Chapter 335

The Clippers' starting players were Fan Xi, Arenas, Butler, Kwame Brown, and Jordan.

A brand new combination.

The Dallas Mavericks were Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Blake Griffin, and Tyson Chandler.

The Mavericks' roster was not bad; they relied on this veteran league to drag down the Memphis Grizzlies with experienced offense and defense.

However, facing the Clippers, their advantages were no longer advantages.

Jordan won the jump ball against Tyson Chandler, Fan Xi brought the ball across half-court, he turned his back, used the physical confrontation Jason Kidd was best at to push him, and after two bumps, silky space appeared, and Fan Xi sped into the paint like a loach.

Shawn Marion hurriedly came over for help defense, but Fan Xi continued to kill into the paint; under the double-team of Marion and Tyson Chandler, two great help-defense experts, he put the ball into the basket with his left hand... very calm, walking in the air.

Fan Xi brought out Michael Jordan's special move.

Although the ESPN commentator was very unwilling to admit this fact, they had to exclaim: "Jack Fan's aerial movement is too stretched, Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion didn't give him enough confrontation in the air, allowing him space to complete a beautiful glide."

Reggie Miller, sitting next to him, was saying: "I didn't believe it when someone said Michael Jordan could average 40 points in the current league during his peak. But after watching this ball from Jack, I completely believe it. Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion are almost the best help-defense combination in the league today, and they couldn't even defend against a weakened version of the 'Michael Glide'."

Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion were certainly not the best help-defense combination in the league today, but Jordan averaging 40 points in this era was very possible.

The game moved forward, but the Mavericks fell directly into a scoring drought; the Clippers played a zone defense.

Their perimeter lacked people who could handle the ball and attack the paint; Blake Griffin started to play one-on-one, but his one-on-one technique was not mature enough; he was a role player who added flowers to the brocade, not the type who sent charcoal in the snow.

The Mavericks missed their shots, and on the other end, Arenas chased with a 3-pointer.

The Clippers' offensive momentum was surging, and the ball was constantly thrown into the Mavericks' basket. When Nowitzki came on, the point difference between the two teams had already expanded to double digits.

When Nowitzki came on, he received cheers from the whole arena.

Nowitzki then hit a one-legged fadeaway jump shot, still elegant.

It's just that things are different now.

Nowitzki wearing the Clippers' number 41 jersey was ultimately still a bit hard for people to get used to.

The point difference continued to expand.

The strength gap between the two teams was clearly not as huge as the point difference showed.

After the first half was over, the Clippers established a 28-point lead.

In the second half, the Clippers simply practiced their troops; a group of old comrades came on to adapt to the court, and they played hotly with Dallas's old comrades, coming and going, reminiscing about the past.

The first game ended in a way without suspense.

The Clippers won the first game.

Then came the victory of the second game.

The first game was won by 31 points, the second game was won by 17 points.

Both games were calm and peaceful, like an ancient well without waves.

It wasn't even as loud as the trash talk between Blake Griffin and Kim Kardashian.

Now the media all cared about the Mavericks going to Los Angeles for away games, whether Griffin and Odom would go find Khloe Kardashian and James Harden. Harden and Kardashian had both been staying in Los Angeles recently.

Compared to the victory of the game, in fact, everyone already knew that the Clippers solving the Mavericks 4-0 was a nail in the coffin. The strength gap between the two teams was quite obvious, plus the Mavericks' bunch of old guys didn't have much spirit.

On the other hand, the game between the Lakers and the Spurs was brilliant.

The Spurs played two away games at Staples Center, although they lost both games. But in the first game, the Spurs lost by 3 points, and the second game went into overtime, also losing by 3 points.

The San Antonio Spurs and Popovich were indeed old and cunning masters; they hid a lot of strength in the regular season.

If Popovich succeeded in tanking, tricking the Clippers and Lakers into a life-and-death battle in the semifinals, then the Spurs, who were well-rested, would definitely establish an advantage after peeking at the weaknesses of the two teams, thus smoothly killing their way into the finals.

But now, it was the Clippers sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight.

The Clippers reviewed the Lakers and Spurs games every day; both teams brought out their housekeeping skills, because a slight carelessness would lead to being killed.

