Chapter 566

It all started with JR Smith's arrogance, Fan Xi's response was steady. "I still don't know whether my next stop is Indiana or Miami, but no matter where I go, I will consistently pursue victory."

After the game, Fan Xi accepted an interview without discussing the next round opponent, nor did he talk about the feeling of winning this series.

To him, this is already a thing of the past.

The person who deserved a slap has already been slapped; Chicago reporters seeing him are like mice seeing a cat. The reporter named Luo Yi Luo Bo Te is now being condemned throughout Illinois; although he is now famous, his name comes from scolding and mockery.

Everyone is criticizing him for overestimating himself, daring to provoke Jieke Fan.

Bulls fans also aren't buying it; they think that if it weren't for reporter Luo Yi Luo Bo Te provoking Jieke Fan, the Knicks wouldn't have played so tenaciously, and perhaps the Chicago Bulls would have advanced instead.

The Bulls had been practicing all season how to deal with the Miami Heat Big Three, but they hadn't even gotten to use it before being eliminated by the Knicks.

"Derek Rose is a great player, his technical and tactical level is very high, he is the best at driving I have ever guarded." Fan Xi praised Derek Rose after the game.

Furthermore, he expressed concern for Rosa's injury. He also said that if Derek hadn't been injured, perhaps the Knicks wouldn't have won so easily, or perhaps Derek could have scored 50 points tonight.

Fan Xi is not the kind of person who refuses to give others a lift, but that person must be his friend. When evaluating friends, Fan Xi always gives them extremely high praise.

Fan Xi's evaluation of Rosa is very important support for Rosa and his business prospects.

Fan Xi did not mention his own super triple-double of averaging 40.2 points, 15.8 assists, and 10.8 rebounds in this playoff round; he thought there was no need to publicize it.

To Fan Xi, this was just something easy to pick up.

But this doesn't prevent La Li Bu Lang from loudly praising Fan Xi after the game, describing Fan Xi as unparalleled.

"... Although Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan is very great, I really believe that Jieke Fan's dominance over the game surpasses Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan's. What was Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan doing at the same age? Just graduated from college. Before meeting Pi Peng, Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan had never proven himself in the playoffs. But Jieke has already proven he can win championships with two different teams, and now it's the third."

La Li Bu Lang brought up this topic at the United Center arena. He was hyping Fan Xi, wanting to make this series' victory more legitimate.

But the next day, the media only covered La Li Bu Lang's remarks with a relatively small amount of space.

It is obvious that before Fan Xi gained an overwhelming advantage, the NBA's number one basketball player was Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan, unshakable.

This involves many non-basketball factors.

Of course, purely from a basketball perspective, Fan Xi still has some distance from Qiao Dan's achievements.

…

As the Knicks eliminated the Bulls with a 4：1 record, they became the first team to advance to the Eastern and Western Conference finals.

The Knicks will return to New York for a break of at least five days.

The tenacious Indiana Pacers miraculously tied the series at 2-3, although Miami still held match point, but playing an extra game for the Knicks means an extra rest.

Moreover, the situation in the Western Conference semifinals is also tense.

They each took their home court, and they will play the Pivotal Game.

Compared to the clear situation in the Eastern Conference finals, the four Western Conference teams now look relatively balanced. Before the series, people thought the Clippers were the relatively weaker team, but now they have clearly pushed the Houston Rockets into a corner.

If they eliminate the Houston Rockets, who finished first in the regular season, then regardless of whether they face the Spurs or the Thunder next, they will have an advantage, as they had a better record against those two teams in the regular season.

The rise of the Kuaisuan was beyond anyone's expectation; when Fan Xi, Nowitzki, Butler and other core starters left the team, everyone said the Kuaisuan was done, and that next season they could only compete for the number one pick.

But now, the Kuaisuan have made the Rockets' Big Three tremble.

The first night after Fan Xi returned to New York, he sat in front of the TV watching the Rockets' home game against the Kuaisuan.

In this game, the Kuaisuan had firm control of the initiative from the start.

