Hello everyone, I'm A-Du.

Chapter 15

During halftime, the coaching staff had a friendly chat with Du Xiaoshuai, but did not give any new instructions. Instead, they turned to the other players and told them to set more screens for Du Xiaoshuai.

In reality, P.J. Carlesimo and Casey Blair just want to analyze and explore Durant's immediate impact potential through the preseason games as soon as possible, and then build a system and more tactics based on his strength, talent potential and technical characteristics.

The reason why our understanding of Du Xiaoshuai is so delayed cannot be entirely blamed on the coaching staff. After all, Du Xiaoshuai went to the Panda family for two months in the summer.

In order to protect Durant, the coaching staff dared not let him play too much in the Summer League, and the training camp was postponed. Naturally, the coaching staff could not fully understand a newly selected rookie.

Back to the game, the atmosphere in the 20,000-seat arena became even more boisterous, gradually putting pressure on the visiting SuperSonics.

According to the jump ball rules, the supersonic ball has possession.

The Suns intensified their double-teaming after halftime. Durant received the ball at the top of the key, and Raja Bell and Marion immediately surrounded him. Durant dribbled once, jumped, and passed the ball to Billups in the corner, but his long three-point attempt missed.

The ball was picked up by Jeff Green on the other side, who took a step and raised his hand for a layup.

Stoudemire jumped to contest, but missed. Chaos erupted under the basket. Collins grabbed the rebound, jumped up to dunk, but was swatted down by the Little King, who then forcibly grabbed the ball and threw it to Nash, who was starting to run.

Raja Bell and Marion, who were surrounding Du Xiaoshuai, rushed towards the half-court like lecherous wolves seeing a beautiful woman. Du Xiaoshuai followed closely, but it was a three-on-one situation in the frontcourt. Nash passed the ball to Du Xiaoshuai behind him with a bounce pass, and Raja Bell received the ball comfortably and made a layup.

The score was tied at 68-68.

Cheers erupted from the sidelines, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.

Only then did Billups rush into the three-point line and raise his hand to indicate that he was in the wrong.

If he were on another team, Billups might be a bit weak on offense, but he could contribute a lot on defense. He's a guard of all-around defensive caliber. But the Suns are too fast-paced. Even Nash, who is older than him, can outmaneuver him!

After receiving a pass from Billups, Du Xiaoshuai had just crossed the halfway line when Marion came up again, almost touching him closely, with Raja Bell standing not too far behind him.

Under Billups' command, the rest of the SuperSonics started running around frantically to stretch the defense, with Jeff Green even coming over to screen, but Durant was ready to launch a strong attack this time.

After a 20-minute halftime break, Du Xiaoshuai, having recovered a lot of energy and regained his form, decided to force two attacks to increase the offensive threat – go ahead and triple-team me!

He sets up a triple threat position, dribbles the ball in a wide arc with both hands, then dribbles between his legs, his long legs causing his body to sway dramatically.

Every move looks familiar, like a ritual before shooting, but the better the defender reads him, the more uncomfortable it is. Du Xiaoshuai's every move seems to be the same, but each move hides several consecutive offensive routes, and each offensive route has several scoring moves. Each move requires the defender to do their best to put pressure on him, otherwise he can score in the blink of an eye.

Du Xiaoshuai's physical talent is so overpowered that it's almost impossible to control.

But what's most disgusting is his skill level. It's nothing like a rookie; he's more skilled than a veteran who's been in the league for ten years!

Even for players with slightly less natural talent, if they work hard to build up enough skills, one-on-one defense is extremely demanding on the defender's on-the-spot adaptability; the slightest lapse in concentration will result in a free win.

When Durant started to attack aggressively, Marion was immediately under pressure. Raja Bell rushed forward to double-team him, but Durant flicked his wrist, the basketball darted between his fingertips, and completed a standard "prayer" move. He then made a large change in his body, causing Marion and Bell to collide. Seizing the momentary opening, he gathered the ball, raised his hand, and shot!

Say thank you!

Du Xiaoshuai leaned over, reaching out to Rastadmaier while flashing a buck-toothed smile.

