Generation Z Artists

Chapter 206 Overturning the Basketball World
Post-game interviews are an important part of American basketball culture.

Now, this crucial component is inflicting secondary damage on the Lakers.

O'Neal glared at the New York reporter and gritted his teeth, saying, "Last year we only lost one game in the playoffs and won the championship with a record of 15 wins and 1 loss. Now, you dare to say that our championship is not of high quality?"

"This is a fact."

The New York reporter shrugged: "Have you noticed your own stats? You looked utterly pathetic in front of Fang Xinghe."

With a bang, O'Neal slammed the microphone down and got up to leave the court.

Flashbulbs went off everywhere as reporters frantically snapped photos, mentally crafting tomorrow's headlines.

With Shaq gone, it's Kobe's turn to face the scrutiny.

"Kobe, you struggled quite a bit today. Was it because of the immense defensive pressure from Jordan?"

In fact, Kobe's performance of 28 points, 6 assists and 6 rebounds against Dan was not bad, but his shooting percentage was a little low at 39.8%, which was below 40%.

That's just how the media is; they always want to create big news.

Kobe replied seriously, "Michael Jordan is my teacher. All my moves are learned from him. To get past his defense, I need to put in more effort..."

Blah blah blah, and took the blame for most of it.

But reporters don't like hearing that.

Soon after, someone asked, "You all were optimistic before, thinking that beating the Wizards wouldn't be difficult. Now, how do you evaluate Fang Xinghe?"

"..."

After a long silence, the little snake finally answered solemnly.

“SR is a big problem. He’s even stronger than I expected.”

The following day, The Washington Post reported: "Kobe: SR is better than me. Our superstar has defeated the second-best shooting guard in the league!"

The Zen master was not spared from torment either.

The Celtics asked him, "This was a tactical collapse. As the greatest head coach in NBA history, you were utterly defeated by Doc Rivers..."

The Zen master could no longer move in meditation.

fart!

I clearly lost to Fang Xinghe!

……

In contrast to the somber mood of the Lakers, the Wizards' post-game interview was filled with laughter and joy.

Doug attended with his four core players, smiling like an old chrysanthemum.

When faced with a similar question, he smiled and waved his hand.

"Tactics? That's SR's doing. I was only responsible for adjusting the team's mentality and applauding them during timeouts, saying things like 'Well done,' 'Yes, play like that,' 'Listen to SR.'"

After the reporters had finished laughing, he suddenly gave the Zen master a disdainful look.

"As for defeating Phil, that's nothing to mention."

He is the most overrated head coach.

The triangle offense wasn't a tactic he invented; my grandmother led Jordan to six championships at his peak.

The same logic applies to the OK combination. He didn't unleash OK's full potential; most of the time he was just putting on a show. Now you see, SR's tactical abilities completely overwhelm him!

I sprayed it all out, and it felt so good.

The feud between the two is too complicated to explain, but it's common knowledge that Doug was jealous of the Zen Master.

In any case, the victors have the right to criticize the losers, and today, no one can refute Doug.

Jordan was also very excited.

"Kobe is a fantastic young man. He's technically gifted, mentally resilient, has explosive offense, and is full of energy on defense. I would rank him second among the league's rising stars."

Who's number one? Hahaha, do you even need to ask?

Fang Xinghe, the league's top rising star, received the most enthusiastic support.

"SR, after being knocked down by Shaq, you charged at him a second and third time and were fouled again, but you still managed to score a three-point play. What did you say to him then?"

Fang Xinghe did not answer.

"I don't want to talk about a coward, next question."

He refused all questions related to O'Neal, but that didn't stop the media.

During the game replays that night, several television stations repeatedly broadcast footage of him driving to the basket and recreated his conversation with O'Neal.

These clips, spread throughout the world, caused an unimaginable and enormous impact.

A total of 7 shots of players hitting the basket were edited out of the entire game.

At first, Fang Xinghe was like a sword; later, he became like Thor's hammer.

The first time, he was slammed to the ground and slid a long way, causing shock and outrage among fans across China and Asia.

The second time, he drove hard to the basket again. O'Neal toned down his movements a bit, but still hit his hand.

Fang Xinghe was once again thrown into the air.

But he quickly bounced up from the ground and said contemptuously to O'Neal, "Softie, either be tougher or control your fouls. I don't want you to leave the game too early."

The third time, O'Neal didn't dare to reach out again, but only made a forward leaning motion of his upper body in mid-air.

Fang Xinghe was thrown backward in mid-air, his body tilted at nearly a 45-degree angle. Yet, in that position, he froze completely for a moment, his left arm outstretched to maintain balance, and his right hand catching the ball and tossing it toward the basket...

The basketball, like an elf, soared over O'Neal's outstretched hands and swished through the net.

This was a beautiful two plus one.

It was immediately named the number one goal of the year by multiple media outlets.

