Chapter 592: with translation of chapter title

When D'Antoni watched Stephen Nash, Lin, Joe Johnson, Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler take the court as starters, he momentarily felt dazed.

Translation: When D'Antoni saw Steve Nash, Fan Xi, Joe Johnson, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler walk onto the court as starters, he momentarily felt dazed.

We need to keep same meaning, not add. Use natural English.

This lineup includes three players who were once part of his staff with the Suns.

Translation: This lineup included three players who were once part of his staff with the Suns.

Tyson Chandler and Lin were also players he had long wanted to acquire.

Translation: Tyson Chandler and Fan Xi were also players he had long wanted to acquire.

Compared to the current Rockets roster, he felt more excited about the Knicks lineup.

Translation: Compared to the current Rockets lineup, he felt more excited about the Knicks lineup in his heart.

The fans at the Toyota Center were loudly cheering, shouting support for the home team while loudly booing Lin.

Translation: The fans at the Toyota Center arena were shouting loudly, cheering for the home team players while also giving Fan Xi strong boos.

For the Rockets, this is a return to the Finals after nearly 20 years, and they hope to bring the championship trophy back to Houston this time.

Translation: For the Rockets, this was a return to the Finals after nearly 20 years, and they hoped to keep the championship trophy in Houston this time.

Although one of their current stars, Chris Paul, was sitting on the bench in a suit, pre‑game interviews showed they were full of confidence, believing the Knicks had bigger problems.

Translation: Although one of their current stars, Chris Paul, was sitting courtside in a suit, the pre-game interview showed they were full of confidence, believing the Knicks had bigger problems.

Both ESPN and TNT are broadcasting this game.

Translation: ESPN and TNT both broadcast this game.

But the two channels have opposing views; ESPN, as usual, sides against Lin and firmly believes the Rockets have a higher chance of winning the championship.

Translation: But the two channels had completely different views on the game; ESPN, as usual, took a stance against Fan Xi, firmly believing the Rockets had a higher chance of winning the championship.

TNT, thanks to Kenny Smith being a die‑hard Lin fan, takes a stance favoring the Knicks.

Translation: TNT, because it had Kenny Smith, a die-hard Fan Xi fan, leaned toward the Knicks side.

The Rockets' starting lineup tonight is James Harden, Beverley, Parsons, Howard, and Asik.

Translation: The Rockets' starting lineup tonight was James Harden, Beverly, Parsons, Howard, and Asik.

In terms of roster, the sides are evenly matched, and the Knicks even have a slightly bigger name recognition.

Translation: In terms of lineup, the two sides were evenly matched, and the Knicks side even had a slightly greater reputation.

The whistle blew.

Translation: The whistle blew.

The jump ball is between Tyson Chandler and Howard.

Translation: The jump ball was between Tyson Chandler and Howard.

Chandler wins the tip by a slight edge and taps the ball to Nash.

Translation: Chandler won by a slight edge and tipped the ball to Nash.

Nash didn't hesitate, he accelerated and rushed upcourt. Before the Rockets players could get set, the speedy Stephen Nash launched from the three‑point line… catching Beverley off guard.

Translation: Nash hesitated not at all, sped up, and rushed to the frontcourt. Before the Rockets players could get into position, the lightning-fast youth Stephen Nash launched directly from the three-point line… catching Beverly off guard.

Swish!

Translation: Swish!

Three‑pointer made.

Translation: Three-pointer made.

Nash's decisiveness startled the Rockets.

Translation: Nash's decisiveness startled the Rockets.

At that moment, the usually modest Nash also called out to Stoudemire in the paint: "Amaré, watch this—I'll show you how to win a championship."

Translation: At that moment, the usually modest and humble Nash also shouted to Stoudemire in the paint: "Amar'e, watch closely—I'll show you how to win a championship."

Nash was feeling proud and youthful, like an old man expressing youthful vigor.

Translation: Nash was elated, the old man expressing youthful vigor.

After all, he's won a championship before. Two years ago with the Clippers he was still in his prime, and at that time he was one of Lin's right‑hand men; this season he's kept a low profile, focusing on conserving energy.

