Basketball miracles

Chapter 233 [The advantages and disadvantages are equally obvious]

The Pistons were on offense. After a few passes and some spacing, Hamilton drove hard to Eddie Jones on the left side and pulled up for a jump shot. Unfortunately, the referee blew the whistle too early, calling a pushing foul on Jones, so it wasn't a 2+1 play.

This is what happens when there are no whistles; the referee will notice even the slightest trick during defense.

The Pistons inbounded the ball from the sideline, and Billups, with his back to the basket, waited for an opportunity before making a bounce pass to Hamilton, who was running on the left.

Hamilton used off-ball movement to get past Jones and immediately shot after receiving the ball. Xiao Tu left Prince open and rushed in from the side to block the ball out of bounds.

Heat commentator Eric Reid exclaimed, "Shaw's another fantastic block! He's got two blocks to start the game and he's very active on defense."

Riley arranged for man-to-man defense, and since Xiao Tu's assigned defender was a poor shooter, he could provide help defense.

The Pistons inbounded the ball from the baseline, and Okur didn't have a good opportunity in the middle. Odom clung to him, proving that being shorter isn't a weakness.

After two more passes, with the 24-second shot clock about to expire, Billups drove hard through the middle and scored with a mid-range jumper. 0-2.

In a Heat half-court offense, Xiao Tu dribbled the ball across half-court. Grant pulled up to the perimeter to set a screen. Since the Pistons were man-to-man, his teammates needed to create mismatch opportunities for Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu broke free from Prince and dribbled laterally to the right side, but Okur was too slow to switch and set a screen.

In the last game, Larry Brown started Elden Campbell, a 213cm tall, 127kg center, and the pick-and-roll defense was very ineffective. Today, he decided to try Okur in the starting lineup, but Okur wasn't much better; both players had rather slow lateral movement.

Before Prince could get around the screen, Xiao Tu pulled up at a 60-degree angle and made a three-pointer! 3-2.

By 2003, the right 60-degree angle on the outside had become Xiao Tu's most important three-point shooting spot. The future fantasies of fans who could easily pull away the ball handler to prevent three-pointers were simply unrealistic.

The Pistons were on offense when Billups suddenly launched a shot from the perimeter, but it missed under Wade's interference. Xiao Tu easily grabbed the rebound, and no one on the Pistons was going to contest it with him.

Xiao Tu dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, and Grant leisurely walked to the three-point line to screen Prince for him.

Grant, with his experience, walked straight towards Prince without setting a screen, yet the referee didn't call a moving screen. It looked like Prince was foolishly facing Grant head-on, even pushing Grant's chest, and making dirty hand movements during defense.

Xiao Tu took a three-pointer from the middle, with two players between him, and no one blocked it. The ball swished through the net! 6-2.

After scoring, Xiao Tu felt much more at ease. The Pistons' defense wasn't as strong as he had imagined, and no one went to the perimeter to double-team him.

As long as Xiao Tu maintains his shot attempts, he firmly believes his scoring efficiency will be higher than the Pistons' players. If the others score a reasonable number of points, the game will likely be won.

In the Pistons' half-court offense, Billups couldn't get past Wade, so he backed down the ball to organize the offense, displaying a simple and unpretentious playing style.

Hamilton received the ball at a 60-degree angle on the right side, dribbled past Eddie Jones with a crossover dribble, and then drove past Grant, who was fiercely battling for position with Ben Wallace, to the basket. He's not actually a pure off-ball player; when he's confident, he'll drive hard with the ball, showing great agility and a quick first step.

Hamilton took three steps forward, leaving Prince wide open and standing under the basket with his arms raised but not jumping. Hamilton jumped up and collided with him, both falling to the ground. The referee blew his whistle for Hamilton charging.

Coach Larry Brown was stunned on the sidelines; Xiao Tu's help defense at the start of the game was unbelievable. Xiao Tu repeatedly left Prince open, and whenever the Pistons drove or forced a shot, he would appear under the basket.

Hamilton, sporting dreadlocks, looked helpless, refusing to argue with the referee and silently retreating to defend.

Xiao Tu dribbled past half-court and, outside the left three-point line, faced Prince, organizing the offense. He calmly waited for Eddie Jones to make a cut before passing the ball to him.

Xiao Tu wouldn't underestimate Prince and wouldn't try to force a shot directly. Standing at 206cm tall and weighing 98kg, Prince has a wingspan of 218cm; he's slender but has exceptional defensive abilities.

Jones received the ball at the horn and had a direct jump shot opportunity, but instead of shooting, he faked a shot, dribbled out to the three-point line, waited for Odom to set a screen for Hamilton, then dribbled inside the three-point line and made a long two-pointer. 8-2.

Although the ball went in, Xiao Tu felt that Jones had taken an extra step. This is a common problem among players in this era; in their minds, a mid-range shot is preferable to a three-pointer, and a long two-pointer is the most reasonable option.

The truth is that if a player takes that extra step, the shooting percentage is about the same, and a three-pointer becomes a two-pointer.

