Chapter 174: Stone Shatters the Sky, A Great Show Awaits

This is a round that Fan Xi must hit.

It is also an attack that the Heat must choke off.

Both sides' tension has become exaggerated.

Even Kobe Bryant, sitting on the sidelines, has forgotten Vanessa's "grief", his hands trembling; the battle‑mad him wishes he were on the court, to complete this tactical and willpower showdown.

When Kobe clenches his fists and holds his breath.

In Miami, the backcourt changes in an instant; Wade steps forward with a heavy gait to Fan Xi's front. The Flash is one of the few current league superstars who excel at both offense and defense, and his multiple selections to the defensive lineup prove it.

This time he does not use taffy‑style defense; he no longer presses the ball in Fan Xi's hands. Instead he employs dynamic defense, bringing the spirit he used defending Kobe to guard Fan Xi, and when Fan Xi launches his charge, Miami does not hesitate to double‑team.

Both sides have laid their cards on the table; the Heat's intent to "kill Fan Xi" is obvious, which is why Le Bu Lang Zhang Si also personally jumps in to double‑team.

Two historic‑level superstars, league icons and former Finals MVPs, this defense in a way gives Fan Xi, the undrafted rookie, some face.

It is something many people could not even dream of.

Fan Xi is already the strongest undrafted rookie in history, needing no proof.

"Le Bu Lang Zhang Si plus Wade, that's the world's top‑tier perimeter lineup; Fan Xi must hold his ground."

Zhongguo commentators shout loudly on television across the ocean.

His shout carries a hint of prayer.

In fact, all of Asia and everywhere outside North America, everyone hopes Fan Xi can withstand the pressure and finish this offensive.

Fan Xi, in a sense, becomes a pillar beyond American basketball; his victory is the world basketball community's victory.

The pressure Le Bu Lang Zhang Si exerts is surging; his towering, broad build and fierce athleticism trap Fan Xi in a squeeze.

If Fan Xi had not received Ben Wallace's power talent, he would likely have thrown down his armor and surrendered amid the double‑team of Wade and Le Bu Lang Zhang Si: the body is the foundation of everything.

Nevertheless, this still makes Fan Xi's progress difficult; top‑level speed and explosiveness are constrained within a tiny space.

Yet Fan Xi keeps moving, constantly maintaining an inward thrust, while at the same time Le Bu Lang Zhang Si and Wade's double‑team range keeps shrinking.

However, they seem deliberately to give Fan Xi a sliver of hope, letting him head deeper into the paint.

Until Ke Li Si Bo Shen makes a lateral move and appears at the baseline, covering the camera view of Fan Xi's breakthrough path.

Everyone understands.

The Three Giants are seeking revenge for the opening arrow.

At the start, Fan Xi was above the sky, seizing heaven and earth's advantage. Now he is completely double‑teamed, his feet barely leaving the ground.

Like a lamb surrounded by a pack of wolves.

Kenny Smith had already shouted on TV: "Bad, Jie Ke fell into a trap."

This is even more terrifying than a ten‑sided ambush.

Fan Xi is like being stuffed into a sack, the opening getting smaller; his shots get blocked, passes get stolen, and even if he stops, Wade or Le Bu Lang Zhang Si will directly take the ball.

This is a desperate situation.

Heaven does not answer his cries, earth does not respond.

Kobe watches from the sideline as Fan Xi disappears among the three mountains; his expression turns gloomy, and he mutters: "Jie Ke is still too young."

That thought spreads through the hearts of the 20,000 fans at Staples Center.

It is called despair.

Yet, as the supporters fall into darkness, an orange‑yellow flash suddenly bursts out from the three mountains… Boom!

It slams heavily onto the backboard.

Immediately, a purple‑golden figure slices through the human wall, circles behind Ke Li Si Bo Shen, leaps up; the purple‑golden youth, light as a swallow, soars skyward, swiftly snatches the ball rebounding from the backboard, and forcefully hurls it into the hoop… Who says a ten‑sided ambush has no way out?

That vivid purple‑golden hue blossoms in the hearts of every Lakers fan at Staples Center, each unleashing a roaring wave of sound, their vocal cords grinding fiercely… Boom!

When Fan Xi single‑handedly slams the ball into the hoop, he reaches the peak!

super-fan………………!

