Basketball miracles

Chapter 234 [Triple-Double King, Lacking Confidence]

After Alston came on, the Heat's offense flowed much better; apart from Brian Grant, all four players could orchestrate the offense.

Odom received the ball at the high post and facilitated the play. Grant ran to the left and set an off-ball screen for Xiao Tu. Xiao Tu cut back to the three-point line, received Odom's pass, turned, and made a smooth fadeaway jump shot that swished through the net! 19-7.

His movements were fluid, his right leg swinging forward while his left leg landed on the ground. Even if Prince managed to get around the screen, he couldn't block the shot; he didn't even have time to jump.

Okur's defensive switches were also slow; he doesn't have the habit of diving out to defend three-pointers, and he's never practiced that before.

Heat fans applauded wildly, feeling that they were sure to win today! Although Xiao Tu rarely dunks, his scoring ability is superb. He can attack with the ball or run off-ball to receive the ball and shoot, making him unpredictable for opponents.

Heat commentator Eric Reid exclaimed, "Shaw's jump shot was so beautiful, it reminded me of McGrady with the Magic. He started the game 4-for-4 from three-point range. If he continues to play like this, he could be a contender for the scoring title this year!"

Teams tend to collapse their formations and don't focus on defending three-pointers. Xiao Tu has exploited this in three consecutive games, launching a barrage of three-pointers at the start of the game. He waits until the opponent's formation expands before driving to the basket and passing the ball.

During the Pistons' offense, Hamilton made a mistake when passing the ball from the left to Prince in the middle. Xiao Tu suddenly bumped into Prince, causing him to lose his balance and fail to catch the ball properly. Odom in the paint got a steal.

This is what happens when someone with rich experience in the game, like Xiao Tu, doesn't gamble on steals. Knowing that Prince is thin and weak, he suddenly used a small trick to hit his shoulder, catching his opponent off guard.

The referee held his whistle in his mouth without blowing it, and Xiao Tu made no hand movements, relying solely on his strength advantage. In these situations where a call could be made or not, the referee's judgment criterion is based on who has a greater reputation.

Xiao Tu is a supernova, while Prince is nothing.

Alston received the ball and launched a quick counter-attack. His intention to pass to Xiao Tu was too obvious. The through ball in the middle was poked by Prince's long arm, and Ben Wallace picked up the ball and regained possession.

Pistons' offense was much easier for Billups to drive to the basket against Alston, who forced his way in for a layup. 19-9.

After that, the Pistons players began to double-team Xiao Tu, forcing him to pass the ball.

Odom had a mental lapse on the court, making careless passes and committing errors. When he took a big lead, he started trying to cause trouble.

Wade missed a fast break layup and had no advantage against Billups' defense. Xiao Tu grabbed an offensive rebound and attempted a putback, but missed his floater, indicating a drop in his shooting percentage.

As it turns out, most players don't necessarily have a higher shooting percentage the closer they are to the basket. The area under the basket is often crowded with strong players, and Xiao Tu's explosiveness isn't as formidable as it was in the 80s.

The Pistons haven't been able to score yet, and their players aren't getting easy shots.

The Pistons always rely on individual player ability. Billups faked a couple of shots and then missed a three-pointer in the middle. Ben Wallace grabbed the offensive rebound and tried to put it back in, but missed again. This time, Wade got the rebound.

Ben Wallace's offensive ability is frustrating; he can't even guarantee a shooting percentage in the paint, and he struggles to finish plays. But Coach Larry Brown likes him, encourages him to take more shots, and wants to develop him into a superstar center who excels on both offense and defense.

Wade led the fast break up the court, saw the Pistons players back on defense, stabilized the rhythm, and then passed to Xiao Tu. If there were no open shots, everyone would look for Xiao Tu; he had a key player on the court.

Xiao Tu received the ball on the left side of the three-point line, threatening three times. After dropping the ball, he dribbled between his legs, feigning a drive to the right, while simultaneously making obvious fake movements to mislead Prince into judging the direction. He paused briefly, took a step to adjust his direction, and just as Prince was about to react, quickly switched the ball to his left hand, combining it with a shift in his center of gravity to complete the breakthrough from the left.

Xiao Tu, with his foot on the edge of the penalty area, pulled the ball up, drawing Ben Wallace's attention. He then took a long stride towards the center, turned, and dribbled past his opponent before unleashing a powerful right-handed floater that swished through the net. 21-9.

The commentator couldn't help but exclaim "beautiful" twice! Unlike some players who rely on speed to get past defenders and then pull up for a layup against the defense, Xiao Tu, despite not having a physical advantage, relied purely on his technique to shake off the defender.

Brown called a timeout first. With just over half of the first quarter gone, Xiao Tu had already scored 14 points and missed only one shot.

Xiao Tu shocked the nation by hitting 15 three-pointers in the first two games. Brown's opening tactical setup still didn't prioritize three-point defense, which is quite characteristic of him.