Translation: After all, he had won a championship before. Two years ago, with the Clippers, he was still in his prime, and at that time he was one of Fan Xi's left and right arms; this season he has been much lower-key… focusing on conserving energy.

Now, having reached the Finals, he got a starting opportunity and immediately sprang into action.

Translation: Now, having reached the Finals, he got a starting opportunity and immediately sprang into action.

Stoudemire happily ran over and gave Nash a high‑five in response.

Translation: Stoudemire happily ran over and gave Nash a high-five in response.

This year has been a banner year for him—he won the scoring title and made the Finals. Although he didn't contribute much in the two Eastern Conference series, now that the Finals are back in the West, he believes he can have a big impact.

Translation: This year is a bumper year for his career; he won the scoring title and advanced to the Finals. Although he didn't make much impact in the two Eastern Conference series rounds, now that the Finals have returned to the West, he believes he can really make a difference.

Watching Nash and Stoudemire on the court, full of confidence, D'Antoni on the sideline felt a bit dazed. This was a scene he had once imagined—bringing Nash and Stoudemire, his two beloved players, to the Finals. Now they have arrived, albeit separately, and they must face each other as opponents to decide the victor.

Translation: Watching Nash and Stoudemire on the court full of springtime vigor, D'Antoni on the sideline felt a bit dazed. This was a scene he had once imagined—he had pictured bringing Nash and Stoudemire, his two beloved players, into the Finals. But now, they had made it, only separately, and they would have to face each other as opponents to decide the winner.

Turning back, James Harden took control of the pace while Lin went to guard him.

Translation: Turning back, James Harden controlled the pace, while Fan Xi went to guard him.

The two matched up again, and their history could fill a book… Harden may never forget the London Olympics, when his then‑fiancée tied herself up…

Translation: The two matched up again, and their grudges and grievances could fill a book… Harden might never forget the London Olympics. His fiancée at the time had bound herself up….

Now, meeting again in the Finals, Harden believes he has achieved equal standing with Lin.

Translation: Now, meeting again in the Finals, Harden believed he had achieved equal standing with Fan Xi.

Now he is no longer the little brother behind Durant and Westbrook; he is the absolute core of the Western champion, a signature Adidas star second only to Rose, he has his own signature shoe, his own loyal fan base, and is regarded as one of the league's top five players.

Translation: Now, he is no longer the little brother behind Durant and Westbrook; he is the absolute core of the Western champions, a signature star for Adidas second only to Rose, he has his own signature shoe, he has his own loyal fan base, and he is regarded as one of the top five in the league.

Therefore, he wants to take Lin on one‑on‑one.

Translation: So, he wants to go one-on-one against Fan Xi.

This is his obsession.

Translation: This is his obsession.

He lowered his body, dropped his center of gravity, and carefully made a change of direction in front of Lin, his moves finely chopped like a skilled rapper syncopating a beat, laying down the flow.

Translation: He bent his body, lowered his center of gravity, and carefully made crossover moves in front of Fan Xi, his actions finely subdivided, like a skilled rapper cutting up musical beats, laying down flow.

Lin kept his eyes locked on him.

Translation: Fan Xi kept his eyes locked on him.

Lin's gaze was sharp, his mind worked extremely fast, and he knew he couldn't let Harden find confidence right at the start.

Translation: Fan Xi's gaze was sharp, his brain worked extremely fast, and he knew he must not let Harden find confidence right at the start.

Time was flying by.

Translation: Time was swiftly passing.

James Harden deliberately exposed a gap to lure Lin into overcommitting, then made a sharp probing step, his body lunging forward explosively… at that moment his penetration rhythm resembled a peak Arenas, his calves bursting with power while his upper body strength was terrifying.

Translation: James Harden deliberately exposed a weakness to lure Fan Xi into overcommitting, then he made a sharp Probe Step, his body explosively lunging forward… At that moment his breakthrough rhythm resembled peak-era Arenas, his calves brimming with explosive power while his upper-body strength was terrifying.

