Chapter 192: The Lakers' morale is like a rainbow

Beep! The whistle blows, and the second half begins.

Players from both sides walk onto the court with an extremely high spirit; neither side has a way back.

The two 12-minute quarters of the second half will determine the final outcome of this series for these two teams.

The Big Three must bring the series back to Miami, otherwise, they will be the biggest losers of this season, and LeBron James will face the first intense crisis of trust in his career; people will question the quality of the "Chosen One."

Because it was he who chose to team up at his peak.

When he lost to Tim Duncan in the Finals back then, people said he was young and promising, that his future was limitless, and that the future belonged to him.

But if he loses this year to the fledgling and even younger Fan Xi, if he loses to a Lakers team led by only a rookie, what will people say?

James cannot afford to lose.

He must win this game, and then win two more.

As for Fan Xi, he has no other reason; he just wants to win.

It sounds like he has already proven himself in this series; he is still very young, and his first trip to the Finals has already won him thunderous applause. His agency team has been celebrating for a long time; regardless of the result, he is one of the biggest winners of these Finals.

He is even more eye-catching than the LeBron James who entered the Finals for the first time in 2007.

Perhaps he won't be called the league's future successor like the young James.

However, his value on the court will not be questioned; he will gain more elsewhere, and his commercial value will stir up a storm on a global scale.

Yet, none of this is enough to make him stop his steps.

He is not a man satisfied with the status quo; he wants to win.

The Lakers' starting lineup for the second half is Fan Xi, Barnes, Odom, Dunleavy, and Joe Smith.

The Heat's five starters are Mario Chalmers, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Haslem.

Mario Chalmers brings the ball to the frontcourt and passes it to Wade.

Wade drives past Barnes's defensive line; Barnes sticks to him like an octopus, giving his all, every pore of his body working hard to defend.

However, Wade's talent is too outstanding; he is the league's number one shooting guard today.

Swish!

Wade's stop-and-go jump shot ignites Miami's counterattack.

The deficit shrinks to 10 points.

Fan Xi brings the ball back to the half-court, and Wade immediately sticks to him, but at this moment, Fan Xi quickly passes the ball to Lamar Odom.

At that time, Haslem thought Odom was coming up to set a screen, so he deliberately shifted his body, trying to delay Fan Xi's impending drive.

But Fan Xi passed the ball directly to Odom.

Odom takes the ball and cuts inside; his ball-handling ability is excellent, catching Miami off guard. He quickly kills into the paint, and when Miami's defense collapses, Lamar Odom quickly passes the ball to Joe Smith.

This left-handed pass truly feels like a "sleight of hand."

Back in the day, Lamar Odom was also a brilliant, talented youth, once regarded as the hope for rebuilding by both the Clippers and the Heat, only to be sent to Los Angeles as the main piece in the trade for Shaquille O'Neal, accompanying Kobe through long, arduous years.

Swish!

Joe Smith scores the basket from an open position.

The score returns to a 12-point gap.

"Hey, Earvin. Jack says I'm the second Magic; what do you think?"

After scoring, Odom proudly raises his eyebrows at Johnson.

Magic Johnson smiles and gives him a thumbs up.

Turning back, LeBron James attacks Mike Dunleavy from the flank. Dunleavy forces himself to keep up, but the moment James jumps up, due to the massive gap in physical quality, he is shoved aside. Joe Smith, risking his old bones, recklessly crashes into him... Pfft!

Joe Smith is knocked away.

Swish!

James's sure-fire dunk turns into a layup.

He feels incredible; he didn't expect Joe Smith to dare to defend him like that.

Hasn't Joe Smith been playing "maintenance ball" for a long time?

Joe Smith, after standing his ground, glares at James with a very aggressive look: "Little guy, next time you come in, be careful of getting knocked over by me."

Joe Smith has the arrogance of an old-school player.

But James is unimpressed.

The game continues.

Fan Xi brings the ball to the frontcourt again. This time, he doesn't pass directly; instead, he drives one step, draws James over to double-team, and then quickly passes to Mike Dunleavy.

Dunleavy receives the ball, James rushes to recover, and Dunleavy gives a pump fake.

