Chapter 359: Don't Be Like a Crying Baby

The nature of Kobe's incident years ago and what Fan Xi is facing now are not the same.

Back then, Kobe was the defendant.

Now, Fan Xi is the plaintiff.

However, the intensity of the public outcry surrounding Fan Xi's incident far exceeds that of Kobe's. After all, Kobe's incident only presented the public with a result, along with the subsequent legal disputes, family crises, and social impact.

Fan Xi's incident, however, presented the entire process—75 minutes of it.

The process is always more important than the result.

Regardless, though.

The Heat are a bit stunned right now. When Fan Xi drained that first three-pointer,

they realized something was not quite right.

Fan Xi hadn't collapsed; he looked cold as ice, like a man out for revenge.

And his teammates didn't seem affected by the scandal at all; they didn't look like a team whose morale had shattered. Instead, they were incredibly concerned and sympathetic toward Fan Xi.

What was going on? Was Fan Xi worth sympathizing with? Why sympathize with him? Because he didn't manage to get Taylor into a nightstand? There weren't even any nightstands in the recording studio.

The Heat arrived at the front court, and the Clippers were already set in their defensive positions.

Wade held the ball, facing Vince Carter.

Carter was quite old now; when Stephen Curry saw him, he would affectionately call him Uncle Carter.

But he had kept his body in good shape.

Even though his defense had been mediocre throughout his entire career,

he was incredibly active tonight. Having returned to the Finals stage after following Kidd there years ago, he was filled with too many emotional surges.

Moreover, they were different from what the Miami players had imagined.

Miami had assumed that when a team leader was hit with such a scandal, morale would inevitably plummet—it was a logical assumption.

But the Miami players had overlooked Fan Xi's personal charisma. Throughout the past season, Fan Xi had earned the respect of all his teammates. When such an incident occurred, not a single person had the thought of "every man for himself." They all wanted to help Fan Xi and carry his burden on their own shoulders.

That is the difference between a team and a gang.

When Carter lunged fiercely at Wade, Wade was taken aback. He used his superior ball-handling skills to shake off Carter and then passed to LeBron James.

Just as James caught the ball, Leonard lunged at him.

Rookie Leonard's frame still looked a bit thin, but he was incredibly resilient. He tangled with James, his terrifyingly long arms constantly disrupting James's rhythm.

James turned his back, used his body to bump Leonard away, and then shot a fadeaway... but by the time he released the ball, Leonard had already leaped at him.

Clang!

The shot hit the rim.

Leonard's defense left a deep impression on James.

He hadn't expected this rookie to be so difficult to deal with.

And at that moment, James heard something that sent his emotions into a tailspin.

After completing the defensive play, Leonard shook his head slightly. The honest, simple-minded kid said sincerely to LeBron: "Kobe is still harder to defend. You don't have enough variety."

This kind of sigh—it was like being bullied in a high-level ranked match and then suddenly ending up in a bronze-tier lobby... no, maybe a gold-tier lobby.

It was a natural sense of relaxation.

James was extremely indignant; his eyes could have spewed fire.

He glared at this damn rookie, wanting to grab him by the collar and demand: Do you know what you're saying?

But suddenly, Fan Xi picked up the pace.

The Clippers players sprinted along with him; they had a natural, seamless chemistry.

Fan Xi cut through Chalmers's defense at the top of the arc with a sharp crossover and charged into the paint. Marcus Camby lunged from the side, attempting to block him.

But he was too slow.

Fan Xi suppressed him in mid-air, pinning him down with his left hand while slamming the ball home with his right... Boom!

A dunk!

Fan Xi stood tall, majestic as a descending god.

Marcus Camby was reduced to a clown, like a demon being suppressed, slinking away like a defeated, stray dog.

The American Airlines Arena erupted in boos.

But that couldn't stop Fan Xi's majesty.

And it certainly couldn't stop the countless female fans in front of their TVs from screaming; this violent, powerful collision and dunk even made their souls ripple.

They weren't watching a basketball game at all.

They were fantasizing about a completely different kind of confrontation.

