Chapter 430: Fan's Era and Fan's Opponents

This is an epic‑level victory.

It is also an epic‑level statistical performance.

Moreover, it features an epic‑level reversal.

JR Smith's kneeling, Tyson Chandler's full‑body prostration, the fans' early swagger turning into later deference, and Fan Xi's terrifying 60‑20‑10 super triple‑double.

This is the greatest regular‑season single‑game performance since Wilt Chamberlain's 100‑point game, bar none.

Kobe's 81 points cannot compare.

Add to that the many legendary factors in this game, Fan Xi's proclamation that night that he will take the regular‑season MVP is only natural, and everyone who watched the game should wholeheartedly acquiesce.

After the game, JR Smith declined interview and, before leaving the arena, muttered a profanity: "WTF! Do I still have to shout MVP? What are you making me comment on?"

Tyson Chandler was likewise; he was volatile and shoved the reporter away.

Carmelo Anthony, however, was very gracious. He said: "You all saw it. That's his level. He recorded the season‑high points and also the most spectacular triple‑double in Madison Square Garden's history; that's all for tonight."

When the reporter asked him to comment on fans going from Fu‑ck to MVP, he replied: No comment.

"We must acknowledge that Jieke Fan is already the league's number one. No matter how you hype Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, he has no accolades to show and truly cannot match Jieke's legendary stats," Arenas said at the post‑game press conference, spreading his hands and speaking without restraint: "Perhaps we find it hard to accept a monarch of Eastern basketball. Yet, Jieke is also a product of American basketball; he played NCAA and then entered the NBA."

"We should cheer for his achievements, not focus on his tabloid stories. Who doesn't have tabloid stories? Every NBA player has slept with seventeen or eighteen women, but none are as famous as the Fan girls."

Arenas' words are coarse but not unreasonable.

However, it is clear that Arenas' remarks were not widely circulated by the media.

On such a shocking night, as fans raged on forums discussing the legend, the next day's ESPN headline read: Le Bu Lang Zhang Si dropped 43 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds and delivered a game‑winning buzzer‑beater against the Thunder.

Fan Xi's unprecedented super triple‑double did not receive the most prominent placement, and the game's details were not reported in depth.

Instead, their web version reported that Fan Xi left a post‑game chat with Zhan Ni Fu An Ni Si Dun on a sour note.

This is a clear case of double‑standard.

Conversely, the New York media showed some backbone; they condemned Knicks fans and even called last night the darkest night in New York basketball.

Interestingly, Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan, speaking on his owned media outlet, commented on the game. He said: "There's no way; you can't stop Jieke Fan. He can drive, he can pass, he can thunder into the paint with reckless dunks, and he can shred defenses with flashy, sharp cuts. He also has shooting ability; he's on another level, he dominated the game."

"Knicks fans have been conquered; there's nothing to hide. He's the MVP— is there anyone else on the court better than him?"

"This year's regular‑season MVP voting, Knicks media and coaches will certainly cast a vote for him. We must respect the objective facts."

"Jieke Fan hasn't discussed joining the Knicks with me, but I hope he comes. He can get everything he wants in New York. Of course, except for equity. You should know, that's what my father left me."

Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan, that spendthrift, behaved very gracefully.

Compared with some team owners who claim Fan Xi has no reason to win regular‑season MVP, that's a pipe‑dream; the right path is far more reasonable.

When Fan Xi was in New York and read the reports, he sneered at the double‑standard and gave a thumbs‑up to Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan's remarks.

If next season he truly has to pick a team, joining the Knicks wouldn't be resisted.

Of course, it's still too early to say this, and no one knows what the final decision will be.

…

The Kuaisuan returned to Los Angeles, and the busy regular season proceeded in an orderly fashion.

After Fan Xi declared his pursuit of the regular‑season MVP, Kuaisuan players played even more fiercely, because everyone knows the MVP considers not only individual stats but also team performance.

