Basketball miracles

Chapter 122 [Unheard of]

Chick Hearn yelled, "Three-pointer! Shaw hit his signature mid-court three right off the bat, beautiful!"

Commentator Alan said, "It didn't look like a good shot selection, but Shaw just made it."

Hearn laughed and said, "Shaw is currently the player who loves shooting threes the most in the league. I think he has proven that the three-point line is not a deceptive trick, and shooting threes is not boring."

This season, no team still considers three-pointers a regular weapon. On the Lakers, only Xiao Tu takes a lot of shots; the others rarely attempt them unless they're wide open.

Most coaches don't allow players to attempt three-pointers, firmly believing that the closer to the basket, the higher the shooting percentage. Even when the area under the basket is crowded, coaches still require players to take turns attacking the rim.

Xiao Tu is in godlike form today, more daring with his jump shots than ever before. This shot is just a test of his shooting touch. As long as he's in good form, he'll keep shooting relentlessly.

The Nets are on offense. Richardson scores a mid-range jumper over Johnson on the left side. 3-2.

Magic Johnson doesn't jump at all when defending; he just extends his arm. He's planned to save his energy for offense and just go through the motions on defense.

Johnson has developed bad habits on the defensive end, and he plays this way for most of the games.

In the Lakers' half-court offense, Xiao Tu set a screen for Johnson beyond the three-point line, and McAdu also moved out to the left baseline, away from the basket. Worthy and Scott went to the left side, and the players were spread out.

Johnson dribbled to the right, drawing Richardson's defense. Xiao Tu made a low run to the right from the middle and received Johnson's lob pass, creating a one-on-one opportunity on the weak side.

Xiao Tu, standing at a 45-degree angle with his foot on the paint line, backed down against Williams, dribbled the ball once, and then turned and pulled up for a fadeaway jumper to the right baseline. He jumped high, adjusting his body orientation through a twist of his waist, keeping his shoulder, elbow, and wrist aligned with the basket, gracefully dodging the block and releasing the ball cleanly. 5-2.

Buck Williams, the third overall pick in the 1981 draft, wasn't exactly a superstar, but was known for his defense. At 203cm, he was very mobile and easily shaken off, but when he jumped, he was completely dumbfounded. He simply couldn't block Xiao Tu; the height difference was too great, and he could only offer slight interference.

After scoring, Xiao Tu clenched his fist in celebration, knowing he was going to have a breakout game. He beat Williams more easily than he usually beat Worthy in the team; Worthy was lean, short, and had an average wingspan.

Williams has no advantage today, including in terms of stamina.

Hearn passionately commented, "Shaw scored 5 points in a row at the start, and that fadeaway jumper was so beautiful."

Alan said, "He's going to explode again today. Williams is the Nets' best defender, and he's clearly unstoppable one-on-one."

In a Nets half-court offense, Richardson dribbled down the left flank, crossed over Johnson, drew Xiao Tu's help defense, and passed the ball to Gominsky, who caught the ball, took a step up, and dunked with one hand. 5-4.

身高196CM的理查德森是个突分投结合打法的球员，本赛季场均20分5.6篮板8.2助攻3抢断，是联盟抢断王。

He was selected to the NBA All-Star team four times, the NBA All-Defensive First Team twice, won the NBA assists title in 1980, and the steals title three times.

However, Richardson is about to retire, and Stern has begun a crackdown on drugs and drug addicts since taking office. Xiao Tu guessed that this guy couldn't do well without drugs; his expression was a bit strange, like he was really high.

In a parallel world, his NBA career was forced to end due to drug problems, resulting in a lifetime ban.

In 1983, he was almost ruined by drugs and had to be hospitalized twice to recover, showing that he was a repeat offender.

The Nets' offense was sharp, but Xiao Tu wasn't in a hurry at all. This suited him perfectly; if the game quickly became garbage time, his stats wouldn't be very impressive, and to save face for the home team, he would have to clock out early.

The Lakers' half-court offense still started with pick-and-rolls. This time, Johnson didn't drive to the basket either. They used the same tactic twice, waiting for Xiao Tu to run to the right low post before lobbing the ball.

Xiao Tu's strength advantage was obvious, and his solid lower body kept his opponent pinned down. He caught the ball with one hand, bounced it down, spun around to the baseline, and executed a fadeaway jump shot in one fluid motion, dodging Williams' block and scoring again. 7-4.

Xiao Tu understood: the league's current rules favor players who excel at one-on-one situations, making the fadeaway jump shot a deadly weapon.

The rules do not allow double-teaming players without the ball, so Xiao Tu can easily position himself to receive the ball outside the penalty area. As long as he doesn't hold onto the ball, he can release the shot before the double-team comes.

Xiao Tu thinks that being an NBA coach is really easy these days.

