Chapter 190

"We have to put Andrew in."

Fan Xi said, enunciating every word in a very grave tone.

His expression was very heavy.

Because he knew this was an advance overdraft. Bynum already had four fouls; he was a surprise weapon. Once his usage scenario became prolonged, Miami would inevitably find a gap. The Lakers were not a seamless egg; on the contrary, the Lakers were now a team riddled with holes. The injuries to Gasol and Kobe had shattered the Lakers' original system. With the two cornerstones gone, the Lakers were even like a makeshift team.

Once a makeshift team has a killer move that works, it must be used at the critical moment.

Putting in Bynum with four fouls was an advance overdraft.

Playing run-and-gun earlier to win by surprise was also an advance overdraft.

If the goal was to stabilize the first-half lead, this was the only way.

Lao Wente and Phil Jackson discussed it for a long time before finally making the decision; they could only make such a decision.

Let Andrew Bynum return to the court.

Because if they couldn't maintain the double-digit lead in the first half, the second half would be even harder to play. Since that was the case, it was better to secure the results first and see if the second half would turn upside down and if new miracles would appear.

Beep!

The whistle blew.

As Andrew Bynum walked onto the court.

The Miami Heat's mood tightened first. Pat Riley was caught off guard; he had always been very confident in his own mind, firmly believing he could anticipate the enemy's moves. However, this was the second time he had been thwarted.

All the arrangements he made fell through.

However, he soon smiled again.

Bynum coming on meant the Lakers had no more trump cards. They had played all their cards in the first half; what could they have left for the second half? As long as the Heat slowly sharpened their blades, they could slaughter them clean.

Moreover, by getting a pulse on them in this game, it would be even easier to eliminate them in the next.

Miami was sure to win.

Phil Jackson was confused.

Pat Riley stood up, his back stiffening unnaturally. He made a gesture, demanding that the entire Miami army attack, pressing forward to strike directly at the paint.

For the Heat, with all three of their core players present, any tactical change was at their discretion and could be altered at any time.

Dwyane Wade brought the ball to the front court and quickly used Haslem's screen to charge into the paint.

He headed straight for Bynum.

Bynum didn't flinch or dodge; he opened his arms to welcome Wade's arrival.

Before going on, Fan Xi had told him one thing: when two sides meet on a narrow path, the brave one wins; only those who aren't afraid of fouling won't commit fouls.

Wade jumped up, Bynum followed closely, and the two collided in mid-air. Bynum didn't hesitate at all; he waited for Wade to toss the ball up and then swatted it away... Pop!

The basketball was swatted away.

Wade fell to the ground in the process and looked at the head referee.

The head referee ignored him.

It was a very clean defensive play.

Fan Xi stabilized the rhythm at this time; he didn't play a fast defensive counterattack.

This surprised Pat Riley, as he had already set an ambush.

"This guy's global vision is quite good," Jerry West said to Magic Johnson, his shrewd eyes catching the movement on the court.

Magic Johnson frowned and said: "This isn't global vision; this is intuition. Game intuition."

"This kid might be a natural-born basketball killer; he was born for the game."

"It's like a boxing match; others might be trying to knock the opponent down or score points, but he is naturally born to kill his opponent."

Magic Johnson made an analogy.

This analogy was vivid, and Jerry West suddenly got Magic Johnson's point.

Actually, it's an analogy that Chinese people can understand better. Fan Xi is like Qiao Feng from the three brothers of Tian Long; his martial arts or internal skill might not be as profound or refined as Xuzhu or Duan Yu. But when it comes to killing in actual combat, the two of them combined are no match for Qiao Feng.

Fan Xi is a combat genius.

This is consistent with his long-standing identity as the "Miracle Child."

This also comes entirely from his own talent, not from some "brainwave" encounter.

"Do you still want to trade him?" Magic Johnson suddenly turned his head and asked Jerry West.

Jerry West didn't indicate anything; he fell into silence.

He had always been a trade genius, known for his sharp, vicious eye and decisive operations. At this moment, however, he hesitated. He was actually hesitating between an undrafted player and Howard.

You have to know that Howard was the only superstar in the League who could be traded one-for-one for James. (At this time, Howard had fallen after frequent team changes due to back injuries.)

