Basketball miracles

Chapter 50 [The Tyrannosaurus Rex is even more frustrated]

Rockets coach Fitch's solution was to replace third-round pick power forward Peterson with Hakeem Olajuwon ahead of schedule.

It doesn't matter if Olajuwon is a little tired, but if we don't bring him on to limit Xiao Tu, the score will keep widening, and once we dig a big hole in the first half, we won't be able to catch up.

Pat Riley did not make a substitution, allowing veteran Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to get a full rest.

The Rockets' timeout and substitutions had a clear effect; Xiao Tu was matched up against Olajuwon, and neither of them felt comfortable. Veteran McAdu, standing at 206cm and weighing only 95kg, couldn't handle Sampson.

Sampson displayed the flair of a number one draft pick, scoring repeatedly using his height advantage. However, he struggled to defend against McAdu, who has shooting range, and it also looked like a mismatch.

With six minutes played in the second quarter, the Rockets were still down by seven points, and their twin towers weren't giving them any advantage. Once Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Byron Scott returned, the Lakers immediately put pressure on the Rockets.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took over the game, repeatedly scoring against Sampson in the low post. Johnson, after setting pick-and-rolls, would also head towards Sampson, drawing him into help defense before passing the ball; if no help defense was available, he would take the shot himself.

Sampson was no match for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar one-on-one; he couldn't defend against the hook shot.

Xiao Tu felt that Sampson's peak was nothing special; his weakness wasn't just his slow lateral movement.

Some casual fans are now claiming that Sampson's talent surpasses that of the Spurs' number one draft pick, Viktor Amar'e, and that if he hadn't suffered a serious injury, he could have dominated the league alongside Hakeem Olajuwon.

After meeting him in person, Xiao Tu discovered that Sampson's static attributes were utterly terrible. He was a Tyrannosaurus Rex with no weight, thin legs, no buttocks, narrow shoulders, and an arm span of only 223 cm.

What skills can someone with a similar build to Zhou Qi, the future Chinese center, but with a shorter wingspan, possess only exceptional athleticism, to dominate the NBA?
In a parallel universe, during the 1986 playoffs, Sampson had a standout performance against the Lakers because he was matched up against Kurt Rambis. The veteran backup power forward, Maurice Lucas, was even less defensively capable than Rambis, and the Lakers, relying solely on the 39-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, couldn't defend the paint, averaging a dozen fewer rebounds per game.

The Lakers now have the frontcourt duo of Xiao Tu and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who have a clear advantage against the Rockets' twin towers.

To limit Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon was forced to retreat into the paint to help defend. Abdul-Jabbar moved the ball quickly, immediately passing it to Xiao Tu on the perimeter. Xiao Tu received the ball high up and immediately shot, sinking two more mid-range jumpers in the latter part of the shot.

The Rockets cannot rely on rotations to defend Xiao Tu; shorter players are not very effective at interfering with his pull-up jump shot.

肖途单节拿下10分，半场15分11篮板1助攻1抢断。

The Lakers led 60-48, a small margin, but the Rockets didn't look like they could win at all.

The Rockets were able to keep the score close in the first half thanks to the excellent performance of their perimeter role players; their twin towers failed to dominate. In terms of momentum, the twin towers were completely outmatched, failing to complete a single dunk.

With 10 minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter, Xiao Tu and Magic Johnson executed a pick-and-roll, after which Xiao Tu cut inside to receive the ball and took off to attempt a dunk, drawing a foul from Sampson.

Xiao Tu made both free throws, bringing his personal score to 17 points.

Just half a minute later, Johnson drove to the basket, drawing Sampson's help defense, and then passed the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who also opted for a one-handed dunk, drawing a foul from Sampson who was turning to defend.

With four fouls already accumulated, Sampson's mentality was starting to crumble under the pressure of being targeted, so Coach Fitch had to substitute him for a rest.

Sampson's face was grim, and his expression looked murderous. He was a prodigy before entering the NBA, but his professional career had been very bumpy.

Last season, the Rockets finished last in the standings, leading many to say he wasn't good at leading a team and wasn't a qualified leader. This season, the team's performance has improved, and people are saying that Hakeem Olajuwon has a brighter future and is more capable than him.

What Sampson couldn't stand was that the Lakers' 23rd overall pick in the first round was also better than him, significantly better. He knew he wouldn't reach the heights predicted by the experts at the time of the draft; this year's draft class alone had three players with better talent than him.

With one less star player on the court, the Rockets' interior defense immediately revealed a fatal weakness: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was matched up against Hakeem Olajuwon, and Xiao Tu was matched up against third-round pick Peterson.

Fitch had no other choice but to make this arrangement. If Olajuwon continued to guard Xiao Tu and was pulled out of the paint, the Rockets would have no one left to protect the defensive rebounds.