The arena commentator shouts Fan Xi's name with his gruffest voice, and his shout is quickly drowned out by the 20,000 fans.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

The whole arena shouts in unison.

With that ball, Fan Xi ignites Los Angeles's morale completely.

No one expected Fan Xi could flip the Three Giants a second time, and in a way that rises from the brink of death.

That ball exceeded everyone's expectations, including the Three Giants themselves; they did not anticipate Fan Xi's method.

The big screen above quickly replayed Fan Xi's slick play in full: when Fan Xi fell into the double‑team, he calmly stepped hard to the left, performed a passing motion while jumping, drawing defensive attention, and slammed the ball hard onto the backboard.

He then used the instant his foot touched the ground to accelerate again, bypassing Ke Li Si Bo Shen.

All this happened within milliseconds; as he vaulted up from behind Bo Shen, the Three Giants' defense was already hopeless.

Rather than saying they locked Fan Xi with a triple double‑team, it's better to say Fan Xi took all three down in one net.

"Unbelievable! Unbelievable! Unbelievable!! Jieke Fan's brain is literally as terrifying as a computer; how did he calculate this? Why can he always perform such miracles? The Three Giants are being toyed with, and Le Bu Lang Zhang Si and Wade must be very frustrated now…"

Kenny Smith's voice is sharp, as if sprinkling salt on Miami's wound.

And sitting beside him, Er Johnsson and Charles Barkley, aside from clicking their tongues in amazement, remain silent; they belong to another camp.

The Lakers' morale quickly rises with Fan Xi's unexpected dunk, sweeping away the prior sluggishness.

Andrew Bai Na Mu even rushes over to give Fan Xi a hard high‑five: "That's right, buddy, that's how we do it! The Three Giants aren't that great!!"

Bai Na Mu roars loudly.

Those who don't know think he made the dunk.

Moreover, he was clearly a coward before.

"Oh, damn!"

The signal lagged; when Zhongguo fans across the ocean saw Fan Xi's dunk, it was already 20 seconds after the live event, but that didn't diminish the shock across the mainland.

Who could have thought Fan Xi would pull off such a move? It's as if he's grinding the Three Giants' IQ into the ground!

The CCTV host shouted excitedly, "Playing basketball also requires feeding the brain."

Obviously, this is a dunk meant to stir the whole nation's passion.

It's comparable to ten thousand troops cutting down generals and seizing flags!

Meanwhile, on the court Fan Xi displayed the bearing of a great general, refraining from overindulging in the celebration.

He quickly threw himself into transition defense, slapping his palms hard and loudly urging his teammates, "Get your spirits up and guard this ball!"

At that moment, Fan Xi's words were magical, for his slam dunk fully energized his teammates.

Fan Xi must strike while the iron is hot, aiming to crush the Miami Heat Big Three by the third quarter.

Wei De advanced with the ball into the frontcourt, his eyes seeing the Lakers' defensive formation stand rigidly strong.

And while he was directing his teammates' positioning, Fan Xi suddenly switched defense with Ma Te Ba En Si, quickly pressing forward.

This scene exceeded everyone's expectations; no one thought Fan Xi would voluntarily ask to guard Wei De. Previously, he had deliberately avoided entangling with Wei De most of the time.

"What's going on?" Phil Jackson said, somewhat surprised.

"He's gone mad," Ke Bi said cleanly and decisively, his gaze blazing; at that moment, on the Lakers #10 jersey he saw only his own former shadow.

He hopes Fan Xi can win.

Wei De, seeing Fan Xi daring to go one‑on‑one, took the initiative to guard him.

In an instant, he gestured for his teammates to spread, declaring he would take Fan Xi one‑on‑one.

He wants to show Fan Xi what a superstar is.

Wei De slowly bent his waist.

This super guard, who once terrorized the league in his youth, is now at his peak; his strength, in a sense, has already surpassed the past‑peak Ke Bi, even though he had long served as Fan Xi's background for clutch shots.

Yet no one ever thought Fan Xi's ability could be compared with Wei De's, after all Wei De was once the lone Finals MVP who single‑handedly overturned the Cowboys in the Finals.

Compared with him, Fan Xi lacks far too many things.

Fan Xi also knows this is a reckless gamble, yet his gaze remains resolute.

