Basketball miracles

Chapter 100 [The Villain]

During an offensive possession in the East, Larry Bird tried to get closer to the basket to receive the ball but failed.

Regardless of whether Bird had the ball or not, Xiao Tu directly confronted him, keeping him outside the paint. If the referee wasn't looking in their direction, he wouldn't mind wrestling with Bird.

Bird tried his best to push Xiao Tu, but couldn't move him. Moreover, Xiao Tu was making subtle movements that would push him away.

With such a large power difference, Bird had no choice but to run out to the outside to get the ball again. Isaiah Thomas knew he wanted to retaliate and passed the ball to him.

Bird received the ball at the high post, turned, and launched a fadeaway jumper in one fluid motion. Being left-handed, and with a significant fadeaway, it seemed he could avoid a block this time.

Bird was good at both ball-handling and shooting, and his accurate mid-range shot was the key to his superstar status in the league.

As a result, Xiao Tu followed behind Bird and jumped with all his might without hesitation, leaning forward and blocking the basketball with his right hand again.

Xiao Tu's prediction was very accurate; he believed that Bird would not use any feints or fakes. Because the two had faced off for several rounds, he knew the level of Bird's physical abilities, and if Bird feinted, he would immediately be closed in.

Furthermore, Bird was eager to respond with a basket; a close match with Shaw would be embarrassing for him, and only by dominating the rookie could he live up to his MVP status. If he failed to do so, it would directly impact his MVP voting this season, making a title defense virtually impossible.

On the surface, Bird is matched up against Xiao Tu, but in reality, he is also competing with Magic Johnson, which puts him under immense pressure.

This time, Xiao Tu didn't block the ball far. After landing with a forward lean, he sprinted forward. Bird's turn speed after landing was very slow, and even though he was closer to the ball, he couldn't pick it up. Xiao Tu lowered his center of gravity, poked the ball once, and then chased after the ball to launch a fast break.

Bird tried to foul, but his outstretched hand was a fraction of a second too slow to catch Xiao Tu. The difference in their straight-line running speed became even more pronounced, instantly widening the gap between them.

Bird was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times in a row from 1982 to 1984, but everyone knew he was a white man who wasn't fast, didn't jump high, and had average strength. His selections were less due to his high defensive IQ and more due to the league's favoritism and the lack of stars at the power forward position.

活塞队203CM、93公斤的内线丹-劳恩德菲尔德，76人队206CM、95公斤的白人大前锋鲍比-琼斯都多次入选最佳防守一阵。肖途本赛季进攻端强行挤开他俩就是玩，防守也比他们猛多了。

How can Bird catch up with Xiao Tu's fast break using his basketball IQ?

In the East, only point guard Thomas got back on defense, but he didn't dare to directly block Xiao Tu; it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Xiao Tu calculated the distance perfectly on the right side, bounced the ball off the ground, quickly followed up with a 50-degree double-footed leap, and slammed a long-range windmill dunk into the basket! 57 to 43.

Xiao Tu scored his 16th point, landing on the ground pounding his chest and roaring in triumph.

This powerful dunk brought Xiao Tu one step closer to the MVP award. His performance against Bird was outstanding, unlike his performances against other opponents, further proving his ability. His performance also surpassed Magic Johnson's, leading the game in points, rebounds, and blocks.

Many fans gave it a score of 10, but no one gave it a score of 9.

Stockton exclaimed excitedly, "Beautiful! Shaw has another perfect dunk contest move! He blocked, stole, and slammed the ball down in one fell swoop, blocking Bird once again!"

Barry laughed, "Shaw actually had the upper hand against Bird, who is an MVP-caliber superstar."

Heinson remarked, "Shaw also had the upper hand against Moses Malone in the regular season. Therefore, it's normal for him to be ranked fifth in the regular season MVP rankings; he's not overrated, and may even be underestimated."

Stockton asked Russell, "Bill, how would you rate Shaw's defense against Bird in those few plays? What do you think of his defensive awareness and technique?"

Seeing the Celtics' younger stars suffer repeated setbacks, Russell was quite annoyed and initially wanted to remain silent as a spectator. However, he couldn't remain silent when others asked questions.

Russell thought for a moment and said calmly, "I think Shaw is exceptionally talented. All players would have a headache defending him, and Bird was no exception. His defensive awareness and skills are both outstanding, as evidenced by these two blocks."

Heinsson, a Celtics legend, praised it, so how could Russell not follow suit?

Russell believes Xiao Tu is the kind of player who can defend all five positions, and is even more well-rounded than he was back then. Celtics fans can understand why he praises someone like that.

The players have a deeper understanding of Xiao Tu's defensive abilities.

