Hello everyone, I'm A-Du.

Chapter 20 Strange Tattoos

At the end of the first quarter, the SuperSonics substituted their starters, while the Nuggets only substituted Anthony, Najera, and Camby.

On the court, Ai and J.R. Smith, along with their substitutes, were preparing to widen the score gap.

The defensive presence of J.R. Smith on the perimeter was noticeably weaker than that of West and Damian Wilkins, which inadvertently unleashed Smith's unpredictable scoring ability. Smith hit a three-pointer, a mid-range jumper, and drew a foul on Swift in about three minutes, scoring eight consecutive points until James Posey switched onto him to stop the scoring.

At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets led by 6 points, with the score at 37-43.

At the start of the second quarter, P.J. suddenly moved Durant to shooting guard, removed the inexperienced Jeff, and let James Posey continue playing small forward, leading the other starters to chase the score.

Billups initiated the attack from a high position, Posey and Thomas spread out, and Du Xiaoshuai received the ball at the top of the arc.

This time, Karl also brought in Kenyon Martin to defend Durant at the high post.

Martin, with his explosive athleticism, height, strength, and speed, is a bit lacking in defensive skills, but Camby and Anthony can always help defend him.

Durant and Billups set a screen, and Durant dribbled a step into the three-point line. As Anthony abandoned Thomas to come over for help defense, Durant pulled up for a jump shot.

"Swish"

39:43.

Du Xiaoshuai's exceptionally high release point allows him to shoot with great ease, showcasing his mastery of the mid-range shooting touch honed over twenty years.

On the next play, Iverson dribbled quickly across half-court, encountered Durant's help defense inside the three-point line, and passed the ball to JR. JR then handed it to Anthony, who dribbled one step, turned to avoid Thomas's help defense, and drove into the paint to score a layup.

Running to the frontcourt, Du Xiaoshuai came to the wing again. Billups missed a shot, and the rebound was deflected by Collins. Du Xiaoshuai jumped, caught the ball with one hand, and slammed it in mid-air.

After landing, Durant executed a one-legged fadeaway jump shot, and Camby, who was inside, flew out. His right arm, embroidered with the two clear Chinese characters "Mianzu," continued to expand as Durant raised the arc of his shot.

"Swish." Another goal.

41: 43.

They scored four consecutive points to close the gap.

On the way back on defense, Durant pointed to the tattoo on Camby's arm, who looked somewhat dejected, and asked, "Do you know what these two Chinese characters mean?"

"Of course," Camby replied proudly. "I had the tattoo artist choose it for me; it represents hard work and family."

Sure enough, people tend to show off what they lack most.

Uh—Du Xiaoshuai was speechless. Which brilliant person helped you choose that?

Don't foreigners know how to use a dictionary? They can just Google it!

Do you even understand Chinese? You just got it tattooed! Won't it hurt to remove it?

These two words are completely unrelated; even I, an old Chinese man, can't understand them! It would be better to get the simple letters "SB" tattooed on your face and suffer less.

"You should go back and find that tattoo artist. You can sue him and get some compensation," Du Xiaoshuai kindly advised.

While I'm at it, I'll use the money from the compensation claim to fix my brain!

Camby was immediately unhappy. Although he didn't understand what Du Xiaoshuai was trying to say, he felt that the other party was showing off his intellectual superiority, a feeling of dislike he only had when facing white elites.

Back in the backcourt, Du Xiaoshuai positioned himself in the right short corner zone for zone defense.

J.R. Smith set a screen for Anthony, who made a shot from the elbow.

41: 45.

Du Xiaoshuai patted JR's butt in front of him affectionately, preparing to return to his half of the court for an attack.

If Camby is unhappy, J.R. Smith is a mindless tattoo freak with a full back and arms covered in strange tattoos, even his neck is embroidered with weird patterns, making him look quite fierce.

Tattoos are a second form of camouflage for Black people.

Unlike the disdain for tattoos in China, tattoos are a fashion trend abroad. The league has a large number of black people with all kinds of tattoos, and even star players have tattoos.

Didn't you see the young emperor also got a "Chosen one" tattooed on the back of his neck? The boss and the old rogue also have all sorts of tattoos on their bodies.

In the next possession, Durant received the ball on the perimeter. The Nuggets' perimeter defense seemed to close in like a pocket. Durant passed the ball to Posey, who missed the shot. Durant then drove into the paint, grabbed the offensive rebound, and established position under the basket. He received the ball and drove hard, with Camby guarding him. As if he had no teacher, Durant began to show off his dreamlike footwork: a toe-step, a turn to hide the ball, a shift of weight, a dribble to the basket, dodging Camby's jump, grabbing the ball back with his large hand, a fake roll back to the other side, avoiding Martin's steal, and then jumping with his other foot for a layup. It was a basket!

43:45.

The fans behind the basketball hoop got a clear look at Du Xiaoshuai's movements and gasped in surprise.

