Basketball miracles

Chapter 145 [This is talent!]

The Celtics had one last possession. The players quickly advanced to the frontcourt, and McHale passed the ball to Ainge beyond the three-point line. Ainge then drained a buzzer-beating mid-range jumper from the right side at a 60-degree angle. 44-25.

Angelo made a buzzer-beater, but it only narrowed the gap to 19 points. The Lakers' total points in the quarter were ridiculously high, and their players' shooting percentage was astonishing.

Pat Riley's tactics revolved around Xiao Tu's offense, and he lived up to expectations, delivering a performance that left everyone speechless.

肖途单节9投9中，三分球3中3，罚球6中6，100%命中率砍下27分10篮板2助攻3盖帽1抢断。

The Celtics' entire team couldn't match Xiao Tu's individual statistics in points, rebounds, and blocks in a single quarter.

Many fans believe that this can only be described as a "miracle" when it happens in the first quarter of the nationally televised NBA Finals!

Today, many fans of Dr. J (Irving), Moses Malone, Ralph Sampson, and others have become "Shawn fans." Shaw's dunks are more spectacular than Dr. J's, he's a better rebounder than Malone, and his offensive abilities surpass those of other interior superstars—how could fans not like him?

Xiao Tu's scoring explosiveness in this year's playoffs is impressive. Previously, George Gervin scored 32 points in a single quarter, and Chamberlain scored 31 points in a single quarter, but both of those were regular season stats.

Wilt Chamberlain's career-high score in the Finals was only 45 points, against the same Celtics, and the Lakers lost. Now, Lakers fans are hoping that Shaw can surpass Chamberlain's record in a single game, believing he has a high probability of scoring 50+20.

In the second quarter, Xiao Tu was substituted to rest, and James Worthy came on to lead the bench, supporting the perimeter offense alongside Mike McGee, while Michael Cooper was responsible for playmaking. The inside partnership consisted of Kupchak and Rambis.

On the Celtics' side, McHale found his rhythm in the second quarter, scoring consecutive points in low-post isolation against Rambis.

He has a clear advantage over Rambis, and his floor-style back-to-the-basket moves are not afraid of being blocked, allowing him to make moves and shoot at will.

Lakers fans were speechless. McHale couldn't score a single point against Xiao Tu and looked like a complete waste. Rambis improved McHale's stats, and afterwards some people might think it was Xiao Tu who defended him, indirectly affecting Xiao Tu's reputation.

Many fans believe that Xiao Tu will be able to keep McHale from scoring in double digits throughout the game against the two.

Xiao Tu thought so too; he discovered that McHale couldn't jump at all.

McHale's back-to-the-basket move involves faking a couple of times, then using his body to force a turn and shoot with one or two hands, with a maximum jump of 30cm.

Rambis raised his arms and didn't jump at all, as if he was scared, afraid that the referee would call a foul on him.

What happened to the idea that 80s defense was all about pulling and wrestling? Rambis, why don't you go and do it to him!
With such clean defense, Riley won't let you play for long!

Riley knew Rambis wasn't up to par, but the Lakers didn't need to keep targeting McHale; he was the Celtics' backup power forward for the first half of the season.

Five minutes later, Xiao Tu had rested enough and returned to the court with Magic Johnson, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still resting.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's biggest problem right now is his lack of stamina. It's reasonable for him to rest a bit more, given Xiao Tu's ability to attack from the low post. Moreover, Abdul-Jabbar can't participate in fast breaks, and further reducing his low-post attacks in positional warfare renders him less of a tactical asset.

For the Celtics, McHale went to the bench for a rest, Bird played power forward, and the small forward was Scott Widman, a white player who is 201cm tall.

Maxwell, who had previously won the Finals MVP, was in terrible form in the playoffs and was quickly replaced by Jones. His playing time was significantly reduced, and his performance was completely different from the regular season. He couldn't even be considered a decent role player, averaging only 5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Bird switched to small forward, and Maxwell was the most affected, his Celtics career was coming to an end.

So Xiao Tu was matched up against Bird again, leaving the Celtics with only four players rotating in the paint. White center Greg Kate was a fringe player who only played 7 minutes per game, only getting a few minutes of playing time at the beginning of the second quarter or during garbage time.

The Lakers maintained their lead at 54-42, having been brought back by 7 points.

As the Lakers attacked, Celtics players began challenging the referee's calls on the defensive end. When Xiao Tu called for the ball in the low post, the Celtics immediately double-teamed him off the ball, with two big men surrounding him and leaving their primary defender two meters away.

Seeing that Xiao Tu couldn't receive the ball easily, Cooper attempted a three-pointer from the right corner, but it missed. The ball bounced high and far, and Xiao Tu grabbed another offensive rebound. Bird and Parish, seeing the height of the bounce, didn't jump and couldn't stop Xiao Tu from jumping either.

