Basketball miracles

Chapter 98 [Aren't you bullying honest people?!]

At 6 minutes and 22 seconds, Dr. J Kyrie Irving made a passing error, which was intercepted by George Gervin, who then passed the ball to Magic Johnson to launch a fast break.

Seeing the opportunity, Xiao Tu immediately launched a fast break, creating a three-on-three situation in the frontcourt. His biggest physical advantage was mismatch.

Johnson seized the opportunity to pass the ball, and Xiao Tu received it in the middle, closely guarding Jordan. He then forcefully squeezed Jordan and took three steps to dunk.

Jordan already had one foul, and another would mean he'd have to sit out and rest, which would definitely shorten his playing time. He hesitated for a moment and missed his chance to foul, plus Xiao Tu pushed him off balance and he couldn't keep up.

With no one to cover him, Xiao Tu jumped with all his might, his head level with the rim, his body fully arched, and he slammed the dunk with one arm!

With a bang, Xiao Tu scored his 11th point, and after landing, he pounded his chest with his left hand and roared.

The combined power and beauty of the performance always ignites the audience, instantly transforming the venue into a boiling ocean, with cheers surging like a tsunami under the stadium dome.

Stockton shouted, "Shaw slams another dunk! His third dunk of the game! Today's All-Star Game has become his exhibition!"

Rick Barry exclaimed, "The All-Star vote leader deserves it! Shaw is very likely to win the All-Star Game MVP today."

Heinson added, "He will become the youngest All-Star MVP in history. The coach made a mistake by pairing Jordan with Shaw; it was a mismatch, and Jordan couldn't have guarded him."

In the next round, Thomas forced his way through and passed the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who touched it out of bounds. Both coaches began making substitutions during the dead ball situation.

The starters can't play indefinitely in the All-Star Game; the substitutes also need some opportunities to shine.

The first thing Xiao Tu did after leaving the court was to high-five Riley. He was the most comfortable player on both teams, and he was having a blast.

Jordan didn't attempt a shot, his stats were all zero, and he committed one foul. Among the starters, he was undoubtedly the worst performer, and he had a lot of grievances to vent to when he left the court.

Jordan's eyes reddened; he had never felt so frustrated since he learned to play basketball.

unfair! So unfair!
Aren't you bullying honest people?!
The two were a natural mismatch; Xiao Tu could attack relentlessly, while Jordan couldn't receive the ball. More than Xiao Tu, Jordan hated Thomas, the offensive organizer, for preventing him from even having a chance to trade baskets.

肖途4投4中，三分球1中1，罚球2中2，得到11分3篮板。

He sat on the sidelines, still feeling unsatisfied, and thought to himself: "If only I could have played against Jordan for the whole game, I could have scored more than 50 points."

Although rumors circulate online in China that Michael Jordan could bench press 200 kg, highlighting the gap between gods and humans, the current Jordan clearly hasn't developed superhuman arms yet; his thin arms are completely incapable of pushing anyone.

Xiao Tu weighs 108 kg, but his maximum bench press of 158 kg is genuine, and his physical strength far surpasses Jordan's. It would be a joke if Eastern Conference coaches continued to have Jordan primarily guard Xiao Tu.

The Western All-Stars led 23-13 after less than half a quarter, and everyone thought Xiao Tu was going to win the MVP.

The match continued, and the commentators were still talking about Xiao Tu, which was the most attention-grabbing topic. If they were to seriously commentate on the substitute players' performance, they would find it boring, and the audience probably wouldn't want to listen either.

Rick Barry said, "Shaw's impact is too strong; once he gets going, he's unstoppable. When he's off the court, the West's offense isn't as exciting."

Heinsson said, "I think among the big men in the East, only Malone is suitable to guard Shaw. The others are physically inferior and can't stop him from cutting to the basket."

Stockton said, "He only averaged 31 points per game in high school, which I think was probably because his teammates let him down and he couldn't perform to his full potential. No ordinary high school player could defend him; he could just receive the ball and score at will in the paint."

Russell agreed. "His physique is dominant even in the NBA, and I find it hard to imagine how high school students can compete with him. If he doesn't control his playing style, he could easily injure students."

What is the level of high school basketball in the United States? I've watched Russell's games, and it seems that Xiao Tu is only holding back by injuring a few players in each game.

D'Angelo Russell is undoubtedly one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. His defensive awareness, rebounding ability, and shot-blocking skills were unparalleled. However, he was well aware that his physical attributes were no match for Xiao Tu's; the difference was visibly obvious.

The viewers in front of the television felt even more strongly that Xiao Tu was incredibly formidable, and that his high school rivals were still honorable despite their defeat.

