January 18, 2008, Pauley Pavilion.
Four and a half months had passed since his rebirth. Excluding today's game against the USC Trojans, and two preseason invitationals, UCLA had achieved a record of 16 wins and 1 loss.
Winning isn't scary; being the one missing is embarrassing.
Zhao Xiu, from the "best spectator seat," essentially played Westbrook's role from last season. He had played 19 games, but Zhao Xiu averaged only 4.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game.
That's right, due to mostly taking catch-and-shoot threes, Zhao Xiu, who averaged 6 minutes off the bench, only had one assist in 9 games.
Looking at the UCLA players on the court battling fiercely with the Texas Longhorns, Zhao Xiu felt a sense of vastness in his heart.
Shooting Guard: Westbrook, a future NBA Hall of Famer, the strongest triple-double king in history, "The Brodie."
The original captain, Darren Collison, due to a strained left MCL, only returned three games prior. It wasn't until this season that Westbrook had the opportunity to move from the bench to the starting lineup and shine, but because of Darren Collison, he had to switch to playing shooting guard.
Point Guard: Captain Collison, a traditional point guard at 185cm.
Although Zhao Xiu didn't have a deep impression of him, he knew that Collison averaged over ten points per game for the Indiana Pacers and played many years in the NBA before retiring.
Since he could have a stable career and excellent performance in the NBA, there was no need to mention the NCAA; he was definitely a killer-level player. Also, since this was his third season, he had the deep trust of the coach.
Small Forward: Josh Shipp. Shipp: 196cm tall, also a junior. Like Collison, he was completing his third season under Coach Holland. He very clearly implemented UCLA's classic system of pass-and-cut offense, often being the finisher of UCLA's pass-and-cut plays.
Power Forward: Barmote, a player Zhao Xiu was very familiar with.
In Zhao Xiu's favorite 17-18 Rockets, Barmote's defense and three-point shooting off the bench were actually crucial. It's hard to say what would have happened in the Western Conference Finals if Coach D'Antoni, who always played a 7-8 man rotation, had an uninjured Barmote that year.
Barmote basically played 20-25 minutes per game for the Rockets, doing most of the dirty work, while also shooting threes and protecting rebounds.
It's hard to say if Barmote had been on the court, whether the Western Conference Finals would have been a little different.
Center: Kevin Love. Zhao Xiu knew "Love God" too well. As college teammates in this life, the two often exchanged tips on three-point shooting.
Look at this monstrous UCLA lineup. Sitting on the bench was Hamid, who used to be a regular starter and was known as one of the "Cameroon Twins" with Barmote.
As the seventh man in the rotation, Zhao Xiu felt his path to a starting spot was nowhere in sight.
Putting aside everything else, the NCAA court had two future NBA All-Stars and two starter-level players. How were others supposed to compete?
Zhao Xiu didn't have a habit of following the NCAA, but the NCAA championship was most likely already predetermined for UCLA.
Last season, with Westbrook coming off the bench and Love still in high school, UCLA had already reached the Final Four. This season, it was truly "the championship is mine."
For Zhao Xiu, with stable wins, his playing time might not change much this season, making it difficult to get more minutes.
The game had already reached the second half, but the Pauley Pavilion, which could hold 13,000 people, was already quiet. UCLA was uncharacteristically trailing by 20 points this season. The Trojans, led by OJ Mayo, ranked first among high schoolers nationwide, led the UCLA Bruins 51-31. UCLA was uncharacteristically suppressed on both offense and defense.
The on-court noise had been completely silenced by the nation's top high school player in his first year of college. OJ Mayo had scored 21 of the 51 points, leading the Trojans to silence the entire raucous Pauley Pavilion.
At this point, there were 7 minutes and 30 seconds left in the second half, and a 20-point deficit was too large. Coach Holland had essentially given up on the game. Since NCAA games only consist of two 20-minute halves, plus a 30-second shot clock, 20 points was basically a difference that could be given up on.
During the timeout, Coach Holland didn't make many adjustments. He simply took out junior Collison and senior Shipp, replacing them with Zhao Xiu. UCLA was essentially sending out a half-strength lineup early, almost waving a white flag.
At the end of the timeout, Coach Holland pulled Zhao Xiu aside and whispered, "Xiu, be decisive with open threes, pay attention to protecting rebounds, and watch out for fast breaks off long rebounds."
The timeout ended, and the Bruins' lineup was Westbrook, Zhao Xiu, Hamid, Barmote, and Kevin Love.
The first possession after the timeout was also the UCLA system.
The UCLA system primarily focuses on pass-and-cut, with four perimeter players and one interior player. The center holds the ball in the high post. Due to Love's stable outside shooting ability at this time, and the other four perimeter players, the interior space becomes very large, making backdoor cuts very easy.