A true expert can tell a lot just by looking at him. Jordan felt that the only word to describe Xiao Tu at this moment was "terrifying." He could clearly see that Xiao Tu had changed his defensive approach against Bird. Faced with such defensive intensity, he certainly wouldn't be able to score easily.

Xiao Tu's repeated decision to give him two meters of space in the first quarter seemed to be clear evidence of his high basketball IQ. From the beginning, Xiao Tu guessed that the other members of the Eastern Conference All-Star team wouldn't pass him the ball.

Jordan is deeply in doubt; he was already depressed yesterday, and he's even more depressed today.

Actually, Xiao Tu isn't universally liked; most players in the Western Conference don't like him. But he doesn't care; playing with Magic Johnson is enough for him to score a lot of points.

At the All-Star Game, Jordan had no Bulls teammates. His stubborn personality made him unwilling to curry favor with established stars, not even bothering to greet them. Why would other stars be inclined to befriend a rookie who seemed so arrogant?

Coach KC Jones looked extremely grim. It didn't matter how badly the Eastern Conference All-Stars lost, but this game had shown him the future of the Celtics.

The Celtics struggle to defend the Lakers' pick-and-roll. They used to win because it was a battle of star players going one-on-one, plus the Lakers' weak power forward position. Now, Johnson is even harder to defend; whenever he drives, he always finds a way to draw the defense and pass to his teammates.

Xiao Tu stands firmly beyond the three-point line, and no team dares to let him shoot freely. His cuts to the basket are even more threatening; if players don't stay close, he'll immediately receive the ball and attack the rim.

His defense was equally formidable, a nightmare for floor-bound players. Bird struggled against him; wouldn't McHale be completely dominated?

Both being floor-bound white players, McHale had less athleticism and was as skinny as a monkey, so he had always been Bird's backup.

Jones is now in a dilemma, unsure whether he should make a substitution.

Xiao Tu believes that the Eastern Conference coaches will not make any adjustments. The East only has two power forwards, so how can they make adjustments?

If the East assigns Jordan to guard me again, I would be extremely grateful!

I've been getting shut down by Bird in our matchups repeatedly. If I don't retaliate a few times, all that's left for him after the game is criticism from the media and fans. If we continue to match up, he won't be able to gain any advantage.

Bird's playing style is very similar to McAdu's; they both rely on jump shots and their defense is average.

After a few rounds of matchup, Xiao Tu felt that Bird's one-on-one style was similar to McAdu's. The latter is averaging 10 points per game this season with a 52% field goal percentage, and his scoring efficiency is actually similar to his peak, only he doesn't have the ball anymore.

Because McAdu's defense was so poor, Riley only allowed him to play an average of 18 minutes per game. During team practices, Xiao Tu and McAdu often went one-on-one, with Xiao Tu being used to defending players who could shoot jumpers.

In the next possession, Bird forced a shot without getting rid of Xiao Tu, barely avoiding the block, and his jump shot from the left side went wide.

Magic Johnson grabbed the rebound and launched a fast break, with Xiao Tu following behind. In the race, Xiao Tu quickly left Bird behind, and Bird was only just past half-court when Xiao Tu entered the three-point line.

Johnson drew one defender and passed the ball behind him. Xiao Tu received the ball with his feet on the free-throw line and took three steps.

Center Robert Parish was helping out on defense, but as soon as he jumped, he realized something was wrong; Xiao Tu jumped higher than him, who is 213cm tall.

Parish didn't have time to think and committed a foul like he does in the regular season. He fouled Xiao Tu's right shoulder with his right hand, not the ball, and his left elbow was raised with a clear pushing motion.

The aerial confrontation between the two looked dangerous, and the referee called a foul on Parish without hesitation. Xiao Tu, leaning to one side, still managed to throw the ball towards the basket with his right hand, making it backboard, but then lost his balance on one leg and fell to the ground.

Stockton exclaimed, "Shaw has pulled off another brilliant counter-attack, scoring a 2+1 against Parish! But he's still not up; he looks injured!"

Heinson said awkwardly, "The Celtics players were getting a little anxious. Bird couldn't score a single point against Shaw's defense, and Parish seemed to be standing up for his teammate. Parish's movements weren't big; I don't think he was trying to hurt anyone, he just wanted to stop Shaw from dunking."

Barry, however, was indignant: "Parish's actions weren't considered big? He was clearly aiming for someone. Shaw has been lying on the ground and hasn't gotten up. Parish doesn't seem to have any intention of apologizing, and the audience is booing."

"..." Russell was speechless again. The Celtics players looked like villains today.

(End of this chapter)