But when he took his first step, Lin didn't get shaken off; instead he stuck even tighter, and Harden realized he'd been fooled.

Translation: But when he took his first step, Fan Xi not only didn't get shaken off, he stuck even closer like a shadow, and Harden realized he had been tricked.

He quickly slammed on the brakes, using his initial advantage to shift direction abruptly.

Translation: He quickly made a sudden stop, hit the brakes, and, taking advantage of his initial edge, swiftly changed direction.

Furthermore, he executed a strange rhythm split, stepping back while changing direction, making it look like he'd taken two steps back.

Translation: Furthermore, he made an odd rhythm split, retreating while changing direction, making it look as if he had stepped back two steps.

He's always good at doing these things.

Translation: He always excels at doing these things.

Then he leapt and released the shot, believing the distance was already safe enough.

Translation: Then he jumped and shot, believing the distance was already safe enough.

Moreover, he didn't think Lin could close that gap in such a split second, given that the defense was already at a disadvantage.

Translation: Moreover, he didn't believe Fan Xi could catch up in such a fleeting instant, and defense was inherently at a disadvantage.

Unless he could anticipate the move and foresee the future.

Translation: Unless, he could foresee the first move and predict the future.

When James Harden released the shot, he was very confident, believing Lin couldn't track his trajectory because it was a spur‑of‑the‑moment decision.

Translation: When James Harden released the shot, he was very confident, not thinking Fan Xi could capture his trajectory, since he himself had decided on the spur of the moment.

But at the instant he released the ball, it flew from his fingertips.

Translation: But at the moment he shot, the basketball flew from his fingertips.

A looming figure descended, a huge shadow swallowing Harden whole.

Translation: A figure came looming large, a huge shadow directly enveloping Harden.

How could that be?

Translation: How could that be?

When a massive hand came down.

Translation: When a massive palm came down.

Bam!

Translation: Bam!

The ball Harden shot was tipped by Lin's fingertips, instantly altering its trajectory—it floated up a bit then quickly plummeted down.

Translation: The basketball Harden launched was touched by Fan Xi's fingertip, instantly altering its trajectory, it flew upward a moment then swiftly fell down.

After landing, Lin sprinted forward and grabbed the ball.

Translation: After landing, Fan Xi strode forward and grabbed the ball.

Harden remained stunned: "Jack actually predicted my shot path? How is that possible? I didn't even think of doing that when I started my move."

Translation: Harden was still in shock: "Jie Ke actually predicted my shot path? How is that possible? I didn't even think of doing that when I started."

He felt incredulous.

Translation: He felt incredulous.

But Lin's mouth curled into a faint smile.

Translation: But Fan Xi's mouth curled into a faint smile.

"Jack set a trap in advance. Each of his defensive moves was designed to lure Harden into his defensive zone; from the start he intended to make Harden take a step‑back jumper. This is a perfect defensive trap."

Translation: "Jie Ke set an ambush in advance. Each of his defensive steps was meant to lure Harden into his defensive zone; from the start he intended to make Harden take a step-back jumper. This is a perfect defensive trap."

NBA‑renowned defender Gary Payton sat on TNT's commentary desk, praising Lin without end, saying: "People should reflect on why Jack wasn't selected to the first‑team defense this year. Jack Lin has many genius‑level defensive ideas; only those who truly understand defense know how he sets it up."

Translation: NBA renowned defensive player Gary Payton sat on TNT's commentary desk, praising Fan Xi without end, saying: "People should reflect on why Jie Ke wasn't selected to the first defensive team this year. Jieke Fan has many genius-level defensive ideas; only those who truly understand defense know how he set it up."

Gary Payton is qualified to say that.

Translation: Gary Payton is qualified to say that.

The man nicknamed "the Glove" has a glorious résumé. He was the first guard ever named Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All‑Defensive First Team for nine straight seasons. He is among the greatest defensive guards in NBA history and is widely regarded as the best defensive point guard ever, with no equal.

