Basketball miracles

Chapter 208 [Combined System, Completely Opposite]

There were a lot of people in Orlando today, mainly because Summer League tickets were cheap at only $5. People wanted to see the action, and if LeBron James played like an NBA All-Star, it would be totally worth it.

Would Magic fans be obsessed with the Cavaliers' number one draft pick? Of course not. Not only the fans, but even the reporters who came to the game today felt that LeBron James wasn't as amazing as the "experts" made him out to be.

But the media still has to keep praising James; that's what reporters do for a living. It doesn't matter if he plays badly or has a low shooting percentage; they just have to find his strengths to praise. If he really has no strengths, they'll just find excuses for his losses.

The awkward thing is, the Heat's number 24 played even better today, making it a bad headline. If LeBron James were to get completely outplayed by the rookie number 33, it would look incredibly weak.

The Cavaliers' half-court offense struggled, failing to create good opportunities after several passes. James couldn't penetrate and was forced to pass.

James "brings his own system," but the Cavaliers' system is not yet fully formed.

James needs reliable shooters to create space, star teammates to be the second ball-handlers to attack, and big men who can shoot to open up the paint. This is the system where everyone supports him to play simple ball-handling.

The key to this system is that the teammates must be very strong, ideally all in their prime. However, the teammates can't be too strong, otherwise how can James prove himself as the core player?
The Cavaliers in the Summer League didn't even have a strong second scoring option, so how can James lead (or draw out) them now?

After a few rounds, James's forced drive was once again blocked by Xiao Tu. Haslem and Woods also collapsed their defense, shutting down the paint.

Xiao Tu felt no pressure; he knew James wouldn't perform well even before the game, even without him as a "variable".

In his rookie season, James hadn't yet mastered his signature "crab walk," and the league hadn't changed the rules regarding vertical jump for big centers, making it difficult for him to cope with zone defenses.

This guy had a true shooting percentage of 48.8% and a shooting efficiency of 43.8% in his rookie season, which Xiao Tu checked using his subconscious eye mask.

The Cavaliers' two interior players couldn't create space and were also crowded near the paint. With so many players in front of him, even if James managed to get past Xiao Tu, he wouldn't be able to easily make a layup.

He had no choice but to solve the problem with technique, dribbling the ball sideways to the right side and then taking a fadeaway jump shot from outside the penalty area at a 45-degree angle.

In the future, many people will call this the "crab fadeaway jump shot." After more than ten years of hard work, James' shooting percentage improved significantly, with his mid-range shooting percentage exceeding 40% for several seasons. As a result, he claimed that he, like Jordan, was a master of the fadeaway jump shot with superb skills.

James's shot was just a "crab shot" now; with Xiao Tu's interference, the ball's arc was flat and off-target. The ball bounced off the rim, Haslem grabbed the rebound, and passed it to Wade.

The Heat launched a counterattack, with Wade quickly advancing to the frontcourt but being caught up by James, who then passed the ball to Xiao Tu, who was following up in the middle.

Wade knew that Xiao Tu would have an easy time against Kapono, and that passing the ball to him would create an opportunity; he only needed to draw the defense away.

This was something the two had agreed upon before the game: not to force an attack on James, and not to give the opponent any opportunity to utilize his physical advantages. James lacks experience in high-level basketball, but his defensive ability is absolutely strong.

Xiao received the ball in the middle of the road, dribbled once, faced Kapono, and used a Euro step, taking a small step to the left with his left foot and a big step to the right with his right foot to successfully get past him, then jumped and scored with a layup. 10-0.

Miles was a step too slow in his help defense under the basket and failed to block the shot.

Pat Riley clapped excitedly on the sidelines. Xiao Tu had indeed performed exceptionally well, excelling in both offense and defense.

Kapono was the 31st overall pick in the second round of the NBA draft. Riley had detailed information on him and considered him his top target in the second round. The Cavaliers beat them to the punch and selected Kapono, which Riley was a little disappointed about at the time. He believed Kapono had excellent shooting ability and a greater tactical role.

He is now incredibly grateful to the Cavaliers' general manager. If Xiao Tu and Kapono had been swapped, he would have been utterly disgusted in the new season.

Now, the Cavaliers and the Lakers, who drafted Luke Walton, are the ones feeling frustrated. All three teams need a forward, and the other two didn't even consider Xiao Tu during the draft.

Riley felt that Xiao Tu was better than the number one draft pick James and Wade, and was a well-rounded player who could contribute immediately.

This was LeBron James' second game in the Summer League, and the media was giving him far too much credit. The Cavaliers were down 10-0 at the start, and James looked anxious and grim.

This was very different from what he had imagined before the match; it was the complete opposite.

God... why is this road so difficult?
Seeing that Xiao Tu had moved two steps further away, James chose to shoot a three-pointer from the middle this time.

Xiao Tu stepped forward but didn't jump; he just extended his hand in a gesture. He kept his center of gravity low, focusing primarily on defending against drives. If James could score with a mid-to-long-range jump shot, he would accept it.

