Basketball miracles

Chapter 32 [A Hero Forced to Grow]

Lakers fast break, Magic Johnson dribbles in the frontcourt and drives to the basket for a layup. 11-2.

In an upscale home in Brooklyn, New York, a family of three is watching the national live stream of the Lakers vs. Bulls game.

Jennifer Connelly shouted excitedly when she saw Xiao Tu block her opponent's shot.

Mother Erin laughed and said, "You went to Los Angeles to shoot a commercial and became an NBA fan?"

“Mom, don’t you think Shaw is amazing? He’s completely different from everyone else,” Jennifer said with a smile.

"Indeed, he's even more handsome than Alain Delon, and it's unbelievable that he's a basketball player." Eileen also has a favorite male celebrity born in the 30s, who is a Zorro.

"Yeah, if he weren't so tall, he would have become an actor..."

Listening to his daughter chatter on, Gerald Connery sighed softly. It was a family trait; all three of them were attracted to good looks, and the two women especially liked Sebastian Shaw.

It seems they really are moving to Los Angeles. That's good, maybe his career will take off.

Gerald also has ambitions; he's not content with just manufacturing clothes, he wants to create his own clothing brand. If his daughter becomes famous, his clothes could appear in Hollywood movies, potentially making him a household name.

The game continued, and Bulls small forward Ulrich made a jump shot. 11-4.

In the Lakers' half-court offense, Xiao Tu struggled to score.

Steve Johnson dared not let Xiao Tu drive any further and stayed close behind. This was the defensive style Xiao Tu hated most; he lacked the ability to dribble and score one-on-one, and had to pass the ball out as quickly as possible after receiving it.

Xiao Tu does know a couple of low-post back-to-the-basket moves, but he doesn't practice them regularly. He's been practicing the Euro step but isn't quite proficient yet, and he hasn't had many good opportunities to showcase it.

With 8 minutes and 22 seconds remaining, the Lakers scored again, with Magic Johnson making a layup. 13-4.

Xiao Tu pulled out to the perimeter to draw Steve's defense, leaving the Bulls' interior defense reliant on center Kelsen to protect the rim. How could an ordinary role player like him possibly stop the powerful attacks of two of the league's biggest stars?

Jordan wanted to help on defense, but was powerless to do so. Michael Cooper also positioned himself further out, primarily scoring with long two-pointers, occasionally taking three-pointers as well.

Xiao Tu may not score, but he plays a tactical role that other power forwards cannot match.

The Bulls lack a stretch big man; they only pose a threat when they receive the ball close to the basket. After being blocked by Xiao Tu, both players stopped asking for the ball and forcing shots.

As soon as Jordan received the ball, he saw that all his teammates were in their positions.

I could only watch helplessly as you walked away...

I'm going to disappear to the ends of the earth!

Players are more likely to become leaders on weaker teams, but their playing style must be individualistic. Jordan, a graduate of the prestigious NCAA school North Carolina, was used to playing with his teammates, but he couldn't find that rhythm with the Bulls.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it himself, this time preparing to drive to the basket. If he relied solely on mid-range shots for points, the Bulls had no chance of winning; if he missed, his teammates wouldn't be able to grab the rebounds either.

Jordan backed down Cooper on his left, feinted with his left shoulder, and then dribbled sharply to his right, breaking through to the baseline. He completely beat Cooper in three steps, and Xiao Tu released Steve, retreating into the penalty area to cover.

23 vs 24!

The two jumped almost simultaneously. With similar jumping abilities, Xiao Tu had a height advantage. Jordan knew he might be blocked, so he pulled back his right hand holding the ball and executed a dramatic mid-air layup with his left hand.

Jordan's move was so graceful that he dodged the block, and his shot will be frequently seen in future highlight reels. However, such incredible shots are very difficult to execute, and most of the time they don't go in; the ball bounces off the rim under heavy interference.

Steve grabbed the offensive rebound and scored with a two-handed putback. 13-6.

After scoring, Steve clenched his fist and roared in celebration, even glaring at Xiao Tu as if he were very tough and unafraid of tight defense.

Xiao Tu rolled his eyes. What kind of trash is this? Is it a joke?

If the Bulls want to achieve anything, they definitely won't keep Steve next season; his senior status is a liability in the locker room. Xiao Tu didn't care when his opponent scored.

No one would compare Steve to him unless Steve is good at mining and has a head bigger than Lei Jiayin's.

If it weren't for the defensive violation rules, Xiao Tu would have left him two meters away every time and wouldn't have bothered with him at all.

