Basketball miracles

Chapter 140 [Dominating the Basketball Field]

The Celtics are on offense, and McHale once again moves to the right side of the three-point line to receive the ball, leaving the paint open.

Seeing his actions, Xiao Tu felt even more confident.

Sure enough, the Celtics coach was wary of my defensive abilities, knowing that I would sweep the paint and make it difficult for the players to get close to the basket.

But what's the point? I can completely ignore McHale; he can't shoot threes anyway.

Xiao Tu gave McHale two meters of space, blatantly challenging the illegal defensive rule. He knew the referee wouldn't call a violation; if he did, the fans would have something to talk about after the game.

If you're so good, shoot a three-pointer. If I even lift my arm, I'll admit defeat.

Why do I have to follow someone to the outside when I'm facing someone who has no shooting range? What is the purpose of this rule?
McHale didn't dare to shoot from long range, nor did he attempt a face-up drive, instead passing to Parish, who had moved to the high post. Parish also didn't get a shot off against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, passing to Ainge, who then passed to Larry Bird on the left low post.

Magic Johnson immediately opened up Ainge and Worthy to double-team Bird, executing the play Riley had laid out before the game. During Xiao Tu's low-post back-to-the-basket game in practice, Riley instructed his players to double-team him in this way, also giving Xiao Tu practice on passing.

This double-pronged defense is very effective and achieves two goals at once.

Seeing that he couldn't force a shot, Bird passed the ball back to Ainge, who then lobbed it to McHale, who cut to the basket from the right side. It seemed like a good opportunity, but it was actually a trap.

McHale received the ball, took a step up, leaned forward, and attempted a bank shot with his rear end sticking out. His movement was incredibly awkward; even after jumping about 30cm, he couldn't get past anyone. Xiao Tu took off behind him, delivering a powerful left-handed block that sent the ball bouncing off the backboard.

McHale's shooting style is usually very effective, affecting opponents' jumps, but it depends on who the opponent is. Xiao Tu also gets calls on defense; if he forces a jump and there's physical contact, the referee won't call it.

Johnson retrieved the ball and launched a quick counterattack. Xiao Tu landed and raced against McHale, shaking off the defense by the time he crossed halfway.

Johnson made a strong breakthrough through the middle, drawing Parish's help defense, and passed the ball to the left wing. Xiao Tu received the ball, took a step, jumped with both feet, and slammed it in with his right hand! 4-0.

Parish was powerless to stop Xiao Tu's dunk while out of position; the only option was to foul him, as blocking the shot was out of the question.

Because of that foul in the All-Star game, Parish's character has been questioned. If he commits another "person-on-ball" foul today, he'll be on the list of villains. He hesitated for a moment and missed the opportunity to foul.

The home fans cheered and applauded wildly, and Xiao Tu's powerful dunk was the biggest morale booster!
Stockton said, "Right at the start of the game, Shaw was the most outstanding player on both ends of the court. If he had played at this level in the regular season, he would have won the MVP in his rookie season."

Heinson sighed, "The Celtics have to limit Shaw's offense if they want to win; McHale can't handle him one-on-one."

As a Celtics legend, Heinson hopes the Celtics will win the championship. His underestimation of McHale is normal commentary; everyone knows the Lakers have an advantage at the power forward position.

The Celtics were on offense. After a few passes, Dennis received the ball at the right 50-degree angle and took a mid-range shot, which missed again. The Celtics players were under a lot of pressure today, and many of them had a mediocre start.

Xiao Tu blocked McHale on the left side and leaped up to grab the rebound with a spectacular one-handed shot. He not only secured the rebound but also pushed McHale out of bounds, demonstrating a clear difference in strength.

Xiao Tu passed the ball to Johnson for a fast break, and after a few steps, he left McHale behind.

Johnson and Worthy were also very fast. The three 206cm tall players sprinted together, and Celtics fans watching the game on TV felt a lot of pressure.

Fortunately, Parish, who had just been positioned at the high post, quickly returned to defense, preventing the rim from being unprotected. Johnson dribbled to the free-throw line, drawing the defense before passing back to Shaw, who followed up down the middle and pulled up for an open three-pointer.

McHale was too slow to get back on defense, leaving his men completely exposed.

Xiao Tu practiced 100 extra three-pointers today just for this moment. His pull-up jump shot was elegant, and the ball swished through the net! 7-0.

McHale looked extremely uncomfortable as he chased after them from behind, seemingly only to become a background figure.

After just a few rounds, McHale started sweating profusely. He couldn't keep up with Xiao Tu's pace at all; it felt like he was playing against a guard.

Celtics coach KC Jones was also at his wits' end. Xiao Tu could unleash his physicality to overpower opponents on fast breaks and was also good at contesting shots. Neither McHale nor Bird could match his speed and strength.

