Basketball miracles

Chapter 134 [We'll dominate the NBA this year!]

The Nuggets are on offense. English dribbles past Worthy, drives to the basket, and scores a layup on the right side. 116-104.

English has already scored 30 points, demonstrating remarkable consistency in the playoffs. However, he appears unhappy and confused.

He didn't know what he was pursuing today.

Was he keeping the team's hopes of winning alive? Or was he helping Sebastian Shaw stay on the court for the entire fourth quarter?

English knew perfectly well that the Nuggets only seemed to have a chance to win; in reality, they couldn't win if they couldn't stop Xiao Tu. What kind of ability were the Nuggets' interior players? They couldn't possibly stop him!
Alex English's selection by the Bucks in the second round, sixth overall pick in 1976 is a famous example of a "misjudgment" in NBA history. He now genuinely believes that Xiao Tu is stronger, and the difference in talent is obvious.

He only scored high points after averaging more than 20 field goal attempts per game for three consecutive seasons. If Xiao Tu were given that many field goal attempts, plus free throws, he could easily average 30+ points per game.

Xiao Tu continued to run pick-and-rolls with Magic Johnson on the perimeter, while Knight circled around the screen from the inside to chase and defend. Johnson had a chance for a pull-up jumper but didn't shoot, instead positioning himself more far to the right and lobbing the ball to Xiao Tu who was cutting to the basket.

This time, Xiao Tu ran to the right side at a 45-degree angle, receiving the ball with his back to Wayne. He dribbled the ball once on the edge of the paint, quickly turned and drove towards the basket, powerfully dunking with both hands. Wayne and Knight both jumped up to block, but neither could block and ended up tangled together.

Xiao Tu jumped high with great speed and slammed the ball in! 118 to 104.

He scored his 47th point, landed with his left hand pounding his chest and roaring, igniting the entire arena!
Knight shook his head, saying that even when Johnson was left open to double-team, he couldn't stop him; Xiao Tu was just too fierce.

Xiao Tu was in superb form and had a hot hand today, playing beyond his usual level. Unfortunately, the Nuggets ran into trouble.

In this year's playoffs, American basketball fans were almost completely captivated by Xiao Tu; his playing style is unparalleled.

Both shots were taken from the low post, but Xiao Tu's fadeaway jumper was more aesthetically pleasing than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's hook shot. Abdul-Jabbar relied on his height and wingspan to make his shot, which had absolutely nothing to do with elegance.

Compared to Jordan, Xiao Tu is tougher. Because he can establish position near the basket, receive the ball, and drive to the basket, not just relying on a fadeaway jumper.

With a long time left in the game, everyone hoped that Xiao Tu would score as many points as possible.

Fans watching the game together on TV discussed the match, with some feeling that Xiao Tu's third-place finish as MVP was still underrated.

"If Shaw had taken more shots during the regular season and hadn't controlled his attempts, he would definitely have averaged over 25 points per game. He would have fully deserved the regular season MVP award this year, but he lacked experience and didn't get enough touches."

"Jordan and Shaw were both named Rookie of the Year? Do these stat-padders from such a terrible team even deserve it?"

"Judging from the Lakers' performance in the playoffs, I bet the Finals MVP will be Shaw, not Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He's too good; without him, the Lakers definitely wouldn't have broken the record in the regular season."

A 60+ point triple-double has led many to believe that Xiao Tu has the potential to win the scoring title this season, but he played too selflessly.

Knight dribbled the ball and drove to the basket, using his body to push past Cooper. His layup attempt was disrupted by Rambis's help defense and went wide. Xiao Tu easily grabbed the rebound and passed it to Johnson to initiate a fast break.

This is Xiao Tu's 17th rebound, bringing him close to 20+.

Johnson quickly advanced the ball, dribbled to the right corner, and passed it back to Xiao Tu, who was following up. Seeing that Wayne was backed up quite far, Xiao Tu caught the ball and quickly launched a three-pointer.

Everyone on the Nuggets thought Xiao Tu had gone mad; in the history of basketball, only he would play like this. Today, Xiao Tu was on fire, confidently taking shots when open, and the ball swished through the net! 121 to 104.

Xiao Tu raised his arms in celebration, and Lakers fans cheered along!
Doug Mo quickly called a pause; his back was already soaked with sweat.

Doug Mo had finally led his team to the Western Conference Finals, and he didn't want to become the backdrop for the Lakers' rising star's phenomenal performance. The players didn't want that either; they had to contain Xiao Tu at all costs.

Early in the fourth quarter, Xiao Tu scored 10 points in a row, easily reaching 50 points, highlighting the Nuggets' serious defensive problems.

Reporters in Los Angeles are all thinking about how to interview Xiao Tu after the game. 50+ is too conservative; he seems capable of scoring 60+ today.

Xiao Tu took advantage of his hot streak and fired away, not thinking about getting a triple-double. He knew that if he focused on assists, he wouldn't be able to utilize his strengths.

