Chapter 428: From Now On

59:71.

The point gap between the two teams isn't really large; the Knicks' offense still has some quality.

This score is actually a bit awkward for New York; winning is very difficult, yet outright giving up isn't necessary.

So the atmosphere in the Knicks' locker room is somewhat…odd.

Some players are dazed by Fan Xi's momentum and don't want to play.

Some players think Fan Xi must be knocked down; the expelled Smith is the radical representative. He bluntly declares: "We must unite to strike down Jieke Fan's arrogant blaze. Give him a hard blow so he can never ever lift his head in Madison Garden!"

His voice is especially loud when he says that.

He wants to rally the whole team's morale.

But few echo him.

Chambord even mutters softly there: "Bro, the one who can't lift his head in Madison Garden right now is you, right?"

Chambord thinks JR Smith can't play now, so he deliberately goads other teammates against Fan Xi. He wants a companion; he wants to see others suffer more than him so his mind can be balanced.

Chambord doesn't want to fall for that; he'll definitely play the game seriously. But he wouldn't go at it like a mastiff, confronting Fan Xi, provoking him, or killing him.

JR Smith's lesson is right before his eyes; one cannot watch others jump into a pit and be torn apart while foolishly following, thinking oneself the Heaven's Chosen Son, the one who has traversed fifty days of the Great Dao's expansion and forty‑nine evasions.

Chambord is very pragmatic.

Cameron Anthony later says: "We must certainly play hard, but there should be a priority strategy. Right now we need to limit Jieke Fan's scoring, not let him keep stacking stats. If he scores fifty or sixty points in this game, we'll be in a passive position."

Anthony is talking about a very practical issue: whether we become a backdrop.

No wonder Anthony is the team leader; his words hit the nail on the head. The game's logic instantly shifts from how to revenge Fan Xi to how to curb Fan Xi.

Although the two are not vastly different, the shift in wording changes the meaning dramatically.

Phil Jackson consulted the coaching staff, and they revised the tactics, focusing on analyzing Fan Xi's scoring spots, aiming to keep his evening score below 50.

Such discussion is intolerable to JR Smith, who deems it surrenderism.

He met Tyson Chandler alone, discussed with him, and they quickly reached an agreement.

Tyson Chandler says he will definitely come out swinging in the second half; anyone who dares to enter his guarded paint will have no return.

"I walk the talk," Chandler emphasizes.

"You've got grit," JR Smith praises.

He now imagines Fan Xi embarrassing himself in Madison Garden, preferably with Tyson Chandler mercilessly dropping Fan Xi from the air.

Only then can he repair the humiliation of being faked out to his knees.

JR Smith hasn't stopped surfing the web during his time back in the locker room.

The GIF of him kneeling and begging has gone viral online; he's topping YouTube's trending list, and he's never been this famous in his life.

The comments online read "Cruel!," "Destruction!," "That guy must be thinking of his mother," "He surrenders faster than the French," "He'll become a joke for the whole basketball world."

It's already a joke.

JR Smith can't imagine how the continued spread of the video will impact him.

Look at Tyron Lu.

He was just shaken down by Iverson, yet already a regular in highlight reels.

I was faked out to the knees, with both knees hitting the floor one after another.

JR Smith gets angrier the more he thinks.

But he can't change it.

He hopes Fan Xi will also lose face tonight, so he won't look so embarrassed.

…

Beep!

The whistle blows, and the second half begins.

Fan Xi returns to the shooting‑guard spot; point guard becomes Lu Biao, the small forward is not Leonard but Butler, whose off‑ball movement is better than Leonard's. The power forward is Milichich, the center is Little Jordan… they haven't changed.

The game quickly starts.

Stephen Nash drives past half‑court, orchestrates the offense, passes the ball to Cameron Anthony, who uses a back‑to‑the‑basket one‑on‑one to teach Butler, and hits a fade‑away jumper.

The basket elicits cheers throughout the arena.

At halftime, Madison Garden is only about seventy percent full; the remaining spectators haven't returned. Of course, they might be waiting—if the game goes poorly they'll just leave.

Meanwhile, viewers in front of TVs are skyrocketing, and ratings keep climbing.

