Generation Z Artists

Chapter 220 The World Is Shining for Me

Before the second round of the competition officially began, Fang Xinghe won his first major NBA honor.

01-02 NBA Rookie of the Year.

In his previous life, Yao Ming missed out on this award.

In this life, no one even pays attention when Fang Xinghe wins an award.

Rookie of the Year?

Come on, we're discussing his chances of winning MVP, why are you stirring things up here?!
There was no acceptance speech, of course. Fang Xinghe glanced at the trophy and casually tossed it to Wang Chali.

"Put it away?"

"Give it to the prodigy," Fang Xinghe said with a look of disgust. "My house isn't a junkyard, why would I keep it?"

Bolin jumped out, beaming as he picked up the exclusive trophy engraved with Fang Xinghe's name, overjoyed.

"Give it to me, give it to me! The Wizards' hall of fame is missing this, dear Fang. What other trophy don't you want?"

Everyone gathered around to join in the fun, counting on their fingers.

"The All-NBA Team is definitely a given, if not the First Team, then the Second Team..."

"Get lost! What a joke!"

Xiao Luo shoved the brainless Xiao Han aside and said confidently, "Buddy, look at the commander's stats. If he doesn't make the All-NBA First Team, who does?"

Hamilton wasn't brainless, he was just too naive.

He scratched his head and replied, "In terms of data, we're not at a disadvantage, but... SR's number of appearances..."

"This is indeed a big problem."

Danzi, with a cigar in his mouth, would seize any opportunity to show off.

"As you know, I've basically had perfect attendance throughout my career, so it's difficult for me to offer advice on this..."

Okay, okay, we know you've got a high attendance rate, what are you showing off for?
As the finals drew closer, Danzi's attitude improved, and his emotional intelligence increased day by day.

Look, even when he's trying to be cool, he remembers to share the joy with the people!

Meanwhile, Ah Gou spared no effort in offering advice and strategies.

"The number of games played is certainly an important indicator, but it's not impossible – we're in the playoffs, so there's still time to change the media's perception."

Our second-round match against the Nets will begin on May 5th, and the deadline for voting for the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team is May 13th.

"As long as you put up stats that will make the voting reporters bow down in this series..."

Fang Xinghe understood, but he simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Everything is about the team's victory. I don't need or care about these personal honors."

"New bee!"

Jordan gave a thumbs up and joined everyone in shouting "Awesome!"

Fang Xinghe's personal documentary team captured this scene in their viewfinder, and felt that filming Uncle Fang was really easy, as there were high-quality shots anytime, anywhere.

After a few laughs and jokes, the topic of personal honors was over.

However, this thing won't get past the media level.

The first two rounds of the playoffs each year don't receive much attention; the league relies entirely on these honor-related topics for its success.

Indeed, nobody cared that Fang Xinghe won Rookie of the Year, but Man Tianxing went on a crazy loan spree, getting one All-NBA First Team selection and one All-Defensive First Team selection, and even started trying to bluff for the MVP award.

The media also happily fueled the flames, stirring things up incessantly.

In fact, looking at the data alone, Fang Xinghe has no disadvantage against anyone, but he also doesn't have any obvious advantages.

He focused too much on developing the Wizards' tactics instead of becoming a true ball-handling superstar and taking the biggest slice of the statistical pie for himself.

This season, he has played a total of 64 games, averaging 38 minutes per game.

He averaged 24.6 points per game, ranking 8th in the entire league. The scoring leader was Iverson with 31.4 points.

He averaged 9.5 assists per game, ranking second in the entire league, but failed to overtake Kidd to win the assist title.

His rebounding is terrible because he doesn't go inside; his average is only 3.9.

He did lead in steals per game with 3.05, taking the title of steals king this year.

His average number of blocks per game is also quite interesting, at 2.22. This is mainly because he stole a lot of blocks in the early game, and later everyone was on guard against Fang Xinghe's high-speed, high-elasticity stealth blocks.

However, although his defensive stats are quite outstanding for a guard, Fang Xinghe often "slacks off in the top of the arc" during games, so from the perspective of media impressions, his defensive stats are generally considered not very valuable.

It can't compare to the value of offensive statistics like points and assists.

Many basketball experts believe he should be included in the All-NBA First Team, and most agree.

His direct competitors are Kidd and Iverson, but neither of them is as well-rounded as our Fang Ge.

