Chapter 369: A Top-Tier Basketball Feast

When Fan Xi saw Taylor, her mental state was actually quite good. Although her agent and parents were both by her side.

Taylor had been significantly affected; her agent helped her pause her work for the next two months, and the album she had originally planned to release was also put on hold.

Although for Americans, these things don't count for much. Taylor and Fan Xi being together was an open secret. However, it was still inevitable that it would affect some things.

"Jack, perhaps you two should finalize the marriage. Do you understand what I mean? I mean, if you are a betrothed couple, no one will jump out to criticize anything."

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Fan Xi, Taylor's father took the initiative to talk to Fan Xi about getting married.

He had discussed this with Fan Xi's parents before; they knew each other. Back when Fan Xi was negotiating with Nike, he was there. Moreover, he had stood firmly on Fan Xi's side.

He and Fan Xi's father had a very good friendship.

Therefore, he had no objections to his daughter marrying Fan Xi. Even if Fan Xi was a playboy, the whole world said so.

However, for this old hippie, it didn't matter if a man played around a bit before marriage. In fact, he was now divorced from his wife as well.

Fan Xi had never thought about marriage.

Although he wanted to give many women a home.

He was stunned. He tried to remain calm and said to the elder Swift, "Okay, we will discuss this matter seriously."

He brushed it off.

Then, he and Taylor Swift spent some time alone.

They sat in the bedroom, quietly looking at each other.

Neither said a word.

Then...

The agent and Swift's parents downstairs left the apartment 10 minutes later.

They didn't want to listen to the recording-gate audio again.

In fact, this wasn't a recording studio; there was a real nightstand here!

At midnight that night, Taylor Swift teased the lead single from her new album. She understood promotion; this was a duet love song with Fan Xi.

The name had even been changed to: Listen to Our Love.

This was another kind of voice.

The pre-orders for this song climbed rapidly. Whether they were people who actually listened to music or those who never did, everyone couldn't wait to purchase the streaming rights for this single.

Without a doubt, it would break unprecedented sales records, and it would make the sales of many other singles pale in comparison.

The reason Taylor Swift made this decision was very simple.

When she was lying on the bed like a pile of mud, asking Fan Xi how he felt about TMZ being willing to pay 270 million USD to reach a settlement and obtain official authorization.

Fan Xi said, "Since the whole world is already in an uproar and everyone is f***ing talking about us, why not collect some money from them?"

Taylor Swift looked at the problem from a different angle.

Then, she took the opportunity to release the duet single with Fan Xi. After all, when Fan Xi went to the recording studio, he was there to record a song. Although so many stories happened in between, all roads led to the same destination.

Fan Xi returned from the Swift residence and rushed back to his new home in Beverly Hills.

He had bought a hillside villa there last year, becoming neighbors with wealthy people from all over the world. Si Jia Li was responsible for the renovation process of this house; she found the designer and followed up on the project.

Some time ago, she told Fan Xi that it was ready for move-in and had passed all inspections.

Before Fan Xi returned from Miami, Si Jia Li had already told him over the phone to come home and sign for his gift.

Fan Xi drove to his new home.

The scenery here was excellent, and the decoration was extremely stylish.

It was simply levels better than Fan Xi's previous small villa—a dream-level home that couldn't even be found in movies.

Si Jia Li was a person of sentiment; she made many guiding labels on the floor, which led Fan Xi to visit each room. The final arrow pointed to the master bedroom.

When Fan Xi walked into the master bedroom, pink lights turned on, hazy and dim, and a piece of romantic music began to play slowly.

On that super luxurious large bed, Fan Xi saw Si Jia Li wearing a Spider-Man one-piece bodysuit.

"Hey, Jack. Do you like this gift?"

Si Jia Li lay on her side with a graceful posture and beckoned to Fan Xi.

Si Jia Li was like a Home Inn; she could always bring Fan Xi new stimulation.

Fan Xi raised his eyebrows and said, "Of course. But I need a Superman cape right now. You know? I fantasized about Superman vs. Spider-Man when I was very young. Gotham City needs us!!"

Fan Xi pounced on her.

