Chapter 312: Top-tier offense and defense, never relying on external force

Fan Xi's retort was clearly beyond Wade's expectations.

He froze for a split second, then walked right up to Fan Xi, shadowing his defense like a silhouette.

This meant the Eastern Conference's number one power had completely torn off the mask; they were initiating a formal confrontation.

Fan Xi was utterly fearless. He continued to stroll leisurely, arriving at the top of the arc outside the three-point line, then suddenly accelerated sharply to the left. Wade followed closely, but just as Wade stepped in, Fan Xi abruptly stopped. He gave a pump fake, and Wade stuck to him, completely engulfing Fan Xi.

It looked as if Fan Xi had absolutely no room to stand.

However, right in this desperate situation, Fan Xi turned and leaned back for a deep fadeaway, launching the basketball from an impossible angle... The movement was incredibly stylish, with a difficulty level of SSS.

Usually, very few people use this move in an All-Star Game.

But Fan Xi just had to do it.

Swish!

As the basketball pierced through the net.

Kobe and Jordan on the sidelines stood up simultaneously; they clearly saw the shadows of their younger selves in Fan Xi.

This move could be called the ultimate inheritance of a top-tier shooting guard.

Although Wade had spent a period as the league's number one shooting guard, he had never quite mastered this move to the point of natural perfection.

The fans at the Amway Center erupted in a mountain-shaking roar, which soon turned into a uniform chant: "MVP! MVP! MVP!"

"Since Fan Xi came on, the competitiveness and watchability of the game have visibly improved. The All-Star Game should be like this; it should be tit-for-tat. Everyone knows everyone else; why pretend to be modest on the court when you hate each other to death in your hearts? What's the point?"

Shaquille O'Neal sat at the TNT commentary desk, as if warming up for his post-retirement job.

He was very well-suited for commentary.

He complemented Barkley and Kenny Smith perfectly.

Moreover, what he said truly brought new perspectives for the fans.

Just as he said, the fans felt the content of the game upgrading.

After Fan Xi hit the shot, Wade charged over aggressively.

However, Fan Xi didn't match up against him; it was Westbrook who took the assignment.

Seeing Wade's expression, which looked like he wanted to devour him, Westbrook also raised his defensive intensity.

Young Master Westbrook never tolerated any nonsense in his eyes. His physical fitness was as explosive as the young Wade's. Although his man-to-man defensive experience still needed strengthening, his physical gifts combined with his hustle immediately entangled Wade.

Wade failed to break through the defensive line in one go. He stopped at the free-throw line and pulled up for a jumper... Clang!

The ball hit the iron.

Blake Griffin grabbed the rebound and threw a long pass to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi sprinted with the ball, and the Western team's pace instantly accelerated.

When Fan Xi rushed to the frontcourt, he didn't hesitate at all, passing the ball directly to the corner where Kevin Love happened to be running.

Love caught the ball and released a three-pointer... Swish!

It went in easily.

Love possessed three-point shooting ability.

"Let them go one-on-one and drain their stamina." Chris Paul suddenly leaned over to D'Antoni and suggested, "From now on, Kobe and I shouldn't go back in. Heat vs. Clippers—it's to our advantage."

Paul was a top-tier point guard, and top-tier point guards have very sharp minds. How could he not see that the current situation had undergone a fundamental reversal? Whether the Heat or the Clippers fought and lost, the Lakers would be the ones to benefit.

The All-Star Game was originally a window for star players to rest. Since they wanted a playoff-level grind-out, then let them play.

That was what Paul thought.

But what he didn't know was that even if he hadn't said it, D'Antoni wouldn't have subbed Paul or Kobe back in anyway.

Because, as a run-and-gun coach, he couldn't wait to see what Fan Xi and this lineup could achieve.

Fan Xi's fast break just now was too stunning; this defensive-transition play caught the Eastern All-Stars off guard.

Fan Xi, Young Master Westbrook, Young Master Durant, Griffin, Love.

Could the league find a more top-tier run-and-gun combination than this?

D'Antoni was ecstatic inside.

Meanwhile, the Eastern All-Stars had been pressed and hit three times in a row, and they couldn't save face. LeBron James took over the ball; he wanted to seek justice for his brothers.

Facing Kevin Durant's defense, James drove hard, using his strength to shoulder past Durant and kill into the paint. After drawing Griffin over to help, he dished to Bosh. Bosh didn't dare to go for a layup again; he jumped up and used the rim to complete a reverse layup.

