Basketball miracles

Chapter 68 [A Powerful Rise or a Finished Strength?]

Barkley played for 7 minutes before being substituted, going 0-for-2 from the field. His first shot was blocked, and his second shot was nearly blocked.

Xiao Tu didn't know how good Barkley was at his peak, but this chubby guy was definitely no match for him now.

Seeing that Xiao Tu's offensive desire was not strong, 76ers coach Cunningham planned to let Barkley rest for a while and lead the bench offense in the second quarter.

Cunningham made a serious mistake. Xiao Tu has always had a strong desire to attack, but he listens to the coach's instructions and doesn't play recklessly.

As soon as Bobby Jones, the 76ers' backup white power forward, entered the game, Pat Riley immediately assigned Xiao Tu to be the primary scorer. Without Xiao Tu even needing to suggest it, Riley could spot the opponent's weaknesses and liked to exploit them relentlessly.

Standing at 206cm and weighing 95kg, Jones is at a significant physical disadvantage. He did start for the 76ers early in his career, but has been a bench player for the past three years. At 33, he has become a role player averaging 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, and is nearing retirement.

Xiao Tu quickly cut to the basket, received the ball, and attacked the rim, drawing a foul from Jones. He made both free throws.

At 3 minutes and 35 seconds, Xiao Tu received the ball on a fast break and powerfully dunked over Jones in the middle, stunning the audience.

With 2 minutes and 40 seconds remaining, Xiao Tu grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul from Moses Malone on a second-chance opportunity, making both free throws.

At 1 minute and 32 seconds, Xiao Tu made a cut in the half-court offense, received a pass from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, made a layup and drew a foul from Jones, making the free throw for a 2+1 play.

Near the end of the first quarter, Xiao Tu grabbed another offensive rebound, faked a move to draw Malone's help defense, and then passed the ball to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who easily scored in the paint.

肖途打满首节，4投3中，罚球5中5，得到11分6篮板1助攻1盖帽。

Magic Johnson also had an impressive 12 points and 5 assists in the quarter, leading the Lakers to a 35-22 lead.

If it weren't for Malone's decent performance with 8 points and 3 rebounds, the 76ers would have been overwhelmed in a single quarter at home. Their offense lacked teamwork and relied mainly on star players scoring one-on-one.

33-year-old Jones went 0-for-1 in 5 minutes, with all his stats at zero, plus two fouls. He was thoroughly outplayed by Xiao Tu, and 76ers fans felt it was time for him to retire.

Fans have noticed that Xiao Tu in his rookie season was no worse than, and perhaps even better than, the 29-year-old Malone. He was outstanding on both ends of the court, spending most of his time off the ball, but posing a threat whenever he received it.

In terms of athletic ability, Xiao Tu is clearly superior to Malone, and is simply in a class of his own in the NBA.

Xiao Tu thought so too. He realized that Ma Long was only physically strong; his jumping ability and mobility were just average. Among centers, Ma Long was considered fast, but that was because he was short.

Given similar heights, Malone was noticeably slower than Xiao Tu and Magic Johnson.

The media often praises Ma Long's top-notch physical attributes, but most fans don't believe it. Compared to Xiao Tu, Ma Long's dunks look too ordinary, lacking any flair, and even appearing somewhat forced.

In the second quarter, the bench players from both sides were evenly matched, and the 76ers only managed to close the gap to two points. When the Lakers' starters returned to the court, Cunningham sensed something was wrong and realized he had been outmaneuvered by Pat Riley.

Riley had thoroughly analyzed Cunningham's substitution timing, allowing Xiao Tu to play the entire first quarter, thus avoiding playing time with Barkley. At this point, Xiao Tu returned to the court after a short rest, just as Cunningham substituted Barkley.

Cunningham knew Jones couldn't guard Xiao Tu, so he put Clemens Johnson, who is 208cm tall and weighs 109kg, at the power forward position. This black player is muscular, has broad shoulders, and is quite strong in physical confrontations.

Unfortunately, the 76ers' defense soon exposed new problems.

Coleman is indeed fearless in physical contact, but his mobility is poor. Xiao Tu runs too fast; during fast breaks, most interior players can't keep up with his speed.

Moreover, Kolem is a pure role player; offensively, he lacks shooting range and technique, and can only pick off peeks in the penalty area. He poses no threat outside the box, and if he isn't pushed out, Xiao Tu can freely stay inside the penalty area to defend.

With Xiao Tu under the basket, it becomes much more difficult for the 76ers' perimeter players to drive to the basket.

With 4 minutes and 21 seconds left in the second quarter, Malone finally grabbed an offensive rebound, but his second-chance opportunity was blocked by Xiao Tu from behind. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar grabbed the rebound and launched a fast break.

Ma Long got a little anxious and yelled at the referee, indicating that Xiao Tu had fouled. But the referee believed that Xiao Tu's physical contact was normal and that his hand movements were clean.

