Chapter 338: Who Is the Fish and Who Is the Angler

Pau Gasol distributes on the offensive end, Paul is released, he sits calmly on the bench, and Sai Shen Si's offensive characteristics also appear.

Kuaisuan limits Pau Gasol, but as soon as they close in to double‑team, Gasol passes quickly, and when switched on defense Gasol still has a precise mid‑range jumper.

Kuaisuan falls into a passive position, and the Lakers still have Chris Paul as a clear trump card.

However, Kuaisuan's offense is still thorough. Fan Xi's offensive drives remain sharp; the super‑god stabilizer he got from Qiao Dan makes his scoring in the paint more efficient, De Huai Te Huo Wa De dares not rush out, because Fan Xi's passes in the key have earned the nickname "Lingxi One Stroke".

Both sides have studied the opponent thoroughly; the series is a long campaign, and during this period each side battles wits and courage, seeing who has fewer exposed flaws and who can produce more variations.

The first quarter ends.

The Los Angeles Lakers lead 39–33, up by six points.

Fan Xi returns to the bench expressionlessly.

Nowitzki comes up and says, "I'll put more defensive pressure on Gasol from now on."

Nowitzki isn't a defensive stalwart; he can only be more focused in attitude, but that clearly can't restrict the Lakers' ball movement. In fact, the Lakers are the least in need of ball circulation among the current NBA Eastern and Western Conference finalists.

Kobe Bryant is the league's top offensive force today.

In the playoffs, everyone cuts down on passing, letting sheer stability dominate, handing the ball to the super‑star with overwhelming individual skill; only when the super‑star is double‑teamed or locked down do they pass to the role players in the open spots. That's why people say the playoffs are the super‑star's stage.

In fact, under the Zen master's system, he never relies on a point guard; his path to a championship is to set up one‑on‑one duels—letting Qiao Dan duel, letting Ao Ni Er duel, letting Kobe Bryant duel, letting Fan Xi duel. The triangle offense never seeks "catch‑and‑shoot" opportunities.

Fan Xi furrows his brow; he understands the triangle offense. He's also one of the two or three people Phil Jackson regards as having the highest basketball IQ. In Phil Jackson's view, Dan Ni Si Luo De Man has the top IQ, while Fan Xi, Qiao Dan, and Pi Peng are likely on the same tier.

"Let Ke Huai guard him." Fan Xi tells Mai Ke Bu Lang.

Mai Ke Bu Lang is stunned, a bit puzzled. Lun Na De is an extremely gifted, even great, perimeter defender; asking him to guard Gasol might be too much of a stretch.

Mai Ke Bu Lang originally planned to have Xiao Qiao Dan guard Gasol, and Kuameibulang come in to challenge De Huai Te Huo Wa De.

However, doing so would inevitably affect the offensive performance.

Counter‑picking tests a head coach's in‑game ability; many NBA coaches do homework before games, pulling their hair out, filling pockets with tactical notes for every scenario, yet still can't become top‑tier coaches… Indeed, I'm talking about Jie Fu Fan Gan Di.

Fan Xi tells him, "Wrap him up, don't let him receive the ball."

Then he tells Xiao Qiao Dan to pay attention to help defense.

Immediately Fan Xi has Butler come over, letting Butler also join in.

He instructs him to block Kobe Bryant's path on the wing.

Fan Xi and Mai Ke Bu Lang discuss specific defensive responses, the setup finished, the whistle blows, and the game starts.

The Lakers make no lineup changes.

Sai Shen Si drives across half‑court, Fan Xi instantly pressures, delivering strong defense.

Under Fan Xi's pressure, Sai Shen Si's movements become somewhat distorted. Though he has had highlight performances, after all he's with the Bucks, a second‑round pick, many of his innate attributes were not highly regarded.

In the scramble, he can only toss the ball upward; Pau Gasol leaves his sweet spot, he jumps attempting to tip it down, but Lun Na De gets there first. His agility far exceeds the interior players; he grabs the rebound early and slaps the ball to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi sprints with the ball; Sai Shen Si comes to defend, easily fooled by Fan Xi's sudden stop‑and‑go. Fan Xi drives into the paint, Kobe Bryant and Ma Te Ba En Si chase relentlessly; Fan Xi simply tosses the ball upward, Butler rushes in, grabs it, and forcefully slams it into the hoop.

This is the first thunderous fast‑break defensive score of the game, like a lightning bolt cutting through a dull sky.

Boom!