After staggering and falling to the ground, Fang Xinghe immediately scrambled to his feet and yelled at O'Neal, "Are you so eager to get off the court? Coward!"

O'Neal was so angry he almost threw a punch, but he was actually substituted out of the game by Phil Jackson.

From then on, O'Neal, when he returned to the court, no longer dared to directly block Fang Xinghe, and mainly vented his anger on the offensive end.

But it was no use at all. Fang Xinghe could always break through the perimeter defense quickly and attack him head-on with a crazy attitude that was completely unafraid of getting hurt.

Seven drives to the basket brought tears to the eyes of countless neutral spectators and left fans around the world with teary eyes.

Fang Xinghe is too persistent and too brave, showing an extreme sportsmanship and an extreme personal charm.

He drew four fouls from O'Neal on his own, forcing the Shaq off the court at the start of the fourth quarter, making it easy for the Wizards to win.

"Brother Fang is awesome!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, the fans were unable to utter any eloquent words.

The forum is flooded with comments praising Fang Ge's awesomeness and toughness.

This victory solidified Fang Xinghe's image worldwide.

Tough, fierce, consistent in word and deed, and fiery.

The labels needed for cultural icons and sports icons are not the same.

The former emphasizes talent and wisdom, while the latter emphasizes willpower and spirit. Those who possess both are extremely rare in the entire history of humankind.

After winning this match, Fang Xinghe's "status" has clearly risen again.

This kind of status is different from fame; it is a kind of weight, a kind of height.

Japanese media: "The ultimate victory of overthrowing superiors! Prince Fang Xinghe is the role model that young Japanese people should learn from!"

South Korean media: "He's the Prince of the Sun! Fang Xinghe's brilliance illuminated the NBA, turning Shaq into a dried shark, and greatly boosting confidence in our country's sports..."

Jilin Daily: "A crushing victory! Fang Xinghe, Jilin Province is proud of you!"

People's Daily: "Yesterday, Fang Xinghe, an outstanding representative of Chinese youth, defeated the NBA dynasty team Lakers in a godlike performance during the Christmas Day game. The game attracted nearly one billion viewers and caused a sensation worldwide..."

USA Today: "SR's frenzied and relentless attacks on the Lakers' interior reminded me of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War!"

There's all sorts of ridiculous praise, forcibly creating the illusion that everyone loves Fang Xinghe. Okay, actually it's not exactly an illusion; Fang Xinghe has genuinely become incredibly popular.

The number of floating powders surged by about 1.5 million, the star value reached 2 million, and the star value reached 2 points.

After defeating Danzi last time, Fang Xinghe's fan base broke through 2 million again. It fluctuated over the past two months, but now it has suddenly surged to 3.2 million.

This is an extremely exaggerated and terrifying statistic.

In Europe and America, there are 7000 million instances of powdery residue, while in Asia, there are 2.5 million. What does that mean?
In 2001, the total population of East Asia and Southeast Asia was only 20.65 billion, and Fang Xinghe's fans accounted for one-eighth of that population!

If we further break down the population structure, the population between the ages of 12 and 50 is approximately 12.5 billion, meaning that one in five people is a fan of Fang Xinghe!

Of course, adding powder to the panel based on momentary emotions is not very meaningful.

However, at the same time, Fang Xinghe's die-hard fans are also increasing dramatically.

Level 3 die-hard fans: 295 million

Level 4 Frenzy: 72 million

Level 5 Belief: 43458
This number has become outrageous.

All the top celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry in later generations are like little brothers in front of Brother Fang.

At his peak, Qian Ge had around 50 level 3 die-hard fans, slightly fewer than Lu Han.

Later on, Xiao Zhan's number of die-hard fans was the highest in history, a level that was unprecedented, with big data calculations showing it exceeded one million—similar to Fang Sheng's level 4 fans.

The problem is that with each new fan level, the quality of fans increases dramatically, and their value becomes incomparable.

Fang Xinghe should now take Michael Jackson as his role model.

The gap still exists; they are basically at the same level. This has become a phenomenon, and can be called legendary.

Next, if we find an opportunity to purify it twice more, and once the 3 million floating fans have mostly disappeared, we can expect to reach 500 million high-end fans.

What would that look like?
When Brother Fang's movie was released, die-hard fans brought their families, watching it three or five times with fervor, their faith practically living in the theater...

500 million high-level fans are equivalent to at least 3000 million moviegoers!
It's not scary from a monetary perspective, but what if 500 million people were to silence passersby, forbidding them from saying a bad word about Fang Xinghe, or else they would challenge them to a duel for honor?
Ugh, a sight that people and dogs find utterly repulsive.

As the number of die-hard fans skyrocketed, Fang Xinghe's public image deteriorated significantly, and the fact that his number of casual fans could never break 5 million was strong evidence of this.

Will this layer of powder last a month? Probably not.

However, he did get his hands on Starlight and Starshine, and Fang Ge happily added 2 points to both Endurance and Recovery, finally maxing them out at 99 points.

