Basketball miracles

Chapter 144 [Single Section 27+10]

The Lakers' offensive strategy has always been clear: continue to use pick-and-roll in half-court sets.

Magic Johnson dribbled down the right wing but failed to break through. He passed the ball to a teammate, but it passed through several players before finally ending up in Xiao Tu's hands at the high post.

This is a change in tactical role. Xiao Tu's teammates trust him and feel that passing the ball to him is always the right move when there are no easy opportunities to shoot.

Xiao Tu changed direction, took a step, and entered the paint from the right side. He dribbled behind his back with his right hand at the corner, then caught the ball with his left hand and stepped back with his left foot. Facing a double-team from Bird and Parish, he hit a fadeaway jumper. 36-16.

Xiao Tu's dribbling skills weren't great, but his high jump and fadeaway shot were audacious. With the 24-second shot clock ticking down, he needed a reason to force a shot; otherwise, his teammates would just take the blame.

Parish was too far away to jump, but Bird did jump... He was much shorter than Xiao Tu and couldn't even close the gap.

Before they knew it, the point difference between the two sides had widened to 20 points. Lakers fans were clapping enthusiastically, even though Xiao Tu didn't dunk, he only made a mid-range shot.

Xiao Tu has already scored 21 points in this quarter; his hands are on fire, and every shot he takes is a winner.

Stockton said, "The rosters of both teams are almost the same as last season. After Shaw joined the Lakers, the Finals became a one-sided massacre."

Heinson said, "During the regular season, Shaw focused on defense, keeping a close eye on Bird. Today, Riley assigned him to guard McHale, who is easier to deal with, which completely unleashed his offensive potential."

Stockton said, "Riley's tactics were very successful, and Shaw completely stunned the opponent in the first quarter. I think the suspense today is not the outcome, but what stats Shaw can put up."

KC Jones is just hoping to lose the first game by a small margin, but the Lakers won't give the Celtics any face.

Unlike the Western Conference semifinals, where the Lakers often played casually and their defense was less tight, Magic Johnson made several mistakes in his attempts to showcase flashy passes.

Today, the Lakers are going all out against the Celtics, as they are arch-rivals. Magic Johnson is playing a very methodical game, abandoning flashy but impractical moves like behind-the-back passes and head passes.

The Celtics were on offense. After several passes, Bird drew a double team on the right baseline and passed the ball to Ainge, who scored with a mid-range jumper from a step inside the three-point line at a 60-degree angle on the right. 36-18.

Jones assigned Anguido to shoot, and while he could score, his efficiency was low. In stark contrast to last season, the Celtics' interior advantage had turned into a disadvantage, with almost all their points coming from jump shots outside the paint.

The Lakers players spread out, and Xiao Tu received the ball after setting a screen, cutting inside from the middle and drawing a double team in the paint. The Celtics players are now determined to shut down Xiao Tu; they're not going to let him get an easy shot.

Xiao Tu demonstrated excellent ball protection skills, unafraid of physical contact, squeezing through Bird and Parish to force a half-turn, and passing the ball through the gap between the two to the left baseline, where McAdu's open jump shot missed.

The opportunity presented itself, but the veteran failed to capitalize. Xiao Tu immediately went for the rebound in the paint against Parish, who hesitated to take it and instead passed the ball to his right, where McHale secured the rebound.

In a half-court set, Bird received the ball on the left baseline, turned, and hit a mid-range jumper over McAdu. 36-20.

After scoring, Bird didn't celebrate at all; he ran back with a dark expression.

Now that Xiao Tu is no longer primarily guarding Bird, the Celtics are falling behind by a large margin, which has caused Bird immense shame. With the constant mockery from fans, Bird himself feels he switched to small forward to avoid Xiao Tu.

There's no point in reasoning with fans about some things; Bird has already earned that reputation for the rest of his life.

In a Lakers half-court set, Xiao Zhong cut to the right side at a 45-degree angle after setting a screen and received a pass from Johnson.

He dribbled the ball, quickly turned and entered the paint, then pulled up for a fadeaway jumper, ignoring the double team and shooting from close range. Bird and Parish both jumped but couldn't block it. 38-20.

Bird's close defense was ineffective; his lack of strength prevented him from turning around. While the two were similar in height, Bird was shorter when jumping, and Bird's wingspan was pathetic.

Parish still prefers to stick with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar first, and any hesitation when double-teaming him is a beat too late. There's no way around it; who dares to completely leave the renowned Kareem Abdul-Jabbar unguarded?

"Sebastian Shaw scores his 23rd point!" The Lakers' home DJ's shouts were particularly jarring to the Celtics players.

