Chapter 549: The Most Intense Playoff Competition Situation

Both sides fought an intense battle, and in the end the Nets won, securing the Eastern Conference's second spot, while the Knicks also locked in the Eastern Conference's seventh place.

129–127.

This is the final result.

Just from the score you can see how fierce the contest was.

That is why Ka Meilun An Dongni again claimed in an interview that this was a major victory. "It has strengthened our confidence; it is of great significance; it makes us firmly believe our path is correct, and we will continue forward on this road, steadily reaching the summit."

An Dongni scored 33 points in this game; he not only secured the win with a game‑winning shot, but also outscored Si Ta De Mai Er's 31 points.

His teammate Bu Lu Ke Luo Pei Si was also excited; he emphasized the correctness of that deal and said he was mentally prepared to deliver an even better performance in the playoffs.

Yes, the Nets are that excited, that thrilled.

They have beaten the Knicks twice in a row; their regular‑season head‑to‑head record with the Knicks is 2–2, having lost the first two games and then winning the next two.

They like the taste of eating the sugarcane upside down.

La Li Bu Lang was asked after the game why they played so strongly against the Pacers but showed so many defensive lapses against the Nets. "Because the Nets are second in the Eastern Conference and the Pacers are fourth. Defending them is inherently harder, and our players are still adjusting."

"But when the playoffs arrive, some different situations will arise. I'm confident about that."

La Li Bu Lang mentioned the playoff issue.

The reporter asked him: "Given the current standings, you're likely to face the Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Will you therefore make changes in the last three games? I mean, will you drop to eighth in the Eastern Conference to face the Miami Heat…"

"Isn't the Heat stronger?" La Li Bu Lang retorted. He said, "We have no other choice; since it's destined that we play the Nets in the playoffs, we'll just play. God will protect us!"

La Li Bu Lang has a fatalistic openness.

This openness left the New York media a bit disheartened; they began spreading pessimistic news, worrying that the Knicks would have a barren season and fearing the Knicks would be eliminated by the Nets in the first round.

Although the Nets are now also a New York team, and the Knicks have long been underperforming, they are still homegrown, and this season Fan Xi's addition has indeed given them many expectations.

But now, they have actually lost to the Nets twice in a row.

Facing the Nets again in the playoffs, everyone thinks the Knicks' chances are slim.

…

Fan Xi is happy; he's begun to develop a twisted sense of humor. Although he criticized Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan for pretending to be broke and unable to chase women in his youth—a twisted humor—now he is pretending to be weak, and his teammates are also pretending to be weak.

They all enjoy it.

Kai Wen Jia Nei Te, after the game, with a strong theatrical flair, told the reporter: "My career may end like this; I thought I could win another championship trophy. But now…"

He turned his head away, his shoulders seeming a bit raised.

Everyone thought he was emotional, crying.

But in fact, he was holding back laughter.

JR Smith also said the team's internal problems are huge; there are too many players wanting to score, but there's only one basketball.

Even the honest Qiao Yue Han Xun posted online: "This isn't what I want."

The Knicks club is close to Broadway Theatre, and their acting averages differ little.

All of this foreshadows that the Knicks have a serious internal issue, and Fan Xi has not completed the integration.

In the past, Fan Xi was regarded as having strong unifying ability; he managed to be rumored with many Hao lai wu female stars without any real feuds. One should know that Hao lai wu actresses are the hardest creatures in the world, yet Fan Xi handled it well.

Si Jia Li Johnson is pregnant.

The news was confirmed before the Nets beat the Knicks, but Fan Xi only saw it after the game; he saw a test‑tube box with two dashes and heard Si Jia Li's excited voice.

In recent months, Si Jia Li would seek Fan Xi each time she ovulated, and Fan Xi would each time fire photon bullets and empty his magazine.

When Si Jia Li prepared to use medical technology, she naturally became pregnant.

This fulfilled her wish; she was excited as if she'd hit the mega lottery, and she couldn't wait to come to New York to tell Fan Xi the good news.

