Chapter 186: The battle begins

Fan Xi walked into the locker room; Mike Dunleavy had arrived even earlier than him.

Dunleavy was a forward who joined Los Angeles in the middle of the season, traded for Ron Artest. He and Artest are completely different players; he is a tall shooter, and with his height and build, he could even play the 4th position in other small-ball teams, but in the Lakers, he usually exists as a 3rd position.

When he first came, he once wanted to eat Fan Xi and become another giant of Los Angeles. Later, he quickly discovered that Fan Xi was already unstoppable, and coming from a basketball family, he decisively hugged Fan Xi's thigh.

In terms of vision and intelligence, Dunleavy is definitely not comparable to Andrew Bynum.

Thanks to fully cooperating with Fan Xi's style of play, Dunleavy has averaged 11.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists since the playoffs, with 2.1 three-pointers per game; he can be considered a tough gun.

This data makes it a bit difficult for him, who has passed his prime, to get a ten-million-dollar annual salary, but if the agent is capable, the opportunity is still great.

However, Dunleavy is a smart person.

He specially came to the locker room very early and said to Fan Xi: "Jack, I want to take on more important worries tonight; I will do my best to help you. I know you want to win, and I want to win too; the treatment difference between a champion shooter and a runner-up shooter is too big."

Dunleavy's "ambition and desire" are all written in his eyes; he knows that posing in front of people like Fan Xi is useless.

Fan Xi appreciates his honesty; desire is the driving force for progress.

He said: "If you want to become famous, you must be prepared; you must seize the opportunity on the battlefield. I will pass the ball to you, and you must be on the same frequency as me; I need a shooter armed to the teeth."

Dunleavy nodded hurriedly and said: "I can do anything; I can't defend James, but I can stare at Chris Bosh; I can pull him out of the paint."

This is what he has thought about for a long time.

Sure enough, his words gave Fan Xi some new inspiration.

Fan Xi frowned and went to think silently.

Dunleavy didn't bother Fan Xi anymore; he hurriedly went to the court to train his three-point shooting.

The 2002 third overall pick, who came from a basketball family and was baptized by the Duke system in college, is very clear-headed; he is a very smart existence among the current Lakers players.

A loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer.

Fan Xi thought about the possibility of Dunleavy playing the 4th position while changing clothes; Dunleavy is a big-hearted player with extremely strong spot-up three-point ability. Although his mobility on the defensive end is insufficient, his style is strong and quite tenacious, with the backbone of an old white man.

Perhaps this is a way out.

As Fan Xi thought this, Matt Barnes came to the locker room. Barnes was covered in tattoos, and his style was like a fierce bandit.

"Jack, I knew you would definitely arrive before me."

Matt Barnes shouted as soon as he came in: "Those dog-food-fed guys in Miami really think they have the victory in their hands; what kind of bullshit basketball are they playing? A bunch of stars gathered together, and they really think they are invincible; I hate these high-and-mighty guys the most."

Matt Barnes's status in the NBA can be called a mud-legged person; he is a blue-collar worker, taking low wages all year round, but on the court, he always faces the opponent's highest-ranking stars, using his tenacity and hard work to block the opponent's most elite attacks.

If he defends, people will say that star's feel was bad. If he doesn't defend, people will worship that star and say he is worthy of being a superstar.

Defense is a bitter and tiring job.

Matt Barnes muttered and cursed for a while, then asked Fan Xi with a bit of lack of confidence: "Jack, tell me, can we really win tonight?"

Fan Xi smiled and said: "Whether we can win is put aside; let's give them a shot first."

Hehehehe.

Matt Barnes laughed: "That's right, that's the truth."

Fan Xi says different things to different people.

When Lamar Odom came over later and asked Fan Xi: "Can we win?"

Fan Xi said to him decisively: "We must win! Lamar, what are you thinking? Don't use your brain usually; just follow me and do it."

Lamar Odom's hesitant face immediately became firm.

Talking to Matt Barnes, you need to further stimulate his fighting spirit; he is not a result-oriented person, he just wants to fight stars, so fight with him.

Lamar Odom is an indecisive person; he is hesitant, and if he is allowed to think, he will definitely ruin things. It's not telling him, follow me, we will definitely win.

