Chapter 464: What Other Secret Weapons Could He Have?

The game continues.

Kobe Bryant still performed excellently against Leonard's entangling defense, and in the second quarter he appeared more in a playmaking role; Paul and Gasol executed many exquisite combos, De An Tong Ni's decision to put Jia Mi Sen into the game was a finishing touch, and Jia Mi Sen's offensive level and height challenged Kuaisuan's defense.

At halftime, the Lakers led 55–51.

Kobe Bryant was outstanding in this quarter; he not only hit shots during the stalemate phase, but also used his aggressiveness to spark his teammates' offense.

The Lakers' second‑quarter offense was extremely impressive, but their defensive work was also penetrated.

Both sides still maintained parity; although the Lakers took the lead, that margin was far from a safe zone.

Kobe Bryant was nervous.

He furrowed his brow as he walked toward the locker room, and fans on both sides shouted his name, cheering him on.

This has been the staple for 17 years; Kobe Bryant has gone from being heavily expected by fans to bearing their hopes. Over those long days, Kobe has always been the Lakers fans' superhero. His loyalty to the purple‑gold army destined him to be recorded in Lakers history.

Usually, Kobe would reach out and high‑five fans, which meant a lot to many of them.

But tonight, Kobe was exhausted; his mind was filled with tactical considerations, and he had to secure the win.

Fan Xi has become the toughest opponent of his career, bar none.

This caught Kobe off guard.

Two years ago, Fan Xi was merely a rookie Kobe had discovered; back then Fan Xi had many shortcomings, though he showed great momentum. Now his evolution speed is uncanny.

Kobe even thought the guy had taken some high‑tech product.

He entered the locker room, La Li Bu Lang walked up to him and said, "We have to force Jieke Fan into attack mode in the second half; if Kuaisuan keeps playing like this, we'll find it hard to escape the fate of the previous games."

La Li Bu Lang said bitterly, "It's truly depressing; our way of handling Kuaisuan is to let their best player take more isolation possessions."

Kobe Bryant shrugged.

After the first game, he already knew the Lakers were being countered by Kuaisuan. The Lakers' team‑building logic was sound, and even the acquisition of a superstar was reasonable. Yet sometimes reason and correctness don't directly equate to victory.

"We can only fight them with a do‑or‑die style to have a chance to win," Kobe said. "We must stop seeing ourselves as elite saviors; we need to tear away our vanity and play more like blue‑collar workers than they do."

"The current situation is essentially a replay of 2004."

Kobe is experienced; this isn't the first time he's mentioned it in the halftime locker room.

But this time, he was more pointed, staring openly at De Huai Te Huo Hua De: "De Huai Te, do you think you're superior to Mili Xiqi, Xiao Qiao Dan, and Huaiti Seda?"

"No, De Huai Te, I'll make it clear: you're not that far apart, even though you're the primary center. Yet you've become a stepping stone for them to climb to elite."

"De Huai Te, if you want a brand‑new contract befitting a primary center, you must prove yourself in the second half. Look at your first three games: 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1 steal per game. In this game so far you have only 7 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block. You're terrible."

"Think about what Mili Xiqi did to you recently. Kuaisuan players now control the media machine; after tonight they'll trumpet their victory, they'll reduce you to dust, and you haven't actually suppressed them. You, as the primary center, look pale and powerless… De Huai Te, do you think anyone will still give you a super‑max salary at this point?"

Kobe publicly questioned Huo Hua De.

Huo Hua De's emotions shifted from irritation to anger to calm when Kobe posed the final question.

Huo Hua De erupted, slammed his chair down, stood up, and shouted, "I shouldn't have come to the Lakers; this place is a mess of sludge, you can't even compare to Jieke Fan."

Huo Hua De showed no scheming; he ripped off his façade.

By saying that, he implied there was no possibility left with the Lakers.

The coaching staff and management were in disarray.

But Kobe wore a smile.

That's why he chose to provoke during halftime; he could have spoken with Huo Hua De before the game, or, like with other players, called him yesterday.

But he didn't.

Kobe is a smart man; he knows how to handle a person.

Someone like Huo Hua De, who relies on talent to play so‑called fun basketball, will only truly adjust his attitude after all his exits are cut off and he's driven into hysterical despair.

