Basketball miracles

Chapter 102 [Historical Record! All-Star Game MVP]

Five minutes later, the Western All-Stars made their first substitution.

Many fans in the stadium kept chanting "Shaw," and Pat Riley couldn't satisfy the fans unless he made a substitution.

Xiao Tu and Hakeem Olajuwon teamed up in the frontcourt, while Magic Johnson, Norm Nickson, and George Gervin formed the backcourt.

This was a lineup Riley specially arranged; even in an All-Star game, he wanted to add some flair.

Nickson was a 188cm tall point guard for the Clippers, known for his fast breaks. He played for the Lakers from 1977 to 83, and Riley knew his strengths well; they didn't clash with Magic Johnson's.

The other three are also very fast, and Hakeem Olajuwon is also a strong rim protector, capable of both offense and defense.

The biggest highlight of this lineup is Johnson facing off against Bird at the small forward position, while this year's two rookies will be matched up against Moses Malone and Terry Cummings in the paint.

As Xiao Tu predicted, Bird stopped playing against him.

As a result, the Western Conference All-Stars had a breakout performance, going on a 15-2 run that forced Coach KC Jones to call a timeout.

The Eastern Conference was completely shut down, with Bird only managing two points with a jump shot when he was one-on-one with Johnson.

Xiao Tu was surprised to discover that he and Hakeem Olajuwon were an incredibly formidable inside pairing, possessing exceptional talent. Both of them were adept at fast breaks, and on defense, they provided extensive coverage, help defense, and rotations, protecting the defensive rebounds.

Commentator Heinson exclaimed, "This rookie class is truly remarkable, with three players selected as All-Stars. Jordan didn't have much of an impact, but Shaw and Olajuwon played exceptionally well today, preventing the Eastern Conference All-Stars from even getting into the paint."

Barry laughed and said, "Shaw was matched up against Cummings and held him to 0-for-3 shooting. Once he's on your radar, you can forget about getting an easy shot."

Stockton said, "With Shaw joining the Lakers, their regular season record this season is sure to break records. The Western All-Stars, with Shaw, sealed the victory in just three quarters, leading the Eastern All-Stars by more than 30 points."

Russell lamented, "The East had won five straight games against the West. Before the season started, no one expected them to lose so badly this year."

After the timeout, the Eastern Conference team's offense improved slightly, but they still couldn't stop the Western Conference team's offense.

The Lakers' two stars have to double-team to limit them, and once they double-team someone, there will be obvious gaps, and Johnson can always pass the ball to a teammate in a better position.

Before the end of the third quarter, Xiao Tu received a pass from Johnson in the right corner and hit a pull-up three-pointer, bringing his personal score to 30 points.

Cummings couldn't defend Xiao Tu's pull-up jumper effectively and could only try his best to contest it. With him pulled out of the paint, the East team's ability to protect the defensive rebounds would also decrease.

Riley will continue to field Xiao Tu in the final quarter. Fans want him to play more, regardless of garbage time. The All-Star MVP is practically a foregone conclusion.

Xiao Tu played another 8 minutes in the final quarter, employing a simple style of play: catch-and-shoot and cut to the basket for drives. He hit two more three-pointers, drew a foul on a cut and made both free throws, and on a fast break, he used a Euro step to dunk with one hand!
The Western Conference All-Stars led by as many as 43 points, and the opponents were getting impatient and started double-teaming them. Pat Riley reluctantly substituted Xiao Tu.

Riley was reluctant because Xiao Tu failed to break the All-Star scoring record, falling just short.

肖途出战31分钟，18投14中，三分球8中5，罚球7中7，得到40分14篮板1助攻1抢断3盖帽。另外他只有1次失误，2次犯规。

Xiao Tu's passing awareness has improved, but he only had one assist in this game because his goal was just to score high points, and he played a bit selfishly.

Rick Barry said, "Shaw is only two points away from Chamberlain's record, but it doesn't matter. He actually played better today because he was more efficient."

Heinson said, "As the rebounding leader for both teams, he made five three-pointers, which is absolutely insane."

Stockton said, "Bird didn't retaliate against Shaw in the end, and the two didn't match up again in the second half. I think Coach Jones didn't dare to match them up anymore; Shaw really can limit Bird."

"..." Russell didn't know what to say; he couldn't find fault with Xiao Tu today.

Even the most discerning viewers could only point out that Xiao Tu plays off-ball and doesn't attack with the ball much, and that this was his weakness.