Have to admit, the Lakers and Spurs were extremely powerful. With the Clippers' strength, playing against either of them, it was very likely to fall into a disadvantage, even if Fan Xi's jump shot touch was getting better and better, even if Fan Xi's aerial confrontation stability reached the historical top level.

Fan Xi and Nowitzki's pick-and-roll would steal one or two games at critical moments... Fan Xi thought this was the key to victory.

After the Dallas Mavericks' dual swordsmen arrived in Los Angeles, they went to the bar, they didn't live up to the expectations of American gossip fans, they were photographed each bringing a big-breasted, big-butt Mexican girl in the bar.

They looked very satisfied, and they seemed to have made up their minds to end their season in Los Angeles... anyway, they both had houses in Los Angeles.

Their pre-game revelry caused them to be criticized by basketball media, and Khloe Kardashian also satirized them because of this.

Saying they didn't do their proper jobs, and would never be able to reach James Harden on the court.

For this reason, she also posted photos of James Harden training on the internet.

It seemed she wanted to be a true virtuous wife this time.

Such stimulation made Griffin play very actively in the third game, coming with a dunk at the start. He was full of energy, as if to prove that he would never be sucked dry by a woman like Harden and unable to jump.

However, his activity didn't actually have much effect on the game.

In this game, he got 29 points and 11 rebounds, but the Clippers still easily took this victory.

On the sidelines, Scarlett Johansson gently applauded for Fan Xi, celebrating his third victory in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Compared to one Khloe Kardashian stirring up a chaotic battle of three men, Fan Xi's news off the court was much more harmonious. Charles Barkley stated on the spot: "Harden, Odom, Griffin should learn from Fan Xi, in the matter of women, no one is more mysterious than Jack. Most importantly, no 'Fan Girl' has ever jumped out to curse at Fan Xi."

Barkley using Fan Xi as an example was undoubtedly a dimensionality reduction strike.

When Fan Xi was playing Superman vs. Spider-Man cosplay with Scarlett Johansson that night, the intricate triangular relationship over there finally exploded.

In a bar two blocks away from Staples Center, the four parties involved happened to meet.

Then there was a fierce argument between Khloe and Griffin, and then Odom joined in.

James Harden had been very calm until Griffin's partner splashed a glass of red wine over... at that time Khloe Kardashian threw a handful of popcorn over, and then a group of people, along with bodyguards, rushed into a ball.

The bar was extremely lively; under the effect of the explosive songs, the two sides wrestled for more than ten minutes before being separated.

Los Angeles police arrived quickly, and when the police pulled them out, the surrounding reporters were extremely excited.

This was much more interesting than the semifinals.

The American cultural and sports circle never lacked this kind of "drama," the American entertainment circle was much more intense in intrigue than the Asian entertainment circle, and it would rise to the level of physical conflict at every turn.

However, American reporters also rarely saw this kind of big melee, a group of people's clothes were torn into strips, and Khloe Kardashian even exposed a large piece.

The next day, almost all American media were reporting this matter, and the disheveled group was reported as the biggest scandal in the basketball circle.

The NBA even intervened.

Khloe Kardashian, with her own strength, pulled the image of the NBA, which had been painstakingly managed for many years, to the bottom. It turned out that this group of NBA potential stars, the best sixth man, would actually fight like this for a woman?

Previously, I only heard that Dallas's 3J fought for a dancer, eventually leading to the promising Mavericks team falling apart before the new century arrived.

Now, I finally saw a live broadcast.

The injury report released by the Los Angeles Police Department showed that one male party was more seriously injured and needed to stay in the hospital for further observation. The others were just skin injuries.

However, this matter was clearly not over.

Khloe Kardashian issued a statement that night, saying she was going to sue Griffin.

Griffin said he was going to sue Harden.

Odom indicated that he would hold Khloe Kardashian accountable, and publicly demand the property he once gave to Khloe Kardashian.

Except for Harden who didn't issue a statement, these people almost formed a perfect closed loop.

A mess.

When Fan Xi saw the news, he only had this kind of thought.

When Scarlett, wearing a tight Spider-Man bodysuit beside him, woke up, she saw the news on TV, and she sighed: "It's really not decent to make such a scene."

Fan Xi nodded, yes, too indecent.

