Chapter 569: What's wrong with dreaming?

However, the disappointing thing for them was that after the second quarter began, Fan Xi did not make any changes. Although Amar'e Stoudemire, JR Smith, Steve Nash, Prince, etc. appeared in succession, the core logic of the game remained unchanged.

Kuaisuan was still being fiercely attacked by Fan Xi.

Fan Xi was maximizing his "heat efficiency," appearing so conservative it was as if he had swapped brains with Larry Brown.

The Heat also found it strange; the chaotic battle they had expected did not arrive.

They were still able to maintain their lead with familiar coordination, although in the middle of the second quarter, JR Smith hit consecutive three-pointers and Amar'e Stoudemire repeatedly received assists from Fan Xi to inflict damage in the paint, tying the score, but after they adjusted their lineup, they quickly built up a lead again.

The second quarter ended.

:.

The Heat led by points.

Fan Xi's scoring in this quarter slightly decreased, but he had several more assists.

At halftime, he recorded points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks.

His personal stats were very impressive.

However, the team remained under the shadow of Miami, with the Miami Heat Big Three firmly in control of the initiative.

"No way, this is a sitting duck strategy—why isn't Jieke Fan the slightest bit anxious? This is boiling a frog in warm water!" Kenny Smith shouted loudly on TV.

He seemed to be trying to remind Fan Xi on the court by speaking loudly.

Magic Johnson was also puzzled; he didn't understand why Fan Xi still wasn't changing tactics—this wasn't like Fan Xi, who is usually decisive and versatile.

Charles Barkley said: "Perhaps Jie Ke just wants to figure out the Miami Heat Big Three's system tonight, and incidentally get his career playoff scoring record."

"For Jie Ke, even if he doesn't win the championship this season, it won't affect his historical standing. This season has already been a success for him—he had the highest single-game score in regular-season history and the first ever super quintuple-double. In the playoffs, he has led weak teams to successively defeat their same-city rivals and Eastern powerhouses. If he then puts up superstar numbers against the Miami Heat Big Three and refreshes the historical record..."

"For him, this season has already been the one that continues to elevate his historical standing."

Barkley thought so.

From a worldly perspective, his idea is definitely correct.

Miami also hopes Fan Xi thinks that way; if Fan Xi merely wants to break the playoff scoring record, they are willing to accept it.

Although this is equally embarrassing, under the lure of the championship, it is a loss that can be allowed to happen.

But they fear that behind Fan Xi's laid-back attitude lies a huge conspiracy.

On the way back to the locker room, Wade and James kept exchanging opinions. They both thought the Knicks were abnormal, and Fan Xi was abnormal.

"Could Jie Ke think he can take us down by his own strength alone?" Wade found it unbelievable.

He could not understand Fan Xi's behavior.

If it were any other star doing this, he would make a positive judgment, judging that this guy really wants to score high and wants to control the game by himself.

But Fan Xi, he always thinks Fan Xi won't be that simple.

After years of facing each other, their mental image of Fan Xi has long been "cunning and changeful, full of tricks."

So James shook his head doubtfully and said: "I always feel Jie Ke has a conspiracy in the second half; we must pay close attention. We must expand the point difference to a sufficiently safe position in the third quarter."

Back in the locker room, James said the same thing.

Building a moat is an urgent task for the Heat.

Only then can they respond to all changes with constancy.

Currently, they only lead by points, which is not enough to guarantee their safety. In James's mind, to cope with Fan Xi's sudden attack, they need at least a lead of points to be safe.

This is the experience he has accumulated over many years of facing Fan Xi.

At the same time, Fan Xi walked into the locker room.

His teammates also looked at him bewildered, not understanding why Fan Xi played so conservatively in the first half and why he didn't go on a scoring spree.

Fan Xi did not appear to have everything under control; facing this Heat team, there was really no room for clever shortcuts.

All they could do was to play first, control the point difference in the steadiest way, wait for them to show a loophole, and then crush them in one fell swoop.

But the Heat played too tightly; their several substitutions never gave Fan Xi a chance to seize an opportunity.

So Fan Xi could only respond in this way.

