Chapter 629: with translation of chapter title

Russell Westbrook, plus James Harden, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin… and Anthony Davis.

They are competing with the Eastern; Fan Xi is watching from the sidelines, with Leonard and Jokic beside him.

The Western lineup is not weak, and it has chemistry. Westbrook, Harden, and Durant are Thunder teammates, Griffin and Harden are still kindred spirits… although they have all now broken up with Khloe Kardashian.

Anthony Davis is effective inside and out; although playing center is slightly a stretch for him, it also has its own unique flavor.

Fan Xi was having a great time watching from the sidelines, and the audience in front of the TV was also thrilled; the only thing that made them feel something was lacking… was why Fan Xi wasn't on the court at this moment.

The Eastern side relied on James's drives and Rosa's shooting, organizing their offense in an orderly manner.

The Western side is a bit chaotic, but it also has a cornerstone. The cornerstone is Durant; Durant's touch is explosive tonight, as if he's back to the moment when he exploded for 60+ in the Western Conference Finals.

If we say Fan Xi is the league's current ruler, James is the executive vice‑ruler, and Durant is the vice‑ruler right after him.

The status of these three is settled.

Next is Rosa.

So, the current game is equivalent to the league's second‑best player leading the league's fourth‑best and third‑best players, along with a bunch of other top‑ten players, into battle.

Fan Xi, the league's number one, sits on the sidelines watching the tigers fight.

He watched with great relish, and even shared his viewing insights with the two teammates beside him.

Fan Xi leaned back in his chair, the words "melon‑eating crowd" written all over his face; all that was missing was grabbing a handful of seeds to snack on.

The game quickly reached a critical moment.

Westbrook dropped the ball; when he drove, he missed the outstretched hands of Durant and Harden on either side, he drove straight into the paint and was wrapped up by James and Howard.

Seeing this, Fan Xi said to Leonard and Jokic: "Did you see that? This is the Heat's terror—their interior defense has reached historic levels. LeBron's closeout, Howard's help defense, easily turning the paint into a no‑fly zone."

The two nodded repeatedly.

"Also, LeBron's defensive transition."

Fan Xi then said.

James raced with the ball, made a sudden stop in the frontcourt, raised his hand and shot, hitting a three‑pointer.

"Besides me, no one can contain him." Fan Xi said, not without pride.

Beep!

The Western team, trailing by five points, requested a timeout.

Durant returned to the bench with a grim face; there were only 1 minute 11 seconds left in the game.

Being five points down means the Western team has no way to turn the tide.

After all, the Eastern side is a solid slab of iron, while we still have a blockhead who insists on using his head to ram that iron slab.

If Westbrook had made that shot just now, we would still have a chance to win.

Now….

Fan Xi lifted his head.

He saw Durant full of expectation, gazing at Fan Xi pleadingly. "Pull a brother up, will you?"

Durant said to Fan Xi.

In this situation, the Eastern side is the league's second and fourth players teaming up.

Durant did a quick mental calculation, figured out that to beat the Eastern they needed to call in the league's number one.

Fan Xi waved his hand, saying "Please ask someone more capable." I'm not being modest; I've been resting so long that my form is off, and I'm afraid it would affect you.

Durant hurriedly pulled Fan Xi up: "Jie Ke, everyone has now decided. You will lead us; we want to win and bring the victory back to the West."

Fan Xi then called out two names: "I want Jokic and Leonard."

Maikelbang saw this and hurriedly carried it out.

Although he is the Western head coach, he is also Fan Xi's loyal defensive assistant.

He took Harden, Westbrook, and Anthony Davis off the court.

Clean and neat, fresh and clear.

Back to the starting lineup.

Looking at it this way, it's much more pleasing to the eye.

Fan Xi picked up the playbook and said: "We have 1 minute 11 seconds left; being down five points is actually easy to fix. First hit a three, then make a stop, then hit another three. Even if the Eastern side manages a lucky score, the chance to clinch is still in our hands."

Fan Xi quickly sketched a few tactics—essentially a few catch‑and‑shoot spots: one for Durant, one for Jokic, one for Leonard, and Griffin also has a job in the paint.

Looking at the players at his disposal, Fan Xi had never before fought such a well‑stocked battle.

Beep!

The whistle blew and the game continued.

When Fan Xi stepped onto the court, the passion of Madison Square Garden erupted.

MVP! MVP! MVP!

Even though we were still five points behind, New York fans had already begun celebrating Fan Xi in advance.

Such trust is unheard of.

The Eastern side was on high alert, as if facing a formidable foe.

