Chapter 454

Fan Xi

He, Si Jia Li, and Fox

They

In the Western Conference semifinals, the second game between the Kuaisuan and the Thunder; in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the first game between the Lakers and the Grizzlies.

Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles paint, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol

The media reported that the Lakers played five games against the Grizzlies at home in Memphis.

However, Fan Xi's view differs from that of the experts; he believes that if the Grizzlies maintain their Game 1 approach, the Lakers could possibly lose two or even three games to them.

The bullet will fly a little longer.

The result of the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals has also been decided.

The Miami Heat versus the Indiana Pacers

The Chicago Bulls' Rosa

The Chicago Bulls' Rosa and the Thunder's double guns

Chen Ye, Dr. Leslie, the primary point guard, Allen Iverson, Thomas, and Magic Johnson

Russell Westbrook, John Wall, and Kyrie Irving

Fan Xi, Rosa, and Le Bu Lang Zhang Si

The Kuaisuan's home court

Thunder head coach Scott, Fan Xi, the Kuaisuan, and the triangle offense

Nowitzki

Butler and Leonard

On the contrary, Fan Xi… only scored 15 points, but his 25 assists and 16 rebounds exceeded expectations: Fan Xi was playing a brand‑new style of basketball; he not only employed a weak‑side wandering strategy on offense, but on defense he constantly looked to jump in for rebounds and then launch a fast break with a long pass.

Ibaka, Perkins, Miličić, and Xiao Jordan

Xiao Jordan and Huaiti Seda

Fan Xi's speed, explosiveness, wingspan, and decent rebounding instinct made him a rebounding machine.

Furthermore, once he got the ball, the fast break came naturally.

The Kuaisuan won this game more easily than the first game.

The Thunder's head coach Scott was glum: hadn't the Kuaisuan already built a solid system in the regular season? Why are they now playing off‑script in the playoffs? It's like pressing down a gourd only to have a ladle pop up—east dark, west bright; he's really at a loss.

Westbrook, Jie Ke, and backcourt rebounds

Westbrook regarded this game as a process of learning and enlightenment; he had done the same in many past games, and he indeed performed quite well in this regard.

Durant

Scott and the coaching staff

"…" ellipsis.

The Kuaisuan in Los Angeles versus the Oklahoma City Thunder

Fan Xi, Anne Hathaway, Megan Fox, and Si Jia Li Johansson

Anne Hathaway and Megan Fox

Anne Hathaway said over the phone that she had absolute confidence in taking care of them.

none.

He has been utterly exhausted lately; besides needing to focus extra hard on the game, he also has to guard against a fire breaking out in the backyard off the court.

He rubbed his temples on the plane, and Nowitzki beside him said, "Jie Ke, maybe you need some aromatherapy."

"Aromatherapy?" Fan Xi had no knowledge of that.

Nowitzki said: "It's a kind of plant fuel. It calms the whole person. Of course, it's said that a fuel mixed with divine oil makes people inexplicably excited… but generally it's those bad guys who use it…"

Nowitzki was vague, but from his expression you could tell what he was thinking.

Arenas up front said: "I know that this stuff is currently trendy among Los Angeles' upper crust. Jie Ke, I can get you some with divine oil…"

Fan Xi quickly waved his hand, saying: "I'm not that kind of person. Get some rest; when we get to Oklahoma City, we still have a tough battle ahead."

The plane was flying at an altitude of thirty thousand feet.

After speaking with Fan Xi on the phone, Anne Hathaway cautiously placed a call, saying: "I need some aromatherapy…"

ellipsis.

The Lakers versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Chris Paul's stop-and-go jump shot, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, and Pau Gasol

Howard always comes off worse when facing the solid‑based, handy‑handed center Zach Randolph; moreover, the strength comparison between Pau Gasol and his brother Marc Gasol has already crossed over.

Marc Gasol may not have his brother's skill, but he is tougher and in better competitive form.

Rudy Gay

This game left Lakers fans breaking out in a cold sweat; they began to worry about the upcoming road trip, and about possibly losing again to the Kuaisuan at the brink of the finals.

Kobe and Fan Xi

The Bulls, the Heat, and the playoffs

The Kuaisuan at the Oklahoma City Energy Arena

Small market and big market

Fan's girls

none.

He took over a stretch of the game in the second quarter, showing his driving ability; he twice drew fouls on Perkins in succession, and kept him on the bench until late in the third quarter.

The Kuaisuan seized this time gap and kept attacking the Thunder's paint.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Kuaisuan had an 11‑point lead.

Kevin Durant

However, at that moment Fan Xi once again went one‑on‑one against the Thunder's defense.

Perkins, Ibaka, and Westbrook

More importantly, fans discovered through post-game slow-motion analysis that the ball Fan Xi threw was the only and sole 'escape opportunity' at that time.