"Slap!" After slapping away Du Xiaoshuai's well-intentioned hand, and waiting for Marion to run over and pull him up, the little tyrant got up and muttered a couple of words starting with "F".

"Drag step!"

A chorus of boos erupted from the stands, with some shouting "traveling!" The director replayed Du Xiaoshuai's breakthrough move in slow motion on the large screen overhead.

It was confirmed to be a clean dribbling feint!

At this moment, the Suns' fast break had already reached the basket, and Stoudemire received the ball in the Horns area, over Joe Smith, and then, as if venting his frustration, turned around and jumped to dunk.

Substitute Chris Wilcox was unable to cover in time and could only watch as the opponent scored.

"Thank you." Little Tyrant shouted at Du Xiaoshuai again as he returned to defense, as if in a fit of pique.

Du Xiaoshuai remained expressionless, but turned to Marion on the other side and added, "Thank you."

So, in the final quarter, whenever either side scored, "thank you" and "say thank you" kept coming from the field, and the fans and coaches on the sidelines noticed it too.

Although the referee warned both sides, they continued talking, but no penalty was imposed.

After all, "thank you" is indeed a polite expression. It's a preseason game, and as long as there's no fighting, there's no need to blow the whistle for trash talk.

In the fourth quarter, with 1:03 remaining and the score at 122-120, the SuperSonics were still leading, but the Suns had possession.

On the court, Stoudemire had stopped arguing, and it had become Durant's one-sided output.

This means that Stoudemire has no time to pay attention to pointless trash talk and starts to focus on winning or losing the game.

During the recent long timeout, Stoudemire saw the player statistics for both sides handed to him by the assistant coach and immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

59分8篮板11助攻7盖帽2抢断2犯规2失误，三分14投9中，罚球才5中5！

What kind of ancient data is this?

Even Zhang Liangwan wouldn't dare to fight like that, right?

The combined total of Xiao Bawang's 31 points and Nash's 27 points didn't even equal his individual score!

What's even more alarming is that the other stats still show a near triple-double!

What are the other Supersonics players doing?

If we lose this match, we'll really lose all face!

The four screens above the center of the stadium were also displaying a list of player statistics from both sides in turn.

Du Xiaoshuai's incredible stats quickly caused a sensation in the arena.

Regardless of the outcome tonight, a monster who has just entered the world of basketball will surely make history.

As the commentators on the radio passionately recounted past preseason records, many fans who came to watch the game looked on in disbelief.

The Suns, who had been running all game, were a bit slower than before. Nash dribbled the ball across half-court, and the SuperSonics' defense quickly got into position. Billups stared at Nash with a serious expression, but dared not get too close.

The Suns players made quick runs, and Nash made a long pass that led Raja Bell to shake off his matchup Green and penetrate the defense to drive straight to the basket.

Stoudemire sets a screen, and Raja Bell drives through the basket for a reverse layup.

The basketball had just hit the backboard when a large hand, like the palm of Buddha, pinned it to the backboard.

"Raja is going for a layup, he's going to—whoosh—whoosh—" The home commentator suddenly stopped speaking, as if a goose had its throat stuck.

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

Du Xiaoshuai, who had just landed, swiftly and powerfully snatched the basketball, held it high to avoid the hand that was jumping up and grabbing at it, and tossed it to Billups.

Less than a minute later, the Supersonics took the lead, but the experienced Halibut maintained his rhythm and dribbled the ball past half-court just before the eight-second violation.

With his teammates all spread out, the ball came to Du Xiaoshuai's hands in less than 7 seconds of the SuperSonics' offensive possession.

There are 34 seconds left on the clock.

The entire stadium fell silent instantly.

If this shot doesn't go in, the Suns still have a chance given their offensive pace.

But Du Xiaoshuai's performance today was too exaggerated, with a shooting percentage close to 80%, and he almost always made the shot when the ball was in his hands.

Such a shooting percentage would be normal for someone like Durant, who would become a legend in later generations. The only limitation is physical exhaustion, which means he can only take a dozen or so shots per game. You often only see shots like 13 out of 17, 12 out of 15, or 8 out of 12. But in today's league where offensive rules are not yet fully liberalized, it's simply godlike.

