Basketball miracles

Chapter 239 [Complete Outburst, Unfathomable Yet Impressive]

Xiao Tu returned to the court after a five-minute rest, replacing Eddie Jones, who was in poor form.

The Mavericks have taken the lead and are now up by 3 points.

At this point, Wade and Odom were also on the court, with Haslem at power forward and Grant at center. The Heat's formation was spread out the widest, and Xiao Tu was playing shooting guard.

Pat Riley discovered that at certain times, these five players were incredibly strong together on the court, possessing speed and shooting ability, and no team could defend them.

A peculiar matchup occurred on the court: Xiao Tu was matched up against Delke, a 185cm tall, 86kg shooting guard. If Finley continued to guard Xiao Tu, Delke would have to guard Odom.

Right now, the Mavericks have an even shorter point guard on the court, Travis Best, who is 180cm tall and weighs 83kg. Their two guards are indeed a formidable offensive force; the Heat can't stop them.

Xiao Tu led his team on a quick 10-2 run, sinking two three-pointers. Wade then scored two layups against Best on the fast break.

With no other option, Don Nelson made adjustments, replacing Best and Delk with Nash and Antoine Walker.

The veteran coach has paired Finley with Xiao Tu again, otherwise Xiao Tu would score too easily.

Finley wore a look of grim determination, knowing he couldn't stop him. Xiao Tu didn't need a screen and drove straight past him, drawing help defense before passing to the baseline. Haslem hit a three-pointer from the open corner and also made a layup on a cut.

Haslem practiced all summer and was only confident in shooting three-pointers from the open left corner, which was enough. Xiao Tu confirmed one thing: Haslem could indeed develop a three-point shot; in this parallel world, for the sake of his tough-guy persona, he had to rely on a mid-range shot.

Those tough guys who take an extra step inside the three-point line and have a 4%+ shooting percentage are, in Xiao Tu's future-oriented view, just brainless.

Xiao Tu himself also scored two layups, but the Mavericks players defended very cleanly, never fouling even when they couldn't stop him.

This was the first time Xiao Tu had encountered such a situation in the NBA where "everyone on the opposing team was a nice guy." Given the Mavericks' style of play, it was perfectly normal for them to be eliminated by the Spurs in last season's Western Conference Finals, and for Nowitzki to injure his knee.

半场热火64比56领先，肖途31分4篮板10助攻1抢断，仅出战19分钟就砍下了大号两双。

Both teams achieved season-high viewership ratings, with countless fans discussing Xiao Tu's stats during halftime. The second half ratings are sure to rise further, as many are eager to know Xiao Tu's final statistics.

In the home team's locker room, Finley sat in a chair, questioning his existence, his back covered in cold sweat.

Finley was a two-time Western Conference All-Star, averaging 20+ points per game for five consecutive seasons, with a peak season averaging 22.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Before the game, he didn't think he was much worse than Xiao Tu, even though Xiao Tu's stats were outstanding.

After the match, Finley realized that his opponent was not a "stat padder" at all. Xiao Tu's individual ability was too strong, and his flexible playing style was simply impossible to defend against.

Twice, Finley thought he had caught up with the defense, but Xiao Tu backed down, shielded the ball, and passed it to Wade, who cut inside, received the pass, and went for a layup. Xiao Tu wasn't afraid of close marking; Finley couldn't steal his passes at all. Despite being the same height, Xiao Tu's arms were significantly longer.

Old Nelson realized he couldn't stop Finley and was getting a little scared. He assigned Walker to guard Xiao Tu in the second half, to which Walker gave him a look of utter confusion.

Pat Riley wouldn't let the opponent have an easy time. In the second half, he benched the out-of-form captain Jones and put Haslem at power forward. This meant that Xiao Tu was now shooting guard, and whoever guarded him would be in a mismatch.

Haslem was very accurate with his catch-and-shoot today, and his performance on the defensive end was also excellent. Riley will not use him just because he was an undrafted player in the NBA.

Riley was determined to help Xiao Tu pad his stats, getting others to pass him the ball and create opportunities for him. If Xiao Tu managed a triple-double today, it would shock the world.

Riley changed the defensive strategy to a box-1, with Wade guarding Nash on the perimeter while the others collapsed to defend the four corners of the paint, and Xiao Tu on the left baseline. This arrangement was to make it easier for Xiao Tu to grab defensive rebounds, as he had too few rebounds in the first half, two of which were offensive rebounds.

The game continued, with the Heat taking the lead.

Wade dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to Xiao Tu, who had moved to the perimeter. Xiao Tu set a screen on the left wing, and Grant came out to help. This simple play made Walker uncomfortable because he primarily plays power forward and his lateral movement isn't particularly fast.

Xiao Tu dribbled down the middle, shaking off his defender, until he reached the free-throw line, forcing Nowitzki to switch on him. Xiao Tu quickly closed in on his opponent, gathered the ball with his right hand, took a large stride, turned, and drove to the basket, finishing with a right-handed floater off the backboard. Jamison, attempting to help defend, was some distance away and only managed a slight interference when he jumped under the basket.

