Chapter 234: Opening game, the lifelong enemy of the two peerless talents

Derek Rose is a low-key and humble person; his performance on the court is very powerful; he is the only one among the young superstars who can be mentioned in the same breath as Fan Xi in terms of court performance, or even slightly better; the other is Kevin Durant.

Rose had previously expressed his respect for Fan Xi; when people asked him why the new clause was not named after the Rose Rule but after the Fan Xi Rule, he said: "Of course, people are more willing to get the Finals MVP, not the regular season MVP. There is nothing strange about this; I am proud of his performance in the Finals and fully accept this naming method."

Derek Rose called Fan Xi.

He had been training all summer; this humble leader has supreme authority in the Chicago locker room; all his teammates, even the most hot-headed Joakim Noah, completely submit to this silent man.

"It's really a pity. We could have been teammates. I watched your performance in the last game, and I think even if Kobe, Paul, and Gasol stayed on the court, it wouldn't change the final result. Although they would only lose by 10 points, it would actually be uglier."

"I am proud of you for building such a competitive team."

Rose told Fan Xi.

He is a true gentleman.

Fan Xi also expressed that the Bulls are very strong, and under Rose's leadership, they can definitely reach the top of the East.

"So, can you reach the top of the West? I look forward to meeting you in the Finals?" Rose issued a heroic challenge to Fan Xi at the beginning of the season: "I will definitely become the Eastern Conference champion."

"We will meet in the Finals. But today, what I have to do is defend the home court and kill you." Fan Xi said to Rose very firmly.

"I won't let you succeed. The Bulls are not the Lakers; we are born to restrain you." Derek Rose said very confidently.

The two of them were throwing harsh words at each other on the phone; this was destined to be an intense game, but it wouldn't affect their friendship off the court at all.

…

When Fan Xi arrived at Staples Center, the arena security greeted Fan Xi as usual, cheered for him, and showed him the Clippers logo tattooed on his left hand.

Fan Xi remembered that this security guard previously had a Lakers logo on his right hand.

He couldn't help but chuckle.

This belongs to betting on both sides.

However, this truly illustrates a problem: in Los Angeles, more and more people are wavering, and more and more people are beginning to accept the Clippers, no longer treating the Clippers as a transparent object, and no longer looking down on the Clippers from a high position as noble Lakers fans.

This is the influence brought by Fan Xi.

This is the benefit brought by the 71-point massacre.

It is something that those media outlets and critics cannot erase no matter what method they use.

There are always some things happening silently.

Just like Jean Bas's recently erupting temper; although outsiders can't see it, it has a real impact on Jean Bas.

She is now affectionately called by some Lakers fans: an extremely twisted jealous woman.

She is very angry; she demands that the Los Angeles Lakers must win a game in Miami, and also curses the Los Angeles Clippers to lose the game at Staples Center.

The team championship ranking given by ESPN this year, Los Angeles ranks first, Miami Heat ranks second, Chicago Bulls ranks third, San Antonio Spurs fourth, Boston Celtics fifth, Dallas Mavericks sixth... the Clippers are ranked 16th, and are not even listed in the playoff list.

And in the personal strength ranking of players, Fan Xi, as the youngest and most legendary Finals MVP in history, is only ranked 13th among active players.

Fan Xi is very calm about this; he doesn't care about these things at all.

Chen Ye helped Fan Xi stretch for half an hour, and after Fan Xi changed into his jersey, his teammates arrived one after another.

After Jimmy Butler entered the locker room, he suddenly leaned over to Fan Xi and said earnestly: "Can I start tonight, Boss."

"?"

Fan Xi was a bit strange; he didn't quite understand why Butler had such a request.

"To be honest, I didn't think I would be selected by the Clippers. Before this, the one who kept in touch with me was Chicago; they promised to select me at the end of the first round. And my draft status at the time was the second round. I am very grateful to them, so I want to show my ability in front of them." Butler was very sincere.

