Chapter 641

Before the fourth game arrived, Fan Xi participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the flagship store of Fan-x Brand in Miami, which is Florida's largest specialty store, where one could buy Fan Xi's latest signature shoes, as well as Curry's signature shoes.

This was Fan-x Brand's unprecedentedly large-scale advance into Miami.

Initially, the brand worried that during the Finals, it might provoke local fans' backlash.

But the event's lively scene exceeded expectations.

About ten thousand people participated in the event; the originally prepared shoes sold out completely, and the reservation numbers they later prepared were also 'swept away'.

Miami fans didn't dislike Fan Xi that much.

Or rather, their dislike turned into another kind of admiration, a heartfelt respect.

After five years, they were convinced by his performance.

They acknowledged Fan Xi as the league's number one player faster than Le Bu Lang Zhang Si's team did; otherwise, you couldn't explain why the Heat, with so many superstars gathered, lost to him for four consecutive years… and now it's the fifth year.

What the media widely reported was that when Fan Xi appeared at the event site, many people on site were shouting: MVP!

TNT, CBS and other famous media reported this scene, describing it as: Jieke Fan sank the Miami luxury liner.

This was the final straw that broke the Heat's back.

When Pa Te Lai Li saw this news in the office, he remained silent for a long, long time. His assistant stood quietly beside him, not daring to breathe. Afraid the boss would fly into a rage.

But Pa Te Lai Li just sat there, his meticulously neat hair had a few strands falling down.

About 20 minutes later.

He said to his assistant: 'Call off the contact with Le Bu Lang Zhang Si's team.'

Huh?

The assistant was very surprised, why? Everyone had been actively contacting James's team recently, hoping he would stay and play another year.

Pa Te Lai Li was still encouraging them an hour ago.

But now…

'People's hearts have scattered.' Pa Te Lai Li said.

Then he sighed.

These five years, time flew by, ultimately amounting to nothing.

…

The matchup between the Kuaisuan and the Heat hasn't ended; theoretically, they are still tied, even if Fan Xi leads the Kuaisuan by one game in the total score.

Therefore, many media outlets continue to hype that the Heat will surely win.

Moreover, recently some talk has been circulating in the media… If Fan Xi keeps winning like this, how can the NBA still play?

But Fan Xi is just that strong.

The fourth game arrived as scheduled, at Miami Meihangzhongxin qiuguan, still crowded with people, still packed to capacity.

Lao Ma Ke Si didn't come to watch the game, but there were plenty of people who did.

Moreover, with Lao Ma Ke Si's wealth, he could also afford to watch the second game of the Finals: the tickets are simply too expensive.

Even the middle class can't afford it.

Fortunately, Miami has enough wealthy people.

The Heat maintained their previous starting lineup in this game.

The Kuaisuan made changes, fielding the Serbian twin towers, two centers who are both key figures. The small forward position changed from Leonard to Yang Ni Si, Fan Xi remains the shooting guard, and the point guard is Lu Bi Ao.

Mili Xiqi defeated Huo Hua De in the jump ball.

He always manages to defeat Huo Hua De.

Since he became Yi Wa's husband, his luck has been good; otherwise, he wouldn't have consecutively given birth to two sons.

Fan Xi got the ball, he and Mili Xiqi set a high screen, then both cut in on two lines; after Fan Xi drove into the paint, he passed the ball out… Yue Ji Qi caught it beyond the three‑point line, he shot…… Swish!

It went in.

That shot directly shattered Miami's defense.

You could never imagine how Fan Xi's screen‑and‑roll tactic works like this.

The tallest Yue Ji Qi ran to the perimeter to shoot a three‑pointer, while Fan Xi, Mili Xiqi, and Yang Ni Si went inside to battle for rebounds.

With this lineup, how could Huo Hua De and Bo Shen possibly stop it?

The Greek little monster could easily trap Huo Hua De in a swamp, Mili Xiqi handles Bo Shen with ease, Fan Xi constantly records triple‑doubles, and his rebounding ability is extraordinarily strong.

The Kuaisuan's mismatch advantage is too obvious.

Looking back, the Heat's Big Four haven't strayed from traditional play; James initiates an attack from the wing, draws a double‑team, then passes to Bo Shen, Bo Shen shoots…… and it's good.

This style of play relies on the stars' strong ability to score in isolation.

James is strong, Wade is strong, Bo Shen is no pushover, and the interior's Huo Hua De is top‑tier defensive power… Such a lineup could tear through any team in the league…… except the Kuaisuan.

