Chapter 331: Their dating speed is always so astonishing

The Los Angeles Clippers quickly grabbed the headlines of basketball media after taking a 3:1 lead in the first round. For a team aiming for the Grand Champion, reaching match point is by no means a relaxing or happy thing.

They must now face Fan Xi's fierce onslaught.

Although everyone knew the Clippers had been seeking a strategy to defeat the superior from the regular season, now that the day had truly arrived, it gave them a sense of crisis more real than the Mayan prophecy of the end of the world.

"We don't have any secret to winning; we just go from one victory to the next," Fan Xi told the reporters surrounding him for interviews after the game with a smile.

He avoided talking about his own stats of 35 points, 15 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks in this game. Instead, he praised every teammate on the team, saying he was in an unprecedented collective and that the Clippers deserved unprecedented honor.

Fan Xi looked more like a leader than ever before.

He was not even 21 years old, and this was only his second year.

Mike Brown looked at Fan Xi beside him; he could no longer recall the shadow of James in his mind. He felt that Fan Xi was the one who should truly be called the Chosen One.

Of course, James was also outstanding, and the current James was definitely stronger than the current Fan Xi.

But, was the 21-year-old James stronger than the current Jack?

Mike Brown placed a big question mark in his mind.

When Fan Xi talked about that brilliant crossover, he humbly stated that he had seized a rare opportunity; if Russell had stepped forward half a step, he would have lost the chance. It was a gamble.

Fan Xi did not want to emphasize how legendary his performance in the paint was after the game. He was not that kind of person; if he had a grudge, he settled it on the court. He didn't beat a dead horse afterward.

Therefore, he was called a gentleman by some media.

Yet in reality, Fan Xi was more aggressive than any other player on the court. Many players privately called Fan Xi the most vicious guy.

"We certainly hope to end this series in the smoothest way, but I have a premonition that the Thunder will launch the most tenacious counterattack in the fifth game. We must be prepared for the toughest battle."

Fan Xi did not say anything about finishing off the opponent in the fifth game.

He was not Tracy McGrady. Only Tracy McGrady would say, "I'm already preparing for the next round's opponent," while leading 3:1 in the first round. This was probably why Tracy McGrady had never broken through the first round as a core player.

It is worth mentioning that this season, Tracy McGrady's agent once expressed the idea of joining the Clippers. Tracy was a superstar with great appeal; he had a large group of fans in Zhongguo, and his playing style was gorgeous and beautiful.

However, Fan Xi politely declined.

With Arenas, a big mouth, already on the team, they didn't need another one.

If McGrady started spouting more "Mc-isms," the Clippers really wouldn't be able to handle it.

McGrady had recently been working for the Spurs. He had signed a lifetime contract with Adidas, and his sponsorship fees were tied to his attendance. If he played a game, the sponsor would pay him.

It must be said that Adidas's eye for signing endorsers over these years was indeed not very accurate.

Back then, Adidas chose McGrady over Kobe and McGrady, and their talks with LeBron James fell through over trivial details. The McGrady and Arenas they spent huge sums to build were also injury-prone.

Their judgment was on par with Justin Bieber's.

"I don't understand what you are talking about."

Fan Xi shook his head, refusing the reporters' questions about Jenner and Bieber.

He didn't want to talk about these damn relationship issues.

He turned around and took Kendall Jenner's hand, who was standing on the sidelines, and walked into the player tunnel.

Fans on both sides were clapping and cheering for them frantically.

Watching Fan Xi's retreating back, he was undoubtedly the winner tonight—a double winner, a winner who won twice.

On the court, he won the victory.

On the sidelines, he once again defeated the world's number one idol, Justin Bieber.

Bieber's status as a tool man tonight was completely solidified.

Standing on the high platform, Justin Bieber listened to the cheers of the whole arena and watched the big screen showing Fan Xi walking away with the beauty. A sense of bitterness welled up in his heart. Since he became famous, he had been sought after and praised wherever he went. He could get anything he wanted easily.

However, in the matter of love alone, he had suffered two consecutive defeats.

Selena treated him like air.

Jenner treated him like a tool man.

The young idol took a deep breath, feeling endless sadness.

