Chapter 48: Fan Xi is a Tough Bone

The Lakers' previous starting point guard Steve Blake finally got the opportunity he dreamed of, and he hit consecutive shots under Mario Chalmers's defense.

His outstanding performance brought a buffer for the Lakers, and the Lakers took the lead in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, but as the Heat put Lebron James on the court, the balance of power was broken.

The Lakers' rotation lineup couldn't withstand James's fierce firepower, and the score was quickly chased back. Phil Jackson hurriedly replaced the two main players, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.

The Miami Heat replaced Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in the fourth and fifth minutes respectively.

Kobe Bryant stepped onto the court when Chris Bosh drew a foul on Lamar Odom at the four-and-a-half-minute mark.

The reason Fan Xi didn't play was partly because Steve Blake performed well, and he promised the bench: I will definitely hold up under pressure.

On the other hand, it was because Fan Xi's physical strength problem became prominent. He hadn't experienced such high-intensity offense and defense in the previous games. He played the full three quarters, and in the third quarter, he fought one-on-one with the superstar Wade. This level of consumption was something he hadn't had before.

Watching him panting heavily on the bench, Phil Jackson decided to give him some more time to rest.

For the Zen Master, Fan Xi's health is far more important than the victory of this game.

Fan Xi sat on the bench, and he examined the game quietly from another angle. James was still as aggressive as fire, and Dwyane Wade was still as vigorous as a dragon.

However, he felt that they hadn't formed a real chemical reaction. They were still staying at the talent level to lead the team, and the Miami Heat hadn't established a real tactical system.

Therefore, he thought he could start by cutting off the connection between them.

It's just... who could complete this job?

Fan Xi looked around, and there was no one on the Lakers bench who could take on this important task.

The game was running at a fast pace.

Steve Blake is a steady point guard, but he was tricked tonight. He was eager to show himself, and he still hoped to impress the coaching staff with his performance. He even held a glimmer of luck, feeling that he could still win back his status in head coach Phil Jackson's mind.

From beginning to end, he didn't truly think Fan Xi was stronger than him; he felt Fan Xi was just lucky.

At first, his touch was indeed good.

However, when the Heat called Mario Chalmers back to the bench and let Dwyane Wade move to the point guard position.

That little bit of impulse of Steve Blake immediately turned into meaningless struggle.

Wade stole the ball from him directly, and in the second round, when he was shooting at the three-point line... Slap!

The Flash slapped his shot back to the front court from high above. The entire American Airlines Arena was excited because of this volleyball-style dunk, and the home team's morale entered its peak.

After Wade completed the dunk, he showed off his muscles to the audience triumphantly. And he looked at Fan Xi on the sidelines with a provocative gaze.

Just then, Phil Jackson also called Fan Xi's name.

Fan Xi hurriedly took off his jacket and walked toward the court.

Fan Xi playing at this time had the meaning of "being ordered in a crisis."

The fans in front of the TV all hoped to turn the tide, and people were looking forward to Fan Xi creating miracles again.

"If Fan Xi can continue to perform in this game, I swear, I will call on all my relatives and friends to vote for him; he deserves an All-Star position."

Reggie Miller actively campaigned for Fan Xi on TV.

Many viewers in front of the TV thought so too.

For North American audiences, Fan Xi is like the male lead in a heroic epic film, and everyone is looking forward to him continuing to grow and continuing to create miracles.

Everyone maintains a high degree of participation and expectation for his process from "zero-to-hero."

Because his starting point was too low, an undrafted player, everyone watched him walk from a 10-day short-term contract step by step, and everyone hoped he could go further.

For the domestic fans on the other side of the ocean, Fan Xi is now the hero carrying all expectations. Everyone hopes he can make a name for himself in the NBA with yellow skin. Although he is already legendary enough, why can't he be more legendary?

"Are you also here to be blocked? Little guy." Wade said to Fan Xi when he walked onto the court: "I just studied your strange shot. If you dare to shoot like that, I will definitely let you enjoy the shame of being blocked every time."

"Yes, I swear."

Wade even emphasized it again.

