Chapter 472: Jie Ke Fan Is Greater Than Jordan

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si has always spoken from a lofty perch; even before entering the league he was already old‑fashioned. Yet now Fan Xi speaks to him in that tone, as if he were the challenger.

This stirred a strong wave in James's mindset over the past year and a bit.

But he took a deep breath, endured, and decided to speak through the game.

Back on the bench, he consulted with Spoelstra, and they happily settled on a new tactical approach: the very tactics they had been training internally for so long.

Fan Xi returned to the bench; although he didn't know what moves the Heat would use next, he knew James wouldn't come empty‑handed. He had already failed three times; he wouldn't aim to fail a fourth.

This is evident from the leap‑forward technical progress he has shown this season.

"What do you think the Miami Heat's new tactic will be? Or, what do you think Le Bu Lang Zhang Si's secret weapon is?"

Fan Xi asked his teammates on the bench with keen interest.

Jimmy Butler spread his palms and said, "There's nothing special; I think Le Bu Lang Zhang Si will play point guard, then let Ray Allen take on the heavy responsibility."

His statement received everyone's agreement.

In fact, Fan Xi thought the same.

It was a logic that flowed naturally.

James has upgraded his skills this season and shed weight; his technique and physical talent have risen sharply.

So it's no surprise he returned to where his dream began; when he first entered the league he played point guard, back then he matched up against the Magician.

Later, because his moves were a bit rough, he gradually became a forward organizer, an outside ball‑handler core, even a power forward.

Beep!

The whistle blew.

Indeed, there were no surprises.

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si "got his wish" by appearing at the 1 position; at this moment the Clippers were ready, with Jimmy Butler defending James.

Fan Xi and Leonard went to guard the other two Miami perimeter players: Ray Allen and Wei De.

The Heat's interior became Ke Li Si Bo Shen and Kemba.

The Clippers side fielded Mili Xiqi and Little Jordan.

Both sides looked confident.

Yet, as soon as the game started.

The Clippers still took a muffed shot.

Although they all guessed Le Bu Lang Zhang Si would assume point guard.

The specific tactical details still caught them off guard.

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si power‑drives Butler, then after a change of direction relies on Kemba's screen to slash into the paint, assisting Ke Li Si Bo Shen for a mid‑range jumper.

Their movement was very graceful.

Forming two S‑shaped curves.

In fact, Fan Xi felt, while tracking Ray Allen's route, that he was gradually moving away from the core battlefield.

James will occupy the central axis from the arc top down to the low‑post area.

Although Wei De and Ray Allen are on the flanks, they appear to be stretching the front.

This cuts the Clippers' inner‑outer defensive linkage.

James will use his strong penetrating energy from the arc top to destroy the Clippers' defense.

At this point James has no obvious weakness; he can drive, pass, and execute stop‑and‑go jump shots.

Moreover, he enjoys height, wingspan, and speed advantages.

He has built his ecological advantage.

As Kobe Bryant said, a dominant zone.

When the Heat finished this attack, bench players Maikelbang and Bilupusi furrowed their brows; they knew the defensive system they had built, which had been crucial in beating the Lakers, Thunder, and Rockets, was no longer effective.

Fan Xi did not overthink.

He was patiently organizing a new offense.

When he crossed half‑court and reached the three‑point arc top, James came up to defend.

James's defensive skill is not as refined as Kobe Bryant's, but he is indeed an elite‑level defender. His tough physique combined with a restrictive mindset makes his defense aggressive.

He blocks Fan Xi like a strong moving wall.

Fan Xi did not force a drive on James; instead he set a pick‑and‑roll with Mili Xiqi. He smoothly entered the free‑throw lane, and using a stop‑and‑go tempo, slipped past Ke Li Si Bo Shen into the paint.

He then rose and scored with a layup.

Fan Xi completed the basket.

Yet throughout the process Fan Xi realized he hadn't found a suitable passing target.

The Heat focused more energy on Fan Xi's teammates.

This move made Fan Xi happy.

This is about invoking the Jordan rule.