This shows how breathtaking Fan Xi's energy is right now.

Fan Xi brought the ball to the full court, and every one of his movements tugged at the hearts of all the spectators in the arena, as well as those in front of the TV, North American viewers, Asian viewers, and global viewers.

The vast majority of viewers in front of the TV supported the Lakers and Fan Xi, some because of skin color or nationality. But more importantly, humans naturally like to watch miracles and see the underdog make a comeback. When an egg and a stone collide, although everyone knows the stone will win, most people hope the egg will shatter the stone.

Fan Xi was suddenly double-teamed by Wade and Mario Chalmers at the three-point line. The defensive intensity was very high. Although Fan Xi was calm and composed, he could only quickly pass the ball to Fisher, who was open on the other side.

Fisher hesitated for a moment, drove into the free-throw line, encountered defense, and passed to Lamar Odom. Odom took a jump shot... Bang!

It was just a little bit off.

The rebound was taken by James.

He quickly launched an offensive, finally charging into the paint from the flank. Fan Xi failed to steal the ball on one side, and Bynum flew over from behind to defend, but was a beat slow. James used his talent to complete a beautiful reverse layup.

After scoring, James stepped out his classic pace, pressing the air with both hands; it was very domineering.

This was his individual ability.

The air in Staples Center was somewhat frozen.

Fan Xi calmly walked to the sideline, asked Odom to pass him the ball, and then stepped forward.

Wade and Chalmers double-teamed him again. This time, Fan Xi didn't pass the ball; instead, he forcibly sprinted through the gap. Utilizing his super explosive power and speed, he finally tore open space on Chalmers' side. He charged into the paint, hard-pressed against Chris Bosh's defense, collided forcibly, and relied on his body to toss the ball into the basket while losing control.

Swish!

Bang!

Fan Xi fell heavily to the ground.

The whole arena screamed in shock; everyone was worried about Fan Xi's impact because he had smashed onto the floor without any protection.

Beep!

The head referee blew the whistle, signaling that Fan Xi got an and-one.

Fan Xi didn't let his teammates pull him up; instead, gritting his teeth and holding back cold sweat, he forcibly stood up and pounded his chest three times hard toward the camera on the sideline.

Immediately, he roared toughly: "The iron armor still remains!"

This sound gathered all his hot blood; small as he was, standing in the crowd of giants in the paint, his momentum was overwhelming.

The spectators on the sidelines were infected by him, one by one screaming crazily.

Soon, this madness spread throughout the arena.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

Every single fan in the arena was responding to Fan Xi with heartfelt excitement.

Under the violent friction of their vocal cords, the Lakers' momentum boiled and burned.

Fan Xi walked to the free-throw line, his determined face on the TV screen.

"A real man should be like this."

The commentator on the other side of the ocean was very excited, infinite passion surging in his heart: "This is our Chinese man. I see the spirit of 'those who offend the strong Han will be punished, no matter how far away' in Fan Xi. He is exactly that kind of man!"

The commentator's roar was just right, and combined with Fan Xi's spirit of pounding his chest and roaring that the iron armor still remains, it infected the entire land of China.

"I can't help but take my hat off to him, even though I hate his arrogance and hate that he always makes me get hurt."

Charles Barkley couldn't help but praise him at this moment.

He appreciates tough guys.

Fan Xi is a tough guy.

Swish!

Fan Xi hit the free throw.

Magic Johnson on the sideline had already clenched his fists. For a long time, he hadn't liked Fan Xi, even feeling that Fan Xi wasn't as good as himself, yet he had received treatment he never had back then. He didn't want a point guard better than himself to appear on the team, especially one of the kind he looked down upon.

But tonight, when he appeared on the sideline, watching Fan Xi from up close.

He couldn't suppress a different kind of emotion; he felt that Fan Xi was indeed worthy of his current glory, and perhaps, he could even achieve more glory.

"I haven't seen such intense killing intent in 19-year-old Kobe or 19-year-old Jordan," Jerry West said from the side.

"What did he just say?" Magic asked Jerry West.

Kobe Bryant next to him looked solemn, his expression determined: "He said, the iron armor still remains!"

The iron armor still remains.

Magic whispered it softly. A thin mist appeared in his eyes.

