Chapter 163

Fan Xi created a miracle.

His dunk over Wade was crazily reposted on the internet that very night. In the United States, people called it the "Whip of God." And in Zhongguo, talented netizens named it: The Arrival of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Clearly, the Little Emperor James and the Flash Wade did not survive this heavenly tribulation.

Fan Xi, who scored 21 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block in his first career game, and also produced a fatal buzzer-beater, was called the most powerful Finals rookie in history.

Furthermore, people unanimously agreed that Fan Xi's performance in his first Finals game surpassed his senior, Magic Johnson.

As for Fan Xi's buzzer-beating dunk, it was even called the greatest buzzer-beater performance in NBA Finals history, universally recognized as surpassing "The Shot" where Jordan stole the ball from Russell of the Jazz to complete a buzzer-beater!

After all, the person he single-handedly got past was the League's number one superstar, and the person he dunked under was a top-4 super superstar and former Finals MVP.

The glorious status of the opponents raised the gold content of this buzzer-beater to an incomparable degree.

Reggie Miller said excitedly: "Before tonight, there had never been such a fatal buzzer-beater in NBA history. After tonight, it is impossible for such a fatal buzzer-beater to appear again."

Especially since Fan Xi, afterward, also put on Kobe Bryant's jersey to complete that final, definitive free throw.

This allowed the buzzer-beater to be sublimated in terms of human sentiment.

Many Lakers fans were saying that this was the inheritance of the NBA; Kobe handed the jersey to Fan Xi tonight, and in the near future, he would place the Lakers' crown on Jack's head.

Subtly, people had already regarded Fan Xi as the successor to the Lakers dynasty.

Taking the first victory on the road plunged Los Angeles into crazy celebrations; everyone was thinking: We are about to be the only dynasty team in the 21st century to have won two three-peats.

However, this wonderful mood came to an abrupt end at noon the next day.

Smart fans should have guessed it earlier; rumors spread that very night that Kobe Bryant had been sent to the hospital overnight, and Jack Fan did not appear at the post-game press conference after accepting the sideline interview.

According to custom, as the man who performed best in the whole game and completed an epic buzzer-beater, he should have appeared at the media conference to meet all the reporters and accept everyone's praise.

Kobe Bryant completed his surgery the next morning. In the United States, as long as you have money, you can have the best orthopedic surgeon in the country fly from Boston to Miami overnight.

This was not a major surgery.

Kobe had a fracture.

For athletes, this kind of "hard injury" is not very harmful; what is feared are those "soft injuries," especially ligaments.

This was a blessing in disguise for Kobe.

But now, the problem facing the Lakers was extremely difficult. According to the doctor's estimate, Kobe Bryant would need at least half a year before he could return to the court; the Finals could not be delayed for half a year because of his injury.

The Lakers, having lost Kobe, were like a fierce tiger that had lost its two most ferocious front claws. Relying only on the current roster, how could they compete with the Heat, who possessed the Big Three?

Originally, the Los Angeles Lakers were suppressing the Miami Heat in this game; if it weren't for Kobe's injury, it wouldn't even have needed to drag on to a buzzer-beater to decide the winner.

Now, looking at Kobe lying in the hospital ward, everyone was plunged into anxiety and melancholy.

The Los Angeles Lakers' executives arrived in Miami by plane overnight.

Jeanie Buss, Jim Buss, Kupchak, Magic Johnson... and a group of senior management personnel were all guarding outside the ward.

Kobe's injury was a devastating blow to the Lakers.

It would not only fundamentally reverse the advantage in the Finals but also greatly discount the commercial value of the Finals. The head of the business department even cried out directly outside: "What should we do about our home sponsorship and box office revenue next? Who would be willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to watch a game without Kobe? Who would be willing to spend millions of dollars to sponsor a game without Kobe?"

"We were selling them aggressively on a per-game basis before. If we had known, we should have bundled them together for sale..."

This lady named Sula was under huge profit pressure, and she had already burst into tears.

Her crying made the Lakers' big bosses and shareholders frown even more.