?

Fan Xi didn't quite understand.

But he said he would convey his opinion to head coach Mike Brown.

Butler immediately clenched his fist happily: Boss, you are really good.

Fan Xi was stunned, thinking, I'm just conveying it, are you happy too early?

When Fan Xi discussed tactics with Mike Brown later, he conveyed Jimmy Butler's thoughts.

Mike Brown asked Fan Xi: "What is your opinion?"

"I don't care; you are the head coach, I should listen to you." Fan Xi said very seriously.

"Then let him start."

Mike Brown was very straightforward.

Now, Fan Xi understood why Jimmy Butler would wave his fist in celebration happily.

Mike Brown has a "James stress reaction."

Fan Xi really wanted to talk to Mike Brown about the difference between himself and James, but from another perspective, Mike Brown doing this made him feel quite useful; after all, who wouldn't want a head coach who is obedient to himself and has online business capabilities?

Mike Brown has great attainments on the defensive end, trains players tightly, and his offensive end is also above the league level.

…

The opening game of the 2011-2012 NBA season is highly valued; after experiencing a short lockout, the league's emphasis on top teams has reached an unprecedented level.

Whether it is the league official or the media itself, their resources are relatively concentrated on the five teams: Lakers, Heat, Bulls, Celtics, and Clippers.

Therefore, the game between the Clippers and the Bulls ushered in ESPN's national broadcast, as well as Time Warner's broadcast in the California region. Coupled with live broadcasts in more than 200 countries around the world, the popularity of the game reached a very high level.

The gimmick given by the media is the battle of the strongest MVPs of the new generation.

The youngest regular season MVP in history versus the youngest Finals MVP in history.

The two peerless talents of the young generation. There is even a faint posture of lifelong enemies.

The NBA league is very good at creating this kind of duel between two heroes; in the eighties, the peak duel between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird revitalized the entire league, allowing the NBA to successfully survive, and then ushered in the explosion of Michael Jordan.

Now, David Stern also wants to create a new duel pattern between Derek Rose and Fan Xi.

They are of similar age, similar strength, and are absolute leaders of two important teams in the East and West, and both have strong commercial prospects.

"If I have to choose one future signature player of the league between these two, I would choose Derek Rose. It's very simple; his talent is better, and he is a superstar selected from our American basketball system all the way."

Bill Walton sat at ESPN's commentary table, and 3 minutes before the game started, he began to brag about Derek Rose: "Rose's explosive power and speed are top-notch in history, and his control over basketball is also stronger than Jack's. His shooting, his assists, his attacks, his defense... everything about him is comprehensively superior."

"Jack's significance is to let those who are indifferent to basketball walk into the arena. For example, those female stars in Hollywood..."

Bill Walton teased Fan Xi.

This former Celtics legend was teasing Fan Xi on TV.

His view is the view of the entire ESPN.

The entire ESPN media matrix is full of prejudice against Fan Xi, probably because Fan Xi refused to attend their ESPY awards ceremony, or because ESPN is a company under Disney.

"For Derek, this is an opportunity. He needs a game to kill Jack Fan. He should take back the glory that belongs to him; he is the strongest point guard of the new generation, and Jack is just an idol who has been hyped up." Another commentator, Mike Breen, was more direct, even full of American-style arrogance.

This made Reggie Miller, who was sitting on the side, fall into silence; he has always supported Fan Xi, and he feels that Fan Xi is far from as bad as his colleagues say; on the contrary, he has always believed that Fan Xi is a legend.

Even more legendary than Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan didn't have such a thrilling first season as Jack Fan.

And the stories that happened to Michael Jordan were not as explosive as those on Jack.

He now has a strong premonition in his heart; he feels that ESPN will sooner or later become a villain in Jack Fan's legendary story because of such an arrogant and extreme attitude.

So, he kept his mouth shut and said nothing.

Fan Xi and Rose hugged warmly before the game started.