At this moment, Love received the ball in the high post. Westbrook and Barmote were at the 45-degree angle and the top of the arc, respectively, outside the three-point line. Zhao Xiu and Hamid were at the weak-side corner and 45-degree angle, respectively.
Westbrook, at the strong-side 45-degree angle, passed to Love. Love received the ball in the right block with his back to the basket. Guarding Zhao Xiu in the left corner was four-star high schooler Davon Jefferson. He was 2.03 meters tall, the same height as Zhao Xiu, but Zhao Xiu's limited knowledge couldn't recall anything about him.
As Love began his post-up, constrained by Love's killer ability to average 17 points per game and his 260-pound weight, Davon Jefferson immediately started to collapse into the paint the moment Love began to pound. Love, knowing Zhao Xiu's three-point ability, immediately waved his big hand, and the ball arrived.
Zhao Xiu received the ball, pushed off and jumped, set his pivot, snapped his wrist, a standard and fluid shooting form. This was the perfect display of Zhao Xiu's unwavering dedication to his devilish training for five months since his transmigration, and his soft shooting touch.
"Swish!"
The basketball swished through the net, making the score 51-34. Sparse applause erupted in the arena. Fans didn't pay much attention to this new Asian forward, mainly because he was too obscure, played too little, and they hadn't put much effort into observing him.
After the shot, Zhao Xiu pointed at Love, expressing his gratitude. Then, on defense, he actively sought out Westbrook, patted Westbrook's butt, and motioned for him to lean in. Zhao Xiu said, "Give OJ Mayo to me."
Westbrook seemed a bit confused, as if he thought Zhao Xiu was questioning his defense.
Zhao Xiu continued, "You save your energy for offense, leave the defense to me. On offense, attack the rim more. Davon Jefferson's defense on me is very loose. Try to make him collapse into the paint. If they don't double-team you, then one-on-one, you can take him."
Now Westbrook understood and nodded at Zhao Xiu.
When the Trojans inbounded the ball, Mayo ran an off-ball play, using a screen to receive the ball at the 45-degree angle on the side. The moment he caught the ball, he was suddenly pushed back by a strong body contact, almost committing a travel. He couldn't help but feel confused, looked up, and saw that his defender had changed from Westbrook to Zhao Xiu.
The fans in Pauley Pavilion were also a bit surprised. It seemed their own young substitute had actively switched to guard the opponent's leading scorer. It was a small mismatch switch, but actively switching onto the opponent's hot-handed star player required great confidence in one's defense. It seemed this freshman, whom they usually didn't notice, had some skill.
The fans gradually regained some enthusiasm, and OJ Mayo also became interested. He looked at the newly entered Zhao Xiu, motioned for his teammates to clear out, and began to dribble at the 45-degree angle for a one-on-one. Once one side was clear, OJ Mayo gradually started to dribble with small shifts in his center of gravity.
OJ Mayo was 196cm tall with a 198cm wingspan. His various large-scale changes in center of gravity, dribbling, and subsequent crossovers for drives and jump shots made him unstoppable in the NCAA league. Zhao Xiu remembered that although OJ Mayo entered the Grizzlies and was cultivated as a core player for two or three years, he was eventually given up on due to various off-court reasons like drug use.
But even if he was inadequate as a primary scorer in the NBA, OJ Mayo was still a super rookie who could consistently deliver nearly 20 points from the start. Although he didn't make the All-Star team, in the NCAA, he was definitely what scouts described as having a template between Jordan and Kobe.
As OJ Mayo began to dribble, Zhao Xiu, knowing his shooting ability, immediately defended a bit closer, not giving OJ Mayo a chance to pull up for a shot.
Mayo made a quick between-the-legs dribble, then a quick jab step to the right, followed by a large crossover to the left. Just after the crossover, Mayo, who intended to teach this bold newcomer a lesson after receiving the ball with his left hand, suddenly realized something was wrong. His left hand didn't receive the ball as expected after his right hand pushed the ball for the crossover!
He suddenly realized that Zhao Xiu had already burst forward. It turned out that after his offensive intention was seen through by Zhao Xiu, he had stretched out his incredibly long arms and large hands, directly stealing the ball.
Holding the stolen ball, he had already crossed mid-court. Taking two more steps into the opponent's three-point line, Zhao Xiu looked back and found that the opposing defenders had barely reacted.
Zhao Xiu slowed down, knowing that the Trojans had already given up on defending this play.
Then let's give our morale a boost!
Zhao Xiu thought, and after entering the three-point line, he began to gather strength. When he was a large step inside the free-throw line, he suddenly jumped.
At this moment, the audience's gasps had already begun, and bursts of exclamations indicated that this dunk was not simple.
Zhao Xiu had undergone four and a half months of training. "Benefiting" from not having much playing time, this four-plus month of devilish training had elevated Zhao Xiu's physical fitness and core strength to another level. Now, let alone jumping from a big step inside the free-throw line for a dunk, Zhao Xiu could sometimes even dunk from the free-throw line.
