Chapter 303: This is the best New Year's gift

Ohoho!!

"Jack toyed with Ron Artest. This is simply the best breakthrough shot of this season... no, the best in the last five years. Jack made Artest kneel down; Artest will have trouble sleeping for the rest of his life because of this humiliating moment."

"I've never seen such a cruel breakthrough. Jack is too ruthless. He shook Artest to his knees, and then turned back to hit a three-pointer over Artest's head, like he was practicing shooting."

"Oh my God!"

"Why would stupid humans go and provoke Little Duke?"

TNT commentator Kenny Smith roared excitedly on TV. The audience in front of the TV had long since gone wild; they were extremely excited, echoing the Staples Center, which was cheering like a tsunami.

This shot was too fierce!

It was simply a public execution.

At the same time, the hosts on Chinese television were even crazier, even more excited: "Fan Xi shook Artest down. With the first shot of the New Year, Fan Xi made the Defensive Player of the Year kneel in front of us."

"Artest simply doesn't have the ability. He can't defend Fan Xi; he can only kneel down. He can only kneel down to pay us New Year's respects."

"I can't even remember the nonsense he said before the game started; it was like the dying gasps of a lame duck, completely meaningless."

"Fan Xi, worthy of being Fan Xi!"

"He is the pride of our Chinese fans. No one is stronger than him, and no one should think about provoking him."

"Those who offend the majesty of Fan Xi, though strong, must be punished."

The CCTV commentator became more and more majestic, making the audience in front of the TV feel a strong sense of pride and glory during the New Year.

Didn't Artest say before the game that he wanted to embarrass Fan Xi during this holiday? Now, Fan Xi has made you, this arrogant guy, kneel down and, according to our Chinese rules, kowtow to pay New Year's respects.

Artest on the court couldn't care about the pain in his knees; he struggled to stand up to throw a punch at Fan Xi. He had never experienced such humiliation in his life; even at the Palace of Auburn Hills, more than 20,000 people hadn't mocked him like this.

He felt like a clown.

He wanted to finish off the culprit in front of him.

However, just as he was about to stand up, DeAndre Jordan and Leonard walked over, looking at Artest with hostility.

Artest's blind rage automatically subsided.

At this time, Chris Paul also came over to comfort him: We'll fight back later.

Artest looked at the big screen overhead, which was replaying the process of him being toyed with just now... NBA courtside cameras were too high-definition.

Despair welled up in his heart. Amidst the waves of sound from the arena, he clearly realized that he would never be able to win this shot back in his life.

This was far beyond his ability.

He ran to the front court with his head down.

Chris Paul was just saying that; there was no way he would pass the ball to Ron Artest.

Facing Fan Xi's aggressive defense, this league-leading point guard, "Saint Paul," who said he wanted to settle things last time but didn't, was cautious.

He adjusted his breakthrough path back and forth, and after failing to find good space, he quickly passed the ball to Kobe.

Kobe played post-up against Leonard, turned around for a jump shot, Bang!

The ball missed.

DeAndre Jordan leaped up and grabbed the rebound over Howard's head. He was aggressive, with a posture of fighting for his life.

In fact, Leonard was the same.

As soon as the Lakers players stepped onto the court, they felt the Clippers' unique temperament. The Clippers were murderous tonight; they looked more like they were here for revenge.

DeAndre Jordan passed the ball to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi brought it to the front court. He glanced at Ron Artest, but Artest pretended not to see him, tucking his tail and running to chase Hamilton.

Softie!

Fan Xi disparaged him contemptuously.

Then, he passed the ball directly to Nowitzki, who was isolating.

Nowitzki faced his European compatriot Gasol. They played against each other frequently and knew each other well.

Gasol's perimeter defensive ability was decent; he was just a bit soft in the paint. His exaggerated wingspan could form a terrifying help-defense area once spread out.

However, Nowitzki only used two fakes to beat him, plus a stop-and-go jump shot... Swish!

The ball hit the net.

The Clippers were completely different from the Christmas game.

The Clippers in the Christmas game relied more on running and connections between teammates. Now, the Clippers had a strong offensive point, and their positioning and running had actually declined slightly. If Hamilton wasn't on the court, the space would be even more cramped.

This was why Fan Xi insisted on getting the pick-and-roll technique.

But now, Fan Xi felt there was no need to play pick-and-roll.

First, engage in some tough battles with the Lakers to let everyone open their eyes and see the Clippers' current foundation.

Even without playing coordination, the Clippers could be called a strong team in the league just by playing isolation.

In the past, people said Fan Xi was hiding his true strength and had many weapons in his arsenal that he hadn't brought out. Fan Xi indeed had the intention of "playing the pig to eat the tiger" and hiding a hand.

After all, during the regular season, there was no need to reveal all his trump cards.

