Chapter 512

Fan Xi and James have been battling at their peak for many years, and in this process they have developed some tacit understanding.

Fan Xi does not like others excessively belittling James; when it comes to dealing with James, Fan Xi can challenge him, but he does not allow others to look down on him.

Because James, in this long battle process, has already earned Fan Xi's respect and proved his status as the league's second-best player.

Fan Xi may only be half a body length ahead of James, but James surely is ahead of those behind him, Derek Rose, Kevin Durant, etc., by a body length. As for Paul Pierce, where do you rank?

Stephen Nash brings the ball to the frontcourt.

His quick drive was blocked by Deron Williams, then he passed the ball to Fan Xi.

Paul Pierce spreads his arms, taking a tenacious defensive stance, trying to drag Fan Xi into a defensive mire.

But Fan Xi did not get entangled with him.

He used a nimble change of direction to deceive Pierce's balance, then Fan Xi quickly completed a back turn; Pierce could not possibly stop Fan Xi's move, as if he reached out and could not catch the wind blowing past his face.

Pierce was gotten past.

He used to be a very good defensive player, but time has added lead weights to his legs, and he can no longer move laterally as easily as before.

After getting past him, Fan Xi accelerated into the paint; the Nets' loose defensive line could not stop his steps, and Fan Xi could take the ball wherever he wanted.

But this time, he chose to shoot… a standard traditional two-stage jump shot for a guard.

The ball was softly sent into the basket by him.

Fan Xi's long offseason, aside from using a telescope each morning to look at his son, has mostly been spent training his jump‑shot ability. Last season Fan Xi's off‑the‑dribble two‑stage jump shot was only average; now Fan Xi, even without the aid of a one‑stage jump shot, can already handle the role of a scorer.

"Getting past you is like crossing a morning street."

Fan Xi turned around and attacked him with the trash‑talk style favorite of Pierce's generation.

Pierce was indeed very angry, his aura fierce as he sought to give Fan Xi a lesson.

Returning to half court, he turned his back and used his broad body to box out Fan Xi.

Fan Xi was squeezed in behind him.

He began to display his post moves; it must be said that Pierce has his own unique strengths.

But Fan Xi has spent many years training his post game with Kobe; Kobe's post variations are more numerous than Pierce's, while Pierce holds a greater physical advantage.

So when Pierce turned around, Fan Xi was not fooled at all. At the moment Pierce released his step‑back jump shot, Fan Xi exploded upward with great elasticity… bam!

A soaring Fan Xi gave Pierce a block.

Pierce was a bit careless.

Fan Xi sprinted past him from the side and grabbed the ball he had just blocked.

The two players' physical conditions are no longer comparable; Pierce's explosiveness, speed, and mobility have deteriorated greatly. If it were his peak, he would surely have easily gathered that rebound.

But now he can only turn his head and watch Fan Xi speed away.

Fan Xi completed a chameleon‑style covered‑ear axe dunk in the frontcourt.

The crowd erupted in tremendous cheers.

The MVP chants grew louder and louder.

Garnett came up beside Pierce and said, "Paul, coming to New York seems to be just for retirement. You need to rein in your temper."

Huh?

Pierce lifted his head, looked at his old comrade‑in‑arms, and said, "Then you were still shouting so loudly before? Banging your chest, boom boom."

Garnett chuckled, slightly embarrassed, and said, "I'm not like you. I can still win another championship, and my historical standing can still rise a bit."

Pierce rolled his eyes.

At this moment, Fan Xi had already run over.

He came up beside Pierce and said, "Fortunately the trade between the Nets and the Knicks didn't involve you; otherwise being your teammate would really be a headache."

That trash talk happened to hit Pierce at the exact moment he was most annoyed.

He glared at Fan Xi: "You……"

He was furious, yet realized he had lost the steam to vent his anger and utter harsh words. After all, time flows on and spares no one.

Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony set a pick‑and‑roll; he drove into the paint, passed to Anthony, who hit a beautiful mid‑range pull‑up jumper.

The game continued.

Stephen Nash upped the offensive tempo.

Fan Xi made quick cutting runs, using off‑the‑ball movement to disturb the Nets' already loose defense.

Then Prince received Fan Xi's second pass and hit an uncontested corner jumper.

The three‑pointer went in.

The Knicks' offensive firepower network was further strengthened.

The talent suppression that Jason Kidd had hoped for did not materialize.

The Russian oligarch's "advantage is mine" also failed to produce.

