Chapter 555: Super Contradiction War

In the basketball world, no one can keep winning forever. But Jieke Fan can.

JR Smith, at New York Airport, gave a media interview, earnestly telling the reporters: "We will at least bring back a game victory to the Madison Garden Arena."

He is Fan Xi's die‑hard follower; for JR Smith, preventing him from publicly fawning over Fan Xi is impossible. Worshiping Fan Xi and breathing are the two things in his life that cannot stop.

Mengta Ailisi is also a member of Jieke Fan's hype crew. He hasn't been with the Knicks long, but this guy who usually looks bitter and resentful always says with a mournful face, "No one is greater than Jieke Fan, trust me, no one! The number 23 hanging over Chicago's United Center can't stop Jieke from doing great things."

The Knicks are that confident in Fan Xi.

Compared with Knicks fans hoping Fan Xi will play another season for New York, these guys are eager to get a championship.

Their will is very strong.

Mengta, JR, Yue Shi, Qiao, Tai Sen, A Ma Lei, Ba Li Ya Ni… these guys who have never touched a championship are now ambitious; for many years they were called regular‑season players, never proving themselves in the playoffs, and now they feel the chance has arrived.

They have a strong obsession, firmly believing: offense can also win a championship.

Because they don't defend.

Siti Fen Na Shi is also very active this year; he doesn't look like he's here to retire, especially after entering the playoffs. He greatly hopes to help his former teammate Si Ta De Mai Er win a championship, especially after Si Ta De Mai Er became the regular‑season scoring leader; he thinks Si Ta De Mai Er can still put on a championship ring.

Kai Wen Jia Nei Te also resumed daily training upon entering the playoffs; he has always been diligent, and now he is even more diligent.

His feud with Qiao Jin Nuo A has always been hidden in his heart; he is a proud eagle, unwilling to be seen by youngsters as a senile, powerless old man. He wants to prove his tank still has fuel, and he wants to tell Qiao Jin Nuo A at the United Center: I can still blow your butt up anytime, anywhere.

Kai Wen Jia Nei Te has been plotting this for a long time.

He is not a broad‑minded person. Moreover, he has always been ruthless toward those who offend him, which is why he would smash a rookie's head to the point of bleeding…

Fan Xi was quiet on the plane to Chicago, constantly holding a notebook and watching first‑round video footage of the Bulls versus the Wizards, his brows perpetually furrowed.

Siti Fen Na Shi sat beside him, not joining the teammates' gambling mini‑games earlier.

"Are the Bulls that hard to handle? I rarely see you so conflicted," Nash asked Fan Xi.

Fan Xi said, "In the series where the Bulls eliminate the Wizards, they at most show 70% of their strength; De Li Ke has been controlling his pace. Xi Bo Du has been practicing offense rather than defense, so they will give us a harsh welcome at home. They'll silence the offense that dominates the regular season; they've been plotting this for a long time."

Siti Fen Na Shi furrowed his brows and said, "Silencing us is a tough task, right? We're all elite offensive players."

"It comes down to whether our offensive chemistry is better, or their defensive‑offensive chemistry is better," Fan Xi said.

"But don't we still have you? You can shred any defense, you can score 101 points," Ben Hua Lai Shi said from the other side.

Fan Xi shook his head: "I think what the Bulls most want is for the Knicks to become my solo dance, losing all offensive coordination. The Bulls beating us would be as easy as sticking a finger into a mousse cake."

Ben Hua Lai Shi furrowed his brows for a long moment, then said, "After they pull the finger out, will they lick the cream on the finger? Is the cream white?"

Hm?

Fan Xi and Siti Fen Na Shi were both shocked by Ben Hua Lai Shi's imaginative ability.

Is this the point?

Also, why lick?

…

When the entire Knicks arrived in Chicago, the league announced this season's All‑Star lineup and regular‑season MVP.

The regular‑season MVP went to Kai Wen Du Lan Te; this season the Thunder's record and Du Lan Te's individual performance were both outstanding.