But Fan Xi told her to stay in Los Angeles, at least not to take long‑haul flights for the first three months.

Fan Xi is a careful person; he always avoids risk.

Of course, more importantly, the playoffs are about to start, and he hopes to devote all his energy to the basketball court over the next three months, rather than emptying his magazine… which actually drains a man's athletic ability and stamina.

But just as Fan Xi sighed in relief after fulfilling a wish, he received a call from Mei Gen Fu Ke Si.

Mei Gen Fu Ke Si cooed on the phone: "Jie Ke, I also want a child."

Although Fu Ke Si had reconciled with Si Jia Li, when she heard Si Jia Li's bragging, her jealousy surged, and she also wanted a child with Jie Ke.

Um… okay.

Fan Xi had no reason to refuse.

He's already mentally prepared to join a big family; he knows that sharing resources and having many offspring are necessary for a harmonious extended clan.

Ancient emperors ruled this way.

But he didn't expect that, the next morning, he received an application from An Ni Hai Se Wei.

Hai Se Wei is an artistic young woman; she wrote a long prose piece whose core distilled into a love crystal.

She wants to crystallize.

She is close to condensation.

She is so impatient.

alright.

Fan Xi had no reason to refuse.

…

The Knicks played smoothly in the last three regular‑season games; Fan Xi and his "internal conflict" teammates were in sync and secured the seventh spot, beating the Grizzlies and losing to the Pistons and the Kings.

Their displayed strength was fickle, sometimes strong, sometimes weak.

But truly smart, truly professional people have long seen through their energy.

The Miami Heat have already lost hope in the Nets, and although Nets fans keep touting the 2003 great civil war, they look forward to a showdown between An Dongni and James at the Eastern summit.

But James's gaze toward the Nets is filled with pity.

Chicago Bulls' Joakim Noah bluntly responded to the Nets' invitation: "I don't think you can reach the floor of the Eastern semifinals; this season you have no hope of facing us."

The reason Noah said that is that Deron Williams said he wanted a direct showdown with Derek Rose, because he had always been in the West and rarely faced the top of the younger generation.

As Rosa's chief guard, Noah's reply left no room for mercy.

In fact, among various basketball experts' forecasts, nominations for the Nets to win are few. ESPN gathered ten basketball experts to rank the playoffs. Only three thought the Nets could beat the Knicks; the other seven believed the Knicks would win.

This shows the Knicks' performance still needs improvement.

Of course, some are also scared after being slapped down by Fan Xi and dare not easily belittle Fan Xi.

This season, the Eastern top eight are: Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks.

The Western top eight are: Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Kuaisuan, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks.

Undoubtedly, the most eye‑catching first‑round matchup in the East is the intra‑city derby: New York Knicks versus Brooklyn Nets.

In the first season after the Nets moved to the Barclays Center, they clinched second in the East; their owner was thrilled, even saying: "From today, New York State's basketball hub moves from Man han dun to Brooklyn. This is a victory for the Nets and for Brooklyn. We will consolidate this advantage and lead New York basketball toward an even brighter tomorrow."

The Russian oligarch is full of fighting spirit and confidence.

Moreover, he announced in the locker room that as long as they defeat the New York Knicks, every player will receive an unexpected reward.

He firmly believes that great rewards will bring brave men.

He emphasized that he will place no restrictions on the team's salaries, he won't care about any so‑called luxury tax, as long as they can win games.

Prokhorov's ambitions are huge; he knows that once the Nets capture the New York market, the profits will be boundless. He bought the Nets for little; if the Nets beat the Knicks, he can flip them for astronomical sums.

Therefore, strictly speaking, he has no intention of playing the long game.

He is just gambling.

But Jason Kidd jumped ship.

Jason Kidd quit coaching, citing a bone spur that required surgery; fortunately the Nets' assistant coach was strong, and after beating the Knicks they secured three consecutive wins.

