Chapter 581: I'm Not Trying to Challenge Jordan

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

The final showdown has arrived.

Fan Xi walked onto the court, James followed to his side; he didn't rely on others, he knew what Fan Xi was going to do, and Fan Xi also knew what he was going to do.

Fan Xi used a counter-run to find space, received the ball from JR Smith's hands, then he slowly dribbled past half court.

Fan Xi stopped at the top of the three-point arc.

"I'll take you down, I'll win this game. You can't stop me, Jie Ke, I'm already unstoppable!"

James, standing in front of Fan Xi, spoke with absolute certainty: "Now is the true moment to decide the outcome, Jie Ke; your miracle is over."

Fan Xi didn't expect James to suddenly unleash his trash-talking ability at this moment, his fighting spirit bursting forth so wildly.

Good, indeed he has entered a new realm.

Entering the ruling echelon of the basketball world.

"You've grown, I'm happy. But don't get too happy." Fan Xi said, smiling at James. "I'll finish you off, then block you."

Left or right?

Fan Xi asked James.

In the conversation, time flew by; soon the Knicks' offensive time was compressed to only seconds left.

At this moment, James began to apply pressure.

But while James was applying pressure, Fan Xi suddenly launched, to the left…!

Fan Xi stepped out with his right foot in a fierce move; James closely followed, retreating, but just as James retreated, at this extremely dangerous moment, Fan Xi made a shooting motion.

James hurriedly pressed forward.

But just as James spread his arms, Fan Xi lowered his waist and changed direction, directly bowing to Buddha!

James never expected it; he never imagined Fan Xi would still play such a trick in that split second.

This isn't just bold, it's recklessly audacious!!

As Fan Xi swiftly passed James, in that instant he leapt and shot… right beside James, but James was powerless to turn his body; he's not a black mamba, lacking that agility.

He watched helplessly as Fan Xi released the shot.

When Fan Xi's ball swished through the net, the offensive time expired.

Swish!

The ball swished through the net.

The Knicks took the lead.

At the same time, Fan Xi left James only. seconds.

This time isn't even enough for an ordinary shooter to release a shot.

This shot can be described as skillful and daring; who would have thought Fan Xi would dare to make such a flashy move with only five seconds left?

One careless move, and you'll suffer ruin and disgrace.

But Fan Xi isn't afraid.

Fan Xi has chips.

James called a timeout. The court technicians also made a time correction, confirming there were still. seconds left; the difference isn't big.

As James left the court, he asked Fan Xi: "Aren't you afraid of overreaching yourself?"

Fan Xi said: "No fear. Even if I lose, I've already secured an away win. I can afford to lose, I can afford to play, LeBron, can you play?"

Fan Xi asked James.

James didn't respond; he walked toward the bench.

The Heat were about to set up their final tactics.

At this moment, the whole world marveled, marveling at Fan Xi's clever shot.

"This is absolutely art! God's art! Jieke's buzzer-beating execution is perfect to the extreme; it's a perfect blend of skill, talent, and wisdom, it has let the world's fans see what it means to dance on the tip of a blade. LeBron pushed his defense to the extreme, yet he still lost. Because Fan Xi represents God!"

Kenny Smith shouted on TV: "Heavenly God!! Jieke Fan Xi!!"

Sitting beside him, Bill Walton also spouted crazy flattery, shouting: "This is one of the greatest images in basketball history—not only because Jieke perfectly designed this flashy buzzer-beater, but also because he scored it over LeBron James's head. A great shot needs a great showdown. I think Jordan lacked such a great showdown back then."

"Who was the second-greatest shooting guard of Jordan's era? Drexler—he's actually not bad, but in this era he doesn't even reach Roy's level. I don't mean to offend the glider, he really falls short."

"If Jordan were here now, facing the siege of Kobe, LeBron, Durant, and Fan Xi, could he still become a god?"

Bill Walton was saying some rebellious words.

This made Barkley angry. He said: "Michael's greatness comes from far surpassing everyone else. Put him in this era, and he'd make LeBron, Kobe, Jieke Fan, and Durant fade into obscurity!!"