After winning the battle with Danzi last time, I gained 2 Star Points. Combined with the reward from defeating OK this time, it's just right.

Unfortunately, it will be difficult to obtain Star Points in the upcoming regular season.

This thing comes from the extreme emotions of fans, and human emotions have a threshold; they can only be continuously generated by sufficiently fresh stimuli.

Achievements that have already been made, if repeated, can at most produce starlight.

For example, in the NBA series of achievements, it is estimated that only the MVP and the championship can bring more stars. The first championship is the most, and the rest are not very meaningful unless you win five championships in a row and create a unique miracle in the history of modern basketball.

But in professional fields, it's a completely different atmosphere.

Teams and media outlets across the league began to take the Wizards' strength seriously.

"Holy crap! They actually have the ability to win the championship?!"

Barkley frantically scratched his bald head; jealousy had distorted his appearance beyond recognition.

"This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!"

Smith's expression was very serious: "The Wizards are too much of a counter to the Lakers. Judging from yesterday's situation, as long as they can break through the East, there is a good chance that they will upset OK and win the final championship."

Several basketball media outlets have analyzed this situation.

ESPN provides a tactical analysis.

"Fang Xinghe's tactics are of epoch-making significance. His use of space is both clear and efficient, forming an extremely three-dimensional striking network. He also equipped this concept with a variety of clear tactics. He is a born tactical master."

Hubie used his exceptional professionalism to dismantle the Wizards' tactics and lineup.

"Essentially, it's still a pass-and-cut system, but SR only attacks from two areas—either beyond the three-point line or under the basket."

He viewed the three-pointer as the absolute weapon for opening up space, urging Hamilton to develop two corner three-pointers and strengthening Robinson's wing three-pointers, clarifying the fundamental principle that this soft-shooting idiot should not go into the elbow area.

He completely cleared the mid-range area for Jordan, maximizing the space for Jordan's isolation plays.

Did Michael Jordan, at his peak, ever have such a relaxed one-on-one environment during his time with the Bulls?
No, it never has.

But under Fang Xinghe's command, when Hamilton stopped running in the left corner, when Robinson raised his hand to fake a call for the ball beyond the left three-point line, and when Campbell cut down the arc to try to steal the ball, the right low post was completely cleared out, and Michael Jordan could do whatever he wanted there.

Actually, here's a new question—when the small forward locks down the low post and stops cutting to the basket, who will drive to the basket?
Star River.

He is a better and stronger rim-dribbling player. His low-post dunks no longer require him to make the shot; he can pass to the outside or inside.

When SR passes by him, it will not only avoid drawing another defender to double-team him, but it will also draw everyone's attention away.

In 26 games, Michael Jordan displayed a more efficient offense than he did in 98, and SR was the core reason for this…

Jordan's stats were displayed on the big screen.

场均24.3分、6.2助攻、6.8篮板、1.9抢断、1.02盖帽，命中率52.8%。

This is indeed a peak in efficiency.

Jordan didn't take many shots and didn't play too hard. On offense, he either finished with three seconds left or made passes to facilitate the offense. He rarely forced his way to the basket and stopped making high-difficulty shots.

Fang Xinghe's spatial tactics allowed him to play the most comfortable dozen or so games of his career.

It's just these last dozen or so games.

Hubie explained in detail how Fang Xinghe contributed to all his teammates, especially Jordan.

Finally, he concluded: "SR is a top point guard, a top point guard in history. If he plays like this for another three years, I would even be willing to rank him ahead of Johnson."

Immediately afterwards, the director played all of Fang Xinghe's data up to that point.

Hubie looked up and his expression suddenly became distorted, constipated, and distraught.

"But SR is more than just a point guard. I don't know how to describe his stats, he..."

The audience watched as Hubie fell into an unusual silence, a silence that lasted an unusually long time.

However, upon seeing the data panel on the television screen, the viewers expressed their understanding and fell silent.

Fang Xinghe, position: point guard.

Average playing time: 42 minutes.

Average field goal attempts per game: 16

Average points per game: 30.2

Assists per game: 10.2

Rebounds per game: 6.2

Steals per game: 2.5

Blocks per game: 2.18

Three-point shooting percentage: 42.5%
Overall hit rate: 60.1%
This is an unprecedented statistic in the entire history of the NBA, never before seen in any other position.

Either shoot threes or attack the basket. If you make two out of five threes, attacking the basket will definitely be effective.

You call this guy a point guard?!

Whose point guard plays like this?!

Before defeating OK, half of the media outlets confidently criticized Fang Xinghe for inflating his data, arguing that such performance had no real value.

However, now that the Lakers, who had won two consecutive championships, have been defeated, the entire league is going completely crazy.

"He said he came to conquer."

Hubie's expression was complicated, and he sighed heavily.

"I don't know if you believe it or not, but I do. SR... will completely revolutionize our basketball world."

(End of this chapter)