ron Artest, having nothing else to say, talked at length about defensive quality. "Offense wins regular seasons, defense wins championships. Although the Lakers keep winning, their opponents score over 100 points every game; this is unusual. All past championship teams wouldn't let their opponents' average score break 100. This is the difference between having Ron Artest and losing Ron Artest."

People usually praise themselves without shame.

No one within the Lakers responded to Artest's remarks.

At his wit's end, Scott decided to give it a try, and then, trying it led to his demise.

The Lakers' defense did not decline significantly because of Ron Artest's departure; on the contrary, the Lakers' defense did not weaken, but became even stronger.

Ron Artest severely overestimated himself; he was no longer the beast who had won Defensive Player of the Year as a perimeter player back in the day. His movements were sluggish, he was no longer as agile as in his youth, and he was left with only a strong physical frame. Before encountering James, whether he was there or not had a negligible impact on the Lakers.

Most of his work could be replaced by Matt Barnes, while the newly joined Deng Liwei could bring off-ball movement and more accurate three-pointers that he had never possessed.

However, this game exposed an old problem for the Lakers.

The conflict between Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum had further intensified.

The two erupted into a public argument again during the game; Kobe roared loudly that Bynum had lost his defensive position, and Bynum did not hold back either, with the atmosphere becoming tense for a time.

However, both the Lakers fans and the Lakers club appeared very calm about this.

To use Kenny Smith's words: "This is the Lakers' tradition. Disputes between super guards and super centers have always existed, and Kobe Bryant is experienced in this; after all, the last super center who publicly bickered with Kobe over ball possession won a three-peat with him, and this year will be no exception."

People's confidence in the Lakers did not diminish in the slightest because of this public dispute.

Interestingly, after the game, Kobe Bryant refused to answer questions regarding Bynum. Bynum stated that he had grown up and should receive corresponding respect.

The public nature of the two's conflict did not benefit the Thunder; instead, Fan Xi recorded 18 assists and 18 points in the game.

Because after they stopped communicating, Fan Xi gained more ball possession, allowing him to further unleash his 'bridge' role.

Everything was moving in a direction favorable to Fan Xi.

Including the kiss he received from Taylor Swift on her tiptoes outside the Staples Center; although they were both heavily disguised, they were still seen through by the sharp-eyed reporters.

It was becoming news that American media loved to talk about.

This was the follow-up plot after Taylor Swift kicked Joe Jonas; it was a sweet romance drama that the American people loved to see.

Although before, many people also felt that sweetheart Selena and Fan Xi were a better match. Many others held 'childhood sweetheart shares' in Kendall Jenner and Fan Xi.

But ever since Taylor Swift kicked Joe Jonas, she seemed to have secured her status as the 'original wife'.

After all, in any romance movie, the heroine who kicks the villain down should receive a reward, and the prize is the male lead.

Fan Xi certainly enjoyed the French-style moist kissing method with Taylor Swift; it always made his heart thump and gave him the feeling of his soul and body overlapping.

No wonder that in traditional Chinese martial arts, the oral cavity above the tongue is called the Magpie Bridge.

Only by opening the Magpie Bridge can one connect to the dantian, reach the Baihui point directly, and connect downward to the Twelve-Story Pagoda, forming the Great Heavenly Cycle.

Taylor Swift had been riding high recently.

She was very happy that her long-held admiration had finally seen the clouds part and the moon appear.

However, one family's joy is another's sorrow.

When Fan Xi boarded the plane to Oklahoma, the Kardashian family was filled with gloom; they always had a few cameras working in their house.

Under the recording of the cameras, Kim Kardashian hugged the dejected Kendall Jenner. "Now we must have a battle plan. We must help Kendall take down Jack; we absolutely cannot let Taylor continue to capture cities and seize territory."

"Taylor Swift is a shrewd woman; she is too good at managing popularity. This time, Kendall was clearly the heroine, but she managed to steal the spotlight."

"I really hate this kind of woman who puts on airs..."

"Jack shouldn't be bewitched by her..."

"..."

The women of the Kardashian family talked all at once; they looked like they were going to discuss a result.

Then, Kim Kardashian made a decision, saying: "We should hurry and book tickets; we are going to tell Jack in front of the entire American audience at the arena to hurry back to Kendall's side. Kendall is the best girl in the world."

"Yes."

They chattered away, just like gossiping women.

At the same time, in another high-end villa in Beverly Hills, Scarlett Johansson was comforting sweetheart Selena.

Selena was the most depressed woman; clearly, she had worn Jack's sneakers that night, but in the subsequent reports, there was almost no mention of her name.

She was completely overshadowed by Taylor and Jenner; she detested this result and wished that the person who kicked Joe Jonas away was her.

However, reality did not allow her to do so.

Because she and Joe Jonas were in the same talent agency, and this agency often created teen idols. With Jonas's commercial activities plummeting due to the exposure of this scandal, the agency was very angry; they even forbade their artists from wearing Jack Fan's brand sneakers, which greatly annoyed Selena.

And the agent specifically instructed Selena not to contact Jack again.

This was the reason for Selena's extreme pain now; when she saw the photos of Taylor Swift and Jack kissing passionately on TV, she felt even more like she was being clawed at by a hundred claws.

"I wish I could kick Taylor Swift down and then hold Jack's head for a retaliatory kiss."

Selena poured out her grievances to Scarlett.

Scarlett was very relaxed in front of her; she was wearing thin-as-cicada-wings silk pajamas, showing off her mature and graceful figure completely.

Her relationship with Selena had progressed rapidly recently; they had become best friends who talked about everything, although their age gap was a bit large.

But Scarlett, this A-list movie star, was very willing to listen to the troubles of the teen idol Selena.

She actively offered advice to Selena: "I think instead of complaining like this, you might as well take action. Perhaps you should drag Jack directly into a small dark room during halftime of a game and make him submit under you..."

Speaking of this, Scarlett couldn't help but blush a little.

At this moment, she was like a ripe peach.

Fortunately, she was holding a glass of red wine, sipping it slightly, making Selena think it was the red wine that had gone to her face.

"You should drink less, Scarlett. However, is your suggestion really feasible? Won't Jack sue me for harassment?" Selena asked cautiously; in America, people were most afraid of such lawsuits involving the two sexes.

"Absolutely not," Scarlett said decisively.

Hmm?

Selena was a bit surprised; she asked Scarlett suspiciously: "How do you know he definitely won't?"

"Uh... this... according to my observation, Jack likes to be passive," Scarlett said with a guilty conscience.

Selena listened, and she remembered their first meeting.

Then, she nodded; perhaps it was time to take a trip to Staples.

It's just... when will the Lakers' next home game be?

People were all saying the Thunder wouldn't last until the fifth game.

... ===== CHAPTER 155 =====