Hello everyone, I'm A-Du.

Chapter 5 First Battle with the Mavericks

The game started, and Robert Swift won the jump ball. He turned around and passed the ball to Du Xiaoshuai, who was just past the halfway line. His skill was so good that it was heartbreaking.

Du Xiaoshuai spread out his hands, even larger than in his previous life, caught the ball with one hand, dribbled behind his back to avoid Josh Howard, and taking advantage of the fact that the game had just started and the interior defense had not yet settled in, he took two steps with his long legs to approach the three-point line, then made a three-step layup, caught the ball in the horns, and stretched his body like an antelope leaping across a mountain stream—"Boom!"

A powerful dunk! 2-0!

Durant scored his first points in his professional career.

"Dunk!Wo——" The audience and commentators on the sidelines instantly got excited.

This attack was so sudden, but every move was a display of talent, it deserves to be in the top five goals of the day!

Viewers who had initially been skeptical of Durant's physique were suddenly filled with anticipation.

In the first game of the Summer League, Du Xiaoshuai was prepared to give everyone a surprise, and he didn't hold back at all in the following games.

In the second half, JJ Barea, the former Mavericks' secret weapon guard who won the championship in 11, inbounded the ball to Josh Howard, who slowly advanced the ball up the court.

"Bro, you've successfully piqued my interest." Howard, wearing a white number five jersey, muttered with sausage lips as he dribbled the ball towards Durant, who was coming to defend him.

The sneak attack just now made Du Xiaoshuai a little unhappy.

Perhaps in Durant's future view, Howard, who liked to use drugs, cheat contracts, and tank, was at best a near-All-Star level. But at this time, the outside world still regarded him as the Mavericks' top second option in the previous year's 67-win season. If it weren't for his poor performance in the playoffs, he could have squeezed into the All-Star level.

Even a guaranteed minimum score reflects the star player's prestige, right?

Judging from the regular season, he is a defensive specialist with all-around skills, but none of them are top-notch. He has a three-point shot, but his output and accuracy are not high. He has ball-handling and passing skills, but they are not enough to threaten him. His mid-range shot is good. He has explosive physical talent, but he is also quite reliant on his physicality.

A slightly cheesy, low-budget version.

But this is the Summer League, and the reduced intensity of the competition makes him look like a finished All-Star forward, earning him the nickname "Little LeBron"!

Standing outside the three-point line, Howard stopped the ball and saw Durant's huge wingspan wrapping around him like an octopus, practically blotting out the sky. He gritted his teeth and prepared to put some pressure on this rookie!

Tank-like breakthrough! Then a three-step layup! A crushing victory!

A side-shoulder collision, and I suddenly appeared!

What?!

Howard's feet were spinning like windmills as he slammed his broad shoulders into Durant's hardened chest, but he didn't break free. The collision of muscles and bones was even a little painful.

"That can't be right, this kid's got such a tough bone structure? And he's quite strong too!? Did I not run fast enough or did too many leaves fly by?"

Josh Howard, who was firmly blocked outside the three-point line, was a little confused. After losing the Finals, he was afraid of seeing negative news, so he stopped paying attention to any news in the league and focused on living a life of debauchery, drug use, and parties with the high salary he had cheated. He didn't pay much attention to Durant's evaluation of the draft.

I only saw what the second overall pick looks like today. I thought everyone was a handsome young man and the atmosphere would be quite harmonious.

I never expected this greyhound to be so fierce!

Forget it, breaking through defenses isn't my forte. Watch me turn the ball around!

This is our signature skill!

With a push of his shoulder, Howard took a step back, jumped with a lean back, and threw the ball with a bent arm. Whether it went in or not, the form had to look cool; it was his pride!

Do you see me lifting my leg like the gorilla next door?

With a "bang," a large, dark hand slapped the ball out of bounds the moment it left his palm.

There were gasps and shouts from the sidelines, and the loud voices of the on-site commentators were almost inaudible.

Howard suddenly got a little angry!

Damn it, this is so unfair!

You guys call this a rookie?

Du Xiaoshuai took two steps back expressionlessly, waiting for the opponent to serve. The cheers and shouts from the sidelines had no effect on him, as if they had been there for twenty years.

As the only leader on the Summer League team roster, Howard has to give the opponent a taste of his own medicine with his answer ball.

When Josh Howard took the ball back, Du Xiaoshuai stood in front of him again, his long arms outstretched and waving like a large umbrella.

Howard was much more serious now. He dribbled the ball a few times with his hands under his arm, then turned to the right to break through, only to be blocked by the opponent's bent thigh.

very good!

He dribbled between his legs, turned around, and drove to the left, but was blocked again.

Okay!

Turn around with your back to the wall, step back, and pass the ball.