Fan Xi and the Nets beat up the Nets like they were cleaning up a bunch of losers; their overall performance is like a microcosm of Paul Pierce—they were once strong but now can't hold up.

Jason Kidd is not a good head coach; this was evident in the first quarter and perfectly demonstrated in the second.

He has become the very thing he once despised; he used to criticize Scott as a stupid, slow‑witted idiot. This matches his posture on the bench in the second quarter, looking thoughtful.

People are often like this, unable to escape the cycle of fate. Scott himself was quite nimble when he played, and when he coached Chris Paul he even helped Paul become the league's top point guard.

This is probably the karmic cycle of "one drink, one peck."

"I feel there's no essential difference between playing the Nets and playing the Magic."

Stoudemire publicly stated this kind of "editorial" on the court.

His voice was loud enough for Coach Jason Kidd on the sideline to hear, yet he remained unmoved.

This is a thorny issue; when faced with thorny issues, men of this middle‑aged sort tend to believe in "let things slide to settle," letting time pass and letting events unfold.

Carmelo Anthony was especially angry, almost coming to blows with Stoudemire.

He knew the Little Tyrant was saying that on purpose for him to hear.

The grudge between Stoudemire and him is still deep; back when they were with the Knicks, they were just brothers in name. Why? Because Stoudemire joined New York in the summer of 2010, arriving with a five-year, $100 million contract, full of spring wind pride. At first he played pretty well, seemingly the league's top forward and a strong contender for the scoring title.

Then Anthony came later; at first the two thought they could blend. But Stoudemire gave up the wing offense, and the record didn't improve. Later, head coach D'Antoni abandoned the team and went to the Lakers, Stoudemire was completely sidelined, Anthony's faction dominated, Stoudemire's playing time became intermittent, and his next contract was almost up.

Fortunately, luck opened its eyes, Fan Xi arrived. The big mountain weighing on his head, Anthony, was also traded.

The Little Tyrant is full of spring wind pride and swift-footed.

Could he not show off his bright future in front of Anthony?

Carmelo was furious.

But he couldn't help it; fate is like that. He also thought, if the Knicks had traded Stoudemire to the Nets, how good would that be? The things Stoudemire could do, couldn't I do them?

The first half ended.

Essentially, some Nets players have already resigned themselves.

Although they will say after the game that this is just a preseason drill practicing tactics.

But deep down they know better than anyone that if they keep playing like this, the Knicks will only get stronger, and the Nets' hodgepodge will only get more chaotic.

Russian Prokhorov, frowning in thought in the VIP box, didn't understand why there was a 22-point gap at halftime.

He doesn't really understand basketball, but he understands war.

The war was started by him.

War may have no winners, but it will certainly have losers.

Looking at the situation now, the loser is definitely the Nets.

Then how should we avoid this outcome?

This is what he defined as the first shot to establish a foothold in New York City; he wants to gain support by defeating the Knicks.

But this shot misfired.

He thought it over repeatedly, for a long time.

Finally, before halftime break, he gave Jason Kidd an order; upon hearing the order, Jason Kidd let out a big sigh of relief.

Then he told the players in the locker room: "The boss says, second half we drill."

When the news came out, some were resentful, some breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter what, this decision will not be changed.

The second half began, Fan Xi came on and played a while, noticing that Anthony, Deron Williams, and Paul Pierce hadn't entered the game yet; he found it boring and also figured out why the Nets were doing this.

He simply went back to the bench and let Shannon Brown, Raymond Felton, and the others play.

The second half turned into fun basketball.

James Dolan was very happy in his office, laughing as he said to Phil Jackson: "See? They're just a bunch of country bumpkins who've never seen the world; what do they know about basketball? Still dreaming of coming to New York to steal my market."

"What a damn long-term plan; they only have one plan, which is to abandon planning. Just like tonight."

"They'll definitely say after the game that this is just a preseason, saying they're practicing tactics. Wait and see; in the regular season they'll also say that, and if they make the playoffs they'll say they're waiting for Jie Ke to leave New York..."

James Dolan spread his palms, showing he's very experienced.

Phil Jackson had nothing more to add.

He just asked James Dolan one question: "What kind of player can Brook Lopez be traded for?"

"Go discuss with Jie Ke and Larry. The center the Nets developed, you might as well not have him." James Dolan said indifferently.

Then he asked Phil Jackson: "By the way, you seem never to have won a championship as a general manager, right? Are you happy?"

"Happy!"

They were just discussing something as settled as a nail driven into a board.

…