Fan Xi told his teammates: "Now we are exchanging fire with a lion pride; we can only face them head-on, we cannot act rashly and expose our backs. We must seek a favorable environment, then launch an attack; we must establish a favorable positional area on the court before we can launch a full-scale offensive."

Fan Xi is very conservative.

Facing the lion pride, one must be more patient than the lion pride.

This is completely different from when he faced the Bulls; in Chicago, Fan Xi frequently changed lineups, constantly tried out tactics, and successfully wore down the Bulls.

But facing the Heat, who have the Three Giants and a lineup with no weaknesses, frequently changing lineups would only expose their own weaknesses more quickly.

After all, the Heat are not a team where defense outweighs offense like the Bulls; the Heat are a team balanced in offense and defense, and their fast break is first in the league.

Fan Xi's conservatism made his teammates' expressions solemn.

They were all anxious inside; at this moment, everyone wanted to step up to help Fan Xi and become the Knicks' stable second pillar. They believed that as long as they could step up and output steadily, with Fan Xi's intelligence, they could soon revitalize the situation.

The atmosphere in the locker room was somewhat silent.

But this silence was not the silence of a disintegrating morale.

Rather, it was the silence before a storm brews, the silence before a frenzied eruption.

Beep!

The whistle sounded.

The second half of the game began.

Larry Brown used the starting lineup, except he substituted JR Smith at the shooting guard position.

Miami simply continued with their starting lineup unchanged.

Wade dribbled past halfcourt and passed it to James on the wing.

Josh Smith was still defending.

In the first half, James frequently bullied Smith; he stepped forward, cut through the defense with a sudden change of direction, then powered forward with his strong body… this time, Smith stepped up to block him, forcibly withstanding James's body.

James charged two steps but couldn't shake off, he made a sudden stop, then turned.

As he turned, his elbow made a foul move.

Josh Smith fell backward following the momentum.

He fell very convincingly, more convincingly than e's those wrestlers.

Beep!

The head referee frowned and blew the whistle, calling an offensive foul on James.

This is an indisputable call, although it will draw boos from the crowd.

After the whistle blew, Josh Smith crawled up, gritting his teeth.

Fan Xi bumped fists with him, concernedly asking about his condition.

He said he was fine, went to the baseline and passed the basketball to Fan Xi.

Smith is a tough player; during his Hawks era he was all over the court, his play aggressive. Although his technique is rough, his spirit is ample.

He has always wanted a championship.

But he has never achieved it.

Now he sees some hope of victory, he will give everything to strive for it.

Fan Xi dribbled past half court.

He came to the top of the arc, about to attack.

Kevin Garnett suddenly turned his back, he tightly blocked Ke Li Si Bo Shen, reaching for the ball.

This is an excellent position.

Fan Xi glanced, feigned a drive to draw defense then passed the ball over.

And he himself quickly moved without the ball to that side.

This caused James to shift his attention, not coming to help defend in time. Kevin Garnett used nimble footwork to spin past Bosh, drove to the basket, and slammed the ball with one hand into the hoop.

After scoring, he let out a loud roar.

He is a player brimming with passion.

He is igniting the Knicks' passion.

He is also igniting his own inner passion.

Many say the Boston Celtics superficially fell to the Lakers, but were actually annihilated by the James-led Heat. Thus the Three Giants went separate ways, Ray Allen even defected to Miami.

Garnett harbors resentment toward James.

This resentment has nowhere to vent; sometimes he even thinks: forget it.

Because he himself knows his age is already old, and the strength gap with James will only grow larger.

Just thinking about it is despairing.

Joakim Noah offended him, he gathered his courage to contend, because he still has some confidence.

But James destroyed his Boston dream, he can only show a resigned emotion.

But now, when he meets James again in the Eastern Conference Finals. Although he is no longer the media's focus, on the court he also does not receive the same tactical attention as before.

But deep inside, there still burns a flame, whose name is: maybe.

Maybe, could bring James down.

Jie Ke can bring the game to this point, he can stabilize the declining trend, I should also contribute my strength.

Perhaps, I am just lacking this portion of strength.

Garnett's roar is very infectious.