The rim roars as Butler slams it.

The Lakers' newly organized offense is shattered.

Chris Paul anxiously rises from the bench.

He didn't expect Kuaisuan to use this counter move.

They even start from the 1 position, with the 4 position executing a scalpel‑like disruption.

"No matter how good Gasol's ball‑handling is, the Lakers won't let him drive past half‑court; since they don't let him, they can exert influence from the source."

Ken Ni Shi Mi Si comments on the TNT channel, "The Lakers are about to make a change."

But De An Dong Ni does not do so.

He's a bit slow to realize.

That gives Kuaisuan another chance.

Even though this time the alert Kobe Bryant himself drives past half‑court, Butler tackles him with the spirit of a desperate warrior.

Kobe Bryant's one‑on‑one on the wing loses some fluidity; his fade‑away jumper misses.

Fan Xi drives to the basket, Xiao Qiao Dan blocks De Huai Te Huo Wa De, and Fan Xi grabs the rebound.

He immediately pushes a fast break.

Sai Shen Si is again bypassed by Fan Xi near the mid‑court; Kobe Bryant comes to help defense, Fan Xi passes to Butler, who pulls up from beyond the left three‑point line and shoots… swish!

Three‑point shot made.

The gap instantly narrows to just one point.

Ding!

Kobe Bryant reaches out to call a timeout.

This is a West Finals where every fraction counts; any delay in a tactical move will affect the final outcome.

De An Dong Ni quickly gathers the players together.

They need to devise a countermeasure.

Chris Paul takes off his jersey, knowing he must step onto the court.

After Chris Paul enters, Pau Gasol's "distribution" attribute weakens, and the game returns to "normal track". Gasol can occasionally spark an offense, but the surprise effect diminishes.

"The Lakers don't have enough ball‑handling to allocate among so many superstars; they must make choices. In fact, Paul is a player who needs the ball in his hands to be effective."

Ken Ni Shi Mi Si provides a methodical analysis on TV. When a game truly demands technical depth, a commentator's value lies in helping viewers see the court's dynamic shifts more clearly.

They often need extensive court experience, plus some tactical understanding and predictive ability.

These qualities are more common among American commentators; of course, each U. S. network has a distinct stance, and they'll adopt that stance when discussing topics.

For example, right now ESPN's commentators are saying Fan Xi and Kuaisuan will soon be targeted, because Chris Paul can't be bypassed by Fan Xi the way Sai Shen Si was.

In comparison, domestic commentators lack insight into the game, but that doesn't stop them from shouting in the most excited voice: Long live Fan Xi! Fan Xi MVP! Fan Xi is the Thus we include: English of the new era; he is not only the Thus we include: English of Asia, and when he reaches the NBA, he is also one of the dominators.

Such reverent worship can really get the fans in front of the TV boiling with passion.

Of course, if Fan Xi ultimately fails to deliver the expected performance, that boiling passion will turn into resentment.

Some Zhongguo players venture into the NBA, and domestic media blow them up, saying things like "A Lian scores 2 points and 2 rebounds with a faint smile, he has already earned the coach's trust," "The Nets coach is not at all flustered, the strongest person is already in the lineup," "2 points, 3 rebounds, dominating both offense and defense"….

Such commentary naturally provokes fans' resentment.

But Fan Xi is a Zhongguo player that even the darkest critics cannot tarnish.

He is too tough.

Hard strength and hard honors, put them on display.

Beep!

The whistle blows.

Chris Paul returns to the court, and the number three spot again puts in shooter Webster, while Kobe Bryant, Howard, and Gasol remain.

Usually, each team fields at most eight or nine players in the playoffs, and sometimes by the end only six or seven have statistical numbers.

The playoffs are stability that overwhelms everything.

Teams like Kuaisuan that change lineups at high frequency are very rare.

After the whistle sounds.

Chris Paul dribbles past half court, Fan Xi no longer applies pressure defense, a kind of monkey, a kind of tether method.

Paul is a ball‑sticky player.

He carries the ball, observes teammates' positions, then passes to Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant initiates a one‑on‑one, and Leonard defends him.

Leonard defends excellently, but Kobe Bryant still scores with a fadeaway.

When not double‑teamed, defending Kobe Bryant one‑on‑one is a difficult task.

In the next half‑court battle, Fan Xi does not attack the rim directly; he and Nowitzki execute a pick‑and‑roll, he drives into the paint, looks back and passes to Nowitzki, whose high‑post jump shot lands.

