Chapter 158: The Leisurely Lakers, the Confident Zen Master

Since gaining Ben Wallace's power, Fan Xi had never fallen behind in confrontation at the point guard position, but the one helping defend was James.

The most powerful monster in NBA history, with the strength of a center and the speed of a guard.

The terrifying physical collision ability was like a cannonball; he even added some weight this season to confront the paint because of the lack of inside players.

Therefore, when James helped defend, Fan Xi was prepared in an instant.

One second before James hit his body, he quickly threw the basketball out with his left hand; the basketball brushed past James's ribs and drilled straight into the paint. Bynum received the basketball, jumped easily, and completed a two-handed violent dunk.

At that time, James had already achieved the effect of covering the sky and the sun; the Heat's defenders didn't expect Fan Xi to be able to pass the ball in.

Bynum excitedly beat his chest, and he ran over to pull Fan Xi up with both hands.

"I have to say, art films have developed your brain; this pass is super artistic. Art is broken; you were broken by LeBron James, but you created a great dunk."

Little Shark spoke loudly; he didn't care about James's feelings next to him at all.

James's anger was about to erupt.

But his basketball IQ was still very high.

He arrived at the frontcourt and still let Mike Bibby distribute the ball.

Although Bibby's defense wasn't great, his 'meat-dividing' method was very clever; his arrival solved the ball possession conflict between James, Wade, and Bosh to a certain extent.

When Wade came out from the baseline, he quickly passed the basketball over.

Wade received the basketball, and Kobe Bryant defended him.

Wade and Kobe were hailed as the two strongest shooting guards in the league today; for many years, their duel had been incomparably attractive to everyone's eyes.

The Flash used his breakthrough to pass Kobe by a step, then stopped suddenly, stepped back for a jump shot... Swish!

They were all standing at the top height; every move was natural, without any flaws.

Turning back, Fan Xi handed the basketball to Kobe.

Kobe appeared very patient; he played one-on-one on the strong side, then passed directly to the paint; Pau Gasol feinted and killed into the paint, hitting a one-handed layup.

The Lakers' paint height was too scary.

The Heat tried to increase the speed, but Fan Xi controlled the rhythm with experience, and the experienced Kobe Bryant sat in town; they were just smart old foxes and little foxes.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade relied on personal talent to score frequently, create threats, and drive Chris Bosh.

However, the Lakers were unhurried.

They circled with a neutral and peaceful posture, always controlling the initiative.

Even when Fan Xi played until the middle of the second quarter and went down to rest, Kobe Bryant firmly controlled the game rhythm. The Lakers knew very well where their advantages lay; as long as they didn't make mistakes, the Heat's fast break wouldn't be able to start.

From the viewer's perspective, this was a wonderful game.

It met the expectations for a 'peak duel'.

The Heat's James and Wade interpreted their talent to the extreme; they made all kinds of straight-in breakthroughs, hit unbelievable goals with extraordinary personal ability, and always maintained competitiveness; the Heat were always only trailing by 3 to 5 points.

The Lakers presented something else; they were a whole, including Kobe Bryant, working within a skillful and united system.

Past playoff experience made their chemistry more skillful; the party Kobe held before the Finals repaired part of his relationship with Bynum.

And Kobe himself also integrated more fully into the lineup in this series; his Finals experience was too rich. He was like a wise elder reminding his teammates to do the right thing at the right time; the difference from all previous Finals was that he now had a smart helmsman beside him to control the direction of the voyage.

The Lakers faced the Heat's wave of talent with a calm posture; according to the current trend, they would easily reach the other shore.

Fan Xi benefited a lot from this game.

After the baptism of the first half, he had completely felt the difference between the Finals and ordinary playoffs: the interests contained behind it were too amazing; in Kobe Bryant's words, second place is the biggest loser, and no one wants to watch huge interests flash by and enter the opponent's pocket.

Therefore, the confrontation in the Finals was extremely tough, the game intensity was at a freakish level, and the focus of both sides reached a terrifying level; any small mistake would lead to the collapse of the whole situation.

As the only rookie starter for both teams, Fan Xi was cautious and walking on thin ice, his spirit highly tense.

