Chapter 547

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si and Michael Jordan obviously lacked mental preparation; in fact, the reporters were also bewildered, unable to understand Stephenson's thought process. He clearly provoked Jieke Fan and got shut out, yet after the game he said Jieke Fan had given him earnest guidance and a second lease on life, and he also sang praises for Fan Xi, incidentally dragging out Fan Xi's current biggest rival James and historical biggest rival Michael Jordan to give them a severe scolding.

The composition is extremely complex.

Fan Xi also doesn't understand Stephenson's thought process; he's a weirdo.

Michael Jordan and Le Bu Lang Zhang Si obviously wouldn't bother responding to this guy; although Stephenson's words would sting them, if they actually responded, it would only validate his argument.

The Knicks also didn't pay much attention to Stephenson.

They had their own PR matters to handle.

Larry Brown was directly asked by reporters at the post-game press conference: "Are you hiding your strength? Why can you easily defeat Indiana, yet lose in many games?"

Larry Brown spread his hands, he began to speak evasively: "First, this is indeed an exciting game. I am genuinely proud of my players' efforts on the court. Second, our performance in the first half was somewhat better than in the second half, although we also played well in the second half. The Pacers are formidable opponents; they played exceptionally well in the latter part of the game."

"What I mean is, we seized some opportunities; I mean the Pacers also had moments of laxity. Of course, we are also very strong."

Larry Brown went around in circles, saying almost nothing useful.

He was avoiding the question. Sitting beside him, JR Smith, when asked a similar question, said: "I just play ball. I just stick tightly around Jieke Fan."

They spouted correct nonsense.

Meanwhile, the media have been hyping the Knicks' 'conspiracy to overturn' plan, even though they previously declared with certainty that the Knicks made a foolish trade, losing both future and present.

Many media outlets and commentators loudly urged, reminding the Miami Heat to heighten vigilance and reminding the Brooklyn Nets not to be complacent.

This line of talk caused the Miami Heat to tense up reflexively; many of them looked up last night's video because of it.

Whether it was Pat Riley or Spoelstra, or James and other core players, they all saw the Knicks' strong control displayed in the first half; they had faced the Pacers before and knew what level was needed to control them like that.

Although Stephenson and Fan Xi's one-on-one limited their chemistry, it created conditions for the Knicks.

"I know the Knicks are hiding something, but I didn't expect them to hide this much," Spoelstra said to Pat Riley.

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si also expressed his stance, saying: "Jieke Fan is coming after us. Should we list the New York Knicks as our top rival?"

Previously, the Heat's top rival was the Chicago Bulls.

Pat Riley thought this still needed further observation; after all, the Knicks are a newly organized team, they showed strong strength in this game, but the Chicago Bulls remain the Eastern Conference's top threat.

Moreover, if the Knicks get past the first round, they will face the Chicago Bulls, currently third in the Eastern Conference, directly in the second round. This would give the Heat an important buffer and room for adjustment.

Compared to the Miami Heat's serious approach, they convened an important top-level meeting to study.

As direct opponents, the Nets harbor a revolutionary optimism.

They have not not been dealt with by the Knicks, nor have they not watched the games. But they are simply confident, believing they still have a high chance of defeating the Knicks.

They've been too smooth lately.

Their offense is as smooth as silk; each player can launch an attack, each player can develop their own style.

Even if they all stand still and engage in one-on-one, they can easily toy with the opponent's defense.

It's worth noting that the Knicks' next opponent is the Nets, and they will host the Nets at home.

Before the game began, Larry Brown instructed the honest man Hamilton to release the message: "We will give our all in this game; this game is crucial for us; it's a preview of the first playoff round; we will go all out."

But in reality, their internal definition for this game was: we must lose; we must secure the Nets' second place in the Eastern Conference.

In fact, the reason the Knicks eliminated the Pacers in the previous game was also because of this; they would not allow the Pacers to disrupt this balance. They also experienced this effect: after clearing the Pacers in the first half, the Pacers keenly realized that moving up to second would make their situation harder, whereas staying fourth would be the better choice.

So, they even went along with the Knicks' act.

Vogel is a smart person; he said on TV: "We're too tired; we're still in the back-to-back grind with the Bulls. If we had enough time to rest, the result wouldn't be like this."

He was giving the Nets a drug.

Anyway, the Nets are the ones who die; "if the Daoist friend dies, the poor Daoist won't die."

Vogel's remarks soothed the Nets' hearts; they also thought the same.

If the Knicks truly had such strong control ability, able to dominate the Pacers, given James Dolan's ambitious nature, how could they not let Jieke Fan lead the team to charge for a top-three regular-season finish?

