Chapter 636: With the resolve to face death, they chase victory

The jump ball was between Ka Pei La and Huo Hua De.

As the referee blew the whistle, Ka Pei La and Huo Hua De jumped at the same time, then… Pa!

Huo Hua De first tipped the ball, but Ka Pei La used his fingertips to tap the ball over.

Lu Bi Ao grabbed the ball and dribbled past half-court.

The Heat instantly switched to a strong defensive mode; wearing red away jerseys, they were like a ball of flame, blazing fiercely.

The Kuaisuan in white-blue jerseys were like a vast ocean, calm yet surging.

Lu Bi Ao passed the ball to Fan Xi, who caught it on the wing and faced De Huai En Wei De; they were already old rivals.

Their showdown had lasted five years, becoming a staple of the yearly finals.

Fan Xi had never lost in his peak showdowns with Wade; the sad thing is… Wade is no longer at his peak, or rather he's standing on the tail end of it.

Facing Wade, Fan Xi didn't wildly change direction as he did in his youth, challenging his balance back and forth. Instead, he made an extremely realistic probe, Fan Xi stepped forward… his body lunged out, Wade instinctively retreated half a step.

Fan Xi caught the ball, launched a stop-and-go jump shot… Swish!

Three-pointer made.

Experts clash; victory or defeat lies in a fleeting moment.

Moreover, their moves are becoming more plain and unadorned.

Fan Xi no longer needs to use flashy tricks to create space; his talent is enough for him to do things that ignore defense. Moreover, as his ability grows stronger, every move of his exudes killing intent—even a slight shoulder shake is enough to make defenders jump at shadows.

This is the strength of a scoring king.

Having failed to stop Fan Xi's first shot, Wade showed no discouragement at all.

The game continued.

The Heat this season displayed a commanding presence; James was like the leader of this iron-blooded legion. He drew defense on the wing, Qian Mo Si organized the offense at the top of the key, Wade likewise stretched the defense like a screw… Fan Xi followed his steps.

The ball eventually ended up in Ke Li Si Bo Shen's hands.

Bosh singled out Capela, using a turn move to create a gap in Capela's defense, he entered the paint, and as Jokic's defense passed him, he passed the ball to Howard, who completed an alley-oop dunk.

Xiao Jordan's departure indeed affected the Clippers' interior defensive strength.

Jokic is a strong space-type genius center, but his defense, especially his lateral speed, is indeed slow.

Fan Xi didn't expect the Heat's first offensive play to be initiated by Ke Li Si Bo Shen, just as the Heat didn't expect the Knicks' second ball to go straight to Jokic.

Jokic pulled up to the high post to initiate play, forcing Howard to defend outwards.

Just as everyone thought the Clippers would clear the paint and create a backcut, Jokic went one-on-one, his bulky frame driving into Howard.

Howard is American-style strong, with powerful upper-body strength… explosive power in his spindly calves. Facing Jokic's absolute bulk, it is once again proved that muscle isn't necessarily better than fat; true strongmen are all laden with lard.

Jokic drove into the paint, about to lay it up, when Ke Li Si Bo Shen came to help, his help timely and precise.

But Jokic's pass was a step quicker; he didn't pass to Capela, but to Rubio, who ran out using Capela as a screen—Rubio had always been considered not an offensive player.

This time, he made a three-pointer from the top of the key, its arc a few degrees higher than usual.

Swish!

Rubio hit a three-pointer. This made Spoelstra highly alert.

If Rubio continues scoring, the Heat's defense will necessarily have to expand significantly.

Now the situation is: pull one hair and move the whole body.

In an expert showdown, any detail can sway the final outcome.

Looking back, James launched an attack from the wing; Leonard's defense was precise, but James' stop-and-go jump shot cannot be defended.

James still hasn't fixed his ugly shooting form, but his accuracy has improved tremendously.

Fan Xi's rise has him spending nearly a million dollars a year on basketball skills.

James' desire for improvement is commendable; since entering the league, he evolves a little each offseason. In the past five years, the fastest evolution… who let the NBA have one more Jieke Fan?

