Basketball miracles

Chapter 97 [Performance! Torture!]

The Eastern All-Stars' offense lacked any real tactics; it was still about players spreading out and one-on-one plays.

Coach KC Jones wasn't being lazy or unwilling to devise tactics; he simply couldn't. Of the Eastern Conference starters, only the 76ers had two players selected, and the chemistry between Dr. J (Irving) and Moses Malone wasn't particularly strong.

Kyrie Irving's explosiveness has declined significantly compared to his peak, which was evident in yesterday's dunk contest; he can no longer execute high-difficulty dunks. Even when running pick-and-rolls, he struggles to penetrate and primarily relies on jump shots for scoring.

The other four players are also good at one-on-one play and are the core ball handlers of their respective teams. It is not appropriate for the coach to give veteran Irving a lot of ball possession.

Thomas was in charge of ball handling and playmaking, which made Bird uncomfortable; he was the one responsible for organizing the offense for the Celtics.

To put it bluntly, the starting lineup in the East is poorly configured; fielding two substitutes might be better. But the coach can't decide who starts; these five players were chosen by the fans—the most popular stars in the East.

So, one basketball wasn't enough to go around.

Irving dribbled the ball and attempted a turnaround jump shot against Gervin, but it missed, and Xiao Tu easily grabbed the rebound.

He retreated very far back, ready to grab rebounds under the basket at any moment, completely ignoring Jordan.

Xiao Tu was particularly relaxed on defense, knowing that the Eastern Conference superstars would never pass the ball to a rookie like Jordan, so leaving him two meters away was no problem. The referee couldn't possibly call a defensive violation in an All-Star game because Xiao Tu was backing up too far, unless that guy was insane.

In 2003, Xiao Tu searched for information online and learned about a very famous incident—Michael Jordan was isolated during the 85 All-Star Game!
A group of veteran players "frozen" Jordan at the All-Star Game, which caused him great distress.

After the game, West starting shooting guard Gervin asked Thomas, "Do you think we taught him (Jordan) enough of a lesson today?"

The feud between Jordan and Isaiah Thomas spanned decades and caused numerous unpleasant incidents. Thomas was even excluded from the Dream Team due to Jordan's exclusion.

In the documentary "The Last Dance," Jordan called Thomas a "bad guy," while Thomas once said that he was more dominant than Jordan in head-to-head matchups.

The initial reason the two disliked each other was simply that during All-Star Weekend, Thomas was unhappy that Jordan bumped into him in the elevator without saying hello.

Then Thomas decided to teach this rookie a lesson, teaming up with other All-Star players he knew to stop passing the ball to Jordan, and even suggesting that the Western Conference All-Stars target Jordan on the court.

This guy is a two-faced scoundrel. That was Xiao Tu's conclusion.

When Xiao Tu met Thomas, he greeted him, and the magician introduced the two of them. He could still vaguely sense Thomas's hostility.

In any case, Thomas achieved his goal today, and Xiao Tu is willing to actively cooperate with the freezing plan.

Being left wide open in the All-Star Game was incredibly embarrassing for Jordan; he was both ashamed and furious, but there was nothing he could do.

Jordan is isolated and helpless today, and the coach won't side with him or give him the ball. He can only silently endure it and wait to return to the Bulls to redeem himself.

Actually, the veterans most wanted to teach Xiao Tu a lesson this year, but they just couldn't.

Magic Johnson is in charge of orchestrating the offense in the West, and Pat Riley is the coach. If anyone in the West were to target Xiao Tu, the outcome would be hilarious.

So you want to teach Xiao a lesson? Get lost and sit down somewhere else.

On the Western Conference offensive end, Johnson continued to run pick-and-rolls with Xiao Tu. They used to play this way with the Lakers; if the opponent couldn't stop them, they'd keep running it. "I can do this all day."

Just as Jordan took a step to the side to block Johnson's drive, Xiao Tu cut through the middle. Johnson, about to collide with Jordan on the left, passed the ball close to Jordan's side to Xiao Tu in the middle. Thomas couldn't even block Xiao Tu for half a second, not daring to engage in physical contact.

Xiao Tu took the ball with both hands and took three steps to drive to the basket, but Moses Malone was a step too late to help defend.

This is an All-Star game. Will Ma Long foul Xiao Tu hard just to prevent him from dunking?
Of course not! If Ma Long did that, no one would praise him for his bravery; they'd just think he's crazy. Without fouling, Ma Long lacks confidence in defending against Xiao Tu and might end up as a mere background character.

Malone hesitated for a moment and missed the opportunity to block the shot, and didn't even jump.

Xiao Tu swung his arm in a wide arc, delivering a powerful windmill slam, and slammed the ball into the basket with his right hand! 6-2.