Barkley staunchly upheld Michael's orthodox as the Basketball God.

But Jordan, in front of the TV, himself thought this was difficult…

What Fan Xi just displayed with that ball is the realm of the divine.

Jordan naturally thought he could do it too, and often could. But wanting to suppress Fan Xi's divine realm with his own divine realm is also difficult.

He agreed with part of Bill Walton's view, but he believed that even in this era, he could still make those superstar perimeter players—Fan Xi, James, Kobe, Wade, Carmelo, Durant—lower than himself.

If he didn't have this spirit, what would he be as the Basketball God?

For Jordan now, the more important thing is… will the Heat win in the last two seconds or so, can James lock down the home victory?

Jordan hopes the Heat win.

But he also feels that if he strongly wishes for the Heat to win, it might cause them to lose. This is a kind of magnetic field, which Jordan strongly believes exists.

Because those who reach the extreme in a field often face backlash—like Pelé, and like his own draft judgment.

People gain something, and inevitably lose something.

So, Jordan is now in great pain.

…

James was also torn.

Spoelstra had arranged two tactics for him, and he was thinking.

This is the difference between him and Fan Xi.

At the crucial moment, Fan Xi simply didn't need the head coach; he could arrange things clearly on his own.

James still needed the coach's assistance.

After James thought it over repeatedly, he chose the second tactic.

Beep!

The whistle blew.

The final showdown arrived.

The camera swept over Meihangzhongxin qiuguan, many Heat fans began to put their palms together, they were praying, they prayed for a miracle, they prayed that James or some other Heat player could create a miracle.

2.3 seconds, a very short time.

Is it a miracle, or resignation?

Even El Johnson held his breath on TV, and even more people held their breath in front of the TV.

The Heat had set their positions on the court, and Fan Xi closely followed James's steps.

James was sprinting fast, cutting to the interior, while Haslem was stationed outside to inbound the ball.

Fan Xi pursued relentlessly.

At this moment, everyone began to predict whether James would attempt an alley-oop inside the paint to finish with a clincher.

Because when James entered the paint, Camby came over to set a screen for him.

At the same time, Haslem quickly threw the ball over.

James burst out of the paint, using Camby to get around the defense; he was in an absolutely safe spot, a visual blind spot.

As it looked like he was about to receive the ball, Fan Xi suddenly darted around behind Camby, and his hand was extremely swift.

He jumped up.

Haslem's pass wasn't very high.

Fan Xi's hand and James's hand went for the ball at the same time.

James's hand was longer.

But Fan Xi's judgment was a bit more precise; his hand slapped the ball first, and he slammed it down hard.

He, nearly flying sideways, could do nothing else and fell hard face-first onto the floor.

The ball hit the ground and then bounced up.

James quickly grabbed the ball and shot rapidly, but just before he released, the red light came on and a urgent electronic buzzer sounded throughout the arena.

Swish!

The ball went into the basket.

Meihangzhongxin qiuguan erupted instantly.

James also excitedly raised his fist.

But the head referee did not announce the score.

Because all the Knicks players nearby were waving their hands, signaling that the score was invalid.

James hurriedly pressured the head referee, thinking the ball didn't need to be reviewed.

He hoped to just call it a done deal.

But the technicians had already pulled up the video, and the television began to replay it.

Fan Xi's flying slap was just right; he accurately judged the ball's trajectory, while everyone expected James to finish with an alley-oop in the paint, he judged that James would go to that safe delta. Then, he threw himself forward without regard for his own safety, his hand first touched the ball, letting time run… the ball was slapped to the ground… and bounced up, consuming over a second; James, in his panic, grabbed the ball and shot again, but it was already too late.

When the whistle blew, the ball was still in his two hands' control.

The frozen frame showed that when the ball was released, the game had already ended by about 1.5 seconds.

There was no doubt.

The head referee announced the score invalid.

The Knicks defeated the Heat.

They laughed last.

Fan Xi's one offense and one defense in the final moments once again revealed his heroic nature.

He is the league's number one.

