Basketball miracles

Chapter 124 [This is no exaggeration]

In the second quarter, Xiao Tu went to the bench for a short rest, and the Nets' substitutes immediately caught up.

With Kurt Rambis and McAdu forming the frontcourt, opponents could score freely in the paint. Their rim protection was terrible; even Jeff Turner, a 206cm, 104kg white blue-collar player, scored 6 points.

After listening to the commentator's introduction, Lakers fans finally understood what this guy did. Turner was the 17th overall pick in the first round of the 84 NBA draft, a slightly higher pick than Xiao Tu, but he had no reputation or ability whatsoever.

The Nets' management is filled with regret whenever they think about it. They needed an inside player, but they never considered Xiao Tu.

"What if they had drafted Sebastian Shaw?" is a topic that every team can't avoid discussing. Nets fans are very disappointed, feeling that if they had drafted Shaw, the team could have been a championship contender this season.

How strong would it be if Xiao Tu and Buck Williams partnered in the frontcourt? They'd probably have an advantage against the Lakers and Celtics. But today, they could only watch Xiao Tu dominate Williams, and that was on the Nets' home court.

Xiao Tu returned to the court in the second half of the game, scoring repeatedly with a fadeaway jump shot in a set play and a powerful layup on a fast break.

半场肖途15投13中，三分球5中3，罚球4中4，得到33分7篮板5助攻1盖帽。

The Lakers led 65-54, but the gap remained small.

The Lakers players lacked stamina; apart from Xiao Tu and Magic Johnson, the others performed only moderately. Xiao Tu accounted for half of the team's points; without him, the Lakers probably wouldn't have been able to beat the Nets today.

Xiao Tu was double-teamed multiple times, which lowered his scoring efficiency, but he still managed to score 10 points, bringing his first half score to over 30. It seems he can not only score a lot of points today, but also achieve a super triple-double.

Xiao Tu had a general idea of ​​the effects of "God Descending to Earth"; his hands were warming up, but he wasn't yet at the point where every shot was guaranteed to go in. He missed two three-point attempts due to interference, but his mid-range shots went in both.

He usually has a high mid-range shooting percentage, his shots are close to the basket, he has strong resistance to interference, and he rarely shoots long two-pointers.

In the third quarter, Riley again assigned Xiao Tu to play center, pairing him with Rambis.

This combination is the strongest at rebounding and can better launch counterattacks. Both McAdu and Kupchak will lose defensive rebounds.

In the first possession, Xiao Tu cut inside from the middle to receive the ball, drawing the center's help defense before passing to Rambis for an easy layup. 67-54.

Even with double-teaming Xiao Tu, the Lakers' pure blue-collar players could still score, and the Nets' players were completely at a loss as to how to defend him.

Williams couldn't resist competing with Xiao Tu. He failed to make the Eastern Conference All-Star team this season and was only the Nets' third-leading scorer. However, he had the highest attendance rate and decent stats, and considering himself the team's leader, he didn't want his numbers to be too far behind Xiao Tu's.

Williams, caught up in the heat of the moment, demanded the ball and tried to force his way past Xiao Tu in the low post on the left. He dribbled two steps with his back to the basket, turned towards the baseline, and attempted a bank shot, only to be blocked by Xiao Tu.

This is Williams' primary scoring method, and Xiao Tu sometimes uses it as well. The player lowers their center of gravity, quickly turns, and goes for a layup. If the opponent is unbalanced or reacts slowly, they won't be able to defend and won't have time to jump.

This technique is suitable for players with physical advantages; speed and strength are both essential. Williams playing like this against Xiao Tu would be a guaranteed block. Even top post-up players in the league, including Barkley, would likely get blocked if they tried to force a shot against Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu got many of his blocks this way; he noticed that some people always tried to beat him despite his skill level. These people had gotten used to bullying ordinary people and thought it was because they were better at the game.

In a Lakers half-court game, Xiao Tu received the ball on the left low post, took a step, turned and jumped to the middle for a fadeaway jump shot.

Williams and center Gominsky couldn't block it even when they jumped together. Xiao Tu had elegant hang time, a wide fadeaway jumper created space, and he made the shot easily. 69 to 54.

With each successful jump shot, Xiao Tu's confidence grew stronger.

I have some special skills now, and my goal for next season is to win the scoring title!
Double-teaming isn't a big deal. If someone has poor jumping ability, I'm mainly facing one person's interference.

Hearn said, "Shaw hit another beautiful fadeaway jumper, giving the Lakers a 15-point lead. He was on fire today; that shot was simply unstoppable."

Alan laughed and said, "Buck Williams looks helpless. Shaw has already scored 35 points. He rarely plays like this before, even though he's capable of attacking with the ball."

The Nets' offense also stalled, lacking any clear strategy. Bilderson attempted a one-on-one against Michael Cooper, but his layup attempt was disrupted and missed. Rambis grabbed the rebound and passed it to Johnson to launch a fast break.