James's acceleration is incredibly fast, and Xiao Tu will be easily beaten if he's faked out. He's determined to remain unmoved no matter how James fakes him out on the perimeter, regardless of whether Xiao Tu is facing up for a jump shot.

Xiao Tu's defense was very targeted. James' long-range shooting was unreliable, with a shooting percentage of around 30% for several seasons. Even after his shooting percentage improved, opponents still focused on defending against his drives.

The ball bounced off the rim again, and Haslem grabbed the defensive rebound. Haslem gave it his all, trying to prove himself primarily through defense. Darius Miles's weakness is rebounding; he's too skinny, and his 5.4 rebounds in 30 minutes last season was simply tragic.

Miles will definitely be traded; he's not the power forward the Cavaliers need. He's already proven himself a bust with no potential.

The Heat launched a fast break, creating a 3-on-3 situation in the frontcourt. This time, James didn't switch to guard Wade, but instead followed Xiao Tu back.

Before the game, he didn't take Xiao Tu seriously at all, but now he can't let Xiao Tu score so easily anymore.

Wade dribbled past Wagner on the left side, changed direction, and slammed home a two-handed dunk! 12-0.

The Heat started strong with an offensive surge, forcing Cavaliers coach Stephen Silas to call a timeout.

Silas realized they had to limit Xiao Tu's performance; his ability was beyond expectations, and he was clearly the core of the team. Everyone on the Cavaliers thought Xiao Tu was more like a number one draft pick than James—he was too strong.

After the timeout, James began to primarily guard Xiao Tu, while Wagner began to primarily guard Wade.

This is a reasonable arrangement; if Xiao Tu consistently plays one-on-one against Kapono, he will score a lot of points. Wagner was a high draft pick last year, and his size is not much different from Wade's. The reason he can't defend is because he's too weak, not because the coach is incompetent.

On offense, Xiao Tu was at a disadvantage in terms of physical attributes compared to James. This doesn't mean he couldn't use his skills to overpower opponents, it just means he didn't need to.

Xiao Tu now has one ability that he is better at than in the 80s: passing.

He moved to the three-point line to receive the ball and initiate the offense, drawing James out of position. He protected the ball, observed his teammates' movements, and primarily passed the ball to Wade, who was cutting to the basket.

Wade is one of the fastest players in NBA history, with excellent immediate impact. He has a significant advantage against Wagner, and with center Lauren Woods setting screens, his mismatch drives are even easier.

Wade didn't need to fake anything to get past Diop; a simple change of direction and acceleration was all it took. Diop was standing still, and by the time he turned around, Wade had already jumped for a layup.

If Diop stays under the basket and doesn't come out, Wade will have an easy opportunity for a mid-range shot, but unfortunately, he doesn't make it.

"The Flash" lives up to his name; his driving ability was top-notch even in his rookie season. Two of the top ten most dominant drivers in NBA history were on the court today, while the other hasn't even had a chance to shine yet.

Xiao Tu focused most of his energy on the defensive end, constantly engaging in close combat.

Unable to break free in half-court offense, James used his physical advantage on a fast break, attempting his signature one-handed dunk. However, he was immediately pulled down by Xiao Tu with both hands, sending him to the free-throw line.

Xiao Tu didn't intend to stop James; he only wanted to foul him. Simply preventing a dunk wasn't difficult.

James' performance failed, and he walked angrily to the free-throw line, finally scoring his first goal with one of two free throws.

James and Xiao Tu went head-to-head, giving it their all on defense. But Xiao Tu didn't try to one-on-one against him; instead, he repeatedly passed the ball to his teammates, leaving James completely frustrated.

The awkward thing is that when the two "trade hands," it's equivalent to James losing, because Xiao Tu is only a second-round draft pick. Therefore, Xiao Tu played with ease, while James became anxious and frustrated.

Before the game, no fans had any expectations for Xiao Tu; they didn't even know him. Fans, on the other hand, had extremely high expectations for James, who had only scored 14 points against a rookie and desperately needed to prove himself.

Xiao Tu still managed to score before the end of the first quarter. On the Heat's final possession, he gestured for his teammates to spread out, then ran down the clock to isolate and isolate James in the middle.

He first dribbled between his legs to change direction, then dribbled behind his back twice in a row, and then stepped back with his right foot to shake off James, before hitting a mid-range jumper from the high post.

The Heat led 30-11 in the first quarter, while the Cavaliers almost failed to score in double digits in the quarter, which was quite surprising.

Wade's shooting was poor, and the other three players' individual abilities were average; otherwise, the Heat could have scored more points in this quarter.

Xiao Tu never intended to go all out on scoring. His main goal was to manipulate Wade during the Summer League, making Wade willingly become his underling and the Heat's second-in-command.

He advocates "brotherhood basketball," meaning he needs to share the ball with Wade and can't just enjoy himself alone.

Xiao Tu performed like an all-around core player, and getting triple-doubles shouldn't be a problem.

(End of this chapter)