Chapter 310: All-Star Weekend, Small Trade

This year's All-Star Game is relatively happy and peaceful, perhaps because the competition in the playoffs this year is too fierce. On the Western side, the teams with the most competitive strength for the championship are the two Los Angeles teams, the Spurs, and the Thunder.

On the Eastern side, it is the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls, who have two players selected for the All-Star starters respectively, and the Boston Celtics are also very spicy.

Many media are saying that this year is the year with the fiercest and most sufficient championship competition in the NBA in the past ten years.

It is not an easy thing for any team to want to win the championship.

Fan Xi accepted an interview with Kenny Smith before the All-Star Game. Kenny Smith asked Fan Xi why he didn't participate in the Slam Dunk Contest, and Fan Xi said: "I'm not very good at dunking."

This is a cold joke.

Kenny Smith asked Fan Xi again if he had thought about winning the All-Star MVP this year, and Fan Xi said: "I want to buy an MPV."

Finally, Kenny Smith asked: "Nicki Minaj said she doesn't like you because she likes men with big things. Now many NBA stars have stated that they want to date Nicki Minaj, including Kevin Durant..."

Fan Xi felt very speechless.

Nicki Minaj's sentence caused a bloody storm in the NBA, but anyone who felt that their thing was big was eager to show themselves in front of the media.

"Bless them for a successful hand-in-hand," Fan Xi politely blessed.

Then, Kenny Smith asked Fan Xi again: "Don't you want to prove something?"

"Don't want to." Fan Xi shook his head firmly. He said: "Chinese people have a shy personality. Many of our men's restrooms will write a slogan: Don't show off your length, don't mock others' shortness."

Fan Xi and Kenny's interview was done very easily.

The game also started quickly.

But before the game started, an interesting thing happened. Fan Xi was preparing to go on court, and the famous rapper Lil Wayne, who was sitting on the sidelines, grabbed Fan Xi. He was not tall, and standing up was only about a little bit above Fan Xi's chest. He said to Fan Xi: "Hey, Jack, can't you give me some shares too? You know, I said those things just to attract your attention."

"I can give you more money."

Saying that, he also showed off his dazzling rings.

"This matter, you have to talk to my agent. I have to play now." Fan Xi didn't continue to talk to Lil Wayne about this topic.

He walked onto the court.

Wade walked over and said to him: "Jack, don't think about killing me again tonight."

Wade has a bit of "game-winner syndrome." He has already set a record. No superstar has ever been like him, killed by the same person four times, and every time it was the most critical game.

So, it's no wonder Wade has this trauma stress syndrome.

Fan Xi smiled, shrugged his shoulders, and said: "Who knows."

"However, I still hope you can beat the Lakers. Compared to playing the Lakers in the Finals, I would rather play the Finals with you," Wade said to Fan Xi again.

From the TV, they looked like they had a good relationship.

"I think you can't pass the Bulls, I think Chicago is more powerful than you," Fan Xi meant to be tit-for-tat.

The regular season hasn't finished, the playoffs haven't arrived, and they have already started a fierce confrontation for the Finals.

At the same time, Orlando fans were booing Howard wildly.

Originally, this should be Howard's infinitely glorious day, but since he took the initiative to request a trade, he lost support in Orlando and became a traitor.

When he appeared, the whole arena shouted: "Sucks."

Howard, nicknamed "Superman,"

He gritted his teeth, perhaps thinking to himself: for the sake of the Grand Champion, this humiliation and burden-bearing is worth it.

Interestingly, Le Bu Lang Zhang Si was also looking inward at this moment, head lowered, expression heavy. He was likely wondering if, one day, the All-Star Weekend were held in Cleveland, he too would be booed like this.

They were the first-overall picks of 2003 and 2004 respectively, both the pride of their respective cities, and both chose to betray their original teams—with Le Bu Lang Zhang Si even using a live television broadcast to do so.

If Howard is receiving this kind of treatment, how much better could it be for Le Bu Lang Zhang Si?

It is only natural that Le Bu Lang Zhang Si feels a sense of "sympathy for one's own kind."

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the game officially began.

The jump ball was between Howard and Joakim Noah.