In a three-on-three situation in the frontcourt, Johnson passed the ball across half-court to Xiao Tu in the middle.

Xiao Tu received the ball and attempted a Euro step, but failed to shake off Williams completely. He then forced a jump shot for a layup. Williams fouled him, and Xiao Tu, leaning to one side, executed a reverse layup with his right hand, which banked into the basket. The referee blew the whistle for a 2+1 play, sending Xiao Tu to the free-throw line.

After landing, Xiao Tu clenched his fist and roared in celebration. He had a blast playing today! Even his layups were shots, and his touch was incredibly smooth today.

Many home fans applauded Xiao Tu; this was the game they wanted to see, it was so exciting.

The Nets' star player has a highest average of 20 points per game, rarely has a breakout performance, and scoring 30 points in a single game is considered a lot, which is incomparable to Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu made the free throw, scoring his 38th point. 72-54.

Coach Stan stood on the sidelines with a blank expression, not calling a timeout. The second half had only just begun, and he had talked a lot about defense with the players during halftime; now that they couldn't defend, calling a timeout wouldn't make a difference.

Richardson drove past Johnson and scored a layup on the left side, making it 72-56.

Xiao Tu didn't help on defense; he started using his eyes to defend. Johnson habitually coasted on defense without a care in the world, so there was no need for him to care.

In the Lakers' half-court offense, Xiao Zhong quickly ran to the right low post after setting a screen in the middle, backing down the ball, and Johnson seized the opportunity to pass it to him with a bounce pass.

Xiao Tu's shooting percentage was too high today, and the Nets players dared not leave him open for one-on-one on the weak side. Richardson left Johnson open to double-team, gambling on a steal.

Xiao Tu displayed excellent court vision, calmly organizing the offense. Johnson cut inside, and Xiao Tu made a half-turn pass from close range. Johnson received the ball at the right horn position, took three steps, and scored a layup. 74-56.

The two players high-fived as they returned to defense, and Johnson was also excited, playing very smoothly together.

Johnson's impact was impressive, and Gominsky, who came to help defend under the basket, was unable to block the shot.

Hearn commented, "The Nets' double-teaming of Shaw didn't work. His passing is getting better and better, and he can assist his teammates."

Alan said, "Judging from Shaw's performance in this game, his scoring ability is now better than Kareem's. He played too unselfishly in the first half of the season and didn't show his full potential."

Hearn nodded: "Shaw's scoring explosiveness is stronger than Bird's, and his shooting ability doesn't seem to be inferior to Bird's. He's not bragging when he says he can compete for the scoring title by taking more shots."

Pat Riley was visibly surprised on the sidelines. He remembered what level Xiao Tu was at when he first reported to the Lakers: rough technique, no shooting range, just good physical attributes.

Xiao Tu has only been training for half a year, but he has improved too quickly. Now he is confident in attacking with the ball.

Riley had never seen such a talent. He felt that as long as Xiao Tu didn't suffer a serious injury, he could challenge for the title of the greatest player in NBA history, but aiming for the title of the greatest power forward in history was too conservative.

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar returns from his rest, he has to relinquish ball possession and reduce his shot attempts. He wasn't angry watching the game from the sidelines; he just felt the championship was a sure thing this season, and that he might even achieve a three-peat with the Lakers before retiring, becoming a member of a dynasty team.

With Xiao Tu playing this well, how can the Celtics compete for the championship? They're doomed!

The Nets guards started to slow down the pace, controlling the ball on the perimeter and not rushing to launch an attack.

All the Nets players were afraid, afraid of becoming the backdrop for Xiao Tu's incredible triple-double. So the guards slowed down the pace, trying to reduce the number of possessions. This is usually what the leading team does, but the Nets were down by 18 points at home.

Neither of the guards passed the ball to Buck Williams, fearing he might get carried away and try to take on Xiao Tu one-on-one again. His attempt to force his way past the opponent's strongest defender would be foolish; he should focus on defense instead.

With the 24-second shot clock almost up, Richardson scored a mid-range jumper over Magic Johnson. 74-58.

Johnson didn't jump at all; he just stretched out his hand. If this were last season, Pat Riley would definitely have said something to him during a timeout. But this season, the Lakers' winning percentage is so high that this kind of thing happens frequently, and Riley is used to it.

In the Lakers' half-court offense, Xiao Tu first went out to set a screen, then reached out for the ball beyond the three-point line. Johnson drew Richardson away and passed the ball to the middle.

Xiao Tu's scoring desire was incredibly strong today; his eyes were practically glowing. Riley specifically emphasized during halftime that whenever Xiao Tu asked for the ball, everyone else should pass it to him, regardless of his position.

Xiao Tu has unlimited shot attempts today; the coach wants to see how far he can go.

Xiao Tu knew he would be double-teamed if he got close to the basket, regardless of whether he drove to the basket or not. But if he received the ball outside the three-point line in the middle, quite far from the basket, how would the opponent react?
(End of this chapter)