Data analysis shows that Fang Xinghe is a typical player who contributes to the team through his personal threat, rather than a traditional point guard, and certainly not someone who just unleashes his own scoring prowess.

With a height of 1.84 meters and a well-proportioned wingspan, no matter how he swings, he can't possibly have the powerful breaking ability of Durant. For the sake of looking good, Brother Fang never intended to become a standing stick one-on-one king.

Actually, winning the scoring title is quite easy. Fang Xinghe is much more efficient than Iverson. He only needs to take 25 shots per game to easily score 35 points.

However, the Wizards' situation did not allow him to do that.

Hamilton needs opportunities to develop his mid-range game, Robinson needs opportunities to face up and move the ball around to maintain his form, and Dan needs to take more than ten shots per game to adapt to the game.

The key players all need the ball, otherwise they will become a burden in the finals. What should we do?
Sacrificing the championship for data?
Then incite fans to humiliate them in the style of "CBA teammates"?

My team lost, but I didn't?

Anyway, Fang Xinghe felt that the championship was more important. Statistics were useless except for bragging to laymen who didn't understand basketball.

So he didn't even care about being the assist leader, and just went with the flow, taking whatever came his way.

However, he is not without impressive stats—his PER efficiency value and WS win contribution value are both far superior to Fang's.

PER, 31.9, the highest in history, surpassing Chamberlain's record in the 62-63 season.

Attacking WS, 16.7, the highest in history.

As an aside: The only season in which Dan Zi won the scoring title, Defensive Player of the Year, steals title, and MVP award simultaneously was the 87-88 season.

His stats back then consisted of: offensive WS (15.9) + defensive WS (8.1, the highest among guards in history).

Fang Xinghe's emergence has taken the offensive defense of guards to another level.

The "Moreyball" theory dictates focusing solely on three-pointers and shots near the basket, but Fang Ge's style of play isn't "Moreyball."

He determined efficiency maximization based on individual attributes.

In a sense, Fang Xinghe is the opposite of Curry.

Curry's biggest threat is his three-pointers, while Fang Xinghe uses the threat of three-pointers to create space for attacking the basket. His greatest offensive power is fully reflected in the small space under the basket.

With 99 points in coordination, 99 points in flexibility, and high speed and jumping ability, he achieved a true shooting percentage in the paint comparable to Shaquille O'Neal.

And this is precisely the root cause of the PER being overwhelmed.

Looking at the basic data alone, Star River is nothing special.

Looking at the advanced data... Jesus, where did this freak come from?!

Just as the media was clamoring that it was a freakish act, the internet was flooded with comments from fans: Fang Xinghe deserves an MVP award!

One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

One word, "MVP," offended most of the league's superstars.

Only Brother Fang himself didn't seem to care, remaining aloof and seemingly detached from the situation.

……

But this leisurely pace was finally shattered by the league itself on May 4, the day before the series against the Nets was about to begin.

That evening, Stern took the initiative to call Fang Xinghe.

The old man's voice always seemed to carry a smile.

"SR, what have you been up to lately? Have you seen the fans' calls for you?"

Fang Xinghe's heart stirred, sensing something.

"Nothing special, just preparing for the series. The Nets are a very interesting opponent, and I don't want to get upset by them."

"It seems you're 100% confident you can beat them?"

"120%."

Fang Xinghe's calm arrogance created an aura that could be felt even through the microphone.

“Tactically speaking, we are 80/20 against them, not a sure win, but Michael and I can cover the 20% chance of an upset, so apart from injuries, nothing can stop us from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.”

"Hahaha, good, very good!"

Stern was very happy; it seemed he really liked the answer.

Then, he changed the subject and asked, "SR, I like you, I like you very, very much. I want to be your best friend. In all of America, there won't be another person who trusts you, values ​​you, and truly loves you like I do..."

So we need to talk about whether you'd leave the NBA if you won the championship this season.

Fang Xinghe's heart stirred again.

Stern was a well-regarded and very decisive man.

Reputation means credibility, and boldness means taking risks.

This unusual question seems to contain some profound meaning.

The head of the online trolls decided to partially reveal his true feelings.

"basically."

Actor Fang used techniques of chest resonance and back larynx vocalization to make his answer sincere and full of emotion.

"I love movies more than basketball, and I love literature more than basketball. The league is great, but it's not the battlefield that gives me the most sense of accomplishment."

Therefore, I will inevitably retire early to do what I want to do most.

I'm not sure yet whether it will be this year or next year.