Xiao Tu is an absolute powerhouse on the court, and his turnaround fadeaway jumper has become a deadly weapon. Since the playoffs began, opponents have been struggling to defend his weak-side isolation plays; no one can block him.

Xiao Tu is now using this move even better than Jordan because his strength allows him to position himself deeper, and his release point is closer to the basket, naturally resulting in a higher shooting percentage. On the Celtics' offense, Bird lobs the ball from the right baseline to Parish cutting inside, but Jabbar fouls him, preventing his forced layup.

With 1 minute and 23 seconds left in the game, Riley replaced the visibly tired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 203cm white power forward Kurt Rambis.

At this point, Xiao Tu needs to move up to the center forward position to increase the team's mobility and match up against Parish.

Parish made his first free throw, missed his second, and Xiao Tu easily grabbed the rebound, his eighth of the game.

In a Lakers half-court set, after a pick-and-roll in the middle, Johnson dribbled to the left but didn't shoot. After a few passes, the ball was moved to the right, where Cooper's mid-range shot from just inside the three-point line missed.

Something devastating happened to the Celtics players: the ball bounced to the right side of the backboard, and Xiao Tu leaped high to grab the offensive rebound with both hands and scored directly on the putback. 40-20.

Xiao Tu scored his 25th point, stunning the entire arena. The Lakers fans in the stadium rose to their feet and applauded for a long time.

An average player might reach the NBA Finals once in their entire career, and scoring 25 points in one game is something they can brag about for a lifetime. Xiao Tu's rookie season set a new NBA Finals single-quarter scoring record, a scoring explosion that will be difficult to surpass.

Heinson sighed, "The Celtics lost another defensive rebound, which is really demoralizing. Two big men were under the basket but couldn't box out Shaw, and neither of them jumped."

Stockton laughed, "They definitely can't jump as high as Shaw. They gave up as soon as they saw the ball bounced far. Bird, in particular, really can't jump that high. He was already giving it his all on defense."

Heinson said, "Shaw was just one rebound away from a double-double in a quarter... Good heavens, this is the Finals."

Bird is the one who's been hit the hardest right now; his eyes are practically glazed over.

He couldn't imagine what the media would say after the match. He was sure many people would compare the two of them and say that Xiao Tu had completely outplayed him again.

The Celtics were on offense in a half-court set. Ainge, who was having a good shooting night, received the ball on the right side beyond the three-point line. Seeing Johnson backed up quite far, he quickly launched a three-pointer and made it. 40-23.

Xiao Tu wasn't worried at all seeing the Celtics score; he was confident his MVP award was already secured. Many of the Celtics players made shots over Johnson's defense in the first quarter; he was practically a defensive liability.

After the game, the media and experts will surely feel that Johnson's performance was far inferior to Xiao Tu's.

The Lakers executed another pick-and-roll play. Xiao Tu ran to the right low post, received the ball with his back to the basket, and attracted a double team from the two stars. He quickly turned towards the baseline, jumped out of bounds, and passed the ball to the left side of the basket next to Parish.

The Celtics' defense was in disarray. McHale and McAdu positioned themselves far out, allowing substitute Rambis to cut into the paint, receive the ball, and easily score off the backboard. 42-23.

This basket was a blow to the Celtics' morale, as the Lakers' interior players all scored, including an assist from Xiao Tu.

What kind of player is Rambis? He can't do anything except pick off rim protectors. If the Celtics can't even stop him, who can they stop today?
The Celtics were on offense. Dennis Johnson passed the ball to the right baseline, and Larry Bird's turnaround jump shot missed under pressure from McAdu. Xiao Tuka grabbed the defensive rebound over Parish, his 10th of the quarter.

Parish got anxious and frustrated, and in his attempt to grab an offensive rebound, he made a clear pushing motion, which resulted in a foul being called by the referee.

It would have been fine if he had fouled earlier, but Xiao Tu pushed the ball after getting it, so it was pointless.

Heinson exclaimed, "Parish's foul was incredibly stupid! The Celtics have already committed four fouls in this quarter, sending Shaw straight to the free-throw line."

Stockton laughed, "Is he afraid Shaw isn't scoring easy enough? I think Shaw is going to challenge his personal single-game scoring record again today. The Celtics players are all anxious. They got blown out by one person today, and that person is a rookie."

Heinson said, "Shaw is not just Rookie of the Year, he has proven himself to be an MVP-caliber superstar. Just based on his performance in this quarter, he is a shoo-in for MVP."

In NBA rules, when a team accumulates four fouls in a single quarter, the fifth foul will award the opponent two free throws.

Xiao Tubai seized an easy scoring opportunity and calmly made both free throws, bringing the score to 44-23, his 27th point.

The Lakers fans in the arena stood up and applauded again, having never seen such a dazzling individual performance.

(End of this chapter)