Derek Rose came out to meet him at halftime, fearing to slight him.

But Fan Xi used a plain acceleration, then a change of direction to shake off Rosa's defense, and launched a stop‑and‑go jump shot from beyond the three‑point line.

The main point was deep inner strength—winning without moves against moves.

Swish!

The three‑pointer went in.

145‑147.

We were now only two points behind.

There is still 1 minute 05 seconds.

Fan Xi only took 6 seconds to finish an offensive wave—how bold is that?

But this is a routine operation.

Fan Xi continued to lead the defense against Rosa; after Rosa crossed half court, he passed the basketball to James.

Lun Na De went to greet James; James used a crotch-direction change, he broke through the defense, but when attempting the Stop-and-Go Jump Shot, Fan Xi rushed from his side and shouted loudly: "Rebound!"

Boom!

The basketball hit the rim.

This is just like when James was having sex, Fan Xi passed by the window and shouted three times: "You're gonna lose! You're gonna lose! You're gonna lose!"

James indeed lost it.

The rebound was taken by Yue Ji Qi.

Yue Ji Qi's big belly made Howard uncomfortable and want to cry; he has never liked this kind of big-tonnage player in his life. At his peak, he dominated the league's paint with no rival, yet whenever he faced Yao Ming he was always contained. There's no other reason: Yao Ming has a stable lower body and abundant skills.

The rebound was passed to Fan Xi.

Fan Xi dribbled past half court; now he has lowered the pace.

He said at the top of the three-point arc: "Let's play some tactics with them."

Then, Lun Na De and Du Lan Te began to make subtle cuts, while Ge Li Fen hopped twice in the paint area, seemingly practicing his leap.

Yue Ji Qi then came out, setting a screen for Fan Xi.

This is a bit of a rogue move; Fan Xi is widely recognized as the league's top breakthrough expert, yet he even lets such a strong big man set a screen.

Fan Xi used the screen to enter the paint, forcing Howard to switch defense and come in.

Fan Xi suddenly stopped at the free-throw line, passed the ball to beyond the three-point line, Yue Ji Qi caught it and shot... Boom!

Missed.

But Fan Xi leapt up from the paint; he and James almost simultaneously had a chance at the ball, but James's hang time was a bit longer, Fan Xi found the opportunity earlier, he grabbed the ball and dunked it.

147:147

The two teams tied.

Time remaining: 36.7 seconds.

Just as Fan Xi said during the timeout, he anticipated and prepared every step.

The only oversight was that Yue Ji Qi didn't make the three-pointer. But he put the ball in.

Now, even if the Miami Heat complete their offense, the right to clinch the game returns to Fan Xi's hands.

Fan Xi excels at clutch shots; he has hardly ever missed one.

Maikelbang is overly confident; he keeps sitting on the sidelines with eyes closed, meditating. He gives off a feeling of 'clinging to a big thigh'. Although he wants to cultivate the aura of Phil Jackson, who holds wisdom in his grasp.

But his length compared to Phil Jackson is far inferior; Phil Jackson is the Western version of immortal wind and dao bones, every whisker meticulously groomed.

Maikelbang's image is...

Moreover, everyone knows he is Fan Xi's defensive assistant coach.

So everyone will only praise his luck.

Fan Xi gave these Western stars on the bench a small Zhuge Liang–style shock.

Deep down, they couldn't help but feel: We are still far behind Jieke Fan.

Fan Xi was leading Derek Rose.

He said to Rosa: "Don't pretend; you'll pass the ball to James—you can't be the main!"

"I'm motivating you; you need to rise up, Derek!!"

Fan Xi's trash talk toward Rosa never stopped.

Rosa remained unmoved; he hesitated slightly at the arc top, then drove straight into the paint; Fan Xi couldn't stop his fierce attack... Among superstars, there's only mutual destruction, no one-sided domination.

This is the law.

Although Fan Xi is the league's best, even the league's best can't treat the fourth-place team like playdough to erase.

Rosa entered the free-throw line area, he stopped suddenly, back to the basket, up-down steps, jump shot... "Rebound!"

Fan Xi kept shouting.

But Rosa isn't James; Rosa is the type who, even if you shout 'You're gonna lose! You're gonna lose! You're gonna lose!', can still hold on for a few minutes. After all, he's the one who's been exposed in multi-person sports.

Swish!

The basketball scored.

149:147

Rosa widened the point difference.

Eastern continued to gain the lead.