And around him, especially the group of fans behind the basket, they clearly heard Fan Xi's roar, and many fans had long since shed hot tears.

When the Lakers were in such a desperate situation, with both major cornerstones written off, and standing opposite them were the League's No. 1 superstar, the League's No. 4 superstar, and a top-20 superstar, this skinny undrafted player was still shouting, the iron armor still remains.

His fist knocked out the sound of clashing gold and iron on his chest.

In the hearts of Lakers fans, it reflected a scene of iron horses and frozen rivers.

What kind of character is this?

What kind of spirit is this?

With such a player, why worry about not dominating in the future?

Swish!

Wade hit a mid-range jump shot in the front court.

Reality is so cruel, and the Big Three are so formidable.

However, when the basketball returned to Fan Xi's hands, Lakers fans felt an extra layer of calm in their hearts.

Everyone knew that Jack Fan would definitely respond; with him there, the Lakers' flag would not fall.

Fan Xi arrived at the front court, still guarded by Wade. The calmer Fan Xi was in front of him, the more nervous he became, because he didn't know what move Fan Xi would make.

Fan Xi did nothing; he lobbed the ball into the paint, Bynum bumped Chris Bosh away with his back, turned, and dunked violently.

Two more points.

After Bynum scored, he was also very excited; he also pounded his chest hard, and he also shouted that phrase: The iron armor still remains!

Fan Xi had moved him.

He infected the whole arena again.

The morale at Staples Center continued to rise.

Everyone was killing it.

The iron armor still remains!

The game continued.

Pat Riley's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He never dreamed that Fan Xi would ignite a new climax again. Now the Lakers had been molded into an iron plate by him, and the Lakers fans were also fully invested; they were one with the team, and the twenty thousand people in the arena were the Lakers' sixth man.

The momentum was overwhelming.

He signaled the Heat not to be impatient, to stay steady and play their own basketball.

Swish!

Bosh hit the shot.

Turning back, Fan Xi passed to Odom, Odom drove into the paint, and under Bynum's screen, scored a layup.

After scoring, Lamar Odom pounded his chest, still with that shocking shout: The iron armor still remains.

Every Lakers player was committed to the most resolute war; they were burning their bridges.

In this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, this lone army that had lost its main force would surely be recorded in Lakers history. People would forever remember that there was such a tattered Purple and Gold Legion that once shone with the most dazzling light on the stage of the Finals.

The game continued, and both sides had very high shooting percentages.

The Heat's Big Three gradually found their state, but the Lakers also returned the favor.

The first half soon came to an end.

With 7 seconds left in the first half, James drove into the paint, attracted the defense, and passed inside to Haslem, who shot over Bynum... Beep!

The head referee blew the whistle.

Although Lamar Odom on the side quickly raised his hand to signal his own foul, the head referee still accurately caught Bynum.

On this play, Bynum did indeed foul, because Haslem was so short that Bynum only had to extend his arms to create the possibility of a foul for him.

Bynum's fifth foul.

Boos erupted in Staples Center.

"You guys are done for."

Chris Bosh chuckled and mocked as Bynum walked off the court.

Swish!

Swish!

Haslem steadily hit both free throws; he was very stable.

After scoring, he roared loudly, venting his excitement.

This play brought the score back to 9 points for the Heat.

The Lakers' lead was in jeopardy.

And with Bynum, the only one in the paint who could suppress the Heat's interior, having five fouls, they had already fallen into a passive strategic position.

"Phew! It's a pity. Although the Lakers are admirable, they will still enter a desperate situation in the second half. The Heat are like butchers with sharpened knives, and the Lakers are already pigs hung on the iron rack..."

Charles Barkley said in a very helpless tone; he was truly sympathizing with the Lakers at this moment.

But soon... What~!!

Before Charles Barkley could finish his sentence, he screamed.

The entire Staples Center boiled over, the sound making the ceiling of the arena buzz.

And Kenny Smith, sitting next to Barkley, had long since roared with uncontrollable passion: "My God! My God! Wife, daughter, come out and see God. I've said it before, Jack Fan is the Miracle Child, he is a natural-born God of War, he is invincible, no one can make him kneel and surrender."

"God is wearing the number 10 jersey tonight!!!"