What tactics are there? Almost all teams just go one-on-one! Their defense is also mainly one-on-one!
Three or even four people squeeze onto one side of the court, using the rules to create space, and then the player who is best at one-on-one plays receives the ball on the weak side and goes one-on-one.

I could do it too, and even better than the other coaches.

Without any divine intervention, few in the league can stop Xiao Tu's post-up game; it's a complete talent advantage. His spin move is quick, and he jumps incredibly high; opponents know what he's going to do but can't block it. Williams is currently frustrated; even when he's positioned correctly, it's useless. Xiao Tu jumps higher and leans back dramatically—how can you defend that?
In the Nets' half-court offense, Williams also wanted to score and salvage some pride. He called for the ball on the right side and backed down McAdu. The two were similar in size, and Williams had the advantage of explosiveness. He turned and shot towards the middle, but the shot missed.

The ball bounced far out and was picked up by Worthy, who immediately passed it to Magic Johnson to launch a counterattack, creating a 3-on-3 situation in the frontcourt.

Xiao Tu raised his hand to call for the ball beyond the three-point line. Johnson, anticipating his move on the left wing, immediately passed it to him. Xiao Tu was on fire today, and no one was guarding him.

Gominski retreated too far back and was already preparing to enter the penalty area to protect the rim.

Xiao Tu received the ball in the middle, pulled up suddenly, and launched a three-pointer. Nets fans were stunned; they had never seen an inside player play like that before—his shot selection was so illogical.

But Xiao Tu just dared to play recklessly today, and the ball swished into the net! 10 to 4.

Williams followed McAdu back, and upon seeing Xiao Tu score, he immediately shouted, "Watfa?"

He would never dare to play like that in his wildest dreams; it felt too outrageous.

Hearn shouted, "Three-pointer! Another one! Shaw has scored 10 points in a row to start the game! He shoots as soon as he gets the ball, regardless of the rebound. He's probably the only player in the world who plays like that. It's insane!"

Alan said, "I don't even know how to describe Shaw's performance today. It's unheard of."

Pat Riley stood up and applauded Xiao Tu from the sidelines. He hadn't devised the play, but making it was a good shot. This demonstrated Xiao Tu's strong individual ability, exceeding the coaching staff's expectations.

Xiao Tu high-fived Johnson as he returned to defense. Johnson beamed, and Xiao Tu, true to his word, added four assists to his tally right from the start, receiving the ball with a maximum of only one step.

The Nets are on offense, and Williams is back in the right low post to receive the ball and back down.

Xiao Tu watched from the other side and felt that this guy was really rough. He just kept his head down and relied on his body to push forward. He had no skills and didn't pay attention to his teammates' positioning.

Let's go! Let's cover him up!
With his playing style, he's definitely not good at passing the ball under the basket.

Williams wanted to shoot from a closer position, so he squeezed past McAdu to test the waters before turning and driving to the basket from the baseline. He then leaped up, attempting a one-handed dunk.

Xiao Tu anticipated Williams's movements, leaving Gominsky open on the left side to help defend the basket. He jumped higher, raised his arms, and placed his hands on the basketball with a motion similar to hitting a volleyball net.

With two hands against one, Williams, who weighs less than 100 kilograms, is not as strong as Xiao Tu, so how could he possibly dunk?

Even more terrifying, Xiao Tu caught the ball from the air with both hands, and Williams fell backward on one leg, losing his balance and falling to the ground, causing an uproar in the stadium.

Hearn shouted, "Block! Shaw had another amazing performance on the defensive end, and he also made a precise pass to start a fast break."

Alan said, "Magic Johnson dribbled across half-court and passed the ball to Worthy, who then made a layup against Cohen."

Xiao Tu didn't participate in the quick attack; after the first pass, he relied on his teammates' performance. Wosi also scored. 12-4.

His good passing vision doesn't necessarily mean he has to deliver an assist; he can also distribute the ball effectively and can tell at a glance that his teammates are likely to score.

Worthy was the Lakers' absolute strength on the court today, and he was matched up against an unknown player. Michael Cohen scored single digits in his previous two seasons, but he was drafted incredibly high, the 6th overall pick in the first round of the 1980 draft.

When the Lakers completed their fast break, Williams was still sitting on the ground yelling at the referee, indicating that Xiao Tu had committed a foul.

But who is Xiao Tu? He's the most popular star in the league. Even if the Nets have home-court advantage, the referees won't call a clean defensive play a foul.

Williams angrily got up and started rambling at the referee, claiming that Xiao Tu had committed a defensive violation and that his teammate had pulled him out. The referee, of course, couldn't possibly call a defensive violation on Xiao Tu; that would be too foolish.

Williams reluctantly accepted reality and will frequently appear in Xiao Tu's highlight reels from now on.

Unfortunately, this game has only just begun.

(End of this chapter)