Chapter 519: The Wind Rises

Is he trying to help Bulache become the team's starting center?

Is he trying to push me onto the bench?

Taishen Qian Dele thought to himself.

He kept thinking, and ideas formed in his mind: "There's no reason. Even though I offended him before, someone of his stature shouldn't still be paying me any mind. So why is he doing this…"

"There's only one possibility: he wants me?!!!!"

The shocking speculation left Taishen Qian Dele completely stunned.

His expression shifted from horror to calm, then to an unmistakable joy.

Although he'd been humiliated by Fan Xi before and had once sworn in secret to defeat the brutal, violent guy, those vows now felt like youthful threats, turning into empty words as Fan Xi kept rising and his status kept growing.

Gradually, his hatred for Fan Xi lessened; after all, they weren't even in the same tier, and holding onto that negativity was only hurting himself.

Taishen Qian Dele didn't want depressive isolation.

When his mind realized that Fan Xi actually wanted him, a spontaneous relief and joy rose within him; if he couldn't beat him, joining him would also be a fine thing.

After all, he knew exactly how formidable Fan Xi was, and he had once imagined how exhilarating it would be to fight side by side with him.

Now, could it really come true?

Taishen Qian Dele's smile spread to his whole body; his hands grew lively, even beginning to play an invisible piano by himself to express his uncontainable feelings.

Jia Sen Ji De turned around, saw Taishen Qian Dele's scene, frowned, and felt a great pressure.

Taishen Qian Dele was the player he strongly recommended to bring from New York; back then he and Qian Dele were teammates in Dallas, they got along well, and he vividly remembered Qian Dele's high mobility defense in the paint.

But now, Qian Dele was increasingly unable to adapt to the team's style, and his attitude grew less focused and serious; it seemed he was just enjoying the remainder of his high‑salary career.

Whew!

Jia Sen Ji De let out a long breath, decided to give Taishen Qian Dele one last chance, walked over and said, "If a dead ball shows up later, you'll go in and replace Bulache."

Qian Dele lifted his head; his beautiful dream was interrupted, the silent piano he'd been playing in the air stopped abruptly, and, bewildered, he asked, "…so it's my turn?"

Jia Sen Ji De, seeing Qian Dele's attitude, became angry, struggled to suppress the curses rolling in his throat, and with great self‑restraint 'subdued' himself, nodded earnestly, "Yes."

After speaking, his face turned ashen as he turned away.

Taishen Qian Dele finally rose reluctantly, eager to leave this source of terrible chaos.

He had no confidence in the Nets at all—whether tactics, locker‑room atmosphere, or the management's long‑term strategy, nothing fit him.

While Qian Dele was pondering, the Nets' situation wasn't looking good.

Although the Knicks insisted they weren't penetrating the paint, Bulache and Kamelong Andongni still performed mediocrely inside; Bulache couldn't break the defense, and Kamelong Andongni's skills weren't fully unleashed.

Fan Xi kept one‑on‑oneing JR Smith, who performed like a sandbag made for Fan Xi—intense each time and always meeting expectations.

Fan Xi was growing more fond of JR Smith.

Meanwhile, Raymond Felton was also wearing down Deron Williams.

This scenario pushed the Knicks' lead from single digits to double digits, with the second quarter just past its midpoint.

When Raymond Felton collided again with Deron Williams, four chubby hands rolled on the floor fighting for the ball, the referee called a jump‑ball, and Taishen Qian Dele got to go in.

At that moment, in the Nets owner's office, Prokhorov had already decided, gritting his teeth, "I have to send JR Smith to the Knicks; I'll get Raymond Felton from them, get Brook Lopez, and also get Karl Aldridge."

"Then who do we trade away?" Luopeisi's agent asked ecstatically.

At that moment, the broadcast showed Deron Williams winning the tip, the ball flying toward Taishen Qian Dele, who leapt and, in mid‑air, flicked it to distant Jieke Fan.

He was still on the court complaining why Paul Pierce wasn't more aggressive.

There was no chemistry between them.

"Of course it's Taishen Qian Dele."

Prokhorov said decisively, "He doesn't fit with us; he's already in retirement mode, and I'm not interested in betting on him any longer. His contract was signed by the Knicks, so the Knicks should foot the bill."

"From now on it's up to you; you must force the Knicks to cut ties, make them initiate a trade," Prokhorov told the Lopez agent, adding, "We have to push them to the breaking point so we can profit."

After speaking, he left the office, uninterested in the upcoming game results.

Even if the Nets lost, it wouldn't affect his mood; he was a long‑termist who believed the forthcoming trades would permanently change New York's fate. As for tonight, even a New York win would be fleeting joy, followed by prolonged suffering.