"Actually, the Lakers won't re‑sign you, De Huai Te." Kobe said calmly, staring at Huo Hua De. "And do you know what you're doing now? You've become a locker‑room troublemaker, then got blown up on the court by unknowns."

"Maybe the Lakers media will dump all the loss on you; maybe the media backing Kuaisuan will wildly denigrate you while inflating their players' values."

Kobe shrugged, "You only have half a game to prove yourself."

Kobe sat upright in his chair, his gaze calmly fixed on Huo Hua De.

It was like a scene from The Godfather.

A Tai Si Te, standing beside Kobe, was worried that Kobe's aggressiveness would anger the beast, and Huo Hua De would be physically detrimental to him.

But Kobe remained unflustered; he actually hoped Huo Hua De had that reckless blood.

If he had it, the Lakers wouldn't have lost the first three games; they could have at least won one.

After all, before the Western Finals, all media predicted… the Lakers would dominate the interior, and Huo Hua De would dominate Kuaisuan's centers in every dimension. But now the Lakers' center spot has been cut up by Kuaisuan's various‑style centers.

Especially Mili Xiqi, the second‑overall pick who stole Eva, now presses Huo Hua De.

Huo Hua De's mind is too immature.

In other words, he lacks the heart of a true strongman.

His smooth run in Orlando concealed many things.

The Eastern weakness also bred him confidence beyond his talent.

Huo Hua De fell silent.

His gaze grew dim.

When he lifted his head again, everyone saw a change. Kobe's 'threat' took effect. Huo Hua De walked to La Li Bu Lang's side and asked what he should do next.

Huo Hua De has repeatedly won the league's rebounding and shot‑blocking titles, is a regular on the All‑Defensive Team, and has been named Defensive Player of the Year.

His ability is indisputable.

Kobe's tactic worked.

La Li Bu Lang gave Kobe a covert encouraging glance.

Kobe's mouth twitched into a smile as he recalled Fan Xi's days with the Lakers, when Fan Xi and Bai Na Mu fought tooth‑and‑nail, yet the ultimately dominant Bai Na Mu willingly became Fan Xi's little junior. After Fan Xi left, he endlessly missed Fan Xi and left a notorious trash‑talk line for Paul that would go down in history.

Kobe gladly admitted that he had learned a few things from Fan Xi, especially how to manage a team.

This is not an embarrassing thing for them.

Of course, at this moment Kobe's inner twisted amusement is: Jie Ke, also showing you what it means to beat you using your own method.

Kobe feels a great sense of achievement about this.

…

Beep!

The second half of the game is approaching quickly.

The Lakers made a tactical adjustment: they substituted Chris Paul for Blake, swapped Jamison for Matt Barnes, and the interior remains Gasol and Howard.

Blake dribbles steadily across half court, facing Lu Bu, he appears cautious, and he passes the basketball to Kobe.

Kobe, holding the ball, one‑on‑one Leonard; he quickly uses a clever up‑and‑down step to break a gap in Leonard's steady defense, and Kobe darts in swiftly.

He makes a fake shooting move.

Mili Xiqi instinctively makes an upward move, but the next second Kobe's basketball is thrown toward the rim.

Fan Xi quickly recovers from one side.

However, Howard's jumping speed is astonishing; he leaps explosively, grabs the rebound and forcefully slams the ball into the hoop.

His positioning this time is very aggressive, and his strong upper limbs put him in an absolute advantage; even though Mili Xiqi wasn't drawn in earlier, he can still, from the advantageous position, shove Mili Xiqi aside and slam the ball into the hoop.

Kobe, after seeing Howard score, shows a hint of smugness on his face.

He instinctively looks toward Fan Xi.

But he sees this guy's expression turn grim, eyebrows furrowed.

That expression makes Kobe worried; he knows Fan Xi's on‑court reaction ability, and he wonders… could Jie Ke Fan have spotted our clue in just one possession?

Mili Xiqi passes the ball to Fan Xi.

He only sees Fan Xi receive the ball and whisper a few words to Mili Xiqi.

Fan Xi dribbles across half court and passes to Lu Bu.

He runs toward the wing.