Fan Xi's opening move remains the screen‑and‑roll, but the Heat double‑team him in advance, passing to Mili Xiqi; under Bo Shen's defense, Mili Xiqi pulls off a dreamy footwork, spins into the paint, and passes to the baseline Lu Bi Ao.

James lunged forward, he passed to the interior, the Greek monster seized the ball and slammed it home.

Every Kuaisuan player can act as a transfer hub.

Moreover, Lu Bi Ao now has a three‑point shot, Fan Xi has a three‑point shot, Yue Ji Qi has a three‑point shot, and even Mili Xiqi's mid‑to‑long range can be deadly.

Furthermore, these players all have the ability to pass, cut, and shoot.

Even if Spoelstra scratched his head raw, he couldn't think of a counter‑measure.

This is truly the dream team.

The game continued.

On the Heat's side, firepower output remained fierce, and the defense was also tough.

But they could never take the lead; each time they got close, the Kuaisuan would pull ahead a little. Moreover, they seemed not tired at all; they were maneuvering the Heat, running the Heat ragged.

Even fans who know nothing about basketball can see: the Heat are playing exhausted, every shot looks like a desperate struggle; the Kuaisuan play light and pleasant, as if they're just strolling and making every basket.

Moreover, even the home fans felt the referee's bias, and the Heat indeed received more whistles.

Such whistles don't necessarily mean sending Heat players to the free-throw line; sometimes they interrupt the Clippers' offense.

But even so, it was still useless.

The shots that should go in still went in.

"The Kuaisuan have completed their evolution. If they keep this roster, they could dominate the NBA for at least ten years." Er Yuehanxun said on TV: "If you say the first two games of the Finals were evenly matched, after Jie Ke exploded in the third game, the Kuaisuan's evolution became visibly apparent."

"Young teams are like that; they get stronger with battle, fighting to improve. But the Heat… will only gradually decline. Huo Huade's focus, Wade's injury concerns, Le Bu Lang Zhang Si's touch… these are all factors affecting their condition."

Kenni Smith also added.

"But do you think the Kuaisuan can afford to keep so many players? This is the greatness of the NBA salary system. Lun Nade will definitely re-sign for a supermax, plus Jie Ke already has a supermax set, and there are several multi-million-dollar salaries; their salary cap is maxed out."

"Given Jokic's current performance, he will definitely also get a supermax. And Giannis, I believe there will be teams offering him a supermax; by then, will the Kuaisuan not match it?"

Cha er si Ba ke li said: "I have a feeling that after this season, the Kuaisuan will trade Lun Nade away, just like they traded Butler before."

"The Kuaisuan are like a college; superstars come here, play four years, then leave. Handling work assignments."

TNT was teasing the Kuaisuan's team-building strategy.

But the game had already been pocketed in Los Angeles.

After the second half began, the situation cleared up. As James missed two consecutive mid-range attempts, Fan Xi hit two straight threes, extending the lead to double digits.

Then, Huo Huade collapsed first.

The 'first center' who had been coached by Kobe grew increasingly emotional, on the court he began blaming Qian Mos and questioning the head referee's calls.

His mindset visibly collapsed.

Fan Xi kept passing into the paint; first he let Capela dunk over his head, then he passed to Jokic, letting Jokic use his bulky body to crush him and finish with a hook in the paint.

During the timeout, Fan Xi heard arguing coming from the Heat bench.

Obviously, the team-breaking expert Huo Huade got to work again.

This is a person who complains about the environment wherever he goes; Huo Huade has never reflected on his own problems. Naturally, the Rockets' blame can't be pinned entirely on him, after all, the rotation monster—Harden and Paul are not lacking.

The Miami argument finally was quelled by James.

He was increasingly showing leadership ability.

He led the team in scoring two consecutive baskets, and the referee also blew the whistle a few times.

But soon after, Fan Xi kept assisting teammates to score.

Then, as Wade went up for a layup, he collided with Capela, their knees knocking together.

Wade hopped back to the bench, and he did not return to the game.

The game continued, with the two teams' point difference hovering around 10 points, maintaining that margin until the end, without surprise or suspense.

Heat fans began to leave the arena five minutes before the game ended.

In the huge arena, you couldn't see any Finals atmosphere.

Instead, it resembled an unattended preseason game.

In the summer of 2010, no one would have thought the Heat would spend these five years in such a way.

When Le Bu Lang Zhang Si joined the Heat, he was full of ambition and said many harsh words.