The future "Turtle" Russell Westbrook is obsessed with triple-doubles, but his final assist is often hard to achieve. On one occasion, he didn't attempt a layup when unguarded, instead passing the ball backward to a teammate who was being guarded, resulting in a turnover and earning him a spot on the "Shaqtin' a Fool" segment.

Xiao Tu knew that a triple-double was hard to come by. When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was on the court, it was easier for him to make inside passes and deliver assists, but not now. Pass to Rambis? This guy can't even finish easy baskets properly. If he keeps wasting opportunities, Xiao Tu will get high blood pressure from frustration.

Riley also happened to realize that Rambis wasn't good at finishing plays, so after the timeout, he substituted McAdoo for Rambis, who had just played for a while.

Xiao Tu doesn't care about triple-doubles, but Riley really wants to help him get one. After the substitution, McAdu can be pulled out to the perimeter, and his mid-range shooting percentage is second only to Xiao Tu and Scott.

If Xiao Tu draws a double team in the paint or low post, he can pass the ball to McAdu. The bigger players will then double-team him, creating open shots on the left and in the middle.

Riley believed that the Nuggets players would do everything they could to stop Xiao Tu from scoring. He attracted double teams and passed the ball, making it easier for his teammates to score. This was a good opportunity to rack up assists.

The game continued. After a series of fakes, English pulled up for a jump shot at a 50-degree angle on the right side. Worthy wasn't shaken off and jumped up to contest the shot. The ball went wide, and Johnson grabbed the rebound and launched a fast break.

This time, his intention to pass to Xiao Tu was too obvious, resulting in a turnover that was stolen by Wayne. The Nuggets immediately launched a counterattack. Point guard Fat shook off Johnson, received the ball, and drove into the paint, drawing help defense before passing to Issel for an easy layup. 121-106.

In a Lakers half-court offense, Xiao Tu cut to the basket after setting a screen, drew two defenders in the paint, and then, under physical pressure, forced a turn and passed the ball to the high post.

Riley's play went smoothly; McAdu ran from the left baseline to the high post, received the ball in the middle, and made a jump shot. 123-106.

Xiao Tu delivered his 7th assist, just 3 assists shy of double figures.

His mind started racing, and he wondered if he could actually put up a triple-double today.

The Nuggets are on offense. Knight uses his strength to isolate and score a turnaround jumper over Cooper. 123-108.

The Lakers continued to run pick-and-rolls. Xiao Tu cut to the right and received a pass from Johnson with his back to the basket. He turned towards the baseline, attracting a double team from two interior players, and then jumped up and passed the ball to the middle.

McAdu received the ball in an open position at the free-throw line and made another shot! 125 to 108.

Xiao Tu delivered his 8th assist, and the Nuggets players started to panic. Doug Mo didn't know how to adjust.

It's impossible to defend against! Absolutely impossible to defend against!
The Lakers' Big Three only fielded two players, and the Nuggets couldn't stop them.

When a player is double-teamed, the best option is to pass the ball to a teammate, but most people can't find an open teammate. Xiao Tu was able to find one, not only because his passing awareness had improved, but also because his teammates had a consistent running pattern, and he knew there was someone in the middle.

He didn't have fancy passing skills, but he had excellent chemistry with his teammates and could execute the tactics they practiced.

When they returned to defense, Xiao Tu and McAdu high-fived each other in celebration.

Xiao Tu had a fire burning inside him, feeling that he could dominate the NBA this year! He would do even better than Magic Johnson in this year's playoffs!
Johnson has never scored 50+ points in his career, which is the difference between the two. Johnson's current career high of 45 points was all achieved by others during the regular season.

With 6 minutes and 37 seconds remaining, Wayne Cooper's open mid-range shot missed, and Xiao Tu easily grabbed the defensive rebound, his 18th rebound of the game.

The Nuggets' interior players are afraid to attack offensive rebounds, fearing the Lakers will launch fast breaks. A group of players with such a distorted mentality—even if they fight hard, how much real skill do they really possess?

With 6 minutes remaining, Nuggets' Knight grabbed a defensive rebound and launched a fast break. Substitute Mike Evans made a passing error, and Byron Scott, who had just entered the game, gambled and successfully stole the ball, then made a fast break pass to Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu received the ball and advanced through the middle, drawing Wayne's defense. He then feinted towards Magic Johnson on the left and passed the ball to Worthy, who was following up on the right.

English retreated relatively far back, not providing close defense, allowing Worthy to comfortably receive the ball, take three steps, and forcefully score a layup despite physical contact.

Worthy's impact should not be underestimated; he has a height and weight advantage over English.

This is Xiao Tu's 9th assist, and he's about to reach double digits.

Xiao Tu first makes a feint towards a teammate he doesn't want to pass to, then passes to someone on the other side—an experience taught to him by Johnson. The recovering defenders can see through his feint, and once they're fooled, it's difficult to gamble on a steal.

Xiao Tu's playing style is becoming more and more flexible. Apart from his poor dribbling, he can play like Magic Johnson.

(End of this chapter)