Chapter 228: The Counter-Kill Has Begun

From the previous "championship in three years" to the current public declaration of war against commentators.

All of a sudden, the Clippers became a thorn in the side of those commentators and basketball experts, who fired crazily and concentrated their energy on attacking the Clippers.

The Clippers grabbed various headlines.

The influence of the media is huge; now it seems that the entire basketball world thinks the Clippers are vulnerable, and everyone is waiting to see the Clippers' joke.

In this era, the media is a bit like an uncrowned king.

They can easily push a person to the altar, and they can also easily destroy a person.

They hold the right to speak.

However, these negative evaluations didn't make the Clippers feel uncomfortable or psychologically affected.

Everyone's mentality was positive.

And the Clippers club also gained huge benefits because in this era: no news is the worst news.

These negative news can also increase the Clippers' popularity and expand their influence.

The Clippers' ticket prices rose with the tide, and the gap with the Lakers' regular season tickets last season was only 20%. Of course, compared to the Lakers' prices this season, it was a bit different. Because the Lakers paid the most luxury tax in the league this year, and Jean Bas was very confident in the team, so the pricing was set very high. It was 30% higher than last year, close to the price of other teams' playoff tickets.

But even so, many fans still rushed to buy Lakers tickets; giant teams never lack die-hard fans, although some fans flowed to the Clippers this season. But after all, it is the foundation of decades.

It is not something that a new upstart like the Clippers can compare to.

The Clippers' new season opening game tickets have been sold out, which is extremely rare in Clippers history. Because the Clippers themselves are not loved by middle-class fans in Los Angeles.

This is the influence brought by Fan Xi.

…

Because of the lockout, all NBA teams did not play in the Summer League this year.

So, after Fan Xi discussed with the coaching staff, they decided to let the newcomers and veterans play more preseason games, while he stayed on the bench to rest.

The Clippers' first preseason opponent was the Golden State Warriors.

The game result was 89:118.

The Warriors won by nearly 30 points, and Stephen Curry and their rookie Klay Thompson hit 19 of 28 three-pointers, scoring 75 points together.

Such an exaggerated shooting percentage really stunned the Clippers.

Fan Xi was quite surprised; he realized... the Warriors might have found their way of survival; they have been playing run-and-gun all these years, and under the leadership of the crazy scientist Don Nelson, they pushed the speed to the extreme. Now, they started playing three-pointers.

This is a revolutionary action.

In this game, Fan Xi didn't play for a minute. It was Billups, Hamilton, Vince Carter, Rasheed Wallace, Kwame Brown, Leonard, and Butler who played the main battle.

Fan Xi, Nash, Hill, Jordan, and Griffin all watched from the sidelines, and even if the score gap fell behind, they didn't appear.

Jimmy earned the title of "Iron King" in this game, shooting 19 times crazily and hitting 3.

Leonard was not much better, shooting 18 times and hitting 5.

Both of them not only wanted to correct the reflection of Captain Jack, but also wanted to smash the damn basket straight.

Billups' state was still okay, he got 18 points, but his famous defense could no longer catch up with Curry's pace; the old man's legs are old first, and he will probably sit in the third point guard position for a long time this season.

In contrast, Hamilton still had a lot of gas in his tank.

His running was very active, as the long-distance running champion who has been ranked first in the NBA running list for many years, he still made the Warriors' guards run for their lives tonight, and his feel was also good; it was he who carried the Warriors' fierce attack.

Rasheed Wallace was a bit worse, shooting 8 times in the whole game and hitting 1. On the defensive end, only roaring remained, as well as some special defensive skills.

Next, he will likely wave towels on the bench to provide experience support for the team.

Perhaps, when he accepts NBA training and his physical state is better, he can contribute on the court. After all, he has been away from the NBA for two years. No matter how well his body is maintained, he can't handle high-intensity games.

Kwame Brown provided low-post defense as always, and also provided butterfingers when catching the ball and clanking shots as always.

Fan Xi didn't criticize him, just told him to draw the sword ten thousand times and think of a way to get his own special move.