As Xiao Tu watched the substitutes' match from the sidelines, he mentally simulated how he would play if he were on the field. He considered how he would distribute the ball if he were organizing the attack.

His passing awareness has improved; he can clearly see open spaces on the court. The two teams' reserve star point guards aren't as good as him, often being a beat too slow in passing. He's itching to try playing point guard, but his dribbling isn't good enough yet.

The Western Conference's style of play remains explosive, and the interior duo of Hakeem Olajuwon and Larry Nance Jr. are also very athletic, capable of putting on spectacular dunks.

The Eastern Conference is led by Laimbeer and Terry Cummings. Coach KC Jones didn't play 213cm Celtics center Robert Parish, wanting him to coast through the All-Star break and then play seriously in the regular season.

The difference in popularity between the stars was obvious; when Johnson and Xiao Tu were out, the applause from the fans in the arena immediately decreased.

Nance delivered two powerful dunks, one of which was a two-handed alley-oop, earning only a few rounds of applause. His performance in yesterday's dunk contest was lackluster, and fans are no longer fond of him.

Three minutes into the second quarter, many fans couldn't wait any longer and were chanting "Shaw" and "Magic" from the sidelines. They hoped the two could get back on the court sooner and play a longer portion of the game.

Pat Riley wouldn't go against the fans, so he decisively fielded Xiao Tu, Johnson, and Sampson. Whether Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played or not didn't matter; he could rest on the bench a bit more.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar himself was too lazy to play, which shows that fans have lost interest in him. It's not just the All-Star Game; many Lakers fans hope that Shaquille O'Neal will take over and get more touches, having grown tired of Abdul-Jabbar's slow footwork and turnaround hook shots in the low post.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar can't change anything; things will only get slower in the future. Actually, he's still very strong in one-on-one situations; his shooting percentage speaks for itself, but it's just not exciting to watch.

Sampson was also more popular than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because he primarily attacked from the face and was good at dunking.

The East also fielded its starting lineup, with Jordan remaining on the bench.

The good news is that Jordan and Thomas played at different times; the bad news is that fans seem to have forgotten about Jordan, and no one is calling his name or eager to see him on the court.

At this point, Eastern Conference coach KC Jones made a highly anticipated substitution. Celtics' Larry Bird and Robert Parish entered the game together, forming a formidable frontcourt partnership.

As soon as the players entered the arena, the fans began to applaud and cheer. As early as last month, Xiao Tu publicly challenged Larry Bird, stating that his most desired matchup was against him.

The two didn't face off in the first quarter, which disappointed all the fans. Now, the long-awaited matchup is about to begin.

Jones knew Bird would struggle to defend Xiao Tu, but he had to arrange it this way. It was impossible for the two to avoid each other throughout the game, and the media wouldn't say anything good about Bird afterward; they would only think he deliberately avoided the game.

In the pre-match interview, Xiao Tu reiterated that he most wanted to face Bird, while Bird casually brushed it off, saying he didn't care about the challenge from the rookie. It was clear who had the more imposing presence.

Furthermore, the Eastern Conference All-Stars have too many perimeter players; only Bird and Cummings are suitable to play power forward. Cummings isn't very popular and won't be able to play for long periods. So why wouldn't Bird primarily guard Xiao Tu?

For the next period, all three Celtics stars were on the court, and their teamwork seemed quite good. Eastern Conference fans believed this was a good opportunity to close the gap and hoped the Eastern Conference would ultimately win.

Although the Western Conference team has a strong roster, the Celtics firmly believe that Bird, with his skills and experience, will at least not be at a disadvantage against Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu walked onto the court, stared into Bird's eyes, clenched his fists excitedly, and tensed his muscles.

Come on, let me see just how amazing you really are.

Tell me, how do you manage to get past me while you're walking and playing ball?!

The game continued, with the Eastern team attacking first. In a positional attack, Bird received the ball outside the right side of the penalty area, and Xiao Tu immediately moved in to mark him closely, exciting the fans.

Superstar Rookie vs. Best Player: Their First Clash.

Bird was determined to go one-on-one and wouldn't pass the ball anymore. Xiao Tu had challenged him several times in interviews, and Bird was also angry, wanting to teach this ungrateful rookie a lesson.

Bird faked a move at a 45-degree angle on the right side and dropped the ball. He backed down and squeezed Xiao Tu but couldn't move him. His center of gravity was slightly off. He then turned towards the baseline, stepped back, and jumped for a fadeaway shot.

Bird's movements were fluid and decisive, usually creating space for his hand. But Xiao Tu stepped forward and jumped up, much higher, his left hand swatting the ball out of bounds like a volleyball.

The entire audience was stunned...

(End of this chapter)