Chapter 304: The Lakers' glory, Fan Xi's touchstone

Chris Paul was still executing his "fast offense." In essence, Paul was a methodical person; he was a point guard of the "lawful" camp. But he encountered two opponents of the "chaotic" camp.

Paul easily got past Nash, and then used his precise and seasoned passing to send the ball to the basket. Howard shouldered DeAndre Jordan aside, but when he went for the layup, he was just a little bit off. Barnes rushed in in time and put the ball into the basket.

This wasn't the fast offense D'Antoni wanted, although Chris Paul's pass was brilliant, Howard played with great momentum, and Barnes's put-back was a stroke of genius.

But what D'Antoni wanted was... Steve Nash receiving the inbound pass, rushing forward like a lightning strike, with Clippers players following closely behind, flowing as smoothly as mercury.

Nash arrived at the three-point line with the ball and quickly passed it to Fan Xi, who was further ahead. Fan Xi killed into the chaotic Lakers paint with Kobe chasing, and calmly passed the ball out amidst the double-team. Butler followed up, caught the ball, and put it into the basket.

D'Antoni saw this scene, and he was almost drooling. The relay between Nash and Fan Xi was as smooth as silk, and Fan Xi's posture of passing the ball after killing into the paint was, in D'Antoni's eyes, simply a replica of Nash.

What a wonderful run-and-gun relay.

Give me this lineup, and I could play across the league, invincible.

Looking at the Lakers' steady and prudent appearance, the more D'Antoni thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.

Although the Lakers were the number one favorite to win the championship, D'Antoni really wished more to be the head coach of the Clippers.

In fact, those basketball experts were also saying that Mike Brown was more suitable for the Lakers, and D'Antoni was more suitable for the Clippers.

However, Mike Brown definitely wouldn't change.

He was already used to being Fan Xi's assistant.

Going to the Lakers, having to adapt to Kobe or Paul, or even Howard, was too much trouble. The Clippers were better.

The game continued to move forward.

The Lakers' offensive efficiency was high, and the Clippers' offensive tempo was fast.

Both sides played dazzlingly, showing their own characteristics, making it clear to anyone that this was the highest level of confrontation in the league.

The tempo of the second quarter was fast, and the game progressed quickly.

Halftime arrived soon.

The Lakers scored 59 points, which was standard.

But the Clippers extended the point difference to 8 points, with the Clippers scoring 37 points in the single quarter and 67 points in the half.

It looked very easy.

The Lakers were clearly playing very well, with nothing to criticize, but they were trailing.

When Jean Bas saw the score, her face looked very ugly. She didn't want to lose; this game was very important for the Lakers. If they lost this game again, the Clippers' market value would be even better. They would solidify their Asian base and strongly enhance loyalty on this important day.

At the same time, in California, winning two games in a row would also gain them greater attention.

Most importantly, it would most directly affect the Time Warner broadcast negotiations.

Time Warner had originally promised to give the Lakers $5 billion because they already clearly knew that the NBA's national broadcast rights would rise rapidly. Therefore, they hoped to use a long-term investment now to offset future inflation. They hoped to reach a 20-year cooperation with this powerhouse team because they believed the Lakers would always be strong in the future and would always be the only basketball representative in the California region.

But now, their willpower was weakening.

Their signing intention was decreasing.

The rise of the Clippers forced Time Warner to think about hedging their bets. What if the Clippers surpassed the Lakers in the future? If the Clippers became the best basketball team in Los Angeles, then a 20-year contract with the Lakers would be a super gamble.

Jean Bas was anxious for success, so she followed the players to the locker room. She hoped to increase the players' tension and tell them that this was a game concerning the team's destiny.

Although this might be a bit exaggerated, she had to do it.

"Is there such a possibility? That is, the Clippers' strength is stronger than the Lakers'," Kenny Smith said while discussing with the host and partner Charles Barkley during halftime.

Barkley and host Ernie Johnson both believed that the Lakers' strength had the advantage, and the reason the Clippers were leading was because their chemistry was better, and the Clippers didn't use pick-and-roll to consume themselves tonight.

In fact, this was also the mainstream view.

After all, with the league's number one point guard, number one center, number one shooting guard, plus the top seven power forward in the league, even with Fan Xi and Nowitzki, plus a bunch of rookies and veterans, the Clippers weren't enough to go head-to-head with the Lakers.

However, Kenny Smith put forward his conjecture. "The Lakers just have a stronger paper strength. Weren't their F4 strong back then? In the end, didn't they still lose to the Pistons?"

"Do you think the Clippers will be the Pistons?" Ernie Johnson asked Kenny Smith about this question.

Kenny Smith shook his head and said: "I think the Clippers are the Lakers of the 80s, Showtime. Have you heard of it?"

As soon as Kenny Smith said this.

Charles Barkley gasped.

The host didn't dare to respond.

Clippers fans and Lakers fans in front of the TV were all silent.

They frowned and thought about it in front of the TV, recalling tonight's game: wasn't it just show-time? A talented point guard who won the Finals MVP in his rookie season, an experienced inside player with many scoring methods, plus a bunch of experienced veterans, and two or three rookies who dared to fight and charge.

It matched.

Don't believe it?

Ron Artest on TV was still kneeling, and Howard was also enduring the crotch humiliation after the three-line bombardment.

Was Los Angeles really going to replace the old with the new?

Kenny Smith's words made Time Warner's executives fall into deep thought.

If this was really the case, signing for 20 years with the Clippers would be better than signing for 20 years with the Lakers.

The Showtime led by Magic Johnson back then saved the NBA league. If it weren't for Magic Johnson, the NBA would have been gone in the 80s, and it wouldn't have waited for Michael Jordan's deification in the 90s and the subsequent globalization of influence.

