Basketball miracles

Chapter 203 [Which of you two is actually the fifth pick?]

The two went to play basketball again in the afternoon, practicing their skills in one-on-one matches, and quickly became friends.

They share a common language; they both hate losing and cannot tolerate mediocre performances. Haslem trains very hard, and after hearing about Xiao Tu's training intensity, he wanted to train with him in the summer.

Xiao Tu finally had an excellent sparring partner, and the defensive intensity he faced in one-on-one matches increased.

He was dominating weaker opponents in Japan because the training intensity was too low. Haslem isn't easy to shake off; he can often defend him effectively, but his shot-blocking ability is poor.

Xiao Tu's ability to maintain his shooting percentage even when facing Haslem one-on-one proves that his skills are still relevant in this era.

The two chatted as they returned to the hotel, in a very good mood.

Haslem wants to ride on Xiao Tu's coattails, stating that he will follow Xiao Tu's lead in the Summer League. He believes Xiao Tu is severely underrated and should have the potential to become an All-Star.

Haslem can't find other strong players to team up with for the time being, so it's easier for him to team up with newcomers.

There is a hierarchy among NBA teams. Haslem is 23 years old this year and has no potential to be developed. Joining a team as an older rookie makes it difficult for him to be favored by the coaching staff.

Xiao Tu is 19 years old this year. He has skills and talent, and will definitely be given special attention and training. Haslem knows very well who the boss is, and he keeps a very humble attitude.

As a fellow NBA player entering the league at the same time, Haslem hoped that Shaw would look after him in the future. Shaw was a very intelligent Black man who had completed four years of college and had a higher education, and only wanted to play for the Heat.

As a native of Miami, Haslem has a unique background as a Black player. He has a father, but his biological mother became addicted to drugs and tragically died young. His adoptive mother never married his father and disliked him. He spent a long time on the streets, witnessing friends die from drugs and violence, and then saw basketball as his only way out.

He's reached an age where he can't afford to lose, and he feels this year is his last chance to make it to the NBA.

Xiao Tu treated Haslem kindly, knowing he had a promising future.

Pat Riley greatly admired Haslem's fighting spirit and emotional intelligence, which led to his 20-year tenure with the Heat until his retirement in 2023. In fact, Haslem was already a fringe player for the Heat in 2015, but the team was willing to keep him on the roster.

In the hotel lobby, they ran into Stan Van Gundy, the Heat's first assistant coach in charge of leading the team. This chubby man with a small mustache is the older brother of Jeff Van Gundy, the former head coach of the Knicks, and is currently not as successful as his brother.

Xiao Tu stepped forward to greet him, his feelings complicated.

It's hard to believe, but a second-round draft pick, who hasn't even received a formal contract from the team yet, is already thinking about how to keep the head coach.

Pat Riley is still the Heat's nominal head coach, but he will suddenly step down before the start of the season to become the team's general manager. Stan Van Gundy will then take over as head coach.

Xiao Tu looked down on Da Fan, feeling that if he became the head coach in the new season, he would definitely not be comfortable playing.

Van Gundy served as Riley's assistant coach, but their coaching styles differed. Van Gundy focused more on defense, always pushing the team into half-court sets, reducing the number of possessions to ensure quick defensive transitions. Anyone attempting to launch a fast break was considered to have a grudge against him.

The Heat have Wade, so why is the coach preventing fast breaks? Is he trying to limit his players' strengths?
If Xiao Tu demonstrates the ability to combine drives, passes, and shots, he will likely be given more responsibility by Van Gundy. In a parallel world, when he coached the Magic, he was able to make the Turkish white floor-bound small forward Hedo Turkoglu the ball-handling core.

Van Gaal's weaknesses are too serious. He has extremely poor on-the-spot adaptability, rarely makes tactical adjustments based on the opponent's lineup, and sometimes makes wrong decisions.

For example, in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals between the Magic and the Cavaliers, their opponent, the Cavaliers, had Dwight Howard foul out almost every game. Why didn't Van Gundy adjust his strategy? Would it kill him to let backup center Gortat play a little longer?
Although the Magic advanced to the Finals 4-2, it was because their opponents were too weak, not because Van Gundy's coaching level was high.

Van Gundy never won a Coach of the Year award; frankly, he wasn't a championship coach. Pat Riley couldn't stand it anymore in the 2005-06 season and fired Van Gundy to lead the team himself, which led to the Heat's championship. If Van Gundy had continued coaching, the Heat probably wouldn't have even made it to the Finals.

That evening, Xiao Tu met with the belated fifth overall pick in the first round, Dwyane Wade, who was later dubbed "the five-centimeter-shorter Jordan."

Wade greeted Xiao Tu and Haslem with a smile, showing no arrogance despite being a high draft pick.

Xiao Tu was greatly shocked when he saw Wade. He truly lived up to his reputation as having a congenital areca nut physique comparable to Brad Pitt; his cheeks looked swollen as if he had been punched.