If I actually manage to lift the championship trophy this year, who knows, at that moment I might announce my semi-retirement on the spot?

Stern appeared very nervous and immediately pressed, "What do you mean by semi-retirement?"

"It means taking a lot of leave, no longer pursuing results, and spending time accompanying Old Man Qiao on his final journey."

Fang Sheng exudes human warmth.

Wow, he's both handsome and kind.

"Or you could think of it as a buffer before officially retiring?"
Michael Jordan enjoys his basketball world and puts on something like a retirement tour, while I, whenever I have time, appear as his guest performer.

Ultimately, Michael and I bid farewell to the world of basketball, leaving behind this legendary legacy for future generations to reminisce about…

Haha, doesn't that sound like you're taking yourself too seriously?

"How could that be? Of course not!"

Stern jumped up from his chair.

"What a wonderful idea! You deserve all of that!"

There's no precedent for a retirement tour in the NBA.

It's not something any random Tom, Dick, or Harry can pull off; the main character must have absolute authority in the NBA, making opponents willing to cooperate.

In 41 away games, the respect from opponents, the emotion from fans, and the deep affection from the media were all indispensable.

In today's basketball world, who's qualified to do this kind of thing?

The Great Elixir, only the Great Elixir.

To achieve the desired effect of his retirement tour, Danzi must win the championship this year.

At that moment, a terrible thought even crossed Stern's mind—to signal to the referee team to give Fang Xinghe and Jordan a preferential treatment.

But that thought vanished in an instant; the opposing team was the OK duo, and this epic battle had to be absolutely fair.

Even so, Fang Xinghe's deeper intention was ultimately achieved—fairness, fairness, and damn fairness!

Putting the league's stance aside for now, all we need to know is that some members of the referee committee have a special affection for the Lakers.

At the Lakers' home court, the calls can sometimes be off-target.

If he can eliminate this influence, Fang Xinghe is 7% confident that he can crush the Lakers.

As for the remaining 30% chance... don't even think about it. Thinking too much about it is absolutely disrespectful to the highest level of interior power in history. Putting aside character, the Wizards' defensive centers are simply not worthy of being compared to Shaq.

Therefore, winning or losing depends on both tactics and performance on the day.

Just give it your all.

……

Fang Xinghe made a casual move, and Stern responded with a solid move.

"SR, since you're confident you can beat the Nets, why not play a little more aggressively? The league needs your passion!"

"Okay, since my friend needs my help, I'm willing to contribute to the ratings."

Fang Xinghe didn't think about what he was going to do; he just played the role of a good friend.

Stern was very satisfied; he had finally let slip a little information.

"In fact, you're not far from any honors, you just need a little media recognition. But these laymen are always keen on on-field performance and can't see the deeper aspects. So, do you understand what I mean?"

"No, I don't understand, I just tried my best to play."

"Hahahaha!"

Stern laughed heartily, extremely satisfied.

"It's better if you don't understand. That's all then. Best of luck!"

Thank you, and I wish you all the best.

After hanging up the phone, a mutually beneficial deal was struck.

This is a very rare kind of tacit understanding.

First of all, Fang Xinghe cannot be foolish, nor can he have it all, and he certainly cannot cling to power.

Secondly, Stern needs to have enough courage and foresight to know what kind of outcome constitutes a win-win situation.

Finally, the promises should not be put in writing; everyone should do their own thing and fulfill them according to their conscience.

Fang Xinghe expressed cautious anticipation for the final result.

……

The second round of the series finally kicked off amidst much fanfare.

The Nets didn't change their lineup, but they started shoving Fang Xinghe with their hands.

The so-called playoff intensity means more hands, more intense physical contact, and more vicious elbows.

Mosquito stood in front of Fang Xinghe and almost hugged him, but since it was the Nets' home court, the referee didn't call a foul.

Okay, is this how you play it?

Brother Fang came with a mission, so he stopped holding back and suddenly turned halfway around outside the three-point line, facing away from Brother Mosquito, and bumped into him twice.

"Fuck!"

The Nets' bench players were stunned.

"SR can even use back attacks?!"

That's a bad question. In the basketball world, even the lowest attribute of this guy is 89 points. What's so special about his post-up game?

It's not surprising, but sports media around the world are going crazy.

Barkley yelled, "Damn it! When SR unleashes his smooth high-post back-to-the-basket moves, the Nets' defensive plans will be completely useless. The so-called playoff intensity won't stop SR at all!"

