Chapter 545: Dad's Good Son

Fan Xi had never imagined playing one-on-one with a nobody; after he had scored 101 points and a super quintuple-double, he inevitably felt a sense of contempt when looking at many players. He no longer needed to prove anything in one-on-one, borrowing Michael Jordan's famous line: "I beat Stephenson, and people will ask… Who is Stephenson?"

However, tonight Troy was extremely excited; Troy sat on his mother's lap, and he was unusually excited and stirred by the energy Fan Xi displayed. Fan Xi hoped to use this opportunity to make his child love basketball.

So, Stephenson, since you want to play the role of a small stone kicked aside, come on.

Just a side thing.

After Stephenson returned to halftime, he quickly asked George Hill for the ball.

Moreover, he actively retreated from the wing to beyond the three-point line, then extended a finger toward Fan Xi, curling it.

This foolish move drew boos from the entire crowd, and the boos still carried a hint of excitement.

This excitement clearly had a strong emotion surging: "Look! Another fearless guy is provoking Jie Ke's authority; we've got another good show to watch."

Kenny Smith also screamed on TV: "Ho! Ho! Let's see what happened. What is Pacers' Stephenson doing? Good lord, he's actually provoking God, he actually wants to go one-on-one with God. This bravery is beyond my expectation. Let's look forward to what happens next. If you're a Pacers fan, I suggest you close your eyes and switch to another channel for a while to watch ads…

When Fan Xi on the court stepped toward Stephenson, Madison Square Garden could not suppress their true emotions; they began to cheer, feeling exuberant.

This cheering did not alert Stephenson; he remained arrogant, even wearing a smile of "wish fulfilled, dream come true."

Stephenson began dribbling between his legs, showing excitement and seriousness; he wanted to use all his energy to defeat Fan Xi on this play.

Just like back then, wave after wave of players emerged to challenge Jordan.

Stephenson fired the first shot.

Stephenson was neither unprepared nor a pure reckless man; otherwise he wouldn't have the nickname "poor man's magician."

He realized his advantage was his physique and weight.

So, he quickly lunged forward, made an opening, preparing to wait for Fan Xi to fall for it, then directly move in, using his broad back for a post-up, then turn and shoot a jumper; he had calculated that this would have a very high success rate.

However… there was no afterwards.

When he deliberately made an opening and executed a Probe Step breakthrough,

Fan Xi's figure shot past like lightning; he hurriedly tugged, but Fan Xi's left hand came from another angle, slapping… pa!

The basketball was slapped away on the spot.

Fan Xi leapt and directly took the ball.

Fan Xi gained control of the ball; he could have directly launched a fast break.

But he glanced at his son on the sideline; Troy's expression was somewhat calm, as if he hadn't seen the profundity of Dad's steal this time. He even wanted to go over to explain to his son the technical content of this ball… it requires an eagle's eyes, a cheetah's agility, a tiger's vigor, a lion king's decisiveness, and a smart mind.

Madison Square Garden was a sea of cheers and uproar.

They understand basketball far more than the under-one-year-old Troy.

But their encouragement pales in comparison to Troy's single wave.

After all, Troy is Fan Xi's son, while the over twenty thousand fans in the arena are not Fan Xi's son. Although there are over a thousand women present who would call Fan Xi "dad" in certain situations.

"Thank you."

What Fan Xi didn't expect was that, when he dribbled the ball past halftime, he heard Stephenson's thanks, which left Fan Xi somewhat unable to cope.

Fan Xi wasn't quite clear on this guy's mental circuitry.

Why, after being stripped of the ball, does he still say thanks to himself?

Thanks for what?

"You didn't fast break because you definitely didn't want to miss a perfect offensive-defensive duel with me. Wait, I'll steal from you just as you stole from me." Stephenson stood at the top of the three-point arc, he bent down, he kept his eyes on Fan Xi.

Fan Xi was speechless.

He turned his head to glance at Troy.

Troy was also looking at him.

Fan Xi made a decision; this time he wanted to show his son what a super-strong shot is.

A man must seize a fleeting opportunity and then strike true. This is not just a lesson on the basketball court; it can also be applied to life.

After Stephenson had set his stance, Fan Xi suddenly made a Probe Step.

At this moment, Stephenson was devising his defensive strategy. In his assessment of the balance of power, he believed his footwork had an advantage, and he was taller and stronger; as long as he confined Fan Xi within his muscular force radiation zone, he would drag him into a swamp, rendering him unable to take further action.

Just then, Fan Xi lunged left.

Good timing.

Stephenson had anticipated this; his body quickly leaned, feigned a retreat, then prepared to press forward.

But at the moment he feigned retreat, Fan Xi completed a sudden stop and also a backward motion.

Stephenson hurriedly adjusted his balance; Fan Xi had already leapt and released the ball… swift and fierce.

Stephenson's desperate block only made fans feel this shot was difficult; it was otherwise useless.

He could only wait for the parabola's judgment.

Swish!

The ball went through the net with a sound.