Fan Xi felt inexplicably pleased.

He decided to give Miami a spectacular Easter egg tonight.

But for now, he wasn't in a hurry to reveal it.

The game continued.

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, as point guard, moved like a fish in water; Jimmy Butler could not stop his actions, and he had an unobstructed lane down the middle.

Soon he completed a stop‑and‑go jump shot.

Then Fan Xi responded in kind; after venturing deep alone, he assisted Mili Xiqi… Wei De surged from behind to try a steal, but Mili Xiqi displayed astonishing nose, lifted his head early and tipped the ball directly into the hoop.

Both sides traded blows back and forth.

For a moment, it was still impossible to tell who was ahead.

Although James had found his unstoppable zone.

Although Fan Xi's passes were becoming fewer.

But the score at the end of the first quarter was 31-31.

Both teams were highly efficient.

"Without a doubt, this is the highest-level showdown in today's league, featuring the two greatest players in basketball, the two teams with the highest chemistry in the league, and the two most unstoppable units in the league. I think, no matter which team you support, you will cheer for such a fantastic showdown."

Errol Johnson offered some platitudes during the halftime break.

That's his job.

His two co-hosts, Kenny and Charles, are tasked with arguing whether LeBron James is greater or whether Fan Xi is the planet's sole basketball ruler.

Their bickering is like a long-running family drama—never filmed, yet always drawing ratings.

However, such a topic obviously has no market overseas. Because in China, everyone agrees Fan Xi is already the number one basketball player: after all, only Fan Xi can lead the Chinese team to an Olympic gold medal. LeBron James? We don't need him.

…

Returning to the bench, Fan Xi exchanged greetings with the Los Angeles elites beside him; they already had a good relationship with Fan Xi, and they increasingly liked paying high fees to watch a Clippers game at Staples… This is an irreversible process, even though they previously took pride in watching Lakers games.

"The current problem is somewhat tricky."

Fan Xi said from the bench: "We need someone who can completely shut down LeBron James in the paint. This person must be strong, agile, fierce, and smart!"

"The reason for doing this is that we find it hard to defend against LeBron James's drives. But we can trap him like a pocket, sealing him inside."

Fan Xi stated his request, clearly outlining the problem the team currently faces.

This is a daunting task.

Although Little Jordan volunteered, saying, "Jie Ke, I can definitely accomplish this task."

Little Jordan's help defense is good; he will surely become a top-tier defensive center in the future. But asking him to guard James while also guarding Camby or Martin is too difficult… Note that the Clippers' perimeter players have all been pulled out to the perimeter.

"I want to give it a try." Mili Xiqi said: "Let me switch defenses with Little Jordan."

After Fan Xi consulted with the coaching staff, they decided to agree to this plan.

Mili Xiqi is indeed somewhat smarter than Little Jordan, although his current leaping ability is not as good as Little Jordan's, but his physique is also strong.

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the second quarter began.

The Clippers, besides swapping the positions of Mili Xiqi and Little Jordan, also had Leonard and Butler swap.

Leonard's clingy defense slightly slowed James's ball-handling rhythm, but his improvement this season is enormous. He's practically a different person; he can still complete a breakthrough in as short a time as possible, then he rushes to the paint, and Mili Xiqi provides help defense.

This is the matchup between the 2003 number one pick and the 2003 number two pick.

Although for a long time, LeBron James was the pride of the 2003 draft class, while Mili Xiqi was its blemish.

But this time, James drove in, and Mili Xiqi still fearlessly stepped up to contest, without the slightest hesitation.

He collided with James in the air, doing his best to block all of James's space.

But James passed the ball.

Although Mili Xiqi waved his arms in the air, he still couldn't stop the ball from reaching Camby's hands, and Camby easily finished a layup… Fan Xi rushed over to steal the ball at the moment James passed, but he was still a beat late.

Ray Allen lured him too far.

This is the core of the Heat's tactic… they let Wade and Ray Allen contain the perimeter while producing dominant output inside.