Fang Xinghe's back-to-the-basket moves were masterful, while Wenzi's defense left him covered in bruises.

Without elbows, the resistance is too weak, and one collision will send you tumbling.

With his elbow raised, his center of gravity was firmly planted, and Fang Xinghe only needed to turn around to slip past him.

Elbow strike combined with pulling... bang!

Mosquito was knocked down and landed on the floor, still awkwardly clutching Fang Xinghe's jersey in its hand.

beep!
The referee rushed over and warned the poor kid: "Watch your movements!"

Home?

You can't treat a league superstar like that at home!
Do you even understand what it means to have equal status?
The correct meaning of "equal status" is: when Kidd is in the low post against Jordan, he can pull, shove, and push each other roughly, because both of them are superstars.

However, when facing Brother Fang, the mosquitoes must restrain their movements.

Non-superstars have no right to forcibly pull superstars along; this is not a refereeing tactic based on star power, but a core rule to ensure fair play.

Imagine if every team could just send out two rough substitutes and take down the opponent's star player, then who would play properly in the future?

A significant portion of these lessons learned came from Danny and the Pistons.

The Pistons during those years truly employed the underhanded tactic of "if you can't beat them, destroy them," which resulted in Dan being benched for several more years.

Fortunately, Danzi was resilient and had the willpower to build muscle; otherwise, if he had been ruined, the NBA would never have had the glory days of the 90s.

The league learned its lesson and has since balanced protecting superstars with limiting them through rules, ensuring both basic fairness and exciting, entertaining matches.

It's common knowledge that there are no blocking fouls in front of Shaq and no cylinders in front of Curry; these are all signs of being targeted.

Whichever character Zeng Zhuojun used to win the championship, that character would immediately be nerfed. This is the basic treatment for superstars, so there's nothing surprising about it.

Historically, there is only one superstar in every field who has not been weakened by the rules, but rather strengthened by them. Who is this person? We do not know. Let us shout "Long live the king!"

……

Back to the scene, Mosquito Bro was already weaker than Fang Xinghe, and with the difference in agility, Kittels quickly lost his edge.

Breaking through the key points on the outside means breaking through the overall situation.

What happened next was essentially a replay of the previous match.

The Nets' defense is indeed tougher than in the regular season, but both teams face similar defensive pressure, so in the end it comes down to offensive firepower and consistency under high intensity.

In an instant, Xiao Han, Xiao Luo, and Xiao Kan were no longer reliable.

But it doesn't matter, the kindergarten class monitor and the nursing home doorman are still very stable.

Why is there such a classic saying—the playoffs are the battleground for star players?

It is precisely because of this high pressure.

With everyone's efficiency declining at the same time, role players are declining even more and finding it harder to get shots, while superstars are still able to maintain their output, which is naturally of great significance.

Therefore, there is no need to criticize anyone for being inefficient. As long as you can handle the key possessions, even the worst performance has value.

Are there any superstars who don't handle key possessions and only play simple, straightforward plays?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Anyway, Fang Ge and Dan Zi each took on half of the Wizards' offensive possessions.

The true colors of a superstar should be revealed at this moment.

Fang Xinghe's three-point shooting percentage dropped as a result, falling back to just under 40%.

He's still as fierce as ever when he drives to the basket, but he doesn't always manage to inflict damage anymore.

If a player isn't an undisputed foul threat, whether a collision during a drive to the basket in the playoffs constitutes a foul depends on the center's jumping posture.

The Nets' center knows his own level, so he always just raises his hands high and jumps vertically, without making any downward movements or trying to block, focusing only on interference, so he rarely gets extra free throws.

But precisely because of this, Fang Xinghe's layup shooting percentage did not decrease significantly.

The interference intensity is far from sufficient.

Danzi's playing style is even more thuggish. Whether it's step-back or fadeaway jump shot, his shooting percentage in the first three quarters depends solely on his touch and has nothing to do with the intensity of the defense.

Their efficiency only started to decline in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately, the Nets couldn't hold on until the fourth quarter.

As long as Fang Xinghe can contain Kidd's fast breaks, their positional warfare level will remain the same, unable to break through the Wizards' defense.

Fang Xinghe knew that all eyes in the world were on him, so he gave it his all.

They only rested for 4 minutes in the second half of the first quarter, and then played the full quarter until garbage time.

With 99 stamina and 99 recovery, plus the naturally low consumption due to its small size, as long as you reduce the number of times you use Phantom Strike, an average of 44 minutes per game is nothing.