At this time, Vanessa walked out of the ward, and Jim Buss and the others hurriedly stepped forward to show concern, asking after her and saying they would definitely give Kobe the best medical care, etc...

Vanessa was quite calm; as an athlete's wife, she had long been accustomed to her husband's injuries. Moreover, as a woman, she didn't quite understand the significance of one more championship or one less; she only hoped that her husband could stay by her side for a long time.

"Jack, Kobe said he has something to tell you."

Vanessa called to Fan Xi, who had been sitting on a chair in the corner.

Fan Xi had not participated in their management's conversation because most of what they were discussing were the "losses" brought to the team after Kobe's injury—some economic topics. Fan Xi was not professional in these, and he didn't want to discuss them.

He had left the hospital at 2:00 AM last night and rushed over at 9:00 AM today.

During this process, besides making a phone call to his agent Lu Yuan, Lu Yuan told him that the market situation had skyrocketed with this game, and his commercial value was soaring further. Then Lu Yuan asked about Kobe's injury, and Fan Xi said there was no conclusion yet.

In fact, Fan Xi already knew last night that Kobe was out for the season, but he didn't want to tell anyone this bad news.

Lu Yuan said on the other end that if Kobe Bryant was injured, it was a very good opportunity for him; he had the chance to stage the legend of Magic Johnson back then. If he did this in this era, he would truly become a super superstar who could call the wind and rain in the League. Any game with your name on it would see ticket prices soar, and attendance would suddenly increase...

Fan Xi hung up the phone.

Vanessa called Fan Xi's name.

Everyone was a bit surprised; they had originally thought that besides his family, the first person Kobe would see would be the team management, either Jim Buss or Jeanie Buss.

"Jack, keep it up. We're counting on you from now on. Believe in yourself; you are already standing at the crossroads of history, and you will become the new leader."

Jim Buss patted Fan Xi on the shoulder as he passed by, and he said loudly.

This sentence of his was not entirely meant for Fan Xi to hear.

He made Jeanie Buss and Magic Johnson look sideways, and Jim Buss even deliberately raised his chin to meet their "surprise."

Fan Xi had long been branded as Jim Buss's direct subordinate; Jim Buss praising Fan Xi like this now was a great provocation to Jeanie and Magic.

If Fan Xi became the leader of the next era of the Lakers, then Jim Buss would logically become the successor to the club, and Jeanie Buss would have no chance at all.

Magic knew even better what the "crossroads of history" Jim Buss mentioned referred to. Back then, Magic became the Lakers' leader by relying on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar being injured in the Finals; Magic Johnson stepped up in that Finals and won the unprecedented rookie Finals MVP. From then on, he leaped to become the League's signature superstar, ruling the eighties together with Larry Bird, until he contracted HIV and Michael Jordan rose strongly, only then did he hand over the scepter.

Now, Jim Buss mentioning this matter was a serious crisis for Magic Johnson.

Magic didn't really want another point guard to appear in the Lakers who surpassed him.

Fan Xi ignored these "power struggles" among the top brass; as a player, as long as you do your own job well, you can eat anywhere.

Walking into the ward, Kobe Bryant was watching TNT's television report.

"... Undoubtedly, Jack Fan is the most legendary rookie in history. I have never seen any rookie possess such a miraculous resume as him. God is my witness, he's an undrafted player. How many impossible-to-beat opponents has he taken down along the way? Last night, he even took down the Flash Wade and LeBron James with a dunk contest-level violent dunk. My God, if you ask me, he is the true Chosen One."

"Thinking that half a year ago he was still seeking a 10-day short-term contract in various training camps, his performance now makes it impossible not to associate it with the American Dream; he is the reality of the American Dream!"

The special commentator on TV talked eloquently, excitedly speaking words of praise.

Under this round of crazy bombardment, Fan Xi's name was completely established.

Even if the Lakers lost this series, Fan Xi could become one of the few quasi-super superstars in the League by virtue of this momentum.