Xiao Tu's offensive strategy also targeted Okur, relentlessly attacking his defensive weaknesses. After playing for a while, he felt Okur was a bit of a liability, strong offensively but weak defensively, and decided not to recommend him to Riley. Okur is an excellent open-play center, but starting him wouldn't necessarily help the team win a championship; his strengths and weaknesses are equally obvious. After Rasheed Wallace joined, Okur became the Pistons' backup. If he starts for a significant amount of time, the Pistons will likely not be able to get past the Pacers.

The Pistons' half-court offense remained simple. Prince received a pass on a back-cut, had a shot opportunity but hesitated. Xiao Tu gave him two steps back, defending against drives but not shots.

Xiao Tu has a lot of experience defending players with this kind of big, monkey-like build. In the 80s, the Celtics' McHale had this kind of build, 2 cm taller than Prince and 3 kg thinner.

Prince wasn't confident he could make the mid-range shot, and Xiao Tu could step in to contest it. He dribbled the ball, and it was obvious he couldn't drive past him; Xiao Tu was stronger and had longer arms.

Prince could only pass the ball to his teammate again. Okur received the ball in the middle and went one-on-one against Odom, but his layup attempt missed. Okur yelled "Ah!" in an attempt to draw a foul, but the referee ignored him.

Odom grabbed the rebound and passed it to Xiao Tu to initiate a fast break, a 3-on-3 situation in the frontcourt. Xiao Tu seized the opportunity and made a bounce pass to Jones, who took three steps and drove to the basket, forcing a layup on the right side despite Hamilton's defense. 10-2.

Jones usually doesn't force his way in, but today was an exception. Hamilton is similar in height to him, but even thinner. Ben Wallace was still running back, and was a step too late to help defend.

The Pistons' half-court offense lacked a player adept at strong drives. Prince's lob pass to Okur almost resulted in a turnover. Finally, Hamilton's forced drive on the right wing was met with a double team in the low post, preventing him from getting a shot off. His jump pass resulted in a turnover, which Odom stole under the basket.

Odom dribbled forward from the middle of the penalty area, got rid of Ben Wallace, and drove the length of the court into the Pistons' paint, drawing Prince's help defense before passing the ball to the right corner.

With a 2-on-4 situation in the frontcourt, Xiao Tu seemed to be veering off course during the fast break. But when Odom passed the ball, Xiao Tu was wide open in the corner, and the four Pistons players who had run back were all clustered near the paint.

Xiao Tu received the ball and made a jump shot for a three-pointer, which swished through the net. 13-2.

The Heat started strong with an offensive surge, their fast breaks were incredibly sharp. Brown's defensive system, which favored shrinking the paint, gave Xiao Tu plenty of space to shoot.

The Pistons were on offense. After a few passes, Hamilton made a layup on the right side, drawing a foul from Jones, and was almost blocked by Xiao Tu's help defense.

This was Jones' second foul, and he was immediately substituted by Riley for a rest, with Alston brought on instead. Jones' physical condition has shown signs of decline since his serious injury last season, and he can no longer keep up with the younger players.

Hamilton made both free throws, making it 13-4.

Three and a half minutes into the game, the Pistons had only scored 4 points, their offense was ineffective.

Besides their strong defense, another characteristic of the Pistons is that their playing style is often considered unattractive. Larry Brown doesn't seem to know how to devise offensive plays, leaving players to rely on individual abilities. Players often don't even perform at their full potential because he doesn't allow them to shoot three-pointers freely.

The Pistons play a drawn-out, half-court style of basketball. Ultimately, basketball is a scoring game, and using a defensive, impenetrable defense is just torture for the fans.

Brown had only been there a short time, but he had already transformed the Pistons into a lifeless force. And this wasn't even the peak Pistons; in a parallel universe, their 2005 NBA Finals game against the Spurs could put the fans to sleep.

During the Heat's half-court offense, Xiao Tu passed the ball out, but it was difficult to catch it back. Prince began to closely guard him off the ball. Just as Xiao Tu was about to receive the ball on the right side, Prince poked it out of bounds.

The ball was inbounded, and Xiao Tu made an off-ball run, drawing the defense. Alston, who had just come on, dribbled on the perimeter looking for a screen, moving from the right to the left.

Grant stepped up to screen Billups, and Alston hit a three-pointer from the left 60-degree angle, which went in! 16-4.

Oku didn't jump; he only managed to reach out a hand briefly to slightly interfere.

On Pistons' offense, Billups played a pivotal role, dribbling to the left baseline and passing the ball through a gap between two players to the middle, where Okur cut to receive the ball, made a layup, and drew a blocking foul from Grant.

Okuga made the free throw for a 2+1 play, making it 16-7.

In three consecutive games, the Heat have had this kind of 2+1 play. Grant's multi-million dollar contract has three years left, and he can no longer jump high this season, so the 206cm power forward is playing center.

Next summer, the Heat's management's top priority will be to trade Grant.

(End of this chapter)