Basketball miracles

Chapter 121 [Step Back, Battle Against the Nets]

Xiao Tu didn't deliberately count the number of strikes he made; after receiving the "God Descends to Earth" buff, he continued to perform naturally and normally.

He always tries his best to maintain his shooting percentage during games, and he doesn't take many shots because the team requires him to play that way. Even in the game against the Mavericks, when he scored 41 points, he only made 13 of 19 shots, missing 6.

During this period, Xiao Tu also missed two games, and with the whole team helping Magic Johnson pad his scoring stats, his missed shots accumulated very slowly.

Xiao Tu's advantage in playing like this is his consistency, even more so than veteran Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He has the fewest shot attempts and the highest shooting percentage among all players who have scored 20+ points this season.

Xiao Tu accumulated 100 missed shots in the first half against the Celtics. He received a message from his head that his shooting touch would improve in the next game.

Xiao Tu felt very regretful about this. If he had been counting his missed shots, he could have taken more shots and had a breakout performance against the Celtics.

Now the Nets are really unlucky; they have to face an on-court star at home.

Xiao Tu didn't know exactly how much a good shooting touch would improve his accuracy, but increasing his jump shot attempts was definitely a good thing. In this era, players aren't double-teamed in mid-to-long range, and his pull-up jumpers and fadeaway jumpers hadn't been blocked yet.

Xiao Tu had only practiced with the team before and rarely used the fadeaway jump shot to score in games. It's time to let people see his progress after the All-Star Game.

After the team arrived in New Jersey and checked into their hotel, Xiao Tu reviewed the day's results in his room.

He put up a 30+20 stat line and earned a silver treasure chest, the reward of which was the basketball skill "step-back jump shot".

Like the Euro step and fadeaway jump shot, this basketball technique doesn't specifically refer to any particular player. Xiao Tu learned it through a divine intervention, but he still needed to practice and familiarize himself with its application—five times the experience.

Xiao Tu already knew what the five-times experience meant; it meant doubling his training speed based on his own talent.

If he practices techniques he hasn't used before, like the crossover step, his speed improvement is very slow; he tries them once and then gives up. But he practices the Euro step very quickly, understanding every key point. Now he can use the Euro step not only in the middle but also on the baseline, and he can even use it after faking in the corner to break through.

Kiki Vandeweghe is widely regarded as the "father of the step-back jumper," and the step-back shot was originally called the "Kiki Move."

In a parallel universe, Vandeweghe, with average physical attributes, was selected to the All-Star team twice thanks to his step-back jumper, scored 20+ points in seven seasons, and averaged 29.4 points per game in his peak season of 1983-84.

In the future, many stars like Pierce and McGrady will use the step-back jumper. They mainly use mid-range shots, which prevents the step-back technique from becoming popular.

James Harden's obsession with the step-back jumper changed old perceptions, sparking a step-back trend and shifting the release point to beyond the three-point line. Harden not only reshaped his own style but also the entire league.

This technique suits Xiao Tu well; he can step back and pull up for a jump shot or fadeaway jump shot, making it harder for opponents to block.

McGrady was good at this during his prime, but his release distance was a real pain. He liked to take a step back and shoot a long two-pointer with his feet on the three-point line, often with his feet just touching the line.

The essence of the step-back jumper lies in first using a probing step to deceive the opponent, then using a series of movements such as dribbling and driving to shift the defender's center of gravity, and finally suddenly pulling back and stepping back to create space for the shot. Because you can follow up with a fadeaway, even players like Harden and Curry, who don't jump very high, can avoid being blocked.

Xiao Tu already knew a bit of the step-back move, and it was quite useful. He doesn't plan to focus on practicing it this season; he doesn't have time to practice it anymore.

His off-ball movement is incredibly powerful, and his drives to the basket after receiving the ball are even more threatening. In the low post, he can use a fadeaway jumper to avoid blocks, and in terms of shooting motion, this is more appealing than a step-back jumper.

The following day, major media outlets continued to report on the Yellow-Green battle, and many fans of Xiao Zhan unanimously called him Bird.

Xiao Tu's nickname of being half-human and half-god spread far and wide; he is now widely recognized as the player with the strongest physical attributes. In back-to-back games, Xiao Tu is the biggest draw.

The Nets' star player is Buck Williams, and fans think he's no match for Xiao Tu. His nickname is "The Buck"? That doesn't sound very strong.

The Nets practiced this morning, with head coach Stan Albec focusing on interior defense tactics. He believes that to pull off an upset victory today, they must limit the performance of Shawn Yue and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The Nets' coach was unaware that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be resting, so he was having a headache defending the paint. He instructed his players to collapse their formation, focus entirely on protecting the paint, and prioritize defending drives over shots.