Is this Hakeem Olajuwon's dream walk?

This rookie who just entered the league has such poor basketball talent and skills!

After the second quarter, the score was 57-58, with the SuperSonics trailing by one point.

这一节杜小帅打了十分钟，10投6中，3分2中1，罚球2中2，又拿了15分。

During the break, Charles Barkley said from the broadcast booth, "Halfway through the game, I witnessed the second overall pick's dazzling and efficient scoring performance firsthand. I can confidently say that Kevin has already secured Rookie of the Year. You simply can't describe his playing style; perhaps 'all-powerful' is the most accurate description of him, not an exaggeration! Tonight's debut will definitely break many records, just as we expect..."

Kenny Smith nodded in agreement, looking quite approving. Charles had already said everything he wanted to say, and even the bag had been taken away. What could he say? He was just short of saying, "Me too."

The composed Ernie Jensen poured cold water on the situation, saying, "Yes, I don't deny Kevin's excellence. My evaluation of him is no lower than yours. But, Charles, did you notice that the SuperSonics were still trailing at halftime? Is that related to his playing style? There are many stars in the league who are very strong, but they just can't lead their teams to victory. What I mean is, perhaps Kevin needs to learn how to lead his teammates instead of putting up great numbers in vain."

"What more do you want Kevin to do? He's done everything we could imagine. The SuperSonics are a rebuilding team, while the other team has AI and Carmelo Anthony, who are two of the best scoring machines in the league right now. I don't think there's much to say about that," Barkley said dismissively.

"So, who do you predict will win the second half?" Ernie, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, asked.

"Without a doubt, it's supersonic," Barkley said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, why?"

"We interviewed Kevin about this before the game, and he told us that no matter how many points the Nuggets score, he will surpass them!" Barkley said solemnly.

"That's not what he said," Kenny interrupted Barkley's performance.

"That's not important..." Barkley said irritably, changing the subject. "Let's look at the cheerleaders first. The Nuggets' outfits are so bright, baby blue, my favorite color, it makes my skin look so fair! Whew—it's so good to be young."

......

After halftime, the entire starting lineup came out, and the Supersonics had possession.

Durant made an off-ball movement, used Green's screen to cut out, received a pass from Billups, and scored a long two-pointer.

59:58, the score has been reversed.

At the start of the third quarter, apart from Du Xiaoshuai's first basket, both teams went through a scoring drought of about three minutes.

Iverson missed two mid-range shots and had his pass blocked by Collins under the basket. Anthony fared even worse, missing three mid-range and long-range shots due to interference when he was guarded by Durant. On one occasion, he was blocked twice by Durant under the basket, and his forehead was practically seeing stars. He truly deserves the title of "the saint of being blocked".

Durant's shooting touch also started to fluctuate, mainly because the Nuggets began to double-team and increase the intensity of the game. He missed all three of his high post and three-point shots, and the effect spread to Billups, Thomas and Green.

Billups drew fouls but missed both of his shots!

With 6 minutes and 40 seconds left in the third quarter, J.R. Smith finally sank a bold three-pointer from the corner, activating the offense for both teams.

59-61.

Billups and Durant executed a pick-and-roll, and with Durant's tall and solid screen providing cover, Billups drove to the basket and scored with a floater.

61 square meters.

The Nuggets had possession. JR Smith passed the ball to Iverson in the half-court. Iverson quickly shook off Billups and drove to the basket, scoring despite Thomas's help defense, and also drew a foul.

61-64, and the free throw went in.

Du Xiaoshuai received the ball and dribbled across half-court. Facing Anthony and JR behind him, he changed direction repeatedly, his thighs bouncing like grasshoppers, and like a sharp arrow, he broke into the paint, facing Camby and making a layup, drawing a foul in the process.

The free throw went in.

The score was tied at 64, a response goal that provided the answer.

"Let go Nuggets——"

At the crucial moment, the home fans, forming a wall along the sidelines, chanted slogans in unison!

At halftime, Iverson was still in possession of the ball during this possession.

Although Carmelo Anthony, whom they drafted and developed themselves, will undoubtedly remain the leader of the Nuggets after he joins the team, the entire Nuggets team, including the fans, still gives him a lot of respect.

Du Xiaoshuai's response seemed to ignite Iverson's competitive spirit. Iverson, holding the ball beyond the three-point line, beckoned to Du Xiaoshuai, calling out to defend him.

The fans on the sidelines erupted in a tsunami of cheers; this kind of individualistic, heroic playing style will never lack fans.

Du Xiaoshuai solemnly moved to the three-point line, spreading his arms wide in an exaggerated defensive stance.

Although he wasn't a fan of the Answer in his previous life, Durant never doubted the Answer's ability to dominate the league with his small size and big size.

Height is the only weakness of the answer; he has almost maxed out all other talents.