James is tricked into jumping, and Dunleavy calmly shoots... Swish!

It hits steadily.

He plays with increasing confidence.

As he tosses his head back, a proud smile appears on his fair face.

This really looks like Larry Bird.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were known as the "Black and White Duo" in the 80s. He says to Jerry West, "I really can't believe the Lakers are actually holding off Miami relying on these role players who weren't favored."

Jerry West also feels it's incredible.

He originally thought Miami would definitely launch a devastating offensive in the second half.

The Big Three did indeed do that.

And they did it well.

However, the Lakers held on. They held on tit-for-tat.

Chris Bosh completes a turnaround jump shot in the frontcourt, and turning back, Lamar Odom assists Barnes in a baseline layup: this tactic feels very "Princeton."

Fan Xi hands the ball to Odom, who is orchestrating from the high post at the free-throw line, then he runs quickly. Wade has to follow him. He runs to the corner, and Joe Smith runs over to set a screen for him at this time. He successfully shakes off Wade. At the same time, Matt Barnes in the corner quickly cuts into the paint. Chalmers, who is defending him, makes a judgment error; like a frightened bird, he and Wade both go to defend the off-ball Fan Xi.

Meanwhile, Barnes has already passed through the mountains; Odom passes the ball to Barnes, and Barnes scores the layup.

And besides Princeton.

The Lakers also execute typical U-cuts, the most popular DDM tactics in the current NCAA... The Lakers play as they please.

They leave no traces.

There is only one principle: Fan Xi does not hold the ball; Fan Xi runs, he drives the defense, he is like the Earth with gravity, he attracts Miami's defense, and then his teammates get opportunities.

His opponents have seized the opportunity.

So, even though the Miami Big Three played very fiercely in the third quarter, their offense was like a tidal wave.

However, when the third quarter ended.

They only chased back 5 points.

There is still a 7-point gap.

This is an incredible situation.

Pat Riley smells intense danger; the Lakers' performance in the third quarter was beyond his expectations. He never dreamed the Lakers would dare to play like this.

Known as the "God of Calculation," he has always been flawless, but tonight, he didn't accurately predict a single tactical direction of the Lakers.

He considers himself the head coach who understands Phil Jackson best in the league today; he and Phil Jackson have always been competing, and he looks down on this guy who came from behind. When Pat Riley was coaching the Lakers to a championship back then, Phil Jackson was still just an assistant coach.

If it weren't for the fact that he met Michael Jordan, and he could always work with dominant superstars, could he have won so many championships?

Pat Riley is filled with resentment.

But now, seeing Phil Jackson's extreme operations tonight, various micro-maneuvers playing him like a fiddle, he finally realizes how severely he underestimated Phil Jackson before. He didn't expect that although the Zen Master sits on the sidelines "pretending" every game, he actually has such depth in his heart.

Hiss!

Pat Riley gasps.

He becomes even more cautious; the final quarter, which concerns the fate of both teams, is coming. He must be fully prepared and must not make any mistakes.

"Jack, now...?"

Phil Jackson furrows his brows, looking at Fan Xi. This game has made him start to consult Fan Xi's opinion. He is not very good at controlling the details of such "uphill" games; he is good at managing "Galaxy Battleships," especially in stimulating the combat power of superstars. Right now, he only has Fan Xi as a superstar, and a relatively "fresh" superstar at that.

So, he can't quite keep up the "Zen Master" act.

The Lakers' current situation is not very good; they held on through the third quarter, but they paid a heavy price.

And they were neck-and-neck with the Big Three for the first eight minutes, but the last four minutes showed signs of collapse. If not for Fan Xi driving into the paint to draw a foul, plus Fisher hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

The Miami Heat would have narrowed the gap to 2 points.

This is a terrifying thing.

Because although these players were inspired by Fan Xi to be like Magic, Bird, etc., they are not them after all.

Lamar Odom hasn't played as a primary playmaker for many years. Before, he didn't face tight defense, so he could succeed repeatedly, but later, as the Heat raised their defensive level, his efficiency plummeted.

