Basketball miracles

Chapter 204 [The White Magician]

Wade dribbled the ball, used his speed to forcefully change direction and get past Xiao Tu, then slammed it home with a one-handed dunk. 3-1.

Xiao Tu was easily overtaken by a slight misstep, his body unable to keep up with his mind.

Once Wade picks up the pace, no one in the NBA can completely stop him one-on-one; he's just too fast. Xiao Tu used to bully high school students like that in Japan, and now he's experiencing firsthand what it's like to be overpowered by someone's talent.

Xiao Tu wasn't upset; in fact, he was quite excited. Because Wade would be his best teammate for a long time, while the opponents would be the ones suffering.

Xiao Tu launched an attack, executing a smooth combination. He dribbled between his legs to his left hand, then behind his back to his right, before stepping back with his right foot and shooting a mid-range jumper from the free-throw line. Wade's quick lateral movement and jump attempt failed to block the shot, and it went in. 4-1.

The audience felt that Xiao Tu was too strong, with good skills and accurate shooting, but his explosiveness was not as good as Wade's.

In a one-on-one situation, even if a player lacks explosiveness, it doesn't matter; Xiao Tu still has the advantage of height and wingspan. Wade was feeling extremely uncomfortable at this moment; Xiao Tu was exploiting a mismatch against him, essentially a small forward taking on a guard.

When Wade attacked, Xiao Tu consistently defended against drives but not shots, simply giving him two steps to the basket.

His move completely exposed Wade's weaknesses, and Van Gundy felt that Xiao Tu was stronger. A better shooter would have taken a jump shot directly, but Wade repeatedly chose to force his way through, drawing defenders himself.

Wade's breakthrough was truly impressive; he used his signature low-flying technique to get past Xiao Tu and forcefully score another layup.

The two players got more and more into the game, with Xiao Tu maintaining the upper hand throughout, clearly winning on shooting.

Xiao Tu ultimately won the one-on-one match 10-5. Wade also defended Xiao Tu several times, demonstrating impressive defensive skills. However, Xiao Tu missed every jump shot on offense, struggling under pressure.

Wade wasn't upset about losing the one-on-one; in fact, his relationship with Xiao Tu became closer, and he expressed his delight at having such a great teammate.

Wade is someone who is easily manipulated by others; he was a sucker when he was young. This is a habit he developed in college; he would comply when asked to share the ball, unlike other star players who have high aspirations.

In a parallel universe, Wade would voluntarily take a pay cut to facilitate the formation of the Big Three in 2010. Then, he relinquished his core role, happily supporting James and helping him win two regular season MVPs while sacrificing his own historical standing.

To put it bluntly, Wade simply lacked the determination and ambition to be the leader. Forget about competing for leadership on the Heat; he didn't even get angry when a second-round rookie humiliated him on the first day of the Summer League, he was all smiles.

In this parallel universe, he became the Heat's leader after O'Neal's performance declined significantly and he voluntarily stepped down. At that time, O'Neal encouraged him to step up and do something, acknowledging that he was no longer capable.

In Xiao Tu's view, this is an excellent second-in-command. As long as he frequently tells Wade "you're my brother," he can easily manipulate him and there will be no conflict over ball possession.

Van Gundy divided the players into two teams for a scrimmage: Wade led the white vest team, and Xiao Tu led the black vest team. Xiao Tu's team gained the upper hand again, using a combination of drives, passes, and shots to dominate the opponent.

One advantage of a team-centric playing style is that teammates know who to pass the ball to, resulting in a clear and organized offensive strategy. Whether Xiao Tu takes a shot or passes, his plays always seem logical.

Xiao Tu completely won over Van Gundy and quickly established himself as a key player. Everyone could see his leadership qualities; his passing awareness was excellent. He could draw defenders and pass the ball to open players, and he could also see teammates cutting to the basket, arriving with the ball precisely when he arrived.

Xiao Tu stopped matching up against Wade; playing against the opposing small forward was just for fun. Wade's playing style was predictable—he just drove to the basket himself, and his passing wasn't as good as Xiao Tu's.

Van Gundy decisively gave Xiao Tu possession of the ball, allowing him to orchestrate the offense. The team's strategy was for the three players to spread out, creating isolation opportunities for Xiao Tu and Wade.

In the Summer League, teams don't have time to practice tactics; it's all about individual player ability. The Heat have two superstar scorers; it's hard for them to lose.

After practice, Van Gundy immediately called Heat head coach Pat Riley upon returning to the hotel.

“We’ve struck gold this year. You’d never guess how good Sebastian Shaw is. He’s even better than Dwyane Wade, the fifth overall pick. He looks like he’d be the number one pick.”