At this moment, Kardashian walked over to take him away, but reporters rushed over first. Or rather, these reporters were likely led over by Kardashian on purpose.

"Mr. Justin, how was the game tonight? We saw you come with Kendall Jenner; did you arrange it?"

A gossip magazine reporter asked him with great interest.

Justin Bieber had been a public figure for quite some time. He revealed a smile that didn't match his age and said calmly: "It was a wonderful game. Jack Fan dominated the game and won the victory for Los Angeles. As a new Angeleno, I am proud of his performance."

"But, he stole your date; can we understand it that way? Recently, you have been pursuing Kendall. Are you feeling the same way as the Thunder players now?" The gossip reporter "showed his dagger," wanting to see the embarrassed expression of this popular idol.

However, Justin did not let him get his wish.

"What you said is not the truth. Jenner and Jack are a couple; I just happened to appear here with their sisters." Justin spread his palms: "Honestly, I would love to have a glass of red wine with Jack now. I feel we would become good friends; at least we are consistent in many aspects."

"For example, you both like girls like Selena and Jenner?" the reporter said, "killing the heart." "Then will you still like Taylor?"

This was a tricky piece of sarcasm.

Justin Bieber responded calmly: "If I were 191cm and had a sturdy physique like Jack's, maybe I would pursue Taylor too."

"Alright, Mr. Reporter. You won't get what you want here. Because I am more sober than you." Justin Bieber raised his eyebrows and left under the escort of his bodyguards.

Kardashian ran over afterward and said: "This was just a coincidence. We came to watch the game together, and then Jenner couldn't find the seat Jack specially reserved for her, that's all."

"However, our family will soon have a sensational happy event to share with everyone. Welcome to watch 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' this weekend..."

Kim Kardashian never spared any effort to promote her career.

But the reporters had no interest. After all, the sensational happy event of the Kardashian family was probably her stepfather turning from a woman into a man again, or one of her sisters announcing she was pregnant with some celebrity's child... Their family was the peak of drama.

…

Fan Xi returned to the locker room. He asked Kendall Jenner to wait for him outside for a while, and he walked in to celebrate tonight's victory with his teammates.

The Clippers' locker room was jubilant. For them, this game was won in a hearty and refreshing way, unlike the previous two games. Because this time, they had directly smashed that tough bone.

Taking down the Thunder was only a matter of time. Most importantly, James Harden was injured, and whether he could step onto the court for the fifth game was a question. The playoff first-round schedule was very tight.

This meant that the plan the Clippers had formulated during the regular season would all come to fruition.

Nowitzki was very excited. For many years, he had carried the team forward alone. Now that he had come to Los Angeles, he finally became simple, and he could finally focus on doing the one thing he was best at.

Stephen Nash, standing next to him, was the same. Long years of youth had passed, and the vicissitudes of life had carved marks on his face. Now, he finally saw the hope of a Grand Champion. The Clippers had too many players like Nash and Nowitzki. Except for Billups and Hamilton who had won a Grand Champion, other veterans, such as Grant Hill, Vince Carter, Arenas, Yao Ming, and Kwame Brown, had never touched a Grand Champion.

Tonight's desperate, hearty victory gave these veterans a shot in the arm.

That was... Fan Xi's words counted. The plan he formulated would definitely be completed.

There were too many leaders in the NBA who didn't keep their word and blew their own horns; teams led by such leaders mostly became increasingly loose. But the current Clippers were a team composed of "failed leaders." As a rookie, Fan Xi took on the heavy responsibility, and he made these former leaders submit wholeheartedly, and their hearts became more closely united as Fan Xi steadily reached his goals.

The significance of this victory was extremely significant.

After the game, Mike Brown said at the press conference: "Jack saved us. He destroyed the Thunder's double-teaming on him single-handedly. It wasn't until the game ended that I realized if we had lost this game, the situation would have been irreversible. Many times, we think we still have time to adjust, but actually... just like the Zhongguo quote Jack said, 'Ten thousand years is too long, seize the day.'"

