Chapter 598: Terrifying Dominance

The second half of the game arrived quickly.

Madison Square Garden was filled with anticipation. Usually, when returning from halftime, the arena would be much emptier—many fans would step out for fresh air, smoke a cigarette, use the restroom, or grab something to eat. But because of Fan Xi's ultimatum, the game instantly lost its bathroom-break moments. Everyone wanted to witness every second of the game.

No one wanted to miss a historic moment.

In truth, the audiences watching on television and on their computers were also extremely nervous; they didn't want to miss a single second of the broadcast either.

The television network broadcasting this game also reaped the benefits. Ratings surged by geometric multiples.

Everyone wanted to see the final outcome of this game.

After all, this was the first time in Finals history that someone had issued such a public ultimatum. And the person issuing the ultimatum was the active number one player, hailed as the most dominant superstar. Even though the person on the receiving end was also a former league number one point guard, the vast majority still believed Fan Xi would easily fulfill his promise.

The Rockets' starting lineup for the second half was: Chris Paul, James Harden, Ronnie Brewer, Dwight Howard, and Asik.

This was clearly a defense-oriented lineup.

Deep down, D'Antoni still leaned toward protecting Paul; he didn't want Paul's spine broken by Fan Xi in a single game.

If Paul got eaten alive by Fan Xi in this game, then the next game wouldn't even need to be played.

The Knicks deployed a brand-new lineup: Fan Xi, Joe Johnson, Bargnani, Josh Smith, and Tyson Chandler.

In this lineup, aside from Chandler at the five, the other four positions all had offensive specialties. Joe Johnson excelled at isolation plays, Bargnani was an elite-level tall shooter, and Josh Smith had exceptional athleticism and off-ball cutting ability.

Even Tyson Chandler was a center who excelled at finishing easy baskets in the paint.

"Jie Ke is about to unleash an all-out offensive."

Ernie Johnson commented on the Knicks' lineup on television.

These words sent the adrenaline of the TV audience surging.

The Rockets struck first.

The lineup they'd chosen concentrated their offensive options too heavily on the perimeter.

Fan Xi stayed glued to Paul; his height and wingspan both served as effective constraints on Paul. Moreover, Fan Xi had been matched up against Paul since their Los Angeles days. In the beginning, Fan Xi was at a disadvantage against Paul in every aspect, but now, Fan Xi held the initiative in every regard.

Paul only held the initial advantage on the offensive end.

But as Paul dribbled and shifted rhythms in front of Fan Xi, Fan Xi kept calling out his directions: left, right, left… crossover, spin, calling for a screen….

Fan Xi used this method of calling out the offense to disrupt Paul's mentality.

He seemed able to anticipate every one of Paul's next moves.

After Paul ran a pick-and-roll with Howard, he quickly drove from the left side, and Fan Xi immediately trailed him from behind.

Paul drove to near the free-throw line, used Ronnie Brewer running over to set a cross-screen, and smoothly flicked the basketball out.

Clang!

No good.

Tyson Chandler grabbed the rebound and passed it to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi pushed the ball forward, and Paul quickly came up to defend.

He was also very familiar with Fan Xi.

But he couldn't call out Fan Xi's next move.

Because Fan Xi was an unpredictable player, and he maintained his body at peak condition.

He could do as he pleased.

Fan Xi made a hard drive inside, then stopped abruptly, rising up against Paul's defense to launch the basketball… a clean, in-your-face shot.

A pure exploitation of physical superiority.

Fan Xi was taller than Paul, more explosive than Paul, had a longer wingspan than Paul—his release point was a sky Paul couldn't reach. Add the offensive initiative on top of that.

Paul couldn't defend Fan Xi.

He could only watch helplessly as the basketball sailed over his head.

While he was still turning his head to track the ball's flight arc, Fan Xi broke into a smile. He turned sideways toward the home crowd and made a bullet-chambering gesture… swish!

The basketball dropped through the net.

Fan Xi's Three-Point Shot touch was on.

And what came on was a Stop-and-Go Jump Shot using a two-stage jump shot.

This was a strong danger signal.

James, watching on TV, clutched his head.

He began to feel a chill of despair for Paul. He knew what a terrifying presence Fan Xi was when his Three-Point Shot touch came on.

"God, I pray that was just a random fluke."

James prayed devoutly in his heart.

According to his research report, Fan Xi's two-stage jump shot hadn't fully stabilized yet. His most accurate shooting method from beyond the arc was still the one-stage jump shot.

Fan Xi's most dangerous scoring methods from three-point range, ranked by field-goal percentage from highest to lowest, were: one-stage three-point shot after off-ball movement, two-stage jump shot after off-ball movement, quick one-stage jump shot off the dribble in isolation, and two-stage jump shot in isolation.

But the danger level was the exact reverse.

Now Fan Xi had hit the three-pointer with his lowest field-goal percentage, and simultaneously the one with the highest danger level.

