Chapter 257: New highlight: Christmas War

Scarlett didn't intend to make her relationship with Fan Xi public.

In essence, Scarlett enjoyed the happiness of hiding behind, which could be detected from her special hobbies.

In fact, her agency and film team didn't approve of her and Fan Xi.

What's more, she was still hiding behind Selena, offering advice to Selena.

After Fan Xi heard Scarlett's concerns on the phone, he said: "I'll solve this problem."

When these Korean reporters continued to pursue, Fan Xi suddenly reached out and hugged Im Yoona, saying: "I hate the Miami police just as I hate Boston's weather. They clearly know nothing, yet they make a big fuss. Ms. Scarlett and I were just discussing the next play at the time. If I really had any relationship with Scarlett, why was the person who called the police their staff? Don't they know me?"

Fan Xi used these media to spread this voice.

This was Fan Xi's only response to this incident.

This response, under the crazy reposting of Korean media, finally blew from the east to the west, and the American media also began to examine the "truth" of this matter. It just happened to coincide with the public opinion reversal period of an incident.

The heat was also hyped up again.

So, was Jack Fan and Scarlett's date a non-existent incident from beginning to end? It was the Miami police who magnified this matter. Miami hoped to use this matter to hit Fan Xi's performance on the court, but they didn't get their wish.

The appearance of these voices undoubtedly saved Scarlett, and also saved her friendship with Selena.

Selena once thought Scarlett played an inglorious role in their relationship. She clearly preferred to accept Fan Xi dating a Korean woman rather than accept Fan Xi's close relationship with Scarlett.

The entertainment industry's reaction to this matter presented a huge parabola... when a gossip could be "clarified," it was often when its heat was declining.

Photos of Fan Xi and Yoona shopping in an antique shop in Boston were released to many media, and public opinion began to carnival for this brand-new relationship.

But for Fan Xi, this was the beginning of life returning to calm.

At the TD Garden, when Fan Xi walked onto the court in a suit, the Boston fans, known for their "brutality," actually welcomed Fan Xi. This place, known as a terrifying home court, actually gave Fan Xi some cheers.

Obviously, they were cheering for Fan Xi's performance in Miami before.

The hatred of Boston fans for Fan Xi was clearly not as deep as for Miami. Of two evils, choose the lesser; the enemy of an enemy is a friend.

Since the Boston Celtics formed the Big Three in the summer of 2007, they had quickly become a top team in the East, and it had been five years since then. However, with the passage of time and the injury of the soul figure Garnett, their control over the East was diminishing day by day. Especially after Miami formed the peak Big Three.

This season, their record in the East had slipped to fourth. Conflicts in the locker room were also spread inadvertently; Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen were at odds.

Doc Rivers, the head coach who was good at boiling chicken soup, was increasingly unable to control their locker room.

This was directly reflected on the court.

Although Fan Xi didn't play, the Clippers' performance still made Boston trail by 5 points in the first quarter.

Steve Nash and Billups didn't fall behind when facing Rajon Rondo. Hamilton's confrontation with his senior Ray Allen was also eye-catching. Both of their running positions were very accurate, but Ray Allen sometimes couldn't receive Rondo's pass, while Hamilton would definitely get the ball right as long as he ran out of the open space.

Pierce entangled with Leonard and Butler. Pierce was a representative of the league's classical forwards. He was proficient in all offensive moves, and he was a pure floor-flow player. Although Leonard and Butler didn't have as much experience as him, they were also working hard in this direction.

Leonard's body shape and defensive talent made Pierce very uncomfortable.

Butler's impact and passion made Pierce swear repeatedly.

Pierce had just recovered from a minor surgery and didn't dare to fight hard, which destined him to struggle.

Kevin Garnett now had no big advantage facing Griffin. This former NBA number one all-around power forward was now turning into a jump shooter, and his defensive coverage area was also weakening with the disappearance of his knee injury's explosive power.