The game continued.

Both sides fought extremely intensely.

Moreover, every offensive play had extremely high technical content; they attacked each other at the pinnacle of defensive dimensions, like dancing on the tip of a knife.

And they danced so beautifully.

Found pleasing to the eyes by fans, this is truly a peak showdown.

After the first quarter, the Heat tied the score thanks to Ray Allen's last-second three-pointer.

29:29.

The two teams ended tied, and the scores were relatively high.

This gave a feeling completely different from the Eastern Conference finals.

In the Eastern Conference finals, scoring 20 points in a quarter is considered high.

A group of scorers, amid ugly muscle battles, have seen their shooting percentages remain bleak.

Rosa and Noah sat in front of the TV, their relationship very good. Noah has always been Rosa's bodyguard.

"Looking at it this way, we indeed fall short of these two teams by a bit." Noah said somewhat helplessly.

Despite media reports saying James' past four years have been lost years.

But for the Bulls, what isn't a lost four years?

Derek Rose won the regular-season MVP in 2011, making him the youngest regular-season MVP in history. However, that was also the peak of his personal honors; over these past four seasons, he has grown stronger and more dominant.

Yet, he is growing ever farther from the finals.

It's as if separated by a galaxy.

He has never been able to beat the Heat, just as the Heat have never been able to beat Fan Xi.

In these years, which year did the Bulls not make progress?

In which year did Derek Rose not make progress?

But the opponent evolves even faster.

Rosa now sits at fifth, eyeing fourth.

But what's the use of that?

He now especially understands why James always looks so bitter on camera; he even somewhat admires James. Four failures didn't make him give up; instead, he became even more determined, and that fighting spirit alone deserves praise.

However, competitive sports don't really appeal to these hollow‑headed fools; they still prioritize victory.

"I at least need to find a top‑ten league superstar alliance to reach this level of battle."

Derek Rose said.

Le Bu Lang Zhang Si's 2010 televised broadcast completely changed the league's ecosystem; the peak super‑team was once wildly mocked. Yet as James was defeated for four consecutive years, more people lately have come to accept the peak super‑team concept.

Because if there is no peak super‑team, Jieke Fan would truly dominate the NBA forever.

Rosa, at this tier of players, worries most about that.

In fact, at this moment it's not only Rosa thinking that in front of the TV.

Kevin Durant, James Harden, Stephen Curry… they all think the same.

Kuaisuan and Heat's first quarter made them clearly realize how far they are from the NBA's top‑level showdown.

They want to join this level of competition, they want the championship, they don't want to be like Charles Barkley, forming a super‑team in old age only to get nothing and end up speechless as Kenny Smith rants at them on TV.

At that tier, the championship becomes the sole pursuit.

Otherwise, what else could they lack? Money, fame? Women? Those have long been standard.

The second quarter on TV quickly began.

The Clippers shuffled the lineup: Fan Xi returned to the #1 spot, Huaiti Seda entered, replacing Yue Jiqi, and Yang Nisi moved up to #3.

This is Kuaisuan's strongest defensive lineup.

Five players, five super defenders.

The five of them can form truly seamless, all‑area defense.

Heat faced a huge challenge.

Qian Mos's first shot was tightly pressured by Fan Xi across the court; after finally crossing half‑court, he passed the ball to James, who got tangled with the Greek little monster. After the little monster entered second grade, it further leveraged its unique physical gifts, especially on the scoring end.

His physical quality, compared to James, is not much inferior, and he also has height and wingspan advantages.

Thus James found it harder; he forced his way into the paint, executed a beautiful bounce pass, and Huo Wa De drew a foul on Huaiti Seda.

Stepping to the free‑throw line, he surprisingly made both shots.

The game continues.

Kuaisuan's offense also endured stronger, pressure‑type defense.

Fan Xi and Huaiti Seda set screens, drove to the basket, attracted double‑team, but found no passing outlet, forced a layup… and scored.

The game's physicality rose again.