Basketball is not like the game of catching chicks; offense has always been superior to defense, and this advantage will only grow stronger in the future.

At the peak of his career, Answer's footwork remained fast and sharp. His right-hand cut and breakthrough were obvious, and Durant dared not relax at all, keeping up with him with small, quick steps.

Answer's dribbling is most easily underestimated; his height disadvantage actually makes low-altitude dribbling easier. When he ducks down to steal the ball, it's very difficult for the defense to predict where the ball will land next.

Like a mouse, AI darted past Du Xiaoshuai's thighs and rushed to the basket. Suddenly, AI burst into a leap, crossed the restricted area, and lifted the basket from the other side.

Martin, under the basket, helped screen for Collins's block, and the two became entangled.

Seeing Iverson drive into the basket, Du Xiaoshuai stepped back and leaned against Collins, using the momentum to cross his legs and turn his back, performing a 360° lateral shift to the other side of the basket. He jumped slightly, arriving first despite being behind, and slammed the basketball, which was about to bounce off the backboard, onto the backboard and grabbed it.

The ball is brought together with both hands in the air, and the sound of the hands hitting the ball seems to burst the basketball.

"oh--"

Everyone in the audience sighed with regret.

The answer to that shot was perfect, but Durant's talent was simply too extraordinary.

"Wow—Kevin's talent is incredible! So tall and so agile, he's practically the ultimate basketball model!" Kenny exclaimed from the sidelines, showering him with praise: "Who can stop him in the future!"

Smith, who won a championship with Hakeem Olajuwon, used to think that Olajuwon's talent template was the perfect combination of offense and defense. He never expected that just 10 years later, the league would produce a template like Kevin Durant who would redefine the upper limit of basketball talent.

Durant said that you guys are still too inexperienced and lack imagination. Putting aside everything else, the future Spurs will be able to crush me with their talent.

However, as long as I don't play as a substitute, I shouldn't be able to face that squishy player many times before I retire.

During the transition between offense and defense, Du Xiaoshuai passed the ball to Billups and then ran into the attacking area to establish position.

Billups directed a series of tactics, creating space for Durant to make a bounce pass.

Du Xiaoshuai received the ball with his back to the basket and started a three-threat shot in the corner area. He was guarded by the opposing center Camby. Du Xiaoshuai dribbled solidly twice, turned to face the basket, and made a 45° bank shot.

66-64.

......

The five Nuggets players on the court received the ball somewhat discouragedly and attacked with their heads down.

Du Xiaoshuai's 45-degree backboard shot was solid and steady, much like another number 21 draft pick.

Of course, having faced the Spurs more than ten times in the West, everyone in the Nuggets knows that while the 45-degree bank shot is Tim Duncan's signature offensive move, his greatest strength has always been his cornerstone-level system defense.

With Durant's height and wingspan, he could easily emulate any power forward model, but learning from Duncan would be the slowest and most difficult.

Because Tim's defense is system-based, he not only has to do his blue-collar work to the extreme, but also needs to coordinate with certain teammates, although the requirements for the teammates' strength do not need to be too high.

To paraphrase a famous legend, talent is merely the threshold for the Stone Buddha.

This is also why Oden, with his Duncan + Russell model, was a sure bet for the number one pick in this year's draft.

Even though they knew it, the five players on the field still felt a sense of frustration at being overwhelmed by talent.

There are always some weirdly gifted kids, but this year's is especially disgusting! The eldest got hurt, and the second one is even more monstrous!

After being blocked by Durant, Iverson stopped focusing on offense and started playing a two-man offense with Anthony.

It's not that Durant is backing down. If it were AI from six or seven years ago, this one-on-one duel would definitely continue. Now, traded to the Nuggets, his one-man-one-team legend status has been shattered, and he has a somewhat dependent air about him. Moreover, Durant is just a rookie who hasn't even played a single regular season game. Back then, when he faked out Jordan, Michael Jordan didn't chase after him.

Now that you've been outshone by a gifted newcomer, you have the nerve to hold a grudge? Where's your magnanimity? Where's your perspective?

With Iverson's height, he played in the league for over a decade and had been blocked countless times. He took every single one of those blocks seriously and couldn't possibly keep track of them all.

Turning around, Anthony received the ball and went one-on-one against Durant, but was again disrupted and missed. Green got the ball and passed it to Billups to initiate an attack. Durant had a strong defensive counter-attack awareness and ran quickly up the court. Jeff Green, being young, also kept up. Billups flicked the ball with one hand, making a long pass across half the court to Durant. The ball bounced past Green, but was suddenly intercepted by Iverson who rushed out.

AI steadied the basketball, ran back quickly, and drove straight to the basket. Without Du Xiaoshuai, the other inside players didn't have time to get back on defense, and he easily made the layup.

66, then a tie.

"Defend—" The fans in the stands waved number 3 jerseys and banners and cheered wildly.

This goal can be considered a response to the answer!

......