Chapter 468: Jieke Fan, Ascension

Kobe noticed Fan Xi's gaze, feeling it was deep, with a half‑smile teasing, as if he had sensed something.

Both sides' offense‑defense formations quickly set up; even with this kind of inbound, the Clippers still showed fierce scrambling, and in the end Kobe, tangled by Fan Xi, could only obtain the ball through Howard's screen.

Then Kobe moved to a spot one meter above the three‑point arc, bent down and began to waste offensive time; Fan Xi stood half a meter in front of him, offset to his left side, locking onto him.

"You know this shot of yours can't go in, right?"

Kobe's ears were constantly surrounded by Fan Xi's trash talk; Fan Xi tried to force Kobe to split his focus… even though he knew it was useless.

Time ticked away, and everyone's heart in the Staples Center solidified into a floating lump. Everyone knew this final round would decide the future glory of the City of Angels.

Kobe seemed like a cold time manager; when only 7 seconds of offensive time remained, he suddenly activated, his steps quickly launching an assault.

Even though Fan Xi knew Kobe was tired, that his explosiveness wasn't at its peak, he still took a light step, instantly throwing Fan Xi's defense off focus.

That's the ability of a top attacker: no need for grand gestures or violent force; any subtle move can make a defender's steps arduous.

Kobe Bryant seized the momentum, driving forward into the three‑point area.

Suddenly, he made a ball‑holding pause, his body slightly turning left.

At the same time, Jamison and Blake ran through screens toward the left‑wing three‑point line.

In an instant, Fan Xi made a judgment, quickly extending his arm, sliding to block on the left.

However, what Fan Xi did not expect was.

After Kobe's pause, the basketball hit the floor, his steps retreated to the outside of the three‑point line. He executed a Stop-and-Go Jump Shot… swish!

Three‑point made.

Lakers took the lead by 1 point.

This shot caught Fan Xi off guard; when Kobe put Chris Paul on the bench, Fan Xi guessed Kobe might pass. In fact, the Lakers' movement was arranged that way.

In fact, at this moment even the Lakers Bench was stunned.

The play clearly called for Kobe to pass to Blake, because Jamison would continue to screen Blake, letting Blake hit the crucial three‑pointer.

But Kobe didn't pass at all; he simply took the shot.

Why?

Plan can't keep up with change?

The Staples Center fans didn't know the details, nor needed to; they only knew the Lakers were up by 1 point, and the Clippers had less than 9 seconds left.

If the Lakers complete this defense, they're guaranteed to win.

Once the Lakers secure this win, their comeback will be smoother.

Jean Bas wept in front of the TV, extremely grateful to Kobe; his three‑pointer not only broke his personal Western Finals scoring record, but also saved the Lakers.

James muttered in front of the TV, "That shot was clearly a passing plan, wasn't it? He already took Chris Paul off the court; was it just to shoot a three himself?"

James couldn't figure it out, but now found it tricky. If the Lakers win this game, they could press on, relying on a one‑in‑ten‑thousand chance to beat the Clippers.

Wouldn't the Heat Finals then face the Lakers?

That's not the script the Heat have in mind.

After calling a timeout, Fan Xi smiled at Kobe and said, "I'm finding it harder and harder to read you."

Kobe smiled; it was the first time he felt so comfortable in this game. He felt a huge sense of achievement, finally outsmarting Fan Xi once.

Deceiving Fan Xi was, in his view, the highlight of this Western Finals.

"I learned it from you. Jie Ke, I can also play with my IQ, it's not hard." Kobe shrugged; at that moment he resembled Michael Jordan: "You think I'd pass because our strategy was always to pass. If you can't fool a teammate, how could you fool you?"

Kobe gave the answer. "Why do you think I'm the type who would pass at a crucial moment? Jie Ke, it's your turn now; if you can't finish this attack, sorry, you'll never become the King of Los Angeles."

Before returning to the bench, Kobe handed the pressure back to Fan Xi.

The two crossed paths, heading in different directions, like a scene from a movie.