The referee also relaxed the foul‑calling intensity under these conditions, no longer whistling frequently.

This made many fans nostalgic for the 80s and 90s in front of the TV exclaim with delight.

Kenny Smith, however, mocked Barkley at this moment: "Charles, haven't you always said modern basketball's physicality is child's play? How many rebounds do you think your peak self could grab in this game? How many points?"

Barkley said nothing.

He could boast nonsense, but he cannot face his own heart.

Barkley was undeniably a prodigiously gifted super‑forward, dominating his era.

If he entered this league, he'd surely become a superstar, perhaps even surpass his historical standing. After all, he can rebound, orchestrate, shoot, and is strong with explosive power….

Someone once said that Barkley in the modern era could very well be another version of James.

There's some truth to that.

But if that person saw tonight's James, they'd certainly couldn't say that.

Modern players' physical qualities are definitely better than back then, though those gifted players of the past would still be fierce today. Overall talent has undeniably risen.

If Barkley were in this game, he'd certainly not match his finals stats from back then.

At least three small forwards on the court would trouble him.

The game continues.

Both sides' iron‑play volume kept climbing, and each entered a scoring drought.

Neither side intended to adjust, so they melded in the furnace, giving no quarter.

At halftime, the final score was 45–47.

The visiting Heat led by 2 points.

During halftime, ESPN wildly predicted the Heat would secure an away win.

Their stance is very biased.

They claim that without Fan Xi's opponents, they couldn't survive.

Other neutral media say they cannot forecast.

Even Kenny Smith says: "The match comes down to willpower at the end, because their tactical level is at the historical peak. Ultimately, the team with the strongest will easily wins."

Charles Barkley agreed with Kenny Smith's view, which is rare. He said, "This is the most evenly matched and technically rich finals I've ever seen."

"I can say that the Celtics‑Lakers matchups back then weren't this spectacular. The Bulls dynasty is even less comparable. The Lakers OK dynasty was just crushing the weak. There was almost no resistance. The Spurs and Pistons, though defensively intense, had comparable technical and talent release levels."

Barkley's words garnered widespread fan agreement.

Whether favoring the past over the present or the reverse, no one doubts this conclusion.

…

In the Miami Heat locker room, Pat Riley held a tactics board reviewing the first half. He pointed out some issues of both teams, but they were merely nitpicky.

These two teams certainly have lapses, but who can seize them? If it were the dynasty Bulls, they'd still fail to catch them.

So, Pat Riley emphasizes willpower even more.

He said, we've been grinding for five years; this year, no matter what, we will bite off a piece of Jieke Fan, we want to see blood, we want to be bloodthirsty sharks.

"I hope you go into this win with a die‑or‑die mindset. The humiliation more terrifying than death—we can no longer endure another failure."

Pat Riley is a tough guy, he has a godfather's aura, but now he says, "This is my plea to you."

His words make every Heat warrior feel an urge to weep, but that tearful feeling quickly turns into an endless, blazing battle spirit.

The Heat this year are vying for the championship with a die‑or‑die resolve.

For them, victory is already the sole pursuit.

Compared with the grim atmosphere in the Miami Heat locker room, the Kuaisuan locker room is relatively calmer, yet after the high‑intensity clash, tense and solemn emotions still linger there.

JR Smith told two dry jokes, but few players laughed.

Everyone sat there zoning out; they all knew the second half would be harsher than the first.

We were down two points at halftime; we must make it up in the second half.

Just before heading onto the court, Fan Xi stood up and clapped his hands. He said, "Everyone be a bit more lively; the game isn't that brutal. Relax, and our touch will improve."

"I won't let you return empty‑handed, nor will I let you bear any infamy."

Fan Xi said with a smile, but it was a solemn promise to his teammates.

After so many years together, everyone actually already knows what kind of person Fan Xi is.

When Fan Xi says that, it actually further fuels his teammates' willpower.

Because they all know Fan Xi is prepared to shoulder it alone.

How can we let him shoulder it alone?

Unless I die!

In many hearts, stubborn stones burst into fierce battle will.

……