After this game ended, those critics didn't let go of the opportunity to mock the Clippers players. They said Leonard and Butler were the successors of the blacksmith shop, saying that apart from clanking, they had no bright spots, and if the 2011 best rookie was them, it would be too wasteful.

But Fan Xi thought Butler dared to fight and rush, Leonard's defense was commendable, and his offensive rhythm was also good, just didn't find the shooting accuracy.

In the second game, the Clippers played against the Sacramento Kings.

Fan Xi still didn't play, but Stephen Nash played, and Griffin and DeAndre Jordan also played.

In this game, the Clippers took off directly.

Nash interpreted what is called a run-and-gun master; his passing gave DeAndre Jordan and Griffin wings, treating the Kings' basket as their own target range, bombing at a fixed point.

The three of them played for a quarter and a half.

The whole team scored 49 points in this quarter and a half.

Not only inside dunks, but also outside three-pointers from Dunleavy and Hamilton, as well as the interweaving of Butler and Grant. Vince Carter and Leonard also made achievements near the free-throw line.

The Clippers scored 145 points in this game, while the Kings on the opposite side only had 89 points.

The score gap was close to 50 points.

After the game, those sprayers didn't stop, but continued to say that the Clippers were at most the next Suns, and they couldn't have the resilience of the Suns.

Anyway, mouths and pens were controlled by them; they wanted to say what they wanted to say, write what they wanted to write, and no one could control it.

The third game was against the Nuggets.

Fan Xi still didn't play.

Nash also stayed on the bench.

This was a fierce battle.

The Nuggets were not weak, but at the last moment, Leonard directly stole Ty Lawson and assisted Butler for a fast-break dunk to lock the victory.

In this game, Leonard showed his energy on the defensive end, and Butler's focus was also seen by the world... this guy, although his talent is average, his focus is beyond imagination; he worked hard many times and fell to the floor.

Fan Xi called them the "Peerless Twin Pride" of the Clippers after the game.

They began to gradually adapt to the NBA's confrontation intensity and the whistle scale. Most importantly, they had experienced teammates like Hamilton, Vince Carter, and Grant Hill to teach them skills, and the Clippers gave them sufficient time, so naturally, they adapted much faster than other teams' rookie newcomers.

The fourth game was against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Clippers lost the game 98:105.

In this game, Leonard performed well, scoring 36 points on 15 of 28 shooting, most of which were obtained in the mid-range; he didn't fall behind when facing Shawn Marion, and Wilson Chandler, who was newly signed by the Mavericks, was not his opponent either.

When Leonard was selected by the Clippers, media often compared him to Wilson Chandler, who had also played for the Clippers, thinking they were about the same.

But in this game, Leonard showed his superiority in talent, and the potential of both offense and defense exceeded Chandler's.

The fifth preseason game was against the Houston Rockets, and the Clippers directly beat the Rockets into depression.

The sixth game was against the Thunder, and the Thunder beat the Clippers into depression.

The seventh game was the Clippers against the Grizzlies; the Grizzlies had the posture of a dark horse, and their "Black and White Twin Bears" combination deterred the paint. However, they lost this game.

Kwame Brown held off Marc Gasol, and DeAndre Jordan used his defense to limit Randolph.

The Clippers erupted with amazing inside power in this game; Kwame Brown and DeAndre Jordan combined were not inferior to the Black and White Twin Bears, and their defense was even better. And Blake Griffin's high-altitude bombing and ball-handling offense were also styles that the Grizzlies didn't possess, and Leonard and Butler also occasionally broke into the paint to rob.

The Grizzlies lost the game when Fan Xi didn't play.

Although this was related to Randolph not yet waking up from his vacation state, and everyone not taking out 100% strength in the preseason.

However, being able to play like this already showed how amazing the Clippers' potential was.

The last regular season game, the Clippers will return to Staples; they had been playing preseason games in Nevada before.

But this game was extraordinary; according to the schedule released by the league, this was the first confrontation between the two teams before Christmas, and people couldn't wait.

Yes, this is the derby battle between the Lakers and the Clippers.

Since Fan Xi was traded, the disturbances in the media have not stopped.