After dribbling the ball a couple of times, Ragabel and Marion surrounded him again.

Durant gestured for Jeff Green, who had come over to set a screen, to retreat. Durant then activated his "Grim Reaper" mode, dribbled between his legs, changed direction, took a large step to the side, and executed a double-double step-back jump shot with a fadeaway.

Raja Bell...

Shawn Marion...

With one set of moves, he created a gap of at least two meters between the two defenders on the wide three-point line!

Aside from Durant's form, who can defend against him?

The frustrating thing is, he still managed to easily sink the ball—and it went in!

125: 120.

The sun is hanging in the air.

The hearts of the more than 20,000 home fans were in suspense.

"Say thank you." Du Xiaoshuai grinned at Stoudemire from afar.

The Suns' offense, even in the final moments, still had the seven-second rule ingrained in their bones. After a pass, the ball returned to Nash, who had retreated to the three-point line, and he made the shot!

125:123.

19 seconds left, there's hope!

The Suns committed a tactical foul on Billups.

Billups made one of two free throws, then made the second one – what a disappointment.

126:123.

15 seconds left, hope is greatly increased!

The Suns continued their fast break.

Du Xiaoshuai quickly retreated to defend.

Nash led the charge into the three-point line, preparing to break through to the basket and pass the ball. Du Xiaoshuai immediately switched defense and rushed over to hug Nash.

Nash hesitated for a moment, then quickly made a shooting motion under Durant's massive presence. The referee called a defensive foul on Durant, but the ball almost missed the backboard.

Nash takes a free throw.

P.J., who was on the sidelines, instinctively wanted to yell, but when he realized it was Durant who had fouled him, he could only shrug.

"Good job!"

During the free throws, Nash suddenly felt a sense of admiration for the rookie in front of him.

Durant fouled for two reasons: to stop the Suns from getting going, to deny them three-point opportunities, and to gamble on Nash's 90% free throw percentage.

What if he misses? Doesn't Billups usually have over 80% free throw percentage?

The so-called "basketball IQ" probably refers to someone like Du Xiaoshuai, who doesn't need to be taught. In crucial moments of the game, he can remain calm and use the rules to make the most advantageous choices for himself, giving the opponent no chance, even if the situation is not good.

Du Xiaoshuai pointed to his head.

Would you believe I have more basketball experience than you? Naïve!

Nash of the 180 Club made both free throws, making it 126-125.

Collins serves with a tight full-court press.

The ball was lobbed high and passed directly to Durant, who had run out after the screen, and the Suns committed another foul.

Durant made both free throws this time.

128:125.

Only 12 seconds left.

Switch to Supersonic for full-court press.

Marion received the ball, saw Du Xiaoshuai reach out to steal it, passed it to Raja Bell, and then passed it to Hill.

Hill took a three-pointer, missed, and Stoudemire grabbed the rebound and passed it to Nash outside the three-point line.

Nash raised his hand and threw it.

Du Xiaoshuai spread his wings in the air and flew out from the side, his fingertips scraping under the basketball in mid-air.

Bread balls!

This time, Raja Bell was close enough to retrieve the ball, then flicked it off the ground and it returned to Nash's hands.

But after pointing at the cap, Durant came up to Nash again, waving his hand. There was no chance for Nash to shoot, so Nash turned and passed the ball to Marion.

Marion's quick shot missed, and the rebound was secured by Thomas. However, the Suns quickly surrounded him, and Thomas had no chance to shoot. The ball was pulled out of Raja Bell's arms again.

Raja Bell passed to Stoudemire, who then passed to Marion from the other side. Jeff Green blocked Marion, and the Hacker dribbled once before handing the ball to Nash, who was running over.

With only 2 seconds left, Nash raised his foot and hand beyond the three-point line, and launched a shot with a 60-degree fadeaway.

Durant pounced like an old Indian dove, his exaggerated wingspan making it impossible for Nash to dodge even after he had tried his best to raise the arc of his shot!

"Bang!" The basketball was slapped out of bounds like a volleyball, and before it even hit the ground, the red light on the backboard had already lit up.

"Beep—" The final whistle blew, and the game ended.

The score was 128-125, with Durant's block sealing the victory for the SuperSonics!