He learned in battle; Kobe Bryant didn't enter the killing mode tonight, partly because the Lakers' inside power was strong, and the Lakers' advantage was in the paint.

On the other hand, he wanted to teach Fan Xi more experience; his interaction with Fan Xi on the court was very frequent, using words or actions.

Fan Xi was a person with strong comprehension ability.

Like a sponge, he constantly absorbed the knowledge Kobe imparted.

"LeBron is really a beast."

Andrew Bynum rubbed his chest in the locker room; his entire left chest was bruised. In the second quarter, he went to create James's offensive foul and collided head-on.

"I swear, I will definitely not do such a stupid thing again in the future."

"What's the difference between this and blocking a locomotive with flesh?"

Bynum complained loudly.

The players next to him laughed loudly. It diluted some of the murderous atmosphere of the Finals.

Kobe praised Bynum later: "You finally have a bit of the look of a super center tonight. I have to seriously consider whether to put you on the 'opponent' list."

Hmph!

Andrew Bynum raised his chin proudly; in fact, he was very satisfied inside. All along, Kobe had been ordering him around like a little minion, but now that Kobe praised him like this, his sense of achievement was higher than being kissed by 10 women in a row.

"Jack, that move where you shook Mike Bibby earlier was too cool; this is definitely a classic scene in Finals history," Bynum turned his head and praised Fan Xi. Fan Xi had created four direct opportunities for him to attack the rim tonight, and he seized three of them. Therefore, he really wanted to take his relationship with Fan Xi a step further.

Fan Xi smiled: "Maybe it's because he wasn't wearing fanx-one; his sneakers' grip performance isn't as good as mine. My sneakers' grip is the best in the world."

"No, Jack. I think your sneakers' girl-grabbing performance is the best," Lamar Odom joked: "Those women can't recognize Jordan classic models, but they must be able to recognize which sneakers can be worn to kick a man's lower abdomen."

Hahahaha.

The Lakers' locker room atmosphere was very happy and harmonious.

After a long period of running-in, this team was in its most harmonious and peak state.

Beep!

The second half of the game started quickly. Fan Xi was still sitting on the bench.

His physical fitness problem became more prominent as the game became more cruel; Phil Jackson couldn't help but say to Fan Xi sitting next to him: "Jack, if your physical fitness can play 36 minutes every game, we won't need 6 games to eliminate the Heat."

Fan Xi shrugged and made a joke with a 'posture': "Sigh! A rookie doesn't have to be so perfect. If I play 36 minutes every game, wouldn't I break Magic Johnson's record and take away the Finals MVP? Haha."

Fan Xi had a bit of humor in him.

If you deal with him a lot.

Phil Jackson smiled, and old Winter next to him also smiled and said: "Jack, if you win the Finals MVP, Magic Johnson will definitely jump and scold, maybe he will instigate Jeanie Buss to trade you away, ahahahaha."

Saying this, the old man also deliberately poked Phil Jackson: "Am I right?"

Phil Jackson raised his eyebrows: "How would I know, I'm not familiar with them?"

"Not familiar? You and Jeanie are almost cooked, hahahahaha," old Winter also had a bit of humor in him.

The three of them smiled in their own postures, and the TNT camera was aimed exactly at the Lakers' bench.

"It can be seen that Los Angeles, which occupies the upper hand, is very relaxed. Phil Jackson and Jack Fan are both optimistic about the game."

Kenny Smith said on TV.

"The Miami Heat will definitely launch a fierce attack in the second half; never forget that the world's best NBA superstar is in Miami, and he also has the Flash Wade; he has won the Finals MVP."

Charles Barkley's point of view tended toward the Heat. He didn't like James and the Heat that much; he just didn't want the Lakers and Fan Xi to win the championship.

After the second half started, the Heat didn't sit still.

At the start, the Flash Wade launched an assault; he killed into the paint with a tough and sharp breakthrough, collided forcefully with Andrew Bynum, and hit the basketball into the rim.

Subsequently, LeBron James took over the baton; he rushed to the paint with Matt Barnes's defense hanging on him and hit a 2+1.

Chris Bosh also performed; he completed the offense with a mid-range shot.

The Big Three all exerted their power.

However, they still couldn't narrow the score; the Lakers firmly held the advantage.

