Basketball miracles

Chapter 235 [This is true strength!]

The Pistons have a lot of rotation players. Campbell and Okur form a twin-tower lineup in the paint, Collice Williams continues to play, and the guards are Chucky Atkins and Bob Sura.

On the bench sits Serbian center Zelk Rebraka, who stands at 213cm and weighs 120kg. Like other teams, the Pistons have amassed a number of big men.

The second overall pick, Milicic, is also 213cm tall, but he can only sit on the sidelines as a fringe player.

The home fans realized that the Heat really couldn't function without Xiao Tu; their offense was ineffective at every position. As soon as Xiao Tu returned, the team transformed, creating numerous easy scoring opportunities.

With the opponent double-teaming Xiao Tu, the defense in other positions will inevitably become weak, and they will be unable to defend him without double-teaming him.

Of the Heat's starters, only Wade's performance was disappointing, and he struggled against Billups. Billups has solid fundamentals and a steady defense, focusing on defending drives but not shots.

Rookie Wade needs to step up his game. In this parallel universe game, he only scored 4 points on 1-of-9 shooting, including free throws, and was completely outplayed by Billups. Now he has 4 points in the first half, which is a bit better.

At halftime, the Heat led 59-44.

Xiao Tu became increasingly relaxed, realizing that the Heat's lineup wasn't afraid of the Pistons at all; it was all about outside shooting. While the Pistons had many big men, they weren't good at strong drives and couldn't exploit the Heat's weak rim protection.

He doesn't know what will happen after Rasheed Wallace joins, but right now the Heat are a sure win.

In the second half, the Heat continued to dominate, leading by as much as 24 points. Billups and Prince hit three-pointers, narrowing the gap somewhat.

At the end of the third quarter, the Heat led by 18 points, with victory seemingly assured.

The Pistons' offense was hampered, with only Billups and Hamilton being active.

The Pistons win through defense; all teams coached by Larry Brown follow this style. They don't score many points, rarely exceeding 100 in a game, but they effectively shut down their opponents, turning them into bricklayers, and then narrowly win.

Xiao Tu was uncomfortable being double-teamed, but even with his reduced scoring efficiency, he was still significantly better than the Pistons' bricklayers. The Pistons' two main scorers were both shooting below 5%, and their interior "team leader," Ben Wallace, only had a 4% field goal percentage.

Ben Wallace's shooting percentage wasn't just a regular 4%; his free throw percentage and true shooting percentage were also 4%. Ben Wallace was truly fortunate to have met his mentor, Brown. Only Brown in the world would encourage him to attack; with any other coach, he'd be embarrassed to even mention offense.

The fans in the arena cheered continuously, and in this environment, the Heat's morale completely overwhelmed the Pistons. In the perimeter battle, Xiao Tu easily controlled Prince, and the Pistons couldn't limit his performance with one-on-one defense.

Prince, with his 218cm wingspan, speed, and jumping ability, became a top perimeter defender. He was indeed very strong one-on-one, especially in disrupting shots. However, he was not without weaknesses, and his lack of physical strength was quite obvious.

Xiao Tu doesn't necessarily have to dribble the ball and go one-on-one against Prince. Having his teammates in the paint set a screen would create space. Prince is slender and tall, and he's not that quick to get around screens.

The Pistons' defensive tactic of switching on everything was ineffective against Xiao Tu. He could drive to the basket against big men, shoot jumpers against smaller men, and always had the ball beyond the three-point line.

Switching on every screen means that when facing a ball handler and a teammate's pick-and-roll, the player originally guarding the ball handler doesn't need to chase after the ball handler excessively; instead, the player guarding the pick-and-roll player takes over guarding the ball handler. Simply put, there's always a defensive player in front of the ball handler.

This places very high demands on the team's chemistry and tactical awareness. Xiao Tu likes to exploit mismatches by playing smaller players against bigger ones, forcing the Pistons' big men to sit on the sidelines and watch, forcing Brown to field the 201cm tall Collis at power forward.

In the final quarter, Brown abandoned the practice of having his players double-team Xiao Tu on the perimeter. If the Pistons wanted to turn the game around and win, they could only defend him one-on-one; leaving only Ben Wallace to protect the rim wouldn't be enough.

Ben Wallace is actually better at help defense and shot blocking; he's just too short. If he could consistently anchor the paint, the Pistons' 6-year, $3390 million contract with him would be the ultimate exploitation.

If it weren't for Wade's monstrous performance today, the score would have been much wider by now. Billups's defense on Wade was extremely successful; Wade lacked the confidence to shoot except on fast breaks.

Brown could only gamble on Xiao Tu's shooting touch turning sour, but that didn't happen. Xiao Tu's stamina was exceptionally high; he could not only run pick-and-rolls in half-court sets, but also dribble up the court quickly to launch fast breaks.