Of course, the two newly added points of power are even more valuable.

Once his strength reached 92 points, Fang Xinghe only suffered minor losses in close combat with Kidd.

The difference in tonnage can be made up for with agility.

From the backfield all the way to the front, such a long route, his agility ensures that Fang Xinghe will never lose his position no matter how he tries to get the ball.

If Kidd doesn't protect the ball with all his might, he could make a mistake at any time.

As a result, the frequency of fast breaks naturally decreases significantly.

The Nets, unable to get going, couldn't be saved by home-court advantage.

They won the first game easily, bounced back a bit in the second game, but were crushed again. On May 7th, the Wizards secured their second consecutive road win!
It shredded easily without any problems.

The media no longer expects the Nets to cause trouble for the SM duo, but instead focuses on exaggerating the strength of the Wizards at their peak.

Actually, it's just the two of them who are strong. Danzi's all-around offensive and defensive skills go without saying, and Fang Xinghe has also demonstrated his all-around offensive and defensive qualities, which is the real news.

The whole world underestimated SR's defensive capabilities!

Since the media had nothing better to do, they started habitually praising Fang.

The American basketball world has been like this lately: when there's big news, they write about it; when there's nothing else to write about, they bring up Fang Xinghe and create some random topic.

There are so many people willing to pay the bill that Fang Ge's new nickname in the media world is "King of Saving the Day".

The report started by discussing Fang Xinghe's defensive skills and attitude, and then brought up the topic of "whether SR deserves to be on this year's defensive roster," which instantly went viral and successfully made up for the dullness of the second round of the playoffs.

Generally speaking, the views of academics and the general public, conservatives and radicals, and defensive and offensive factions are completely different and they are arguing all over the place.

Some believe that Fang Xinghe has defensive ability but lacks the will to defend, has a problem with professional ethics, and is absolutely unworthy of the defensive formation.

Some people think that Fang Xinghe's defensive ability is just hype and that he should stop trying to market himself.

Many others agree with Hubie's view: "SR is the ceiling of one-on-one defense among small guards, and his 3.05 steals per game is just the result of him not giving his all."

Of course, due to his size, he does have many weaknesses, but we must discuss him as a historical defensive master at the point guard position…

Just as the topic was gaining traction, Nets head coach Byron Scott suddenly stepped forward to support Fang Xinghe from another angle.

“SR has strong defensive capabilities, but as the team commander, he has to make some trade-offs. The defensive strategy of standing at the top of the arc and only delaying the opponent is more valuable for counter-attack tactics. This is not an attitude problem, but a scoring trap.”

Unfortunately, our Nets fell into this scoring trap in half-court sets and had no way to deal with it.

That's the real reason we lost.

You guys underestimated SR too much. Although we've realized it, we simply don't have the defensive resources to match it. That's my problem. My players are all great..."

What do you mean?
The media and fans were stunned.

With the Nets' head coach taking responsibility prematurely, does this mean they've completely given up on winning?!
Nobody knows what the Nets are really up to, whether they're genuinely pessimistic or just pretending.

In short, public opinion is in an uproar, and many media outlets have begun to exaggerate how Fang Xinghe's tactical thinking is so overpowered that he has already defeated the top team in the East.

This incident even attracted the attention of all the top playoff teams in the league, who took time out of their busy schedules to investigate the Wizards' playoff performance.

Actually, nothing much has changed; everyone is just playing more aggressively.

Essentially, it is still a weak duo-style team.

和篮网打了两场比赛，方星河与乔丹，场均50分15助攻12篮板5抢断，接近全队数据的3/4。

However, the Wizards' overall weakness and the SM group's strength are more likely to spark new discussions.

On the morning of May 8th, a new question from the sports world was quietly published on the homepage.

Given Star Rivers' absolute significance to the Wizards and the offensive and defensive organization he has demonstrated, does he truly deserve a regular season MVP award?

The readership split instantly.

Some people raised their fists and shouted "yes," some scoffed and curled their lip, and some pointed at the article and laughed out loud.

In short, heated discussions have spread like wildfire.

It spread to newspaper columns, to television commentary booths, to every sports forum on the internet, and to every corner of the basketball world.

This is not a revolution; it's just a wildfire that suddenly spread to old ideas, old concepts, old data, and... the deep-rooted discrimination against Asians in the Western sports world.

Fang Xinghe looked at the media surging in and took a deep breath.

The world is shining for me.

(End of this chapter)