This violent, powerful dunk allowed them to experience the happiness Taylor Swift had felt.

"Is Jack going to go on a rampage tonight?"

Ernie Johnson said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kenny Smith said excitedly. "Those who thought Fan Xi would be crushed by public opinion were too naive. Those fans holding up Taylor Swift signs are ridiculous, and those making those strange noises are even more foolish. Don't provoke a lion unless you want to be torn to shreds."

"Don't think the Big Three are invincible. Last season, Jack broke a few ligaments and still buzzer-beated them."

Kenny Smith was filled with bravado.

His commentary made the female fans in front of their TVs even more excited.

Such a domineering man, yet so delicate-looking—he truly satisfied every woman's every fantasy.

No wonder so many female celebrities had surrendered beneath his basketball shorts.

Who wouldn't want to be bumped into a nightstand by him?

He was truly a human temptation, a walking hormone!

"Are you trying to stop me, too?"

Fan Xi landed easily from the rim and said coldly to Marcus Camby.

It was a cold, effortless indifference, filled with the dominance of someone who didn't even consider him a threat.

Marcus Camby's eyes widened in anger. He was furious and wanted nothing more than to crush Fan Xi. But he couldn't do that—not unless he wanted to be ejected from the game.

"I can put you in the trash can, Jack. If you dare come back, you'll definitely taste my wrath," Marcus Camby snarled.

Fan Xi nodded; he liked Camby's competitive spirit.

At least he wasn't a pushover.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade exchanged glances. The ball was passed directly to James, who stabilized the rhythm and brought it across half-court.

Leonard stood a step in front of him, tracking his footwork.

James changed direction rapidly and plunged into the three-point line. His drive was even fiercer than Kobe's current one; he was like a bull with its tail on fire, charging angrily into the Clippers' paint.

Leonard couldn't stop his momentum from the side; that wasn't a capability Leonard possessed at the moment.

So, after James bumped Leonard away inside the free-throw line and charged into the paint, Nowitzki hurried over to defend. *Thump! *

He used his body to forcefully withstand James's impact.

James was like a moving train; Nowitzki was knocked to the floor.

He wanted to draw an offensive foul on James.

However, the referee blew the whistle.

He called a blocking foul on Nowitzki, and James's subsequent layup counted.

And-one.

The Clippers were stunned. Fan Xi rushed over to argue—it was clearly an offensive foul; how could it be a blocking foul? And an and-one? James had clearly stopped before throwing the ball.

But the referee remained unmoved, sticking to his call without checking the replay.

This was Miami's home court.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the referee seemed to be rewarded.

However, Charles Barkley stated bluntly: "That was a controversial call—no, that was a flat-out wrong call. It was clearly an offensive foul on James. This home-court officiating is too much. Nowitzki's feet didn't move at all; he was perfectly set, standing there so bravely to withstand such a crazy impact."

"And yet, they called a blocking foul on him. Screw that."

Barkley was furious; he was a man who hated injustice. Even though he knew home-court bias was inevitable, this call was just too much.

"This isn't just bullying Nowitzki; it's bullying Jack!"

Charles Barkley added.

His words made the female viewers who didn't understand basketball understand—women naturally have a tendency to sympathize with the persecuted, and they possess maternal instincts. When they learned Fan Xi was being treated unfairly, a wave of insults erupted in front of TVs everywhere.

Even though those who didn't understand basketball knew LeBron James was a basketball superstar.

But he was so ugly, and yet he was so favored by the referees.

He truly was a living, breathing villain.

In front of their TVs, the Heat stood on the opposite side of the vast majority of the audience.

When faced with the collision of an egg and a rock, most people stand with the rock—especially when the Heat were being so overbearing.

Of course, for another group, the most important thing was that Fan Xi was more handsome than James. And that 75-minute audio clip was a huge bonus.

Fan Xi didn't know so many people were supporting him in front of their TVs; he just pulled Nowitzki up and told everyone: "It's okay, stay calm, we will win. With basketball!"

Fan Xi's words were calm and filled with confidence, preventing his teammates from sinking into the negative emotions of being treated unfairly.