Peterson is a white, floor-bound center. He's 208cm tall and weighs 107kg, so he might be able to put up a fight against Xiao Tu based on his physique.

However, this was impossible. Xiao Tu began to attack the basket repeatedly, playing aggressively in both fast breaks and half-court sets. Peterson was a complete softie; he would easily lose his balance when pushed, and his speed was pitifully slow. Being heavy doesn't mean being strong; there are plenty of players in the NBA without explosiveness, and in the 90s, there were many players who played on foot.

Peterson is 24 years old this year. He didn't have many stats in the NCAA, otherwise he wouldn't have fallen to the third round to be selected. The Rockets signed him mainly because they didn't have a backup center, and he was lucky to become their third option in the paint.

Xiao Tu broke free of Peterson on a fast break and executed a windmill dunk, a back-to-the-basket dunk. Peterson couldn't keep up with his speed and couldn't jump high enough in the paint, so he had to foul, sending Xiao Tu to the free-throw line twice.

In positional play, Xiao Tu made a cut to the basket, drawing Olajuwon's help defense and delivering two assists. Both times, he passed the ball close to Olajuwon from his side to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, helping his teammates score easily.

Hakeem Olajuwon couldn't defend against two opponents in one-on-one situations, and he also couldn't ignore Xiao Tu cutting inside, otherwise the opponent would definitely dunk.

Hakeem Olajuwon tried to boost morale with a dunk, and had a good opportunity, but Xiao Tu pulled him down from mid-air. To make matters worse, he missed both free throws.

It's demoralizing when a key player misses a free throw, and Hakeem Olajuwon also exposed his weakness: a low free throw percentage.

Hakeem Olajuwon also had his moments in this quarter, sinking three mid-range jumpers and drawing a foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for a three-point play. His physical advantage over Abdul-Jabbar proved his ability.

Despite having a slight advantage over the legendary center, Hakeem Olajuwon was far from happy. His brow was constantly furrowed, and his diamond-shaped face, which looked as if it had been swollen from a beating, was practically a picture of utter dejection.

Xiao Tu maintained a constant smile, a stark contrast to Hakeem Olajuwon.

To create a sensational effect, the live broadcast cameraman gave the two many close-up shots. Viewers watching on television felt that Xiao Tu had a head start, completely outshining Olajuwon simply in terms of appearance.

The Lakers led by 21 points at the end of the third quarter, with victory seemingly assured.

Both commentators stated that Xiao Tu's performance was better than Olajuwon's. He was the number one draft pick, but his talent dropped to 23rd, making him arguably the most underrated rookie in history.

In the final quarter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took over the game, scoring repeatedly and quickly widening the gap to 30 points, ushering in garbage time.

Xiao Tu only played for 5 minutes in the final quarter and was forced to clock out early.

He had plenty of energy and hadn't played enough. But the Rockets had already surrendered by fielding their entire bench, so the Lakers couldn't continue to field their starters.

The media's prediction of a fierce battle among four star players in the paint did not materialize; the Lakers' two big men held a clear advantage. The Lakers ultimately won 136-100, continuing their winning streak.

贾巴尔19投13中，罚球4中4，得到30分6篮板2助攻。桑普森19投8中，罚球2中2，得到18分9篮板5助攻。

Sampson's highlight was his 5 assists, demonstrating good playmaking. However, watching the game, several of his assists came after he couldn't get past Xiao Tu and was forced to pass to his teammates.

肖途15投10中，三分球2中1，罚球8中7，砍下28分16篮板4助攻1抢断1盖帽。奥拉朱旺20投10中，罚球5中1，得到21分10篮板1助攻2抢断1盖帽。

Xiao Tu had the upper hand in several key statistics, with higher scoring efficiency and 6 offensive rebounds.

Hakeem Olajuwon's poor free throw shooting disappointed Rockets fans. His free throw percentage has been below 60% since the start of the season, and if he doesn't improve, it will be a fatal weakness. He only grabbed two offensive rebounds throughout the game, also below average.

魔术师约翰逊12投7中，罚球6中6，砍下20分5篮板14助攻，完爆火箭的两名角色球员控卫。

The Lakers had six players score in double figures, with contributions from multiple positions, making their overall strength appear far superior to the Rockets.

After the game, Xiao Tu proactively shook hands with Hakeem Olajuwon as a sign of respect. They are both in the Western Conference, play four games a season, and will soon meet again. They will also be temporary teammates on the Western Conference All-Star team at the All-Star Game.

Hakeem Olajuwon looked very serious; he was even more frustrated than Michael Jordan to lose to the 23rd overall pick in the first round.

Jordan didn't directly match up against Xiao Tu, which was understandable given his slender physique and inability to defend him. However, Olajuwon couldn't escape the comparison between the two, and this was just the beginning.

(End of this chapter)