His focus was entirely on Jordan, and his goal for the game was to prevent Jordan from scoring more than 20 points.

The Lakers were on offense, and Xiao Tu once again set a screen for Magic Johnson beyond the three-point line. This tactic always works, and Waitley was too slow to get around the screen.

Johnson's shooting has been off lately, but his driving ability remains unaffected. He drove to the basket, drawing help from Kelsen, and then deftly passed the ball to the right wing. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took a step and dunked with one hand. 15-6.

Heinson said, "Magic delivered his fourth assist. He and Shaw can always easily assist their teammates after a pick-and-roll. The Bulls' interior players don't know who to guard."

Stockton said, "Shaw played very smartly, able to create space and cut inside at any time. He played better than Jordan today, and his teamwork with his teammates was better. Jordan's style of play was individualistic, and he took too many shots."

Jordan wouldn't listen to the explanation, otherwise he would be very angry. He also wanted to score easy shots, but the opponents were all targeting him!
Jordan and Kelsen executed a pick-and-roll, but Kelsen lacked both shooting range and the ability to quickly cut inside. Jordan dribbled past Cooper and then Jabbar, attempting a dunk on the right to boost morale, only to be pulled down mid-air by Xiao Tu with one hand.

The referee blew the whistle, awarding two free throws.

Xiao Tu retreated to the basket from the left low post, and blocking a dunk from the side was almost impossible, so he went straight for the foul. He was sensible and not trying to injure anyone; Jordan didn't have enough strength to push past him and score a 2+1.

Jordan made both free throws and then retreated on defense in frustration. 15-8.

While both are worth two points, free throws don't boost team morale.

The Lakers were on offense, and Xiao Tu made a particularly quick cut after setting a screen. Johnson's pull-up jumper missed, and Xiao Tu squeezed past Steve to grab the offensive rebound.

He landed and faked a shot with both hands, sending Steve flying. He faked again, drawing Jordan's retreat to block the shot, and then passed the ball out. Cooper took an open mid-range jumper from the left baseline, and the ball swished through the net. 17-8.

With Magic Johnson, currently the best passer in the league, imparting his experience, Xiao Tu's passing ability has improved significantly.

Witley nearly committed a turnover just past half-court when Johnson poked the ball out of bounds. Bulls coach Lengley called a timeout to make adjustments.

After the players left the field, Riley first praised the starting five, and then talked about the tactics.

"Irwin, the Bulls will probably put Daly in next. If Jordan is guarding you, don't force it, focus on passing. Michael (Cooper) will continue to guard Jordan in half-court sets, don't let him get away. After Seb sets a screen, if the opponent doesn't stick close, receive the ball at the high post and shoot boldly..."

Riley is now willing to let Xiao Tu take more shots, knowing that Xiao Tu's pull-up jumper is generally unblockable. His ability to withstand interference is the strongest on the Lakers; whether it goes in or not depends on his touch.

The Bulls' coach is incompetent; his substitutions in every game are predictable, and Riley has already guessed how he will adjust.

Sure enough, Lengley brought on guard Quintin Daly, who is 191cm tall and weighs 82kg, to replace the ineffective point guard Witley.

Daly is a slender Black guard who lacks playmaking ability as a point guard and is at a disadvantage in terms of height and physical strength as a shooting guard. However, he is a guard who excels at ball-handling and scoring, averaging 18.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game last season with a 47.4% field goal percentage.

This season, he became the Bulls' sixth man, averaging 16 points per game with a 47.3% field goal percentage. When the Bulls' offense falter, the coach would bring him in.

At this point, Jordan was in charge of organizing the Bulls' offense, a job he was well-suited for. The coach also assigned him to guard Magic Johnson, because he could quickly get around screens and wouldn't be overwhelmed by Johnson's height.

Jordan was that versatile; in his rookie season, he was the core of his team on both ends of the court. In college, he didn't need to do so much; entering the NBA was a forced process of growth.

With Jordan, the Bulls could contend for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. If they had drafted a bust like Sam Bowie, they would have been aiming for the number one pick this season.

Steve Johnson was also substituted for a rest, and Dave Greenwood, who is 206cm tall and weighs 101kg, came on. Greenwood's performance has declined significantly compared to last season, but he is still the Bulls' most efficient rebounder.

Xiao Tu grabbed two offensive rebounds and converted them into points, so the Bulls had to send someone to guard him.

Lengley frowned on the sidelines, not believing that Greenwood, whose physical attributes were inferior across the board, could stop Xiao Tu. He had no other choice but to make this substitution.

(End of this chapter)