Viewers thought Xiao Tu's numerous outside shots were crazy, but in reality, he was well-prepared. He anticipated before the game that the opponent would be less vigilant in defending three-pointers and high-post jump shots, and that proved true. Xiao Tu attempted eight outside shots, and even with a high shooting percentage, no one tried to close him down on the perimeter. Especially in the right corner, whoever was guarding him gave him two steps of space.

In the 80s, whenever a player attempted a three-pointer, the opponent instinctively assumed it was unreasonable and unlikely to go in. They would usually just raise their hand as a gesture, or jump to contest it, which was considered serious. This situation persisted for a long time until the three-pointer became a crucial offensive weapon in the NBA.

In Xiao Tu's previous life, the 2004 Olympic Dream Team was utterly thrashed by their opponents' three-pointers, and head coach Larry Brown stubbornly insisted that shooting three-pointers wouldn't work in the NBA.

George Gervin made three steals in the game, including one fast break where Xiao Tu was right next to him. It was a perfect alley-oop opportunity, but Gervin refused to pass the ball and is now on Xiao Tu's blacklist.

It's fine if Ge Wen doesn't give him face today, but Xiao Tu won't give him any face in the future either. He'll beat him to death whenever they meet.

Gervin had a good reason for not passing the ball; he wanted to show off. He used the opportunity of the steal to execute his signature "finger flick."

This move is a lost art in the future NBA, referred to by some fans as "the art of fingertips." The technique involves Gervin jumping to a height where he can dunk without being defended, and then lightly flicking the basketball with his fingertips, causing it to spin and gently fly into the basket at close range.

Xiao Tu felt that the biggest characteristics of this type of layup were slow release speed, short distance, and low height.

It's obvious this move was lost because nobody except Gervin would do it; it's too ridiculous. If there's someone defending you, this move is even easier to get blocked than a "commoner's layup."

It's worth mentioning that Michael Jordan finally perked up during garbage time.

He stole the ball and launched a fast break dunk, showcasing his jumping ability. He also drew a foul on a drive and made both free throws, scoring 4 points in total.

乔丹全场9投2中，三分球1中0，罚球4中3，得到7分5篮板3助攻，还有4次犯规。他仅出场22分钟，是所有首发球员中最少的。

The Western Conference All-Stars won by a margin of 33 points, 155-122 at the end of the game.

This was only because the Western team deliberately lost in the final stages of the fourth quarter, giving their opponents some face.

魔术师约翰逊是全场表现第二好的，他出战31分钟，14投8中，罚球6中5，得到21分4篮板16助攻1抢断。

George Gervin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sampson, Larry Nance Jr., and Nickson also scored in double figures.

东部只有五人得分上双，表现最好的伊赛亚-托马斯14投9中，三分球4中3，罚球1中1，得到22分2篮板5助攻。

Thomas was on fire, playing exceptionally well, but Coach Jones only gave him 25 minutes of playing time. This was because he and his teammates went too far in isolating Jordan, and as a point guard, his mind wasn't on orchestrating the offense.

伯德打了30分钟，16投6中，三分球1中0，罚球6中5，得到17分6篮板2助攻。他得这点分就和卡明斯并列东部得分第二，还有4次失误。

Cummings played only 16 minutes, shooting 7-for-17 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 17 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. His scoring efficiency was also very low, but he was really willing to take shots when he came off the bench.

As the Bucks' core center, Cummings had previously expressed dissatisfaction with his MVP ranking being behind Xiao Tu. Today, the two faced off for a while, and everyone could see that he was inferior to Xiao Tu.

Moses Malone played the most minutes for both teams, totaling 33 minutes. He shot 2-for-10 from the field and 3-for-6 from the free-throw line, finishing with 7 points and 10 rebounds. Aside from Jordan, he was the worst performing starter.

Both players recorded double-doubles, but Xiao Tu scored more points and undisputedly won the MVP award for this year's All-Star Game.

In fact, it would have been entirely feasible for the league to award Xiao Tu and Johnson together for this All-Star Game. However, Stern didn't want to do that; Johnson was already an established star, while Xiao Tu needed more exposure.

This honor puts Xiao Tu on par with the three superstars of the 60s; having someone else receive the award would diminish its prestige.

In NBA history, four players have won the All-Star Game MVP in their rookie season: Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Oscar Robertson.

Xiao Tu is the fourth, and the only one, who has never attended university.

He had just turned 19 and set an unbreakable record. At 19, let alone winning the All-Star Game MVP, even making it to the NBA is extremely rare; he was truly exceptional.

(End of this chapter)