66 to 56, Xiao Tu's 33nd point.

The Mavericks were on offense, and Nowitzki responded with a mid-range jumper, easily taking a shot against Haslem using his height advantage. 66-58.

In a Heat half-court offense, Xiao Tu received the ball on the left side beyond the three-point line. After Grant screened him, he took a step towards the middle. This time, Nowitzki didn't switch on the pick-and-roll at all; he was standing under the corners. Xiao Tu pulled up and jumped, unguarded in the middle, and the three-pointer swished through the net!

69 to 58, my 36th point.

Old Nelson frowned, his expression grave, unable to think of a solution. Finley could guard, but Xiao Tu could still find screens. Whoever Nowitzki was guarding, that person could just step up and screen; Odom wasn't incapable of setting screens.

In a half-court offense, Walker facilitated a pass inside from the high post, and Nowitzki cut inside to receive the ball, using his height advantage to overpower Grant for a close-range shot and score. 69-60.

The fans in the stadium applauded enthusiastically, as seeing the star player score was exactly what they wanted to see.

Xiao Tu received the ball again on the left side beyond the three-point line. Walker was positioned further forward this time, fearing Xiao Tu would set a screen again. As a result, after a triple threat, Xiao Tu directly dribbled past Walker with his left hand, drove to the basket, and then made a powerful side-step, bumping into Jamison in mid-air before shooting a close-range two-handed bank shot.

Jamison was too thin and got pushed aside, allowing Xiao Tu to not only score but also receive a 2+1 penalty from the referee.

Xiao Tu also made the free throw, scoring his 39th point, making it 72-60.

Barkley exclaimed, "Shaw's scoring is definitely going to be a career high today. The third quarter has only just begun, and he's already putting up amazing numbers."

Smith said, "I can't believe such a super scorer fell to the second round and was only selected. He should have been the number one pick this year."

Barkley laughed and said, "Just looking at his face, I think he's more like the chosen one. In terms of skills, LeBron James and he are not in the same league."

Barkley wasn't intentionally criticizing James; it's just that the gap between the two is so vast that even someone who doesn't understand basketball can see it.

Xiao Tu's defense wasn't weak either. Walker once tried to post him up on the left, but his turnaround shot missed under pressure. Walker's height advantage was useless; post-up offense wasn't his strong suit.

Odom grabbed the rebound and passed it to Wade, initiating a fast break for the Heat. Wade, without waiting for his teammates, forced his way through Nash's defense and scored a layup. 74-60.

The Mavericks have more than one defensive weakness, and Wade played very easily today. Nash isn't refusing to defend, but he's too physically weak, and no amount of effort can stop him.

Nash could only contribute on offense, assisting Nowitzki to receive the ball at the right 60-degree angle and score a mid-range jumper. 74-62.

In a Heat half-court offense, Xiao Tu received the ball on the left side of the three-point line, creating a triple threat. Walker was annoyed as soon as he saw Xiao Tu get into position, unsure how to defend him or which side he would drive from.

Grant pulled out to set another screen. Xiao Tu didn't break through, but took a step towards the middle. Seeing that Nowitzki was far away, he gathered the ball, stepped back with his right foot, and jumped for a three-pointer.

He created space and added a fadeaway jumper, leaving Nowitzki no time to jump; he could only step forward and reach out to contest. Xiao Tu's extra practice on three-pointers paid off; his touch was soft, his movements fluid, and the ball swished through the net!
His backward leap, with his right leg sweeping forward and his left foot landing on one foot, was impressive, showcasing excellent balance and looking very cool.

77 to 62, Xiao Tu's 42nd point.

Barkley shouted, "Shaw hit another three-pointer! He's unstoppable today, he's completely exploded this quarter!"

Smith said, "He's been on fire all along, this is the fourth game. The Mavericks' defense is too bad, unless they can stop him, they're going to lose."

In the Mavericks' half-court offense, Nowitzki also had a hot hand in this quarter, receiving the ball at the right 60-degree angle and hitting a three-pointer. 77-65.

The Heat employed a zone defense, leaving plenty of open space on the perimeter, allowing all five Mavericks players to shoot threes. Riley knew the Mavericks players were good shooters, but still didn't plan to switch man-to-man defenses; this method made defending Xiao Tu much easier.

Xiao Tu thanked Riley, believing that star players should focus their energy on offense, while defense is the job of role players. He argued that it's unreasonable for one person to do everything while their teammates coast through the game.
During the Heat's offense, Xiao Tu waited for a screen outside the three-point line in the middle, got rid of Walker, and broke through on the right side. Facing Nowitzki who was switching on defense, he used a behind-the-back crossover step and easily scored a layup on the right side.

79 to 65, Xiao Tu's 44nd point.

Xiao Tu's move combined difficulty and aesthetics, incorporating streetball techniques into a real game. Because his entire layup trajectory was so flamboyant, Nowitzki couldn't even find the ball, thinking he'd passed it to a teammate.

Many people didn't understand what was going on, and were impressed even though they didn't know.

(End of this chapter)