Matt Barnes follows him step for step.

Barnes is one of Fan Xi's best friends on the Lakers; when Fan Xi was still an unknown rookie, Barnes looked after him. At that time, Odom and Barnes had the closest relationship with Fan Xi.

Seeing Fan Xi's current achievements makes Barnes very happy. Although as a Lakers Player he shouldn't publicly praise Fan Xi, in many possessions when he talks about current superstars, he places Fan Xi's name above Le Bu Lang Zhang Si.

However, this does not stop him from fully committing to harassing Fan Xi, giving Fan Xi no chance to receive the ball.

But this is in vain.

Fan Xi's off‑ball movement is top‑tier; even Hamilton has praised him knowingly.

Fan Xi quickly uses a cross screen with Nowitzki, gets open, and Lu Bu immediately passes the ball.

Fan Xi grabs the ball, drives inward, then covertly passes to Mili Xiqi.

Mili Xiqi receives the ball; if he follows Fan Xi's advice and goes straight up for a layup, Howard would have no way to defend.

But he habitually shows off his footwork, makes a beautiful spin, uses a forward step to get past Howard, then executes a reverse layup.

This is a move that never fails for him.

But at the instant he releases the ball with a reverse layup, a shadow falls over his head, Howard lunges forward, Bang!

The ball is nailed to the rim by Howard.

And when Howard blocks, he also presses down on Mili Xiqi, using his momentum.

Mili Xiqi staggers and falls to the ground.

Howard tosses the ball to Kobe, letting out a roar toward Mili Xiqi.

He makes a muscle‑flexing pose.

The entire Lakers crowd shouts and roars for him.

They love this wildly passionate monster.

Kobe dribbles across half court, and Fan Xi switches defense to him based on proximity.

"Jie Ke, you must understand, a counterfeit is still a counterfeit. No matter how well you tweak it, they still have unfixable flaws. Mili Xiqi loves to show off too much."

Kobe chats with Fan Xi, and casually passes the ball to Blake.

This is his provocation tactic.

After Kobe passes, he notices Fan Xi moving to guard Barnes.

Leonard returns to Kobe's side.

Kobe greatly appreciates this about Fan Xi; they have a strong sense of positioning.

However, Howard's burst here… or rather his repositioning, gives the Lakers a strategic advantage.

In this half‑court battle, Blake and Howard execute a superb pick‑and‑roll; Howard, receiving the ball, charges straight through Nowitzki's defense and slams the ball with one hand into the hoop.

He scores two consecutive baskets and completes a deadly block.

The monster Howard roars skyward.

The entire Staples Center cheers for him.

While he pounds his chest and roars, Kuaisuan calls a timeout.

Commentator Reggie Miller says, "What was Dwight Howard doing earlier? Why did he only just wake up now?"

"Not too late, Reggie. Just wait, the Lakers' desperate counter‑attack is coming. They've seized the paint advantage, then Kobe will spread on the wing, followed by Chris Paul exploding at the top of the arc. See? Kuaisuan got so scared they called a timeout. I told you this series wouldn't end this quickly; the real show is starting."

Veteran Kuaisuan detractor Mai Ke Bu Lin says so.

Originally Kuaisuan fans were quite worried, but after hearing Bu Lin speak, they immediately felt reassured.

Whenever Bu Lin says Kuaisuan will hang, Kuaisuan can secure a steady win.

However, at this moment Le Bu Lang Zhang Si in front of the TV disagrees. He says to the nearby Pat Riley, "If Dwight keeps playing like this, with the Lakers' momentum tonight, winning this game is no problem. They might even take another game."

"In that case, we might be able to see Jieke Fan's secret weapon ahead of time," James said.

James has been constantly feeding his teammates Fan Xi's 'secret weapon'. In his mind, Fan Xi must be someone who keeps a trump card.

He has already been killed many times by Fan Xi's secret weapon, so his vigilance in this regard is extremely high.

Patrelly, however, said, "What other secret weapon could he have?"

As a renowned coach who has roamed the basketball world for years, he feels Fan Xi has no room for improvement any longer; he is already terrifying. If he had another secret weapon, wouldn't that make him even stronger than the contemporary Jordan?

…