Translation: The man nicknamed "Glove" has a glorious record. He is the first guard in history to be selected as Defensive Player of the Year, and also made the All-Defensive First Team for nine consecutive seasons. He is one of the strongest defensive guards in NBA history, and is widely recognized as the strongest defensive point guard in NBA history, bar none.

He came to give this explanation, just right.

Although he does not admit that Fan Xi is greater than Jordan.

But this does not prevent him from giving the highest evaluation to Fan Xi's defense this time.

Kenny Smith asks him: "What do you think is the probability that Jie Ke will win the championship this season? Do you think that after winning this championship, his historical standing can be compared with Jordan?"

"I don't know how probable his championship win is. But Jordan is forever Jordan. The era Jordan was in back then was much more harsh and difficult than now." Gary Payton said: "Back then we had four great centers, back then we had Karl Malone, Shawn Kemp..."

Gary Payton counts on his fingers backwards; during his speech, Fan Xi hits a three-pointer.

After he passes the ball to Steve Nash, he runs quickly; although James Harden pursues relentlessly, Fan Xi still uses a tricky running route to create an open space, and in the corner he makes the Three-Point Shot.

At the start, they ran a 6-0 run.

Mike D'Antoni quickly adjusts the lineup on the sidelines. Afterwards, James Harden and Dwight Howard set a screen, he drives into the paint and hits a layup.

The Toyota Center arena is filled with cheers.

JR Smith yawns on the sidelines.

He turns his head to Kevin Garnett and says: "I feel the Western championship is nothing special. Did we overprepare before the game?"

Garnett says: "We also can't underestimate the Rockets; the NBA has no weak teams, what if they go on a rampage?"

The two suited bigwigs comment on the state of affairs.

The situation on the court gradually becomes clear.

Although the referees' whistles are slightly biased toward the home team, in those borderline calls, they all favor the Rockets.

But the gap between the two teams is somewhat larger than imagined.

This leaves ESPN stunned; they think even if the Rockets lose Chris Paul, they can still form a strong check on the Knicks, and even before the game there were voices saying James Harden could suppress the Knicks' firepower.

But this... is clearly overthinking.

After the Knicks finish the tough games against the Bulls and the Heat, their strength increases greatly. When facing the Rockets, they often have anxiety about insufficient firepower, so in the first quarter they go all out.

The Rockets' defense is far inferior to that of the Heat and the Bulls; it's not even in the same league. It's only slightly better than the Brooklyn Nets.

This is why the Knicks scored 42 points in the first quarter.

The Rockets' performance is not bad either; they have 33 points.

But these 33 points are far too few compared to the Knicks.

During the halftime break, the nationwide broadcast's camera keeps cutting to Chris Paul on the sideline.

Paul is dressed sharply, his expression solemn. ESPN says, if Paul were on the court, he would shut down Stephen Nash's point; although Beverly's defense is also strong, it still doesn't match Paul's dominance on both ends.

They also say, if Paul were on the court, the team currently trailing would definitely be the Knicks.

By contrast, TNT is much more fair. Kenny Smith says: "If Paul hadn't been suspended, it would mean he didn't make that nasty move against Kevin Durant. And if he hadn't made that nasty move, with Durant's hot form, the Thunder would surely have won. After the total score was tied 3-3, the Thunder would have greater courage and confidence to fight for victory in Game 7."

"So, for the Rockets, this is already the least bad option. They just let Paul serve a two-game suspension to reach the Finals. Los Angeles Kuaisuan and the Oklahoma City Thunder are the ones who should really feel wronged."

Kenny Smith's words really hit the sore spot of Thunder and Kuaisuan fans.

They are all extremely indignant and unable to let go.

This is also why Thunder and Kuaisuan fans all support the Knicks' championship.

Only three states in the whole country support the Rockets' championship: Illinois, Florida, and Texas.

Correspondingly to the Bulls, the Heat, and the Rockets. m

All other states uniformly support the Knicks.

The righteous have many helpers.

…

In the second quarter, Stephen Nash did not play; the Knicks put out a new lineup: Hamilton, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Cole Aldridge, following Fan Xi onto the court.

The Knicks played defense, and the Rockets failed to break through.

