Basketball miracles

Chapter 35 [I'm Starting to Like the 80s]

When Xiao Tu entered the game in the final quarter, everyone on the Bulls thought things were going to go wrong.

It can’t be defended, it can’t be defended at all!
Lengley has already used every one of the team's interior players, but none of them can contain Xiao Tu one-on-one. Xiao Tu is more troublesome than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because he only relies on his physicality, not his skills; his physique surpasses everyone else's.

In this era of the NBA, double-teaming off the ball was not allowed. This meant that defensive players couldn't use double-teaming to prevent Xiao Tu from getting the ball; they would be called for illegal defense. And since he shot as soon as he received the ball, jumping three feet high, a double-team that was too slow to arrive was largely ineffective.

Pat Riley devised a small-ball strategy, having Xiao Tu and Kurt Rambis on the court together.

At this time, Xiao Tu was playing center, and on the defensive end, he could hold his own against the Bulls' 211cm backup center, Caldeville Jones. On the offensive end, he could easily outpace his opponents with his speed and launch fast breaks.

Jones, a 34-year-old veteran who entered the ABA in 1973, is past his prime and relies on his height and experience. When faced with pick-and-roll plays, he can neither switch onto guards nor effectively defend against Xiao Tu's cuts.

Jones' performance was even worse on offense; no one passed him the ball, whether he was in the low post or the high post. His teammates knew his scoring ability: he couldn't score with strong drives, and his jump shot was inaccurate.

If a Bulls player misses a shot, Jones won't be able to grab the offensive rebound and will have to race against Xiao Tu on the defensive end.

Xiao Tu quickly scored, making two consecutive pull-up jump shots from beyond the three-point line in the middle. He missed the first shot but made the second.

Heinson exclaimed, "Shaw is insane! He's the Lakers' center now, but he keeps hitting jump shots from the perimeter. Riley was stunned on the sidelines. Shaw has already made three three-pointers this game."

Stockton laughed, "This shouldn't be a tactic arranged by Riley, but Shaw dared to shoot, and he made it."

Heinsson said, "He plays too casually, which is not a good habit. He can't have a good shooting touch every game. Inside players should still attack the paint."

Players taking turns attacking the paint instead of shooting when they have open looks on the perimeter is a characteristic of that era.

Xiao Tu was on fire today; he felt uncomfortable if he didn't take more three-pointers. His four three-point attempts in a single game were a new career high. As long as his shooting percentage remains high, Riley might allow him to take more in the future.

Jordan was stunned; he had never seen an inside player play like that before.

He wanted to retaliate but couldn't, because his three-point shooting percentage was pitifully low; he almost never took shots from beyond the arc.

The Bulls' offense remained stagnant, but Rambis played tirelessly from the moment he entered the game, giving his all in his limited playing time. He also managed to grab rebounds, displaying decent efficiency.

At 10:13, Rambis grabbed a defensive rebound and passed it to Johnson to initiate a fast break. Johnson passed to Worthy, whose layup missed under pressure from Ulrich. Xiao Tu grabbed the offensive rebound and finished with a two-handed putback dunk!

Jordan retreated quite far back, and as soon as he saw Xiao Tu take off, he hesitated and didn't jump to grab the rebound. He knew the weight difference was too great, and he would likely be knocked away by Xiao Tu.

His teammates in the paint are no good, how can a shooting guard like him hold on?
Destroy it, I'm tired.

Jordan wasn't dunked on, but he still became a backdrop, hearing the deafening cheers from the Lakers fans.

Stockton exclaimed, "Shaw slammed it on again! He can get on the fast break every time the Lakers go on a fast break. The Bulls' interior players are nowhere near as fast as him."

Heinson said, "His sprint speed looks faster than 90% of the guards in the league, it's too fast. I can't think of any big man who is as fast as him, not even Moses Malone."

Heinsson was thankful that there wasn't a monster like him in the league when he played; at 201cm, he would definitely have been dominated. He also felt sorry for the Celtics' current interior players, saying that anyone matched up against Xiao Tu would be in big trouble.

He had been following the Celtics' games closely and didn't believe that last season's two-time MVP, Larry Bird, could contain Xiao Tu. Bird was a skill-based power forward, and physical strength was his weakness.

Basketball games aren't about who has the biggest name; Xiao Tu's playing style is unreasonable. If you're physically weaker than him, you can only watch him perform in a one-on-one situation.

At 7 minutes and 42 seconds, Xiao Tu stole the ball from center Jones on defense and passed it to Cooper. Cooper dribbled across half-court and passed it to Worthy, who forced his way to the basket for a layup and drew a foul from Ulrich.