The main scorer Dunleavy's physical fitness is plummeting; he played almost the entire three quarters, and after defending James, he defended Bosh. He sits on the bench, gasping for air.

If Dunleavy sits on the bench to rest next, Los Angeles's already weak perimeter offensive firepower will be even more unbearable.

Fan Xi looks around; he can see the fatigue on his teammates' bodies and the heat in their eyes.

Playing until now, there is no need to mobilize any more morale; everyone wants to kill the Miami Heat tonight.

Fan Xi takes a deep breath and says: "We have no other way. All the luck we could use has been used up. There is only one path left, and that is to face them head-on."

The players instantly become solemn; the Purple and Gold Legion presents a stern fighting spirit. Although most of them are role players, although they are covered in fatigue, when Fan Xi blows the final horn, no one feels like retreating; all that remains is the heroism of dying in battle.

This is the most important game of my career so far.

Everyone thinks this in their hearts.

Phil Jackson also takes a deep breath and picks up the tactical board to make a tactical plan.

"The Lakers tonight are like a suicide squad trapped in a desperate situation. They entered Miami's hunting game. However, they didn't panic; instead, they used clever maneuvering to deal with and toy with the Miami Big Three. They gained an advantage in the first three quarters. Establishing a staggering 7-point lead, this was accomplished while Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant were out for the season and Andrew Bynum was trapped in foul trouble early."

"This is already a miracle in basketball history. They are facing what might be the team with the highest quality of superstars in history."

"I take my hat off to them."

"I am deeply moved by them."

"However, next, I must say, we must follow basic basketball laws. The Los Angeles Lakers are already at the end of their rope; all of them have fallen into a physical fitness crisis, and they no longer have the possibility of taking shortcuts. The Miami Big Three, however, are playing better and better; time is no longer on their side."

"The Heat will win this game and then go back home to win the next two games. Because the Lakers playing away won't have such terrifying home support, and the 'bizarre tactics' they created tonight will be quickly thoroughly studied by the Miami coaching staff."

"Everyone says I'm the 'Pelé of Basketball,' my predictions are always the opposite. I used to hate this title, but tonight, I hope I really am the Pelé of Basketball."

Charles Barkley says during the timeout between quarters.

From his disparagement of the Lakers and complaints about Fan Xi before the game started, to his heartfelt submission to the Lakers and strong recognition of Fan Xi now.

There's no way around it; he was conquered.

Fan Xi and his teammates conquered not only Charles Barkley but also countless viewers watching in front of their TVs.

All Lakers fans are proud of them, and the phrase "The Iron Armor Still Remains" quickly became the most touching words for Lakers fans.

Many fans at the scene have red eyes.

This is a game destined to be recorded in the Lakers' team history museum, even if they eventually lose.

Because tonight, Fan Xi and his teammates erupted in a desperate situation, dancing on the tip of a knife; they won everyone's hearts with their tenacious and firm actions.

This is the spirit of sports.

Beep!

The whistle blows.

The game continues.

Fan Xi, Matt Barnes, Luke Walton, Joe Smith, and Andrew Bynum take the court.

The Lakers have to make subversive player adjustments.

Miami, however, does not; they don't dare to.

They don't dare to disrupt the team's stable output.

Chalmers, Wade, James, Bosh, Haslem.

These five people, except for Chalmers, also played almost the entire first three quarters.

But they are at their peak; their physical fitness is a bit more abundant than the Lakers players.

Fan Xi brings the ball from the backcourt to the frontcourt, and Wade flies up again; his defense on Fan Xi to some extent even exceeds his matchup with Kobe.

Fan Xi's body has long been covered in terrifying bloodstains from him, and of course, Fan Xi was not polite when defending him either.

This is the toughest defensive duel of this era.

Fan Xi dances with Wade outside the three-point line for a few seconds, then quickly passes the ball to Luke Walton.

Walton receives the ball, James defends him closely, almost knocking him over, but this "second-generation" player turns his back, holds off James, then moves inside, passing the ball to Bynum with an underhand pass.

Bynum turns and lays it up directly... Swish!

He plays against Haslem very easily.

... ===== CHAPTER 193 =====