Basketball miracles

Chapter 132 [Major Outbreak]

The Nuggets were on offense. Kelvin Knight drove to the basket again, but Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn't switch to defend the pick-and-roll. Xiao Tu dropped back to the basket to help defend.

Knight, hesitant to confront Xiao Tu directly, passed the ball to veteran Dan Isaiah. Isaiah's open mid-range shot from the left 60-degree angle missed, and Xiao Tu easily secured the rebound, immediately passing it to Magic Johnson to launch a fast break.

Johnson dribbled quickly up the court and drove the length of the court for a powerful layup. 8-4.

Whenever they see this, their opponents feel helpless. Johnson is a natural mismatch as a point guard; Fat Leaf, who is 191cm tall and weighs 77kg, can't defend him one-on-one, and following him isn't very effective either.

Isaiah's help defense also failed to block the shot; he's the same height as Johnson, so he simply can't jump that high.

It's no exaggeration to say that if Pat Riley had let Johnson play center today, he would have absolutely dominated the Nuggets' interior defense, given his significant athleticism advantage.

Nuggets coach Doug Mo could assign Knight to guard Johnson in half-court sets, but if the Lakers launch fast breaks, then the point guards will have to figure out their own solutions.

The Nuggets were on offense. English received the ball in the low post on the left, faked a shot, and crossed over to the baseline to get past Worthy. He attempted a three-step drive, trying to dunk with one hand, but unfortunately, he missed.

Xiao Tu left Issel open again as he retreated to the basket to help defend, his jump perfectly timed, his right hand landing on the basketball. English was blocked along with the ball, landing unsteadily on one leg and sitting on the ground.

Xiao Tu knew that Iser was about to retire, so he couldn't be bothered with him. He figured Iser wouldn't kill anyone by letting him shoot mid-range shots.

伊赛尔常规赛场均出战22分钟，能得到12.8分4.3篮板1.8助攻。但他出手有10.3次，命中率45.9%，得分效率并不高。

Scott retrieved the ball and launched a fast break, passing to Johnson, who dribbled to the edge of the paint, drew one defender, and passed to Worthy. Worthy, unmarked, slammed home a one-handed dunk! 10-4.

English fell and was delayed for a while, so he couldn't get back on defense in time. He was hoping the referee would call a foul on Xiao Tu for hitting his hand.

His teammates were so effective that Xiao Tu was too slow to get a shot off. Even if his teammates missed, as long as he got up there, the home fans felt he could grab the offensive rebound.

The Lakers' offense is impeccable; they score no matter what they do, which is why they average over 125 points per game.

In the next possession, Xiao Tu continued to stay close to the basket on defense. He wasn't just there to help defend; being near the basket also made it easier to grab rebounds and pad his stats.

The benefits of being heavily promoted by the league aren't just about getting more free throws; it also gives them an advantage on the defensive end. Xiao Tu has never been called for illegal defense, allowing him to drop back very far, leaving opponents two meters away so they can shoot freely without the referees intervening.

The illegal defense rule mainly includes rules such as "no double-teaming of the non-ball handler" and "no zone defense." The aim is to allow star players to play more comfortably in isolation situations, rather than restricting their defensive performance or making them hesitant.

Unless the commentators point it out, fans won't see these subtleties, let alone accuse a star player of illegal defense. This rule isn't designed for role players or blue-collar workers; no one is likely to stand up for them unless they're incredibly stupid.

Xiao Tu loves data and dislikes following those terrible rules.

What? You mean I have to stick close to that guy with no range?

You care so much about that good-for-nothing? Is he your father?!

I let your dad throw the ball wherever he wants, why aren't you happy?
Isaiah does have some skill; this time, he received a pass on the left side at an open 60-degree angle and made a mid-range jumper. 10-6.

Both sides attacked at a very fast pace, even in positional warfare they were quick to strike, and the back-and-forth exchanges were quite exciting.

The Lakers' offense is more incisive; Xiao Tu can draw fouls even without scoring, as long as he participates in the fast break.

Issel relies on skill and experience to play, and racing against Xiao Tu is torture. Once he's outpaced, his teammates are even less able to defend him; the Nuggets have no one who can contain Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu is not only the strongest player on the court, but also the fastest. He always performs well against the Nuggets, and can dominate the paint like a future Shaquille O'Neal.

Iser quickly picked up two fouls and was substituted to rest. TR-Dunne came on as shooting guard, and the 198cm Knight was forced to move up to the power forward position to match up against Xiao Tu.

Doug Mo had no other choice but to make this arrangement. There was a 206cm, 109kg center named Joe Kopegi on the bench, but he was too weak to play.

Kopeg was a white player who was selected 10th overall in the third round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He had poor athleticism and little skill, and when he was on the court, he played like a fool, relying solely on his height.