The Nets internally agreed to make him interim head coach and promised that if his playoff performance is good, he'll be made permanent immediately, without waiting for next season.

This thrilled Leonel Horlins.

He is already rolling up his sleeves, ready to undertake a great undertaking.

…

Just like the East, the most eye‑catching first‑round Western playoff is also an intra‑city derby: Los Angeles Kuaisuan versus Los Angeles Lakers.

No one expected that after losing Fan Xi, losing Nowitzki and other championship core, the Kuaisuan could still surge into the Western upper half, becoming a steel torrent amid the West's forest of strong teams.

At the same time, no one expected the aging Kobe Bryant, after the team lost Chris Paul and Dwight Howard—two superstars—and after trading Pau Gasol to the San Antonio Spurs mid‑season, to still single‑handedly lead the team into the playoffs as the West's fifth seed. Moreover, Kobe ranked fourth in scoring, behind Stoud Mayr, Kevin Durant and James Harden, and ahead of Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, Derek Rose and other superstars.

Of course, the even more unexpected thing is… these two intra‑city rivals meeting in the first round.

In the past two seasons, Fan Xi led the Kuaisuan to defeat the Lakers twice in the Western Conference Finals, shattering the Lakers' championship hopes and breaking up their super‑galaxy warship.

Now that Fan Xi is traveling east, can the Kuaisuan still achieve such a feat?

This is what Los Angeles fans care about most.

Compared with when Fan Xi was still with the Clippers, the matchup between the two teams this season actually generates far less buzz.

After all, the current coach Leonard is a restrained, conservative person; even in the locker room he rarely speaks continuously. He simply evaluated the Lakers: "Kobe is pretty strong; in this series they should average 82 points per game."

If someone else said that, it would be somewhat insulting.

But when Leonard said it, everyone thought he respected the Lakers.

Because this season, the Kuaisuan limited opponents' average scoring to 80.9 points.

In this era that increasingly favors a fast pace, one can imagine how ugly this game is.

The era's Warner TV, which bought exclusive broadcast rights, almost cried; their ratings have declined each week this season, and viewers complained: "This is the best sleep‑aid program."

The Kuaisuan's offensive tempo is sleep‑inducing.

Leonard's stiff expression reminds one of a monster robot.

When Fan Xi was here, it wasn't like this; the Kuaisuan's show always pulled full ratings.

Now even Mili Xiqi has become steady; after Eva gave him a son.

He is becoming increasingly steady on the court, more and more like a father.

Maikelbang also takes defense to the extreme; he and Bilupusi never think about offense.

Thus, everyone thinks this year's playoffs might be interesting, yet also sleep‑inducing, returning to the iron‑curtain era of old.

Everyone's only hope is whether the Kobe Bryant from the previous era can still pierce the Kuaisuan's iron‑curtain defense with his superb individual skill.

…

This year's playoffs have the most champion endorsements from basketball experts.

In the East, experts think the Heat have the best chance at the title, the Bulls are behind them, and the Knicks and Pacers have similar odds.

But in the West, people expect a melee.

Aside from the Warriors, Trail Blazers and Lakers, who are seen as clearly having no championship chance, the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets, Mavericks and Kuaisuan are all considered capable of breaking out of the West.

Because Fan Xi's departure, the West's competition has not downgraded but upgraded. Everyone treats this year as the final championship window.

If Fan Xi returns to the Kuaisuan, with his ability plus the current roster, other teams' championship difficulty will soar.

Thus, whether it's the East's James, the West's Kevin Durant, or the East's Derek Rose, James Harden… they all know very clearly… this is Fan Xi's era.

Even though they don't admit it verbally.

Even though they deny becoming the Barkley, Reggie Miller, Karl Malone of the Jordan era…

But their bodies are very honest.

"It can be projected that this will be the most fiercely contested playoff season since the new century. Before the results emerge, no one knows which team can win the championship; the variables are too great!"

"Even a slight breeze can affect the final outcome."

…