The new viewers are naturally there to see how Fan Xi will achieve great feats in Madison Garden.

He already scored 60 in the first half; does he have to add another 30 in the second?

He already faked out that idiot JR Smith to his knees in the first half; can he not randomly pick another poor soul in the second?

Fans have always had expectations for Fan Xi, even though they sometimes join the media in accusing him of stealing the U. S. team's gold medal.

Lu Biao drives past half‑court and passes to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi holds the ball, defended by Chambord.

Chambord's defense is certainly stronger than JR Smith's.

He sticks to Fan Xi, applying pressure, disrupting his rhythm, and tries to force him into low‑percentage areas.

This is the universal manual for defenders; against a superstar you can only do this.

His defense works.

Fan Xi's stop‑and‑go jump shot misses the rim.

Fortunately, the two "ghosts" under the basket slam the door; Milichich and Little Jordan both crash for the rebound, regaining possession. Little Jordan passes back to Fan Xi, who darts into the free‑throw lane, makes a layup, drives through the defense, passes deep into the paint, Milichich grabs the ball and executes a reverse layup.

He's always like that, always pulling off flashy moves.

Then Cameron Anthony initiates a one‑on‑one, finds no opening, passes to Stade Meyer, who hits a stop‑and‑go jump shot.

The Knicks' two super offensive frontcourt players teamed up to unleash their power.

They are both players who can rank in the top five of the scoring leaderboard.

Si Ta De Mai Er claims to be the league's number one post‑up power forward; although there's some exaggeration now, at his peak it was fairly accurate.

Then, Lu Bi Ao passed to Fan Xi, who, after confirming his Stop-and-Go Jump Shot felt off, again threaded the needle, using little Jordan's screen, drove into the paint, drew double‑team, and passed to Butler, who dunked successfully.

"Jieke Fan seems no longer after scoring."

the ESPN commentator said.

"His scoring has never been very consistent, and I feel he's a bit intimidated by Tai Sen Qian De Le. Qian De Le is not JR Smith."

The commentator added, "Tai Sen is stronger and larger, and he's been holding back since the Olympics; Jieke would have to be mentally prepared to be knocked down if he tries to attack the rim directly."

They are boosting the Knicks' momentum.

The game continues.

Fan Xi indeed stopped forcing shots, waiting for the right moment. His scoring stats only rose with a fast‑break layup in the fourth minute of the third quarter, but his assist numbers kept soaring.

It quickly reached seventeen.

At this point, there were three minutes left in the third quarter.

However, because Ka Mei Lun An Dong Ni and Si Ta De Mai Er kept scoring on both wings, the Knicks' offensive firepower was unleashed. Si Di Fen Na Shi's top‑of‑the‑arc three‑pointer also went in, and even Xiang Bo Te found time to hit a three.

The gap narrowed to five points.

At this moment, most Knicks fans had returned.

and they seemed to have healed their wounds

When Butler drove into the paint and Tai Sen Qian De Le slapped him onto the backboard, the referee called an interference.

Yet Tai Sen Qian De Le excitedly pounded his chest, shouting loudly, "Who else!"

Tai Sen Qian De Le's passion ignited the Knicks fans.

They too began to echo, each one shouting: Beat…LA! Beat…LA! Beat…LA!

Their voices were high‑spirited, regaining the unruly demeanor of the first half.

Later, Si Ta De Mai Er received another pass from Na Shi, surged into the paint, and under little Jordan's interference missed a layup; the ball bounced back, and Tai Sen Qian De Le seized the chance, leapt, and slammed the ball into the hoop with both hands.

Roar!

After a defense and an offense, Tai Sen Qian De Le was already out of control.

He pounded his chest and even roared at Fan Xi.

The roar awakened the sideline fans' memories, and they began to echo loudly, recalling the first‑half chant: Fu-ck…JayFan! Fu-ck…JayFan! Fu-ck…JayFan!

The Knicks' momentum returned.

In the locker room, JR Smith clenched his fists, extremely excited.

Unbeknownst to them, Fan Xi also clenched his fists at that moment.

He glanced at his stats: 32 points, 17 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks.

…