Meanwhile, the management of both the Thunder and the Mavericks were frantically calling the three NBA players; for the team, this was an intense image crisis.

The Mavericks quickly announced their punishment; they suspended Griffin and Odom for 2 games.

This meant that Griffin and Odom would both miss the fourth game, although this had no substantive impact on the game.

But it also confirmed one thing from the side: Griffin was that unlucky guy with a broken hand bone.

Learning this news, Kobe Bryant, who was fighting hard in San Antonio and lost the away victory, sighed: Kardashian ruined me!

For the Lakers, the Clippers' current schedule is simply a journey to heaven.

The first round against the Thunder was a little difficult, but the second round against the Mavericks was simply a giveaway question.

The key was that even with such a giveaway, the Mavericks and Thunder teamed up to offer an entertainment package.

Sigh!

Life is not easy, Kobe sighs, cherish it while you can.

The Clippers easily took the fourth victory; they swept the Mavericks, the Mavericks had no fighting spirit in the fourth game, and in this game, Fan Xi also did not start in the playoffs for the first time.

The game was played with unprecedented ease.

The fans at Staples Center also spent this night in a relaxed and happy mood.

Just like that, Fan Xi and his Clippers easily entered the Western Conference Finals.

The next day, the Spurs tied the total score at home; Duncan got 22 points and 28 rebounds in this game, blowing up Gasol and Howard with his own strength, proving to the world that he was not old yet, and there was plenty of fuel in his tank.

The Clippers' group of old veterans watched with tears in their eyes; Duncan gave them great encouragement, this is what it means for old soldiers not to die.

The media began to predict that this series would go to seven games.

Fan Xi had a different view; he felt the Lakers would likely solve the battle in six games. Because the Lakers, under the tempering of the super-strong opponent Spurs, were actually getting better and better in their chemical reactions.

Although their physical strength would definitely be consumed a lot in this series, their experience and tacit understanding would improve rapidly.

There are pros and cons.

"When Duncan fights to this extent, it means the Spurs have no energy left."

Fan Xi said to his teammates. "The Lakers' home-court advantage is about to be reflected. If the Lakers take the pivotal game, returning to San Antonio, the Spurs' physical strength will be the biggest test. Ginobili has always been known for his weak physical strength, Duncan was consumed by Howard for five games, he is also exhausted..."

Fan Xi analyzed it like this.

If the Spurs had home-court advantage, playing the fifth game in San Antonio, the Spurs would have a chance to win. Once they took the pivotal game, the psychological advantage would make them perform better and more fully in the sixth game.

Meanwhile, the semifinals in the East were also being played hotly.

Miami met the Pacers, 3:1.

The Chicago Bulls competed with the seasoned Celtics, leading 3:2, having just snatched the pivotal game.

The situation was still relatively clear; the Bulls and the Heat would meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the winner between them would enter this year's finals.

Nowitzki and Steve Nash believed the Miami Heat would win, because after the Heat reinforced Marcus Camby, their only shortcoming was filled. Although Marcus Camby's strength had declined with age, he was now just a quasi-elite player level, still a distance from an All-Star.

However, the Heat never relied on the inside; having one to hold the fort, barely passable, was enough.

What's more, Camby could provide rebounds and blocks that other Heat players didn't have.

But Fan Xi felt the Chicago Bulls' probability would be slightly better than the Miami Heat, because Derrick Rose was too terrifying; after his rehab training with the Chen Ye couple, his playing style was sharp yet extremely restrained, both violent and a bit elegant.

Most importantly, Coach Thibodeau built a very mature system around him, a system based on defense.

The Heat were like a computer assembled with various high configurations; theoretically, their ceiling was higher.

The Bulls were a combination coordinated to the extreme in all aspects; their floor was higher.

Meeting in the playoffs, sometimes it's about stability.

Fan Xi led the Lakers to defeat the Big Three in the finals last season; luck played a big part, but the more important reason was that the Heat didn't actually have a fixed system. It was easy to insert needles into the gaps.

Plus, at that time, no one had studied Fan Xi, this rookie, and Fan Xi often had explosive growth, so the Heat's loss was an inevitability within the contingency.

"So, you think we are playing the Bulls in the finals?" Nowitzki said.

Fan Xi shrugged: "Everything is possible."