Although the young and strong Griffin wasn't good at defense, his offensive impact made Garnett unable to keep up. Continuous alley-oops made Garnett furious.

Heroes have always been like beauties; they don't allow the world to see white hair.

Kendrick Perkins's departure made Boston's interior lose strength and muscle, and DeAndre Jordan and Kwame Brown completely filled in their weak spots.

Doc Rivers was very uncomfortable. His roars on the sidelines and even his passionate actions of throwing the tactical board reflected his current weakness.

The fans at TD Garden were still full of passion, but this passion was more of a continuation of history and some cover-up of lack of confidence.

In the second quarter, the Los Angeles Clippers were chased back by 3 points.

In the third quarter, Boston overtook by 2 points with rich experience.

However, entering the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Clippers' physical advantage was displayed. The young Leonard and Mike Dunleavy teamed up to play, one attacking and one defending, making Boston's defense lose from both wings. Then Griffin bombed in the paint, and Steve Nash hit a jump shot at the arc.

In less than five minutes, Boston was defeated like a mountain.

The score widened to double digits in the blink of an eye. After the Celtics persisted for three minutes, they couldn't turn the tide. Doc Rivers, the head coach with a performance personality, sighed in the middle of the game, lowered his head, and replaced all the main players in frustration. The Big Three returned to the bench, and the camera flashed across their faces... what came into view was bewilderment, frustration, and uncertainty about the future.

In a sense, they had lost their competitiveness for the championship.

People often say, don't bully the young for being poor, because young people have infinite possibilities. But few people say don't bully the old for being poor; what is said more is to respect the old and love the young.

109:93.

The Los Angeles Clippers, missing Fan Xi, took a hearty victory at TD Garden.

In this game, the performance of the Boston Big Three was very mediocre. This wasn't a game at their average level.

But it could also be interpreted as the Los Angeles Clippers naturally restraining them.

And no matter what, these two away victories were proving a clear fact: the Clippers' rise was unstoppable.

Jack Fan completed the transformation of a superstar in Miami.

The Los Angeles Clippers proved through these two victories that they had not only stood in the ranks of NBA strong teams but were also a team capable of launching an impact on the championship.

Moreover, once they rushed out of the East, they had a psychological advantage when facing the two main Eastern opponents, Miami and Boston.

Fan Xi and the Clippers returned to Los Angeles with supreme glory.

As time entered December, Los Angeles fans were already looking forward to the arrival of the Christmas War.

With the winning streak of this away trip, the Clippers' regular-season record had reached third in the West.

Ahead of them were the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Undoubtedly, this was something that made the Los Angeles Lakers precarious.

In fact, when Jean Bas learned that the Clippers had defeated the Celtics away without Fan Xi, she was shocked and terrified.

Subsequently, she received an angry phone call. The team's minority shareholders joined forces to question her why she traded Jack Fan and why she created such a terrifying opponent in Los Angeles!

Jean Bas was speechless for a while, but in the end, she suppressed this matter with her wrist.

Immediately after, she called Magic Johnson.

She and Magic Johnson discussed overnight, exploring the strength of the Los Angeles Clippers today.

Magic Johnson told Jean Bas: "I think the Los Angeles Clippers already have the strength of the league's top 3. Besides the Lakers and the Heat, it should be them. Although this conclusion sounds unacceptable, we must consider Fan Xi's leadership ability and growth potential. When the playoffs arrive, they will become even more terrifying."

"Can we take them down in the Christmas War?" Jean Bas was very concerned about this question.

If the preseason matchup, where Fan Xi led the team to slaughter the Lakers, could still be said to be an irrelevant preseason, and even blamed the Clippers for not following the rules of the world, slaughtering in garbage time.

However, if such an important game as the Christmas War was lost. The Lakers' historical status in Los Angeles would definitely be downgraded as a result, the Clippers' rise would be even more unstoppable, and it would accelerate the speed of eroding the Lakers' foundation.

This was unacceptable to Jean Bas, which would make the Lakers' market value visibly decline, and would also greatly decline her legitimacy.