Fan Xi drove into the paint, executed a folding layup in the air, but after the layup realized it was unnecessary, as Taishen Qian Dele's defense was merely showy and didn't truly contest him.

Throwing a game?

Fan Xi was stunned.

Then, after landing, he saw Taishen Qian Dele raise an eyebrow at him and, as he passed Fan Xi, whispered, "I know your thoughts, Jie Ke, I won't disappoint you."

Hm?

Fan Xi was a bit taken aback.

His thoughts hadn't even been voiced to teammates; he doubted Taishen Qian Dele could read his mind.

Could Qian Dele be that clever?

Yes!

What followed proved it.

Taishen Qian Dele was indeed careless on defense; though he showed aggressive help, he always covered the wrong spots… experts couldn't spot it, only noting the Nets' chemistry was terrible.

Taishen Qian Dele didn't fit the Nets.

Jia Sen Ji De made a precise judgment before halftime.

He thought they should trade Taishen Qian Dele while his market value peaked, acquiring an offensive center; paired with Bulache, Kamelong could return to his familiar spot, giving the Nets a fully covered offense.

Halftime arrived quickly.

The Knicks led 69–56, up by 13.

Madison Square Garden rang with cheers and laughter, while the ESPN broadcast remained silent.

Knicks fans' anticipated spectacle of beating the hillbilly arrived as expected; a three‑game losing streak was tolerable, but being trounced by the clumsy Nets was an intolerable disgrace.

Thus, the arena's halftime atmosphere was extremely lively.

But espn already knows very clearly that the five‑game losing streak they were hyping will not happen. Although the Nets have every statistical advantage and each position looks stacked with talent, they shouldn't be able to lose this game. Yet on the court they fall short; they simply cannot contain Fan Xi's offense.

So they can only attribute the Knicks' first‑half advantage to Fan Xi's outburst.

"Every star has moments of eruption; Jieke Fan found his rhythm in the first half and scored 37 points, which is why the Knicks' offense is so hot. The Nets are trailing because their coordination is still unpolished, and Taïsen Qian Dele's help defense is often out of position with his teammates."

During the halftime break, Mai Ke Bu Lin earnestly added: "In the second half, whether Jieke Fan can maintain this ultra‑high shooting rate is still hard to say. Moreover, Taïsen Qian Dele's chemistry with the teammates will surely improve."

"Therefore, everyone's prediction was accurate. The Nets' strength is still above the Knicks; they just happened to encounter a problem, and Jieke Fan seized the opportunity."

espn always favors the unbeaten ground; they hold the final say. Because the fans who despise them cannot storm into their live stream, snatch their microphone, and tell the whole nation: they're a bunch of idiots.

But the obvious fact is that their viewership is dropping.

More fans have switched to mute mode.

Although this loses some passion, it's still better than three shameless guys babbling in your ear.

The second half is fast approaching.

espn always makes the opposite prediction.

The icy touch they expected from Fan Xi never came; after the Nets matched Pi Er Si against Fan Xi, Fan Xi resorted to off‑ball movement. His rapid runs stretched the Nets' entire defense, and Pi Er Si could not keep up with Fan Xi… He has lost the energy of his youth, and in fact his focus has also slipped.

Fan Xi's One‑stage jump shot remains precise, and its speed has increased; he is hitting consecutive shots from beyond the three‑point line.

JR Smith, watching from the bench, trembles, thinking: "Jie Ke really does look out for me; if he uses this shooting style, I'm afraid I'd be even more embarrassed."

Fan Xi's points are climbing rapidly.

The Nets' situation did not improve as expected; Taïsen Qian Dele played five minutes before sitting down, still having no chemistry with his teammates, always covering the wrong spot. When the opponent comes down the left, he goes to wipe the right… In fact, he can't be wholly blamed; the Nets' defense is too fragile, and with Fan Xi's cuts, the mess thickens, turning into a sticky string that drips.

Jia Sen Ji De, unable to tolerate any longer, called Qian Dele back to the bench; after Bu La Qie entered, there was little improvement.

Although their offense became a bit more efficient, on the defensive end they are still getting hammered.

When the third quarter ended, with Fan Xi's personal score at 58 points and the Nets down by 16, Jia Sen Ji De needed to make a decision.

Whether to declare garbage time or continue believing they can turn the game around.

If garbage time is declared, Fan Xi would likely stop after reaching around 60 points. After all, padding stats in garbage time doesn't sound good.

But if they choose to keep fighting, Fan Xi's touch tonight could reach 80 points—it's not a dream.