When the ball was dead, Riley substituted Xiao Tu, Johnson, and Cooper, and the three received enthusiastic applause.

肖途出战35分钟，16投11中，三分4中3，罚球6中6，最终数据定格在31分22篮板2助攻1抢断4盖帽。

In the 60s, it was common for NBA stars to put up these numbers; in the 80s, they were superstar numbers. Among active players, only Moses Malone has repeatedly achieved these stats; even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hasn't. The Lakers have such a large lead that there's no need to keep their starters playing; an injury would be a huge loss. Kupchak and other bench players also need opportunities to shine; they can't stay on the bench indefinitely.

The Bulls players got impatient and their defensive actions became too aggressive. If Xiao Tu continues to play, it will only irritate them.

乔丹被换下时，总共出战了37分钟。他25投9中，罚球10中9，得到27分6篮板6助攻1抢断。

It's impossible for Xiao Tu to keep Jordan's score below 20 points, because Jordan will take more than 20 shots. Low shooting percentage doesn't matter; he'll always dare to keep shooting.

His guiding principle is that you should keep shooting even when you're about to miss, and don't be afraid of missing. If a player is afraid of missing and doesn't dare to shoot, he can't beat his opponent.

Jordan still has confidence, but his scoring efficiency is a bit low.

Jordan scored 4 fewer points than Xiao Tu, had 9 more free throw attempts (excluding free throws), and committed 4 turnovers.

The Lakers maintained their lead in the latter part of the fourth quarter, as the Bulls' bench was terrible, looking rather amateurish. This is typical of a team that has finished last for three consecutive years; they have absolutely no roster depth.

The Lakers crushed the Bulls 126-83 at home, with six players scoring in double figures.

The 43-point margin of victory was the largest single-game deficit so far this season, and the Lakers even held back a bit. This was because Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn't get much playing time, and Magic Johnson's performance was also subpar.

贾巴尔砍下球队第二高的26分5篮板3助攻，魔术师约翰逊16分4篮板19助攻。

Johnson ultimately failed to reach 20 assists, and with the opponents already eager for a real match, Riley had no choice but to substitute him. Johnson's scoring desire wasn't strong, and his shooting percentage wasn't high either; Riley actually wanted him to rack up a double-double.

After shaking hands with Magic Johnson, Jordan hurriedly returned to the locker room. He glanced at Xiao Tu, his eyes filled with unspoken emotions, but he didn't approach him to speak.

Xiao Tu was too excited to talk to Jordan.

With two consecutive 30+20 games, Xiao Tu has earned the ability to compete with legendary stars. He would never fawn over anyone; that would be utterly despicable.

He only needs to maintain good relationships with his Lakers teammates. Someone like Jordan, with all his vices, is someone he only wants to be his rival. What good could come of befriending Jordan? At most, Jordan would drag him into gambling and prostitution.

Losing money gambling is a minor issue; Jordan gambled with all sorts of people, and his network of relationships was complex. He was even targeted by the FBI because of it, and his first retirement was actually directly related to gambling.

Xiao Tu would never solicit prostitutes. Unlike those STD-positive players in the NBA, he's afraid of getting diseases.

Xiao Tu only wanted to defeat Jordan; winning against the final boss would give him a great sense of accomplishment. Jordan, without good teammates, would find it difficult to get revenge, so he could only suppress his anger.

Ah, I'm starting to like the 80s.

At the post-game press conference, a large number of reporters asked Xiao Tu for his thoughts and inquired about the Rookie of the Year race.

Xiao Tu and Jordan are rivals, which makes this match particularly intriguing; the outcome is hardly in doubt. Xiao Tu's answer was unexpected, showing a very low-key attitude.

"Why do we have to compete? Can't we both win Rookie of the Year? Of course I want to win, but I think Jordan is just as good, and his performance fully deserves the Rookie of the Year title."

The reporter asked, "The Lakers won the game easily, and you put up amazing numbers. Don't you think you were better?"

"The Lakers won easily because we are the best team. The Bulls' roster depth can't compare to ours. My excellent performance is inseparable from the cooperation of my teammates. Jordan's individual ability is very strong. He mainly plays one-on-one with the ball, which is different from my style of play."

The reporter asked, "So who do you think has a higher chance of being elected?"

"I don't know, let others judge. What I do know is that I was closer to a championship than Jordan. For me, helping the Lakers win a title is the most important thing."

(End of this chapter)