During practice, the Celtics players practiced double-teaming in the low post, but on fast breaks, they could only guard Xiao Tu one-on-one. There's no way to defend that kind of play; all they could do was hope Xiao Tu's shooting touch was off.

How could Xiao Tu be in bad form? He's at his peak today, he's got a buff!
The Celtics are on offense. Dennis lobs the ball to the basket, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar misses his man, and Parish slams it home with a one-handed dunk. 7-2. In a Lakers half-court set, Xiao Tu collided with Ainge while setting a screen outside the three-point line, but the referee did not call a foul.

Standing at 193cm and weighing 79kg, the white player Danny Ainge was the skinniest on the court. He had almost no muscle; he looked like he had kidney deficiency. Any player of similar height in the future NCAA would be more muscular than him.

His strengths are good technique and accurate shooting, but his physical strength is negligible.

McHale didn't switch defense, sticking close to Xiao Tu in the middle. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was also boxing out Parish on the left low post, while Johnson drove wide open on the right and easily scored a layup. 9-2.

Stockton said, "The Celtics players and coaches were a bit unhappy, but the referees saw it clearly: Shaw's screen didn't move, and Ainge crashed into the screen and fell down."

Heinson sighed, "The Lakers started strong, and the Celtics couldn't stop them."

Stockton laughed and said, "No team could stop the Lakers' offense all season. They scored over 100 points in every game. To beat the Lakers, you need to score at least 110 points."

In the Celtics' half-court offense, Bird received the ball on the right low post and was again double-teamed, effectively being targeted. It wasn't that Xiao Tu wasn't primarily responsible for defense, allowing Bird to easily isolate and score; Riley's plan was to tightly guard Bird and allow others to shoot.

If the Celtics win, then Ainge will most likely have an exceptional performance and win the Finals MVP. How could that possibly happen? You can't kill a player like that just by throwing him around.

Bird bounced a pass to Dennis, who was cutting through the middle, but Scott reacted quickly to intercept the pass and launched another fast break for the Lakers. Scott dribbled to the three-point line and passed to Xiao Tu, who was following up on the left wing. Xiao Tu took the ball with both hands and forced a layup over McHale.

McHale, weighing only 95 kilograms, couldn't lift the ball or jump high enough, so he had no choice but to foul Xiao Tu just as he was about to jump. Xiao Tu still managed to throw the ball with one hand, but it missed, and the referee blew the whistle, sending him to the free-throw line.

Xiao Tu made both free throws with ease, making it 11-2.

He's been practicing free throws, and he's on fire today; there's no way he'll miss.

The Celtics players passed the ball around the perimeter a few times, and Ainge forced his way to the basket on the left baseline, but missed due to Johnson's interference. The ball bounced to the right side, where Xiao Tu once again boxed out McHale and grabbed the defensive rebound.

When it comes to rebounding, Xiao Tu easily outmaneuvered McHale; they were simply not in the same league.

McHale was getting a little anxious. He doubted he would be able to grab a single offensive rebound today, and the task of protecting the defensive rebounds was also extremely difficult.

In a Lakers half-court set, Magic Johnson dribbled down the left flank and lobbed the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the low post. Abdul-Jabbar dribbled twice, turned towards the baseline, and scored with a powerful two-handed layup over Parish. 13-2.

KC Jones, unable to contain himself any longer, called a timeout. What kind of defense did the Celtics use at the start? The players looked like they had absolutely no fighting spirit.

After the conference finals, both teams had ample time to prepare for the game, but the Lakers clearly did a better job.

Bird was double-teamed as soon as he received the ball, before he could even shoot.

Worthy wasn't a defensive liability; he was much more comfortable guarding Bird, who was of similar height but slower, than he was guarding English.

Ainge, who took the most shots, performed poorly, taking shots decisively but missing them repeatedly.

Worst of all, the Celtics players couldn't grab offensive rebounds. Xiao Tu was too dominant, truly controlling the paint.

Riley anticipated the Celtics' tactics perfectly and devised a targeted defense. The Celtics fell into a double-digit deficit right from the start, making the game difficult.

The Celtics players almost never shoot three-pointers, and their ability to catch up by relying on two-pointers is very slow.

When the Lakers' starters left the court, they received a warm round of applause from the fans. The Lakers' offense revolved around their Big Three, with Xiao Tu having the best performance, scoring 7 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and blocking 1 shot on 100% shooting.

Riley first praised the players, then gave instructions on tactics.

"Erwin, McHale definitely won't dare switch on you when you run a pick-and-roll. Be decisive when you pull up for a jump shot after shaking off your defender. You can make it. Seb is always ready to cut to the basket. Let them see your fadeaway jumper."

With the score in the lead, Riley did not emphasize defense.

The Lakers are all about offense; they not only want to win, but they want to win spectacularly!
(End of this chapter)