If the Clippers had lost this game, they would have lost a lot of cohesion. The old guys would doubt the plan formulated during the regular season. The hearts of the old guys were not like young people's, easily boiling with blood; once they cooled down, it would be difficult to gather them again.

"We will end this series as soon as possible. Although the Thunder won't want to admit it, they must know that their second place in the regular season was something we gave to them."

Arenas said a famous line after the game: "We are just returning to the correct position now. This year's playoffs are a journey of setting things right for us."

"We used our dormancy in the regular season to project the situation of our entire team. When we reach the playoffs, we will show our unyielding determination. All of us must return to our position, to our height."

"We haven't received the respect we deserve for too many years."

"It's the time!"

"It's the time!!!"

Although Arenas often talked nonsense, these words hit the hearts of the Clippers players.

And in the promotional video released by the Clippers official the next morning, their playoff slogan also appeared: It's the time!!!

It's the time.

…

Through this victory, the Clippers gained unprecedented cohesion and strategic goals, and completely established a combat team with Fan Xi as the absolute core. Whether substitute or starter, whether old or young, everyone was united as one, determined to take back their own positioning.

At the same time, the Thunder were sharpening their weapons, preparing for a desperate counterattack in the fifth game. Although it was difficult to reverse a 1:3 deficit, Durant and Westbrook were both firm in their belief that they would be the ones chosen by God.

However, the media was no longer optimistic about the young kids in Oklahoma. Even those experts who had frantically hyped them up turned their guns, claiming that the Thunder were not only in a strategic disadvantage but their talent was also being tested, and the Clippers' talent was clearly a cut above.

They even made comparisons.

Fan Xi and Durant, cancel out.

Leonard plus Butler, exceeds Westbrook.

Nowitzki exceeds James Harden.

Other experienced veterans like Nash were even more incomparable for the Thunder.

They believed the Thunder would lose on roster depth.

The young kids still needed tempering.

Although they said before the series that the Thunder had more playoff experience than the Clippers and emphasized that the Thunder, who had been playing together for so many years, were far superior to the hastily assembled Clippers in terms of tacit understanding... they said everything.

This was probably why Fan Xi didn't like these people who lived by their tongues.

The new chain reaction triggered after the Clippers secured a match point was that Kobe Bryant destroyed the Jazz in Salt Lake City, allowing them to advance early with a 4:0 sweep without any suspense. Meanwhile, the Spurs were also firing on all cylinders, taking down the Nuggets on the road, likewise with a 4:0 sweep.

The two super strong teams that had been entrenched in the Western Conference for many years risked their lives, bringing out all their firepower; they didn't want to waste a single bit of energy in the first round of the playoffs.

At the same time, the Dallas Mavericks seemed to be inspired by some mysterious power. They gathered their courage and also defeated the Western Conference third-seeded Memphis Grizzlies at home, taking match point with a 3:1 lead.

The situation in the Western Conference suddenly became clear.

This clarity led James Harden to meet his true love in the hospital.

James Harden did not return to Oklahoma with the main Thunder force that night. He had stitches at the hospital and needed to rest in Los Angeles for a day; he would return to Oklahoma on the game day.

Such a minor injury would not affect his appearance in the fifth game; the Thunder had repeatedly emphasized this before.

Kourtney, the eldest sister of the Kardashian family, gave birth to a precious son that day; she was the sensational news Kim Kardashian mentioned.

However, this sensational news was not that sensational to the public.

But, when James Harden ran into Khloe Kardashian, who was bending over to pick something up while wearing tight yoga pants, in the hospital.

His DNA moved.

To describe it in his own words, it was like Mars hitting the Earth at that moment, exploding in his heart. He had never seen such a hip shape that fit his aesthetic so perfectly; he completely fell into the river of love.

Then, he walked up to ask for Khloe Kardashian's phone number.

Khloe Kardashian didn't even recognize this tall man at the time, but Kim Kardashian, who rushed over later, recognized him. She was very excited; this bearded man who was matching up against Jack on the court actually sparked a flame with her other sister.

She hurriedly introduced them excitedly.

Khloe Kardashian also searched for James Harden's name on her phone, and after learning he was a potential rookie, she went to the hotel with him that night.

Their dating speed is always so astonishing.

…