After Nowitzki scored, Chris Paul and Gasol played a pick-and-roll. He quickly rolled down, and when he reached mid-range, Saint Paul made a quick floater... Swish!

Paul's mid-range ability was very, very strong.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be called the league's number one point guard.

However, Fan Xi felt that Paul wouldn't hold the number one point guard position for long. Even without him, he would soon fade away. He was like the leader of the point guards during the league's transition period—Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing; he was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms within them, brief and not glorious.

The reason was simple: the tide of the era was rolling in. As a traditional point guard, Paul's market was shrinking.

Paul was a point guard with relatively fast speed but who didn't like to play fast breaks. He could break into the paint, but his shooting percentage wasn't high, especially after a major injury caused his explosive power to degenerate. Plus, Paul wasn't a qualified three-point shooter.

As the "Moreyball" era approached, although Chris Paul's healthy and efficient style of play would lead to a long career and beautiful advanced stats, his time as the league's number one point guard wouldn't be long.

In fact, Paul had another problem: he didn't possess true offensive toughness. Although he could score twenty-something points per game, it looked very impressive.

However, his scoring explosiveness wasn't strong; he was a steady and prudent point guard. Give him a bad team, and he could quickly integrate them into a playoff-caliber team, but in the playoffs, his critical ability became questionable. Therefore, many people mocked Paul for never touching the Western Conference Finals floor.

Of course, in the current Lakers lineup, Paul was a seamless fit. He was suitable for partnering with a super isolation player like Kobe. As long as he didn't monopolize the ball.

The Lakers' transition defense was very fast. Fan Xi slowly arrived at the front court and continued to pass the ball to Nowitzki.

The German superstar isolated.

Fan Xi stood on the weak side, roaming.

This made the Lakers not dare to double-team Nowitzki at all.

To a certain extent, Nowitzki had the most relaxed isolation environment of his career.

Therefore, Nowitzki shook Gasol off on this play, killed into the paint, and picked the ball into the basket with one hand.

Very easy, very calm.

For Nowitzki, isolation was as easy as eating and drinking; it had long since become a physical reflex.

After all, this was the strongest isolation power forward in NBA history.

Kobe returned the favor in the half-court.

Similarly, when Kobe isolated, the Clippers didn't dare to double-team either.

Because the Lakers had more scoring points; once double-teamed, a mismatch would occur.

"They seem to be playing like they were taught by the same coach. Playing like this, it's hard to tell who will win," Kenny Smith scratched the back of his head.

Charles Barkley quipped on TV: "Isn't this just triangle offense versus triangle offense? Both are abridged versions."

Both sides went back and forth.

The Clippers focused on Nowitzki, and the Lakers focused on Kobe Bryant.

Two superstars of the same era unfolded their personal shows on the super stage of Staples.

Driven by their powerful offensive abilities, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, neither able to break the other's moves.

D'Antoni and Mike Brown, the two head coaches, were just watching from the sidelines. They were no different from the closest audience members. Their expressions were like parents watching their own children fight, but not using their own moves.

For a head coach, this was a failure.

Fortunately, Mike Brown didn't care.

He had always considered himself a defensive coach.

D'Antoni, however, looked a bit embarrassed. D'Antoni had always considered himself a master-level coach who founded his own school, although his honors and awards were still some distance from Popovich and Phil Jackson.

Now, with the Lakers playing like this, it was somewhat plagiaristic.

The first quarter ended.

29:30.

The Lakers were still trailing by 1 point.

D'Antoni simply pulled Chris Paul aside and instructed him to play dynamic offense, to solve the Clippers in transition, and to liberate Dwight... Can't let him just stand inside as a blue-collar worker; he was the league's number one center.

That was D'Antoni's instruction.

Jean Bas, sitting behind the bench, expected the same. Watching the Clippers use almost identical moves to circle around the Lakers, she was particularly angry. She thought the Clippers were taking advantage of her, and that kid Fan Xi was deliberately using this method to irritate her.

But unfortunately, the Lakers couldn't take the lead.

So, she thought about changing tactics to kill the Clippers.

But Kobe thought in his heart that as long as they kept playing, even if the Clippers' moves were exactly the same as the Lakers', they wouldn't be able to resist. There was still a difference between genuine and pirated; although it couldn't be seen at the beginning, as the game deepened, it would naturally reveal its flaws.

Once flaws were revealed, the Black Mamba would strike hard. Kobe was a historic scorer with extremely strong scoring explosiveness.

However, what Kobe didn't expect was that D'Antoni actually changed his tactical thinking.

This made Kobe a bit depressed, but he was mature now; he was no longer as reckless and impulsive as he was when he was young.

Kobe should be very envious of Fan Xi.

After Fan Xi returned to the bench, he discussed with Mike Brown.