Madison Square Garden was in an uproar; they were very happy that Fan Xi showed his three-point touch in the first quarter. According to past experience, as long as Fan Xi shows his three-point feel in the first quarter, he will have an extraordinary performance in the game.

"Hey, Troy, what did you learn from this play?"

Fan Xi turned around, he looked at Troy and said.

He paid no heed to the cheers of the over twenty thousand fans in the arena, and he had no interest in mocking this opponent who constantly provoked him.

His eyes held only his son.

However, his son Troy merely widened his eyes watching Fan Xi; he made a "dunking motion" and made a dodododo sound with his mouth.

Others might not understand Troy's meaning, but as the saying goes, none knows a son better than his father; Troy wanted to dunk himself.

Indeed, he's a youngster under one year old.

He completely doesn't grasp the technical depth of this three-pointer; the tugging between matchups, the friction on the wisdom line… are all exquisite nuances.

Alright, let's dunk then. Who made his son love watching?

At this moment, Stephen looked at me with grateful eyes and said, "Jie Ke, thank you. You are showing me the essence of the step-back, right? Compared to your move, my previous move was indeed too rough. Your technique is natural and flawless. You are far stronger than James."

This sudden brain-filling and flattery left Fan Xi feeling bewildered; he rarely encounters this type of opponent.

By halftime, Fan Xi continued to shadow-defend Stephen, but as the team's third scoring option, Stephen didn't get the ball. Coach Vogel and Larry Bird are typical strict disciplinarians; he doesn't want players to show individual bravery, teamwork is always most important.

Stephen followed his preset tactical route; when he ran to the weak side, Paul Qiao Zhi, who was isolating on the strong side, couldn't break free from Joe Smith's muscle hold, so he passed the ball over.

Stephen serves as the Pacers' second-unit playmaker, which is why he has the nickname Pauper Magician.

He received the ball, he jerked upward with a fake, making a shooting fake, intending to deceive Fan Xi's balance. But Fan Xi didn't fall for it; he quickly came up with a second plan, making a quick pass to the right.

Fan Xi's action had a slight movement, so he hurriedly drove inside.

His start had a traveling suspicion, but the head referee didn't call it.

He quickly drove into the paint, then jumped up, calculating the positional and height differences between himself and Fan Xi, and determined he could slam the ball into the basket.

But just as he reached his highest point, his body extended, about to slam the ball into the basket, Fan Xi exploded from behind, stretching out his left hand and swatting the ball away.

This is a play that tests the statisticians, because they find it hard to determine whether it was a steal or a block.

But no matter how you say it, the ball ended up in Fan Xi's hands.

Fan Xi landed, and the arena erupted.

Fan Xi still did not launch a fast break; instead, he turned his gaze toward Troy on the sideline.

Troy waved his hand, looking somewhat excited.

So that's how it is.

It turns out my son likes this 'high in, high out' style of play.

Fan Xi smiled.

He is now a good father who satisfies all of his son's demands.

He steadied his steps and crossed half court.

The Pacers' head coach no longer agreed to let Stephen single‑handedly take on Fan Xi; he had been repeatedly shut down, and Vogel's patience also has its limits.

George Hill rushed to the top of the key to harass Fan Xi.

Fan Xi didn't linger with him, he stepped forward to attack; Paul Qiao Zhi saw the opening and quickly moved in to help.

Paul Qiao Zhi is a wonderful help defender, skilled at cutting off opponents' paths.

Fan Xi's brain raced, he quickly found a lane, and he passed the ball in a flash to Joe Johnson.

At the same time, Fan Xi turned and spun sharply away from Paul Qiao Zhi's side.

This is another way of a person‑ball split, which often occurs on a soccer field.

However, on a soccer field it's called a wall‑pass combination.

If Fan Xi could see the sideline right now, he would see Troy jumping up and shouting.

After Fan Xi shook off the defensive trap, Joe Johnson very quickly passed the ball over.

Troy's shouting grew louder, because this is the standard wall‑pass combination.

However, on a basketball court it's called shifting the ball from strong to weak side.

Fan Xi got the ball on the weak side, while Stephen, who had been quietly monitoring the situation, quickly closed out, causing Fan Xi to miss an open jump shot.

On the sideline, Vogel silently cheered for Stephen; this guy finally wasn't completely off his rocker tonight.

But in an instant, Fan Xi didn't even bother with a fake; he lowered his center and accelerated, bursting through Stephen's defense, charging into the paint, leaping like a rocket, and slamming the ball down with both hands—unstoppable.

Stephen tried to contest from behind, but his speed was nowhere near enough.

Fan Xi's body even folded slightly in midair as he violently dunked the ball; Hibbert couldn't stop him.

Fan Xi's dunk once again ignited Madison Square Garden.

The screams and cheers of over twenty thousand people in the arena made the atmosphere boil.

Vogel had to step out of bounds and loudly call a timeout.

Soon after the opening, the Pacers were stunned.

This completely exceeded their expectations; they had optimistically estimated that beating the Knicks would take only three quarters.

After all, the Pacers already consider themselves a strong team; they aim to surge past the top three into second place, and they aren't afraid of facing Fan Xi in the first round of the playoffs.

