Basketball miracles

Chapter 222 [Awei has gone berserk! You picked this idol, didn't you?!]

The Heat maintained firm control of the game, consistently pressuring the 76ers and leading 41-18 after the first quarter.

肖途打满了整节，7投6中，三分球4中3，罚球2中2，砍下17分5篮板6助攻1盖帽。他在防守端的表现同样出色，没有人在他那个区域得分。

76ers coach Chris Ford hadn't studied how to defend Xiao Tu before the game, and didn't expect the second-round rookie to be so strong.

Last season, Salmons was a fringe player on the team, strong on offense but weak on defense. Now, as a starter, he's a liability against Xiao Tu. Ironically, Salmons is the 76ers' best defensive small forward this season.

Even when the 76ers double-teamed Xiao Tu, it was useless. He could pass the ball to an open player when facing a double team, or pass it to Wade to force a shot against Iverson, creating easy scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Wade also scored 13 points in the quarter, easily scoring layups multiple times against Iverson's defense. He shot 5-for-6 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line, demonstrating a high shooting percentage.

All of the Heat's starters scored: Odom with 4 points, Jones with 3 points, and Grant with 2 points.

The stadium was packed with Allen Iverson fans, many of whom were incredibly frustrated. Their cheering for their idol was futile; Iverson wasn't playing well today.

What are the rest of the 76ers players doing? A bunch of useless trash!
Can't you guys do anything about that big-jawed guy? Are you just going to stand by and watch him squeeze past Iverson to get a layup?
However, this was an opponent Iverson chose himself, and he could only guard Wade, the shortest player on the Heat's court.

Ave has gone berserk! You picked your idol!

Coach Ford didn't know how to adjust, and the timeouts had no effect; the team's defense was riddled with holes.

When Larry Brown coached the 76ers, the most crucial part of his defensive system was keeping Allen Iverson hidden. His teammates had to constantly help and assist on defense, preventing opposing big men from having any one-on-one opportunities against him.

Now that Brown has been fired by Iverson, the new Ford is just setting up normal defense, leaving Iverson blatantly exposed to the opponent.

Ford didn't think his arrangement was wrong. He couldn't very well have Iverson primarily guarding the 198cm Eddie Jones, could he? Wouldn't that make it easy for the opponent to jump shoot?

Although Iverson insisted he was a shooting guard, Ford simply couldn't see him that way. It's all Brown's fault for leaving too hastily, without leaving the next head coach with instructions on how to use Iverson.

The 76ers' "shooting guard" actually refers to a guard whose sole responsibility on the court is scoring. Allen Iverson, on the other hand, relied heavily on steals on the defensive end; as long as he had impressive steal stats and won the steals title, many people considered him a defensive specialist.

Xiao Tu was substituted and sat on the sidelines to rest, and everyone on the 76ers breathed a sigh of relief.

Ford thought Xiao Tu was unbelievably strong, and he saw the shadow of Magic Johnson in him, but an enhanced version! Magic Johnson's shooting wasn't as accurate as his; his strengths lay in his drives and passing.

Xiao Tu thought the 76ers were terrible and knew that the coach, who shared the same name as his good friend from the 80s, wouldn't last long.

Both teams started the second quarter with their substitutes in, but the Heat still maintained the upper hand.

Alston's scoring ability is poor and his passing awareness is average, but his ball-handling skills are excellent, allowing him to reliably dribble the ball up the court. The Heat's strategy is clear: pass to Caron Butler for isolation plays.

In 2002, Butler's draft comparison was Paul Pierce; both were the 10th overall pick. Butler possessed a strong physique and a wide range of offensive skills, but his only weakness was his outside shooting ability.

He has the potential to become a grassroots version of an offensive kaleidoscope, and he would be a good sixth man.

Backup shooting guard Rasul Butler, also 201cm tall, can create space. He developed into a shooter after entering the league, with his main task being to receive the ball on the perimeter and shoot.

The Heat's frontcourt consists of Udonis Haslem, who is 203cm tall, and Malik Allen, who is 208cm tall and weighs 116kg. Both are not tall, but they are strong and entered the NBA undrafted.

Last season, due to the Heat's lack of interior players, Malik started 73 games, averaging 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1 block, but his field goal percentage was only 42.4%.

He had a stint as a starter and didn't want to be a substitute anymore, so he played incredibly hard. However, his talent was too poor; his only decent skill was his open mid-range jumper. If nothing unexpected happened, last season was his career peak.

Based on this ten-man rotation alone, Xiao Tu felt that the Heat's roster depth was quite good. The rest were fringe players who didn't get much playing time, so it didn't matter if they were a little less skilled.

The Heat's only weakness is the lack of a physical, role-playing center, which is something they simply can't solve.