In the first quarter, he used Gusu Murong's "using the opponent's way to treat the opponent" killer move, holding his own without using his trump card skills. But in the second quarter, he knew he had to change the lineup.

If he didn't change tactics, there was a possibility of being caught in loopholes by the Lakers. Fan Xi knew very well how ruthless Kobe's strikes were.

Therefore, he suggested Mike Brown let Steve Nash play to launch a wave of fast offense.

Mike Brown followed good advice.

He was obedient to Fan Xi.

Completely following Fan Xi's guidance and resolutely uniting around Fan Xi.

He had been like this even before Fan Xi was the team owner. Mike Brown was a clear-headed person; once a person clearly recognizes their position, they usually won't end up too badly.

Steve Nash, Fan Xi, Butler, Nowitzki, DeAndre Jordan.

This was the Clippers' new lineup.

On the Lakers' side, they also replaced Ron Artest, who had been useless in the first quarter. Artest was a bit dazed now; that shot had directly broken his fighting spirit, and he now felt like a walking corpse.

On the basketball court, many shots could historically change a person's destiny. For example, that potential center who was on the receiving end of Vince Carter's "Death Dunk" in the Athens Olympics—after that game, he said goodbye to professional basketball: "F*** the basketball dream."

Artest wouldn't go that far, but this shot, which was destined to be replayed repeatedly on TV, was enough to defeat the heart of a softie. He talked the loudest before the game, but the first shot of the game broke his bones, and he knelt on the ground singing "Conquer."

Fan Xi's fierce reputation was also fully established because of this shot.

Beep!

As the second quarter began, Chris Paul increased the offensive tempo, but his speed didn't reach the level of "run-and-gun"; he didn't like to push the offense like that.

However, his pick-and-roll was very good. After screening with Gasol, he quickly killed into the paint and made a beautiful fake pass in the paint, tricking DeAndre Jordan's defense into leaking. At the same time, the ball was lobbed into the paint, and Howard leaped up to slam the ball fiercely into the basket.

After Howard scored, he looked particularly excited. He raised his two thick arms to show off his muscles... but the direction he was showing off his muscles was facing Fan Xi.

He let out a fierce roar.

But halfway through the roar, he stopped because he saw Fan Xi looking over coldly.

He felt a bit guilty.

Fan Xi turned and ran to the front court. Nash had already launched a lightning-fast offensive.

Nash arrived at the front court and completed a quick pick-and-roll with DeAndre Jordan—a familiar V-shape, double-line roll. After Nash reached the paint, he skillfully threw the ball into the sky.

Howard hurriedly lunged over; he was going to intercept DeAndre Jordan.

However, he discovered an astonishing thing: DeAndre Jordan didn't catch the ball for a dunk in the air, but instead tapped it to the other side... just like a volleyball move.

He turned his head and saw Fan Xi flying over from the other side. Watching Fan Xi catch the ball in mid-air, he subconsciously retreated after landing in a panic... too slow!

Boom!

Fan Xi slammed the ball into the basket with both hands.

The huge impact made the rim shake, and Fan Xi's body swung backward due to inertia, instantly slamming into Howard like a raging wave.

Howard ducked his head, directly enduring this "crotch humiliation."

Staples Center was in an uproar again.

This creative dunk was simply an aerial operation of a fighter jet squadron, a precision strike.

Who could have imagined that two bombers would be operating above the paint at the same time?

Although Howard was the number one center, his radar detection ability was too weak; he could only detect DeAndre Jordan.

"If it weren't for the shot that shook Artest to his knees, this would be the best shot of the year. Who could have imagined that an alley-oop could be alley-ooped again? DeAndre Jordan's pass was so creative. The Clippers' offense showed their talent to the fullest. D'Antoni must be very envious watching this scene, right?"

Kenny Smith said excitedly on TV.

D'Antoni wasn't just envious; he was almost crying with envy. Although he was the Lakers' head coach, when he saw the Clippers charging, he had a strong desire. He wanted to coach the Clippers, and he roared in his heart: "It's such a waste not to play pure run-and-gun with such a good lineup. I have nine ways to kill the Lakers, nine!!! I would definitely make them leave the court very indecently."

D'Antoni's eyes were full of envy and jealousy.

After landing, Fan Xi high-fived DeAndre Jordan: "Next time you can pass it higher. That way, I can do a 360-degree turn."

This was a three-line offense that Fan Xi, DeAndre Jordan, and Nash had researched in the training gym, and it was the first time it was used in a real game.

Gorgeous to the extreme.

"No Spring Festival movie is more exciting than tonight's game. Fan Xi is too strong. He is too good at creating happiness for us during the Lunar New Year."

The CCTV host said excitedly across the ocean.

By this point in the game, there wasn't a single Chinese fan who wasn't happy, excited, thrilled, and blissful.

This was the best New Year's gift.

This was the best omen.

… ===== CHAPTER 304 =====