Breaking the active‑player scoring record is even more than a dream!

In fact, Madison Garden Arena is already in a frenzy; as soon as Fan Xi scores, a roar erupts like a mountain‑sea tsunami, and everyone is waiting for this city derby to produce a new active‑player scoring record.

Fan Xi absolutely has a chance to do it.

Once Fan Xi breaks the record, it will become a new legend of Madison Garden Arena.

At the same time, it will be a new disgrace for the Nets.

Jia Sen Ji De doesn't dare to take the risk, so he consulted the players, hoping that if the blame falls later, someone will share it with him.

Deron Williams was tough, saying: "What strong team in this world surrenders after just three quarters?"

Ka Mei Lun hesitated a bit, knowing how much damage Fan Xi's record‑breaking would do to the Nets.

Bao Luo Pi Er Si opposed, saying: "It's just an ordinary regular‑season game; there's no need to indulge him."

They are the primary defender of Fan Xi in the second half and still care about their face, after all they once won a Finals MVP, have enough honor and money. Near retirement, being stabbed as a background for Fan Xi's record‑break would be a huge embarrassment.

At that moment, Taïsen Qian Dele stepped forward, saying: "If we back down this time, what about next time? And the time after that? We have nowhere left to retreat; Brooklyn's fans are watching us, the Nets' supporters are watching us, our owners are watching us. Losing isn't scary; losing the courage to resist is!!"

Qian Dele's words were extremely generous and bold, even though he had no playing time.

That statement morally blocked the players' way out.

Jia Sen Ji De paid the price for his hesitation; had he been more decisive and simply declared garbage time without consulting the players, this scene wouldn't have occurred, and the subsequent events wouldn't have unfolded.

Drip!

The whistle sounds, the game continues.

Fan Xi surprisingly did not return to the court.

Even though the entire arena is chanting for Fan Xi to score wildly, and the whole bench is discussing how Fan Xi tonight will undoubtedly break the active‑player scoring record.

But Fan Xi still follows the predetermined plan.

Si Di Fen Na Si, Han Mi Er Dun, Qiao Yue Han Xun, Kai Wen Jia Nei Te, A Er De Li Qi. These five players took the floor.

In response, the Nets, after Taïsen Qian Dele's pep talk, fielded their strongest lineup: Deron Williams, Pi Er Si, Ka Mei Lun, Bu La Qie, Qian Dele.

When the game started, Deron Williams quickly drove into the paint, collided in the air, brushed aside Jia Nei Te's left hand and dunked the ball.

Then, back on defense, Qian Dele finally got the position right, blocking Qiao Yue Han Xun's drive; Han Xun's forced shot missed, Bu La Qie grabbed the rebound, lofted it to Deron Williams, who passed to the fast‑break Ka Mei Lun An Dong Ni, and An Dong Ni, pulled by Han Mi Er Dun, scored on the layup, creating a 2+1.

Two consecutive attacks quickly narrowed the Nets' deficit.

Their morale flared up.

But at that moment, the entire Madison Garden Arena was shouting Fan Xi's name.

The roar was overwhelming!

Under the pressure of the whole atmosphere.

It was as if a dark forest awaited its ruler's arrival, to conquer all resentful challengers.

Fan Xi shifted his body; he didn't step onto the court immediately, which in his view was just child's play. The gap was still some distance away.

But shortly after, Kai Wen Jia Nei Te's one‑on‑one missed again.

Taïsen Qian Dele grabbed the rebound and lofted it to Deron Williams, who sprinted forward; he stopped sharply at the three‑point line, faked, fooled Si Di Fen Na Si's defense, then jumped and released the ball, which traced a beautiful arc, swish!

Three‑point shot made.

After the basket, Deron Williams turned, arrogantly thrust three fingers onto his forehead, tapping three times, then made a throat‑slitting gesture toward the Knicks' bench.

That gesture instantly prompted everyone in Madison Garden Arena to curse at Deron.

They were extremely ferocious.

Their ferocity was confident, shouting that they would kill Deron.

"When Fan Xi wasn't here, you were this arrogant. Now Fan Xi is here, you still dare to be so arrogant—do you really think Fan Xi came for nothing?"

This is the source of the Knicks' wrathful confidence.

"You are completely powerless; I will take the victory!"

Deron Williams answered the Knicks fans on the sidelines shouting at him, confirming that he had entered his optimal state, and confirming that tonight no one could stop him.

Therefore, he is so arrogant and defiant.

Drip!

Knicks request a timeout!

Fan Xi looked up at the dome of Madison Garden Arena.

The wind picks up.

…