Six minutes later, Riley brought on a starting lineup led by Xiao Tu and Wade, continuing to widen the gap.

Xiao Tu showed no mercy to his opponent, repeatedly passing the ball to Wade to isolate and attack Iverson during the counterattack. He would lob the ball high, but Iverson couldn't steal it, and then easily pushes it away.

Today, Wade's fan filter shattered. Before the game, he never expected himself to be so good, easily dominating his idol. And Iverson seemed a bit weak, unable to break the zone defense, his jump shots were constantly missing, while Wade was just a handful. During the summer, Wade had been practicing one-on-one with Xiao Tu, almost losing confidence, feeling like a useless player only capable of driving to the basket. Today, he realized he could become a star, possibly even in his rookie season.

As long as Xiao Tu is willing to pass the ball, Wade is really having a blast.

In the second half, Ford rested Salmons and brought in rookie Kyle Korver, who is good at catching and shooting, in order to better create space for their offense.

Korver was stunned when he came on. "I'm supposed to guard Sebastian Shaw?"
Without saying a word, Xiao Tu took over the game, making all four of his field goal attempts, including two of his three-point attempts and two of his free throws, easily scoring 12 points.

He also dished out two assists, leading the Heat on an offensive run. The Heat's lead reached 42 points, and the game quickly became garbage time.

Kyle Korver, standing at 201cm and weighing 96kg, was only selected 51st overall in the second round by the Nets, mainly because of his terrible defense. He should improve after training with the Jazz; right now, he's a complete defensive liability.

The Nets practically gave Korver away to the 76ers for free, using the cash to buy a printer for their office. Ford, whose value rivals that of a printer, is baffling. Why would they assign Korver, whose worth is comparable to a printer, to guard Shaw?

Riley called a truce, substituting all the starters and giving the substitutes a chance to play.

Many fans who were initially uninterested in the Heat started chanting "Shaw," hoping he would play a little longer.

肖途仅出战了23分钟，16投13中，三分球7中5，罚球4中4，狂砍35分11篮板13助攻1抢断1盖帽，零失误。

韦德打了25分钟，14投11中，罚球6中5，砍下27分4篮板4助攻1盖帽。

The Heat's starters sat on the bench chatting, all in high spirits. The 76ers hadn't substituted Iverson yet; he played the entire third quarter before leaving the court for a rest.

艾弗森出战31分钟，21投7中，三分球5中1，罚球6中4，得到19分3篮板5助攻1抢断，还有3次失误3次犯规。

The Heat defeated the 76ers 110-73 in the final score, a total of 37 points.

If it weren't for Willie Green's 8 points off the bench and Mark Jackson's 7 points in the final quarter, the outcome would have been unimaginable.

After the game, the Heat players, led by Xiao Tu, waved to the fans around them.

Contrary to what happened at the start of the game, they received a much louder round of applause; few people seemed to care about the 76ers anymore. Iverson remained silent, shook hands with Eddie Jones, and returned to the locker room, his face even darker.

The 76ers' defense is worse than last season, and their offense hasn't improved either.

After playing only one preseason game, Iverson is already planning to pressure management to replace the coach as soon as possible. With such a terrible coach, the 76ers will be lucky to even make the playoffs, let alone win a championship.

That night, the Heat team returned to Miami, and Xiao Tu enjoyed a nice, lazy sleep at home.

The next morning, Xiao Tu made tomato and egg noodles and ate lunch while browsing the news online.

After making money, Xiao Tu's first thing was to buy a computer so he wouldn't have to go to internet cafes anymore.

The Heat's big win over the 76ers made the news, and Xiao Tu's 30+ triple-double received a lot of praise. Fans left messages of support and were optimistic about his prospects in the new season.

The rosters for each team in the preseason were almost identical to those in the regular season. Xiao Tu's triple-double in just 23 minutes can only be explained by his exceptional skill, not luck.

Many fans online are also fiercely criticizing 76ers head coach Chris Ford, calling him trash. They also believe the other 76ers players are trash, and that he's the reason Allen Iverson has never won a championship.

One question was lurking in the comments: "Could the 76ers' crushing defeat be attributed to Iverson's low shooting percentage?"

Then this person was also heavily criticized, and fans thought he was just a stupid, ignorant person.

It's perfectly normal for Iverson to have a low shooting percentage; he's always double-teamed. The key to winning is scoring more points, not shooting percentage! If Iverson doesn't shoot, who else can?

Xiao Tu took a deep breath, inwardly lamenting that he had played too unselfishly. Actually, if he scored enough points, fans would accept a slightly lower shooting percentage.

But he plays a combination of driving, passing, and shooting, and the Heat have too many players who can score.

(End of this chapter)