Chapter 111: The Strategy to Win the Game

“Giannis Antetokounmpo powerfully drives against Aaron Gordon, scoring the basket while drawing a foul, earning an opportunity for an and-one!”
“That’s exactly what makes Giannis so formidable—everyone who matches up against him always ends up physically outmatched!”
The commentator on the sidelines shook his head repeatedly. “Perhaps only LeBron James can truly go toe-to-toe with him physically.”
Fans at the Bradley Center erupted in cheers.
“That’s the Giannis we know and love!”
“Exactly, just crush them like that and show them Milwaukee is not to be trifled with!”
“Go, Giannis!”
The roar of the crowd grew louder and louder, which left Aaron Gordon feeling somewhat irritated.
But all he could do was quietly seethe inwardly—after all, how could he blame anyone when he was being utterly overpowered?
On the other side, after high-fiving his teammates one by one, Giannis didn’t even glance at Gordon. Instead, his gaze swept coldly toward the Magic’s bench, eyes glaring without a word.
“Is he provoking me?”
Wu Rui knew exactly whom those eyes were directed at and then turned to Bismack Biyombo beside him. “Bismack, don’t you think he looks like a bull?”
“Yeah, a particularly dumb one.”
“Haha, Michael, I wasn’t going to laugh.”
Biyombo had been about to lecture Wu Rui but was instead immediately amused by the remark. “Man, he really does look like a bull!”
They exchanged a glance and burst out laughing together.
“Hmph!”
The noise of the court was deafening; Giannis only saw Wu Rui and Biyombo laughing heartily, unaware of what they were saying.
Anyway, he had already shown them all—he was like a bull. Standing at the free-throw line, he calmly sank the shot!
Back on defense, with Wu Rui off the court, the Magic’s tactics subtly shifted.
Nikola Vucevic became the central hub of their operation inside, while Payton directed his teammates’ movements before passing the ball to Evan Fournier in the right corner.
The latter’s shot left his hand swiftly, without hesitation.
“Swish!”
But just as the ball was released, a pair of long arms suddenly shot up, blocking the shot like a towering shadow, deflecting Fournier’s three-pointer out of bounds!
“That’s Giannis with the block! This play fully showcases his incredible athleticism!” the commentator praised. “This is why fans adore him—there’s no other young player standing 6’11” who can run, jump, and shoot with such skill.”
“Take them down, Giannis!”
“We love to see this!”
The atmosphere in the Bucks’ home arena was instantly electrified; the fans’ passion needed only a spark to ignite completely.
Clearly, Giannis Antetokounmpo was that fuse.
Having played the entire first quarter, Giannis scored 16 points, helping the Bucks lead the Magic 34-26 by eight points!
“Giannis is the Bucks’ top hero in the first quarter; he seems to be everywhere on the court,” the commentator remarked.
“On both offense and defense,” the other added, flipping through Giannis’s stat sheet. “Even off the court, you can see his influence.”
“I’ll never forget how he chased a loose ball out of bounds—it was incredible!”
After covering the Bucks, the commentators turned their attention to the visiting Magic.
“The Chinese-American rookie Michael Wu also performed well today, scoring 12 points in the quarter—his personal best for a single quarter so far this season.”
Though Wu Rui had never shone so brightly in any prior quarter this season, the commentators felt the other side’s Giannis was still the standout.
With the analysis complete, both teams took a break to adjust their tactics.
Time passed quickly, and the second quarter officially began.
“Michael, get into your rhythm in the second quarter,” said Magic head coach Frank Vogel, patting Wu Rui on the shoulder. “Their second unit is weak; they won’t be a match for you.”
“I know that, Coach Vogel,” Wu Rui replied as he stretched.
Though he had only played briefly in the first quarter, it wasn’t due to fatigue. Vogel preferred to use a strategy of strong against weak, leveraging Wu Rui’s abilities that far exceeded a typical bench player’s to gain an advantage.
“And I’ve already dismantled their bench lineup before,” Wu Rui added confidently as he stepped onto the court.
On the Bucks’ side, Jason Kidd remained calm.
Though Giannis had played the entire first quarter and would rest now, Kidd’s answer for the second quarter was Jabari Parker, who had been substituted out early.
“Jabari, I’m counting on you to handle Michael Wu,” Kidd said quietly in Parker’s ear before giving his back a reassuring pat, signaling him to enter the game.
“Okay, coach,” Parker replied with a thumbs-up, stretching before stepping onto the court.
“Oh, Michael Wu and Jabari Parker were subbed out almost simultaneously and now both subbed back in at the same time!” the commentators found this amusing. “It seems Jason Kidd’s plan is to split up the excellent forward duo of Giannis and Jabari, using them separately.”
“That’s a very deliberate choice because Michael Wu is the only Magic player who can match up against either Giannis or Jabari,” the other commentator nodded. “You have to say, Coach Kidd made a very, very smart decision.”
And indeed, as the commentator said, when Wu Rui was on the court, he had an unpredictable impact, sometimes even limiting both Parker’s and Giannis’s effectiveness. Rather than waste two young players’ talents, it was better to sacrifice one to match up against Wu Rui.
The other player could then come in after Wu Rui left and dominate, helping secure the team’s victory.
And Kidd chose Giannis to be that game-changer.
“Michael Wu, you’re strong, but I don’t think you’re anything extraordinary,” Jabari Parker seemed to say with his play.
Right from the start of the second quarter, Parker stuck closely to Wu Rui, trying every tactic to wear him down.
Whether on defense with tight, aggressive pressure or on offense by switching to one-on-one attacks against Wu Rui, Parker picked his moments carefully.
“Jabari Parker’s intent is crystal clear—he’s wearing down Michael’s stamina!”
“Without Michael, the Orlando Magic are a completely different team. Now that Jason Kidd has found their Achilles’ heel, this game is slowly tipping in the Bucks’ favor!”
Tipping one-sided?
Wu Rui dribbled the ball, and Parker immediately pressed, shadowing him step for step, refusing to give an inch!