Basketball miracles

Chapter 146 [Entertaining the Masses, Relaxing the Mind]

Dennis Johnson responded with a pull-up jumper on the left side, helping his team stay close. 62-49.

The Lakers were on offense. After a pick-and-roll, Magic Johnson passed the ball to the middle, where Xiao Tu pulled up for a three-pointer over Bird. He avoided the block, but this time he missed, his first miss of the game.

He played very casually, as if any jump shot over Bird would be an opportunity, and his vision was not obstructed at all.

The Celtics launched a fast break. Bird dribbled to the right side of the three-point line and then switched the ball to the left with one hand. Dennis received the ball, took a step, pulled up for a jump shot, and made another mid-range jumper. 62-51.

Riley called a timeout, somewhat dissatisfied with the players' defense.

Magic Johnson didn't even jump when defending Dennis, just casually extending his arm, allowing the 193cm guard to score repeatedly in front of him. In the first half, when he was primarily guarding Ainge, he also let him shoot freely.

Johnson's lackadaisical defensive performance during the regular season was one thing, but such an attitude in the Finals will damage morale.

After the timeout, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar returned to the court, adding another strong low-post scoring option. McAdu continued playing, switching to the small forward position.

In a half-court set, the Lakers spread out, and Magic Johnson drove hard through the middle for a layup. 64-51.

He's nominally a point guard, but his explosiveness is on par with an inside player; when he gets going, guards can't stop him.

With Bird and Parish each primarily guarding one star, how could they possibly have the energy to help the guards defend Johnson?
The Celtics were on offense, and Bird was again boxed out of the paint by Shaw. After a few passes, Widman's three-pointer from the left side at a 60-degree angle missed due to McAdu's interference. The ball bounced far, and Johnson grabbed the rebound.

Johnson dribbled up the court, and Xiao Tu cut straight to the basket without a screen. Johnson then made a pass to the right low post. Xiao Tu received the ball with both hands and, despite being double-teamed, forced his way to the middle and turned into the paint. He was very close to the basket but didn't jump. After faking it, he passed the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the left.

Parish couldn't turn around to defend Kareem in time, and the latter easily made the layup. 66-51.

Stockton said, "Shaw has dished out his fifth assist. Is he going to put up a triple-double in the Finals today?"

Heinson said, "He always draws double teams and his passing is also good."

Dennis was really into his game now, dribbling to the left and hitting another mid-range jumper from the 50-degree angle. 66 to 53.

Riley felt that his earlier emphasis on defense had been pointless, as Johnson still retreated far back and merely extended his hand.

Experts believe Johnson invests too much energy in offense, causing him to lose focus on defense. In fact, he has developed bad defensive habits that are unlikely to change in his lifetime.

In a parallel universe, Kobe Bryant surpasses Johnson to become the Lakers' all-time greatest player, which is directly related to his long-term selection to the All-Defensive Team, and definitely not because of the plane crash...

The Lakers were on offense. Xiao Tu first set a screen for Johnson on the perimeter, then received the ball on the right low post, backed down his opponent, took a step, turned, and hit a fadeaway jumper. 68-53.

Undeterred by Dennis's help defense, Xiao Tu released his shot mid-air and deftly avoided the block.

His jump shot is so unreasonable that unless someone with similar jumping ability defends him, double-teaming or one-on-one defense is almost the same.

Stockton said, "Shaw scored 33 points, and it wasn't even halfway through the game. He only missed one shot."

Heinson said, "I still can't believe he was the 23rd pick in the first round. His talent is in a class of its own, and he's fallen to this position."

Stockton said, "Actually, the Celtics' offense was good today, but the Lakers' offense was better. The Lakers' offense was the strongest in the regular season; even if an opponent scored more than 130 points, they might not be able to win."

Heinson nodded: "Yes, the Celtics rarely score more than 110 points."

From then on, regardless of whether it was reasonable, the Celtics players resolutely double-teamed Xiao Tu. Even if he received the ball at the high post, two players would be on him, unless he was outside the three-point line.

If the Celtics players double-team Xiao Tu beyond the three-point line, then the game is definitely over. There are at most three defenders in the paint, and the entire defensive system will collapse.

Xiao Tu can still score because the Lakers can launch fast breaks. He forced a layup during a fast break, drew a foul from Bird, and completed a 2+1 play.

Xiao Tu wasn't as dominant as he was in the first quarter, but he still scored 9 points in the second quarter, which was quite a lot.

他半场15中13，三分球4中3，罚球7中7，狂砍36分13篮板5助攻1抢断3盖帽，效率恐怖。

After guarding Bird, Xiao Tu had difficulty grabbing rebounds when he went out to defend him, but his 20+ rebounds throughout the game were almost a foregone conclusion.