Although this was a preseason game, its gimmick had exceeded most regular season games.

The Lakers won all seven preseason games in the past.

Kobe, who returned from injury, plus Chris Paul in his prime, Ron Artest who returned to the Lakers, and newly joined Troy Murphy.

The Lakers were unprecedentedly strong, at least Jean Bas thought so.

She stated in an interview last week: "Today's Lakers surpass the show-time period, surpass the OK dynasty, and the Lakers winning four consecutive championships is a nailed-on thing."

And before the game started, she was already saying: "Although preseason games have no meaning and will not affect the regular season ranking, and are not included in the results. But, why don't we enter the new season with a full-win posture?"

"I can't think of a reason to lose."

Jean Bas said so.

Interestingly, Chris Paul also implemented Jean Bas's statement in the media: "To be honest, we didn't pay attention to who the opponent was at all; this has nothing to do with the opponent. If we want to win the championship, we have to defeat any team. Our chemical reaction is extremely tacit now, and we have no reason to lose."

"Yes, I will kick Jack Fan's ass, he will definitely taste my iron fist," Artest, who returned to the Lakers, also showed his fierce state.

He is a good hand at making things happen, a living fuse.

In the NBA, few players don't know his "dirty, messy, and poor."

However, he met his opponent.

The Clippers are not without hard fists; in fact, the most shameful moment of Ron Artest's career happened at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

At that time, Ron Artest, who was known for his ferocity, was making trouble with the Pistons on the court; he thought he was very tough, but was pushed more than ten meters away by the Wallace brothers with one palm. At that time, this guy who claimed to be tough was scared; he lay on the technical table like a rascal and was thrown a beer by a fan.

Then, he rushed up to fight with the fan, and it is said that he didn't even win.

"Ron Artest's fist? If he dares to do it, I will make him end his career lying down," Rasheed Wallace said when asked by reporters how he viewed Artest's remarks.

He didn't grit his teeth, but the "Roaring Heavenly Venerable" was playing for real.

Ron Artest knew it well.

Fan Xi didn't express his position on this matter.

He didn't accept interviews.

However, he would play.

Jean wanted to slap his face, and he couldn't just sit still.

Although the Lakers maintained a full-win record, in Fan Xi's view, it was not flawless.

…

This preseason game was the Clippers' home game, and the Clippers boss laughed until his mouth almost split; for this game, tickets sold for seven or eight million dollars.

He specifically called Fan Xi before the game to express his gratitude; this boss, who is known for being stingy, even said he wanted to give a car to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi politely declined.

He doesn't lack a small car now, just the intention is enough.

This day, he drove the flagship sedan given to him by BMW to Staples Center; he habitually listened to Beyond's songs on the road, and when he arrived at the arena, he was humming "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies."

The security guard saluted him and said: "Jack, come on."

Fan Xi nodded to him with a smile.

Then, under his guidance, he parked the car in another area.

Returning to Staples Center, Fan Xi had a greater impact of "things are different."

Because, under the parking space he parked in, it was no longer the Lakers logo, but the Clippers logo.

When he walked to the Clippers locker room under the guidance of the staff, he actually had a trace of regret.

He hadn't thought about ending his career with the Lakers, taking over Kobe's banner and building new glory.

However... however.

Jean Bas swept him out of the house, and her words and deeds were all forming mockery.

Since the offseason, he had been suppressing a fire in his heart.

He wanted to erupt, he wanted to release.

He couldn't let a long-tongued woman chatter beside him.

He wanted to cut off the tongue of this long-tongued woman, and then slap her cheeks hard.

Make her swollen.

Let her know what is "heavenly power cannot be bullied."

Fan Xi pushed the door open and walked into the Clippers locker room.

His jersey was hanging in the locker opposite the main door; this locker was obviously larger than other lockers, and there was only one locker here, overlooking the overall situation.

This was specially customized by the club.

It was proving one thing with action: it opened its arms to welcome the arrival of its Rose Duke, Captain Jack.

Fan Xi walked over and sat down.

The counter-kill has begun.

… ===== CHAPTER 229 =====