Xiao Tu's dunk was head-first, perfectly executed. Many fans in the arena rose to their feet, cheering and waving their dunk contest scorecards, all showing 10 points.

Xiao Tu's emergence turned the All-Star Game into an exhibition game for the first time in history—this is what fans really want to see! Previously, both sides would camp around the paint, players unable to penetrate and relying mainly on jump shots for points, which was incredibly boring. Bird's mid-range jumper, Thomas's fingertip dribbling, Malone's missed shots followed by offensive rebounds and more shots—that's what an exhibition game is all about.

Xiao Tu's two powerful dunks further fueled his momentum, and none of the Eastern Conference starters wanted to challenge him physically; they were trying to avoid him. Jordan was completely overwhelmed, unable to rely on his teammates for help defense.

Stockton exclaimed, "Shaw takes off again, unleashing a spectacular windmill dunk!"

Barry sighed, "The game has only just begun, and he's already had two dunk contest-level dunks. Is today going to be another one of his personal exhibitions?"

Stockton laughed and said, "Fans love watching Shaw; the game is always exciting with him on. I think this All-Star Game is going to break viewership records."

Heinson said, "No Eastern Conference star has dunked yet, and someone needs to step up and respond to Shaw, otherwise morale will be severely damaged."

Russell was filled with mixed feelings and said nothing.

Russell has won 11 championship rings, but he didn't have nearly as many fans when he played. He foresaw that the NBA was about to enter a period of tremendous growth and rise to prominence because of Xiao Tu.

During the Eastern Conference offensive, Jordan was once again left more than two meters away by Xiao Tu, struggling against thin air and still unable to receive the pass from his teammate.

As an observer, Xiao Tu felt baffled and couldn't understand why Thomas hated Jordan so much.

Jordan's mid-range shot was incredibly accurate, and he was almost guaranteed an open shot. He was always getting the ball, but his teammates just wouldn't. Only when mountains crumble and the heavens and earth unite would Jordan receive the ball.

Perhaps Thomas was just a born bad guy who couldn't stand seeing others do well; he offended many people, not just Jordan.

Magic Johnson is now a good friend of Thomas's, and they always greet each other with a cheek kiss. After being diagnosed with AIDS, Johnson didn't hold a press conference but called Thomas first. Thomas then spread rumors that Johnson was gay or bisexual, including many offensive statements, which deeply hurt Johnson.

Even more outrageous was Thomas's behavior when he became the Knicks' head coach; he was practically an animal.

During a game against the Suns in December 2007, Stephon Marbury's father suffered a heart attack in the stands and was rushed to the hospital. Isiah Thomas knew this but didn't tell Marbury, allowing him to continue playing. By the time Marbury reached the hospital after the game, his father had already passed away.

After a few more rounds, the Western Conference All-Stars clearly gained the upper hand, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson starting to score.

While Eastern Conference stars can score in isolation plays, their shooting percentage is low, and they lack dunks, making their offense less entertaining.

The Western Conference starting lineup featured four big men over 205cm tall, completely shutting down the paint on defense. Eastern Conference stars couldn't penetrate and were forced to attempt jump shots from outside the box.

At 9 minutes and 20 seconds, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar missed a hook shot against Karl Malone, and Xiao Tu grabbed the offensive rebound. After landing, he immediately jumped up again, attempting a two-handed dunk.

Larry Bird jumped too low to get the rebound, and his second jump after landing wasn't fast enough. Jordan then jumped from behind, committing a foul and preventing Xiao Tu from dunking.

Speed ​​is a crucial attribute, and Xiao Tu focuses on improving his explosiveness when practicing dunks, making him unmatched by most players. His signature move is now on par with Moses Malone's, but even more impressive.

Even without making a shot, Xiao Tu drew a foul and calmly made both free throws, scoring his 6th point.

As Xiao Tu returned to defense, he saw Jordan shaking his head helplessly. Jordan was booed by fans after committing the foul, with many feeling he ruined Xiao Tu's performance.

At 8 minutes and 16 seconds, Thomas dribbled past Johnson one-on-one and sank a three-pointer from the right side at a 60-degree angle, earning applause from the fans.

After setting a screen for Johnson, Xiao Tu made an off-ball run to the right baseline corner. Johnson passed the ball to Xiao Tu, who received it and launched a three-pointer that swished through the net, bringing his 9th point to the game.

Jordan's strategy of defending drives but not shots from two steps away is a common practice for teams in this era when dealing with corner three-pointers.

Xiao Tu immediately responded with a three-pointer, earning even more enthusiastic applause. As long as he coordinates well with his teammates, he can perform well even without the ball.

Jordan started to get anxious; the players he was guarding were scoring one after another, while he himself couldn't score a single point.

He wanted to retaliate, but he couldn't even touch the ball.

(End of this chapter)