Chapter 47: Fan Xi's Crucial Role

After Fan Xi arrived at the front court, the Miami Heat's defensive strategy for him changed somewhat, and they had to pay greater attention.

At this time, Fan Xi passed the ball to Kobe Bryant.

Kobe is the best shooting guard in the League today. He has polished his skills for twenty years. Among the stars of his era, there are those with better physical talent, and there are those who became famous earlier. But like him, who has been a signature star of the League for 15 years after entering the League, there is no other.

He relies on day-after-day polishing of skills, bringing his physical talent to the extreme, and reaching the realm of "transformation" with technology.

Dwyane Wade defended Kobe with full concentration, hoping to lock down Kobe's offensive.

However, Bryant used a perfect back-turn move to shake him off and hit a fadeaway jumper.

Every move of Kobe Bryant is ancient, natural, and integrated.

After Fan Xi watched it, he verified it one by one with the Jordan experience in his mind, and had even greater realization.

Fan Xi could also do this set of moves, and even do it more naturally and with more beauty. But this kind of grasp of the timing and space on the basketball court, Fan Xi felt that the one polished by Kobe for ten years was more precise.

Fan Xi's skill is equivalent to Xuzhu. He was successively infused with internal strength by Tianshan Tonglao, Wuyazi, and others, and his internal strength surpassed Qiao Feng's in terms of vigor.

But in terms of practical experience, Qiao Feng is better.

At this time, in the use of back-to-the-basket skills, Kobe Bryant is the practical fanatic Qiao Bangzhu, and Fan Xi is Xuzhu who just got his lifelong internal strength from Wuyazi.

While Fan Xi was slightly distracted, the Heat had already launched a sharp offensive. Wade held the ball himself to launch an attack. He rushed to the front court quickly and passed to Lebron James in the first time. James killed into the paint like Gonggong hitting Mount Buzhou, destroying the Lakers' inside defense, and passed to Haslem. Haslem scored with a layup.

James and Wade, two superstars with extremely outstanding physical qualities and extremely comprehensive skills.

When they fought alone, they could go back and forth with Kobe.

Now that they formed a coalition to launch an attack, Kobe alone was ultimately a bit weak in strength.

Lakers fans in front of the TV all hoped Fan Xi would share the pressure.

Fan Xi did the same.

He held the ball back to the front court and immediately passed it to Kobe.

Then, he ran quickly on the weak side himself.

This made the Heat not dare to double-team Kobe crazily, because once Kobe was double-teamed, he would pass the basketball to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi's open three-point ability is very strong.

Moreover, he possesses the ability to quickly transfer the basketball to other positions.

Swish!

Thanks to this, Kobe hit another mid-range jump shot.

However, looking back, James killed into the paint like a fierce general and scored with a layup.

Both sides fell into a fierce battle.

The Lakers relied on a more mature triangle offense system: because of Fan Xi's insertion on the weak side, Kobe felt like Jordan back then on the strong side.

In the past, he always completed the offense under double-teaming or even triple-teaming. Tonight, because of Fan Xi's containment, his one-on-one frequency increased sharply, so his shooting percentage far exceeded the past.

At the same time, the Miami Heat relied on the Three Giants' superb personal ability, and their fast wave was like a surging tsunami, constantly impacting the Lakers' defense.

The Lakers' defense was full of holes.

Lacking Bynum, a full-size center, the inside rim protection ability was greatly reduced.

However, what was surprising was that after the second quarter, during halftime, the two teams were tied at 56:56.

With the Three Giants firing on all cylinders, they still didn't conquer the Lakers, who lacked an inside defensive barrier.

The reason is simple.

Kobe Bryant exploded in the first half, scoring 29 points.

McBlin said on TV that this was Kobe Bryant returning to his 2005 state, praising the Black Mamba as unique: "He is the strongest offensive nuclear weapon in the League today. When he starts scoring, even if God puts on a jersey and stands in front of him, there is no way to stop him. I have a premonition that he can score 60 points tonight. He proves with facts that even though it belongs to the 03 era now, he is still the last glory of the 96 class, the last pillar of the middle stream."

Kobe Bryant is of course worthy of such praise.

However, Reggie Miller held the opposite view. He said on TV: "This is completely different from the 2005 state. We cannot ignore the objective facts. Although Bryant scored 29 points in the first half, his scoring ability is indeed not as good as his peak state in 2005. At that time, he killed gods when he met gods. Now, he is a bit old after all, although his experience is more mature."

"Moreover, at that time, it was because his teammates couldn't provide him with help, so he could only shoot himself. But tonight is different. Kobe must thank Jack. It was Jack who attracted defense on the weak side, and it was Jack who allowed him to play one-on-one easily."