These two are easy to solve, only Andrew Bynum is difficult.

Andrew Bynum is a person who cherishes his body for big things and forgets righteousness for small profits.

He has no courage for frontal confrontation and bloody resistance, but if his teammates beat the opponent to residual blood, he has the courage to run out and pick peaches and grab heads, and it is not only there but also very big.

"Jack. Phil Jackson said I am the protagonist of this game, said let me kill in the paint, what do you think?"

One hour before the game started, Bynum walked up to Fan Xi and spoke to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi thought for a long time and said: "I don't know your situation, but I am going to work hard tonight. You'd better ensure that you are not fouled by James and Wade; they will definitely come for you today."

"You are a knife if you shrink your head, and a knife if you stretch your head. Be careful."

Fan Xi deliberately said this to Bynum.

Bynum was a bit puzzled: "Come for me? Shouldn't they come for you? Now all TV stations are taking your photos and James's opposition; you two are the ones who are tit-for-tat."

Fan Xi smiled. "Who let you be the most powerful paint area of the two teams now? Only those who control the basket can control the whole game. If they don't kill you, who do they kill?"

When Fan Xi said this, he said to him again: "By the way, I heard that there will be many Hollywood female stars and female models coming to watch the game tonight..."

When he said this, Fan Xi stopped abruptly.

He left space for Bynum.

The key factor tonight is indeed Andrew Bynum.

And James and Wade will inevitably impact the paint to kill Bynum and make him fall into foul trouble.

Beating him is the key step for Miami to win.

At 7:30 in the evening, Staples Center was full of people; this game attracted more than 20,000 fans to watch, and outside Staples Center, there were thousands of fans who couldn't get in; they didn't buy tickets.

They either chose to watch the big screen outside or go to nearby bars to watch the game.

Famous sports channels in the United States also gathered here; they would send the fifth game of the Finals to more than 15 million households in the United States, and in addition, more than 60 countries around the world broadcast synchronously, with hundreds of millions of viewers.

Before the game started, TNT entered the court; they conducted pre-game interviews with players from both sides.

But Fan Xi refused Charles Barkley's invitation face-to-face, not because of the rift between him and Barkley, but because he felt that saying anything before the game was meaningless.

This made Barkley quite unhappy; he felt that he took the initiative to run over to interview Fan Xi, which was him giving him a step down. As a senior in the industry, no matter from which angle, Fan Xi should give him this face. Even if Fan Xi shook hands with him and told him he didn't like to be interviewed before the game, he was still dissatisfied.

This was reflected in the pre-game report before the game started.

"Undoubtedly, Miami is more confident; whether it's LeBron, or Dwyane, or Chris, they all show positive emotions; they are not afraid of fighting at all; they believe they can bring the game back to Miami and lift the championship trophy at the American Airlines Center."

"The so-called Rose Little Duke, I think he is still a long way from a real superstar. Although I admit he is a big-hearted player, the more critical the moment, the more dangerous. However, the energy he uses to influence the game is far inferior to Wade and James; tonight the Heat won't give him a chance to bring the game to a critical moment."

Charles Barkley's prediction is: the Heat will settle the Lakers in three quarters.

This coincides with many basketball experts.

Although Fan Xi completed a game-winner in the last game, made a confidence-boosting speech, and there were no scandals in the past two days, and Jimbas even released news that Pau Gasol might return to the court.

However, basketball experts still don't think the Lakers can survive this hurdle.

The reason is very simple; if the Big Three can't defeat the Lakers in this situation, then they really lose face.

TNT TV station played James's interview on the court before the game started; he said with a firm face: "We have no way out; tonight is the first battle for us to blow the horn of counterattack!"

When he said this, James gritted his teeth, his eyes firmer than ever.

Besides winning, he has no way out. From the moment he joined Miami, only the championship can redeem his "decision." But in the summer of 2010, he must not have thought that a undrafted player who was born out of nowhere would stand in front of the O'Brien Cup alone in the Finals, killing him in a mess.

The lights in the home arena soon dimmed.

The on-site commentator began to introduce the players who appeared loudly and urgently.

