Basketball miracles

Chapter 209 [A Shrug of the Hands, Everything Is Clear]

The Cavaliers, who boast several NBA regular season players, were thoroughly outplayed by the Heat, suffering from offensive stagnation and failing to create any easy scoring opportunities throughout the entire quarter.

肖途打满了首节，6投5中，得到10分4篮板4助攻。

勒布朗-詹姆斯也打满了首节，4投0中，罚球2中1，得到1分2篮板2助攻。

James left the court with a sullen expression, saying nothing. He was angry; he simply couldn't carry these incompetent teammates. Wagner, their leading scorer, only managed 4 points—utterly useless.

韦德7投4中，罚球2中2，得到10分1篮板2助攻。他的得分全是上篮，尝试了两次中投都没进。

Wade scored as many points as Xiao Tu but exposed his weakness: inaccurate jump shots. Xiao Tu scored less in the second half because he was selfless, focusing on orchestrating the offense and creating opportunities for his teammates.

Haslem also scored 4 points, including a putback after grabbing an offensive rebound and a mid-range jumper after receiving the ball on the left baseline.

Both teams fielded their reserves in the second quarter, leading to a chaotic game without any key players on the court. The Cavaliers scored quite a bit, but the Heat's bench players' defense was poor, resulting in numerous turnovers and fast breaks.

Pat Riley watched from the sidelines, shaking his head. The bench was too weak; none of them were fit to stay. The Heat's roster was terrible; talented players weren't willing to play for them in the Summer League.

With Xiao Tu, Wade, and Haslem on the court, it became very difficult for the Cavaliers to score.

Their defense is very strong, definitely top-tier in the Summer League.

Xiao Tu is experienced and particularly adept at defending James; Wade is a future regular on the All-Defensive Team; Haslem's individual ability is lacking, but he is highly mobile and fierce.

James remained low-key, showing remarkable selflessness by repeatedly passing the ball to his teammates when given opportunities to shoot from mid-range or beyond. On one occasion, with two seconds left, he drew a double team and passed to an open player, but unfortunately, his teammate missed the shot.

Xiao Tu deliberately let James shoot from an uncertain position, so that if James forced his way through, he would run into a crowd of players.

If LeBron James wants to score more points, the only way is to take more shots and generate more scoring stats. However, he is still a player who values ​​shooting percentage very much, prefers to play simple shots, and is unwilling to take wasteful shots.

LeBron James seemed out of sorts today, unable to do anything on the defensive end. The Heat's two rookies resolutely avoided attacking him, scoring efficiently against role players one-on-one.

LeBron James' pre-game plans were completely disrupted. He had envisioned this game as a chance to crush Wade. He put up phenomenal numbers, but afterwards, instead of belittling his opponent, he generously praised him in an interview…

Now James has been overshadowed by an unknown nobody, and he doesn't know what to do.

It's bad enough that one person has better stats than him, but if two rookies have better stats than him, how will the media evaluate him?
Wade continued to penetrate and score, forcing the rest of the Cavaliers to foul him. James finally drew their attention and retreated further back to try and help defend.

Wade passed the ball out to the perimeter, where Xiao Zhong received it and hit a three-pointer, further widening the gap. This play severely dampened the Cavaliers' morale, and the deficit reached 25 points.

The audience applauded Xiao Tu again; he looked incredibly strong, even the top scorer couldn't stop him.

One minute later, James finally got his chance to shine. 185cm backup point guard Hollis Price stole the ball at midcourt and launched a fast break. James used his speed to get past Xiao Tu off the ball, striding confidently behind Price, pointing one finger to the sky.

The Heat's backcourt was completely unguarded, and the fans were ready for an alley-oop spectacle. LeBron James's running vertical jump in his physical tests reached 110cm, his head could go above the rim, and he even won the McDonald's High School Slam Dunk Contest!

Price glanced at James, who was calling for the ball, then gathered the ball, jumped, and scored with a simple layup.

"..." LeBron James spread his hands.

Xiao Tu didn't recognize Price, but he couldn't help but applaud him a few times; that layup was too beautiful.

Coach Silas, having had enough, called a timeout. As soon as the players left the court, Silas said to Price, "Man, you should have tossed that ball off the backboard to bounce it off."

Price looked completely bewildered: "What are you talking about, throwing the ball onto the backboard?"

Black guard Price came from the Oklahoma City Czecco. He led the team to the NCAA Final Four in 2002 and was selected to the All-American Second Team in 2003, but went undrafted in the NBA draft.

The Cavaliers' management invited Price to play in the Summer League because they valued his ball-handling and offensive skills and wanted to sign him as a backup.