Reggie Miller's words were very objective.

But it made McBlin very unhappy: "You mean, Jack is the savior of the Lakers? Are you doubting Kobe? Do you think Kobe can't perform so well without Jack?"

"I don't mean that. I mean, the second half is the real test for the Lakers. Don't expect Kobe to continue outputting crazily like the first half. He is old after all, and his physical strength cannot support him to shoot crazily and score 81 points like back then."

Reggie Miller and McBlin discussed seriously.

But they didn't get a serious response from McBlin. He pointed out Reggie Miller, saying that Reggie Miller brought the grievances of his playing days to the broadcast room, saying that Reggie Miller didn't look at this matter fairly. And he always emphasized that this was a battle between Kobe and the Three Giants, and Jack was not qualified to decide this game yet.

Okay!

Reggie Miller raised his hands. He couldn't debate with McBlin, a guy who "only believes in superstars." The director cut to a commercial.

At the same time, Kobe Bryant sat on the bench in the locker room, panting heavily. The staff handed him a special functional drink to replenish his physical strength and electrolytes.

The consumption of a game for an NBA player is huge.

Dwyane Wade once said to the media that it is normal to lose 3 pounds of body weight after a game. The 3 pounds of body weight he mentioned is about 1.3 kilograms.

Although there is a bit of exaggeration, physical strength does limit the performance of many superstars.

Kobe Bryant is a bit old, and he just returned from injury.

So, he said very seriously to Fan Xi: "Jack, you play more one-on-one in the second half."

This is his value for Fan Xi, and also his trust in Fan Xi.

Fan Xi is the strongest point guard he has cooperated with in so many years.

He even hopes Fan Xi will take over his core position next.

His personality is no longer as aggressive as when he was young, nor does he crazily chase the ball like that time, unwilling to be under anyone. When a person reaches a certain age, he will uncontrollably choose a successor, and Jack is the successor he has his eye on.

This is something Andrew Bynum didn't do in 6 years.

Therefore, the locker room seemed a bit surprised. They were surprised why Fan Xi could get such caring love from Kobe.

Phil Jackson arranged new tactics. He drew several tactical routes for Fan Xi and let Kobe Bryant strategically transfer to the weak side to help him attract defense.

This was unimaginable before. The Lakers' point guards in the past only had two jobs: bring the ball to the front court, and then wait for Kobe to pass the ball for a shot.

At the same time, in another locker room in the arena.

In the luxuriously decorated Heat locker room, Dwyane Wade was eating a hamburger to replenish his physical strength. This is high-quality carbohydrates.

"In the second half, I will defend that rookie. He is very tricky. Our team's point guard is not enough to control his offense. Let Mike Miller move to the 2nd position, we need more shooters on the perimeter."

Wade proposed.

Lebron James agreed.

Although McBlin claimed on TV that this was a battle between Kobe and the Three Giants, James and Wade both knew very well that the first half was clearly a "James-Wade duo" versus a "Kobe-Jack duo."

Since that's the case, why not just match up directly.

In their view. The peak James against the peak-end Kobe Bryant has an advantage.

Dwyane Wade, who is still at his peak, against the rookie Fan Xi, has even more of an advantage.

Since that's the case, then face-to-face confrontation.

Before the second half started, Fan Xi went to the court to practice for a while. What he mainly practiced was the one-stage jump shot when holding the ball.

Although it was just enlightened, sharpening the gun before the battle is better than doing nothing.

Fan Xi studied this one-stage jump shot deeply with Stephen Curry during his college days, so he had some foundation. Plus, the shooting heritage on his body came from the number one shooter in NBA history, Reggie Miller.

With the blessing of both, his shooting percentage was not low.

It was higher than the previous two-stage ball-handling jump shot.

However, his jumping height and rate were mediocre, and his shooting speed had not yet been improved. Therefore, it was difficult to deal with powerful defense.

Beep!

The whistle sounded.

The game continued.

When Fan Xi saw that Miami actually had Lebron James holding the ball, and all the original point guards were sitting quietly on the bench, he understood that his opponent had become the Flash Wade again.

He walked over and stared at Wade's pace.

Wade didn't choose to play one-on-one with Fan Xi, but ran off the ball quickly. Fan Xi followed him every step of the way. He now possesses the speed and agility of the peak Iverson, the explosive power of the peak Kemp, and the coordination talent of Michael Jordan, the best in history. Keeping up with Wade is not a difficult thing.

At the same time, James broke through Ron Artest's defensive line... Artest is the Lakers player closest to James in body thickness. Even he couldn't hold it, which shows how terrifying James's deterrence is.