Most importantly, how old was Fan Xi? Fan Xi was only 20.

The Lakers' leader, Kobe Bryant, was already 34. Although he was still the signature superstar of Los Angeles, his influence on the court was declining. Fan Xi was rising. Sooner or later, there would be a crossover. After the crossover, the Clippers would soar into the sky. What about the Lakers?

Could the Lakers find the next Kobe?

Chris Paul and Dwight Howard—it would be very difficult for these two to catch up to Fan Xi in influence.

Foreign monks have always had a hard time chanting scriptures in Los Angeles.

…

Jean Bas, as always, gave a long-winded account of the Lakers' glorious history in the locker room, as well as the crossroads of creating psychology, hoping that the players would forge ahead, win this game, and chisel and sink the hateful Clippers.

If it were the younger Jean Bas, her speech would be more convincing.

Anyway, the most active responder before, Ron Artest, was a bit listless now; he seemed to be thinking about life.

After Jean Bas finished speaking, Chris Paul encouraged his teammates, praised everyone for their excellent performance in the first half, and said some words of encouragement.

Paul spoke very naturally; this was something he was used to doing in the Hornets.

Kobe frowned, but in the end, he didn't say much.

He was old now and didn't want to fight anymore.

However, Jean Bas knew that Kobe was the backbone of the team, so she specifically found Kobe for a private chat. "Kobe, the Lakers need you now. If we lose this game, we might lose a broadcast fee of over $5 billion for terrestrial channels. You also want to see the Lakers always be great, right?"

"The Lakers must never become a second-rate team."

Jean Bas's words fell into Kobe's heart, very heavy.

Kobe subconsciously clenched his fists.

From the moment he put on the purple and gold jersey that summer in 1996, he had been proud of the Lakers, and the Lakers occupied the most important position in his heart.

How could I let the Lakers become a second-rate team?

A powerful desire to fight burst out from Kobe's body.

All along, he had been the guardian of the Lakers. In the most difficult times, he carried the Lakers with his own strength, forcibly leading them into the playoffs.

Now.

He gritted his teeth, although he was already slightly old.

His eyes were always firm. He looked at Jean Bas and said the most tenacious sentence in his heart: "The iron armor is still here!"

This sentence was said by Fan Xi.

Kobe used it here, but it was so appropriate.

An old soldier, a veteran who had fought for the Lakers for most of his life, holding a spear, he was going to resist the enemy's last fierce charge.

Old soldiers never die.

The iron armor is still here.

It's just near dusk.

…

The Lakers' locker room was filled with a murderous and desolate atmosphere, while the Clippers' locker room was very happy, with a festive atmosphere for the New Year. Fan Xi joked there: "You young ones, when Yao comes back, you kneel on the ground and kowtow to him, let him give you red envelopes. If the red envelope he gives is too small, you keep kowtowing and don't get up."

Fan Xi explained some customs of the Lunar New Year to Leonard and the others.

"Then, after the game tonight, do you have to give Artest a red envelope?" Kwame Brown was a clever little guy.

His words made everyone laugh.

The live broadcast of the halftime show was playing on the TV in the locker room. When they saw an acrobat riding a super-high bicycle with a flower pot on his head, they were all terrified.

"Jack, this balance ability is too strong. If any center had this balance ability, it would be terrifying," Steve Nash commented from a professional perspective.

"Look at the flower gun player, this agility, you Chinese people are too strong," Vince Carter also sighed: "This is actually the top physical talent."

"Jack, you don't seem to have it," Hamilton woke the dreamer with one word.

Fan Xi smiled awkwardly: "My talent is still awakening. Wait until I train for a few months in the off-season, and you'll know how powerful I am."

The Clippers' locker room was particularly happy and peaceful.

So peaceful that when the team leader came to urge them to go on court, they realized that no tactics had been arranged.

Mike Brown thought Fan Xi would arrange it, and Fan Xi felt Mike Brown would at least go through the motions.

They both misjudged each other.

But it didn't matter.

The tactics were in Fan Xi's heart.

In the corridor leading to the court, Fan Xi and Mike Brown finalized the starting lineup for the second half: DeAndre Jordan, Kwame Brown, Leonard, Vince Carter, Fan Xi.

Nowitzki played the whole first half, and Fan Xi wanted him to rest. After all, this wasn't Dallas anymore, and there was no need for the German Tank to be a beast of burden and carry the whole team.

Fan Xi wanted to take advantage of the team's lead to play pick-and-roll with Kwame Brown and DeAndre Jordan, and relax in the third quarter.

However, the Lakers walked onto the court aggressively under Kobe's leadership.

They were going to fight for the Lakers' ultimate glory again.

Beep!

The whistle sounded.

Chris Paul brought the ball to the front court, Kobe blocked his old rival Vince Carter to ask for the ball. After receiving the ball, Kobe turned around, passed Carter by half a step with a big stride, and then stopped suddenly, shooting a jump shot... Swish!

Clean and neat.

After Kobe scored, he walked back coldly, without looking back.

Vince Carter immediately felt something was wrong. He knew Kobe very well and knew that Kobe entering the "killing god mode" meant this expression where everyone owed him millions.

Fan Xi also realized it.

But he was even more excited instead.

He wasn't excited about anything else.

It was that Kobe had entered the "killing god mode," which meant Kobe would definitely defend him in the most comprehensive way, and the defensive level would be unprecedentedly improved.

Under these circumstances, Fan Xi's pick-and-roll experiment would be more valuable.

Kobe wanted to maintain the Lakers' glory.

Fan Xi treated him as a touchstone.

A big battle was imminent.

… ===== CHAPTER 305 =====