His ability to render emotion is strong.

When he was in Boston, his roar footage was the opening ritual for every home game.

This emotional contagion ability quickly showed up on defense.

Fan Xi closely guarded Wade, JR Smith chased Ray Allen like a mad dog. Smith also wrestled with James, Garnett kept Ke Li Si Bo Shen in an uncomfortable rhythm, Tyson Chandler roamed the paint like a hawk.

James launched a drive, then passed to Wade; under Fan Xi's defense, Wade's feint failed, he passed to Ray Allen.

Ray Allen shot… boom!

Missed.

The rebound was grabbed by Tyson Chandler.

Passed to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi quickly down, the Heat's transition defense speed is extremely fast, they quickly formed a defensive line on the arc's side wing.

But Fan Xi dove in headfirst.

The Heat's defense contracted, Fan Xi saw an opening, he passed the ball to Garnett who had come to the top of the three-point line; Garnett turned his back, blocked Ray Allen, and passed the ball to JR Smith.

Smith jumped up and shot… swish!

Three-pointer made.

The Knicks' deficit instantly shrank to points.

Two successful defenses, two successful offenses.

Fan Xi participated somewhat, but his involvement was not high.

Spoelstra stood on the sideline, his expression a bit unnatural, because this exceeded his expectations. Yet it was also within his expectations. Because any coach cannot expect the opposing role players to contribute nothing.

So, he hesitated whether to call a timeout to adjust; he didn't know if this was a sudden flash of inspiration or already become routine.

After all, this burst has little to do with Fan Xi.

When Wade received the ball past half court, he suppressed the urge to call a timeout.

Wade controlled the tempo, he and Marcus Camby set a screen, then drove to the free-throw line, pull-up jump shot… swish!

Steady the formation.

After switching sides, Fan Xi and Jian Nei Te set a screen, drove into the paint, passed to Yue Shi Shi Mi Si, who shot...... Bang! Missed.

Jian Nei Te drove into the paint, slapped the ball away, Fan Xi caught it, feinted a shot, stepped in, and sank a layup.

The game seemed to return to the pace of the first half.

At least that's how it appeared.

Then, Spoelstra's heightened emotions began to gradually subside.

The game also unfolded as he had judged, with the Hot Fire's Three Giants performing here.

On that side, Fan Xi tried more, but overall he was still the main focus.

Fan Xi's shooting percentage fluctuated high and low, maintaining a dynamic balance.

Miami's side was the same.

They also played very cautiously, even though James proposed to establish a scoring moat in the third quarter. But when the Knicks' offense began at the start of the third quarter, it frightened him into a cold sweat.

They also began to prioritize stability.

Furthermore, they clearly felt that the Knicks' defensive intensity had increased compared to the first half, and the increase was more than just a notch.

Based on this situation.

At the end of the third quarter.

The home-team Hot Fire led by only: points.

Even trailing by more points than in the first half.

When they came off, people saw Fan Xi walking toward James.

Fan Xi had a smile on his face, looking quite happy.

Fan Xi said to James: 'Le Bu Lang, if we win this game, will your pressure become unprecedentedly large?'

James said: 'No, because you can't win.'

Fan Xi smiled and said: 'I feel that the outcome between us is only a moment away. If we win this game, we will more easily win the next game. And if we consecutively win two away games, you might be swept by us.'

Fan Xi spoke very calmly and confidently.

But if others heard this, they would surely think it was Arabian Nights, the talk of a dreamer.

Everyone knows the Hot Fire's strength far surpasses the Knicks', and many believe the Hot Fire can sweep the Knicks.

And no one predicts the Knicks sweeping the Hot Fire, unless they are crazy.

Even the most optimistic New York media only dare to say the Knicks can: defeat the Hot Fire.

Sweep

How is that possible?

But Fan Xi thinks it's possible.

Fan Xi also feels the possibility is growing.

"You're dreaming." James told Fan Xi.

He strode over with big steps toward the bench.

Fan Xi smiled.

His smile grew more confident and resolute.

What's wrong with dreaming?

Moreover, once a dream comes true, that exhilaration is unprecedented.

…