It's a simple strategy, but because of James's ability it becomes impossible to defend.

At least in this game, the Clippers find it hard to find an answer, or even in the second game they might not find it.

And once the Clippers lose their home-court advantage, when they arrive in Miami, they won't fare well either.

Kobe, watching on TV, thought: "If it were us playing Miami, how great would that be."

The Lakers have Howard, Kobe, Jamison, Gasol, Paul…

Unfortunately, the Lakers happened to run into the Clippers.

At this moment, Kobe can only sigh.

The game continued.

Even Kenny Smith started breaking a sweat for the Clippers.

But the unexpected thing is that although the Clippers temporarily can't defend against the Heat, the Heat also can't defend against the Clippers.

This time, Fan Xi drove to the free-throw line, stopped abruptly, feinted, and passed to Mili Xiqi.

Mili Xiqi received the ball, faked a shot, used up-and-down steps to completely disrupt Camby's rhythm, and easily scored a layup.

Mili Xiqi accomplished redemption in his own way.

He was proving that, although he still couldn't defend against James, he could easily handle a player like Camby.

This is also a partial advantage for the Clippers.

The two teams were engaged in a see-saw battle with almost identical patterns, neither able to press the other down.

However, at this moment, both sides' moods were pleasant.

The reason the Miami side is in a good mood is… this is one of the scenes they wanted; if they could maintain this balance until the fourth quarter, LeBron James would have 100% confidence to finish off the Clippers in the clutch, although that would reveal another of his trump cards.

James has made full preparations this time; he won't reveal all his trump cards at once.

After repeated defeats and battles, James has learned the Chinese virtues of modesty and humility.

But what he doesn't know is that Fan Xi's mood is even more pleasant now.

On one hand, he is delighted by Mili Xiqi's autonomous aggressiveness; on the other hand, he even thanks James for helping him hone Leonard and Butler, having James as a whetstone will make their growth speed even more astonishing.

In fact, they are already the two best small forwards of the 2011 class; although Klay Thompson performs excellently for the Warriors, in terms of overall strength, the Clippers' two long spears are still stronger.

After all, they play many more games each year than Thompson does.

In fact, even the 2011 number one pick Kyrie Irving may not necessarily be superior to these two.

Of course, the reason Fan Xi was happiest was… he also had a trump card. If it really came down to a stalemate until the final quarter, and he pulled out his stop-and-go jump shot… wouldn't that be an unstoppable sweep?

Things were progressing in the way they had imagined.

The Clippers couldn't stop the Heat.

But their interior players stepped up—first Mili Xiqi, then Nowitzki, and then Arenas came in and hit two three-pointers.

At halftime, the two sides, in remarkable sync, tied 63–63.

Their scores were quite even.

It was as if the first two quarters hadn't been played.

Moreover, judging from this score, their offensive efficiency was extraordinarily high, and they managed to achieve such a high halftime total while their defense was spot‑on.

"Although I respect Jie Ke's past achievements, I have to say this time Jieke Fan really got his ponytail grabbed by Le Bu Lang Zhang Si—he can't escape. Le Bu Lang Zhang Si's rate of improvement this season is incredibly astonishing; I even think Michael Jordan standing in front of him couldn't beat him."

"Charles Barkley said excitedly on TV: "I don't like mythologizing Jordan, even though he's my friend. If you put Jordan in this year's Miami, he'd surely be helpless against the Kuaisuan. And if this year's Le Bu Lang Zhang Si went to the Bulls of old, I think the Bulls would still be six‑time champions.""

"Charles Barkley looked authoritative: "I once faced the Chicago Bulls in the finals back in my day, and they weren't anything special. They won six championships only because their opponents weren't that strong.""

"To prove James's greatness, Charles Barkley even sacrificed himself."

"This made Kenny Smith laugh hysterically: "You finally spoke the truth—the Suns back then really weren't that good. As for Jordan, I really don't have as much say as you do. But if this year Jie Ke takes down Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, wouldn't you say Jieke Fan is far greater than Michael Jordan?" reading book"

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