伯德的半场数据普通，除了助攻多点根本不像核心。他10投4中，三分球1中0，罚球2中2，得到10分4篮板5助攻。

The Lakers led 76-60 at halftime, but the Celtics managed to stay close thanks to a balanced attack from multiple players. Danny Ainge exploded in the first quarter, while Dennis Johnson had a standout performance in the second. During halftime, everyone was discussing Xiao Tu's final stats. If he racked up 50+20+10, that would be incredible, securing the Finals MVP in one game.

Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's performances today were nowhere near as good as Xiao Tu's.

Xiao Tu's brilliance wasn't limited to the competition; Madonna also gave a live performance during halftime. She appeared in a wedding dress, headscarf, and bouquet, singing "Like a Virgin."

The music video for this song was filmed by Madonna and Xiao Tu together, which has special significance.

She didn't hire any backup dancers for this performance, so Xiao Tu didn't go back to the dressing room to rest. Instead, he went on stage to interact with Madonna and recreated the princess carry move from the music video.

After the performance ended, the fans in the stadium roared with excitement.

Countless viewers in front of their televisions were stunned. The song sounded like a wedding, seemingly inappropriate for the NBA Finals. Yet, everyone found it incredibly captivating because Xiao Tu's stats in the first half were phenomenal.

Xiao Tu's performance was so good and charming that all the female fans who heard the song felt a sense of identification with it, and they themselves felt "like virgins" with their hearts pounding.

This idea was proposed by Xiao Tu, and Madonna thought it had potential. David Stern also agreed, making it a milestone for the NBA.

Sure enough, fans love this kind of entertainment; it's so avant-garde.

The NFL Super Bowl has actually had a halftime show for a long time, but in the early days, college bands performed, which didn't attract much attention. Madonna performing today is truly groundbreaking in the entertainment industry; it's the first time in history that a singer has performed during the finals of one of the four major sports leagues.

Stockton laughed, "My God, this is the NBA Finals! Shaw and Madonna put on a show like this during halftime, how relaxed is he?"

Heinson said, "I think it had that feel of the Slam Dunk Contest, and the finals became his exhibition match."

Stockton said, "Shaw has absolute confidence in winning the championship, and it would be too embarrassing to lose after putting on a show. No one else would dare to do that, even if the president allowed it."

Xiao Tu's showmanship attracted many fans, which was exactly what Stern desperately wanted. This year's NBA Finals viewership has already broken historical records, and by a significant margin.

After watching Xiao Tu's performance, Stern recalled those NBA stars who were furious during interviews, as if they were about to fight on the court... He thought they were a bunch of idiots.

Stern will certainly continue to promote Xiao Tu; he will be the face of the league next season.

There are some things that even if Stern clearly tells the players how to do, others still can't do them; they won't put on a show.

Meanwhile, Celtics coach KC Jones was seriously outlining tactics in the visiting team's locker room.

In the second half, Xiao Tu will face even tighter defense. KC Jones adopted an extreme defensive strategy: they'd rather lose the game than give up double-teaming Xiao Tu and limiting his scoring.

Jones was extremely dissatisfied with the team's defense in the first half, and he criticized McHale and Bird. He said the two big white men didn't like to guard him closely, allowing Xiao Tu to easily turn and make moves.

Jones believed that to defend against Xiao Tu, it was necessary to prevent him from easily turning and jumping.

The game continued, with both sides fielding their starting lineups, and the Celtics taking the lead.

Worthy was assigned to defend Bird, and Xiao Tu was matched up against McHale again. After a few passes, Parish took a jump shot at the 50-degree angle with his foot on the edge of the paint, but it went wide under heavy pressure.

Parish primarily relies on his 213cm height and impressive wingspan to create shooting space, but lacks explosiveness. Xiao Tu grabbed the rebound on the right side, and McHale didn't even try to close him down or jump; he simply gave up.

McHale thought it was a complete waste of energy; as long as the ball bounced towards Xiao Tu, no one could grab the rebound from behind him.

Xiao Tu and Magic Johnson ran a pick-and-roll beyond the three-point line, while Worthy and Scott also spread out, leaving only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar positioned in the low post on the left. This season, the Lakers have the most spread-out lineup of any team, giving their guards space to drive.

Johnson shook off Dennis and drove hard to the basket on the right side for a layup. 78-60.

Everyone now thinks the Celtics are doomed. McHale doesn't dare switch on pick-and-rolls and stays close to Xiao Tu. When Xiao Tu is on the perimeter, the Celtics' paint is wide open.

While Johnson's impact is not as strong as Xiao Tu's, he still has a clear advantage over Dennis and Ainge.

The point difference between the two sides continued to widen, almost reaching 20 points again.

(End of this chapter)