This year's hot regular‑season MVP candidates will certainly be chosen from a few top teams: Le Bu Lang Zhang Si will represent the Miami Heat, Kevin Durant will represent the Brooklyn Nets, Derek Rose will represent the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers side is harder to decide; Paul, Kobe, and Howard are all possible.

Since the season opened, these five teams have led the standings by a wide margin over the others.

Kuaisuan is now first in the West and first in the entire league, because they have only dropped one win.

If Kuaisuan can stay first in the regular season until its end, and Fan Xi continues to produce irresistible numbers, even if the media continues to favor domestic American players, Fan Xi will still claim the MVP, because the MVP must retain fairness; losing fairness would damage the award's authority and undermine the NBA's globalization and fan base.

They are still clear‑headed about this matter.

But if Fan Xi lacks an absolute lead, his MVP chances will be like drawing water with a bamboo basket— futile. In the ambiguous middle ground, even with a tiny edge, Fan Xi would inevitably lose.

Thus, this is why Kuaisuan entered an all‑out desperate mode.

When the Portland Trail Blazers arrived at Kuaisuan, they were slammed to the ground and brutally smacked down.

After losing Brandon Roy, the Blazers' strength quickly fell to the playoff fringe. Although this year they drafted Lillard, who Fan Xi favored, he is still too young, and they will begin a new rebuild… as if forever rebuilding.

Teams that rebuild via the rookie route rarely succeed; in recent years the most successful example is the Oklahoma Thunder, but how many teams have the Thunder's draft eye?

The Chicago Bulls can also claim success through the draft.

However, they've suffered too many draft pains. It wasn't until Derek Rose's strong rise that they returned to the Eastern summit.

After Jordan retired, the Bulls pursued a high‑school twin‑talent route, with Eddie Curry and Tyson Chandler as one offense, one defense; they hoped to rise with a twin‑tower, but failed after two years of trial.

Later, in 2003 and 2004, they chose Sinrich, Ben Gordon, Roland and others, but saw little progress.

Until 2007 when they drafted Joakim Noah, and in 2008 selected Derek Rose, they rose quickly.

After Kuaisuan eliminated the Portland Trail Blazers at home, they continued at home to tidy up the Golden State Warriors.

Although the Warriors started this season playing a very new style of basketball, they are still experimenting; currently they are not yet ready to join the top‑level power games.

However, Stephen Curry is becoming increasingly star‑like.

This pleases Fan Xi; Curry is his college alumnus and also a brand ambassador for his line, so Fan Xi naturally hopes he does well.

After two home wins, Kuaisuan pressed on, flying to the Colorado Plateau.

The Nuggets, after losing Carmelo Anthony and other superstars, are now rapidly renewing; a group of young, strong guys have earned the nickname "High‑Altitude Track Team."

However, facing the defending champions, they have few options and can only throw down their helmets and armor.

Descending from the Colorado Plateau, Kuaisuan kept moving; in Salt Lake City they gave the fallen Jazz a thorough beating, then flew to Texas.

Texas's top three are no longer the same as they were back then.

The Dallas Mavericks were the first to fall; this season they saw major player changes. Although Blake Griffin's growth is rapid, and with his beautiful dunks he has a high reputation, becoming a regular All‑Star is no problem.

However, the Mavericks' strength hasn't been lifted by him.

This still requires Nowitzki to return next season.

Mark Kuban chatted with Fan Xi for a while; he now has a slight headache because the league is increasingly favoring a lottery system over trades. Most teams hope Fan Xi becomes a high‑level draft pick, with each team having a probabilistic chance to own Fan Xi's rights for at least one year.

But that is not what Kuban hoped for. When Kuban traded Nowitzki back then, it was because he wanted Fan Xi to bring his Dallas.

But now…

He has a feeling of trying to steal a chicken and ending up losing the rice.

The only thing to be glad about is that Nowitzki got the long‑desired championship, and he still has a great chance to get a second one.

In Meihangzhongxin qiuguan, many fans are reminiscing about Nowitzki.

