Chapter 599

Harden rejected Anthony's subtle suggestion. He thought they hadn't reached the point of surrender, and as the team's leader he saw no reason to sit on the bench. Moreover, he felt having Beverly run out onto the court to do some defense was pointless.

Paul was anxious at this moment, the point difference had expanded to 20 points. In a situation as urgent as fire reaching his eyebrows, he hoped Harden could stay united with him.

He said: "James, we should try a defensive strategy."

"No, defensive strategies have already been proven useless. Moreover, I am the leader of this team; I know how to save the team."

Harden was very dominant.

Their conflict risked being exacerbated.

Anthony hurried out to mediate, he changed the subject and re-laid out the tactics.

A team built like the Rockets, when things go smoothly everything is fine; but once they enter adversity or desperation, contradictions naturally surface, because everyone's pursuits differ and their core interests differ as well.

Harden now aims to secure his position as the team's leader and to challenge for a top-three superstar in the league.

Paul is currently in decline; he cannot be slapped in the face by Fan Xi like this. If he is again made a global live‑broadcast negative example by Fan Xi and gets thoroughly dealt with, his entire career will become a joke.

He is now at the most dangerous moment of his career.

He wants to salvage his reputation.

Dwight Howard stood aside; he had actually already given up.

He has never been a person of firm will; although his play looks tough, he has excellent rebounding, excellent rim protection, and excellent help defense, but he is not a formidable player.

Kobe called him a soft egg; this was not trash talk but an apt description.

So how could such a team possibly defeat Fan Xi?

They are like a luxurious cruise ship that looks splendid, but their hold is already taking on water, and in the lounge their two power brokers are still fighting over the fanciest chair.

Many Rockets players, when Paul and Harden are at odds, have somewhat scattered fighting spirit.

Beep!

The whistle blew, and the game continued.

Madison Garden has been shouting like mountains and seas, cheering for Fan Xi; the MVP cheers wave after wave, never ceasing.

"I haven't seen Knicks fans so wildly cheering for their home team star in many years," Shaq O'Neal remarked on TV. He said: "It seems… the last Knicks guard this beloved was Stephon Marbury."

Kenny Smith laughed, he said: "How could Stephon Marbury compare to Jie Ke, even though he's a New Yorker. He never brought the team past the second round, and at that time he was earning over twenty million dollars a year. He was run out of New York, and he certainly isn't a popular figure at Madison Garden."

"But I've heard he now is in Jie Ke's country, becoming a beloved basketball superstar. Even fans want to erect a bronze statue for him," Charles Barkley gossiped on the side.

"This is simply inconceivable…"

Amid their discussion.

James Harden personally went to the sideline to receive the ball, and Joe Johnson quickly followed.

At that moment Joe Johnson recalled what Fan Xi had told him before entering the game: "If you can keep James Harden from scoring for two consecutive possessions, we can easily take down the Rockets, and eat them however we like."

Joe Johnson didn't quite grasp the logic behind it.

But he put forth a hundred percent defensive focus.

Nevertheless, Harden used his Probe Step to throw off Joe Johnson's balance, then used his powerful explosiveness and upper-body strength to quickly break through his defense.

Joe Johnson was frantic inside; he now regretted not having patiently honed his defensive skills when he was younger, having poured all his thoughts into offense.

He feared messing up Fan Xi's plans.

But Fan Xi always employs a Saturation Arrangement.

James Harden had just gotten past Joe Johnson and taken his first step when Josh Smith swiftly came to cut him off.

At the same time, Joe Johnson heard Fan Xi's voice: "Switch! Go guard Howard."

Joe Johnson hurried over to Howard.

Meanwhile, Harden continued driving to the paint, but Josh Smith stuck to him like a shadow on one side, holding up his right hand, giving him no chance.

Harden entered the paint but found no shooting opportunity.

He quickly came to a sudden stop, trying to turn and hit a timing difference.

But just as he stopped with both hands together on the ball, a fierce figure shot from his peripheral blind spot… slap!

Fan Xi knocked the ball from Harden's hand with a fierce hand chop.

Harden panicked, instinctively leaping up trying to draw a foul.

His motion was exaggerated, and he let out a strange shout.

But the main referee didn't appreciate his performance; instead he followed Fan Xi and rushed quickly toward the front court.