Old-school coaches inherently look down on three-point shooters, always believing that shots from a distance are less accurate. Consistent three-point shooters were indeed rare in the NBA during the 8s and 90s, but this is 2003 now.

After the timeout, Riley didn't need to talk about tactics; he just needed to stick to the core-player style and let people pass the ball to Xiao Tu.

He praised Xiao Tu highly, feeling that Xiao Tu was really going to win the scoring title this season, and that he would definitely score a lot today.

Similar to the previous two games, after the timeout, the Pistons players double-teamed Xiao Tu relentlessly. Their interior players switched immediately when faced with a pick-and-roll, with Prince chasing him down. Brown also substituted Okur for the 201cm tall, 111kg backup forward, Collice Williams. Williams won the Sixth Man of the Year award with the Pistons in the 2001-02 season and possesses great athleticism.

Brown doesn't even dare to field Campbell in his usual twin-tower lineup anymore; this 213cm heavy center is even worse at defending pick-and-rolls than Okur. The Pistons are also playing small-ball now, and Prince is the tallest player on the court.

Every perimeter scorer in the league would struggle under such intense defense, making it impossible for Xiao Tu to get an easy shot. His adjustment was simple: he started drawing the defense and passing to teammates in better positions.

The Heat's low-post offense was terrible, but Grant was very accurate when he received the ball in the high post after setting a screen and made two shots.

Wade scored a layup once, and then started making silly mistakes again.

He drove to the basket again, only to be blocked by Ben Wallace. He also committed a turnover, which Hamilton stole and dunked on a fast break.

Rookie Wade has a physical advantage but lacks experience, and his ball handling is a bit rough.

Riley, unable to bear it any longer, simply substituted Wade and put Haslem at power forward. At this point, Xiao Tu switched to shooting guard, and Odom played small forward.

Riley's substitution was a stroke of genius. Brown certainly wouldn't dare let Hamilton guard Xiao Tu, and Odom would still be a mismatch against him. The Heat now have another catch-and-shoot option on the court, and Haslem's shooting is much more accurate than Wade's.

Odom and Haslem scored, making it harder for Xiao Tu to get shots, but the point difference continued to widen.

After Collides entered the game, the Pistons' offense remained stagnant. Hamilton was contained by Xiao Tu, who couldn't shake him off-ball. Xiao Tu is never afraid to outlast his opponent in a physical contest, and no one can wear him down.

Hamilton received the ball but didn't dare to shoot, immediately passing it out. Unless he completely shook off Xiao Tu, a forced shot would likely be blocked; the opponent's arms were too long.

The Pistons only had a slight advantage against Alston when Billups was matched up against him, and was able to score.

In addition, Ben Wallace finally made an impact on offense, cutting inside to receive the ball and driving to the basket, drawing a foul on Grant and making both free throws. He also sank both shots with perfect form, which was quite remarkable.

With one minute left in the game, Odom missed a mid-range shot on the right side against Hamilton's defense. The ball bounced off course and towards the left baseline, where Xiao Tu grabbed the offensive rebound and saved it.

As he jumped out of bounds, he also observed his teammates' positions and made an accurate one-handed pass to Alston at a 60-degree angle on the left.

Alston received the ball and easily blew past Billups who lunged for it, but his three-point attempt from the right 45-degree angle missed. Haslem and Ben Wallace flicked the ball together for the rebound, which was then snatched by Xiao Tu on the right.

Xiao Tu drew a double team on the right low post, then jumped and made a wide pass to Alston on the left 60-degree angle. This time, Alston used Grant's screen to get open and finally made a three-pointer!
After Xiao Tu reduced his shot attempts, his rebounds and assists surged, and it looked like he was about to record another triple-double. The home fans applauded wildly, and some people in the stands had already displayed a banner that read "Triple-Double King."

The beauty of a player combining drives, passes, and shots is that the statistics are comprehensive, making it difficult for the opponent to make targeted defenses.

With 15.3 seconds left in the first quarter, Xiao Tu finally scored again. He used a screen to get rid of Prince's defense, dribbled to the left 45-degree angle, took a step-back jumper, and scored off the backboard over Collis's defense.

The two are the same height, but Corliss's wingspan is not particularly outstanding.

The Heat led 36-19 in the first quarter, a 17-point advantage, and were riding high.

肖途打满整节8投6中，三分球5中4，得到16分5篮板5助攻2盖帽。

In the second quarter, Xiao Tu was substituted to rest, and Riley had Wade and Jones lead the substitutes.

He thought it was a foolproof plan, but the Pistons immediately started to close the gap.

The Heat's perimeter players are struggling with their shooting, and their short interior players can't effectively attack the basket. The team's offense has become the same as last season, consisting mainly of inefficient one-on-one plays with the ball.

Wade missed a mid-range shot, and his forced layup attempt was blocked by Campbell, leaving him losing confidence.

(End of this chapter)