"If you were Jieke Fan, what would you do next?" Pat Riley asked James.

James said, "I don't know. My gut tells me Jieke Fan will take the final shot. But I think the Clippers have more options; the Lakers won't gamble all their defense on Jieke Fan."

Pat Riley raised an eyebrow. He said, "I think it must be Jieke Fan executing the final attack; no one else could."

"But can Jieke Fan complete this City of Angels comeback?"

Pat Riley was puzzled.

For a long time, Los Angeles basketball was synonymous with Kobe Bryant. In the past two years Fan Xi rose dramatically, becoming Los Angeles's new legend. Yet for the new legend to fully surpass the old, a signature game is needed; tonight is that moment.

What will Jieke Fan do?

The whole world is curious about what Fan Xi will do next.

Kobe Bryant is no exception.

He has known Fan Xi for years; he knows Fan Xi, like him, fundamentally never hands the ball off at crucial moments. So even when D'Antoni, while setting tactics, emphasized strictly following Nowitzki and closely watching Leonard, Kobe still firmly told them: it must be Fan Xi to execute the final attack.

The whistle sounded quickly.

The game continued.

The Clippers deployed Fan Xi, Arenas, Leonard, Butler, and Nowitzki as the final lineup; all five could finish the half‑court.

This would inevitably be a huge dispersion for the Lakers' defense.

The Lakers' defenders were Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Matt Barnes, Jordan Hill, and Dwight Howard.

All Lakers players and their supporters knew the season's win‑or‑lose hinged on this, and the Lakers' positioning for the next ten years rested on this defense.

If morale can be rallied, perhaps the Lakers have a chance next season. But if the Clippers shatter them now and sweep them out, this super‑luxury roster has no need to stay together.

Fan Xi received the ball in his own half.

Chris Paul defended up.

Kobe also roamed nearby.

But at this moment, Fan Xi displayed a completely different momentum.

Fan Xi surged forward with the ball, not feinting with Paul, just pure explosiveness and speed; he was like a cannonball shot from a barrel, domineering, fierce, unstoppable as he raced toward the frontcourt.

Paul was a bit taken off guard; he thought Fan Xi would fake a move with him.

But Fan Xi simply shoved him aside.

Kobe quickly chased after, trying to add a brake pad to Fan Xi. However, his attempt lagged a fraction, and Fan Xi raced past him, continuing his drive, his speed still accelerating.

He burst into the paint, ignoring the two tails of Paul and Kobe behind him.

He kept charging inward.

He had no intention of passing.

Barnes hesitated; he didn't set a checkpoint at the free‑throw line, and Fan Xi broke through the checkpoint.

He drove into the paint, then took two strides, with no concealment, slamming directly at the basket… He was that fierce, that decisive, that powerful.

Jordan Hill leapt urgently to block Fan Xi, but Fan Xi shoved him aside in midair, then smashed the ball toward the basket with both hands.

Howard tried to jump, but found Mili Xiqi blocking him from behind, preventing a full leap.

He could only helplessly sidestep.

He had imagined many ways Fan Xi could finish the attack, but never expected Fan Xi to be so direct, decisive, and fierce.

Boom!

Fan Xi hammered the ball into the basket with both hands.

Behind him, Kobe and Paul flew side by side, yet failed to block, instead becoming Fan Xi's divine backdrop, like the two wings of an angel.

The basket rang with a booming clang from Fan Xi's slam.

Staples Center echoed with a muffled sigh from Fan Xi's impact.

There were 3.6 seconds left.

Fan Xi even gave the Lakers that much time, but now the team that took the lead is Kuaisuan.

After landing, Fan Xi told Kobe: "I told you, I have nine ways to take you down. This is the simplest. See? I want to dunk; no one can stop it. I don't play mind games; I'm also a super star."

After more than two years of evolution, Fan Xi is no longer the frail youngster he once was.

Kobe said Fan Xi lacks hard‑breaking ability, but this ball is solid hard‑breaking power.

Fan Xi possesses an extreme ability: he can keep the stamina of the opening second even at the final second of a game. So when his opponents tire, his physical condition unleashes unprecedented energy.