This is a very routine play.

Fan Xi does not expose himself; if he were to, he would slip the ball to Butler, who runs back from the baseline.

Kuaisuan and the Lakers both enter normal mode.

Both sides have strengths and weaknesses.

Having played this long, each has a clear awareness of the other.

Both have patience; they wait for the opponent to err, advancing the game at an unhurried pace.

The second quarter ends.

55:56.

The Lakers lead by one point.

During halftime, the Lakers cheerleading squad performed spectacularly on the court, but the audience's attention was on the replay on the big screen above.

In the first half, both sides' offense and defense, both tactically and technically, were top‑level and flawless.

"The second half will most likely continue this situation; now it depends on who has more strategic patience and… who makes the first mistake,"

ESPN and TNT's halftime predictions differ little.

However, TNT's final judgment is that Kuaisuan will win the game, because Kuaisuan has more stamina reserves and more tactical variations.

ESPN's final judgment is that the Lakers will win, because Kuaisuan's many changes increase the chance of errors; the Lakers are already very stable, their chemistry and tactical rapport reached a peak in the seven‑game showdown with San Antonio.

The same situation, different stances, leads to different conclusions.

In the Lakers' locker room, Kobe Bryant keeps emphasizing: Focus! Focus! Focus! Only focus can win the game; do not give Jieke Fan any chance, do not let him smell any blood, he will truly kill the game.

If Kobe said this before the regular season, the superstar players in the locker room wouldn't take it seriously, but after three crushing regular‑season defeats, they are all terrified by Fan Xi's ability to seize opportunities and launch counter‑attacks.

The Lakers locker room is filled with ominous whispers.

Kuaisuan's locker room appears more relaxed; Arenas takes out his snacks to share with everyone, and even slips a bit to Barrett.

Butler does not refuse, and the knot between them seems only a natural opportunity away from being resolved.

However, for two grown men, taking the first step is a historic dilemma. Too many steps, pretentious; too few, meaningless; a misaligned step will continue to breed friction.

Beep!

The whistle blows.

The second half begins.

The third quarter is not much different from the second; both sides display their specialties, cautious and highly focused on both offense and defense.

They alternately take the lead in scoring.

The Lakers' biggest lead is four points; Howard grabs consecutive offensive rebounds under the basket, showing his dominance in the paint. But as Nowitzki hits a three‑pointer, Little Jordan draws an offensive foul on Howard, cutting the lead back.

During this, Kuaisuan still makes personnel adjustments; Arenas is subbed onto the court, along with Kuameibulang, with slight fluctuations, but overall offensive and defensive output remains intense.

"If this continues, both teams are very likely to go into overtime. In overtime, Kuaisuan's advantage becomes obvious. This is probably what Kuaisuan wants; their stamina advantage grows stronger in the latter half of the schedule,"

Charles Barkley analyzes this during the intermission.

Meanwhile, Chris Paul says to De Antoni from the bench: "We should pursue a quick win; we can't keep grinding with them. It's a huge test of our stamina—do we have to play a seven‑game series plus overtime?"

Paul believes the Lakers should now concentrate their advantage and push hard, rather than follow Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant's approach of waiting for Kuaisuan to err.

Kuaisuan is already very mature; when will they make a mistake?

Paul is not a player without patience, but he thinks that prolonged this way harms the Lakers.

Moreover, he feels the Lakers' concentrated force will be stronger than Kuaisuan's.

He now has a plan. He only needs De Antoni to nod.

But De Antoni hesitates.

Ke Bi clearly opposed, Ke Bi said: 'We just need to play steadily; the Kuaisuan will lose patience before us, they tested three times in the third quarter, they even deliberately let Arenas and Kuameibulang come up to lure us.'

'Chris, have you ever fished? They are just fishing; they are now in the baiting stage.' Ke Bi said.

'No, Ke Bi, we are the anglers; they are the fish.' Chris Paul emphasized.

'Believe me, Chris, they will definitely launch a fast break before the game ends; they can't help it. Jie Ke is a person who pursues maximized profit; he won't think about playing overtime, he is inherently an adventurer. We must suppress our desires, not think we are very strong, and contend with them.' Ke Bi said while pressing his hands on Paul's shoulders.

Paul sighed helplessly, he chose to obey.

This team, Ke Bi is the boss.

As long as Ke Bi is around, no guard can act on his own.

Perhaps there once was one, but he is now with the Kuaisuan, wearing number 10.

…