Swish!

It fell through the net in response.

The Heat's combination got one back for them.

Immediately, Griffin quickly inbounded the ball, and Fan Xi pushed the tempo. He arrived at the frontcourt quickly, then bypassed Deron Williams as if he were a wooden stake. Drawing James to shift his feet, he passed the ball to Kevin Durant.

Durant released the shot comfortably and calmly... Swish!

Very efficient.

"This is what a top-tier basketball exchange is."

Kenny Smith said excitedly on TV.

The fans also found it a feast for the eyes.

There was highly focused defense, but more than that, it showcased the composure of top-tier superstars under high-intensity pressure.

LeBron James exchanged a look with Spoelstra. The Eastern team subbed out Deron Williams and brought in Derek Rose; the center was also changed from Stoudemire to Joakim Noah.

This was a union of the two strongest teams in the East.

The Bulls plus Miami.

Fans in front of their TVs cheered, feeling the ticket price was worth it.

Everyone had originally thought this would just be an ordinary All-Star Game, like in previous years, playing harmoniously until the last few minutes, then everyone would symbolically play a few real rounds, and finally happily pick the player with the best stats as the All-Star MVP.

Was that meaningful?

Perhaps, but not much.

Now, ever since Fan Xi appeared, both sides were directly fighting with bayonets.

If the three Lakers players were thrown in as well, this would simply be a grand melee of championship-contending teams.

Derek Rose brought the ball to half-court. James followed by his side the whole time, communicating tactics with him. He covered his mouth while speaking, clearly not wanting his lip-reading to be deciphered by the cameras.

Derek Rose called for Joakim Noah. He made a sharp drive from the left. With Rose calling for a screen, Fan Xi really couldn't stop him; he could only trail a step behind and chase closely.

But after entering the paint, Rose did a jump-step. His body seemed to shift and move like a clever monkey in the forest, then he pulled up through the gaps in the crowd, attracting all the attention.

Just when everyone thought he would complete a thunderous dunk like before, he passed the ball down. Chris Bosh was in a completely open spot, and he quickly launched the shot... Swish!

It went in easily.

Rose's drive-and-kick was simply an explosive "center-blooming" play. His aggressiveness was super strong, so he attracted three defenders from the Western All-Stars. Then, he chose to pass; as long as Chris Bosh wasn't an idiot, he could put the ball into the basket.

"Too difficult."

Charles Barkley sighed, "In history, it's impossible for anyone to withstand the simultaneous attacks of Rose, Wade, and James, these three outstanding slashers."

And this was also the brilliance of the game.

Young Master Westbrook quickly passed the ball to Fan Xi. Fan Xi pushed the tempo; he was still playing run-and-gun, and his pace was super fast.

When he rushed to the frontcourt, he didn't even face Rose, directly stepping out a Euro Step to shake off Rose. Amidst the double-team of Wade and Joakim Noah, he threw the ball to the basket, and Blake Griffin jumped up... Boom!

He completed the dunk.

The Western offense was also very fierce.

The fans feasted their eyes: this was the real All-Star battle.

The fans at the Amway Center were still roaring, shouting: "MVP! MVP! MVP!"

They were still firmly cheering for Fan Xi.

It had quite the air of being the popular choice.

"Tonight, you cannot achieve victory, Jack. With the Heat and Bulls joining forces, even if you called Jordan and Kobe, it would be useless."

James covered his mouth and talked trash to Fan Xi while running back on defense.

He was categorical.

Yet sneaky.

Fan Xi glanced at him and said, "Why do you have to cover your mouth to talk? You are afraid, you are scared. You are afraid of being caught by the whole world and getting slapped in the face. You only dare to show your self-esteem so sneakily."

"Pitiful, our Chosen One is truly pitiful."

Fan Xi said regretfully; he truly felt sorry for James.

This kind of genuine sympathy and disdain deeply stung James.

James's sensitive arrogance was scorched.

Rage appeared on his face, and his gaze became murderous.

Even the force with which he chewed his gum increased.

When he arrived at the frontcourt, he immediately took the ball from Rose's hands, then took long strides, cutting in like a surging tank, and forced the ball in while hard-shouldering Kevin Love's defense.

Some cheers rang out in the arena.

It had to be said, James's individual ability was super strong.

As long as he got moving, you almost couldn't stop him.

He possessed unique physical gifts.