Every Lakers player who appeared received sky-high cheers; the Finals reached this point, and every Los Angeleno hoped to create an unprecedented miracle in a scarred situation.

Fan Xi was the last player to appear.

When he appeared, Staples Center was like a nuclear bomb explosion; the sound wave seemed to want to lift the entire roof.

It can be said that the wish power of the entire Staples Center gathered here, all gathered on Fan Xi.

Everyone knows that only Fan Xi can save the Lakers, only Fan Xi can bring miracles.

Amidst the MVP sounds, Fan Xi ran to the court; he high-fived every teammate in the pursuit light, and then he ran to the center of the court.

While everyone was puzzled, he leaned down and patted the Lakers logo.

This action instantly triggered greater energy; the sound wave, which was already like an explosion, went up a few octaves.

Fan Xi's action stimulated the unparalleled cohesion of Staples Center.

The Lakers executives standing in the VIP box were all moved by it, even Jean Bas, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, who didn't want to work under Jimbas, were all moved at this moment.

If this guy wasn't Jimbas's person, how good would it be?

At a certain moment, Jean Bas didn't even want to trade Fan Xi anymore, even if Jerry West had told her before that Fan Xi could be traded for Magic Howard.

The game started soon.

Tonight, the Lakers' starting players are: Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Mike Dunleavy, Matt Barnes, Fan Xi.

The Miami Heat's starting players are: Chris Bosh, Haslem, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Mike Bibby.

Pau Gasol did not appear on the court, which confirmed that Jimbas's previous remarks were indeed a "confusing" act.

The news of Joel Anthony's injury was also released 1 hour before the game, which is a benefit for the Lakers, because the Lakers themselves have an advantage in the paint, and now this advantage is expanded with Joel Anthony's injury.

Andrew Bynum stood opposite Haslem, and the height difference between the two was very obvious.

*Slap! *

Bynum defeated Haslem as a matter of course.

Fan Xi controlled the ball, and he pushed forward to the frontcourt unhurriedly.

Wade stood in front of him.

In the past, when Wade faced Fan Xi, he always had some arrogance of a "superstar." It was only from the last game that he truly regarded Fan Xi as an opponent of equal strength.

Fan Xi stopped outside the three-point line, and he followed step by step.

Then, Mike Dunleavy ran over, he set a screen for Fan Xi, Fan Xi took the opportunity to break through Wade's defense, James switched to defend, Fan Xi galloped all the way, he went straight to the paint, and he jumped up in the restricted area.

Just when everyone thought he was going to attack the basket directly, he made a pass-inward action.

James sneered: Sure enough.

He waved his hand to intercept; he had expected it.

Who knew... what?

In an instant.

James realized something was wrong.

Fan Xi was actually a fake move; he feinted in the air and quickly threw it to the left bottom corner.

At this time, Dunleavy had already rushed over.

He received the basketball, with no defense in front or behind him; everyone's attention was on Fan Xi.

Even a three-year-old child knows that the Lakers' offensive focus in this game is the paint.

However, Fan Xi went against the grain.

Dunleavy received the ball outside the three-point line, shot, in one go.

Swish!

The basketball hit the net.

Three-pointer hit.

Staples Center was boiling.

"Defense!"

Fan Xi shouted, leading the team to retreat quickly.

The Heat really strengthened their attack rhythm.

And, just as Fan Xi expected.

James received the basketball and went straight to the paint; Kobe was not there... Ron Artest was traded, and the Lakers' defense was not as tight as last season.

James drove straight in and went straight to Bynum.

Bynum was still a bit dazed, James had already hit him, he hit Bynum away with the force of a wild bull, and then put the basketball into the basket. The referee sounded the whistle, and he gave Bynum a blocking foul.

Bynum raised his hands very aggrievedly, but the big screen on the top of his head did show that his steps swayed with his hesitation; he didn't stand in position.

If Kobe were on the court, he would definitely give Bynum a scolding.

Bynum even got used to this point himself.

He looked at Fan Xi hesitantly.

Fan Xi was very calm, didn't scold him, nor did he speak to encourage him.

