Chapter 425: The Kuaisuan Needs Me!

Madison Garden Arena has always been called the basketball Mecca, and every superstar wants to leave something in this arena.

New York holds a magical allure for basketball players.

In fact, for any American, New York is a place they yearn for: this emotional value is something Los Angeles cannot possess.

Fan Xi doesn't feel any pilgrimage; he has played many games at Madison Garden, and his stats and output are fairly stable.

At Madison Garden, the crowd greeted Fan Xi with harsh boos.

Knicks fans did not show friendliness just because the team owner Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan had lain on Fan Xi the night before. The basketball world regards Fan Xi as a public enemy nationwide, and New York media have consistently led the opposition to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi faced the boos with an indifferent attitude, walked onto the court coldly, and greeted Sidi Fen Nashi, Kamelong Andongni, and Sitade Maier.

Taizen Qian De Le seemed somewhat resistant, grinding his teeth at Fan Xi.

Fan Xi outright ignored him.

What is this, exactly?

After Taizen Qian De Le returned from London to the United States, he kept babbling that he had been unfairly penalized, that if he hadn't been banned from the game, Fan Xi and the Zhongguo team would never have won the gold medal. He stressed his contribution was huge, and his words were full of grievance.

Fan Xi rarely pays attention to such people; in his view, it's a sign of being unable to accept defeat. By contrast, this time James earned his respect. After James lost, he took full responsibility, buried himself in hard training, and this season displayed stronger individual strength.

Taizen Qian De Le? Just a whiner.

Fan Xi ignored him and walked to the other side.

But as Fan Xi started moving, Mili Xi Qi behind him collided head‑on, crashing straight into Taizen Qian De Le. He also whispered in his ear, "Fuck you. Kiss my dick."

Mili Xi Qi's sudden provocation caught Taizen Qian De Le off guard.

He was about to show his toughness, but Mili Xi Qi had already scrambled away.

Taizen Qian De Le felt powerful yet with nowhere to apply it.

If he chased after, it would clearly be his provocation. The referee wouldn't listen to him say, "That red‑haired guy's insults are filthy."

He can only hold back his energy, waiting to give that damned Mili Xi Qi, a piece of junk, some color during the game.

Since dyeing his hair red, Mili Xi Qi's personality hasn't changed slightly; it has changed dramatically.

He even exudes a mischievous, carefree vibe toward the world.

It starkly contrasts with his former anxious, sorrowful label.

One must admit, the Kuaisuan team's atmosphere is great; it turned Mili Xi Qi from a man into a ghost.

Bilupusi is the one who feels it most deeply; when Mili Xi Qi was with the Pistons, he was cautious daily, kept his head down, even dared not meet the coaches' eyes. Now, he shakes his head, daring to call Fan Xi in the middle of the night asking for Fan Xi's praise.

Is this a moral decay or a loss of humanity?

Kuaisuan's starting lineup tonight is: Lu Bi Ao, Fan Xi, Leonard, Huaiti Seda, Mili Xi Qi.

Nowitzki is absent today; he was hit by the flu on the Hudson River. On his day off yesterday, Nowitzki and his fiancée toured bustling New York City and dined with Sidi Fen Nashi.

And then, he got the flu.

This is not great news for the Knicks, and many basketball experts excitedly said: the Los Angeles Kuaisuan's winning streak should end at Madison Garden.

The Knicks' listed strength this year is indeed formidable.

Their starting lineup is: Sidi Fen Nashi, JR Smith, Kamelong Andongni, Sitade Maier, Taizen Qian De Le.

Offensively alone, this lineup can take on any team in the league one‑on‑one.

Recently, New York media said that if the Dream Team sent the Knicks to the Olympics, the Zhongguo team would have not even a sliver of a chance.

They can only spout such nonsense.

Beep!

The whistle blows, the game begins.

Mili Xi Qi and Taizen Qian De Le jumped for the ball; Qian De Le had a height advantage, but the ball didn't favor him, and Mili Xi Qi seized the opportunity, passing the ball to Lu Bi Ao.

Lu Bi Ao accelerated with the ball, sprinting to the top of the three‑point arc; before Nashi could assume a defensive stance, he quickly passed to Fan Xi. Fan Xi executed an easy crossover to shake off JR Smith, darted into the paint, while Taizen Qian De Le charged in with fierce defense, but Fan Xi paused briefly and passed the ball to Mili Xi Qi.

Mili Xi Qi slammed it home with both hands.

It was easy, leisurely.

After landing, he blew a kiss at Fan Xi.

He turned around and blew a kiss to a cheerleader on the sideline.