James killed into the paint, and he knocked away Lamar Odom's defense again to hit the basketball, and also got an extra free throw.

Fan Xi was incomparably shocked.

No wonder James is the Chosen One.

Fan Xi used to think James's technique was not high, but standing beside him really made him know how terrifying he is. His weight exceeds most centers in the League, his speed is more astonishing than guards, and his jumping and explosive power are top-tier among perimeter players, just like a tank with the speed of a supercar... perhaps the flexibility is a tiny bit worse.

However, as long as he rushes... what can you use to stop him?

Moreover, in the early years, he was sometimes allowed to take an extra step.

Lamar Odom rubbed his chest somewhat desperately, and he said to Fan Xi: It feels like a three-meter-high wave hitting his chest.

This is why many inside players in the League don't want to block James.

Who wants to be hit crazily by a beast?

Fan Xi looked at James.

There was no fear in the bottom of his eyes, but rich expectation and desire for challenge. He hoped that one day he could stand opposite James and have a real one-on-one battle with him.

He wanted to defeat this Chosen One, the designated next ruler of the League.

But now, he has to face the harassment of the Flash Wade.

Wade's defense on him was tight, but now Wade couldn't continue to limit Fan Xi's pace. Fan Xi, who got Jordan's coordination talent, had already reached the top level of the League in ball-handling ability.

Fan Xi arrived at the front court easily.

Then, Wade seemed to have become smarter. He retreated half a step, defending against the breakthrough but not the shot.

He seemed to know Fan Xi's ball-handling long-range ability was ordinary.

However, Fan Xi suddenly cut inward... The surging explosive power and speed made Wade retreat subconsciously.

While he was retreating, Fan Xi stopped smoothly, stepped back, and then shot... Swish!

It hit the net.

A beautiful three-pointer.

Wade was a bit surprised.

The American Airlines Arena was a bit noisy.

Reggie Miller shouted on TV: "Great success! Jack is establishing his own ball-handling shooting system!"

The audience in front of the TV was excited.

The Divine Land on the other side of the ocean was boiling again, because this was another three-pointer Fan Xi hit under Wade's defense.

The Flash was helpless against Fan Xi tonight.

"I won't let you hit another three-pointer, I swear!" Wade said to Fan Xi fiercely.

Fan Xi smiled: "That's not necessarily true."

This three-pointer made Wade's defense passive. He didn't dare to defend Fan Xi one step further, he had to stick to Fan Xi, and this brought an opportunity for Fan Xi's breakthrough.

Fan Xi broke through Wade's defensive line many times subsequently. He interacted with Lamar Odom on the inside and helped Gasol gain an overwhelming advantage in the paint.

Kobe Bryant got a breather in the third quarter.

His physical strength was not further consumed.

Miami's strategy didn't succeed. At the end of the third quarter, the two sides were tied at 86:86. Heat head coach Spoelstra was pacing back and forth on the bench in a hurry. He was furious at the assistant coach, questioning them why they didn't make an estimate of Fan Xi in advance, and why they let that rookie do whatever he wanted?

Spoelstra was so angry.

Phil Jackson was just as satisfied. Fan Xi's performance in the third quarter fully supported his expectations, and even far exceeded his expectations. Fan Xi let him see Pippen's shadow, although Fan Xi's offense was not as sharp as Pippen's, his rebounding was not as strong as Pippen's, and his defense was not as tenacious as Pippen's. However, his organizational talent exceeded Pippen, who is known as an organizational forward, and his shooting talent was better than Pippen's. Moreover, this was only his sixth game. Phil Jackson had 100% reason to look forward to the next dynasty.

And he felt that Fan Xi might not be Pippen; he could be Jordan, he had the ability to stand alone, and had leadership potential. And Pippen, during the two years when Jordan retired midway, Phil Jackson gave the game-winning shot to Kukoc.

Fan Xi scored 8 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds in a single quarter, bringing his total data to 21 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds.

No matter how McBlin quibbled, Fan Xi was already one of the protagonists of this battle of the gods.

From the data, it is so.

From Dwyane Wade's angry face many times, it is even more so.

Now, the game is about to enter the most critical fourth quarter.

Both sides are still in a posture of equal strength.

This has greatly exceeded the pre-game expectations. Originally, everyone thought the Heat, who were in the limelight, would easily win.

Now, Reggie Miller felt that the Lakers' chances seemed even greater.

He firmly believed that if they persisted until the critical moment, Jack would definitely do something.

"Because this guy is like me, a cold-blooded and determined killer!"

... ===== CHAPTER 48 =====