Unfortunately, Wade's arrival was a bit late, so Xiao Tu couldn't have a one-on-one match with him and would have to wait until tomorrow's practice.

The team held its first training session the following morning.

After warming up, everyone began practicing freely. Van Gundy didn't discuss tactics; he wanted to see who had the strongest individual ability first.

Summer League participants are usually rookies and fringe players seeking a minimum NBA contract, as one-on-one matches are the best way to showcase individual abilities.

After watching for a while, Da Fan immediately understood: Xiao Tu and Wade were far too outstanding. They could easily dominate the others in one-on-one situations, their abilities clearly a level above. Wade was fast and powerful, his dribbling skills were unstoppable, and he could even jump and finish layups despite physical contact.

Xiao Tu's performance was even more surprising. He plays a technical style, capable of both inside and outside the paint. Moreover, his dribbling moves are extremely flashy, with a streetball feel, almost like a performance.

He's not as fast as Wade, but he can completely disorient his opponents, leaving them with only minor defensive interference.

Wade noticed Xiao Tu and walked over to him, asking, "How about we have a one-on-one game? Ten balls, please?"

"Okay." Xiao Tu didn't immediately challenge Wade to a one-on-one match; he wanted to warm up.

Both of them are now warmed up and in peak condition.

Xiao Tu attacked first, while Wade defended.

Xiao Tu, holding the ball in the middle, saw Wade positioned far away and, without hesitation, pulled up for a three-pointer. The ball arced beautifully and swished through the net, making it 1-0.

Wade didn't expect him to do that, so he didn't jump.

With just one basket, Wade realized that Xiao Tu was very impressive because he wasn't good at long-range shooting.

When it was Wade's turn to attack, he dribbled between his left and right hands, then changed direction to the left. He was fast but couldn't get past his opponent because Xiao Tu had set up two steps to defend against the drive but not the shot, waiting for Wade.

Wade had space to move and used the Euro step. He had used this move to beat everyone else with great success, and no one could defend against it. Xiao Tu, however, was a master of the Euro step. He immediately judged which side Wade would break through from, and on his first step, he didn't get faked out. On his second step, he moved to his left to catch up with Wade, and the two jumped at the same time.

Wade attempted a right-handed layup, but Xiao Tu, turning sideways, accurately blocked the shot with his left hand.

The audience erupted in uproar, and even Van Gundy was stunned.

Wait... which of you two is the fifth pick?

Wade was stunned by the block; he hadn't expected Xiao Tu's defense to be so good. Since mastering this move, Xiao Tu had almost never been blocked. Xiao Tu was completely immune to fakes, and his arms were just too long.

Wade's height of 193cm and wingspan of 210cm are already excellent, while Xiao Tu's wingspan of 221cm is 20cm longer than his height.

When it was Xiao Tu's turn to attack, he started showing off his skills on the perimeter, dribbling between his legs repeatedly to probe the defense, slowly moving forward until he reached the right corner. Seeing Wade preparing to close in, he suddenly pulled the ball up, took a big step and spun past Wade, facing the basket and releasing a right-handed floater, which went in smoothly. 2-0.

The audience was stunned. Xiao Tu's dribbling was so smooth, and his crossover and shot were completed in one smooth motion.

Is this a second-round pick? It looks more like a star player lecturing a rookie.

Wade is getting serious. He was the fifth overall pick, and he doesn't want to lose even if it's just a one-on-one game.

His crossover dribble failed to get past Xiao Tu, and his behind-the-back dribble was followed closely. He turned to protect the ball with his back to the basket and tried to shake off Xiao Tu, but still couldn't escape. His forced fadeaway shot missed under pressure.

Fuck! Where did he even come from? His defense is too strong!
Did he specifically study my match videos? I feel like I'm being targeted all along.

Xiao Tu was all too familiar with Wade's playing style; knowing your enemy is half the battle. In this parallel world, Wade never mastered his mid-range and three-point shots until his retirement. No matter how strong his drives were, they could still be countered. Just defend his layups and let him shoot mid-range.

It doesn't matter if Xiao Tu can't block it; Wade's shooting percentage is low when he's far from the basket. Wade's poor shooting ability means that his true shooting percentage has never reached 60% in a single season throughout his career.

Xiao Tu's explosiveness is average now, not as fierce as Wade's, but his skills are much more comprehensive.

Xiao Tu attacked, skillfully executing a dazzling crossover dribble and behind-the-back dribble feint with distance from Wade.

Wade wasn't beaten, but he retreated due to inertia. Xiao Tu dribbled forward with the ball, took a big step and almost collided with Wade, then dribbled the ball with his left hand to his right hand, turned to the right and changed direction, stopping abruptly at a 45-degree angle and shooting a fadeaway jumper.

He had the advantage of height and wingspan, used his rhythm to dodge Wade's block, and scored with a mid-range jumper off the backboard. 3-0.

Van Gundy took a deep breath, unable to believe that the second-round rookie had been dominating Wade all along.

How did you, someone as talented as you, fall to the second round? Were all your teammates at Harvard undercover agents?
(End of this chapter)