He once again took two crucial victories at Meihangzhongxin qiuguan; here he has never lost.

When JR Smith and Josh Smith rushed over and hoisted him up, he was like a king inspecting his newly conquered territory.

Miami fans looked dejected.

James stood aside, still unable to believe why his shot didn't count as a buzzer-beater.

It was off by just a little.

Actually, the league often lets mistakes stand.

Sometimes they deliberately let time run a bit slower.

But this time, James was very unlucky.

Actually, if Wade had previously scored without stepping on the line, the Heat might very well not have lost; the chain of reactions would not have occurred.

But the game is like that, just like life, full of twists of fate.

The Heat were unlucky.

Spoelstra, with both hands cupping his face when the head referee announced the basket invalid, was overcome with sorrow and despair.

Losing again to Fan Xi, although he's grown accustomed, his heart still can't help but plunge wildly into the abyss.

Who would have thought the Knicks would win two games on the road? Who would have thought the Eastern Conference's first seed would lose to the seventh seed? Jieke Fan said before the playoffs began that he would win the championship, and how many people laughed at him. Now… will anyone still think that was just bragging?

Kenny Smith said on TV in an arrogant manner, he is Fan Xi's spokesperson. He said arrogantly: "I believe Fan Xi is naturally a match for LeBron; LeBron can dominate everything in the regular season, but in the finals, sorry, James can never pose a real threat to Jieke."

"I think LeBron is already a historic-level superstar, but he cannot compare to Jieke Fan."

Smith was smug, displaying the posture of a victor.

Bill Walton also marveled at Fan Xi's strength.

Only Barkley, he inexplicably felt down. He knew that if Fan Xi wins the championship again this year, the Basketball God in basketball history would have to appear in a tie.

But Fan Xi is still playing; this is only his fourth season, and he will eventually surpass Jordan.

Even Jordan has now realized this fact; he thought to himself: "Alright! This is the era of Fan Xi!"

After the great ups and downs, his mood began to return to calm.

He could not help but accept this fact; when Fan Xi once again won a road victory, he obtained: the lead.

When he saw Wei De being helped off by his teammates, he thought: Miami's fate is exhausted. The Knicks' victory will be a foregone conclusion, possibly even a sweep, and the Eastern Finals may never return to Miami.

Jordan began to feel regret.

At that moment, the Meihangzhongxin qiuguan underwent some changes.

When Fan Xi prepared to go to the sidelines to accept an interview, the arena's depressed atmosphere suddenly showed some strange changes, and scattered shouts of "mv! mv! mv!" actually appeared in the arena.

At first, it was Fan Xi's fans hiding in the corners, plucking up courage to shout.

Later, some Heat fans also joined in.

The TNT reporter, keeping up with the times, asked Fan Xi: "Have you ever thought that you would receive cheers tonight in Miami?"

Fan Xi shrugged his shoulders and said with a smile: "This shows that Miami is coming to understand basketball more and more; this is the meaning of my constantly coming to Miami to play ball. This is the reward for my four years!"

Fan Xi spoke gently, yet with an overbearing aura.

What a great educator—educating the opposing fans, making them shout "mv".

In NBA history, how many people could achieve that?

"Tonight you scored a super triple-double with points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks, and you also completed the final buzzer-beating attack, and you destroyed LeBron's final offensive play. How many points would you give yourself tonight?"

"Points!" Fan Xi said.

"Why not points?" the reporter asked.

"Save the points for the finals." Fan Xi confidently raised his eyebrows.

The reporter hurriedly asked: "Jieke, if you continue to win this year's championship, in your four-year career you will have swept the NBA championship trophies; do you think your achievement of winning four championships with three teams in your first four seasons could challenge Michael Jordan's two three-peats?"

"First, I don't discuss hypotheticals. Second, I have already won four championships in my four-year career; you cannot count the London Olympics men's basketball gold medal of that year. Finally, this question is meaningless."

"Because I am not trying to challenge Michael Jordan; I want to completely surpass him!"

Fan Xi, in front of the camera, proclaimed his declaration with a resonant, powerful voice: "I will not give anyone room to doubt."

…