They only scored 23 points in the quarter, while the Knicks got 28 points.

The point difference expanded to 13 points, entering halftime.

Even the fans at the Toyota Center can see the huge gap between the two teams, as Fan Xi said, the Rockets are just a weakened version of the Lakers.

And they are also missing Chris Paul.

Fan Xi has many times defeated James Harden, Dwight Howard, and Mike D'Antoni.

He has rich experience, and he leads them by the nose.

Mike D'Antoni cannot mount an effective counterattack; he is like a young man who just struck it rich entering a wealthy circle, hoping to devour others' wealth to become a big crocodile. However, he doesn't realize that he himself is just nourishment for that circle.

Fan Xi extracts victory from them, as if walking into his own backyard and plucking a flower.

Fan Xi himself never thought the Rockets would be this easy to beat; he prepared a lot before the game.

But as of now, Dwight Howard's ability is continuously declining, James Harden has not yet truly entered the top tier, and he still has some thresholds to reach Derek Rose.

Such a Rockets cannot pose a threat to the Knicks.

But Fan Xi still says in the locker room: don't be careless; perhaps the Rockets are plotting some conspiracy; we must stay highly alert.

Fan Xi's words are always carried out meticulously.

The Knicks are more rigorous in the second half.

This directly leads to the Rockets' further collapse.

Shaquille O'Neal, on the ESPN commentary desk, finally couldn't hold back; he said a big truth: "Listen to me, I have plenty of experience being swept. I can now be certain that the Knicks will easily sweep the Rockets. The Rockets have no point that can threaten the Knicks; the gap in strength between them is too large. In fact, even if the Eastern Conference runner-up Miami Heat came to the Finals, they could easily sweep them. Their Three Giants is just for show."

"Even the Bulls, I think they can finish the battle within five games!!"

Shaquille O'Neal put his words very clearly.

Moreover, he indeed has the qualification to say this. He has been swept too many times: swept by the Magic, swept by the Lakers, swept by Miami...

His experience is truly rich.

When O'Neal says this on ESPN, other expert commentators also can't say anything else. They just say that after Chris Paul returns, there will definitely be a new change.

What is this change?

Who knows.

139:119.

This game was played so poorly it didn't even seem like a playoff game; the Knicks maintained a huge advantage from start to finish, and the two teams were like competitors in different weight classes.

James Harden prepared a lot for the finals, and Dwight Howard even dreamed of wiping away past shame.

But this was ultimately just a dream.

Reality is cruel.

…

Fan Xi did not accept interviews after the game; he recorded a plain triple-double in this game with 25 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 blocks.

Everyone had grown accustomed to it.

James Harden's individual performance in this game was still decent, with 39 points and 9 assists, but that didn't change the game. He still hasn't organically combined his personal performance with the team's overall play.

After the game, Larry Brown appeared very humble: 'We won rather luckily; we didn't expect our shooting to be this good.'

Sitting beside him, contemporary Jordan Johnson was even more low-key; he clearly made 11 of 15 shots in this game for 27 points, extremely efficient, yet he still humbly said: 'I've just returned from injury, I'm still looking for my form, I hope to contribute to the team. I missed almost two rounds of the series before, and I feel regret about that.'

The two of them made the atmosphere very heavy.

The reporters didn't know what news to release after the game.

They missed JR Smith; only JR Smith could excite them. Because this guy always manages to say something astonishing.

Unfortunately, he got injured.

However, his injury couldn't stop him from roaming the internet.

That trash-talking fighter posted a tweet that night, posting a picture of the two teams' scoreboard. Then he wrote: 'A 20-point gap is just the difference you see. If we want, we can at any time create the biggest margin in the finals.'

When JR Smith said that, it could infuriate the Rockets fans.

Many Houstonians flooded his homepage, leaving crazy comments, spamming the screen, attacking and vilifying him.

And JR Smith merely selected one of the comments attacking him and replied underneath: 'We'll see.'

And that comment read: 'Wait for Chris Paul to return, and you'll know what price you'll have to pay for your current arrogance.'

…