As for Xiao Tu bumping into Ma Long from behind, causing him to stumble, that was a brave move. If it were an ordinary player defending him, Ma Long would most likely have gone to the free-throw line. Both of them are overrated stars, so the referee's call negated that.

Clemens reacted quickly, immediately running back, fearing the Lakers would launch a fast break. Malone couldn't get back after being blocked, so the 76ers' paint defense fell to him. Xiao Tu didn't rush, raising his hand in a call for the ball, and received a pass from Magic Johnson beyond the three-point line.

Johnson dribbled the ball to the free-throw line, drawing Columbus's defense. Assuming Xiao Tu was unguarded, he glanced back. Even if Xiao Tu stopped running, Johnson still passed the ball.

Xiao Tu's teammates trust his long-range shooting ability. He has been practicing and has a high success rate when shooting wide open.

Xiao received the ball in the middle of the road and made a three-pointer, which he made without disappointment.

This basket severely damaged the 76ers' morale, widening the score gap. Malone, who had only just crossed half-court, looked helpless as he watched Xiao Tu score; it was something he could never do. He almost never attempted a three-pointer, with a zero-point shooting percentage for several seasons.

All the traditional big men thought it was ridiculous after seeing Xiao Tu's shooting range. They never practiced three-pointers and rarely took mid-range shots.

The coach said it was unorthodox and wrong. But watching Xiao Tu shoot three-pointers today, Ma Long suddenly felt that this way of playing was amazing, incredibly powerful!
When Xiao Tu returned to defense, he made eye contact with Ma Long and saw a variety of emotions in his opponent's eyes, including surprise, confusion, and envy.

Xiao Tu felt smug, and his legs seemed to have more energy.

This is a game-changing attack! The techniques I've mastered are very practical and are things that others don't know.

My playing style is still relevant in the NBA 40 years from now; it involves shooting from highly efficient areas. In this era, three-pointers and the high post are weak points on all teams' defenses, so I can practically shoot anywhere.

The 76ers are about to be completely rebuilt, and Malone was just a stepping stone for me to reach the top of the NBA.

Next, Xiao Tu scored twice on fast breaks. One was a putback after Magic Johnson's layup missed, and the other was a forced layup.

With 34 seconds left, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar positioned himself in the low post on the left, drawing Malone's defense before hooking a pass to Xiao Tu, who was cutting to the basket. Xiao Tu forced a layup close to Clemens, who, knowing he couldn't block the shot due to insufficient jumping ability, opted to foul.

The referee blew the whistle. Xiao Tu, with his strong core, awkwardly tossed the ball high in the air with his right hand. The ball bounced twice on the rim after hitting the backboard and went in, another 2+1.

Xiao Tu also made the free throw, scoring 21 points in the first half, along with 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks – impressive stats.

The Lakers led 69-46 at halftime, a 23-point advantage that surprised Philadelphia fans.

Where's the promised classic showdown? The two teams don't seem to be on the same level at all.
Will the 76ers make a strong comeback this season or are they past their prime?

Xiao Tu knew it was definitely the latter; the 76ers would not make it to the finals again, as both of their MVP stars had entered a period of serious decline.

Dr. J's performance was equally lackluster, showing no star power whatsoever in the first half. He's invited to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest again this year, but he's barely able to jump anymore. He's competing for the fans, and he'll definitely be eliminated in the preliminary rounds.

During halftime, some reporters had already started writing news articles, predicting that the Lakers would have another big win today.

The 76ers players didn't know how to defend Xiao Tu and Johnson, leaving numerous gaps in their defense. Only a few people think it was Cunningham's personnel mistake; if Barkley had been consistently matched up against Xiao Tu, the team wouldn't have performed so poorly.

The 76ers dug themselves a deep hole in the first half and desperately needed to catch up. Cunningham seemed a bit confused and didn't know how to adjust.

Without Barkley, the team will lack a scoring option in the paint. Even if Barkley plays, he might not score many points against Xiao Tu, as his defense isn't good enough.

If Malone were to play power forward against Xiao Tu, Cunningham worried it would backfire, as he would be contained by Xiao Tu. Xiao Tu appears even tougher than Malone, is equally strong, jumps higher, and has a greater ability to jump repeatedly.

Cunningham underestimated Xiao Tu's defensive abilities before the game. He's not just good at rebounding; he's excellent at both one-on-one and help defense. The 76ers couldn't effectively attack him, and the other Lakers players are no pushovers either.

Michael Cooper contained Andrew Tony, limiting the 76ers' third-leading scorer to just 6 points in the first half, a disappointing performance. Last season, Tony averaged 20.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game, shooting 52.7% from the field, and was selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

After just half a game, Cunningham felt that the 76ers had no chance of winning the championship this season, and even if they made it to the finals, they wouldn't be a match for the Lakers.

The Lakers are too strong; their overall strength is clearly superior to the Celtics, simply because they drafted a super rookie.

The Lakers have had ridiculously good luck, making them especially hated this season...

(End of this chapter)