"LeBron is like me in the paint back in the day. Those more agile than me weren't as fast as me; those faster than me didn't have my footwork; those with better footwork than me didn't have my strength... Actually, no one had more strength than me."

O'Neal appeared on TV to give his testimony.

O'Neal was undoubtedly a major bug in the NBA, the kind that cheated purely with physical fitness, creating mismatches against anyone. James was the same; actually, Kevin Durant counted too. Durant had the height and wingspan of a center, yet had the speed and agility of a guard, plus an unrivaled shooting touch.

Others on this court, such as Rose, Westbrook, Fan Xi, Wade... etc., were all within the normal range, just very outstanding in physical fitness for their positions.

After James scored.

The Western team's problem had already become very serious, which was that their defense in the paint was very loose.

They couldn't stop the impact of the three major slashers at all; just driving like this could drive the Western All-Star team to death.

"The Lakers won't come to save you; they will only watch as you are eaten up by us bit by bit."

After James scored, he ran to Fan Xi again, covered his mouth, and talked trash.

James was cautious his whole life.

Such a person, even when emotions were at their peak, would never forget to avoid risks.

Therefore, it wouldn't be surprising for James to achieve any success.

Fan Xi didn't waste words with James; he brought the ball to the frontcourt.

Derek Rose flew over.

Rose was also a physically gifted defender; his man-to-man defensive ability was on par with Westbrook's.

Fan Xi didn't entangle with him too much; Griffin came up to set a screen for him.

Then they went on a dual-line fast break. At this moment, Griffin had a very good shooting opportunity, but Fan Xi didn't pass the ball over. He still didn't want to expose his full strength at this time.

He turned around, handed the ball to Kevin Durant, and used his back to help him block James.

Durant's hand fell like a blade... Swish!

A long two-pointer hit.

Durant was already the cream of the crop among superstars; many people once liked to compare him to the former superstar Tracy McGrady.

However, Durant's current strength already exceeded McGrady's peak. McGrady was a great scorer; he won two scoring titles, but Durant was the kind of person who could win as many scoring titles as he wanted, as long as he was on that Magic team back then. Durant's passing might not be as good as McGrady's, but in other aspects, especially clutch scoring ability, Durant was far stronger than McGrady.

Changing sides to fight again, Wade drove into the paint. Although he was disrupted by Westbrook, he also drew a foul from Kevin Love and went to the free-throw line.

When Wade walked to the free-throw line.

Fan Xi turned his head and glanced at the Western team's bench.

He thought D'Antoni should sub in a center with better defense, such as Dwight Howard.

However, the Western team's bench was calm.

Perhaps James was right.

Fan Xi took a deep breath. He was a tough person; he never relied on external help. Since he could only fight alone, then he would head toward the tiger's mountain.

Swish!

Swish!

Wade hit two free throws in a row.

The moment he hit them, Griffin quickly caught the ball and inbounded it to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi sprinted with the ball. He rushed to the three-point line, quickly ran a pick-and-roll with Kevin Love, killed into the paint, suddenly looked back at the moon, and passed the ball outside the three-point line. Kevin Love caught the ball, aimed, and released... It hit.

Although Love had weak rim protection, standing outside the three-point line, he was a stable cannon.

Joakim Noah couldn't defend out there either.

This Western lineup also had its unique aspects. Although it wasn't the three-arrowhead slashing style of the East, it could play inside and outside, had slashing and shooting, and also had aerial attack capability.

Both sides went back and forth, playing high-quality offensive rounds.

The third quarter ended in a heated shootout between the two sides.

105:102.

The Eastern team led by 3 points going into the bench.

"I think the East can win; the West can't be this accurate forever. Whoever controls the paint controls victory; the closer to the basket, the higher the offensive success rate. This is the truest truth on the court," Shaquille O'Neal said during the quarter break.

"I agree with Shaq's view." Charles Barkley rarely stood with O'Neal.

Kenny Smith still chose to believe in Fan Xi: "I think Jack might not be unable to create a miracle; after all, he has always been good at this."

"That depends on whether D'Antoni gives him new helpers. If they have Kobe and Howard, I think they still have the strength to fight," Shaquille O'Neal stopped there.

Immediately, he shouted: "Hey, what's going on? Didn't Nicki Minaj say she didn't like Jack Fan?"

"This damn woman, women are always saying one thing and meaning another!!!"

... ===== CHAPTER 313 =====