Mavericks rookie Barea ran out to receive the ball behind Howard and quickly drove to the basket, but was blocked by the experienced SuperSonics point guard Andrian Griffin. The ball was then passed to Maurice Iger at the high post, and the rookie Iger raised his hand to shoot, but Durant flew over from the side and blocked it!

"oh--"

The stadium erupted three times in less than three minutes after the start of the game!

Durant, with the ball, charged toward the opponent's half. Howard, who had been embarrassed, became much more aggressive, using his defensive skills to delay and retreat.

Stepping back to the three-point line, seeing the opponent reduce their dribbling frequency, the experienced Josh Howard leaned forward and prepared to defend against the opponent's breakthrough.

Seeing Howard, who was half a head shorter than him, bending down to gather his strength, Durant stood a step outside the three-point line and took the shot.

I voted!

"Whoosh! Swish!" The crisp and pleasant electronic sound piercing through the net could be heard by everyone in the venue.

At that moment, Josh Howard instinctively jumped up to block the shot.

5-0!

"FK! So confident, and so accurate?!" Josh Howard's buck teeth almost fell out in shock.

As one of the most sought-after 3D players in the league, Howard may have been ugly and terrible, but his basketball talent was still obvious. He always hated the way tall and skinny shooting guards played. They could take a step to the three-point line and make a layup. If they tried to get close to him, they would dribble past him and rush in to dunk. If he took a step back to defend the drive, he would not defend the shot. He would take a step outside the three-point line and pull up for a jump shot!

Moreover, Spider-Man is not at a disadvantage in terms of size and strength, and his defense is even more difficult to deal with.

The only star player in the league who plays like this right now is McGrady, one of the four great shooting guards. However, while he's quite famous, he doesn't have that kind of exaggerated physique and accuracy.

Are all the rookies in this draft year so good? And this is only the second overall pick?

Undeterred, Josh Howard took the lead in defense and called out Du Xiaoshuai in the next few rounds.

The result was complicated!

Howard received the ball at the high post, turned, and jumped. This time he was prepared and wasn't blocked, releasing the ball smoothly. However, Durant's long arms completely blocked his view. The ball bounced off the rim and was protected by Robert Swift.

Supersonic offense. Griffin dribbles past half-court, Durant runs down the right wing. Howard closely follows him, constantly interfering with his arm. Durant suddenly makes a reverse cut, using Jeff Green's screen to create a half-step opening. Adrian Griffin's pass arrives precisely on time.

He received the ball high up, jumped, and shot—the entire motion was executed flawlessly. Howard, who had been closely following him, lunged forward, but Durant's wingspan was too long and his release point was too high.

The basketball traced a high arc.

"Swish!" The object went into the net without being hit.

7-0.

The Mavericks are on offense, and Howard is calling for the ball again.

This time he chose to drive to the basket, using his strong physique and the momentum of his run to create space.

But Du Xiaoshuai quickly slid in and kept up, blocking Howard's path. Howard was forced to stop and shoot, and Du Xiaoshuai, who was retreating, turned around and jumped to block the shot with incredible speed. Although he missed, the shot went wide again due to severe interference.

Mohammed Sigini grabbed the defensive rebound, and the SuperSonics launched a fast break, with Durant quickly sprinting up the court. Griffin made a long cross-side pass, and Durant received the ball just inside the three-point line. Howard wasn't fully in position yet, but Durant took the shot without hesitation.

Two points! Another one! 9-0.

The Mavericks coach called a timeout.

Howard returned to his seat, muttered curses for a while, and angrily threw his towel on the ground: "FU*K!...."

The rookies next to him didn't know what to say. After all, this was probably the biggest star in the entire Summer League. He was beaten like this, what could they say?

After he had vented his anger, the temporary coach came over with a tactics board and started scribbling and analyzing random things.

Back in his rest area, Du Xiaoshuai felt like he hadn't even broken a sweat. He drank the Gatorade his assistant handed him, listened to the temporary coach's excited praise, and maintained his domineering CEO demeanor with an expressionless face, exuding an air of arrogance.

This is nothing! Today I'm going to show you all how to use a knife to pull someone's butt—it'll open your eyes!

The remainder of the game quickly became a personal showcase for Durant. Back on the court, J.J. Barea broke the Mavericks' scoring drought with a layup from the corner.

2-9

With 6 minutes and 22 seconds left in the first quarter, Du Xiaoshuai received the ball and broke through the baseline. Facing the help defense of Howard and Popes, he rushed to the basket and scored with an alley-oop layup.

13-4

At 5 minutes and 25 seconds, Durant intercepted Barea's pass to Howard on the defensive end and dunked on a fast break.

15-6

At 4 minutes and 40 seconds, Durant made two consecutive crossovers at the right 45-degree angle, followed by a step-back three-pointer. Howard, who was defending with all his might, was completely shaken off balance and fell to the ground. Definitely a highlight reel play!