Haslem became the Heat's surprise weapon today. After Xiao Tu drove to the basket, he drew double teams and was repeatedly passed the ball to him. He made mid-range shots from the left baseline and the high post, and also had a two-handed dunk on a cut.

Riley heavily relied on Haslem, giving him ample playing time, while Malik Allen and Samaki Walker's draft positions were delayed. Haslem's strengths lay in his mobility and fighting spirit; he could even play center and was highly efficient at rebounding.

With four minutes remaining in the game, the Heat led by 23 points, effectively ending the game in garbage time.

活塞球员防守比较粗野，莱利提前换下了全部主力，主场球迷热烈的鼓掌。    肖途出战39分钟，19投13中，三分球9中6，罚球6中6，砍下38分11篮板14助攻1抢断2盖帽。

Xiao Tu's scoring stats dropped today, but he still managed a triple-double, which is a super stat that can earn him a silver treasure chest.

The Heat won 114-90 at home, a 24-point victory that handed the Pistons their second consecutive loss to start the season.

Five Heat players scored in double figures, with Eddie Jones contributing 16 points, Haslem adding 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Grant and Odom each scoring 12 points, all with high shooting percentages.

韦德9投3中，罚球2中2，得到8分3篮板3助攻，连续两场比赛表现糟糕。

In the last game, Wade managed to make 1 of 2 three-point attempts, but today he lacked confidence to shoot from beyond the arc and opted to pass when open.

Wade is a true rookie, lacking confidence. Riley won't give him many touches to boost his confidence; he'll just play normally. If Wade has an advantage, Xiao Tu will pass him the ball more often without Riley needing to direct him.

The Heat players first shook hands with their opponents, then waved to the fans around them before leaving the court.

The Pistons players left the court early, looking somewhat dejected.

比卢普斯是表现最好的，砍下27分4篮板4助攻。汉密尔顿24分1篮板3助攻表现也还不错。

此外，活塞只有替补的科利斯-威廉姆斯得了12分。他们的内线是一群蓝领，大本表现最好砍下8分15篮板2抢断3盖帽。

普林斯12投3中，三分球5中1，得到7分5篮板5助攻。他没罚球没突破，进攻端是战犯级别的表现。

Xiao Tu always gave Prince two steps, providing him with ample space to shoot. When contesting a shot, he would only step forward and extend his hand, rarely jumping. But Prince just couldn't shoot accurately, missing three open three-point attempts.

It's worth mentioning that Milicic played for 3 minutes during garbage time, scoring 2 points and grabbing 1 rebound.

Riley was envious watching from the sidelines; Milicic has great athleticism and shooting range. If he played for the Heat, Riley would definitely focus on developing him.

Brown, however, insisted on making the second overall pick a fringe player, not even a rotation player, and only playing in garbage time.

The Heat held a post-game press conference, and the venue was packed with reporters who had traveled from out of town. All the major media outlets believed there was something to uncover about Xiao Tu, and sure enough, he put up another stellar performance.

Xiao Tu, reflecting on the victory, said, "Many people think I'm bragging and overestimating myself when I say I want to contend for the championship. Now we have a three-game winning streak, defeating last season's Eastern Conference regular season champions, the Pistons. I don't think anyone should question my goals anymore, right?"

However, some people immediately questioned this. A reporter from out of town asked, "Don't you think the Heat's roster is much worse than other teams? The current league structure is that the West is strong and the East is weak, and it is very difficult for Eastern teams to win the championship."

"Difficult doesn't mean impossible. Let's wait and see."

The reporter asked, "You've recorded three consecutive triple-doubles. What are your thoughts on that?"

"That's real skill! My individual abilities are just too strong," Xiao Tu said with a smile.

He may seem carefree, but he's actually laying the groundwork for more triple-doubles. His arrogant pronouncements will intensify the opponent's double-teaming of him, making it easier for him to draw the double team and deliver assists, ultimately leading his team to victory.

He first racked up enough assists and rebounds, so he could take more shots in the second half without the pressure of not getting a triple-double.

In short, Xiao Tu's playing style is groundbreaking, and no one can attract more attention than him.

A reporter asked, "Coach Larry Brown said there's something wrong with your playing style, that you're taking too many three-pointers, and that it won't work in the playoffs. What's your opinion?"

Xiao Tu smiled and said, "I think he's right, and I humbly accept his advice. But this is the regular season, so I can still shoot more three-pointers. The Pistons players should shoot fewer; their mid-range shooting ability is very strong, which is enviable."

Everyone, don't shoot three-pointers! Don't follow my example!
Keep shooting long two-pointers! Mid-range shots are king!
However, in the final quarter, the Pistons players took a lot of shots from the outside, and Brown knew that when they were down by a lot, they had to shoot three-pointers.

(End of this chapter)