After the game, Nowitzki also said he will retire in Dallas, emphasizing that Dallas is his hometown.

Fan Xi's conversation with Kuban ends amid Kuban's frustration.

And Fan Xi and his team head to San Antonio with the victory.

San Antonio is the strongest of the three Texas teams; this season they have even shown new life, and their record has stayed fourth in the Western, trailing only Kuaisuan, the Lakers, and the Thunder.

Popovich is a pretty decent person; he has his own style.

After the game, he ran over to shake hands with Fan Xi. He said that if Kuaisuan takes first place in the regular season, he would definitely support Fan Xi becoming regular‑season MVP.

He also thinks the recent media climate is inappropriate and un‑sporting.

Fan Xi thanked him.

Of course, he also gave him a loss.

In Houston, Kuaisuan's victories become even more expected. Although the Houston Rockets acquired James Harden, and Harden has exploded this season, they still cannot match Fan Xi at present.

James Harden was traded by the Thunder.

James Harden received a lot of criticism in London; many media outlets attacked that his nonsense with Kole Kardashian caused the Dream Team's loss.

After all, Harden's move to the Dream Team carries many heavy responsibilities. People hope he can fulfill the roles of Kobe and Rosa.

But actually, overall, Harden performed quite well in the finals; after Durant left the game, his three‑pointers at one point became the key to victory.

Harden believes he has been unfairly accused and feels very aggrieved.

What makes it more aggrieving is that the Thunder did not stand by him to help.

Moreover, regarding the contract renewal, the Thunder have been wishy‑washy; clearly they do not want to give Harden the price he wants. The Thunder are unwilling to spend too much on salary, after all they will face many max‑contract deals soon.

A small market is destined not to invest wildly like a big city.

Therefore, the early renewal contract they offered Harden is somewhat humiliating.

Harden didn't even make a big demand like a lion.

In the end, Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets amid the Thunder executive's words, "We don't want Ibaka to be angry," and the Rockets obtained the team‑building core they had dreamed of.

And James Harden began to show his true talent; he had been the sixth man for the Thunder. He seems poised to emulate the legendary rise of Tracy McGrady… McGrady was merely a sidekick to Carter on the Raptors, but after being traded to Orlando, he instantly became the league's top superstar, even leaving his cousin far behind.

In this game, Harden was still aggressively demanding a one‑on‑one with Fan Xi.

It is evident his confidence has grown, and his skills are improving.

However, he only scored 28 points, while Fan Xi had 35 points, 15 assists and 6 rebounds, dominating him in every dimension and taking the win.

This game made James Harden see the gap; he is a smart person, willing to invest in basketball, and he decided to forge a new path, to play a brand‑new style of basketball.

He will explore this road, and perhaps succeed someday.

In some respects, Fan Xi's ability to motivate opponents already surpasses that of Michael Jordan back then.

Moreover, in Michael Jordan's era, there were almost no perimeter stars comparable to him; most were super centers and super forwards. The only one who could "touch" Jordan was the glider. The Trail Blazers' general manager's remark, "We already have a glider, so we won't pick Jordan," became a historic joke.

Today, Fan Xi faces a perimeter era; the older generation's Kobe still shines at the center of the stage. The middle generation—James, Wei De, Anthony, and Paul—are in their prime, and the new generation—Durant, Westbrook, and Rosa—are all firecrackers. In fact, Stephen Curry and James Harden have also begun their metamorphosis.

But from this perspective, Fan Xi's difficulty in ruling this era will not be lower than Jordan's.

Because the spotlight not only shines on him alone, but the media even deliberately suppresses him.

Jordan, in his era, was the favored one, even though he wrote in his autobiography about being treated unfairly. In reality, the media rarely reported his messy news.

However, as soon as there is any stir around Fan Xi, it turns into a black‑cloud devastation.

Fan Xi returns to Los Angeles with a winning streak, ready to face a real battle, the one Los Angeles cares about most.

Angel City Derby!

…