Xiao Tu dribbled with his back to the basket, turned towards the middle, drew two defenders, but didn't shoot. He jumped and passed the ball to McAdu on the left baseline. McAdu took a close-range mid-range shot and made it easily. 56-42.

This is Xiao Tu's third assist. He consistently finds open teammates even when Parish and Bird double-team him. He's also racked up more assists since the playoffs began, mostly inside-outside plays.

As the Celtics attacked, Xiao Tu began to employ a "death grip" on Bird, even coming up close to challenge him when he wasn't on the ball. His teammates didn't need to double-team Bird; they just needed to guard their own players.

The Celtics players passed the ball around the perimeter a few times, and Parish, with his physical advantage over McAdu in the low post, turned and made a jump shot. 56-44.

This is the difference in ability. The 206cm tall McAdu can play multiple positions, but he is not good at defense in any position.

The Lakers' offense immediately put the Celtics in a difficult position.

Riley's decision to play McAdu at center was clearly aimed at clearing the paint and creating scoring opportunities for Xiao Tu. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar couldn't get very far out, resulting in a low mid-range shooting percentage.

Xiao Tu cut to the right low post to receive the ball, dribbled once, turned towards the middle, attracted two big men to double-team him, and then passed the ball back to the left baseline. McAdu stepped on the edge of the paint and jumped for a shot, which swished through the net. 58-44.

Riley applauded Xiao Tu from the sidelines, a relieved smile on his face. The plays he had devised during the timeout were working; even without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers could still maintain their offensive efficiency in the paint.

The Lakers must reduce Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's playing time and ball possession. This summer's draft only requires Riley to select another interior player as a backup, ensuring the Lakers won't have to worry about their interior roster for the next decade.

The Celtics' shooting percentage also improved, and after several passes, small forward Widman made a mid-range jumper on the left side. 58 to 46.

The Lakers used the same strategy: Xiao Tu would set a screen and then cut to the right low post to receive the ball.

This time, Parish didn't dare to position himself too close to Xiao Tu, and couldn't completely leave McAdu open. Xiao Tu dribbled with his back to the basket, turned, and jumped to the baseline, dodging Bird's block and swishing the ball through the net! 60 to 44.

Stockton exclaimed, "Beautiful! Shaw went 10-for-10 for 29 points, an incredible individual performance!"

Heinson said, "This time Dennis helped Bird on defense, leaving Magic open on the perimeter. But it didn't help much; guards can't block Shaw."

Bird shook his head helplessly on the court. Xiao Tu jumped too high; it was useless for him to stay in position on defense. Whether the shot went in or not depended entirely on Xiao Tu's shooting touch.

Xiao Tu wasn't this freakish during the regular season. Now, Xiao Tu is a top scorer and it's impossible for him to be defended.

The Celtics were on offense. Bird received the ball a step inside the three-point line on the right side, and Xiao Tu immediately covered him closely. Bird had no space to turn around while protecting the ball with his back to the basket, and he couldn't squeeze past him. After trying, he passed the ball to a teammate again.

Bird's turnaround shot from that distance wouldn't be very accurate, and even if he managed to avoid the block, Xiao Tu would severely disrupt his shot.

Widman was on fire today, hitting a three-pointer from the left side at a 60-degree angle, even over the defense. 60-47.

It's not that Celtics players can't shoot threes, it's just that they take very few shots; Coach Jones doesn't allow them to shoot more. Many players who practice three-pointers regularly would have amazing accuracy.

The Lakers are on offense. Johnson dribbles to the right side and lobs the ball to Xiao Tu at the low post (45 degrees). This time, Xiao Tu doesn't dribble on the weak side, but smoothly turns and shoots a fadeaway jumper from the baseline, the ball swishing through the net. 62-47.

Defensive intensity? I didn't feel it!

Even at this point, they still dare to let the floor dry out to defend themselves against me. They're really fearless.

Bird's full-fledged jump only slightly interfered, allowing Xiao Tu to score his 31st point. When Johnson passed the ball, Dennis attempted a gamble to steal it but failed to reach it.

That's talent! That's domination!
Everyone watching the game admired Xiao Tu's physical abilities, and even the Celtics fans were impressed; they had no choice but to agree.

The cameraman focused on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the bench, who looked unhappy with a furrowed brow. He felt he was still a star player and shouldn't limit his playing time to under 30 minutes, spending too much time on the bench.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar still cares about personal accolades and considered vying for Finals MVP before the game. If Riley limits his playing time, his stats won't look very good.

But he couldn't ask to play more; his stamina was indeed dropping very quickly, and Xiao Tu was able to take his place and attack from the low post.

Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at his peak couldn't score like that in the finals; Xiao Tu was simply too dominant today.

(End of this chapter)