Kobe Bryant showed his powerful involvement ability on the perimeter; his offensive firepower made the Miami Heat afraid to shrink their defense.

When Fan Xi was not on the court, Kobe increased his shots, and his efficiency was okay. At the same time, he also played pick-and-rolls with Bynum continuously and assisted Pau Gasol in hitting shots.

The Lakers bit the lead advantage firmly.

Kobe was like Lu Bu, holding a Fangtian Painted Halberd and fighting three heroes alone.

It could be seen that Kobe was playing very hard.

However, he always had a confident smile on his face, because he knew that someone would come up to share his work soon.

People are not afraid of fierce enemies; they are afraid of having no one to support them behind them.

Fan Xi was now Kobe Bryant's supporter.

Fan Xi walked onto the court when the third quarter reached the sixth minute.

He had rested for a long, long time.

Usually, players who have rested for so long worry about the problem of cold shooting touch. However, the Lakers have a historical-level scoring god like Kobe; do they still need Fan Xi to score?

When Fan Xi went on the court, the Lakers led by 3 points.

When he controlled the ball, Heat backup point guard Chalmers defended him.

Chalmers's strength could actually be listed as a qualified NBA starter, but his playoff experience was very little.

He entered the Heat team with Michael Beasley back then; Beasley was the second overall pick at the time, infinitely glorious, and everyone thought he would become the next Kevin Durant; when he came to Miami, Pat Riley and the team owner even went to the airport to greet him in person.

However, after a season passed, the nameless Chalmers stayed, while Beasley was traded to Minnesota.

Chalmers's defensive ability was not bad; his famous battle back then was defending the rising Derek Rose in the NCAA Finals, although he ultimately didn't stop Rose from becoming the 2008 draft pick... at that time he was only one step away.

Heat fans hoped Chalmers would replicate the legend of the NCAA.

However, he did not stop Fan Xi's pace.

Fan Xi passed him, very easily.

Almost without effort.

Fan Xi's control of his body was indeed not as good as top talents like Rose and Westbrook, but he also had many top talents; it was just that some implicit talents were not as strong as theirs. And he also possessed extraordinary ball-handling skills.

Passing Chalmers was like crossing the street in the morning.

Fan Xi cut through the Heat's first line of defense and took the opportunity to enter the free-throw line; Miami had to help defend.

Once they helped defend, they lost their first layer of protective fence.

Fan Xi became the key to unlocking all of Miami's defensive chains; when Chris Bosh stepped up and spread his arms to cover, Fan Xi stopped suddenly and threw the ball to the left... LeBron James flew out from behind.

But his prediction was wrong; Fan Xi threw the basketball to the corner, and Matt Barnes ran over.

Barnes received the basketball, completely in an open position... Swish!

The net sounded.

Fan Xi achieved success as soon as he went on the court.

Fan Xi's advantage at the No. 1 position benefited all other positions of the Lakers.

The moment Barnes hit the shot, Spoelstra reached out and held his forehead.

From the perspective of lineup rationality, the Lakers were completely ahead of the Heat.

You know, the Lakers were the defending team with two consecutive championships, and this season they also had a quasi-superstar-level point guard who fit perfectly.

Whoo!

Spoelstra took a deep breath, and he made a gesture.

He let LeBron James hold the ball; he was going to pin his hopes on the superstar.

After trying team combat for nearly three quarters, Miami decided to play super-star basketball.

This was understandable.

This was the Miami Heat's advantage.

James held the ball and arrived at the arc top; Matt Barnes stared at him closely; James almost didn't hesitate, he stepped and sprinted, although his starting move was a bit... unclean.

But Matt Barnes really couldn't defend him.

The Lakers' advantage was the paint and the No. 1 position. While Miami's advantage was the two wings; Wade plus James was the number one wing combination in the league today.

James rushed into the paint with great momentum; he leaped up while Barnes was almost hanging on him... Boom!

He completed a violent dunk.

Andrew Bynum originally had a chance to interfere, but he hesitated for a moment.

Beep!

The head referee also gave Barnes a foul.

Kobe glared at Bynum angrily.

When LeBron James was shooting free throws, he even walked over and said a few words to Bynum.

Bynum's face was a bit ugly.

... ===== CHAPTER 159 =====