No matter how the media creates the opposition between them, their relationship is very good.

The Bulls' starting lineup is: Derek Rose, Caron Butler, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah.

The starting five for the Los Angeles Clippers are: Stephen Nash, Jack Fan, Jimmy Butler, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan.

The Clippers adopted a double-point guard lineup, and Jack Fan, who is 191.6cm barefoot, became the shooting guard.

Beep!

The whistle blew.

Joakim Noah and DeAndre Jordan jumped at the same time; both are defensive centers, slap!

DeAndre Jordan helped the Clippers get possession with his superior arm span.

Stephen Nash grabbed the basketball and rushed to the front court.

Arriving at the front court, Fan Xi immediately started running; Caron Butler followed closely behind Fan Xi, his gaze toward Fan Xi full of anger.

This long-famous shooting guard has always wanted to return to Los Angeles; he was in frequent contact with the Los Angeles Clippers this summer, but in the end, the Clippers chose to sign contracts with Hamilton and Vince Carter.

This made Caron Butler very sad; his agent told him: The Clippers are building their lineup according to Jack Fan's style.

The implication is that he is not suitable for Fan Xi.

Of course, there can be other interpretations, for example, Jack Fan doesn't like him and doesn't recognize him.

Caron Butler obviously thought so, so he wanted to give Fan Xi a profound lesson.

Fan Xi didn't realize at all that a stranger would have such great hostility toward him. However, he enjoyed Caron Butler's high-intensity defense very much; he believed this could stimulate a stronger self.

He is a person keen on competition.

Just as Blake Griffin ran up to set a screen for Stephen Nash, Fan Xi suddenly drilled into the paint; DeAndre Jordan cleverly moved over to block Butler for Fan Xi; Fan Xi turned and went to the corner; Nash was quick-eyed and quick-handed, a long pass, and the basketball was in Fan Xi's hands.

Fan Xi grabbed the basketball, feinted, and pointed Joakim Noah, who came to fill the defense, up.

He took the opportunity to kill into the paint; Butler subconsciously came to help defend; Fan Xi threw the basketball into the sky... Boom!

DeAndre Jordan took off and bombed the basket.

Mike Brown raised his eyebrows proudly: When your team has two point guards, you don't even need to set up tactics.

Changing sides to fight again.

Derek Rose launched a fierce offensive against Nash; Rose is a symbol of extreme violence; his change of direction is like lightning, his speed is like a bullet, and the terrifying thing is that this guy never slows down when sprinting... Nash's defense is like paper in his eyes.

In an instant, he killed Nash and then killed into the paint; Blake Griffin was still defending two steps at the free-throw line, but after two steps, Rose jumped up, and this power forward known for his physical fitness couldn't keep up.

Rose is indeed a monster among point guards in recent years; he is like an SSR extremely rare point guard drawn from the NBA's lottery box.

Boom!

Rose jumped up violently and completed a two-handed dunk.

And landed straight.

This is a typical Rose-style play: no deceleration when changing direction, no grabbing the rim when dunking.

No cushioning needed at all.

Fan Xi felt knee pain just looking at it.

Fan Xi had talked to him about this; he hoped Rose would reduce some similar actions because it is very harmful to the body. Although scoring is really cool, if you get injured once, it is absolutely not worth the loss and will affect your entire career.

Fan Xi hoped that Rose, who is in the rising period, would reach his peak healthily and complete his career in a glorious posture rather than a lonely way.

Rose's dunk was praised by ESPN commentators for a while, "Undoubtedly, Rose is the point guard version of James. No, he should be the point guard version of Jordan. The point guard version of James is Westbrook."

Mike Breen said admiringly: "After watching this ball, you will understand why I said Derek is the strongest player of the new generation."

This is indeed a top-five dunk.

But it's only two points.

Fan Xi turned back and played a subtle cooperation with Stephen Nash; Stephen Nash broke into the paint, suddenly passed the ball to the corner, Fan Xi arrived on horseback, and hit a 3-pointer against Caron Butler's defense.