Riley didn't believe it. "Are you kidding me? One practice session doesn't prove anything. Maybe he was just in good form today."

Xiao Tu's assist numbers in the NCAA were unremarkable, and Riley couldn't imagine how good a short power forward could be.

"I'm not kidding, he's so well-rounded. His one-on-one skills are excellent, and no one can stop him. In practice, he can also organize the offense, dribble forward, and his passing awareness is amazing. He's practically a white magician."

Riley asked, "What about his defense and rebounding?" "He's even better than we expected before the draft. He's also the team's best rebounder. I think he'll be amazing in the Summer League; he can play multiple positions."

“A second-round pick can’t possibly be this good, right? You…” Riley paused for a moment, then laughed, “Never mind, I’m going to Orlando to watch him play, and also to see Wade.”

Riley isn't leading the team this time, as he thinks the Summer League isn't worth watching; Van Gundy can just report to him if anything comes up.

But he knew Van Gundy was a steady man and wouldn't joke about something like this. For Van Gundy to have such a high opinion of a rookie, there was only one possibility: Shaw was truly better than Wade.

Perhaps the Heat still have a chance to recover next season?

Are second-round draft picks really worth developing?

Recently, Riley has lost his drive to lead the team and is considering stepping down to become a general manager. Last season, Riley led the team to a record of 25 wins and 57 losses, ranking third from the bottom in the Eastern Conference regular season, one win more than the Raptors who were missing Vince Carter.

Throughout Riley's entire coaching career, he has never had such a bad season; he has lost all his fighting spirit.

This actually has little to do with the coach's coaching ability; the Heat's biggest problem is the lack of a core player on the court. Riley simply can't devise tactics, and even when he does, the players can't execute them.

上赛季热火的头号得分手是得分后卫埃迪-琼斯，莱利给了他无限出手权。结果琼斯场均出战38.1分钟，仅能得到18.5分4.8篮板3.7助攻1.4抢断，投篮命中率42.3%。

Even worse, Jones only played 47 games due to injury. When Jones was out, the Heat's leading scorer was last season's 10th overall pick, Caron Butler, who is 201cm tall and weighs 98kg.

巴特勒出战78场，36.6分钟砍下15.4分5.1篮板2.7助攻1.8抢断，投篮命中率41.6%。

With the Heat's lousy roster, what is there for Riley to coach?
Destroy it quickly, we are tired.

Although he didn't have high hopes, Riley still decided to go to Orlando to take a look. What if they really hit the jackpot and drafted a genius in the second round? If he personally confirmed that Xiao Tu wasn't a genius, but that Wade was just too bad, then he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore and could happily give up his coaching position to become a general manager.

In the afternoon, the Heat had another practice session together.

This makeshift team only had one day to train before the match the next day, so the players had absolutely no teamwork.

Even so, Xiao Tu still delivered an outstanding performance, scoring and assisting, earning praise from Van Gundy.

Wade invited Xiao Tu to dinner, and also invited Haslem, who had the best performance in the paint. The three quickly formed a small group, becoming the core of the Heat in the Summer League.

They were discussing how to put up better numbers against the Cavaliers tomorrow, and they were having a great time talking.

Wade asked, "Even though James is 203cm tall, he likes to play point guard. Who will be guarding him tomorrow?"

“I’m about the same height as him, so of course I’ll be the primary defender. You’re fast, so run as fast as you can on the fast break, and I’ll pass you the ball when I see an opportunity. In half-court sets, James can only guard one person. If he’s guarding me, you can attack aggressively. If he’s guarding you, he can pass me the ball.”

Wade asked, "Should we avoid attacking him? Should we not challenge him?"

"Let's secure the win first, and then consider one-on-one duels once the point difference widens. Don't give him a chance to shine. His physical attributes are top-notch, and even without game experience, he will be a strong defensive asset for the Cavaliers. Going head-to-head with him at the start is not a good idea. Rather than having better individual stats than James, I'd rather lead the team to beat the Cavaliers by more than 30 points. That's what a true core player is."

The logic is simple, but some players just love to challenge the opponent's strongest defender. These idiots feel they can't show off their abilities if they don't.

Wade laughed and said, "Is that possible? Didn't the coach say that the Cavaliers' roster looks much stronger than ours? Everyone is optimistic about the Cavaliers. If the Heat want to pull off an upset, it depends on our performance."

"Have some confidence in yourself, okay? The Heat have us, and UD (Haslem's nickname). You're not bad either, you're very energetic and can catch the ball and shoot mid-range shots. The Cavaliers definitely can't stop our offense, and I don't think James is anything special. He can't get past me one-on-one."

In Xiao Tu's opinion, it would be a real upset if the Cavaliers won, and he would absolutely not let that happen!

(End of this chapter)