If he doesn't bring down the superstar, if he doesn't establish his authority on both offense and defense, how can he truly unite this Lakers team?

A super core cannot be built merely with words, nor can it be secured solely by the head coach's endorsement.

Do what the capable cannot.

Do what others dare not try.

Wei De's eyes narrowed; he was like a leopard, and no one knew where his next pounce would occur.

Fan Xi stood before him with intense focus.

He carefully observed Wei De's shoulder tremor, applying all the experience Ke Bi had told him here, knowing this defense would determine the game's final course.

If they can guard Wei De, the Lakers can surge to a climax and completely crush the Miami Heat Big Three!

Sss!

Wei De stepped fiercely to the left, his body movement extremely forceful and realistic.

Although Wei De's explosive power has waned due to injuries compared to his youth, he remains razor‑sharp, showing how terrifying his peak physical gifts were. Most importantly, his current experience has reached a level of effortless mastery.

With that step, Fan Xi could not tell whether it was a fake or a real attack.

Ordinary defenders had long been blown away by his single‑step moves.

But Fan Xi steadied his center of gravity and shifted slightly sideways, blocking Wei De's next possible change of direction.

This defense showed Fan Xi's potential to become a top‑tier defender. Defense, to some extent, is 51% instinct and 49% judgment: in the flash of a moment, instinct always outweighs analysis.

Many players never become good defenders in their lifetimes, not because their minds are lacking, but because the instinct forged by years of lived experience is insufficient. Of course, a lacking mind is the majority case.

Wei De was slightly surprised.

But his next move didn't change; he forced a cut… his cut carried power and angle, landing precisely on Fan Xi's defensive blind spot… Bang!

The basketball flashed away, and Wei De's figure swung past with incredible speed.

Fan Xi instantly left half a position exposed.

At that moment, Fan Xi quickly executed an unexpected move… instead of moving laterally to follow, he spun using his central foot, reappearing beside Wei De and sticking like taffy.

Wei De was shocked.

He hadn't expected that after his league‑leading cut, Fan Xi could still cling on.

He simply surged inward with defending Fan Xi for two swift steps, then abruptly halted.

Fan Xi's massive body inertia prevented a timely brake; meanwhile Wei De lunged back one step, instantly widening the defensive gap.

If Wei De now took the shot, Fan Xi could not block it.

But at that moment, James shouted from the low corner.

His call for the ball distracted Wei De.

When Wei De shot again, Fan Xi had already leapt forward, refusing to abandon defense; even after being flung two steps away by inertia, he still lunged desperately.

His tenacity brought him a reward.

Wei De released his shot half a beat later, the ball soaring toward the sky.

But Fan Xi, spreading his wings like a great roc, brushed the ball with his right fingertip, instantly altering its trajectory and slamming it down.

After the ball was swatted away,

Wei De and Fan Xi landed almost simultaneously, then both lunged toward the ball together.

Wei De is slightly taller, while Fan Xi's wingspan is a bit longer.

The two were almost on the same horizontal line, soaring toward the ball like two Sakuragi Hanamichi… both blood‑brave, willing to risk everything for victory.

But in their scramble, Fan Xi thrust the ball out of bounds.

At that point, both had already fallen to the ground.

Wei De thought he had already won this time.

But he didn't expect that Fan Xi, who had also fallen to the ground like him, would get up again, stagger forward a step, and then lunge directly toward the spectators off the court...

Crazy.

Wei De gave the highest praise in his heart.

In this head-on confrontation, he gained a higher understanding of Fan Xi.

Fan Xi's whole body was horizontal in the air; his left hand grabbed the basketball and flung it back hard: fast break!

He shouted loudly, his whole body pulled by Earth's gravity, crashing down hard... He actually flew past the first and second rows, landing in the second row of seats; the spectator section erupted in chaos, everyone scrambling.

And commentator Charles Barkley on the commentary seat already started shouting weirdly: "Hey! Hey! Hey! Look at this guy! Look at this guy! There's a good show to watch! There's a good show to watch!"

He was like a spectator jumping up and down, eating melon.

And TV viewers quickly understood his meaning.

Because everyone saw Si Jia Li Johnson and Selena Gomez on the TV screen, and Fan Xi's fall landed right on them.