Fan Xi used this ball to prove that he was not completely surrounded by Rose; at least in terms of off-ball shooting, he is more than one grade higher than Rose. Rose is a typical superstar style, and he hasn't developed his 3-point range yet.

The game continues.

Rose and Carlos Boozer played a pick-and-roll, passed the ball to Boozer, and Boozer hit a mid-range jump shot.

Turning back, Nash wanted to replicate one with Griffin, but after Griffin received the basketball, he didn't shoot directly, but dribbled into the basket himself, resulting in an offensive foul called by Joakim Noah.

Although Blake Griffin is known as another violent sky-type power forward after Shawn Kemp, Kenyon Martin, and Stoudemire, he has capabilities and ambitions that his predecessors didn't have; he has ball-handling ability, and he also hopes to become a ball-handling core.

This is the problem Fan Xi discussed with him.

People can't want everything.

If you want everything, don't you become a privileged player?

The Clippers only have one privilege, and that is Fan Xi.

Fan Xi didn't criticize Griffin's handling of the ball this time; he just frowned and then clapped his hands to encourage the players to defend this ball.

As everyone knows, Griffin's defense is relatively poor.

Even worse than his predecessor Stoudemire.

Carlos Boozer deceived him with a simple feint, killed into the paint, and assisted Joakim Noah to complete a layup.

The Bulls' offense is flowing like clouds and water.

Under Thibodeau's guidance, they have been polished for a long time; Thibodeau is the kind of head coach who trains players hard on the training ground; he is in the same vein as Pat Riley.

Bang!

The Clippers returned to the half-court and hit iron again.

This time it was Jimmy Butler.

Fan Xi passed the ball to Jimmy Butler while attracting a double-team; Jimmy Butler killed into the basket, but his shot was a bit soft, and the layup missed.

The basketball fell out of the rim.

The rebound was taken by Joakim Noah.

Less than two minutes into the game, the Bulls took the initiative.

ESPN started to mock. "What is called being an expert in civil war and an outsider in foreign war. The Clippers' level, wanting to take over Staples Center, is simply too optimistic."

The person who said this was Bill Walton.

This Hall of Fame center obviously forgot that he was a Celtics player back then; haven't the Celtics always been at odds with the Lakers?

Oh, forgot, his son Luke Walton is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers now.

Swish!

Luol Deng turned back and hit a stop-and-go jump shot over Jimmy Butler's head.

And said to him: "Welcome to the NBA, rookie."

This old meme has always been the unique way for NBA players to show off in front of rookies.

Jimmy Butler was a bit annoyed; he felt that his poor performance dragged down the team, and he wanted to go down a bit.

This tough rookie's eyes toward Fan Xi were a bit weak.

Fan Xi glared at him fiercely: "Cheer up, Jimmy. Do you want to give up?"

Jimmy Butler shuddered instantly, and he felt invigorated.

Fan Xi didn't pass the basketball to him immediately, but set a screen for Nash, and Nash shot outside the 3-point line himself... Bang!

Although the 3-pointer didn't go in, DeAndre Jordan got the rebound and drew a foul from Joakim Noah when shooting, walking to the free-throw line.

When DeAndre Jordan was shooting free throws, Fan Xi called Jimmy Butler aside: "You are not allowed to leave the court if you don't get 10 points tonight. I will let you stay on the court, be my little brother; it doesn't matter if you get beaten up, but being beaten scared is absolutely not allowed."

"Go grab the rebound, DeAndre Jordan won't make it."

Fan Xi kicked Jimmy Butler's butt.

Butler ran to box out happily.

This move was actually an intimate act between Fan Xi and Butler, but it was described by ESPN as: Jack is really a violent and impatient leader. He is even more demanding than Michael Jordan; he simply can't cultivate any rookies.

… ===== CHAPTER 235 =====