Chapter 605: with translation of chapter title

Jennifer sat on Fan Xi, swaying.

She liked this feeling.

When her man returned victorious like a hero outside, she could instead obtain suppression in an unprecedented manner; this manifested the queen‑like strength deep in her heart.

Of course, more often… she was the one being suppressed.

Fan Xi was a strong‑willed man.

Over the past few months their feelings heated quickly; although their house appeared not to be connected, it did not prevent them from living a proper family‑of‑three life.

To Jennifer, this was a wonderful memory.

But she knew Jie Ke would soon return to Los Angeles.

As Fan Xi was about to win the championship in New York, his return drew nearer.

Jennifer's reluctance surpassed that of any die‑hard Knicks fan, even though she wasn't much of a basketball fan; she only loved Fan Xi.

"If it weren't unfair to Troy, I'd really want to give you another child."

Jennifer whispered weakly.

Fan Xi's scalp tingled at those words; a saying came unbidden to mind. He already had plenty of children, a trend of blossoming everywhere and bearing fruit. Not one, not two, not three, not four… Fan Xi felt he might reap more than that.

This would greatly satisfy his parents' wish for endless descendants.

But I imagine that when so many people surround them calling them grandpa and grandma, they'll also have a headache.

"If the team entering the Finals this year weren't the Rockets, could you possibly stay in New York another year?"

Even Jennifer knew how weak the Rockets were.

Fan Xi said: "No matter which team reaches the Finals, I will defeat them."

When Fan Xi spoke of basketball, he had an absolute, domineering 'say it once, mean it' aura.

This was also why Jennifer became increasingly fascinated.

She liked domineering men.

Who wouldn't?

Fan Xi held her, and after deep fatigue they slowly drifted into sleep.

…

Fan Xi's 'god‑level dominance' in Game 3 put him on the front page of every sports outlet; the super slaughter he wrought in the Finals left fans marveling that his dominance had reached an unprecedented height, unable to imagine who could stop him in the future.

New York media sang Fan Xi's praises, eager to push him to the absolute pinnacle of history.

Patrick Ewing also said: "If Jie Ke had become my teammate in that era, I would have been a back‑to‑back champion. I mean no disrespect to Michael Jordan, but that's the fact."

"Jie Ke is a star who makes opponents feel hopeless. When facing Jordan, I am always confident, even though I never beat him in a series."

"In my heart, Jie Ke is the greatest superstar of all time."

Ewing's words fired an important shot.

Ewing was an important superstar of the 80s‑90s, entrenched in New York State as a regional power, and for years stood on the front line resisting Jordan, so his words carry authority.

Although some think Ewing said this because he's a Knicks player, when an 80s‑90s superstar says it, it's like a glass pane shattering in an intact school—soon new windows will be smashed… leading to countless holes.

This is the broken‑window effect.

Jordan is now completely on the defensive.

He is not responding to this topic at all.

When the Knicks were still battling in the East, he even went to Chicago to watch the game and encouraged the Miami Heat Big Three; at that time he thought there was still a chance to stop Fan Xi's personal four‑peat.

Now he knows nothing helps.

Fan Xi's fourth finger will wear a championship ring, he will also lift a fourth Finals MVP trophy, and he'll do it in just four games.

Even Houston fans don't think a miracle will happen.

The Rockets announced the next morning that Paul's season was shut down, and thanked Chris Paul for his efforts over the past season.

Paul and his team remained silent, trying to downplay Fan Xi's punishment of him.

Houston media also reported their failure in a straightforward manner.

The surprising thing is that in the afternoon news came out that James Harden twisted his ankle in the Western Conference Finals, his injury worsened in the game he played, and he might miss Game 4.

Such news would give Rockets fans some comfort… it turns out they weren't incapable; their core was playing injured.

For James Harden, whether he plays or performs in Game 4, at least this Finals is a plus on his résumé; he led the team to the Finals as an absolute core while playing injured, an inspiring story.

But for Paul, this Finals is undoubtedly a minus.

Although this is his first Finals appearance, his notoriety has grown during the run; he exposed too many of his flaws, becoming an unpopular superstar because he hurt other players.

And in the Finals, Fan Xi sealed his fate; Fan Xi used a humiliating slaughter to declare his commercial value bankrupt.

He will still be active at the top of basketball, but the respect he receives will not increase further.

…

In fact, when Fan Xi entered Madison Square Garden in the afternoon, he felt a strong sense of ceremony.

As he drove into the gate, he received a flower from old Warren, then parked, walked into the player tunnel, and three cameras from American cable TV began filming him.

Then, familiar staff kept coming up the road to hand him flowers.

At first Fan Xi still spoke and laughed, joking with them.

But later, the flowers in Fan Xi's hand grew more numerous, and the memories crowding his mind increased.

He began to uncontrollably miss every little moment of the past year.

This truly was a dreamlike process.

Fan Xi became solemn, hugging each staffer who approached, then posing for photos.

When he reached the locker room, Zhan Mu Si Duo Lan stood with all the executives, smiling and waiting for Fan Xi to arrive.

"Oh, old brother, don't make it so melodramatic."

Fan Xi said with a smile, but his voice was slightly choked up.

Undoubtedly, the New York Knicks gave him many wonderful memories over the past year. He received great respect, even though many people say nb is just business.

But starting from the phone call Fan Xi made to James Dolan last summer, their relationship was more than just business.

James Dolan fulfilled his promise, and he also helped Fan Xi resolve many life matters.

He gave Fan Xi unprecedented trust.

Now his trust has been rewarded.