18-6

At 4 minutes and 02 seconds, Du Xiaoshuai switched to defend Barea and used his amazing wingspan to swat away the Puerto Rican defender's floater.

During the ball stoppage, Casey Blair called a timeout, substituting Jeff Green and veteran Blake Griffin for defensively strong shooting guard Dwayne Mitchell and veteran point guard Kareem Rush.

At 3 minutes and 35 seconds, Du Xiaoshuai received the ball and was immediately double-teamed by Howard and Iger. He passed the ball to Rush, who was open. Rush missed a three-pointer, but Du Xiaoshuai grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on the putback.

20-6

As time went on and the point difference widened, both sides reduced their defensive intensity, and the game gradually became more back-and-forth and the flow of the game improved.

Because Durant focused on scoring, Howard gradually gained space to shoot and scored 4 points in a row at the end of the quarter.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 35-14, with Durant scoring 28 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. He scored twice as many points as the entire opposing team! That's terrifying.

Howard made 2 of 8 shots, scoring 4 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist.

During the break, most of the neutral fans on the sidelines had turned into Durant's fans.

The scouts' notebooks are already filled with exclamation marks.

The media present, armed with cameras and microphones, tried to approach for interviews, but were stopped by the coaching staff.

At the start of the second quarter, Carlesimo gave Durant a rest, as planned.

Now it was Jeff Green's turn to lead the team. The young Jeff Green was still too inexperienced, and his teammates were substitutes like Mike Harris and James Miller, undrafted players whose names sounded impressive but whose actual abilities were weak. The Mavericks, who were determined to save face, quickly closed the gap to 42-26.

Three minutes into the second quarter, Casey Blair leisurely began calculating Durant and the starting lineup.

After returning to the court, Du Xiaoshuai unleashed another flurry of attacks, widening the score gap once again.

Dribble behind your back and then turn and shoot.

With his two-meter-long legs, he used the Euro step to get past two defenders and make a layup.

Double-teamed, he hit a double-handed fadeaway jumper and made the shot.

He stole the ball from Howard again, made a fast break from the backcourt, and glided up to dunk from just inside the free-throw line.

......

He showcased all of Durant's offensive skills from his previous life, playing with increasing ease and confidence.

At halftime, the score was 62-32. Du Xiaoshuai had already scored 46 points, shooting 20-for-24 from the field, 4-for-5 from three-point range, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, with an efficiency that was simply unstoppable.

Halftime, in the locker room.

Veteran Griffin patted him on the shoulder excitedly: "Brother, you're destroying them! As your teammate, I don't know how to stop you."

"Are you really a rookie?" Even as a veteran who had been wandering the league for many years, Kareem Rush had never encountered such an exaggerated rookie teammate.

"There's still the second half," Durant said casually, still exuding his characteristic arrogance.

Casey Blair, seemingly understanding Durant's meaning, was scribbling on his tactical board, almost as if he was about to write "score padding" on it.

Jeff Green was also excited. Having a reliable teammate is always a good thing. With Seattle rebuilding next season, he knows he's not cut out to be the team's leader, but he's more than happy to be the second option. The stronger the leader, the more irresponsible the second option becomes...

After halftime, the Mavericks finally began to change their lineup. The Mavericks' interim head coach, Del Harris, is a senior assistant coach known for his rich experience and tactical knowledge, but he doesn't have many ways to deal with a rookie like Kevin Durant who has reached his peak right out of the gate. He moved Dwight Howard to the power forward position to avoid matching up against Durant, and both sides started happily racking up points again.

Before the third quarter was even halfway through, after Durant scored a dunk, a mid-range jumper, and three consecutive long-range three-pointers, the Mavericks, having had enough, started fouling him.

After making both free throws, Du Xiaoshuai, who had scored 61 points in three quarters, had to extinguish his hot streak and leave the court in disappointment—it would have been impolite to continue playing.

Hmm—my stamina hasn't completely run out yet. Looks like I can still handle the second half of the game in the evenings. It's so good to be young!

During garbage time, Josh Howard took advantage of the off-peak hours and scored a whopping 6 points in the latter part of the third quarter before finally leaving the court satisfied.

But at this point, everyone's attention was no longer on the field.

61 points, 25-for-29 shooting, 7-for-8 from three-point range, 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, 9 rebounds, 0 assists, 4 blocks, 5 steals, 1 foul, 0 turnovers, 22 minutes played...

The incredible stats and efficiency, even if only seen in the low-intensity Summer League, are still more valuable than those in the CBA. Keep in mind that the SuperSonics' bench player, undrafted Mike Harris, later became a CBA foreign player...

The audience was completely stunned...