The basketball atmosphere in Los Angeles reached an extremely high level, even more intense than last year's Finals.

In the city, one could see promotional billboards of Clippers players everywhere.

After Fan Xi became the Clippers' owner, he was not stingy with team resources; he launched official collaborations with many local businesses. The popularity and income of Clippers players in Los Angeles were both rising.

Now that they had entered the Finals and snatched back two away-game victories, all Clippers players had become top-tier superstars.

People took pride in seeing Clippers players; before this, only Lakers players had such treatment.

After the Western Conference Finals, many established things had changed.

Steve Nash and Nowitzki accepted media interviews before the arrival of Game 3 of the Finals. These two veterans were experiencing the most important Finals journey of their careers. They found it hard to suppress the excitement on their faces.

"The League has given us justice."

Nowitzki talked about the announcement the League issued at noon the day after Game 2 ended. They retracted that technical foul on Nowitzki, although it no longer had any practical significance. And they pointed out that the referees had made 3 incorrect calls.

This could be considered an official characterization of Game 2.

That was, the League certified that the Clippers had won an unjust war.

Adding even more glory to this hard-won victory.

"We are not unaccustomed to becoming secondary players or role players," Nowitzki answered the reporters' second question.

"Jack is a unique leader. He is not the kind of core who needs teammates to adapt to his style of play. He can let every player be themselves; every player plays in their comfortable zone. And when everyone else can't handle it, he will stand up and kill the game."

Steve Nash praised sincerely, "He is an epoch-making superstar."

"We are full of desire for the championship. We know that Miami will definitely counterattack in Game 3, but we have the confidence to withstand it. I know Wade is a very good star; he has extraordinary skills, vigorous fighting spirit, and tenacious perseverance. But we have these too. We want to win the championship more than they do."

"And, we still have Jack Fan. The Little Duke from the East has already established his own dominion on the West Coast."

Nowitzki used the headline of the Los Angeles Times to end this interview.

Their confidence was very strong.

And now, the public opinion of basketball media had undergone a fundamental reversal.

Before the Finals, 99% of experts believed that the Heat would win the championship this year.

Currently, at least 95% of experts believe the Clippers will win.

After all, the Clippers had taken two away games, and they would have three home games.

Miami should now strive to bring the game back to the Meihangzhongxin qiuguan; only then would they have a glimmer of a chance to turn things around.

Game 3 of the Finals arrived quickly.

Staples Center was packed with guests; crazy Clippers fans occupied every space, and they had been making intense noise since before the game started.

When Fan Xi appeared, it triggered the whole arena to pay homage; everyone was shouting MVP, MVP, MVP!

The game started quickly.

The Miami Heat used Wade as the point guard tonight; the shooting guard position became Mike Miller, a three-point shooter; the small forward position was Le Bu Lang Zhang Si; the power forward was Ke Li Si Bo Shen; and the center was Marcus Camby.

The Clippers used their previous starting lineup.

The Heat did not accept any interviews before the game started; they had been training ever since they arrived in Los Angeles.

They were like beasts lurking in the dark, without a sound.

After taking the court, everyone had a grim look.

Clearly, everyone knew... the most critical moment of their careers had arrived.

Especially James and Wade. The words Wade said after the Game 2 press conference left him with no way out.

And James, he held an important meeting with his agent team and business consultants after Game 2 ended. He clearly understood that if he lost the Finals again, his commercial value would be greatly discounted, his net worth would shrink visibly, and he would no longer have the chance to challenge Jordan to become the GOAT.

James was a calculating person.

But now, he had to fight for his life.

When the game started, the ESPN camera swept across his face; his eyes were as sharp as the Grim Reaper's.

This was an unprecedented situation.

Slap!

Marcus Camby actually won the jump ball against DeAndre Jordan.

Afterwards, Dwyane Wade was like a bullet, straight, determined, and sharp as he killed his way into the paint. Fan Xi was caught off guard, but he pursued relentlessly. When Wade jumped up to dunk, he pounced from the side.

He disrupted Wade's sure-fire dunk, but Wade threw the basketball into the hoop and drew a foul on Fan Xi.