Fan Xi gave him a hug and firmly patted his shoulder: "You guy, when you were young you must have been a playboy wandering among flowers. No woman could resist your advances."

James Dolan solemnly corrected: "No, Jie Ke, you have to believe me. I've only arranged such a ceremony for you in my life."

As soon as he said that, he sounded even more like a jerk.

"With women, I always use money."

This is James Dolan's sincere words.

Fan Xi smiled happily, then he hugged and greeted each executive, including Phil Jackson.

Everyone knows this is Fan Xi's last game playing for the Knicks.

Moreover, everyone knows that tonight the Knicks will step onto the pinnacle they have dreamed of. They will raise the first championship trophy of the twenty-first century.

They have waited too long for this day.

Outside the arena, crowds of fans waiting to enter had already filled the venue, eager to witness the team's coronation ceremony in person.

…

Before the game, the Knicks' locker room had calm and excitement. The calm ones were Fan Xi and those veteran champions; although they were also happy, they wanted to appear worldly.

The excited ones were Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and JR Smith—those who had never touched a championship trophy.

Stoudemire even shouted in that excitement: "I can't believe I'll win the scoring title and the championship trophy in the same season. Jie Ke, I couldn't love you more; if you could stay forever in New York, how great would that be."

JR Smith poked him: "Wake up, Amar'e. Jie Ke is the boss of the Clippers!!"

"If you want to stay by Jie Ke's side, just join the Clippers on a minimum contract!"

JR Smith always speaks the blunt truth.

Stoudemire gave a simple smile; he still wanted to finish this $100 million max contract before saying anything else.

Moreover, when he gets the scoring title and championship ring, his career will have no other regrets; he just wants to quietly save money.

Before the game started, Fan Xi saw Taylor Swift, who performed the classic song "Welcome to New York" on stage.

This song ignited the passion of the entire Madison Square Garden and plunged the whole city into immense pride.

Taylor Swift won the arena's screams and sing-alongs.

Then Taylor walked over, hugged Fan Xi, kissed him on the face without hesitation, and playfully left the stage.

"Kill me quick!!"

Shaquille O'Neal shouted from the TNT commentator's desk, he was too jealous of Fan Xi.

But he had to say: "Jie Ke is indeed the only NBA player in all these years who could beat me in looks."

"Shaq, you should know yourself. Jie Ke's Doberman is handsomer than you." Kenny mocked O'Neal.

Barkley beside him quickly corrected: "No, Kenny. You're insulting the Doberman, which is the best-looking dog in the world, with a handsome, strong build. You should say Jie Ke's pit bulls are better-looking than Shaq, that would be objective."

The TNT trio displayed an interesting chemical reaction in this finals.

This made more and more people expect O'Neal to become a regular TNT commentator; their contract is already under negotiation.

"Alright, stop joking. The Knicks' championship night is about to begin; let's focus on the game."

Earl Johnson spoke bluntly.

As the camera panned over the Rockets players' faces, he said in a relaxed tone: "Well, it looks like the Rockets players aren't focusing on the game. They seem eager to end this party, like three-no persons at a high school campus party—no handsome faces, no gift of gab, not even a campus sports star…"

"They obviously just want to hurry home and fish."

Earl Johnson became snarky, also quite biting.

Kenny added on the side: "Whoever wants to be the next Paul, even D'Antoni said he'd submit his resignation after the finals."

When the Rockets were formed last summer with great ambition, they only wanted to conquer the world. Now another summer has come, and they have been thoroughly dominated by Fan Xi.

The whistle blew.

The game started.

But this whistle was more like the official start of the ceremony.

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

The Knicks' starting lineup is: Tyson Chandler, Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, Fan Xi, Steve Nash.

The game proceeded without surprises.

Tyson Chandler won the tip-off over Asik.

From Howard not even wanting to jump for the ball, you can see how weak his fighting spirit is.

James Harden also showed no special will to resist; he normally defended Fan Xi, got beaten normally, Fan Xi used a pendulum-like crossover to shake off his defense, quickly drove into the paint, like entering an empty land, and Fan Xi's dunk happened naturally.

This made O'Neal somewhat angry on TV; he said: "Even if you can't stop him, Howard should at least come over to help."

"He really is a softie."

"I never expected the NBA's first center to become like this. It's too painful for me."

Shaquille O'Neal said this heartbrokenly.

Kenny Smith beside him said: "Don't be sad, Shaq. Centers aren't valued in this era. The league keeps changing rules to speed up play. Maybe the future will be a three-point kingdom; actually, it already is."

Kenny Smith said: "Maybe one day Jie Ke's style will be considered traditional."

Kenny's saying isn't baseless; there's evidence for it.

In terms of technique and style, Fan Xi is a figure who connects past and future. He both has the ability to break quickly and inflict damage, and excels at threading the needle in half-court sets; he also possesses a full set of back-to-the-bone isolation moves, but because his other scoring methods are more efficient, he rarely uses them.

If the league's pace continues to evolve, Fan Xi could be seen as playing too slowly.

Actually, Stephen Nash is already considered to be pushing the pace too slowly.

However, even so, Nash still lets the Knicks maintain an offensive surge like a tide.

Smack!

In his first Finals appearance, Garnett slapped Parsons' layup out of bounds with a single slap.

He roared angrily at the camera.

Finally catching up with the action, he recorded this year's first Finals statistic.

It wasn't for nothing.

Kevin Garnett will win two championship rings in his career, which is extraordinarily significant for him. His historical standing could thus surpass Nowitzki's.

After all, Nowitzki's two championships were also won together with Fan Xi.

However, Nowitzki's contribution to the championships is undoubtedly greater.