This is a common tactic used by all teams when facing the Lakers. The Celtics used this tactic in the last game, and it worked very well. The Lakers only had a practice session in the morning, and Pat Riley noticed that all the starters were lacking in stamina. Xiao Tu was the only exception, full of energy.

Everyone felt that Xiao Tu wasn't normal; he ran the most in yesterday's race. He gave the impression of being a marathon runner, the tallest participant.

Riley's tactics were simple: in half-court sets, focus on pick-and-rolls, with Xiao Tu taking the most shots. As for fast breaks, Magic Johnson would attack if he could get moving, and otherwise, he wouldn't.

That night, Brenda Barry Arena was packed to capacity.

When Xiao Tu appeared, he unexpectedly received a warm round of applause from the home fans.

The Nets' home games typically don't have high attendance, and the team lacks a dominant scorer and its star players aren't very popular. Last season, their first-round upset of the 76ers in five games marked the Nets' first playoff series victory since joining the NBA.

Many people bought tickets today to see Xiao Tu. He not only boosts attendance in Los Angeles, but also across the entire league. During every away game, there are fans wearing Lakers #24 jerseys in the stands.

Today, fans across America are discussing Xiao Tu's three humiliating plays against Larry Bird, and his spectacular dunks. Many feel that the Lakers' offense was winning, their teamwork fluid and seamless; this is how basketball should be.

When Lakers fans watching the live broadcast learned that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was resting, they were not worried about the Lakers losing; in fact, they were quite happy.

Fans believe Xiao Tu has reason to take more shots today and could potentially put up super stats, making the game even more exciting. While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a high shooting percentage this season and consistently contributes 20+ points, watching him play is incredibly boring, and he rarely scores high points.

Chick Hearn, a commentator for a Los Angeles television station, thought the same thing, but he wouldn't say it out loud to save face for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Born in November 1916, Hearn never played in the NBA, but he made indelible contributions to the league. In 1956, Hearn came to Los Angeles to broadcast football and basketball games for television, for which he won two Emmy Awards and was known as "The Voice of the Lakers".

Basketball terms such as "dunk," "alley-oop," "triple-double," and "airball" were all coined by Hearn.

Hearn is a die-hard fan of Shaw, and he started praising him during the players' warm-up. "In yesterday's game against the Celtics, Shaw delivered an MVP-caliber performance, completely outplaying Bird. Today, the Lakers are playing back-to-back games, and the players are at a physical disadvantage, but I believe Shaw will definitely have an outstanding performance and will be the key to winning."

"As long as Shaw and Magic Johnson are on the court, the Lakers can put on a Showtime! Riley's lineup today was very aggressive, with veteran Bob McAdu starting."

Riley intends to focus on offense, and McAdu can create space, better setting up one-on-one opportunities for Xiao Tu. Xiao Tu is playing center today, which will give him a speed advantage during fast breaks.

Lakers starting lineup: Johnson, Byron Scott, James Worthy, McAdu, Xiao Tu.

Nets starting lineup: Otis Bilderson, Mitchell Ray Richardson, Michael Cohen, Buck Williams, Mike Gominsky.

At first glance, the Nets' roster looks decent, with two perimeter players averaging over 20 points per game, and Williams contributing 18.5 points and 12.3 rebounds. However, the Nets have actually been plagued by injuries this season, with players taking turns missing games, forcing head coach Stein to field ten different starting lineups during the regular season.

When the white center, Gominsky, saw that it was Xiao Tu standing in the center circle and jumping for the ball with him, he immediately swallowed hard.

He's a 211cm tall, 113kg floor-based player, slow-moving and unable to jump high. Is he going to face off against a monster in a counter-attack today? Really?

Xiao Tu won the jump ball easily and accurately passed it to Johnson, giving the Lakers the first possession.

Xiao Tu set a screen for Johnson outside the three-point line in the middle. The Nets coach assigned Williams to defend him, so there was no need to switch positions to defend the pick and roll.

Johnson's drive failed, so he dribbled to the right wing, drawing one defender, and passed the ball to Xiao Tu, who was positioned beyond the three-point line. Facing Williams, who was two steps away, Xiao Tu didn't hesitate and immediately pulled up for a jump shot.

Swish! The ball goes into the net cleanly! 3-0.

Williams neither jumped nor reached out, completely unprepared for Xiao Tu's move, and was stunned.

Since he started playing basketball, he has never seen an inside player shoot a three-pointer at the start of the game.

(End of this chapter)