Now the Eastern situation is a bit delicate; Rosa has already scored 31 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists in this game, while James has 22 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds. Originally James had a far higher chance of MVP than Rosa, but after Rosa made this shot, their chances became nearly equal.

Fan Xi decided to settle this issue.

With 23 seconds left in the game, he got the ball, crossed half court, then waited beyond the three-point line.

He burned time.

He even asked James: "Are you sure you won't come defend me?"

Fan Xi remained calm and composed.

He is experienced.

This is why he is the league's number one.

Rosa was very nervous; he knew this ball would decide the final outcome. So, when there were still 9 seconds left, he suddenly kicked into gear, deciding to break Fan Xi's rhythm with aggressive defense.

But just as he launched, Fan Xi also launched, Fan Xi quickly drove left.

He used his powerful explosiveness and speed to gain some advantages, and just as he was about to gather the ball and launch the final assault, James's hand slapped toward him.

He tried to knock away Fan Xi's basketball.

But Fan Xi also threw the ball out at the same time, and Durant had already run to the baseline corner.

Durant received the ball, and Wei De rushed over to provide help defense.

It was already too late.

Swish!

Durant shot, and it went in!

150:149.

Western completed the comeback with 2 seconds left.

Afterwards, Eastern requested a timeout, went through the procedure, and the ball was put back in play.

The ball was passed to James, and James forced a shot under the double-team of Fan Xi and Leonard...... bang!

It gave the Eastern fans on site a big fright.

But the ball did not go in.

The entire arena erupted.

Everyone was cheering.

Everyone was shouting: MVP! MVP! MVP!

These voices were clearly not for Durant, even though he scored 45 points tonight, while Fan Xi had only 22 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds. Fan Xi's stats did not rank among the top three in the West.

But, when Adam Silver finally stepped up, he only called out one name.

Originally, everyone thought at least Durant and Fan Xi would share the MVP.

But the New York media were too biased, giving all their votes to Fan Xi, which gave him a two-vote advantage.

Fan Xi won the MVP trophy.

Although he didn't want to win it.

He had actually been lying flat on the bench.

It was Durant who invited him to come out of retirement.

Coming out just erased the 5-point gap, habitually beating James's team.

Durant felt a bit uneasy inside about this, he is a sensitive person, and he originally thought he would at least get half of the MVP trophy.

But...

He looked somewhat disappointed.

The media all caught his unnaturalness.

But, Fan Xi's MVP award ceremony proceeded as scheduled, with Silver presenting the trophy to Fan Xi amid the cheers of the crowd.

Fan Xi gave his acceptance speech.

"Thank you New York, thank all the fans. I once again lifted the MVP trophy here in New York, which seems to make up for my regret from last season; I thought I could win the regular season MVP last season."

Fan Xi said with a smile.

Last season, the Knicks' regular-season record ranked only seventh in the East, which affected Fan Xi's evaluation.

Now Fan Xi bringing up this topic makes everyone inevitably think about this season's regular-season MVP.

Will it be given to Jieke Fan?

Or will it continue to go to James? Or Rosa? Or Durant? Or Harden?

It looks like the answer could have various possibilities.

"Finally, thank my teammates and the temporary teammates, especially Kevin, who hit the game-winning shot, broke the All-Star Game scoring record, and made great contributions." Fan Xi praised Durant.

Durant on camera showed a somewhat shy smile, but his eyes still held resentment.

Durant is a person rich in emotion; it won't be long before he becomes a Twitter war god, using a secondary account to angrily rant on the Internet at netizens who speak disrespectfully to him.

This is his unique way of venting.

Many NBA players are not as down-to-earth as he is. After all, NBA superstars don't have time to be online trolls; don't they usually party with supermodels?

With Fan Xi winning the All-Star MVP, this All-Star Game came to a perfect conclusion; New York fans were extremely happy, this being the first time this season they felt so happy.

And as the All-Star Game ended, the 2014-2015 season entered its second half, and everyone immediately had to consider playoff matters.

The arrival of the playoffs will stir up a real bloody storm.

Especially after the Miami Heat got reinforcements, the whole North American basketball world was filled with a vengeful atmosphere; everyone hoped James would accomplish his destined reversal, and they did not want to see James lose to Fan Xi again.

After all, James has been their Heaven's Chosen Son from the very beginning.

The Heaven's Chosen Son, after losing again and again, has finally seen the dawn.

With the Magic Beast and the Kings, they could surely get a scepter at least once!

Who in the NBA could still stand up to such a super combination?

Unless Durant really joins the Kuaisuan.

Experts think that way.

…