Fan Xi ignored him. He ran quickly, used Odom's screen to bypass his tracking, and received the basketball from Kobe, who was throwing the ball from the sideline.

Then, he broke through toward the paint quickly. Wade crushed up, and the powerful upper body strength made Fan Xi's pace slow down.

The physical strength fading was also the reason why Fan Xi was no longer so swift at this moment.

However, Fan Xi's control of the rhythm was still precise. He stopped suddenly, and took advantage of the moment Wade's reaction paused to pass the basketball to Kobe Bryant on the other side.

At the same time Bryant received the basketball, Fan Xi suddenly made an impact inward... This was a beautiful wall-bouncing coordination.

Wade and James were both kept in the dark.

Fan Xi crossed the defense and arrived at the paint in an instant.

Haslem hurriedly helped defend.

However, Fan Xi didn't shoot, nor did he shoot inward, but passed the basketball out again.

Kobe Bryant exited the three-point line when James and Wade's attention were all inward.

He received the basketball and shot easily... Swish!

A beautiful three-pointer was completed.

Fan Xi and Kobe played with the attention of James and Wade twice with tacit tactics.

For them, the Lakers' attack was like a damn space magic, and they were played in the palm of their hands.

When Fan Xi and Kobe high-fived to celebrate this beautiful attack, the hatred fire intertwined in James and Wade's eyes.

James rushed to the front court quickly. After being double-teamed in the paint, he was about to pass to Wade, but found Fan Xi suddenly bypassing and blocking in front of him. He hurriedly passed the basketball out and passed it to Mike Miller.

Who knew, just after shooting.

Fan Xi, who bypassed, accelerated again. He didn't care about anything and flew over to intercept the basketball with a crazy dive, and passed it to Kobe.

Kobe held the ball and went down quickly. Fan Xi stabilized his center of gravity and followed from the other side.

Kobe rushed into the paint rapidly in the fast offense and defense, attracted Chris Bosh, and passed the basketball to Gasol. Gasol easily scored with a layup.

Overtook by 1 point.

Fan Xi played, and the Lakers chased five points in a row.

This made the supporters in front of the TV incomparably excited.

The chemical reaction between Fan Xi and Kobe made them amazed, and Fan Xi's steal after precise prediction made their adrenaline soar. This is probably the first player this season to destroy the James-Wade connection.

Reggie Miller was extremely excited, and he even took out his mobile phone on TV to tell the audience: "Okay, audience. I am now notifying my relatives and friends to vote for Jack. He deserves an All-Star seat. I find it hard to find a point guard more suitable for an All-Star starter than him... Sorry, Chris, although this is very unfair to you. But, really, I love this guy. His performance recently is historical level."

"I have never seen any rookie have such a shocking performance, really."

Reggie Miller campaigned for Fan Xi faithfully.

Actually, the campaign effect was very good. Fan Xi's All-Star votes rose crazily. It is very likely that he will break through the 1 million limit in these two days, and once he breaks through 1 million, he will be an All-Star starter.

This is simply too dreamy.

Even David Stern didn't expect it.

Fan Xi's evolution speed made him feel that his previous basketball experience had become dull.

The game continued. Lebron James learned his lesson. However, his sudden-stop jump shot didn't hit, and then Kobe Bryant completed a fadeaway jumper with Fan Xi's help.

The point gap widened further.

Reggie Miller began to explain the importance of shooting on TV.

He said that if Lebron James possessed a precise mid-to-long-range shot, the Lakers wouldn't have a single chance. Now, Los Angeles wins because both of their perimeter stars possess long-range shooting ability.

Everything is developing in a direction favorable to the Lakers.

Because James and Wade's touch suddenly turned cold.

When there were 2 minutes left in the game, the Lakers were still leading by 3 points.

An accident happened at this moment. Kobe Bryant tried to compete for an offensive rebound, but the moment he grabbed the rebound, Chris Bosh also grabbed the basketball, and he subconsciously made a move that violated sports rules... His elbow smashed hard on Bryant's eyebrow bone.

At that time, Kobe's fragile eyebrow bone was smashed into a cut, and blood was dripping out.

Bryant was also dizzy, his body staggered two steps, until Odom, who was closest to him, supported him.

