Chapter Seventy-One: Michael Wu Suddenly Appears on the Road!

"Aaron Gordon is being pulled to the sidelines, and Coach Frank Vogel is about to substitute him out."
At the commentator’s booth, Kenny Smith reported the Magic’s sudden change on the court, "Michael Wu is returning to the game!"

"I have no idea why Coach Frank would put Michael in at this moment," Charles Barkley said, baffled by the Magic’s substitution.
Although Barkley hadn’t been impressed by Wu Rui at first, he now felt Wu wasn’t bad at all—at least, in terms of physical prowess, he was on par with homegrown American players.

But Wu’s weaknesses were equally apparent. He was simply a physically explosive rookie, with almost no shooting ability. Now, with the Thunder surging ahead under Russell Westbrook’s command, what the Magic needed was someone who could answer back offensively, not just a high-flying dunker.

Even Shaquille O’Neal, who had always favored Wu Rui, remained silent. He couldn’t figure out why Wu was being sent onto the court at such a critical moment.

The three former NBA stars at the commentator’s table analyzed from a rational, outsider’s perspective. But the Magic fans at Amway Arena were anything but dispassionate bystanders when it came to this substitution.

As Wu Rui stepped onto the court, a chorus of cheers erupted from the Magic fans.

"Go, go, go! Michael, give Russell another monster block!"

"Come on, Michael, dunk over them!"

Clearly, in the hearts of many Magic fans, this miraculous second-round pick had already delivered dazzling moments and was worthy of their excitement.

"Michael, listen to their cheers. Don’t let them down," Frank Vogel patted Wu Rui’s shoulder, signaling him to enter the game.

"Of course, Coach. Disappointment is not in my programming!"
Wu Rui rubbed the soles of his shoes, twisted his neck, and hustled toward the court—only to stumble after a few steps, nearly taking a spill!

"Oh no!"

Amway Arena gasped in surprise at Wu Rui’s slip just as he was about to take the floor.

"Michael!"

Closest to Wu Rui, Serge Ibaka quickly reached out to steady him. "What’s wrong? Are you injured?"

"Whoo!"
Wu Rui exhaled deeply, his heart pounding, then reassured Ibaka, "I’m fine, Serge."

"I think I need a new pair of shoes."
He patted Ibaka’s shoulder, twisted his ankle, and headed on.

Coach Vogel’s heart skipped a beat, but seeing Wu Rui exchange a few words with Ibaka and then stride onto the court without issue, he relaxed. He gestured to the ball boy to watch out for any sweat on the floor.

It was a false alarm. The game resumed, Magic possession. Elfrid Payton dribbled, signaling to his teammates. With their opponents on a roll, the Magic couldn’t afford to sit idle. As the team's on-court brain, this was the moment for the point guard to set the tempo.

"Michael’s comic slip could make Shaqtin’ a Fool," Barkley quipped from the commentary booth, though the Magic were on offense. Clearly, the Round Mound’s attention was elsewhere: "Russell’s two rebounds away from a triple-double. If he leads the team to a comeback, he’ll be the player of the night!"

As Barkley finished, on the court, Payton used a screen to penetrate the paint and kicked the ball out. Fournier caught it in stride, launched a three-pointer—but the ball struck the right side of the rim and bounced out.

Underneath, Steven Adams boxed out two Magic rebounders with his powerful frame.

So far this season, Westbrook, averaging close to a triple-double, had proven himself a remarkable player. His explosive athleticism and bulldozing style even made Wu Rui marvel at his beastliness. Yet the one thing fans had criticized Westbrook for this season was his habit of hunting for defensive rebounds.

Often, Steven Adams claimed the best rebounding position, but his job wasn’t to grab the board—it was to box out. The true rebounder was Westbrook.

Now, at Amway Arena, the familiar scenario unfolded again. Vucevic and Ibaka, the Magic’s big men, could only watch as a Thunder player was about to secure the defensive rebound.

Russell Westbrook tracked the ball, leaping confidently with both hands for what looked like his ninth rebound of the game.

But just then, as everyone assumed Westbrook was about to edge closer to his triple-double, another number 0 appeared at his side, jumping just a half-step behind, and before Westbrook could secure the ball, Wu Rui tipped it higher with his fingertips!

Failing to grab the rebound, Westbrook didn’t bother to check who had challenged him. He simply jumped again, aiming for the ball.

But beside him, the Magic’s own number 0 leaped even quicker, and whoever tipped the ball higher would claim the rebound.

"Michael Wu’s second jump snatches the offensive rebound from Russell!"
Shaquille O’Neal stood up from his seat yet again, "Unbelievable! Russell isn’t just a matchbox jumper, but Michael still steals it!"

The Magic fans hadn’t even processed what had happened. After Wu Rui secured the offensive rebound, he wasted no time, passing straight out to Fournier, who took a moment to set up and launched a long two-pointer.

"Swish!"

This time, the basketball obediently found the net!

Only after the shot went in did the Amway crowd realize what had happened, their focus shifting to the player who had made the crucial pass.

"It’s Michael—Michael grabbed the offensive rebound, stole it from Russell!"

"Oh my God! Did I see that right? It was really Michael!"

Not only the fans, but the TNT broadcast exploded with excitement.

"Guys, can someone tell me—is this a broadcast glitch? How did Russell Westbrook’s rebound end up in Michael Wu’s hands?"

"Come on, man, when the ball’s in the air, it belongs to nobody. But now, it belongs to Michael Wu!"

While the broadcast buzzed, the Magic missed another shot. Adams boxed out perfectly, Westbrook jumped again—his ninth rebound imminent—when Wu Rui appeared once more!

Again, he tipped the ball higher, leaped twice, and used his quick bounce to claim another offensive board, passing out to reorganize the offense.

"Michael Wu has snatched two rebounds from Russell in succession. Now, Oklahoma City’s triple-double plans may need a new strategy!"