"If we can't stay united, we might be eaten. Never underestimate Jack Fan's ability to insert needles in the cracks and kill with one blow when catching weaknesses. This is something Chris Paul doesn't possess. I even think Kobe's sharpness in the game is not as good as Jack's." Magic Johnson said very seriously.

Ah?

Hearing Magic's evaluation, Jean Bas was surprised. She actually asked Magic Johnson: "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

This "before" referred to before trading Fan Xi.

Magic shrugged helplessly and spread his palms: "At that time, you didn't even answer my phone."

"Alright, put aside the facts." Jean Bas waved her hand: "This trade of ours is not without gains. We haven't completed the final plan yet. What does Orlando say?"

"Uh..."

Magic struggled for a long time before finally saying: "Orlando seems willing to agree to our chips, but Dwight Howard's team seems more inclined toward the other Los Angeles team, just like Steve Nash before..."

What!

Jean Bas slapped the table. She stood up extremely ungracefully and glared at Magic: "How could this be? Why is Dwight so stupid? Why does he want to go to the Clippers? Isn't the Lakers more attractive than the Clippers?"

Magic took a deep breath. He suddenly didn't want to talk to this woman anymore.

From the current situation, it was obviously more attractive for Magic Howard to join the Clippers.

Joining the Clippers, he didn't have to bear the psychological pressure of "we were already champions before you came" like Chris Paul. The Clippers were a team that had just been rebuilt.

Compared to the Lakers, the Clippers were younger and more energetic. The Lakers leader Kobe was gradually aging, while Fan Xi had just joined the ranks of superstars, and he, in his second year, possessed an infinitely bright future.

What's more, as the league's number one center, if the Magic joined the Clippers, the Clippers' strength would very likely leap to become the league's number one strong team. After all, the current Clippers could already defeat the Heat and the Celtics.

So, no matter from which angle, joining the Clippers was a very cost-effective thing.

Jean Bas actually had such a "giant foundation" statement. What people wanted to do was to overturn your giant foundation.

Old Bas really did a stupid thing. He shouldn't have handed the team to Jean. Although her ability was better than Jim's, Jim at least knew who the team's future was.

*Hoo! *

Magic took a deep breath before continuing: "What we should do now is... let the Clippers refuse Magic Howard. As far as I know, Jack shouldn't have much interest in Howard. Yao Ming has been training in Los Angeles for a period of time, and he shared a recovery team with Derrick Rose. Many messages show that Yao Ming will join the Clippers."

"Moreover, the Clippers already have DeAndre Jordan. Although Howard can increase some vision, the damage brought might be greater."

"Also, I think the Clippers might trade Blake Griffin before the trading window closes. They have been excessively good to Griffin recently, and Griffin's data has reached an incredible level." Magic Johnson had very keen observation.

Trade Griffin?

"Why?"

Jean Bas couldn't think of a reason for the trade: "Their chemical reaction is so good now, why do they still want to trade the team's number two figure? Could it be that Griffin is also a troublemaker like Bynum?"

Magic shrugged and said he didn't know why; this was just his intuition.

"People can't live by intuition." Jean Bas reminded Magic: "You need to follow up continuously next. We must send Bynum away before Christmas, either get Howard or get Tyson Chandler. These are the two helpers designated by Chris Paul."

Magic Johnson nodded.

Now, although the Lakers were a scene of brilliance, with superstars like clouds.

However, Magic knew better than anyone that the division within the Lakers was expanding.

Sometimes, as a manager, he really hoped the Lakers could be like the Clippers, pushing over and starting over, at least these young people and the old players who were about to retire wouldn't think about how to expand their influence and divide their factions.

So, Magic once again thought that trading Fan Xi was a stupid decision.

But he couldn't scold Jean Bas directly.

He just kicked the air after walking out of the office.

Things still had to be done.

The Christmas War became the top priority.

He hoped this was the beginning of the Lakers turning the tide.

... ===== CHAPTER 258 =====