In fact, only Derek Rose could truly match him, even though the media hype a Zhan Mu Ha Deng versus Du Lan Te rivalry.

However, Derek Rose has already won once, and he has spent a relatively long time out due to injury.

The league's First Team All‑Star five are: Fan Xi, Zhan Mu Ha Deng, Kai Wen Du Lan Te, Le Bu Lang Zhang Si, Qiao Jin Nuo A.

Derek Rose is the Second Team's best point guard, and Chris Paul still ranks third.

It is worth noting that Qiao Jin Nuo A also made the All‑Defensive Team and was named Defensive Player of the Year.

This season, Qiao Jin Nuo A enjoyed a double career harvest; a dual First Team is the standard for a superstar.

Fan Xi didn't make any First or Second Team this season; Chris Paul is the First Team All‑Defensive point guard, and the Second Team All‑Defensive point guard is Beverley.

Fan Xi doesn't care about honors, but this result indicates something.

The Bulls are very strong.

They have the league's second‑best point guard today, the best center today, and they are the league's most defensively efficient team.

Although their lineup adopts a super‑star cluster format, it still boasts clouds of talent.

Derek Rose, Qiao Jin Nuo A, Luo Er Deng, Ke Ke Xin Li Qi, Mai Ke Deng Liwei, Tai Ji Bu Sen, Luo Ni Bu Lu Er, dj Ao Gu Si Ding, Ka Luo Si Bu Ze Er, Ka Long Ba Te Lie… none of them are holding back.

At least they are all near‑elite starters; players outside the rotation have chances to start for other teams.

This is why, in the past three years, they have become Miami's biggest Eastern rival.

Fan Xi knows best how powerful the Miami Heat are.

The Knicks' roster is also very strong, but most of these players are specialists, and bluntly speaking, aside from a few, most have little playoff experience and have never performed strongly in the playoffs before.

The outside media defined this series as the NBA's war of the strongest spear versus the strongest shield.

In ESPN's expert prediction segment, out of ten commentators, six voted for the Bulls.

In fact, if it weren't for Fan Xi's towering reputation, the Bulls would have received more votes.

The Knicks' four votes are entirely because of Fan Xi.

To the vast majority, the Bulls are more united and tighter, like a well‑trained super squad.

The Knicks are like a hastily assembled mercenary corps; saying they're a ragtag band isn't accurate—most players have experience as leaders on other teams, and despite aging, their offensive firepower remains. Yet in such a series, defense coordination is even more crucial than offense.

…

"I'll go watch the game; I should be there," Qiao Dan said in an interview, expressing support for the Bulls.

Although since his second retirement he has rarely spoken about the Bulls, it is well known that despite helping the Bulls win two three‑peat dynasties and having a bronze statue outside the United Center, his relationship with the Bulls' management is strained. In fact, he almost joined the Knicks back then. After retiring, he wanted a share of the Bulls, but the owner refused.

This is why he returned to the Wizards a second time. Next comes his becoming the Mountain Cat's owner.

Now he publicly expresses support for the Bulls and says he'll return to the United Center to watch games, most likely to cheer the Bulls and to block Fan Xi.

If Fan Xi, that miracle kid, truly creates another miracle, truly beats the Bulls, steps on the Heat, then heads back West to claim a fourth consecutive title.

Then Fan Xi's reputation will reach its peak. At that point, people will surely say 4 is greater than 6.

A four‑peat truly is a zone Jordan never touched.

He began to regret why he left a season and a half back then; perhaps he could have created an eight‑peat.

Now, it gives Fan Xi an excuse to overtake.

Jordan once believed no one could surpass his historic standing, yet… from the East a Jieke Fan emerged.

The Eastern semifinals' first game kicked off on the first Wednesday night of May.

The United Center arena blazed with lights, and frenzied Bulls fans poured in from every Chicago district, every corner of Illinois, and even from around the world. This is the Bulls fans' highest hall, where the hanging championship banners and the jerseys of Jordan, Pippen and others speak of the team's former might.

This is the most coveted basketball shrine of the 1990s.

The legendary stories here can make every basketball lover's blood boil.