"Jack, listen to how these guys are flattering you." Kobe Bryant smiled and said to Fan Xi: "I simply can't believe it; when I first met you, you were so immature. At that time, you seemed to have trouble even dunking with one hand; I didn't expect you to dunk over Wade directly last night."

"That guy has always been bragging in front of me that he is a better shot-blocker than me, but now, he lost to my little brother, hehe."

Kobe laughed triumphantly.

Fan Xi sat down beside him.

"You have finally become a star who can stand on your own."

"I was just thinking, me getting injured is a good thing for you; it can accelerate your growth. You will get unprecedented training in this series because your opponents are the strongest in the League in every aspect."

"But speaking of which, it's really cruel; you're only 19 years old, and you have to face the world's best perimeter combination alone."

"Jack, tell me, if I hadn't been injured, would we have taken down the Miami Heat in five games?"

Kobe kept talking incessantly.

"It should have been four games." Fan Xi answered Kobe with a smile.

This was not shooting without a target; with the current harmony and roster depth of the Lakers, taking down the Miami Heat, who had obvious roster flaws, in four games was highly probable.

It's just that now, without Kobe, the Lakers were facing a complete reshuffle, the chemistry needed to be recombined, the offensive firepower was weakened across the board, and the backcourt defensive intensity also plummeted... The Miami Heat should take down the Lakers in 5 games.

Kobe laughed for a while.

Then he fell into silence for a few seconds.

Then he said: "Jack, I called you in, actually to tell you one thing. My most important basketball philosophy: be yourself."

"From now on, don't pay attention to any outside talk; don't be disturbed by the coaching staff or the management, and even less by the teammates. Go to the cruel battlefield to improve your skills and enhance your strength. Don't think about winning, don't think about the glory of success; you can only believe in the basketball in your hands, go kill one weak-hearted self after another, and take down one strict defense after another in front of you."

"I hope you are a bit more selfish."

"You need to shoot more decisively and attack more decisively; there is nothing more training-intensive than the Finals."

"Just like that final buzzer-beater."

"You don't need to carry anyone's expectations; that way you can become stronger."

Kobe kept emphasizing this point to Fan Xi.

After Fan Xi left Kobe's ward, Jeanie Buss, Jim Buss, and the others entered Kobe's ward together, along with Kobe's agent.

When Fan Xi left the hospital and returned to the hotel, he saw breaking news on TV.

The content was: Kobe Bryant has a fractured arm and is out for the season.

The one reporting this news was a local Miami TV station; their host used a tone of great joy to describe this sad event.

Fan Xi rubbed his temples; he remembered this host.

At the same time, he also knew why the Lakers would announce this news at this time.

Clearly, the Lakers could have dragged it out until the end of the next game, collected high-priced home sponsorships, and sold out the two home game tickets before making this announcement.

This would have been most beneficial to the Lakers club.

And for Kobe, there would have been no loss either.

However, why did Kobe do this?

This is the same reason why Kobe Bryant stayed on the court even though he knew his arm was fractured; he wanted to teach Fan Xi more things, he wanted to let Fan Xi grow up quickly, and he wanted to let the younger generation of the Lakers learn to play without him.

God only gave him three minutes.

At the last moment, he took a huge risk to defend James for Fan Xi and fought for the final opportunity for a buzzer-beater.

That was how Fan Xi got his legendary buzzer-beater that shocked the world.

Now, Kobe announced he was out for the season.

This was also for Fan Xi and the young people on the team.

He hoped that the young players on the team would no longer carry the pressure of winning; he was injured, he was out, and after the huge sadness, the fans would default to the Lakers losing hope of winning the championship this season.

This way, they wouldn't be so harsh on Jack Fan, Bynum, Gasol...

Kobe always said he was a selfish player, and the outside world commented the same.

"He really is a very, very good person."

Fan Xi thought secretly with his head down.

At this time, Bynum walked into Fan Xi's room; he was like a child who had lost his soul. He said to Fan Xi: "Jack, Kobe is out for the season. What should we do? We are finished; there is no hope at all."