Noah was a center selected in 2007, a model of a second-generation athlete; although his father played tennis, his own physical fitness was excellent, his defensive ability was very strong, and he had a certain level of playmaking ability. He was an important helper beside Derek Rose.

Fan Xi had once thought about trading Griffin for Noah, but after thinking about it, it wasn't worth it.

Slap!

Howard won the jump ball against Joakim Noah.

Fan Xi received the basketball and dribbled toward the frontcourt.

Rose did not come over to shadow him, and the Eastern team's defensive formation was as loose as a croissant; Fan Xi had no intention of rushing in for a dunk.

He exchanged a look with Howard and casually tossed the basketball toward the paint; originally, Fan Xi was setting up the play for Howard.

However, Griffin swooped in from the side, caught the ball in mid-air, and ferociously slammed it into the rim.

He secured the first dunk of the game.

After the basket, he excitedly ran over to high-five Fan Xi.

Griffin had no complaints about being traded; he had been speaking well of Fan Xi recently, refusing to follow those media outlets that smeared Fan Xi, firmly believing that without Fan Xi, he wouldn't have everything he had now.

All in all, Griffin was a good person.

Changing sides to fight again, Fan Xi did not set up a defensive formation; when Derek Rose sped past his side, he even wore a smile.

After Derek Rose accepted Chen Ye's long-term special training, his control over his body had undergone a qualitative leap; he changed direction like a nimble cat, then pounced into the paint like a cheetah, and finally leaped up like a fierce tiger, yet he placed the basketball into the rim with ease.

When landing, he bent his knees with agility, more feline than any feline.

This layup by Derek Rose interpreted violence and elegance to the fullest; his strength had reached a new level, and most importantly, his risk of injury had decreased significantly.

He had the potential to reach the true peak of his career and grow into a lifelong rival of Fan Xi.

Although he still had the shortcomings of an unstable long-range shot and prioritizing offense over passing, it didn't matter; if he could grow to his limit, he would be the combination of the assassin Thomas and Le Bu Lang Zhang Si at the point guard position.

"I thought you were going to do a powerful folding dunk," Fan Xi teased Derek Rose.

The shy Derek Rose only laughed in front of Fan Xi, and he even made a joke: "I'm getting old, I don't want to show off like that anymore. Leave the dunking to the young guys."

Could the young guy he mentioned be Griffin?

Boom!

Dwight Howard soon dunked in the frontcourt.

This time, Fan Xi didn't pass to him in mid-air, just in case Griffin took off to intercept again.

He delivered the ball to Howard with a plain straight pass; Howard turned around and dunked with both hands.

But he was still met with boos.

Howard ran to the half-court in silence; it was clear he was carrying heavy pressure.

Fan Xi spent three or four minutes on the court just going through the motions, not initiating a single attack, only passing the ball to teammates who needed it.

He really had no interest in the All-Star Game.

He greeted D'Antoni and returned to the bench before the first commercial timeout; the one who replaced him was naturally Chris Paul.

Compared to Fan Xi, Chris Paul played with more presence.

Fan Xi sat on the bench and chatted with Westbrook; Westbrook was actually a relatively serious person off the court, his sense of humor far lower than Kevin Durant's—Durant was the kind of person who, sitting in front of you without saying a word, would make you feel he was very funny.

Westbrook's concern was: "Derek Rose feels like a different person; he's sharper, more agile, and more lethal than before."

Deep down, Westbrook had always viewed his draft-class peer Derek Rose as a hypothetical rival; they played the same position, had the same style, and their physical fitness was not much different.

However, from the start of their careers, the gap appeared. Westbrook could only be one of the cores in Oklahoma City, while Derek Rose was the core of a rebuild. Westbrook was the fourth pick, Derek Rose the first. Westbrook could only get 5 million dollars in endorsement fees from the Jordan brand, while Derek Rose's endorsement amount exceeded that of Le Bu Lang Zhang Si.

These visible gaps made Westbrook very anxious.

He wanted to become strong; he wanted to become stronger than Derek Rose.

Fan Xi said: "Actually, it's nothing. Derek Rose's injury wasn't serious; he's just been training his body with Chen Ye during this time to improve his control over his body. You can do it too."

Fan Xi encouraged Westbrook.