After a long period of decline, the Bulls went through several rebuilds, from the late 20th century's slump, to the early century's high‑school duo, to the sudden death of the 2002 No. 2 draft pick, to the successive selections of Xin Li Qi, Ben Gedeng, Luo Er Deng, Tuo Ma Si… etc., they once made the playoffs.

But not until 2008 did they use the first overall pick to select the post‑Jordan era's destined son. Derek Rose led the Bulls to a wild surge, their revival speed was jaw‑dropping. From the youngest regular‑season MVP in history to repeatedly reaching the Eastern finals, he became the biggest roadblock to the Heaven's Chosen Son Three Giants.

The Bulls have built enough pride and confidence over these years.

Even if a legend like Fan Xi leads the team in a fierce charge, the fans still roar as before, the noise a tidal wave.

They don't think the Bulls will fall in the Eastern semifinals, and they don't believe Jieke Fan can defeat Derek Rose.

In their minds, Durant is not the league's best star, James is not the league's best star, and Fan Xi… is not either.

Derek Rose, this homegrown super‑star, is their pride.

When Fan Xi entered, boos rose from the whole arena.

When Rosa entered, the entire arena was MVP, cheers thundered.

Tonight's Bulls starting lineup is: Derek Rose, Ronny Bruhl, Luo Er Deng, Carlos Buzer, Jo Jin Noa.

The Knicks' starting lineup is: Fan Xi, JR Smith, Qiao Yuehan Sun, Si Ta De Mai Er, Tyson Chandler.

Chandler's return to Chicago counts as a homecoming; back then he and another self‑styled "little shark" Eddie Curry were consecutively drafted by the Bulls, one offense, one defense, and the Bulls hoped to forge an unprecedented twin‑tower combo.

But the final result was… ice melting in water. Tyson Chandler left early, so many Bulls fans now aren't clear that Chandler ever debuted with the Bulls. Worth mentioning, the other "little shark" Eddie Curry, after proving his worth with the Bulls, was signed away by the Knicks' then general manager Isaiah Thomas, who spotted the pig with a keen eye, for a high price.

Unsurprisingly reduced to a super trash contract, Eddie Curry left a string of weight records and heart disease at the Knicks, and contributed nothing else.

Beep!

When the whistle sounded, the game began.

Tyson Chandler won the tip‑off against Jo Jin Noa.

Fan Xi drove the ball across half‑court, Derek Rose stood in front of Fan Xi.

They are long‑time friends; Rosa was the only one who, when Fan Xi lacked money to buy Kuaisuan, was willing to lend him cash unconditionally. He asked for no equity.

So their friendship has always been good.

Moreover, they understand each other.

When Fan Xi makes a move, Rosa even knows the fake move better than Kobe does… because their styles are more alike.

However, even if Rosa can guess Fan Xi's fake, he still can't stop Fan Xi's attack.

Just as when he surges, Fan Xi also finds it hard to stop him.

This is the power after entering the super‑star realm. Or put it another way, a super‑star must possess energy beyond defensive control.

Fan Xi didn't attack the Bulls' rim directly; he drove to the paint, drew a double‑team, then passed the ball to Si Ta De Mai Er. Si Ta De Mai Er stepped forward, leapt explosively, hoping to finish Fan Xi's brilliant assist with a dunk.

But he underestimated the best defender's deterrent; Noa used a deft back‑down to break free from Tyson Chandler's stalemate, timed it perfectly, and rose to make a perfectly timed jump, extended his hand… Bang!

Si Ta De Mai Er's ball was swatted away.

The little tyrant is no longer that soaring beast; his vertical leap and explosiveness have been greatly reduced.

He watched helplessly as the ball was swatted away, hearing the arena's roar like a tsunami, a tribute to Jo Jin Noa.

The ball was stolen by Ronny Bruhl, who quickly passed it to Luo Er Deng.

Luo Er Deng, from England, rushed to the frontcourt, and with Carlos Buzer executed a plain high‑screen, passing to Buzer, who hit a jump shot.

The Knicks took a hit on the opening possession.