So why choose those flashy tricks?

If you can just dunk them, why waste extra effort?

Surpassing Kobe, why can't it be simple and brutal?

Fan Xi completed the comeback with a shocking, unexpected method.

The Lakers fans in the arena looked like frost‑damaged eggplants.

The Lakers players were also somewhat dispirited.

But then Kobe shouted, "In‑bounds!"

The Lakers set up a final offensive push.

But by then they had no timeout left.

All the players tangled together.

After much effort, Barnes passed the ball out.

Jordan Hill secured the ball and quickly passed forward; Kobe sprinted, grabbed the ball, but Fan Xi blocked him.

He had no time left.

He could only hastily force a jump.

Then, at the moment he released, Fan Xi jumped higher… Bang!

A loud block.

The whistle blew.

The game ended.

Kobe scored 55 points tonight; he did everything he could.

But he lost the final game.

Tens of thousands in Staples Center sat helplessly on their seats at the final moment, unable to accept it.

But harsh reality mercilessly whipped them: the overhead screen replayed Fan Xi's final block repeatedly.

Fan Xi's single‑handed block crushed Kobe's last chance of a comeback, also signaling the passing of Los Angeles's basketball scepter.

The era belonging to the Lakers is completely over.

They were eliminated by Kuaisuan in the Western finals for two consecutive years.

Last year it was 4‑1.

This year it was 4‑0.

They are finished.

Even ESPN says the Lakers' collapse took only two years; they went from the most lavish team on paper to the saddest team. All this was caused solely by Jean Bas kicking Fan Xi out.

Many veteran die‑hard Lakers fans in the arena wept bitterly, their faces broadcast across the United States.

Their tears drew no sympathy.

Competitive sports do not believe in tears.

Moreover, this all is the management's own fault.

Jean Bas lay blank‑eyed on the carpet in her office, completely broken. She will soon be removed from the Lakers' top management, and the Lakers dynasty blueprint she built was crushed by Fan Xi and tossed into the sewer.

Her name will henceforth serve only as a comic foil to Fan Xi and as the Lakers' eternal sinner.

When people talk about the Lakers, they'll say "the Lakers could have…", and she is the ensuing "but".

In ESPN's Reggie Miller said: "Kobe gave his all; he reached the extreme. He was the best player in this game, but Fan Xi is the protagonist of this era. The very center of Angel City's basketball map already bears the shape of Jieke Fan. His dominance on the court has already surpassed his dominance in Hao lai wu. At least… he hasn't made any Hao lai wu actress bear his child. Yet on the court, he has already reaped abundant fruits."

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si took a deep breath; the game's final block left him feeling sorrowful, a sense of empathizing with others' misfortune.

Meanwhile, he secretly lowered the Heat's win probability. He previously thought that if the Heat faced the Kuaisuan in the Finals, they would have at least a seventy-five percent chance to win; now he thinks it will drop to seventy percent.

Jieke Fan was more brave and more wise than he had imagined.

"Thank goodness it's you."

After the whistle blew, Kobe felt no sorrow as he had imagined, nor any desolation; he proactively opened his arms and embraced Fan Xi, whispering in Fan Xi's ear: "Sooner or later someone will take my scepter, but I'm glad that person is you. Keep going, Jie Ke. Your next goal should be the championship and Finals MVP."

"Carry my effort forward. I hope you can defeat Jordan. You can do it."

Kobe patted Fan Xi on the shoulder.

He seemed very broad-minded.

He had nothing left to regret or lament; he had already reached his utmost potential, scoring 55 points in this game, driving the Kuaisuan to desperation—if not for him, the game would have ended long ago.

"Now I'm going home to hug my kids. At least in this regard, I'm far ahead of you."

Having said that, Kobe turned around.

An era has ended.

In the future, Kobe will still play in the NBA.

However, he is no longer the supreme basketball king of Los Angeles; he will be an All-Star, and people still call him a superstar.

But Los Angeles is no longer his basketball domain.

Jieke Fan, rise up!

…