But now, Fan Xi stands before them wielding a xuān huá great axe, imposing and mighty.

Vogel's mind is rapidly assessing the risk factor of meeting the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

Of course, the more pressing issue now is how to halt the current collapse.

He certainly doesn't want to be slaughtered in this game.

And his disciple Stephen was still on the court praising Fan Xi: "Jie Ke, I originally thought my weak‑side cut‑and‑shoot was unbeatable, but I didn't expect you to have developed so many more levels. It turns out a fake doesn't need to be so obvious—a glance, a shoulder shake can produce such a perfect result."

"Thank you, Jie Ke, you've given me a lesson."

"You're also doing this because you discovered I'm a heaven‑sent genius, right?"

Stephen chased Fan Xi, nearly reaching the Knicks' bench.

This behavior made his teammates glance askance, but nobody was really surprised—after all, Stephen's IQ issues have long been an open secret in the Indiana locker room.

Fan Xi walked straight over to Troy, crouched down for his son, and said, "How did you like my dunk just now? If you had my leaping ability, you could also play in the air."

He hoped to spark Troy's love for basketball.

Troy babbled, pointing at his own head and shaking it.

It's clear that Jennifer's education has been successful. At least now, what Troy is expressing is a header in the air, not a dunk.

Fan Xi returned to his bench, his mind full of how to do something special in this game so that his son would develop a strong love for basketball.

Hope for the son to become a dragon, the son inherits the father's business.

This is the legacy every successful man hopes to see happen.

Soccer?

Football is too far away, need to go to Europe.

Moreover, Fan Xi believed he lacked sufficient football experience to teach his son.

Larry Brown didn't set up tactics; this was a major change after he joined the Knicks.

He no longer does himself like an old ox; with Fan Xi present, no one can bully him in on-the-spot reactions.

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

After the timeout, Stephenson sat back on the bench, and Granger entered the game.

Granger was the former leader of Indiana; due to injury, he smoothly moved to the bench, now playing as the team's sixth or seventh man.

Serving as the team's locker room leader.

After Granger entered the game, the Pacers' tactics ran smoothly.

David West quickly made a jump shot, set a screen, then jumped for a shot… Garnett could no longer expand the defense to the three-point line as he did when he was young.

David West is a steady shooter, and his game meshes well with the Pacers' tactical system.

Looking back, Fan Xi teamed up with Joe Johnson, passing to him; Joe Johnson then helped his teammate shake off Granger, took off in the paint, scored with a left-handed layup, and also drew a foul on Hibbert.

The Knicks displayed real strength.

This set of half-court moves was extremely fluid; not only did three people cooperate, but Kevin Garnett and Tyson Chandler each did their part, not stopping but standing and watching their teammates' moves.

They kept attracting defense.

This is the secret of flowing like clouds and water.

The fans in the arena perhaps didn't understand this offense much, thinking it was just a regular attack; they preferred to see Fan Xi punish the opponent.

But, in the TNT broadcast, Charles Barkley shouted: "Hey, what's New York doing? Why didn't they use this lineup earlier? Goodness, they're punishing the Pacers on the wings and in the paint, just like swaggering into grandma's house and taking the change from her drawer."

"The Pacers aren't just any cats and dogs; their defensive efficiency ranks second in the league."

Charles Barkley said loudly on television.

Kenny Smith beside him said: "Josh Smith was just traded over; it's not the trade from last summer."

"No, Kenny. That play just now, Josh Smith was merely an ordinary executor; swapping in JR Smith or Prince wouldn't make a fundamental difference. My meaning is, the Knicks are hiding their strength again; this is Jieke Fan's reserved repertoire. The Clippers' first season was like this too; they too pulled off an upset."

Charles Barkley said: "The Brooklyn Nets need to be careful. The Brooklyn Nets won't have more experience than Indiana in the playoffs."

"'Perhaps Jie Ke and New York are aiming for Brooklyn,' Earl Johnson offered another opinion on television."

This comment made the Nets fans watching TV feel worried, but it shouldn't affect the Nets' determination. Because the Nets' owner Prokhorov demanded this, to sweep the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.

Prokhorov wanted to prove in one fell swoop that his offseason moves were wise and correct; he wanted not just partial victory but total victory. He wanted to defeat New York and drive Fan Xi back to Los Angeles in disgrace.

Only then could he sit firmly as the New York King, from then on the Knicks would never be able to raise their heads again.

Such an approach carries a bit more risk, but the reward is eternal prosperity.

The Russian oligarch couldn't withstand such temptation.

The game continued.

Fan Xi didn't continue to display his superb basketball skills, because his son started changing diapers, giving him time to let the team practice tactics. They showed superb skills on both offense and defense, successfully mired the Pacers in a swamp.

This is the energy of the brand-new lineup.

The Knicks were completely renewed.

Many teams began to feel worried, even though many knew Fan Xi surely hid his strength, but they didn't expect him to hide so much.

At the end of the season, the Knicks revealed their ferocious side.

But this side didn't last long.

As Troy's diaper change finished and he returned to the court, Fan Xi's 'good student' Stephenson also came onto the court.

…