The Bulls' tactical level far exceeds the Knicks', their coordination more refined and…

Although they later put on great performances, they were always kept down by the Bulls.

Fan Xi rarely had moments of total release in this game; he didn't rely on his own offense to solve problems. Sometimes, even when he clearly opened a lane, he preferred to let a teammate in the same advantageous position finish the kill.

Fan Xi seems to be playing an activation game.

He is frantically searching for his teammates' switches.

This is dangerous.

Because the Bulls' defense is always in high‑pressure mode.

The Knicks are trailing.

Moreover, they monitor tightly on defense, giving the Knicks no chance to erupt.

Kevin Garnett had prepared for a long time; he took the floor to battle Jo Jin Noa. He played aggressively, but achieved no good results. His athleticism was far behind Jo Jin Noa's, and he received no effective support.

Even though he said nothing.

But during halftime, he phoned Paul Pierce.

It was a reminiscence of Boston.

In the locker room, Fan Xi didn't attack his teammates. He kept emphasizing: "I see everyone's effort; you haven't performed poorly, we're just still looking for a key. We're looking for a key that can unlock synergy, that can make the Bulls fall under our smooth operation."

Fan Xi said, "If we lose this game, it's my responsibility. Everyone keep playing your own way, and I'll find that magical key."

Fan Xi encourages these players, placing no pressure on his teammates.

Even though now his pressure is the greatest.

Fans at the United Center have posted many posters and boards saying Fan Xi will never surpass Jordan, mocking and suppressing him.

They not only aim to cut off Fan Xi's playoff advancement this season, but also to eliminate any chance of Fan Xi overtaking Jordan.

Jordan didn't make it to the arena for this game; he might come over after the Bulls secure the match point.

In the second half, the Knicks, down 11 points, are still executing their tactical style.

This made Kenny Smith extremely upset on TV; he said, "Larry Brown should take full responsibility. I've never seen a head coach so rigid. Why doesn't he change? Does he think he has an advantage?"

As a die‑hard fan of Fan Xi, he vented his resentment onto Larry Brown.

At that moment, Barkley retorted, "That kind of argument won't do. When the Knicks play well, you claim Fan Xi's in‑game reaction matters more than Larry Brown's tactical command and call Larry Brown just a mascot. Now the Knicks are playing poorly, and you dump all the blame on Larry Brown. That's not fair, Kenny."

The remark left Kenny Smith speechless.

He kept muttering in his mind, "Jie Ke, Jie Ke! Show your skill quickly, don't keep playing like this. Look at how Derek Rose plays."

Derek Rose drove the team with his own offense; tonight he not only penetrated the paint and tore through the defense, making the Knicks' already loose defense even looser, but also launched cold arrows from beyond the three‑point line. He kept the Knicks' defense out of balance between contraction and release, so the Bulls played very smoothly.

Fan Xi, however, was more of a playmaker tonight, constantly linking up up and down. Though there was a moment he drove in and dunked over Bu Ze Er's head, he was mostly still looking for that key.

He could play exactly like Rosa; he knows that playing like Rosa at least makes the team's visuals more appealing, or can keep them on par with the Bulls.

But that's not what Fan Xi wants.

Fan Xi wants more than just this round of the playoffs.

"Jie Ke is training troops."

Phil Jackson told Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan in front of the TV.

Even though Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan claimed on TV that he wouldn't watch any games before June, the pretentiousness remains pretentious, and behind closed doors it's a different story.

"Training troops? What troops? Shouldn't we be winning at this point?" Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan didn't understand.

"Jieke Fan might be trying to use the Bulls' strongest defense to forge our strongest chemical reaction. That would benefit us more in the next round. And also…"

Phil Jackson paused at that point.

"Stop putting on airs and just say it." Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan cut off Phil Jackson's habitual mystifying.

The boss spoke, and the pressure king hurried to continue: "And as long as we forge the strongest chemical reaction, even if Jie Ke leaves next season, what he leaves in New York will still be a super‑strong team."

Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan was instantly moved by those words.

He really… I'm crying to death…