*Swish! *

James hit the free throw, and another wave of screams erupted.

James also excitedly raised his fist in the air.

But to the vast majority of TV viewers, this was the arrogance of a villain, an unjust victory, and everyone was waiting for Fan Xi to strike back hard.

Fan Xi brought the ball across half-court.

The Heat hadn't switched yet. Fan Xi was direct, without a moment's hesitation, using a killer crossover to dismantle Chalmers's defense, and he charged sharply inside the three-point line.

Wade hurried over to help.

He lunged over to steal the ball.

It was very dangerous, so Fan Xi picked up the ball early. He took his steps, and just when everyone thought he would pull up for a jumper,

he suddenly slammed the ball hard toward the paint.

Marcus Camby had been waiting for Fan Xi's arrival, but seeing Fan Xi throw the ball so fiercely, he instinctively looked back... Oh no!

He immediately felt something was wrong.

*Thump! *

The ball slammed against the backboard and rebounded sharply.

Marcus Camby hurried to turn back, raising his hands.

It was too late.

Fan Xi had already arrived in mid-air, like a cannonball leaving the chamber, fierce and domineering.

He released all his explosive power and strength—it was the top-tier explosive power of Shawn Kemp, the "Reign Man," and the super strength of Ben Wallace.

Fan Xi caught the rebounding ball in mid-air and slammed it into the rim with both hands.

Marcus Camby stretched out his arms, eyes wide with terror; he could only reach Fan Xi's abdomen, unable to stop Fan Xi's impact at all.

Boom!

As Fan Xi's upper body slammed the ball into the rim in mid-air,

the massive explosive power and strength gathered in his lower body, a violent collision, and Marcus Camby lost his footing, stumbling backward in a pathetic, clumsy manner.

He had to grab the basket support to steady himself.

By then, Fan Xi was already standing tall above the rim, judging the rebel like a god.

Marcus Camby looked up, and when he saw Fan Xi's cold, judgmental gaze, he couldn't suppress the panic in his heart anymore; this guy who called himself a tough guy instinctively looked away.

Fan Xi sneered in disdain at his weakness.

Jumping down from the rim, he scanned the area.

Those fans holding Taylor Swift signs didn't dare make a sound; it was as if someone had shoved a rolling pin down their throats.

Fan Xi was domineering and powerful.

This dunk, like a bandit descending, was like walking boldly into the Heat's mansion, cutting open their safe, and taking the gold and silver—those around him were powerless to stop him, forced to watch it happen.

"I think you're just trash."

Fan Xi judged Marcus Camby with a calm, powerful tone.

Marcus Camby had regained some composure by now, and he became angry and ashamed again—no one wanted to be treated like trash.

"Jack, if you've got the guts, do it to my face!"

Camby roared viciously at Fan Xi.

*Heh. *

Fan Xi sneered.

He said to Wade, who was nearby: "Your little brother has a bit of a temper. How can you compete for a championship like this? Keep him in check."

Fan Xi didn't even consider Marcus Camby to be on his level.

This indifference caused Marcus Camby to lose his composure.

And what made him even more furious was that Wade walked over and said to him: "Don't fall for Jack's trap. Don't provoke him; he's actually capable of dunking on you head-on. Don't hand him the knife. He's best at cutting into people's self-esteem and making them fall into emotional turmoil."

Wade's words were golden advice.

But Marcus Camby couldn't listen; he had already lost his head.

He even felt the Flash was weak—he'd been bullied, and you're not helping me out, but telling me to stay calm? How am I supposed to stay calm? Was this how an Eastern Conference champion should react?

Camby snorted angrily and walked to the front court.

He didn't know that on TV, Kenny Smith was shouting: "Jack is God; he punishes Marcus Camby as cruelly as he would a heretic. Camby had better not provoke Jack again; Jack definitely has the ability to make him fall into a nightmare."

"If Jack crushes Camby, I think the Heat are in trouble this game."

Ernie Johnson said.

And Charles Barkley, sitting next to him, said: "James, take notes. This is what real aggression at the rim looks like. Don't rely on the referees, and don't be like a crying baby."