Silas now thinks this guy is completely useless; his problems aren't just his age and short stature, but also his brain damage.

Price can be fired after the Summer League; no NBA team would want someone like that. He spent four years in college, and as a point guard, he still hasn't learned to play with his teammates and doesn't understand his role on the team. James overheard the whole conversation and laughed in exasperation. He said to Price, "Dude, f*** the rebound, just put the ball in."

Price laughed when he heard this, revealing two rows of white teeth.

At that moment, he felt the respect and recognition from the top high school student.

He's starting to like James; he feels the kid is quite sensible.

He realized that James also just wanted to win. James was on his side in this matter.

The game continued, and both sides played a lively game, but their attacks were not smooth and they both made some mistakes.

At halftime, the Heat led 57-34 by 23 points.

Kapono had an outstanding performance in the second quarter, hitting two three-pointers and a mid-range jumper for 8 points; otherwise, the Cavaliers would have been overwhelmed.

Silas made no adjustments in the second half. In the first half, the Cavaliers had already fielded their "elite" lineup, and their tactics were just chaotic.

This guy became the team's first assistant coach simply because he's the son of head coach Paul Silas, a relatively incompetent nepotism hire. His father isn't a famous coach either; he just signed with the Cavaliers in the summer and was appointed in a time of crisis.

Stan Van Gundy sees the Summer League as a great opportunity to prove himself and has no intention of giving the Cavaliers any leeway, aiming for a big win.

Face? Isn't this the Magic's home court? The Cavaliers, like the Heat, are playing away.

In the second half, Van Gundy continued to field Xiao Tu and Wade together as the main offensive force, with the others providing support.

He could see it clearly: if those two played together, the Cavaliers simply couldn't stop them. He fully supported Xiao Tu's desire to develop into a small forward, feeling that Xiao Tu had organized the offense exceptionally well in the first half.

A player's passing ability isn't just judged by the number of assists, but also by their passing awareness. Xiao Tu consistently distributes the ball effectively, identifies teammates in better positions, and avoids mistakes.

Whether it was the coach's arrangement or James' own idea, he went to guard Wade again.

Wade scored 18 points in the first half, leading all scorers. If he had scored 30+ points in a single game, it would probably have made the news that night; the media loves to compare him to high draft picks.

Silas's strategy of having his players stay close to the paint to defend effectively limited Wade's drives, giving Xiao Tu his chance.

When Wade can't break through, it's perfectly reasonable for Xiao Tu to take as many shots as he wants. When Xiao Tu receives the ball outside the three-point line in the middle, the Cavaliers players won't double-team him.

Xiao Tu faced off against Kapono with ease and began to dominate. Kapono was too far away, so Xiao Tu dribbled between his legs and took a step-back jumper. His opponent closed in, and Xiao Tu used a crossover dribble and a behind-the-back dribble to get past him.

Anyway, he either shoots from long range or mid-range, so he's not afraid of opponents staying in the paint. Wade and Haslem were both stunned. Xiao Tu said at dinner last night that he dares to take more than 10 shots from the outside in a single game, and he wasn't bragging.

After honing his skills in the 90s, Xiao Tu dared to attack with the ball, fully utilizing his dribbling skills and passing awareness. Xiao Tu also knew how to play off-ball; in the 80s, the Lakers practiced off-ball movement, receiving the ball and shooting.

Xiao Tu's versatility makes him the most difficult player to defend on the court. When his teammates don't know what to do with the ball, they like to pass it to him, and he will make runs to receive it.

His jump shot always has a fadeaway, making it easier to create space and avoid being blocked. Even James has a hard time blocking Xiao Tu, and players like Kapono can only try their best to interfere.

Xiao Tu made 3 of 5 three-pointers in this quarter, along with a mid-range jumper from the high post. He also scored a layup on a fast break and drew a foul, making both free throws. He scored 15 points in the quarter.

他三节共出战30分钟，16投11中，三分球7中4，罚球2中2，砍下28分8篮板8助攻1抢断。

With James primarily guarding Wade, Xiao Tu's stats were heading towards a 30+ triple-double, giving him the impression of a superstar!

The Heat led the Cavaliers 84-50, a 34-point advantage, and the game quickly became garbage time.

Xiao Tu received applause from the fans every time he scored; he seemed to have the most star quality. "The Chosen One," James, only scored 7 points in three quarters, frequently missing mid-range and long-range jump shots, appearing to be just a blacksmith.

Pat Riley had a bold idea on the sidelines: to make Xiao Tu the team's primary star for the new season. Xiao Tu is far superior to Eddie Jones; there's no need to wait for preseason training camp to compare them—it's obvious.

(End of this chapter)