This calm attitude made Bynum's emotions roll very violently. All along, he had lived in encouragement; Jabbar treated him like his own son, always praising him for his extraordinary talent, and the Lakers executives also valued him very much, even not trading him for Jason Kidd in his prime. Although Kobe Bryant scolded him, he always carried a bit of hatred for iron not becoming steel, and essentially valued him very much.

But now, Fan Xi just watched things happen so calmly.

This made him have a great emotional swing.

Then, he subconsciously looked at the sidelines, just as Fan Xi said, there were many Hollywood female stars sitting on the sidelines: he likes to show himself in front of female stars, he hopes he can be as glorious as Fan Xi.

But now, he really doesn't know what to do.

A sentence Fan Xi said before the game echoed in his mind repeatedly, that is a Chinese proverb: a knife if you stretch your head, a knife if you shrink your head.

He felt that James would not let him go no matter what.

Swish!

James hit the extra free throw.

Fan Xi let Odom pass the ball to himself, and then chatted with Odom for two sentences.

Bynum watched all this happen, and his heart surged a bit.

He returned to the paint, he intended to reach out for the ball.

But in the position fight with Haslem, Haslem blocked his lower plate very seriously.

So, he was entangled in force.

At this time, Fan Xi no longer waited for his position fight. Instead, he played a high-post pick-and-roll with Dunleavy again, Fan Xi quickly shook off Wade, he killed into the paint, under James's pursuit, he quickly stopped, Lamar Odom took the opportunity to go up to cover, Fan Xi stopped and started, killed to the basket, Chris Bosh switched to defend.

Fan Xi suddenly made a shooting action, Chris Bosh hurriedly reached out to block.

But Fan Xi hit a time difference; he hit it when Bosh's door was wide open, and threw the basketball into the basket under Bosh's armpit... *Beep! *

The referee sounded the whistle without hesitation.

It was also 2+1.

Staples Center was boiling.

Fan Xi's answer-ball always comes so quickly.

You mess with my center, I mess with your power forward.

Drawing fouls, who can't?

Fan Xi walked to the free-throw line.

Swish!

Hit.

The Lakers were still leading by 3 points.

Miami clearly didn't expect Fan Xi to use a strange move at the beginning; Pat Riley pondered for a moment on the sidelines, he stood up directly and commanded over the head: "Continue to press!"

The direction he pointed was the paint, the battlefield of James and Wade.

Wade arrived at the frontcourt and rushed to the paint; he didn't give Bynum time to react, hit him straight, Bynum was hit and staggered back, Wade took the opportunity to put the basketball into the basket.

The referee didn't sound the whistle.

Wade roared at Bynum, his hawk-like eyes deterred the only full-size center on the court.

This was Miami's pre-game strategy; they wanted to kill Bynum directly at the beginning; they knew too well what kind of player Bynum was.

Kobe Bryant was anxious on the sidelines; he wished he could rush up and give Bynum two slaps; he couldn't understand why such a huge guy had no bloodiness at all; people rushed up to clamor, and he didn't even have the courage to fight back. Where is the energy of fighting internally?

Fan Xi still didn't talk to Bynum.

He let Dunleavy pass the ball to him.

Then he held the ball and rushed to the frontcourt; he arrived outside the three-point line, Wade pressed up, he tried his best to block the connection between Fan Xi and other players, James also wandered on one side, ready to grab Fan Xi's mistakes and complete the defensive counterattack at any time.

If Kobe were still on the court, they wouldn't dare to target Fan Xi like this, because Fan Xi only needed one pass to pierce the Heat directly.

Fan Xi entangled with Wade for a few seconds, found a gap, and passed the basketball out quickly. Matt Barnes received the basketball, he jumped and shot... *Bang! *

The basketball hit the iron.

Andrew Bynum fought hard in the paint, but when he bypassed Haslem and prepared to grab the offensive rebound, James flew over from behind and took the rebound out of thin air.

Bynum's resentment value deepened.

At this time, Magic Johnson, sitting in the VIP box, shook his head and said: "Perhaps, I should go down and teach that little guy something. His passing is too ordinary; he should learn some special passing techniques, so that he could have passed the basketball directly into the paint just now."

"If Odom gets the basketball, he can attack the basket directly to score."

... ===== CHAPTER 187 =====