The head referee hurriedly called a timeout.

And quickly gave Chris Bosh a technical foul. He had a dispute with Odom in the first half and also got a technical foul.

Accumulated twice, he was punished off the court.

The American Airlines Arena was filled with boos.

They even felt this penalty was unfair, ignoring the bleeding Kobe.

Kobe was supported to the sidelines by the team doctor, and he indicated that he only needed simple hemostasis to join the battle.

However, the team doctor didn't think so. The team doctor told him that his eyebrow bone wound was 1.5 centimeters, and it was impossible to stop the bleeding without stitches. Moreover, the team doctor highly suspected he had a mild concussion.

In the NBA League, there are two hard rules.

The first is that you cannot play with a bleeding wound. This was established because of Magic Johnson. Because Magic Johnson had AIDS, many players refused to be on the same stage as him when he returned for the second time, fearing infection. The League therefore issued this act.

The second hard rule is that if a player has a concussion, he must not play. Some players once died because of playing with a concussion. Out of respect for life safety, the League's testing for concussions is very strict. It must be tested by a doctor designated by the League before getting permission to play; the team's own team doctor won't do.

Kobe Bryant definitely couldn't play in this game.

The Lakers returned to their original state.

The battle of the Three Giants versus Kobe ended with 2 minutes left in the game.

Fan Xi stood at the very front.

Lakers fans in front of the TV were desperate. Without Kobe, they didn't think the Lakers had any chance of winning the game at all, although they were leading by 3 points at this time.

Kobe Bryant said to Fan Xi when he had to leave the court: "If you want to become a big shot, now is the best time."

Fan Xi nodded.

When walking onto the court, Pau Gasol was assigned to execute the technical foul free throw.

Bang!

Pau Gasol, the player with the highest free-throw percentage on the Lakers, actually hit iron.

He shook his head in annoyance.

He looked at Fan Xi with a pleading and dejected gaze. He seemed to have a resigned emotion; he felt he couldn't be hard at the critical moment.

Fan Xi didn't blame him, but told him, it's okay.

This technical foul also got an extra ball possession.

Running to the sidelines for the free throw was Ron Artest.

Artest is an experienced veteran.

However, he and Fan Xi had no tacit understanding at all.

He actually wanted to pass directly to the inside Pau Gasol when Fan Xi ran into an open position.

This intention was pierced by Erick Dampier, who came off the bench. He squeezed Gasol away and jumped up to grab the basketball.

Whoo!

Lakers fans in front of the TV were desperate.

Isolated and helpless!

Can Jack still create miracles?

Reggie Miller also said dejectedly on TV: "Even if my grandmother were on the court, she could pass the basketball to Jack."

Dwyane Wade grabbed the basketball. The three-point gap made him not in a hurry to push for a fast break.

Kobe Bryant's departure put them in an advantageous position.

Look at the Lakers' morale now. Except for Jack, all of them are listless. They are a noble team soaked in a honey pot. Once their leader leaves, they are lambs waiting to be slaughtered in front of powerful opponents.

"Cheer up! We are still leading!"

Fan Xi kept clapping his hands when retreating, trying to boost the Lakers' morale.

This made Wade feel pitiful and sad.

He arrived at the top of the three-point arc, and he even said to Fan Xi: "Do you think you are already the leader of this team? Do you think they will listen to your call? Wake up, rookie. You aren't strong enough to be a hero to save the world yet."

"In Miami, you will never have a chance to succeed."

Wade told Fan Xi.

Then, he launched an assault, and passed to James during the assault.

James rushed into the paint, hit the basketball under Gasol's defense, and also got an extra free throw.

When he walked to the free-throw line, he deliberately said to Fan Xi: "Hey, Jack. Do you think you are still leading?"

This is a condescending offense.

Therefore, Fan Xi was very straightforward, and he showed his toughness.

He switched positions with Ron Artest, who should have been standing under the basket to grab the rebound.

He told James: "At least you won't take the lead!"

His meaning was very clear: if you can't hit it, the rebound must be mine.

Fan Xi is a tough bone!

... ===== CHAPTER 49 =====

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