D'Antoni took a deep breath on the sidelines; he hoped this was just a flash in the pan.

But he had to instruct Ronnie Brewer to stay alert for help defense at all times.

Switching sides to resume play, James Harden received the basketball and isolated against Joe Johnson.

Joe Johnson's defensive level wasn't high, but his height and wingspan gave him an advantage over Harden.

Harden used his polished ball-handling to get past Joe Johnson and naturally pulled up for a stop-and-go jump shot.

This technical movement was flawless.

It represented the pinnacle of the new-era shooting guard.

But Harden's touch hadn't come on yet… clang!

The basketball hit the rim.

Fan Xi drove to the basket, grabbed the defensive rebound with his teammate's screen, and immediately launched a fast break.

His unstoppable frontcourt charge saw his teammates also speeding up.

The Rockets hurried to follow.

However, with the increased speed, the Rockets' defense became somewhat loose.

Upon his first step inside the three-point line, Fan Xi suddenly heaved the ball; it shot like a cannonball, fast and fierce, into the paint.

Josh Smith grabbed the ball in the paint, stepped in, jumped… boom!

He slammed it down with a two-handed dunk.

The lead grew further.

In just two possessions, the lead expanded to 17 points.

Only 22 points shy of the largest margin ever in the Finals.

At that moment, Kobe Bryant in front of the TV was full of anticipation; he didn't want that humiliating label to keep hanging over his head.

Mike D'Antoni stood up, feeling like an ant on a hot pan.

Amid the mountain‑shaking, sea‑roaring MVP chants at home, he felt a bit flustered—a situation he had never faced in his career.

He had entered a dilemma.

He put out this lineup hoping to balance defense while launching offense.

But now, the defense wasn't solid, and the offense had gone cold.

If the Knicks continued with such grandeur, the Rockets' loss was a foregone conclusion—no chance of a comeback.

But should he, at this point, abandon the catch‑up strategy and let Paul lead an all‑defensive lineup to stabilize the margin?

He was very hesitant.

It was a tough choice.

If he didn't do it, he would surely offend Paul.

But if he did, Harden would be unhappy, because Harden would be benched.

Harden is the Rockets' true leader. Paul could be traded at any time, but Harden has long been set as the franchise cornerstone.

For the first time, D'Antoni felt that losing was also this troublesome.

If he could, he really wished he could, like this year's Nets head coach Jason Kidd, jump ship before the series started to escape defeat.

Escaping may be shameful, but it works.

Just like Jason Kidd, nobody would blame him for the Black Seven's black pot. He was nursing his injuries with the honor of being second in the East. As for the team being blacked out, what does it matter to him?

If he had known earlier, D'Antoni might have just lain down in bed. Bringing home the Western championship honor, it wouldn't matter how the Finals turned out—how nice.

The interesting thing is, although the Nets were heavily mocked after the Black Seven, as the Bulls and Heat were successively crushed by the Knicks.

People's psychological shift is fascinating: from mocking the Nets, to understanding them, and finally… becoming Nets fans.

Everyone is a Nets fan; in the face of the mighty Knicks, nobody can escape.

But Paul could become an upgraded version of the Nets.

Or rather, Fan Xi has prepared an unprecedented gift for him.

Fan Xi will demonstrate his unprecedented dominance by making Paul climb the pillar of shame.

Bang!

Chris Paul once again missed a shot under Fan Xi's defense, hitting the rim. This time he even went all‑in to the basket seeking a tactical foul, but… Tyson Chandler had anticipated his move well—they had been teammates before.

And Fan Xi then completed an excellent disruption from behind.

After being thrown, the ball struck the front of the rim and bounced out.

Fan Xi grabbed the rebound with a second leap.

Next, Fan Xi sprinted forward.

He passed to Ariza, who nailed a three from the corner.

The lead grew to 20 points.

Beep!

After three possessions, D'Antoni called a timeout.

At this rate, if the Rockets don't call a timeout soon, they'll be completely blown out by the Knicks.

At that moment, the entire Madison Garden arena was filled with cheers.

"Shocking! So shocking! This is real dominance, this is real shocking education."

Shaquille O'Neal expressed his lingering unease on TV.

"To be honest, I thought of Jordan. However, Jordan doesn't seem that crazy either. I've faced Jordan, I've battled Jordan, in his first comeback playoffs."

O'Neal continued: "The Rockets must make a change. If they want to protect Paul's reputation, they should hand the game entirely to Paul and let Harden rest. This game no longer concerns Harden; it's Paul's battle to uphold his honor."

O'Neal voiced what many people felt.

But many more people now just want the big moment to come soon.

People can't wait to know just how vast the scope of Fan Xi's dominance really is.

When the camera turned to Fan Xi, he was all smiles. He reached out and slapped hands with Al Pacino on the sideline.

This was seen as an interaction between godfather and godfather.

…