Issel is about to retire, but at least he's a reliable open-court center with tactical value. Kopeg, on the other hand, just plays a stationary game and isn't good enough for the NBA; he could be phased out at any time. Xiao Tu is more aggressive on cuts against Knight, who is shorter than him, and starts posting up in deep positions.

He's much stronger than he was in the first half of the regular season, and he can adjust his playing style based on the opponent's lineup. He knows that now is the time to use his height and jumping advantage to bully others.

Knight is as short as Barkley when he plays power forward, there's no way he could defend me!

Xiao Tu received the ball with his back to the basket at a 50-degree angle on the right side, his foot on the edge of the penalty area. He took a step, turned, and pulled up for a fadeaway jump shot, his movement fluid and his jump incredibly high. Knight could only slightly interfere, unable to obstruct his view.

Xiao Tu's shooting rhythm was perfect, as effortless as during training, and he banked in the basket.

Xiao Tu scored twice with a fadeaway jump shot from the same spot. On the third attempt, Knight couldn't take it anymore and lunged forward, colliding with Xiao Tu in mid-air and committing a foul.

That was useless; Xiao Tu's free throws were equally solid, and he made both.

Doug Mo was forced to call a timeout and instructed his players to double-team Xiao Tu in the low post. Xiao Tu stopped forcing shots, instead drawing the double team and passing the ball to his teammates who had the best opportunities.

肖途打满了首节，6投5中，罚球6中6，得到16分5篮板3助攻1盖帽。

The Lakers led 40-32, and the two teams continued their relentless offensive battle.

The home fans are hoping Xiao Tu will take more shots, predicting he'll have another big breakout game today!
Xiao Tu didn't take many shots in the playoffs, and his reasonable playing style was only one aspect. He was calculating his missed shots, wanting to accumulate them for the Finals before unleashing his full potential. If he accumulated 100 shots by the time he played against the Nuggets, it would be a net loss.

However, if Xiao Tu has a good shooting touch and faces less defensive pressure, taking more shots today wouldn't be a bad idea. Against the Nuggets, he doesn't need to be a "god" to put up superstar numbers; their defense is terrible, among the worst in the league.

At the start of the second quarter, the Nuggets' bench players took the lead, narrowing the gap to just 2 points at one point.

TR Dunn's defensive ability was indeed impressive, forcing Mike McGee to miss several shots. Mike Evans and Bill Henzrik provided offensive firepower.

The Nuggets' bench is no pushover either; they have a lot of rotation players and their offense is multifaceted. They've always won through offense, a style they've had since the early 80s.

Xiao Tu found the game interesting from the sidelines. This Nuggets team had a bit of the small-ball tactics of the future Warriors, sacrificing height on the court to increase mobility.

The future Warriors team will have players who are shorter than the last. Players who are over two meters tall barefoot will seem like Steve Kerr's mortal enemies, and he will despise them.

The Nuggets' roster is even more extreme, as their players are not only short but also don't shoot three-pointers. Their second unit has the same defensive weaknesses as their starting lineup: poor rim protection, poor rebounding, and poor physicality.

Lakers' backup power forward Bob McAdu also contributed a significant number of points. Despite declining athleticism, his skills remain intact; he was, after all, a former regular season MVP. With him and Michael Cooper on the court, the Lakers were able to hold on in the second quarter.

Xiao Tu returned to the court after a 5-minute rest, and was matched up against veteran Dan Isel again.

Physically, Isaiah is indeed the Nuggets' best option for guarding Xiao Tu. And whether in half-court sets or fast breaks, Xiao Tu's performance is almost unstoppable.

With two fouls already in hand, Isaiah was hesitant to commit fouls easily.

Even if Isaiah doesn't get into foul trouble, his stamina is far from what it used to be, and he can only play a little over 20 minutes per game. His offensive and defensive efficiency drops after that time, so there's not much point in him staying on the court.

Xiao Tu scored 10 points in just 7 minutes, including two dunks on fast breaks, two catches with his feet on the edge of the paint, and a turnaround fadeaway jumper with his back to the basket.

Xiao Tu's jumping ability combined with his fadeaway shot resulted in a very high shooting percentage when he took a shot from close to the basket. He found it even easier to establish position than in practice, with only one center taller than him, Wayne, having to guard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

He also grabbed two offensive rebounds, drew a foul from Issel on one drive and made both free throws, and made a close-range pass to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for an easy score.

The Lakers led 73-63 at halftime, the score was not wide, and Xiao Tu's stats were explosive.

他只打了19分钟就砍下26分9篮板5助攻1盖帽。考虑到伊赛尔已经身背三次犯规，下半场掘金球员的防守压力会更大。

(End of this chapter)