Chapter 603: The Most Precise Prediction

The final score was 161:103.

After Fan Xi left the game, the Knicks bravely scaled the towering height of 2 points.

JR Smith was too reckless; if he hadn't jacked up so many threes, the Knicks might have had a chance to win by a margin of sixty or seventy points.

But regardless, this was already the largest margin in Finals history.

Fan Xi fulfilled his promise—he ate Paul alive, in the bloodiest, most brutal, most dominant way possible.

The entire internet was singing the praises of his heroic deeds.

Countless people worshipped him; to them, Fan Xi already stood at the pinnacle of basketball.

Yet Fan Xi appeared before the camera with a smile.

"Thank you to the fans in attendance for their support. They are the best sixth man. Without their cheering, this game would have lost half its brilliance."

Fan Xi praised the fans, never stingy with words of admiration: "New York fans are one of the most basketball-savvy fan bases in the world. I think in the entire NBA, only Kuaisuan fans can be mentioned in the same breath as them."

Fan Xi finished saying this.

All four people at the commentary desk felt it was quite something; for a moment they couldn't even tell whether Fan Xi was genuinely praising or being sarcastic.

The whole world knew Knicks fans were the most fickle, always eager to kiss up to other teams' superstars. Kuaisuan fans used to be treated like second-class citizens, unable to hold their heads high even in Los Angeles.

But you couldn't say Fan Xi's words were unreasonable.

Because of Fan Xi's emergence, both fan bases had been completely revitalized.

It was like being poor your whole life, then your son graduates from Tsinghua with bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, and lands an excellent job. In your village, it'd be hard not to hold your head high.

Fan Xi was the source of confidence for both teams' fans.

After all, he'd brought them championships—who else in the league understood basketball better than they did?

Then Fan Xi addressed his altercation with Paul during halftime. This came in response to a reporter's pressing question: "It's part of the game. It was interesting—JR got into a shouting match with him, then Paul told us to show what we've got, and then… you all saw what happened."

"We could only take it to that level."

Fan Xi's earnest reply.

But his earnestness was a sharp blade; it would break the hearts of Paul's supporters. And of course, the most heartbroken of all was Paul himself.

Next, a reporter asked how he viewed being up 3:0 against the Rockets.

Fan Xi said: "It means we've reached match point. That's all."

He also responded to his 73-point triple-double in this game, as well as the matter of giving his jersey to Al Pacino ahead of time.

"I'm a fan of Al Pacino's. I love a lot of his movies. So when I had the chance to talk with him, I wanted to express my admiration. I'm glad he liked my jersey too."

"As for the 70+ triple-double, I know it's a record. But I've never pursued it. A lot of things are like that—when you chase them recklessly, they slip away. But when you work diligently, you reap the harvest."

"Why didn't I stay in the game after Paul left? There was no point. This was a competition between me and Paul. When he left injured, the competition stopped. At that point, unless James Harden took the court, I wouldn't stay out there for another second. That's my principle." Qianqian Xiaoshuo

Finally, Fan Xi answered an interesting hypothetical.

The TNT sideline reporter asked: "There's actually a topic we've been very curious to get your answer on. Because a lot of people say if Jordan came to this era, he'd casually average 50 points and monopolize all the championships. So if you went to the eighties and nineties, what kind of accomplishments do you think you'd achieve? What could you accomplish in the era of the four great forwards, the four great centers, and Michael Jordan?"

"If I went back to the eighties and nineties, at least one thing is certain. There would no longer be any posts on the internet debating 'Who is greater, Jieke Fan or Michael Jordan.'"

Fan Xi said with great certainty: "But perhaps you'd be searching 'Who is Michael Jordan? If he hadn't lived in Jieke Fan's era, what kind of accomplishments could he have achieved? Would he be greater than Le Bu Lang Zhang Si?'"

Fan Xi was extremely confident.

And he gave James a boost.

Of course, the purpose of boosting James was to contrast him with Jordan.

James was his defeated opponent—this was a well-known fact. And when Fan Xi spoke of going to the eighties and nineties, his implication was that Jordan would replay James's fate.

The script was nothing more than copy and paste, just swapping out the supporting cast's names.

Barkley was very angry on television. He felt Fan Xi disrespected Jordan and disrespected his era.

But Shaquille O'Neal, sitting beside him, said: "Charles, I've lived through two eras. I have more say than you do."

"Even though you guys back then had tons of personality and played extremely tough, with eye-catching talent—but don't forget, the stars of this era possess a higher average level of physical ability."

"I think the current level is on par with back then, and the competition at the top is even fiercer than it was."

"Like, do you really think Karl Malone is greater than Tim Duncan? Do you really think your historical standing is higher than Nowitzki's? Can Shawn Kemp be mentioned in the same breath as Kevin Garnett? Le Bu Lang Zhang Si blowing past every perimeter player below Jordan wouldn't be a problem at all. Kevin Durant, Derek Rose… aren't these guys better than Pippen, Starks, and those guys?"

Shaquille O'Neal said matter-of-factly: "If Jieke really went to the eighties and nineties, Magic, the Smile Assassin, Stockton, Kelly Johnson, Gary Payton… this whole group of point guards would be dominated by him. As for whether he could turn Jordan into James, that depends on what team he joins. If he's on the same team as me—forgive my bluntness."

"The four great centers, the four great forwards, the golden age of point guards, Michael Jordan's triangle offense… all garbage. I'm not targeting anyone!"

When O'Neal talked about this, he was spitting with passion.

He did have some credentials.

After all, he entered the league in '92. Not long after his debut he entered the league's highest circle, quickly reached the Finals with Hardaway, battled fiercely with the four great centers, and even eliminated Jordan in the playoffs.

Barkley didn't argue with him.

Kenny couldn't wait to announce: "Alright, I can tell everyone openly—the Knicks will sweep the Rockets 4:0, and Jieke will be crowned Finals MVP for the fourth time in his career. He becomes the first person in history to win the championship and be crowned Finals MVP in each of his first four seasons."

"You don't need to watch the game on Saturday night."

"This is the most precise spoiler."

Kenny was very smug when he said it.

But no one felt he was setting up a smokescreen.

Because… the situation was already crystal clear.

Who still thought the Rockets had any fight left in them?

Even their own players were already dejected.

Dwight Howard walked into the players' tunnel with his head hung low; before entering, he even signed an autograph for a Knicks fan.

He wore his carefree attitude on his face.

For him, losing and being swept weren't unacceptable outcomes.

Because a long time ago, he'd already been swept in the Finals once.

However, that time everyone thought he had a limitless future, and he would surely make a comeback sooner or later.

But this time… or rather, as he left Orlando, his reputation as the first center became increasingly worthless.

Even if he only scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds tonight, people would not blame him.

The first center had become a dispensable super blue-collar.

However, at least being the first point guard is good.

…