It became the most exciting goal of the playoffs so far.

Even Jordan praised it: "In this world, only I and Jie Ke can make such a shot. Kobe can't either."

Kobe unusually remained silent.

After Fan Xi made this ultra-difficult shot, the Clippers completed a perfect defense. Fan Xi started pressing Westbrook from the backcourt, and Westbrook made a mistake at that moment, taking 9 seconds to pass the ball to Durant.

He kept trying to break through Fan Xi's defense, but only after the game did he realize Fan Xi was simply running down the clock.

Durant received the ball, and Leonard stepped up to defend.

He clung to Durant.

He anticipated Durant's pull-up shot in advance, causing Durant to make an extra fake; when he jumped again to shoot… the whistle had already blown, and his made three-pointer was ruled invalid.

This was the head referee's decision after repeatedly reviewing the videotape; multiple angles showed that Durant was still faking when time expired, and his hurried shot was released after the game ended.

The fans on site erupted in curses, their emotions highly agitated.

They could not accept this fact; in their view, the game should have been a Thunder victory, with Durant having completed the buzzer-beater.

Boos and insults filled the entire arena, but they could not change the fact: the Thunder trailed 0–3.

After the game, Kevin Durant shook his head in an interview and said: "Leonard actually fouled me; he fouled before I shot. In fact, if we go back earlier, Jieke Fan fouled Russell in the first half."

"This isn't a fair whistle. They went to the free-throw line 11 more times than us. I really doubt this is Los Angeles!"

Kevin Durant was pressuring the referees.

His pressure certainly had an effect; that night the media frequently reported on the foul‑call standards, and Oklahoma Thunder fans protested all over the NBA website, refusing to accept the game's final ruling.

They hoped to change the game result to 1–2, even saying they wanted to replay the game.

That was obviously just child's talk.

No one would meet their demand.

Moreover, they indeed lost the game.

Kevin Durant's overtime was obvious.

As for the foul, it was a very good defense.

Leonard was clean.

You can't even find any foul tendency of his in slow motion.

Regarding the foul‑count issue, the Thunder mostly take jump shots, while the Clippers keep attacking the paint; which side is more likely to get to the free‑throw line is obvious.

The Clippers became the first team in the Eastern‑Western semifinals to clinch a match point.

Because the Miami Heat lost the victory in Indiana.

The New York Knicks also suffered a setback at Madison Square Garden.

The Lakers, as expected, also lost their gear in Tennessee; this time, however, their defense was broken on the perimeter.

Mike Conley is an unsung point guard; his highlight moments still date back to his NCAA days with Greg Oden. But now the situation is that Greg Oden has faded from the league, and the little brother beside him has become an indispensable pillar for the Grizzlies.

He contained Paul, Tony Allen also performed excellently, and Kobe's missed shots remained high.

Then, the interior played aggressively.

Zach Randolph scored seven straight points at a crucial moment, helping the Grizzlies seal the win.

In the blink of an eye, the Clippers again had the title of top seed for the championship.

However, in Game 4, the Clippers lost.

And they lost by a large margin.

In this game, Nowitzki's touch was icy again, possibly from too much incense, throwing off his aim.

Leonard picked up three fouls in the first quarter, and after Butler came on, his state was also thrown into disarray by the intermittently blowing whistles. qqxδnew

Durant's pre‑game pressure had the best effect.

Of course, the most important reason is that the Thunder employed the Jordan rule against Fan Xi, aiming to cut off his connection with teammates and let him play solo.

Fan Xi scored 41 points, but he missed two shots in the crucial moments.

This directly led to the Thunder launching consecutive counterattacks.

In the end, the Thunder won 109–97.

After the game, Kevin Durant proudly said: "If you treat Jie Ke like Jordan, victory will come easily. After all, the Clippers don't have a second Pippen, while I have the Robin beside Batman."

Although this remark hints at making Westbrook an assistant, Westbrook doesn't care now; he doesn't want to clash with the boss.

Instead, feeling pleased, he said something that made Fan Xi tremble: "Maybe our previous defensive strategy was wrong; we should just let Jie Ke shoot—perhaps his open look would be even more outrageous than a double‑team shot. After all, he's a player who navigates among many women with ease! Hahahaha."

Scott corrected Westbrook: "Completely leaving him open is inadvisable; Jie Ke's open shots are extremely accurate, so we must ensure he has a defender in front. I'm doing this out of necessity—I really don't want him to keep appearing on the top‑five plays."

Although they were still down 1–3, the Thunder were in a good mood.

They felt their counterattack had begun.

They harbored grand ambitions: not only to become the first team in history to defeat a 76‑win squad, but also to become the first team in history to launch a massive comeback from a 0–3 deficit.

…