This guy is now completely letting himself go.

Even in this nationwide live‑broadcast arena.

ESPN commentator Mai Ke Bu Lin said bitterly, "This is why I don't like Jieke Fan; he has skewed the whole team's culture. Look at Mili Xi Qi—what he's become now! The old Mili Xi Qi was just unskilled; now he's flamboyant even in how he behaves."

ESPN's criticism of Fan Xi has never ceased.

Mili Xi Qi also ended up becoming someone they despise.

Although Fan Xi dislikes Mili Xi Qi's extreme release after severe suppression, he thinks Mili Xi Qi could tone it down a bit. Still, he won't take on the role of teacher to show Mili Xi Qi how to behave; the fact that Mili Xi Qi can play like this is already good enough.

Kuaisuan fosters a family atmosphere centered on encouragement.

Switch sides and fight again, Kuaisuan sets up a zone defense.

Lu Bi Ao follows Nashi alertly; although Lu Bi Ao's defense isn't as strong as peak Kidd, it's top‑tier among point guards.

If it were a young Nashi in his "Wind Child" era, he could easily get past Lu Bi Ao, but now he needs a screen.

Sitade Maier comes up, with Huaiti Seda right behind him.

When Nashi and the "Little Overlord" completed a classic pick‑and‑roll, forming a V‑shape, Nashi was covered by Huaiti Seda, whose defense exceeded expectations, though his offense was lackluster.

His previous issue was a weak sense of court positioning, especially on a bad team, which made it worse, leading the Kings to cut him outright.

But after joining Kuaisuan, his improvement was obvious. Kuaisuan focuses on tactics, and its teammates are smart, unlike the Kings who only cared about stats.

Thus, his strengths quickly stood out.

Huaiti Seda has great athleticism; he sealed off Nashi's driving lane.

But Nashi quickly altered his plan, passing the ball to Kamelong Andongni.

Anthony grabs the basketball and, with his signature probing step, goes one‑on‑one against Leonard.

Leonard stands in front of him very cautiously.

In today's league, when it comes to the delicacy of offensive skill and the completeness of face‑frame back‑down isolation, only Kobe and Anthony qualify.

When Anthony and James first entered the league, the difference between them was not large; one could even say Anthony was slightly better. He led his team to the playoffs in his rookie season, whereas James did not. Although James won Rookie of the Year that season, there was already some controversy.

At that time Anthony was a year older than James, but he had an NCAA championship that James lacked; Carmelo Anthony's NCAA title can be called the most legendary in NCAA history, as he led the previously mediocre Syracuse University to the championship as a freshman.

Thus, back then they were jointly hailed as the "Twin Stars."

The gap widened after the first off‑season: the "Melon"‑nicknamed Anthony was not as diligent as James; James bulked up in his second season, while Anthony put on a layer of fat.

The watershed in their careers came in 2006, when Anthony, still with the Nuggets, got into a fight with a Knicks player on that court.

That fight knocked Anthony's market value, and he visibly fell out of the league‑favored elite group.

Of course, another reason lies in his playing style. He is too classical.

It differs greatly from modern basketball's pursuit of efficiency and speed.

Anthony executed an extremely delicate feint probe in front of Leonard, then released a mid‑range jump shot… Bang!

It missed.

Leonard was already fooled by the defense. From the spectators' view, Anthony's shot was just a time‑waster and a brick.

It was unwatchable.

The rebound was snatched by the red‑brained big man under the basket.

Milich must have watched a lot of Rodman videos during the off‑season; what was a simple rebound, he jumped up, split his legs, looking as if he could lift a thousand pounds.

That was very entertaining.

Milich passes the basketball to Luo Biao.

The Clippers players surge to the frontcourt like a tide.

In the frontcourt, Luo Biao roams at the top of the three‑point arc, sees Leonard's back‑down locked in a good spot, and decisively passes the ball there. Then he darts to the wing, stretching the defense.

Fan Xi swings back and forth on the weak side.

This is the triangle offense positioning, and Phil Jackson, seated on the sideline, watches it clearly.

Only, he didn't expect the Clippers' primary scorer to be Leonard.

Anthony is not a great defender; although he is strong, Leonard's back‑down fake opened a gap, and Anthony was lured into a defensive hole.

But Leonard didn't shoot directly; he passed to the fast‑cutting Fan Xi, who again penetrated the paint.

Stade Mayer and Tyson Chandler closed in together; Fan Xi passes, Huaiti Seda leaps up and slams the ball with both hands.

The two teams have a huge disparity on defense.

Frankly, the Knicks are a makeshift troupe.