After jumping, Zhao Xiu didn't dunk immediately. Instead, he directly started to turn, gripping the ball with his right hand during the turn, and swinging the basketball in a full circle in the air.
The distance of the jump, combined with a 360-degree windmill dunk in the air, although lacking Carter's power, his 221cm wingspan combined with his 203cm height, offered incredible extension in the air.
"Bang!"
Zhao Xiu's first possession defending OJ Mayo resulted in a steal, followed by a solo fast break and a 360-degree windmill dunk!
51-36.
"Oh my god, is this the Eastern Carter?" The home commentator felt that a shift in energy was gradually happening on the court and immediately exclaimed in cooperation.
He had been commentating for UCLA's Pauley Pavilion for over ten years, but he had never seen an Asian forward play like this.
The most popular "Eastern Great Wall" Yao at the time, better fit their perception of Asian players: delicate technique, strong tactical discipline, accurate shooting. This was the first time in his life he had seen an Asian player dunk like this.
His own player, Zhao Xiu, a previously unknown fringe rotation player, had subverted his perception.
The scouts on the sidelines also picked up their notebooks. This game between the Trojans and the Bruins was a top priority because there were four highly anticipated players in this matchup.
They were OJ Mayo, the number one and two high school player in the nation in 07-08, with a Jordan-Kobe template; Kevin Love, the number two high school player in the nation; Westbrook, with explosive athleticism and excellent defense; and UCLA captain Collison.
With four first-round picks in one NCAA game, and even three projected green room invites, one could imagine how many scouts were hidden in the stands.
At this moment, the audience had erupted. The entire Pauley Pavilion seemed to have come back to life, cheering loudly, a cacophony of voices.
But Zhao Xiu showed little emotion at this time, immediately returning to his own half. While the Trojans were inbounding the ball, he simply high-fived Westbrook.
"Russ, trust me, we can keep closing the gap. Keep doing what I just told you."
At this point, OJ Mayo inbounded the ball directly and then received it. He had just crossed mid-court when he saw the familiar figure again.
The fans in the arena were now completely energized, shouting loudly,
"Defense! Defense!"
Facing OJ again, Zhao Xiu still chose the same defensive strategy as before, tight, aggressive defense. Mayo felt very uncomfortable being guarded so closely, but his mouth didn't back down.
"Hey, yellow monkey, do you think stopping me once is enough? You're finished. I'm going to dominate you this game. I'm going to score over you again and again. I'm going to completely bench you forever."
Zhao Xiu felt a bit speechless hearing this, thinking it was repetitive and lacked impact.
This OJ Mayo almost got disqualified last year for marijuana. Isn't this just typical high schooler talk? No skill in trash talk, just racism and profanity.
His heart remained calm, maintaining his defensive strategy against Mayo, mentally predicting Mayo's offensive choices.
This time, Mayo was smarter. He didn't continue to show off his wide-range dribbling but suddenly chose to accelerate with a big step to the right after a small dribble.
After two big steps, he pulled up for a sudden stop-and-pop jump shot, only to find himself already covered!
Zhao Xiu, who daily engaged in close-quarters combat with Westbrook, was too familiar with this move. For a guard's drive, Zhao Xiu, accustomed to Westbrook's speed, would generally trust his height and wingspan, maintaining the same position as the smaller guard. This way, using his static advantage, he could chase block them when they jumped, as it was easier to defend a pull-up jump shot this way.
At this point, Mayo's sudden stop was simply much easier to defend than Westbrook's usual jump shot.
Although the accuracy was unknown, the physical differences were too great.
He thought to himself, "His drive isn't as fast as theirs, his jump isn't as high, and he doesn't hang in the air as long. And this is Jordan? Isn't this a buyer's show versus a seller's show?"
At this moment, Mayo was extremely uncomfortable. In the air, he leaned back forcefully, adjusted the arc, and with great effort from his waist, managed to shoot the ball, avoiding a direct block.
The result was, as expected, an air ball. Love, who caught the rebound under the basket, suddenly threw a quarterback-like long pass, finding Westbrook and Zhao Xiu, who were already streaking down the court. Westbrook, being extremely "sensible," gave the stage to his shining good brother.
An alley-oop pass, and Zhao Xiu caught the ball for an tomahawk dunk!
The whole arena erupted. There were still over 6 minutes left in the game.
51-38.
After the score, Zhao Xiu didn't celebrate much, only pointing at OJ Mayo. With the team trailing, Zhao Xiu wasn't in the mood to trash talk with Mayo. If it were a more skilled trash talker, he might not spare his words, but for OJ, he felt it was unnecessary.
But he did make his response.
Catching up by 7 points in less than a minute, substitute Zhao Xiu scored 7 consecutive points, and the suspense of the game was back!