James Dolan sneezed; he now wears a long robe, his hair flowing, with a sighing beard, giving him an air reminiscent of Kong Yiji. Eastern culture has made him begin to value composure and tranquility; whether genuine or not, he now finds slowness beautiful.

He is indeed a person who loves grandeur, but he trusts Fan Xi more. Fan Xi said temporary endurance is necessary; if God wishes to destroy a person, He first drives them mad, first giving the Nets a sweet date, then later in the playoffs giving them a blow to the head.

This is 'suppress first, then raise'.

James Dolan thought of this and couldn't help but feel excited. This feeling is like when he, as a young man, pretended to be poor to go to parties and dates, specifically seeking out sexy women to invite. After being rejected, he would pull out a money gun from his pocket and spray her with a barrage, after which, basically, such women would end up kneeling before him that night.

This too is 'suppress first, then raise'; he and Fan Xi have discussed this story.

Fan Xi said this is your personal bad taste.

James Dolan suggested Fan Xi also try it; it's very enjoyable.

Fan Xi has read web novels; this is 'hide your strength to strike later', indeed enjoyable. But he doesn't want to try it, because with his status, entering any nightclub would immediately attract a swarm of women.

He simply wouldn't be given the chance to hide his strength to strike later.

…

In the game against the Nets, the Knicks still used a super-strong lineup: Fan Xi, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler.

The Nets' starting lineup is: Deron Williams, Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony, Andrei Kirilenko, Brook Lopez.

This is a tall lineup.

The whistle blew.

The Nets then displayed extraordinary aggression; Brook Lopez showed an aggressive aura, even trash-talking Tyson Chandler before the tip-off.

"Shh! Shh! Shh! Old man, do you know how people will judge this trade ten years from now?"

"They'll say the Nets traded a garbage contract for a Hall of Fame center…"

Lopez's voice was very sharp.

Actually, before entering the game, he gave Larry Brown a fierce stare. In the Knicks, the two people he dislikes most are Chandler and Lopez.

He swore to make those two regret it.

But Chandler didn't respond to him; he remained unfazed by such disputes. His age is also up, and now he just wants to win a championship.

During the tip-off, Lopez leapt fearlessly, but he still couldn't outjump Tyson Chandler.

Although Chandler is a bit old, his leaping ability is still much better than Lopez's.

Fan Xi got the ball; after reaching the frontcourt, facing Deron Williams' careful defense, he took a probing step, forcing Deron Williams to awkwardly retreat, then passed to Joe Johnson.

Joe Johnson went one-on-one, hitting a jumper over Paul Pierce's head.

After halftime, the Knicks also didn't play zone defense, just pure man-to-man.

The Nets began one-on-one, with Carmelo Anthony taking on Amar'e Stoudemire.

Stoudemire's defense isn't great, but when facing Carmelo Anthony, he focuses. He forces Anthony into the paint.

After bumping past Stoudemire, Anthony goes up for a layup... slap!

Tyson Chandler swats the ball out of bounds with one hand.

After the block, Chandler looks helplessly at his right hand.

He merely meant to wave it casually, a pure reflex.

But he didn't expect Anthony to be so daring.

No wonder he's the man with the most blocks in the league's paint.

Chandler's block elicited cheers throughout Madison Square Garden, and he apologetically looked at Fan Xi, his expression clearly saying: I didn't mean to do that.

Fan Xi smiled.

He found it funny.

The game continued.

Pierce received the ball beyond the three-point line, and under Josh Smith's tight defense, he shot... bang!

The ball hit the rim.

Fan Xi happened to be there, easily grabbing the rebound. He faced no obstruction, because the Nets had already begun to retreat on defense when Pierce shot; their tactics did not prioritize fighting for frontcourt rebounds.

Reaching the frontcourt.

Fan Xi attempted a jumper from one meter outside the three-point line, using a traditional shooting method, purely experimental.

Swish!

The ball swished through the net.

The game opened 5-0.

Jason Kidd stood on the sideline, frowning, unable to stop recalling painful memories: Jieke Fan had three-point fire right from the start; he wouldn't break the 101-point record again, would he?

His anxiety showed.

His teammates on the court were also a bit restrained; Deron Williams and Lopez completed a pick-and-roll, drove into the paint, passed to Kirilenko, Kirilenko attacked the paint, Stoudemire gave a symbolic help defense, and his layup rimmed out.

Fan Xi grabbed another rebound.

The Nets are a bit off tonight.

Fan Xi was a bit surprised; if they keep playing like this, even holding back wouldn't guarantee their victory, and if they fail to lock in second place, the playoff picture would get weird.

Fan Xi couldn't help but worry for the Nets.

…