Westbrook was anxious in his heart; he wanted to find a time to learn from Chen Ye quickly—he couldn't fall too far behind Derek Rose.

In a sense, Fan Xi's appearance intensified the level of internal competition among NBA superstars.

If not for Fan Xi, Le Bu Lang Zhang Si's offense wouldn't be as skillful as it is now; he had practiced his back-to-the-basket game to perfection, and his three-point shot was slowly being developed. It could be said that Fan Xi forced out the most powerful Le Bu Lang Zhang Si.

Derek Rose was also not affected by injuries because of Fan Xi, and his future achievements would be higher.

With Derek Rose stronger, Westbrook naturally became stronger.

With Westbrook stronger, could Durant, as Westbrook's leader, not train harder?

With Durant training harder, could their little brother James Harden not strap a timer to himself and train every day?

Moreover, Paul, Howard... which of these superstars deeply harmed by Fan Xi didn't give up a lot of time for clubbing to spend in the training gym?

Fan Xi was like an electric eel thrown into a foam box full of sardines.

…

The first half of the game ended quickly; Fan Xi had gone up to play twice, for 3 minutes and 2 minutes respectively, getting 0 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds—very plain.

The Western team led by 2 points, 69:67.

In the first half, both sides played very peacefully, neither having any intention of playing for real.

Of course, except for Howard, who was booed as soon as he touched the ball.

Howard really wanted to prove himself in front of his former team's fans, but this kind of proof was like a man pestering a woman—how could it attract her attention? It would only make the woman feel disgusted.

During halftime, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne came on to perform.

They made the place very lively; rappers are very good at creating this kind of atmosphere. And they were playing a new style different from traditional rap, with trap elements, rocking and swaying to the 808 drum beats.

NBA stars basically all like rap, because essentially, basketball, street dance, rap, and skateboarding all belong to hip-hop culture—all black culture.

Fan Xi couldn't appreciate this rhythm; he sat on the chair very calmly.

However, Lil Wayne suddenly ran to the sidelines to interact, and then pulled him onto the court.

Fan Xi was at a loss.

At this moment, Nicki Minaj suddenly leaned in and danced a hot dance for Fan Xi.

This move caused the whole arena to scream and cheer; after all, just yesterday, Nicki Minaj said she wasn't interested in Fan Xi.

Her movements were very seductive, and quite bold; her fingers even wandered over Fan Xi's body with only two or three centimeters of distance.

Every one of her movements could cause the whole arena to scream.

This was a wonderful performance.

At least, in the dimension of stimulating the audience's hormones, it achieved a perfect score.

Fan Xi cooperated with their performance like a wooden statue.

Until the lights dimmed.

Fan Xi breathed a sigh of relief.

But he suddenly caught his breath again, because the enchanting Nicki Minaj, squatting beside him, suddenly reached out and grabbed him.

Then, a loud, exaggerated scream was heard from Nicki Minaj's microphone.

Clearly, she had been startled.

This scream was heard by the entire arena.

People thought this was part of the performance.

Therefore, there was not much surprise.

Fan Xi was speechless.

He turned and walked back to the bench; Lil Wayne followed, high-fiving Fan Xi: "Jack, look how happily we cooperated."

"Uh..." Fan Xi was not happy at all.

He only felt that he had been ambushed.

At this time, Nicki Minaj also walked to the Western bench under the gaze of everyone; she looked very bold and avant-garde. But when her gaze moved to Fan Xi, there was an inexplicable sense of shyness.

This made Kevin Durant unable to take his eyes off her; he loved this type of girl too much.

In contrast, Fan Xi had absolutely no interest in black female celebrities.

When Durant, Griffin... were busy chatting with Nicki Minaj, Fan Xi sat on the other side.

He took out his phone and began to ponder a very important question.

Tonight is the time the NBA trade window closes.

Fan Xi needed to make a decision; Kupchak hoped they would complete a new trade and a new signing.

Kupchak told Fan Xi with his experience that the Clippers needed this.

In fact, it wasn't just the Clippers; all other strong teams were also frantically busy during this happy All-Star Weekend, with all teams hoping to use this opportunity for final reinforcements.

Because, after tonight, teams wanting to win the Grand Champion would enter a truly cutthroat battlefield.

…