The Rockets' offensive rhythm was severely disrupted, James Harden facing Leonard's sticky defense still couldn't find a good solution, although he could get some calls. But Leonard still chopped up his offensive rhythm into pieces.

He is not yet strong enough to ignore defense.

TNT commentators all favored the Kuaisuan to win the Pivotal Game, even though this is the Rockets' home court, and even though the home whistle tonight is still a bit strict.

"If the Rockets lose this game, they will have even less chance to win in Los Angeles. This means their Big Three rebuild has failed; they originally built this team to deal with the Los Angeles Kuaisuan that has Jieke Fan. But now they can't even handle the Kuaisuan without Jieke Fan."

Kenny Smith's words were somewhat direct: "If they don't choose to cling to Jieke's thigh, they might never win a championship in their lifetime."

That remark is cruel.

But it is a fact.

If the Houston Rockets can't break out of the West this season, they will never be able to break out of the West. They are already at their peak… perhaps James Harden will still grow further. But will the Kuaisuan not grow? Leonard is still far from reaching his limit, and there's also the Greek freak Giannis, who is increasingly showing a tendency to become a new bug in the NBA.

Moreover, with Fan Xi's return added to this already terrifying roster, can the Rockets still have a chance? Where is the hope for other teams?

Chris Paul has already played for almost ten years; although as a point guard who relies on his brain, his career will be long. But how much longer can his peak last?

Paul is the most anxious person.

So, in front of the TV, Fan Xi saw Paul frequently displaying his "dirty" like Rubio, covertly clawing people, elbow strikes never stopping.

Paul is very much like those guards from the 80s and 90s; he has a strong competitive spirit, a crafty and tough style, and he likes to use these dirty moves to achieve the goal of making opponents fearful.

This is his way of survival.

Actually, there are not few such players in the NBA; many do even worse than Paul.

But when Fan Xi saw Leonard fall to the ground during the third quarter, he became furious.

At that moment, Leonard used a spin move to get past Harden, then launched a fadeaway jumper; Paul came in from the side and gave Leonard an elbow strike.

This elbow strike not only distorted Leonard's technical motion; when he landed, he also failed to control his body, his left foot stepping on Harden's instep, twisting it at that moment, and his body slammed hard onto the floor.

Then Fan Xi saw Leonard clutching his ankle and letting out a sound of pain.

Fan Xi jumped up violently.

He was furious.

TNT's slow-motion replay clearly showed the whole process of Paul's "crime."

But the main referee actually only gave him a regular foul.

Leonard was helped up by the team doctor, after a simple check he was put on a stretcher and taken away.

At that moment, the Rockets' home court erupted in cheers.

They finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Leonard had brought them too much pressure in the past four games.

Leonard is the defensive core of the Kuaisuan; La Li Bu Lang's defensive strategies are mostly built around him, and on offense he also takes charge of the power game.

Now, he left after being injured.

His task could only be given to the inexperienced Yannis.

What made Fan Xi even angrier was that, on TV, he saw Paul smiling on the Rockets' bench. This guy had a baby face, and his smile gave an impression of innocence. But at this moment, Fan Xi felt extremely nauseous.

He was extremely angry.

He immediately called the team leader, demanding the best treatment and examination for Leonard.

Under his questioning, the team leader gave him some bad news: Leonard's injury might not be just to his ankle; his knee was likely injured as well.

This left Fan Xi's heart hanging in midair.

His disgust toward Paul reached its peak; he hated players who intended to ruin others' careers.

So he turned off the TV and wrote on his personal webpage: "This is a crime! It should not appear on a basketball court, let alone on an idol player."

Fan Xi's post attracted tens of thousands of replies, with everyone criticizing Paul.

Paul's malicious defense this time was obvious; he had previously made many similar moves, but this time the harmful consequences were enormous.

Amid the furious outcry, one comment quickly racked up countless likes: "If Paul uses this despicable trick to reach the finals, Jie Ke, please be sure to punish him severely!"

Fan Xi saw this comment.

He did not respond, but he etched it deeply into his memory.

…