Paul was chasing Fan Xi, trying to get him to stop.

His speed was still fast, but somewhat off his peak, and a little slower than Fan Xi as well.

Fan Xi quickly drove to the three‑point line, he dropped his shoulder sharply; when Paul thought Fan Xi would forcefully drive inside, he suddenly passed the ball to the corner, where Joe Johnson appeared in his cut, like a ghost.

Joe caught the ball, made no adjustment, and shot straight… swish!

A perfect three‑pointer.

The point difference continued to widen.

23 points.

That is Michael Jordan's jersey number.

On the sidelines, Anthony seemed a bit dazed.

This is a familiar scene for him; back when Joe Johnson was with the Suns, he often lurked in the corner on defense‑to‑offense transitions, then caught Nash's pass and hit a three.

Now the familiar tactic is replayed, but the one being pierced is their own basket.

Things remain, but people have changed.

Meanwhile, James on the court walked over, continuing to ask for the ball from Ronnie Brewer's hands.

Paul glanced at him displeased, thinking Harden's actions were somewhat intentional to mess with him.

He felt suffocated inside.

Harden still brought the ball over half-court, he was angry at the referee.

Clearly, when Fan Xi stole his ball and slapped his hand, he also made a very "alert" shooting motion, so why wasn't he called for a foul?

Harden is an offensive player who takes his cleverness to the extreme, and he has many unique moves.

When he came back to the frontcourt, it was still Joe Johnson guarding him.

Joe Johnson kept chanting to himself: "Come on! Come on! Joe! You can do it. This is the last possession."

Although Harden didn't hear his muttering completely clearly, he still caught some key words.

"Come on?"

"Joe, you're old. No matter how much you pump yourself up, you can't stop me."

Harden said to Joe Johnson.

He was trash-talking.

But at that moment, Joe Johnson quickly closed in on Harden, intending to steal the ball directly.

His move was reckless.

But it was also unexpected.

Harden hurriedly stepped back a step to gain a bit of space, then quickly turned his back, intending to use his strong buttocks to hold off Joe Johnson.

But just as he turned his back and straightened his body, Fan Xi attacked again like lightning.

Fan Xi's speed was extremely sharp.

Harden heard Paul's warning. But it was too late.

Fan Xi had already touched his basketball, and Harden hurriedly went to gain control… the two became tangled, rolling on the ground, both gripping the ball tightly with both hands.

"Beep!"

The head referee blew the whistle, announcing a jump ball.

Fan Xi and Harden contested for the ball.

Harden was dissatisfied with this call, thinking it should have been a foul. He also told the head referee: "You didn't call it last time, and you're not calling it now—your bias is too much."

The head referee was angered by him, forcibly suppressing the urge to call a technical foul on him.

The ball was tossed up by the head referee, Fan Xi and Harden almost simultaneously jumped; Harden was slightly taller, but Fan Xi had the advantage in wingspan.

Fan Xi was better in explosiveness and leaping ability,

so… smack!

Fan Xi got to the ball first; he didn't tap it this way, but slapped it away.

It flew over Harden's head.

Harden didn't expect it, and Paul, who was preparing a sneak attack from the side, also didn't expect it.

The ball slapped into Tyson Chandler's hands.

Tyson Chandler grabbed the ball, firmly controlled it, then passed it to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi brought the ball past half-court, he came to the three-point line; Paul was about to guard him closely, and Josh Smith came out to set a screen for Fan Xi.

Using Smith's screen, Fan Xi stepped left, jumped, and shot… swish!

The three-pointer made it 26 points.

Madison Square Garden was like a surging tide.

The sound reached the heavens.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

The whole world felt Fan Xi's overwhelming dominance at this moment.

Shaquille O'Neal even said: "I feel the Rockets' Finals berth was bought with money. They have no ability to resist at all—what's wrong with them? If they keep playing like this, the Rockets will surely suffer a crushing defeat. After all, they have no hope of winning. And the other players don't have to bear Paul's psychological pressure."

"Paul needs to convince his teammates to face this doomed game with him and to cut the deficit to within 39 points. This was originally an impossible task, but now… only 13 points separate us."

Elroy Johnson began to worry for Paul.

But just then, a dispute broke out on the court.

Paul and Harden had an argument at halftime, and Harden continued to move forward with the ball.