Each of their positions has decent talent, but they lack a system. Even Phil Jackson couldn't fix that.

After all, if a team has four defensive leaks, you can't expect them to contain opponents on that end.

Tyson Chandler is actually a bit angry.

On his way back to half‑court, he asks Stade Mayer, "Why did you follow up?"

Stade Mayer reacts reflexively.

But he refuses to admit his defense is lacking; instead he retorts, "Watch your tone."

That's another Knicks problem: they have many All‑Stars, but none who can truly anchor them as a super‑star.

Stade Mayer and Carmelo Anthony inevitably vie for shooting rights; the mop‑handing Tyson Chandler inevitably complains about those two wing leaks. And once JR Smith goes crazy, even his dad can't hold him back.

After Steve Nash and Jason Kidd arrive, they can't carry the team either; they're old. Moreover, Nash already has a championship, so he's clearly here to retire. If he were to give his all, he feels there's no opportunity.

After the Clippers controlled two possessions, the Knicks finally unleashed some of the power of an offensive powerhouse.

Nash and Stade Mayer set a screen, then pass to JR Smith, who shoots directly from about two meters beyond the three‑point line… Nash's intention was to have him transition the ball, waiting for Anthony to cut open and feed him.

But JR is no ordinary player.

He's a lunatic.

Swish!

The ball goes in.

Phil Jackson swallows the profanity that was on the tip of his tongue.

After scoring, JR Smith pounds his head hard, as if telling the world, "Who the hell has a good brain?" Tactics are useless; just shooting a three‑pointer is better than anything.

That's JR Smith's playing style.

Fan Xi watches JR Smith and feels a familiar vibe. Indeed, this guy has a bit of a wind‑blown talent, just like Gilbert Arenas; they're the same type, and so is Fan Xi.

However, Fan Xi's wind‑blown talent must surpass both of them.

As Fan Xi runs back, he spots a familiar figure: Zhan Ni Fu An Ni Si Dun.

Jennifer today wears gold‑tone denim pants, a fur coat on the upper half, and underneath a long‑sleeve sweater with lace trim.

She exudes a unique charm.

Fan Xi's gaze stays on her for at least seven or eight seconds.

If Luo Biao hadn't brought the ball over, Fan Xi would have stared even longer.

Jennifer also notices Fan Xi's stare, but she makes no extra move; she simply sits there quietly.

For the first time, Fan Xi feels himself being pulled.

Before, he was the one leading the Fan lady; now… he feels as if he's been captured.

Jennifer has mastered the art of playing hard to get.

Luo Biao passes the ball to Fan Xi; seeing Milich block Tyson Chandler, Fan Xi immediately passes it inside.

Milich receives the ball, turns, then suddenly grabs it with one hand and flicks it upward—a flamboyant move that makes Tyson Chandler's balance shoot up.

And in the next second, Mili Xiqi used his agile body to quickly dribble low… The ball slipped between Tyson Chandler's legs, and Mili Xiqi's body went straight past Tyson Chandler.

At this point, he could already go for a layup.

Mili Xiqi, however, stopped his steps, and he made a left-handed upward layup motion.

Tyson Chandler was faked into jumping again, he turned around, wanting to shift his weight like Hakeem Olajuwon and toss the ball toward the hoop with his right hand… This guy is playing too fancy.

Just like when he was sixteen or seventeen.

I have to say, he really does have some talent.

But after all, he is already 26 years old.

Bang!

The basketball hit the rim.

It bounced out.

The humiliated Tyson Chandler was about to leap for the rebound when he noticed a huge shadow descending from behind; he didn't have time to turn… Pff!

His upper body had already taken a violent impact, and his center of gravity lurched forward.

Boom!

A dunk came from above.

Madison Square Garden erupted in an uproar.

This basket was clearly phenomenal… from Mili Xiqi's flashy moves to Fan Xi's decisive slam dunk.

It actually looked like an exquisite coordination.

After all, Mili Xiqi's ball was also passed in by Fan Xi.

Especially, after Fan Xi completed the dunk, Mili Xiqi raised both hands high in a triumphant pose.

Even the Zen Master couldn't fathom this Zen.

He furrowed his brows and muttered: 'Really alike!'

Clearly the Kuaisuan and the 1990s Bulls are worlds apart, yet the Zen Master still couldn't help but sigh, indeed they are too similar.

A low-key small forward, a willing-to-stay-hidden point guard, a globally renowned guard, a red-haired interior player flaunting himself, and a forward who does the dirty work.

Who says it isn't another Bulls?

The Kuaisuan need me.

At one moment, the Zen Master even burst forth with a strong urge.

…