This call drew boos from the entire arena.

But it was reasonable.

Swish!

Wade hit the free throw, completing a 2+1 at the start.

Fan Xi told his teammates that they must be vigilant; the Heat were unusually aggressive tonight.

Fan Xi arrived at the arc; he ran a pick-and-roll with Nowitzki. After the pick-and-roll, he passed to the Now King. Wade pounced directly; he entangled Nowitzki.

Nowitzki faked, didn't shake him off, and forced a jump shot, which was interfered with.

Bang!

The shot missed, and immediately a figure darted into the paint. James snatched the rebound from the air, and then he launched a thunderous offensive. He sprinted toward the front court like lightning.

After arriving at the restricted area, he passed the ball to Wade, who was speeding in from the other side. Wade caught the basketball, used a jump step to dodge Fan Xi's pursuit, and drew a foul on Leonard on the layup.

Swish!

Swish!

Two free throws made.

At the start, the Heat hit the Clippers with a 5:0 run.

This left the audience at the scene a bit dazed; it had been less than 32 seconds since the start.

The James-Wade connection had a sharp, unstoppable edge.

"The Miami Heat Big Three have no way out; they are on the verge of bankruptcy. They must show their spirit."

"James and Wade have to bet their careers on this."

ESPN special guest commentator Kevin Garnett said.

As an old rival of the Heat, Garnett knew the logic of this matter very well. Before the Miami Heat formed the Big Three, the strongest team in the East was the Celtics. But the new Big Three ended the old Big Three; their championship window had been closed by these three young men.

So, emotionally speaking, Garnett had grievances against the Big Three.

However, he really hoped that these three people could succeed.

He knew very well the championship pressure faced by superstars teaming up.

Especially superstars who teamed up during their peak.

If they won the championship, they might not receive much praise, but if they didn't, they would undoubtedly become a laughingstock.

And after Wade hit two free throws, Fan Xi chose to attack.

He was always different from others.

He cut through Miami's defense with a sharp change of direction, darted into the paint like lightning, and then took off with a violent, rocket-like leap. He slammed the basketball into the hoop over Chris Bosh's defense... Boom!

The violent dunk happened.

The whole arena was energized.

Fan Xi took back the home-court prestige.

Fan! Fan! Fan!

Uniform shouts rang out at the scene, murderous and imposing.

This was the dominance of Staples Center.

Fan Xi would always be the guardian of this arena; he couldn't let anyone show off in front of him, regardless of whether this person was the league's number one player or the super Flash.

"You won't get what you want."

Fan Xi told Wade very decisively.

Wade retorted tit-for-tat: "No one can stop me."

Sharp blades flowed in the eyes of the two as they locked gazes.

Fan Xi strengthened his defense; he performed a wrapping defense on Wade, forcing Wade to pass the basketball to James.

James launched an attack from the flank; he pushed inward against Leonard's defense.

This was a whirlwind tank.

Leonard's strength was insufficient.

Nowitzki subconsciously adopted a double-team.

James showed his amazing court vision; his talent allowed him to pass a beautiful cross-court ball... He didn't give the basketball to Bosh, who seemed to be open, but passed it to the left corner. Mike Miller caught the basketball... Swish!

Hit a 3-pointer.

James was not famous for nothing.

Turning back, Fan Xi and Nowitzki ran a pick-and-roll; he entered the paint with Bosh's defense and passed the ball to Hamilton, who was following behind.

Hamilton hit a floater with a sudden stop.

The game went directly into white-hot intensity.

James, Wade, Bosh, Fan Xi, Nowitzki, and Leonard each showed their magical powers.

"Exciting. I like games like this—explosive talent, top-tier defense, full of confrontation!"

Garnett said on TV: "Only a Finals like this can represent the highest level of the League. Talent, tactics, defense, attitude... they are worthy of being the best basketball players on this planet. Regardless of the outcome, people have enjoyed a truly top-tier basketball feast."

Garnett praised sincerely.

Fans in front of the TV were also sighing with emotion.

Only many female fans were worried: Why hadn't the Clippers overtaken them yet? Why were they still trailing by six or seven points?