He was furious, having been "set up" by Fan Xi twice in a row, and he wanted to regain his standing.

But Paul wouldn't allow it. He told Harden: "You should let me take control of the ball; you've already wasted two chances."

"Aren't you wasting enough chances? I'm the team leader, I'm the biggest responsibility in this game." Harden fired back at Paul.

This time Paul didn't yield to Harden.

He stepped forward and directly took the ball from Ronnie Brewer's hands.

Then Harden ran up to Paul's face, not caring whether this was still the game

He said to Paul: "You just don't want to be a joke; you've never actually wanted to win."

Paul ignored Harden.

Harden snorted angrily and turned toward the sideline.

It's normal for teammates on the court to have disputes; such arguments happen almost every game.

But at this moment, the argument between Harden and Paul made the atmosphere especially delicate.

Joe Johnson suddenly understood why Fan Xi said that if they could stop Harden twice, everything they wanted could be achieved.

He sucked in a breath, realizing Fan Xi was smarter and more terrifying than he imagined. He began to feel grateful, grateful to be Fan Xi's teammate rather than his enemy.

No wonder those who opposed Fan Xi never ended well.

With such a terrifying mind, a design that leaves no strategy unaccounted for, who could play against him?

Joe Johnson even felt that God had given Fan Xi a cheat called "Global Vision"; otherwise, how could he anticipate the enemy and see through everything as clearly as a candle?

Paul brought the ball to the top of the arc, and he had Dwight Howard come out to set a screen for him.

Howard came out, but his reaction speed was a little slower.

Paul furrowed his brow, but he still quickly drove into the paint, with Fan Xi relentlessly pursuing from behind; he forced a jump, and under the double‑team of Fan Xi and Chandler, he unleashed a fierce attack, throwing his body sideways in the air, forcibly drawing a foul.

Paul walked to the free‑throw line.

Bang!

The first free throw missed.

At this moment, Harden actively walked toward the bench, he pulled his jersey out of his shorts, and he said to Antoni: "I'm not playing anymore. Leave it to that ambitious guy who doesn't want to be a joke."

He was full of resentment.

Antoni quickly put Beverly in.

Then he tried to comfort Harden.

Swish!

Paul made the second free throw.

Seeing Beverly enter the game, his mood relaxed a bit.

He believed this pure defensive lineup could shut down the Knicks and would absolutely not let the margin keep expanding.

Even if it did expand, it wouldn't exceed 40 points.

40 points.

That's not a small number.

It's like putting a hundred pigs in the arena, letting them run wild, and giving Fan Xi a 60‑bullet hunting rifle—he still couldn't hit 40 of them.

After all, the Rockets players aren't helpless pigs that only run; they have a chance to counter every possession.

"Paul, you finally knocked James Harden down. Now it's our direct talk. As the team's sole person in charge, are you ready to become the victim of the biggest point differential in history?"

Fan Xi then walked over to Paul with a smile and gently asked.

Fan Xi's gentle smile was like a blade, it left Paul's mind unsettled.

Fan Xi, however, went to the baseline and caught the ball.

At the same time, Paul saw Stephen Nash walking to the scorer's table from the sideline, and also Stoudemire.

What on earth is Jieke Fan trying to do? Is he trying to widen the gap with a run‑and‑gun?

Paul was puzzled.

Fan Xi had already reached the top of the three‑point arc.

Beverly closed in on him.

Fan Xi and he tangled for three or four seconds, then he directly passed the ball to Joe Johnson, who faced Paul, creating a big‑vs‑small matchup.

Everyone thought Joe Johnson had a good chance to score over him.

But just then, Fan Xi suddenly looped around, sprinting out from the free‑throw line. Joe Johnson, holding the ball, quickly shifted laterally, then turned and tossed the basketball toward the three‑point line.

Joe Johnson blocked Beverly's pursuit, Fan Xi caught the ball beyond the three‑point line and shot… Paul flew in to contest.

But it was no use.

The basketball traced a beautiful arc.

Swish!

Three‑pointer made.

Fan Xi's touch was scorching hot.

So he bluntly told Paul: "I won't rely on others; I'll personally create the biggest margin. Tonight I'm not just going to slaughter you—I'll also snag the scoring record, Chris."

"It seems you only have one way left to stop me?"

"A trip? Or pulling me down from the air?"

Fan Xi raised an eyebrow.