But now, none of them have come true.

After the game, he did not immediately leave the arena. He stood on the sidelines, quietly gazing at the Meihangzhongxin qiuguan for a long time.

Above hung four Eastern Conference championship banners.

These are the team honors he has reaped over these five years.

This is clearly not what he wanted.

But he had no choice.

Reporters did not bother James, but a photographer pressed the shutter, capturing a photo that would later be widely circulated.

Fan Xi, on the other side, accepted his teammates' celebrations and worship, recording another triple-double. And everyone knew his fifth straight championship had arrived, his fifth Finals MVP as well.

What reason do you still have to say Jie Ke isn't the Basketball God?

In this game, JR Smith played 7 minutes, scoring 2 points and grabbing 1 rebound, radiating intensity; he is the endorser of 360-degree athletic shoes, and now his trash-talking is flawless.

After one year with the Kuaisuan, his skills haven't improved much, but his trash-talking ability has truly grown.

Fan Xi, however, did not discuss this topic with reporters, merely saying: "I only care about the Finals; everything will wait until this series is settled before we talk."

But the media had already gone crazy discussing it.

Before the game even ended, Kenni Smith slammed the table and asked Cha er si Ba ke li: "You say a player enters the NBA for five years, wins five straight personal championships, and also wins five championships in a row with three teams, across the East and West, plus five Finals MVPs. Isn't he the greatest of all time? What was Jordan doing in his first five seasons?"

"'Jordan has six championships.' Barkley was very hard-headed."

No matter what data Kenni Smith presented, he only said this: 'Jordan has six championships.'

He didn't care about the preconditions Kenni Smith mentioned, nor did he want to look at the objective facts; he simply emphasized a simple math problem: 6 is greater than 5.

That's a bit of a shameless move.

Jordan himself, watching on TV, felt a little guilty. Yet he also thanked Barkley, this superficial brother, at least he was still upholding his authority.

Some other online media couldn't wait to announce: a new Basketball God has emerged.

This made Jordan especially gloomy; the Finals aren't even over yet, and they're rushing to crown Fan Xi?

Isn't it a bit early?

Jordan now hopes there are more people like Barkley who twist words and logic.

At least keep two Basketball Gods? One retired Basketball God, one active Basketball God—quite reasonable, no conflict.

…

Fan Xi and his teammates returned to loyal Los Angeles, carrying a 3–1 record.

This year, the Clippers' playoff games were all 4–1 gentleman sweeps; they achieved more fame than the Lakers' OK combo ever did. At its peak, the OK combo basically swept in inhumane fashion, the only game Allen Iverson stole was a win. This also became the highlight of Iverson's career, after all, he was the only superstar capable of taking a win from the peak OK combo.

However, the peak ok combination is also questionable, because Ao Ni Er definitely reached his peak, and at that time Ke Bi was still very immature. If they hadn't split up, hadn't had internal strife, they might have won five, six, seven, or eight championships.

So every time the ok combination is mentioned, Lakers fans feel especially sad.

Especially seeing how fierce the Kuaisuan are now, they all think: back then, if the Lakers management had done more ideological work with those two geniuses, five consecutive championships would be the minimum, and seven or eight consecutive championships wouldn't be impossible. Ao Ni Er could still have won a championship in 2006, and with Ao Ni Er plus Ke Bi, extending the championship streak to 2008 would be no problem. Then, make another trade, get Fan Xi, and the Lakers could keep winning championships.

This is a beautiful fantasy existing in the minds of Lakers fans.

Mo Shu Shi Yue Han Xun commented on the debate between Fan Xi and Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan about the Thus we include: English.

He gave Mai Ke Er Qiao Dan a decisive shot.

He said: "mj, you need to make way for your position, I'm being serious. Jie Ke won five championships and five Finals MVPs in five years, this difficulty is greater than two three-peats. Back then, I also wanted to stay at the top forever, but later I figured it out. People get old, young people need to rise, and if you retire, you should retire gracefully."

Mo Shu Shi Yue Han Xun's remarks were obviously just self-promotion.

After all, Qiao Dan only took over that position after defeating him in the Finals; there was no voluntary stepping down at all.

However, Mo Shu Shi Yue Han Xun indeed gave him a leg up. After Qiao Dan's first retirement, he even half-jokingly, half-seriously knelt down to ask Qiao Dan to come back. m

This also gave Qiao Dan a good laugh.

But nowadays, Mo Shu Shi Yue Han Xun has sided with Fan Xi.

…